The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-04-28

fight, Our present town hall (this
building as a town hall stood on
the property where the feed barn
is. now located at the time this
story was written) was built on
the old site and served it's pur-
pose for many years and then had
to be replaced by the beautiful
high school building which now
adOrns the head of Mechanic
street.
More conveniences for relig-
ious purposes became a necessity.
The old Christian Adventist
church was the first in the vii
lage. 1t also served it's purpose,
became dilapitated and weather
beaten, unsafe, and had to be torn
down and was replaced sixteen
years ago by the neat little brick
Chapel which has been the home
for the Church of Christ that had
been organized % years ago. The
M. E. church was the next, and
then the M. P. These churches
have had their vicissitudes. their
ups and their downs and have all
been the means of bringing num-
bers into the fold. In later years
in succession came the Free Meth
Odist, then the Disciple church,
then the Presbyterian, and last of
all the Roman Catholic goodly
number of churches to be support
ed by 1,200 inhabitants,-the
world meanwhile looking on with
amazement at the divisions which
even they recognize as inconsist-
ent with the teachings of the Saw
ior that His followers might be
cne.
AT an early day camp-mee.ings
were favorite gatherings amongst
the Methodists, not summer
passing without two or three of
them in the vicinity. Old time
songs, old time preachers and old
time preaching, with shoutings of
victory, which were often heard
for miles.
Those were happy days for the
Methodists who often in relating
their experiences now refer feel
ingly to those good old times
where wonderful manifestations
were in order and camp-meeting
without such manifestation
would be looked upon as failure.
Those good old days are still
mourned by many as amongst the
lost arts.
Of the scores of religious
thought, scores have come and
gone, and eternit. alone can dis
close the extent of their building,
for every mans work shall be
made manifest because it shall be
revealed by fire and the fire shall
try every mans work, of what
sort it is, if his work abides he
shall receive a reward; if it be
burned he shall suffer loss, but
he himself shall be saved, yet so
as by fire."
Three characters have appear
ed at the windows of my mind
seeking especial notice. Two of
them for long service and one as
a curiosity. Elder Lester Clark,
an old veteran of the cross and
pioneer in religious building of
thought from a very early day in
the history of old Brockway Gen.
ire. Although seventy years of
age he is still hale and hearty and
yet does good service for the
Master. He breaches more funer-
al sermons probably than all the
other preachers in the village put
together. Much of his time is
spent in obedience to the teaching
of the divine scripture in visiting
the sick, praying with them, ad-
ministering counsel, consolation
and loving service at many a dying
bed.
The above concludes the paper.
Elder Lester Clark, spoken of as
one of the three, died in 1916, at
the age of 83 years. To the end
as full of service as during all the
years before.
We can only infer that the other
two are Elder j. H. Patton, of AL
mont, who preached through this
country for many years and who
was Mr.. Browns own pastor, and
that of the Brick chapel. He is still
alive, but very feeble in both
health and mind as we understand
it. The third character, spoken of
as a curiosity, must mean Yale's
cwn Sam Bettes, whom everybody
knew. Mr.. Bettes died last win.
ter.