Putnam patriot., 1925-11-27

He took out q handful of change from ilis pocket and began counting. When he had got up to slxty-seyea cents told him Co let t go at that as he might need the rest more than i did.
 Piece of Pork as Fee
 After l had married one young cou- pie at Standish on Thanksgiving Day the bride groom, a prosperous farm CT, spoke up: I can't pay you today but I'm going Co kill a hog before l Christmas and Fl send you over piece of pork. He did as he agreed. l had one man come here to Inter- laken and tell me he couldn't afford to ] pay what other ministers were ehare- ing in Lenox and Stockhridge and wanted to know if l would do the job cheaper. One man who wasn't wealthy gave me three ten dollar gold pieces as fee. think the average fee for the country minister in New England is from S5 to $I0.
 i When l entered the ministry the most important work Of clergyman was to write and deliver a good ser- mon. He spent most of his time in l it's preparation. While the minister l of today is duty-bound to deliver good sermons and while good preaching is still the backbone of the Christian ministry in the Congregational church, he has constantly broadening field to do all kinds of helpful. sympathetic work among needy and afflicted fami- lies; he must help in the Sunday school. the Parent-Teachers Associa- tion, the missionary societies; various i kinds of social service activities must engage his attention.
 People don't want long sermons. From twenty minutes to half an hour l IS enough. l have no sympathy with the idea that the country church in New England is retrograding. The influence of a church over young peo- pie depends on how that church Is run. If men and women are in charge who have no sympathy with young people then that church is not gaining ground. l always have been their friend and admirer and l always have tried Co make my church attract i've for them. Half century ago there were few Sunday newspapers. no radio. and no automobiles to call young people away from the church. But the automobile IS not an unmiti- gated evil. l. works both ways. On special occasions f brings people te church from distance of fifteen Co twenty-five miles. T. brings out peo- pie in stormy weather who wouldn come otherwise. l never have owned q ear and never expect to.
 Walks Five Miles Day
 T walk an average of five miles q day and never have been seriously sick in my life, for 1 always have taken care of myself. As vas leaving a pittsfield restaurant the other day friend offered me a cigar. l declined. telling him 1 never had smoked and by not having smoked since l was l6 ] estimated that have saved Si,000.
 Mr. Trowbridge is an occasional contributor of poetry to the Boston, Springfield and Pittsiield papers. Through his efforts an endowment fund is being secured for the Inter laken church. This fund has now reached S6000 and he hopes to make t S10.000.
 "I don't believe it would be good for the church to have an endowment large enough to pay all the expenses, v said Mir. Trowbridge, flor that would tend to make people disregard their obligations to the church. It would create lazy church. A small endow- ment. however, which helps to meet expenses and relieve the burden which falls heavily on some people. would be beneficial for all. IL would help the church Go secure a settled minister, The pastoral work of a minister Is worth half his salary"
 Contributes to Fund
 Arthur W. Fairchild of Providence, a native of lnterlaken, gave $l000 toe ward the endowment fund in memory of his parents. Deacon and Mrs. Dam iel Fairchild Mr. Trowbridge gave $500 in memory of his wife, Clara l Hooker Trowbridee. Other $500 eon= tributors were Mrs. Raymond T. Ba- | ker of LenoX and William F. Uhler of i Mount Vernon, \. r.. in memory of his father. the Rev George Uhler, an early pastor of the church.
 InterlakeH is chiefly q summer re- sort and Mr Trowhridge has an aver age attendance in summer of 100 and from thirty to forty in winter. The late Mrs. Trowbridge N the grand daughter of Maj. AnGfew Jackson | Hooker of Southbridee. She died in l 1922. MT. Trowbridge has daugh- ter. Mrs. Joseph P. Catlin of Plain 1 field. V. J., and 6 grandson, Joseph