Year: 1873

Many people in this region remember I distinctly Mr. Israel Bronson and his great liberality and generous gifts to re- l ig1ous objects He passed away some

 years since Mrs. Ann Bronson, his wid

 ow, passed away on the 1st inst, leaving behind the sweet savor of an earnest, con-

 sistent, christian character. Rev. Geo.

 Tomlinson was invited to preach the dis

 course at her funeral but as the day of

 the burial was very stormy the sermon

 was deferred till last Sunday afternoon,

 at which time it was preached in the

 church on the Hill, where the deceased so

 long attended worship and where her af-

 fections and donations were so cordially

 bestowed. Some of the most important

 articles of its furniture were given by

 Mrs. Bronson and her husband-as the

 communion service and sofa and chairs.

 It is understood that notwithstanding she

 did much while living she has done more

 ''by will" Mir. IFS discourse of course

 was earnest and appropriate. As we have

 noticed matter pertaining to the Hill

 perhaps in this connection we may allude

 to another which shows what changes and

 notifications of opinion a decade even

 may effect. We noticed in the report 1 which he gave of the meeting of the Evan gelical Alliance, the acting pastor incorpo- rated into 1t an extract from the New

 York Tribune What would have been

 said and how would it have been said | what would have been done and how would 1t have been done? if The Fri

 bune had been taken into that pulpit in 1863 instead of 1873! Let the supporters

 of Horace Greeley for president answer An efficient sewing society is now in

 operation in the parish on the Hill, of which Miss Mary Ackley is the accom- l plished president.

 In the village the Lyceum Dramatic 1 Association IS doing good work for it's | members. 4 movement to found pub lie library, started with great liberality by some of the young and live men of the place, meets with less favor from some l heads of families than we could wish. 1 About one hundred dollars, we hear. lave been subscribed. This place labors un- der the difficulty of being sort of ''sec- ond-fddler" to Judea. They have their large library and some of rs patronize it. ! They have their lectures and some of us patronize them. Thls is unfortunate for New Preston. We ought to have a libra " and lectures of our own. And here we l will suggest an answer to the conundrum or query of MT. Colton which appeared in the Enquirer, last spring, when in writing 1 of the course of lectures then just closed in Washington the Reverend gentleman asked; s'Why cannot other places about ! have such treat and profitable entertain ! ment for the winteri'' Because other places have not had Mr. F. W. Gum to offer an inviting house ''to all who will'' l to come and spend an evening weekly in l social intercourse and also to entertain ! the people with dramatic and other pub lie entertainments at which small ad-

 

 mission fee has sometimes been taken, thus accustoming the people young and | older to two things, viz: to being out evenings to reasonable hour, and to spending little money for social festivi- ties and intellectual and moral entertain ] ments. Herein, in our judgment, is the explanation of the success of the course of lectures in Washington. And instead of vote of thanks to the committee of last year it would have been more just to have given MT. Gum vote of thanks for having brought the public opinion and habits of the people to where it was pos sible for the course to succeed. .,- That we are right in this let any consid-

 CT whether the same effort by an equally

 competent committee in New Preston, or Warren, or Morris, or Bethlehem, or New ] Milford even, would have succeeded equally well. We make no invidious com parisons but believe we only state fact. l The people of other places have not been socially united and brought to the habit

 of spending money for such objects. Then we say other places can succeed when

 they do the preparatory work. And that ] preparatory work will take in country town about the life time of one genera tion, about as long as MT. G. has been in Washington. e- r

 And here let it be said in all candor and ! kindness that if any other man should

 undertake to do in any other like com l munity what Mir. G. has done in W. he

 must expect to receive decided opposi- l tion perhaps even from the minister and l deacons and others of the best people of l the place, because his entertainments

 were not in there effect just like prayer meeting. We depreciate not the prayer meeting. That is immeasurably important.

 But young people don't naturally go to

 the church prayer meeting. They pre-

 fer and greatly desire something else.

 Shall they then have some innocent

 amusement under the eye of their guardi-

 ans and friends, or. denied this, shall

 they find pleasures on the sly which are ] not innocent? A tree is known by it's fruits. Is there less morality and virtue and intelligence and refinement of man.

 ners and more intemperance and profani-

 tY and general degradation of character

 among the young of Judea than in neigh

 boring communities? And yet have not

 some of the good people of that place

 shake their heads with sadness and heart

 ache as the games and sports and music 1 of the Gunnery went on. And yet is it not true that to large degree the young men of W. have kept themselves from

 vices and bad habits and remained near

 the old homestead, while in other places

 larger proportion have early become