ble
for its healthfulness. In 1885 there were 81 deaths, and the average age
was 48+ years; while 40 were 60 years old, and upwards; 27 were over 70;
24 were over 75; 13 were over 80; 4 were over 85, and 2 were over 90.
The records of the largest Sabbath school in town show only three
deaths of persons under 20 years of age, for at least eight, and
possibly ten years. The two funerals which the writer last attended were
of persons aged 89 and 101. The Catholic priest informs me that an
entire year has passed without the occurrence of death in his parish. To
show that the statistics of 1885 are not exceptionally favorable to the
name of the town, let us take a longer period,--say of six years,
1879-85. During this period the death-rate has been 14.45 per 1,000,
which gives an average number of deaths for each year, of 79; and within
this period 159, deaths have been of persons over 70 years of age. Since
the new year came in 15 persons have died, and the average age of 5 was
over 90 years.

Each of the nine churches in Andover has an interesting history. Of
these five are of the Congregational order, and their enrolled
membership numbers 1,099, nearly one-fifth of the entire population.
When to this is added the membership of the Episcopal, Baptist,
Methodist and Catholic churches it is probable that one person in four,
of whatever age or nationality, is a member of some church. The
enrolment of the Sabbath Schools is about the same as that of the
churches.

This is owing partly to the fact that the "foreign element" in Andover
consists largely of Scotchmen, who love the kirk; and also because the
educational facilities of Andover are such as to draw hither persons of
intelligence, and of literary tastes and habits.

The town is well supplied with libraries. The Memorial Hall was built to
commemorate the Andover defenders of the national flag, and contains a
free reading-room, well supplied with current issues of the press, and a
free public library, containing 5,259 pamphlets, and 9,185 volumes, to
which additions are constantly being made.

In 1865 the Library building of the Theological Seminary was erected,
through the generosity of Mr. John Dove and Messrs. John and Peter
Smith, at the cost of $60,000. It was named "Brechin Hall," from their
native town in Scotland.

Its shelves contain more than 43,000 volumes, the gentlemen who built
the library having given large sums for the purchase of books. On its
wall