ad marked its Revolutionary ardor, and called upon him,
as one of its most distinguished citizens, to preach upon the occasion;
and now the old church opened wide its doors in affectionate respect to
his memory, and his mourning townspeople met to honor the man they had
learned to love, if not to follow.

It was a lovely summer day, full of calm and sunny sweetness. The
earlier harvests had been gathered in, and the beautiful valley lay in
perfect rest,-"Like a full heart, having prayed."

Taghkonic brooded above it in gentle majesty, and the scarce seen river
wound its quiet course among the meadows. No touch of drought or decay
had yet passed upon the luxuriant foliage; but the autumnal flowers were
already glowing [365] in the fields and on the waysides, and, mingled
with ferns and ripened grain, were heaped in rich profusion by the
loving hands of young girls to adorn the church. It was Sunday, and
people and friends came from far and near, till the building was filled;
and in the pervading atmosphere of tender respect and sympathy, the
warm-hearted words spoken from the pulpit seemed like the utterance
of the common feeling. The choir sang, with much expression, one of my
father's favorite hymns,-"When, as returns this solemn day;" and the
prayer, from Dr. Eddy, the pastor of the church, was a true uplifting
of hearts to the Father of all. The fervent and touching discourse which
followed, by Rev. Robert Collyer, minister of my father's old parish,
the Church of the Messiah, in New York, recalled the early days of Dr.
Dewey's life, and the influences from home and from nature that had
borne upon his character, and described the man and his work in terms
of warm and not indiscriminate eulogy. The speaker's brow lightened,
and his cheek glowed with the strength of his own feeling, and among his
listeners there was an answering thrill of gratitude and of aspiration.

Dr. Powers, an Episcopal clergyman, then read a short and graceful
original poem, and some cordial and earnest words were said by the
two Orthodox ministers present. Another hymn was sung by the whole
congregation; and thus fitly closed the simple and reverent
service, typical throughout of the kindly human brotherhood which,
notwithstanding inevitable differences of opinion, binds together hearts
that throb with one common need, that rest upon one Eternal Love and
Wisdom.

So would my father have wished it. So may it be more and more!

End