at they did
not appear to possess when they were published. Flint was recognized
in the town as a man of ability, but he failed to secure the
affections or even the confidence of the people. He was a man of
ready faculty, being able to write his sermons Saturday evening, with
his children around him.

Parson Adams, a cousin of John Adams and the predecessor of Flint, had
lived among his people as a chieftain. He was not only the spiritual
teacher, he was supreme in most other matters. Unlike the Adams family
generally, he had a rough wit and a sententious practical wisdom about
common things not unlike the kindred conspicuous qualities in Dr.
Franklin. If the traditions that existed in my boyhood were
trustworthy, he said and did things that would have ruined an ordinary
minister. Adams gave an earnest support to the Revolution, and one
of his sermons delivered at the opening of the war contained a view of
the coming greatness of the country that was truly prophetic.

Samuel Dexter studied law at Lunenburg. He was there married by the
Rev. Zabdiel Adams to a Miss Gordon, a daughter of an English lady.

The successor of Mr. Damon was the Rev. Joseph Hubbard, and during his
ministry the old society that represented the town of former days came
to an end. The first error was the scheme for erecting a new meeting-
house. The larger part of the village is on the southern side of a
hill, and the first meetinghouse was midway on the slope and facing
south. The site was a triangular piece of land, of more than one
hundred rods in extent, on which were shade trees planted in other
days. If the whole town had been at command not another equally good
site could have been selected. A spirit, called the spirit of
progress, had seized the leaders and it was resolved to build a new
meetinghouse on the top of the hill. The house was built, but in the
meantime the society lost members. Following the dedication of the new
house, there came complaints against Hubbard as a preacher. He made
enemies, and his enemies promoted disturbances. Efforts were made to
dissolve the connection. Hubbard having been settled for life, these
efforts were ineffectual. Finally his salary was withheld and the
house was closed against him. Sunday after Sunday, morning and
afternoon, Hubbard would walk from the parsonage to the meetinghouse,
try the doors and then return home. As long as the doors were open, I
attended the services--the