136 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



day, throughout his long life. He was always a con- 

 stant, prompt and loving attendant at the Congregational 

 church in Milltown and in Calais. When absent from 

 home he always attended church and no entries in his 

 diary are more regular than those which record his 

 attendance at church in Philadelphia, Boston, New York 

 and Washington where he always went to hear the most 

 eminent preachers of the time. At home, when enter- 

 taining friends, he invariably went to church on Sunday, 

 even if his guests did not ; and when Prof. Baird and his 

 family were his guests he records going to meeting while 

 Prof. Baird "kept house." Returning from the south 

 in 1865, he reached Portland on Fast Day, April 20, 

 where he remained for the day and attended the union 

 ser\dce at one of the churches. But he was liberal and 

 tolerant. An anecdote is related by one of his sons : 

 "While we lived in Milltown, in a house near the 

 Catholic church, I noticed twice ever^^ year the priest 

 came to the house to see father. In those days the 

 Protestant churches imparted the impression that being 

 a Roman Catholic was next to being entirely lost, so I 

 inquired of him what the priest came for. After deliber- 

 ating a few minutes he said, 'Albert, you know that 

 within a year or two the Catholic parish here has con- 

 structed a new church, school house and residence for 

 the priest. I sold them the lumber for this operation 

 and, being a little short of money, they came to me for a 

 loan. The priest comes twice a year to pay the interest 

 and always comes promptly on the day it is due.' " 



An extract from a letter to Prof. Baird written at 

 Boston, May 23, 1869, shows the regard which he had 

 for the observance of the Sabbath : ' ' Saw Doctor Brewer 



