19G A HALF CENTURY. 



receiving a welcome, as they partake of the feast that had been 

 prepared. 



He then referred to the fact that he liad had the good fortun© 

 to know all four pastors of the church. He remembered good 

 old Mr. Rockwell, who used silently to come in and go out before 

 them ; had an intimate acquaintance with Dr. Goodell, whom 

 they all remembered with love. The year 1872 was quite a 

 memorable year, for it was in that year that a great number of 

 the then boys and girls, now young men and women, joined the 

 church. It was the last year of Dr. Goodell's pastorate, and 

 was twenty years ago, so that this is really an anniversary of 

 that occasion. They all remembered Mr. Griffin, although he 

 stayed so short a time, his genial ways and his scholarly talks and 

 sermons ; and they have often had the pleasure of meeting the 

 present pastor of the church as they have come back from time 

 to time. They are gratified to hear, in their far-off fields of 

 work, of the prominence and influence in religious and educa- 

 tional councils which Dr. Cooper has gained ; and are likew^ise 

 rejoiced to note the prosperity, in all temporal and spiritual 

 things, of the church itself under his leadership. He closed 

 by referring to the glorious past of the church and hoped for 

 an even more useful and glorious future. 



The time had now arrived when the exercises of the evenings 

 and with them the services of two days, should be brought to a 

 close. Other friends were with us from whom it would have 

 been a joy to hear, friends who had come up to spend this 

 happy anniversaiy with the church which they had learned in 

 former years to love, and whose presence with us has added a 

 peculiar charm to the interest of the occasion ; but the late hour 

 admonished. We had taken such review of the past as inspired 

 both gratitude and hope. Our faces must now be set toward 

 the future. 



The Pastor announced as the only fitting and most expressive 

 closing song, the ancient '-'Doxology," in long meter, "Praise 

 God from Whom all blessings flow." The benediction was pro- 

 nounced, and the formal celebration of our semi-centennial 

 passed into history. 



