52 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



some of the most prominent members of the 

 Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, and 

 Congregational churches flocked under the shel- 

 ter of White Rock Church, and those who at 

 first thought to ^'laugh him to scorn,'' were soon 

 made to feel that he was not a mere ^'idle curi- 

 osity" on their hands. 



From an enrollment in the Sunday School of 

 150, and an average attendance of 70 or 80, at 

 the time of his death the enrollment was 520, 

 with an average attendance of 480. In praise 

 of Dr. Shepard's great service, we do not lose 

 sight of the hearty cooperation of the constitu- 

 ency of the church ; and yet he was the great in- 

 strument in the hands of God to unravel the 

 tangle and furnish the inspiration for the mar- 

 velous changes which ensued. 



Dr. Shepard, with long years of service and 

 ripe experience in pastoral work, held extensive 

 Bible readings, and sought to lay in the member- 

 ship a foundation, firm and strong, by acquaint- 

 ing the people with a knowledge of the Bible, 

 and emphasizing the fact that the Bible was not 

 a toy to decorate the center tables of parlors; 

 but to be read in daily family devotion and ap- 

 plied to their lives. The wisdom of this course 



