manifested by Mrs. Wheaton in the furnishing of that first home, and in everything necessary for the comfort of its occupants? That she had done much in the way of enlarging and refitting the house for my predecessor did not make her any less ready to do yet more for the newcomers. In fact, her liberality in the expenditure of money for the comfort of her pastor or the necessities of her church was a marked characteristic of her life.

That her provision was never meagre, but instead always exceeded expectation, a single incident will show. In remodelling the church building some years before, the vestry had been left in the original condition. With the passing years, it had become a somewhat dingy and unattractive place, being seldom used for any gatherings. In view of a prospective need, however, I suggested the desirability of raising money that it might be put in order. On hearing of my plan, Mrs. Wheaton at once invited me to her home for a conference, and having questioned me carefully as to my wishes in the matter, assured me that she would see to it that they were carried out. This promise she fulfilled without delay, only departing from my plan in that she expended fifteen hundred dollars where I had asked for an outlay of not more than two or three hundred. This is but one example of many that might be given from my personal experience

of Mrs. Wheaton's habitually generous response to every appeal that commended itself to her judg

ment.

Nor were her generous gifts limited to her pastor and his family and the church. Perhaps there were few who knew as I did how manifold were her bounties to the poor of the town, or to those in any distress. A case of sickness or want in any home was often relieved by a gift from Mrs. Wheaton. No appeal was necessary. A simple statement of the case was sufficient to enlist her sympathy and insure her aid. And her interest in the town, and especially in the young people and their needs, continually manifested itself in renewed gifts to the library, for which she had already provided a building that will be a lasting ornament to the village, and in making it possible for many a young woman to enjoy the privileges of the Seminary.

It was not, however, simply as a "Lady Bountiful," freely and liberally meeting financial needs, that I remember Mrs. Wheaton. There were even more pleasant relations, as they were more direct and personal. I always felt that it required no little self-sacrifice on her part to approve the call of a man so young as myself to the Norton pastorate; for, as a matter of course, she would find more that was helpful in the ministrations of one of maturer mind and more conservative spirit. But I think she

put her own personal preferences in the background as a concession to the desires and interests of the young people both in the town and in the Seminary. Naturally, her feeling toward the young pastor and his wife was somewhat motherly, and both of us recall gratefully many a word of counsel spoken by her, always in such a quiet, tactful way that no one else knew anything about it. When the little daughter came to our home, an event in which Mrs. Wheaton took the deepest interest, she very soon learned to speak of "Grandma Wheaton," and the title was accepted graciously as the most natural thing in the world.

One word of the motherly advice of which I have spoken will never be forgotten. It was in the early days of my Norton ministry that she called my attention to the number of elderly people in the congregation who, like herself, found some difficulty in catching all that was said from the pulpit, and suggested that many would appreciate it if the pastor would speak a little more slowly and a little more distinctly when preaching. The suggestion so kindly given was not unheeded, and many an aged person in subsequent parishes has had cause for gratitude to Mrs. Wheaton for the distinct pulpit utterance which is largely due to this timely hint.

For a person of her years and conservative

nature, Mrs. Wheaton was remarkably tolerant in her attitude toward the newer outlook and modes of expression in theology. True, she was somewhat startled when her pastor exchanged for the first time with his Unitarian neighbor; and when the organization of a Christian Endeavor Society was suggested, she advised against undue haste in the matter, the movement being yet in its experimental stages; but, as the years went by, she heartily rejoiced in the growing friendliness of the two churches, and manifested a genuine and practical interest in the work of the young people.

The more than eight years of my Norton pastor

ate were marked with numberless deeds of kindness and words of friendly counsel from Mrs. Wheaton, and our removal to other fields never lessened her motherly interest in myself and the members of my family. This interest she continued to the very end, often extending to us a cordial welcome to the enjoyment of her large hospitality either at her home, or at the Shoals.

I shall ever remember Mrs. Wheaton as one of the most prominent characters in that early parish, a lady of the old school, courtly but frank, cautious but tolerant, a bountiful giver, a firm friend, and a true Christian, seeking earnestly the welfare of her church, and the comfort and peace of her pastor.

CHAPTER XI

THE JUBILEE OF WHEATON SEMINARY

THE close of the first fifty years of the life of the Seminary, in 1885, was marked by a special celebration. The most unique and charming feature of this celebration was due to Mrs. Wheaton's hospitality and generosity, for while in any case a hearty invitation to join in the exercises of the day would have been extended to all who had ever been connected with the school, Mrs. Wheaton could not be satisfied without a real visit from all the alumnæ, and all the old teachers, and therefore beds and entertainment for two days were provided at her expense for all who could be prevailed upon to come. She included in her hospitality many of the leading pupils who did not graduate. Never in the world could there have been a more delightful renewal of the friendships of girlhood by middleaged and elderly women than at the semicentennial anniversary of Wheaton Seminary.

The school had now come to its blossoming time. In its earliest days, most of the energy of its managers had been employed in seeing that it was firmly and deeply rooted in good ground. In the