one hundred and fifty. August 24, 1836, he was married to the young lady who had his first and only love, and who made her return of a first and only love,Maria S. Perley of Lempster, who entered the school as preceptress." 1

This school at Unity has a conspicuous place in the early career of Mr. Miner, and arduous and exacting as the care of so large a number of pupils must have been, he did not forget that his chosen vocation was in a different sphere, and in less than three years he began to "alternate" his labors as an instructor with those of the Universalist preacher. His ministry of over fiftyseven years began in a small Vermont village that of Chester: this was in February, 1838. In the May succeeding he began to preach regularly-half the time in Unity, the other half in a circuit of about twenty villages in the vicinity. Six months later he attempted to resign his principalship, but yielded to a request to remain a year longer, also keeping up his Sunday appointments.

Fortunately this meagre sketch of Mr. Miner's twofold labors at Unity can be supplemented with very interesting particulars from one who in those early days was at once his pupil, companion and parishioner -the Rev. Luther Rice, now of Watertown, N. Y. In generous response to a request he gives a sketch of the 1 "Successful New Hampshire Men," p. 17.

2 Chester, a post-village of Windsor Co., Vt., in Chester township, on Williams River, and on the Central Vermont Railroad, thirty-nine miles south-east of Rutland. It has three churches and a graded school. The township contains another village named Chester Depot, and has manufactures of carriages, lumber, boots, sash, etc. Population of the township 2,052." Lippincott's Gazetteer, 1883.

man as he then was, of his manner as an instructor, and of his early preaching, which is here submitted, as follows:

"My first recollections of Alonzo Ames Miner are as I saw him at the opening of the school at Unity, N. H., in the autumn of 1837. The old Academy stood in the centre of the village, a good sized wooden building to which many of the young men and women both of New Hampshire and Vermont came to complete their education. Here I saw Mr. Miner for the first time-some sixty years ago. I shall never forget him as I first knew him. He was tall, commanding and dignified, and, though then youthful, he always seemed to inspire a sort of reverence in all who came in contact with him; just as the young men of to-day always seemed to stand in awe of him, so, even then did the students feel towards their teacher. He was smooth-shaven, and of course did not possess many of the graces of carriage which in later years seemed always so characteristic of Dr. Miner. But even then his upright, manly form seemed to possess a grace and a dignity which were rare.

"As a teacher it is a delight to think of him. How well I remember him as he appeared in the class-room-so apt in his illustrations, so concise, so clear. It seemed to me then as if no problem could be so knotty that he could not untie and straighten it out. I do not think it was the inexperience of my youth which made me feel that as a teacher he came as near perfection as any one who ever entered the class-room. He impressed me as being master of the subjects which he taught. Young as he was, his influence was largely felt outside of the schoolroom. As a lecturer he commanded a large hearing. I remember how we all looked forward to his lectures as well as to hearing him preach. His lectures were models, it seemed to me, in grace of diction, arrangement, as well as in the knowledge they imparted.

"As a preacher Dr. Miner was my ideal-a splendid model. I remember well the first sermon I heard him preach. He compared our faith to the light of the sun, and contrasted it with the feeble lamp of our opponents, who invite us to come and sit by their light, lest the great luminary should go out and leave us in darkness! He invited me once to go with him to my native town in Vermont where he was to preach. I shall always regard that ride over the hills and through the valleys as an honor and privilege. To my great delight he repeated that first sermon. In the next autumn we had a new class of students and I heard the same sermon for the third time with just as much pleasure as at the first! In those early days he was always ready to cross swords in the cause of truth with those who were in his judgment of the powers of darkness.' He had his enemies and those who sought to injure him. But then, as in all later years, he never swerved from his idea of the right and never feared to strike against evil in any form.

"Towards the close of my last term at the school in Unity, Mr. Miner was confined to his room by sickness. I called upon him, and during the conversation I inquired if he expected to leave Unity and the school. His reply was: Unless I get better I shall leave this world!' I saw that Mrs. Miner was visibly affected, and the subject was dropped. Such was the precarious state of his health at that early day. None of us thought he would fill out the full measure of fourscore years. Many years have passed since I stood in the relation to Dr. Miner of pupil to teacher, but the impression of those early days will never be effaced from my memory. And I have always been proud to have him and his excellent companion speak of me as one of their boys."

At the period now reached, Alonzo Ames Miner was a young Universalist preacher, most favorably known in his immediate neighborhood, but outside of this with

out fame or much recognition. A careful examination of the files of the denominational papers might possibly find his name in scattered paragraphs, but a cursory examination nowhere falls upon it. Possibly he was a quiet and it may be a shy attendant upon the local denominational Association. There is no evidence that he may not have been present at some session of the larger body-the State Convention. Somewhat abruptly, and in a most conspicuous way, he is seen at a New Hampshire Convention in 1839 - there publicly to attest his faith in Christianity, by the baptismal rite, and to consecrate himself to the Christian Ministry by the covenant and the vows of ordination.

The New Hampshire Convention of Universalists held an annual session in Nashua, June 19, 20, 1839. This was before the better organization in which conventions assemble for work; to mature plans of work, and to discuss specific themes presumed to bear upon the duties of parishes and churches as instruments for extending the kingdom of God on earth. Half a century ago and more, people went to the conventions to hear sermons from noted preachers, to pass a few resolutions, usually one on temperance and possibly another on slavery, and then go home, not so much to ask, "What shall we do?" as to tell what wise and good things they had heard.

In these days an ordination service would, unless some exigency called for it, be regarded as an encroachment on time pre-empted by the programme. Not so in the early time, when so peculiar a service as that of inducting a candidate into the ministry gave

the greatest interest to the convention. Alonzo A. Miner was ordained at that Nashua session of the State Convention nor was that all, he also received the rite of baptism by immersion, a ceremonial to which he was powerfully drawn in the days of his youth and early ministry. A large concourse was drawn to the banks of the river, where, after prayer by the Rev. Sebastian Streeter of Boston, the rite of immersion was administered by the Rev. William S. Balch. The service of ordination, of course, took place in the Universalist Church, and in the presence of a congregation that was deeply moved by the historic ceremonial. A council having examined the candidate, and finding him in all respects "worthy and well qualified," the service proceeded, Rev. Mr. Balch preaching the sermon; Rev. Thomas Whittemore, editor of the "Trumpet," offering the prayer; Rev. John Moore presenting the Scriptures and giving the charge; Rev. Moses Ballou extending the right hand of fellowship. Then and there was inducted into the Universalist ministry one who was to honor the high vocation for more than the years of half a century.

In later years Dr. Miner, with experienced brethren, often complained of the inconsiderate haste with which "calls" are extended to ministers, -an indirect tribute, indeed, to the simplicity of their confidence in those who proffered their services as spiritual shepherds of the people. Too often, indeed, it seems to be taken for granted that there cannot be a wolf in sheep's clothing; and as an example of this lack of precaution he would cite his own case in the invitation that brought