THE record of a life marked by no striking incidents, whose usefulness has been attained by the faithful employment of only ordinary talents, is occasionally more valuable than that of one which has been rendered illustrious by special natural endowments or by rare opportunities. The young men of our churches cannot all become governors of States nor generals of armies. They cannot all become distinguished leaders in the hosts of the Church militant, by gifts of eloquence, nor by superiority of scholarship. They will not all be doctors of theology; nor as business men will they become millionnaires and found colleges. Being educated under the benign influence of Congregationalism, whose fundamental principles are those of "common sense," they are usually so well supplied with this essential element of usefulness that they do not seek great things for themselves, but, by fidelity to little things within what is sometimes regarded as a contracted sphere, they oftentimes, unconsciously to themselves, achieve true greatness of character.

For the subject of this brief memorial sketch, introducing a name wholly unknown to the majority of the readers of this Quarterly, we claim nothing which can distinguish him from large numbers

of young men in our congregations, unless it may be that with more singleness of aim and patient industry he made ordinary natural abilities unusually effective in the Christian Church.

ALBERT DRAKE was born in Dorchester, Mass., November 13, 1823, the eldest son of Jeremy and Abigail B. Drake. In 1825 his parents removed to South Boston, where at four years of age he became connected with the Sabbath School of the Phillips Church. With the history of this Church his whole life was so identified that it is worthy of mention as a coincidence, that the date of his birth and the date of the organization of the Church were separated from each other by less than a month. He was trained up under the Puritanical system of family government, and was one of the boys who seem to take to it naturally. It suited his temperament and tastes, and he thrived under the regimen of well-observed Sabbaths and the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism. From early childhood, he was remarkable for his habits of industry and perseverance, often rising at four o'clock in the morning to practise music lessons that they might not interfere with the other duties of the day. He was very methodical, laying his plans so that