Midland Churches: A History of the Congregations on - General ...

READER.
,
IT WAS THE AFTERNOON OF A BRILLIANT AUTUMN DAY. 1 WAS SITTING
ON THE SUMMIT OF A MIGHTY HEADLAND, OVERLOOKING AN EVER-CHANGING
SEASCAPE OF ATLANTIC llrATERS. THERE OFTEN FOR ME :-
. . . . THE LONELY BREEZES BLOW
ABOVE THE LONELY SOD ;
WHERE MOUNTAIN HEADS ARE HID IN MIST,
MY HEART IS HID WITH GOD.
1 HAD THOUGHT ON MANY THINGS, AND REMEMBERED THAT MORE THAN A
DECADE HAD RUN ITS COURSE SINCE FIRST MY NAME APPEARED ON A TITLE
PAGE ; AND THERE CAME THIS QUESTION :--TO WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT DO
1 OWE IT THAT MANY OF THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE HAVE BEEN GIVEN
TO SOME LITTLE EXPLORATION OF THE PATHS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN
MATTERS PERTAINING TO OLD NONCONFORMING SOCIETIES ?
A TREASURED LETTER GIVES THE REPLY. MANY MOONS HAVE WAXED
AND WANED SINCE IT WAS RECEIVED BY A LITTLE COMPANY OF UNKNOWN
YOUNG MEN, THEN INTERESTED IN AN EXHI-BITION OF THEIR DIVERS HOBBIES
AND COLLECTIONS. ONE HAD LENT SOME VOLUMES, DEALING WITH THE
STORIES OF RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES AKIN TO THOSE IN THIS BOOK, ANOTHER
HAD JUST TRIED HIS 'PRENTICE HAND ON A FEW CHAPTERS OF LOCAL HISTORY,
HENCE THE WRITER'S ALLUSION :-
IT AUGURS WELL FOR THE INTELLIGENT GRASP OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE
WHEN PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE, TAKE A WARM INTEREST IN THE
HISTORY OF THE PAST.