Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

York. He at once entered upon his life
work, the Christian ministry, at Shel-
burne, Massachusetts, where he was or-
dained December 22, 1876, and continued
seven years as pastor of the local church.
From 1884 to 1888 he was pastor at Westerly,
Rhode Island. From 1888 to 1899, he
was pastor of the Congregational church
at Farmington, Connecticut, and was
called thence to Wethersfield, where he
has since continued, and has gained great
popularity with the church and the people
of the town. During his pastorate, a long
standing church debt has been paid off
and the society is now in a very prosperous
condition. Mr. Clark has given much
time to historical research, but this has
never been allowed to interfere with his
pastoral duties. It is a remarkable fact
that he has been able to fill the pulpit
every Sunday with the exception of two
during a ministry of forty years. He has
produced several works of historical
nature, among the most notable of which
may be mentioned "A History of Con-
necticut, Its People and Institutions,"
published in 1914 (and now used in the
schools of the State) by G. P. Putnam
Sons of New York and London. Many
favorable reviews of this work have appeared
in the journals of the country, and
an extract from one in the "Brooklyn
Eagle" is herewith appended : "This is a
most scholarly and accurate account of
the settlement and growth of a great
State. It is a thoroughly comprehensive
history, and the author has the true
vision. He does not set down a few rows
of isolated facts and let it go at that. He
realizes that Connecticut has had, and
still has, a large part to play in American
life." The character of the work is fur-
ther indicated by a review of the "Boston
Transcript," which follows : "Modern
writers are gradually coming to under-
stand that history in its best and broad-
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est sense can never mean a mere record
of events. These must relate themselves
to a period, and assist in the interpretation
of the spirit of that period to make
them important to the world. Such a his-
tory is that which Mr. Clark has written."
In speaking of Mr. Clark's History of
Connecticut, the "New York Independent"
says: "Not content with a mere
political outline, he has followed the
newer fashions of historians and presented
the intellectual and economic
forces that have contributed to the State's
development." The "Portland Oregonian"
said : "We meet with useful history
of a kind not usually met with in ordinary
records of the past. There are many
New England people in this region, and
to all of them, and also the general reader,
this book can be cordially recommended."
The "Hartford Courant" says: "Mr.
Clark has established himself as a histor-
ian by his life of Silas Deane." Mr. Clark
is now engaged upon a "History of Life
in New England from the Revolutionary
War to 1820." In a prize oration deliv-
ered at the Hartford Public High School,
June 15, 1915, entitled "The Yankee Par-
son," is given an outline of the character
and appearance of Mr. Clark:
I am going to show you what he is on Sun-
days; what he is on week-days; and what he is
in his spare time. Our minister is as interest-
ing as his sermons. His memory can reach
back at least sixty of the sixty-five years he has
experienced; his reminiscences include the
years of the Civil War; one of his favorite
topics of conversation is the mobilization of
the Army of the North. He delights to tell
of his varied experiences in travelling throughout
this country. His age would entitle him
to a membership in the "Old School," but his
ideas and teachings are surprisingly up-to-date.
"By doctrines fashion'd to the varying hour."
His style of speaking is unaffected, businesslike;
his argument logical, convincing, and
clear. He can hold the attention of each member
of the congregation, from the school-boy