IN MEMDRIAM 
 
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 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD
 
 &/ CJv w
 
 Ninety-four Milestones 
 
 fmicfeerbocfeer {Press 
 
 New York 
 1914
 
 TO 
 THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
 
 OF 
 SUCCASUNNA, NEW JERSEY 
 
 whose loving appreciation of the pastorate of half a century made it 
 the joy and crown of the sixty-one years of active ministry, and of 
 the ninety-three years of a life which will live on and on and on 
 in the lives of those inspired by its supreme desire to glorify God. 
 
 As the stars beyond our sight 
 By their ministry of light 
 Gently hold us in our sphere, 
 Absent loved ones draw us near 
 To the Home whose gates ajar 
 Send the guiding ray afar. 
 
 ELIZA A. STODDARD. 
 
 iii
 
 IN MEMORIAM 
 
 THE REV. ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD, D.D. 
 
 Sent to the home of earth, April 23, 1820. 
 Called to the home of Heaven, October 30, 1913. 
 
 "All life is an ascent and its ultimate climax and glory is where 
 they gather on the hills of God."
 
 DR. STODDARD'S MESSAGE TO HIS HOME AND TO HIS 
 
 PEOPLE BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE ON 
 
 OCTOBER 30, 1913 
 
 "I am going away; I am going to Jesus; I am going home." 
 
 "Your work is not done; by and by you will come to me and we 
 will be together again, ' ' 
 
 "I have prayed that you may have grace and wisdom for your 
 heavy care." 
 
 "The waters will be deep, very deep, but they will not over- 
 flow. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken." 
 
 Isaiah xliii, I, 2; Isaiah xli, 10 were repeated. Again he said, 
 "I wanted to live and work, but I am going home." 
 
 "I want Jesus to be with me to my latest breath and then I 
 want that breath to enter into your life to carry on my work. Let 
 everything be done for God's glory!" 
 
 As in Bunyan's dream and vision, 
 
 Those who came to Beulah Land 
 Found the Master's sweet provision 
 
 For each need, from His own hand. 
 
 While from Posts across the river 
 
 Came the messages of love, 
 One was read: "Stay here no longer, 
 
 You are needed up above." 
 
 i
 
 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 And the precious loved one told us 
 
 "I am going going Home, 
 Going to my blessed Jesus; 
 
 By and by when work is done, 
 
 "You will come and all together 
 Once again we all shall meet, 
 
 And forever and forever 
 Every joy will be complete. 
 
 "I have prayed for every blessing, 
 Grace and wisdom as you need 
 
 Consciousness of present guiding 
 
 And the strength for which you plead. 
 
 "Though the waters shall grow deeper 
 They will NEVER OVERFLOW, 
 
 For the Lord Himself is Keeper 
 Of His own where'er they go. 
 
 "Jesus with me to the ending, 
 Then into your life, my own 
 
 I would wish to come, with blessing 
 To my people and my home." 
 
 Thus the Patriarchal vision 
 
 Left a legacy sublime, 
 That involves a sweet commission 
 
 For the years of passing time. 
 
 And the fifty years are with us 
 
 In a constant ministry; 
 While the Pastor is with Jesus, 
 
 Work for half a century
 
 MESSAGE TO HIS HOME AND PEOPLE 
 
 Has left sheaves for us to gather. 
 
 We must sow and reap the plain 
 Until one and all together 
 
 Still to serve, we meet again. 
 
 Thus at closing of life's story, 
 Once again was message given, 
 
 "Everything for God's own glory, " 
 Brings to earth the life of Heaven. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 THE STODDARD FAMILY
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the 
 world." John xvii, 18. 
 
 If we are sent on an errand, there is a plan in the life, and when, 
 on April 23, 1820, the second son of the household was welcomed, 
 he was recognised as one sent on an errand, and very frequently 
 in his maturer years he made grateful mention of the careful train- 
 ing of that home where the supreme object of life was to glorify 
 God. 
 
 The Rev. E. W. Stoddard, D.D., was a descendant of Anthony 
 Stoddard of Boston, who, in 1639, emigrated from London where 
 the records of the family are traced back to 1490. The tradition 
 is that their ancestor came with his cousin, William the Conqueror, 
 from Normandy in 1066. The name Stoddard is derived from the 
 office of standard-bearer, and a large number of gospel ministers 
 honored the name of "Standard-bearers" as ideal pastors in long 
 pastorates. It might be mentioned here that Dr. Stoddard's re- 
 creation in the sixty-one years of active ministry was in the line of 
 genealogical research and he gave to his family several volumes as 
 the result of his study. 
 
 Of the descendants of the knight, William Stoddard of Nor- 
 mandy, there is a record of Richard of Nottingham, Kent, near 
 Eltham, about seven miles from London Bridge, where was located 
 the family estate of about four hundred acres which was in possession 
 of the family in 1490, how long before is not known, and it 
 continued until the death of Nicholas Stoddard, a bachelor, in 1765. 
 
 Anthony Stoddard emigrated to Boston about 1639. There 
 were fourteen children in his family. The eldest, Solomon, born 
 
 5
 
 6 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 in 1643, was educated at Harvard College, graduating in 1662. He 
 entered the ministry and was called, in 1669, to the church at North- 
 ampton, Massachusetts, where he married Mrs. Esther Mather, 
 the widow of his predecessor. They had twelve children. Of 
 these the oldest three were daughters and married ministers. The 
 second, Esther, became the wife of Rev. Timothy Edwards, 
 whose son, Jonathan Edwards, became well known as a theological 
 writer. 
 
 The seventh child, Anthony Stoddard, was born August 9, 
 1678, was graduated at Harvard in 1697, and settled as a minister 
 in Woodbury, Connecticut, where he continued for sixty years. 
 His predecessor had remained there forty years, and his successor 
 held the pastorate fifty years. Eliakim, one of the eleven children 
 of Anthony Stoddard, was born April 3, 1705, married Joanne Cur- 
 tis in 1729, and resided in Woodbury, Connecticut. John, the 
 eldest son of nine children, born January 26, 1730, was married 
 April 15, 1751, to Mary Atwood, and resided in Watertown, 
 Connecticut. 
 
 John, the fifth child of nine, born July I, 1763, married Sarah 
 Woodward in 1785. Their home was in Watertown, Connecticut, 
 until 1802, when they removed to Coventry, Chenango County, 
 New York. 
 
 Central New York was then almost an unbroken wilderness, 
 famous for its large pine, hemlock, and maple trees. The fathers 
 and sons of these New England families began the work of clearing 
 the forests. John, the third son and fourth child of nine, was born 
 July 15, 1794, an d married Merab Parker, in September, 1817. 
 They had seven children. 
 
 Elijah Woodward Stoddard, the second son, was born April 23, 
 1820. His first view of life was on a forest farm, and during all his 
 minority the clearing of new land was a part of each day's toil. 
 The log houses and the log schoolhouses were to be seen in all 
 directions. The seats of the schoolroom were slabs of pine logs,
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 7 
 
 with two oaken pins at each end for support. The writing-desk 
 was a smooth board fastened against the wall and the writer turned 
 his back to the school. The pupils usually recited singly, rarely 
 in classes. The blackboard for object teaching was not known. 
 School going was for three or four months in the winter, and a lady 
 teacher took charge of the small scholars in the summer. Books 
 were few and every child was needed in the daily toil. Fondness 
 for study alone could insure success, and Elijah Woodward gave 
 every moment of leisure to the acquisition of knowledge. The 
 Bible was emphatically the book in that Christian household, and 
 the lad was taught that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
 wisdom." At the age of twelve he united with the disciples of 
 Him who at that age commenced to teach in the temple. 
 
 At eighteen such mastery of the ordinary English branches as 
 enabled him to pass an examination permitted the beginning of 
 school- teaching. Here was enjoyed a privilege at this day unknown, 
 that of "boarding around." Such a knowledge of parents and 
 teachers was thus gained as cannot be under the present system. 
 Five winters were spent in teaching, the summers being passed at 
 home. The summers of 1844 and 1845 were spent at Norwich and 
 Oxford Academies, while in the winters he taught school in the 
 county districts. 
 
 It is interesting to note from his diaries that he was working 
 for Temperance even in those early days. 
 
 While developing his wonderful voice for future serving in 
 speaking and singing, he was active in social and religious work, 
 manifesting that all roundness that was to make him so useful as 
 a citizen, a teacher, a preacher, as well as a pastor, the keynote of 
 it all being expressed in the prayer, "O Lord, give me wisdom," 
 and "Let everything be done for Thy glory." 
 
 In September, 1845, he started for Amherst College. The first 
 one hundred and fifty miles was by a four-horse stage-coach, after 
 which there was eighty miles to complete by railroad.
 
 8 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The Class had thirty-two members, many of them becoming 
 eminent as theologians and teachers; one, Prof. Wm. J. Rolfe, 
 of Shakesperian fame, another, Professor Seely, a later president 
 of Amherst College, and Dr. Hitchcock, one of its most honored 
 professors. Still others were missionaries in Africa and in China. 
 Nearly all of them have been called to their reward. 
 
 After three years in Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Stoddard 
 was licensed to preach by the Third Presbytery of New York City, 
 and ordained by the same Presbytery, in June following, in the 
 Presbyterian Church at Fourteenth Street and Second Avenue. 
 
 He was married July, 1852, to Miss Eliza West Concklin of New 
 York. For many years an invalid, but devoted to the Master's 
 work until called away October 23, 1874, she was laid to rest by 
 her baby boy in the Nyack cemetery. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard commenced his ministerial work at Momence, 
 Illinois, as a Home Missionary, but the climate was uncongenial and 
 he removed to Hawley, Pa., where he labored three years, and after- 
 ward in Amenia four and a half years, and in Angelica four years, 
 until May, 1864, he came to the Presbyterian Church at Succasunna 
 where he was installed Pastor, June 30, 1865. 
 
 The students of this parish also benefited by his love of teaching, 
 as they pursued their Latin or Greek or mathematics, finding 
 helpful hours in the Pastor's study. 
 
 In September, 1880, Maryville College, of East Tennessee, 
 conferred upon him the unexpected degree of D.D., while those 
 who know him best feel that it was an honor given where honor 
 was due. His faithful ministrations have given a title to that 
 heart reverence that has no synonym in letters. 
 
 If we were to note some of the characteristics of the man at 
 work, we would say, an intense love of delving into the depths of 
 a subject, which inspires to thorough research; a willingness to 
 undertake any hard work in the line of duty and follow it to the 
 end; a practical remembrance of the commission, "Feed my sheep"
 
 DR. STODDARD. MOTH ER, SISTER AND WIFE
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 9 
 
 a desire to spend and be spent in service ; a faith that overcomes 
 the world in its every-day toils and trials and gives abiding peace ; a 
 steadfastness in purpose that proves the anchorage of hope; a 
 courtesy that illustrates the charity that never f aileth ; an equipoise 
 that will restrain from an impetuous assault on the enemy, but that 
 holds, and guards', and moves steadily forward. 
 
 On November 28, 1877, Dr. Stoddard was married to Mrs. Eliza 
 Platt Stoddard, the widow of Prof. John F. Stoddard, the famous 
 mathematician and author. A daughter of eight years, familiarly 
 called Linnet, came with her mother and for eight more years was 
 the light of the parsonage, being called away May 19, 1886. 
 
 On May 19, 1887, the corner-stone of the Memorial chapel 
 was laid, and on May 19, 1888, this chapel was dedicated and it 
 has since been of great service to the social and religious develop- 
 ment of the community. 
 
 In another place more will be said of the Sunday-school, which 
 was his joy and pride, in which he had few peers, of the Singing- 
 school that he taught in the absence of helpers, of the Boys' Brigade, 
 and their drills and receptions, of the educational lectures, illustrated 
 by stereopticon, giving his own journeys abroad as well as pictures 
 of the art and architecture and scenery of many lands, which he 
 shared also, with many of the churches of the State, and even beyond 
 its limits. But nothing was dearer to his heart than the neighbor- 
 hood prayer-meetings. He would drive miles away in every kind 
 of weather to meet the circles of prayer, in the schoolhouse or 
 home. 
 
 Becoming thus intimately acquainted with the life of the people 
 in all its activities, reaching out into other parishes where there was 
 union effort or a call for assistance in special work, Dr. Stoddard 
 was prepared to write up the township of Roxbury for the History 
 of Morris County in 1882. 
 
 He also prepared a Historical Memorial for his own church on 
 its one hundred and thirty-ninth anniversary in 1895.
 
 io ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Diligent study, patient research, a large correspondence, and 
 personal investigation gave the work its value. But nothing was 
 ever permitted to interfere with the regular pastoral duties. 
 
 Ordinarily a new sermon was prepared every week which studied 
 the needs of the hour, and revealed a man not only conversant 
 with the Word of God, but with the records of an age of progress 
 and development that called for an intelligent answer to its problems 
 in daily life. 
 
 In all his relations with his Presbytery and with Christian work 
 in outside circles, there was the same steadfastness of purpose and 
 consecration of time and whole-heartedness of service. 
 
 Thus he was indeed a Shepherd that was always vigilant and 
 faithful. In his work among his young people he was continually 
 renewing his youth, and he had many honors as he made one with 
 them in the Junior gatherings of the great Conventions. 
 
 In July, 1911, at Atlantic City, he was called to the platform to 
 stand with Fanny Crosby, who alluded to him as her twin brother, 
 she being only thirty days older, and even as late as October 14, 
 1913, from the meeting in Camden, New Jersey, came the message of 
 greeting and congratulations and best wishes with this Scripture, 
 Ephesians iii, 17, 18, 19. At the General Assembly in 1911, also 
 at Atlantic City, with his beloved Brother Phraner, he was accorded 
 the freedom of the platform, a graceful appreciation of years of 
 service. At the dedication of the New Theological Seminary in 
 New York, November 29, 1910, he had a seat of honor and every 
 courtesy was shown to the oldest Alumnus, and also at the Waldorf- 
 Astoria in the evening, where he was the guest of the President, 
 but he always esteemed himself simply a servant of the Lord. 
 
 His one ambition, expressed in his diary while at Norwich 
 Academy, and which was the inspiration of his life, was embodied in 
 his last message: "Let everything be done for the glory of God." 
 His ideals were so high, so pure, so Christlike, that one said of 
 him: "The portrait of the Christ was imprinted by the indwelling
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 11 
 
 spirit on the features of the face." And it was not an isolated 
 experience for the Pastor was once told by one of his sick people: 
 "Your visits do me so much good; you look to me so like Christ. 
 I feel His presence when you come." And often by strangers : "You 
 remind me of John the Baptist or one of the Patriarchs." 
 
 Even a Syrian woman asked Mrs. Dr. Jessup, with whom Dr. 
 Stoddard had attended the Mission church, "Was that the Prophet 
 Elijah?" How truly, "They that honor Me I will honor." 
 
 On October I4th, realizing that he was not long to stay with us, 
 he said in his clear, calm manner, in a strong, sweetly intoned voice 
 with its peculiar emphasis: "Mamma, I am going away. lam 
 going to Jesus. I am going home." In answer to the question, 
 "Going without Mamma?" he said: "Your work is not done. By 
 and by you will come to me and we will be together again." In 
 response to the protest of love he said: "I have prayed that you may 
 have grace and wisdom for your heavy care. I know that the 
 waters will be deep, very deep, but they will not overflow." 
 
 The mouth of the Lord hath spoken. Isaiah xliii, I, 2, and 
 Isaiah xli, 10, were repeated, and again he said: "I wanted to live 
 and work but I am going Home." In a moment more he added: 
 "I want Jesus to be with me to my latest breath, and then I want 
 that breath to enter into your life to carry on my work." And 
 after seeming to study the inevitable needs of the hour as to a service, 
 he said: "Let everything be done for God's glory." 
 
 Considering that this message belonged to his people, it was 
 printed for them as given on an earlier page. 
 
 A message was dictated to his people on his last Sabbath and 
 also to his Sunday-school. There were frequent requests, all 
 relating to his going home, and when, sweetly and gently, God took 
 him, we knew that absent from the body he was present with the 
 Lord. We let him rest in his study the three days of waiting and 
 on Sabbath, November 2d, early in the morning the family gathered 
 there for prayer. About nine o'clock he was taken to the parlor.
 
 12 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Members of the Presbytery came, his dearly loved friend, Dr. 
 J. M. Buckley of the M. E. Church, Dr. Charles A. Stoddard, of 
 New York, the neighboring ministers who had closed their churches 
 in his honor, and a large delegation of relatives and friends from the 
 city, and the Rev. Robert E. Zeigler and mother from Baltimore, 
 Maryland. 
 
 Rev. Robert E. Zeigler read the Scripture at the house, and Rev. 
 John Bovenizer led in prayer. As Mrs. Zeigler describes the going 
 out from the parsonage to the church, I quote from her letter: 
 
 "Never was the work of the minister so exalted, so glorified, 
 in my mind as on that Sabbath. All the time I kept saying to my- 
 self, 'The white flower of a blameless life.' He wore it every day 
 and in the midst of common strife. He was calm and serene alway. 
 His influence in the community, the effect of his personality, proved, 
 'In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.' ' 
 
 I seem to see again the perfect day for which nature seemed 
 to have reserved the richest colors of the autumn. In a silence 
 unbroken only by the tolling of the bell that had called him to fifty 
 years of service in the historic church, the triumphant procession, 
 not the funeral procession, took its way from the manse, first his 
 brethren in the ministry, and one who had been his son in the faith, 
 then the Elders, a body-guard to the man of God who had endured 
 valiantly to the end. Above the voice of song and organ, I could 
 almost hear the triumphal-like proclamation: "Victory! Victory! 
 and the victor cometh to his coronation!" The note of sadness 
 was for the living, and never was a church more encircled with real 
 grief than when Dr. Stoddard 's people gathered with their tributes 
 of grateful love on that day of days in the history of the church of 
 Succasunna. 
 
 That historic church, overflowing with mourners, was decorated 
 with palms and floral offerings, and the beloved Pastor rested 
 among the choicest blossoms that so well expressed the love of his 
 people, of every organization of the church and the community.
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 13 
 
 At the church the services were introduced by Dr. J. M. Buckley, 
 by an impressive invocation, Rev. H. M. .Dare, of Ledgewood, gave 
 Scripture readings, and prayer was offered by Rev. T. A. Gessler. 
 The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. D. R. Frazer. Rev. 
 R. E. Zeigler read selections from letters of sympathy. The sermon 
 and selections will be given elsewhere. Dr. Charles A. Stoddard, a 
 kinsman and lifelong friend of the departed, paid the tribute of the 
 Stoddard clan. The male quartette of the Presbyterian Church 
 tenderly sang a number of selections, among which were : "Beyond 
 the Smiling and the Weeping We Shall Be Soon," and "The 
 Christian's Good-night." 
 
 When the opportunity was given, those who had not been at the 
 house, came for the last look and the unspoken word, and over five 
 hundred passed in that solemn procession, and then we went out 
 to lay the precious form to rest in God's acre, where the stone bears 
 the record that will ever repeat the story of his life as given on his 
 last birthday.
 
 POEM FOR THE NINETY-FOURTH BIRTHDAY 
 
 The Lord is my Shepherd, the voice of the child 
 Can join with the mother and those at her side 
 In the beautiful story that never grows old, 
 By her lips and her life, at the hearthstone, retold. 
 
 The Lord is my Shepherd, the lad in the home 
 Learned more of its beauty and made it his own, 
 The rod and the staff that had guided his youth 
 Were preparing the life to be valiant for truth. 
 
 The Lord is my Shepherd, to Him I belong, 
 
 Was the pride of his manhood, because he was strong 
 
 He asked of the Shepherd a life work to keep 
 
 A watch care with Him of His lambs and His sheep. 
 
 The Lord is my Shepherd was still the refrain 
 Of each Birthday Anthem, until once again 
 Amid ninety-four roses and flowers of each clime 
 These Birthday Bells sounded their ninety-fourth chime 
 As the Patriarch spoke of the blessings of yore 
 And the brighter reunions of that other shore. 
 
 But before that new year could its circle complete 
 The Shepherd had gone to the ingathered sheep 
 In the pastures beyond, where the fold will be one 
 As the flocks on both sides will at last meet at home. 
 
 15
 
 16 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 And there may we welcome with all of this fold 
 Some who followed the footprints in pathways of old, 
 While our work shall go on as the trust we confide 
 While we rest with our Shepherd, our guardian, and guide. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 1874 
 AND ITS MOST EVENTFUL DATE OCTOBER 230 
 
 IN MEMORIAM 
 MRS. ELIZA WEST STODDARD 
 
 "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction, " said the Lord, 
 by the Prophet of old, and engirdling the ages, a band of sufferers 
 bring interpretations of truth, inspirations to holy living, and 
 illustrations of the beauty and the power of faith. A brief record 
 of the life of "our Sufferer" may convey a message to kindred and 
 friends. 
 
 ELIZA WEST CONCKLIN, daughter of the late Jonas W. and 
 Eliza Concklin, was born in New York City, April the 26th, 1829, 
 and educated in the Young Ladies' Institute of Misses Foster and 
 Powers. At the age of eighteen she united with the Tenth Presby- 
 terian Church, proving an earnest and faithful laborer in this Zion. 
 On July I4th, 1852, she married the Rev. E. W. Stoddard, and in 
 heart and in life sympathized with his devotion to the Master's 
 cause. Her plans for usefulness, of an active form, were interrupted 
 by illness, which began in 1852, and for twenty-one years she was 
 an invalid fourteen of acute pain and seven of paralysis and decline. 
 Still whenever it was at all practicable she was among the wor- 
 shippers, and when detained at home the spirit joined in the service. 
 We read of the "golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of 
 saints," and the blessings that flow from heart breathings, the 
 mercies that we receive through the quiet, retiring lives of God's 
 afflicted ones, the benefits that are bequeathed by the hidden workers 
 
 17
 
 1 8 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 will never be estimated by human thought. On the very last 
 Sabbath of her earthly life the usual request to accompany her 
 husband was expressed with peculiar earnestness; but when con- 
 vinced of her lack of strength, she said brightly: "If I cannot go 
 with you, I can pray for you. God will bless you; He has said He 
 would." And on the return she queried: "Did the Lord help 
 you? " and added, "I knew he would. I prayed." On the Wednes- 
 day following she was attacked by convulsions, which destroyed all 
 consciousness. She continued to breathe until Friday when just 
 as the sun was setting here, the dawn of her eternal life commenced. 
 She had often remarked: "I am only waiting till the shadows are 
 a little longer grown only waiting," and as they stretched far 
 eastward she was not, for God had taken. Patiently and cheer- 
 fully she met disease in its various forms; the secret of her strength 
 being confidence in God, love for Him, and for those who anticipated 
 the every wish. Her gratitude for the tenderness and care of her 
 beloved was intense and touching. Indeed, the influence of her 
 loving and long-suffering trust pervaded the household, and many 
 who came to sympathize felt that they entered an ante-chamber 
 of the home where love reigns supreme. She could not work in the 
 vineyard, but she could water the seed sown ; she could not be care- 
 ful about many things but she could sit at the feet of Jesus, and a 
 loving heart could testify of His faithfulness. She could not go 
 about doing good, but she could reflect the image of her Lord, as 
 He, sitting like a refiner, was holding her in the furnace. She could 
 suffer, and thus honor Him by patient submission to his will, while 
 she encouraged His people by her sympathy and her prayers. Thus 
 the branch, pruned over and over again, brought forth the rich 
 fruitage of soul-affections and services. "She hath done what she 
 could"; and as answers to heart petitions bring blessings, we shall 
 realize more and more the importance of her work and the reason 
 why it was chosen and assigned. Taught by its lessons may we 
 follow those who, through faith and patience, have inherited the
 
 IN MEMORIAM 19 
 
 promises ; coming up out of great tribulation, into the rest prepared, 
 they dwell with Him, who was made perfect through suffering, and 
 entered into the joy of their Lord, they realize that the afflictions of 
 earth are not to be compared to the eternal weight of glory. 
 
 The golden sunbeams pave 
 
 A pathway hedged with flowers, 
 And gala banners wave, 
 
 As pass the happy hours 
 Of infant glee and childish mirth, 
 The morning of the life of earth. 
 
 The girlhood step is light, 
 As graces circle round, 
 Her tasks are one delight ; 
 Her ministries abound. 
 And crowned by joys that love may glean, 
 The noontide, brilliant and serene. 
 
 The fair and cherished one, 
 
 A thorny way must tread. 
 "Thy will, not mine, be done," 
 
 The trustful spirit said; 
 In Him all blessedness I find, 
 For wisdom chose what love assigned. 
 
 The busy throng passed by 
 
 Inviting to their band, 
 But heard the calm reply: 
 
 "The Master bade me stand 
 And wait and watch the shadows grow, 
 When they are longest I will go."
 
 20 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The welded links of pain, 
 
 A message trace, as pressed 
 The heavy clinging chain 
 Upon an aching breast. 
 " My child in suffering you serve, 
 Be patient, much is in reserve." 
 
 Without a murmur, or a sigh, 
 
 For twenty years and one 
 She waited. Eventide drew nigh; 
 
 The shadows lengthened, and her sun 
 Behind the cloud had set to rise 
 In morn Eternal in the skies. 
 
 The wonderful beyond ! 
 
 The glory and the bliss, 
 As faded every bond 
 
 That fettered thought in this, 
 The faculties of soul expand, 
 All mysteries to understand. 
 
 The precious form arrayed 
 
 In robes of matchless grace; 
 The Master's look portrayed 
 
 Upon the lovely face. 
 What raptures must the spirit feel 
 As harp and crown the welcome seal. 
 
 The golden vials filled 
 
 With odors rich and rare, 
 From buds of faith distilled, 
 
 Borne thence on wings of prayer, 
 Her work and mission here on earth 
 Explain, and prove of priceless worth.
 
 IN MEMORIAM 21 
 
 Her life inspired the thought 
 To seek the things above, 
 And thus for Jesus wrought 
 
 As faith, and hope, and love 
 Were illustrated hour by hour, 
 In simple beauty, but in power. 
 
 The sympathy that reigned, 
 
 The tenderness of care, 
 The gratitude it claimed, 
 Developed graces here 
 That seldom bloom beside the hearth 
 Immortal buds in vase of earth. 
 
 The yearning heart could speed 
 
 The toiler on his way, 
 And tenderly would plead 
 The Lord to be his stay ; 
 The watcher helped the working one, 
 For what she could was gladly done. 
 
 The earnest, trustful cry 
 For Zion will be heard, 
 And answers from on high 
 
 Will come, though long deferred ; 
 The years will bring the mercies new, 
 Implored for friends and strangers too. 
 
 The fruits by pruning grown, 
 
 The gold refined by fire, 
 The seeds in patience sown, 
 
 To faithfulness inspire; 
 A rare bequest to us she leaves 
 More lasting than autumnal sheaves.
 
 22 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 This legacy would tell 
 
 In characters of light, 
 "He doeth all things well, 
 
 His way is always right." 
 Our part to serve for truth and heaven 
 As opportunity is given. 
 
 For by and by a word 
 
 Will still the throbbing heart, 
 And homeward to its God 
 
 The spirit will depart ; 
 Then sainted ones will haste to guide 
 Through gates of pearl to Jesus' side. 
 
 No sorrow and no care 
 
 Intrude on joy's domain, 
 No partings rend the air, 
 
 No memory of pain, 
 But praise and greetings fond as come, 
 The weary ransomed pilgrims home. 
 
 MRS. J. F. STODDARD.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM THE YEARS 
 
 It would be interesting to bind the calendars of half a century, 
 marking dates of special service together. Many of the events 
 would have only a local interest but they would have a message for 
 some one of the departments of work. 
 
 In March Dr. Stoddard was sent by the Christian Commission 
 to the Army of the Potomac. The journal of three months gives 
 pictures of camp and field life that stir the heart with gratitude for 
 our soldier heroes, some of them from our own families, as Wiggins, 
 and Buck, many from our county and State. The Rev. Samuel 
 A. Stoddard was one in official position, as well as Lieutenant 
 Ferdinand V. Wolfe and Captain David S. Allen. 
 
 1864 
 
 From the journal of the Hon. Hervey C. Cook, one of those 
 who welcomed the new Pastor, we read: "Sunday, May I, 1864. 
 Listened to Rev. Mr. Stoddard. Text, Rom. iv, 5. A very interest- 
 ing and inspiring discourse. Evening service. Luke v, 22. A large 
 number out." 
 
 "Sunday, May 8. Text, John iv, 6. Evening, James i, 2, 3." 
 And the son writes in 1913 : "My mind is filled with memories of Dr. 
 Stoddard and especially of the good Christmas times, when he used 
 to make the wonderful story so attractive to us all ; and the Sunday- 
 school in which his strong voice led us in selections from the 5ist 
 Psalm, and in the 23rd Psalm, and in the Lord's Prayer. He was 
 
 23
 
 24 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 a true Shepherd of his flock and they all knew his voice and loved 
 to follow him as he followed the Christ." 
 
 These selections, from an Autograph Book of Reminiscences 
 presented in 1911, are given to illustrate the earlier pastorate. 
 
 One of the oldest members of our congregation told this incident. 
 Soon after the new minister came here he was introduced to him on 
 the street. His hand was taken cordially and this greeting given: 
 "I have not seen this face yet in church." Sufficient to say, he did 
 many times later. 
 
 When I first knew Dr. Stoddard, I was much impressed by his 
 memory of faces and names. It seemed wonderful when I heard 
 him call every child in Sunday-school by name. 
 
 Another recalls the hearty, "God bless you, girls," that greeted 
 a young friend and herself as they went to shake hands with the 
 new Pastor. Each Sunday since, after a helpful sermon, the same 
 hearty greeting has been given, only the form has changed, for alas ! 
 the "girls" have long ceased to be girls. 
 
 In the long ago I recall a prayer-meeting at a schoolhouse 
 of a village some distance from the home church, where the company 
 gathered to find the house not lighted, and no one present had a 
 match. Following our leader, in the dark, we found seats and 
 joined in singing a familiar hymn. Prayer was offered, a portion 
 of Scripture recited, a good practical talk by our ever- ready Pastor, 
 then another prayer; and the hymn, "Let us Walk in the Light" 
 closing the service, everyone feeling a new light in the soul, though 
 all was dark outside. 
 
 I shall never forget the comfort I received from a prayer Dr. 
 Stoddard made with just a few of us in our own home in time of 
 deep sorrow.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM THE YEARS 25 
 
 Sunday afternoon services at Ironia are remembered by those 
 who have had the opportunity of listening to Dr. Stoddard's ser- 
 mons. To his help and counsel can be attributed much of the 
 spiritual uplift and temporal prosperity that has come to that group 
 of worshippers. 
 
 Our dear Pastor's life among us has been a benediction since 
 the time when as little children he always gave the sympathetic, 
 kindly greeting, down to the present time when he baptizes our 
 children and rejoices with us as they are gathered into the church. 
 No one on earth has done so much to lead us into eternal life. 
 
 The young, energetic, indefatigable, sympathetic man was the 
 life of his Sunday-school and of his church. One of the scholars 
 of those olden times said: "Dr. Stoddard was the most earnest 
 worker in the Sunday-school I ever knew." When once a month 
 the Pastor was at Ironia, the school here seemed to miss something, 
 and one said: "The only way to know what the school is in your 
 absence is to be there when you are not there." 
 
 When I was a child attending school I remember Dr. Stoddard's 
 bringing some early cherries, gathered from the trees in the parson- 
 age yard, to treat the children, and what a treat it was ! I remember 
 too, as he was driving black John, he would always wave his hand in 
 recognition, or if walking would stop and have something to say to 
 show his interest. 
 
 In the fall of 1875, 1 a young lad, a stranger, and away from all 
 my own people, went one Sunday evening to church. Dr. Stoddard 
 greeted me and, after ascertaining my name, asked, "Are you a 
 Christian?" When I replied I was not, he put his soft hand on 
 my head and said: "Don't you think you ought to be?" and I said, 
 "Yes, sir." For twenty-seven years now I have been a member of 
 the church.
 
 26 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 I remember that Dr. Stoddard was always ready in giving a 
 boy a ride to school. 
 
 My first church going was at Succasunna and Dr. Stoddard the 
 first minister my eyes ever beheld. With the respect I was taught 
 to have for the church, the minister seemed to me a sort of Divinity 
 in my early years. I was always highly pleased to have him shake 
 hands with me and show his pleasure in seeing me at church. On 
 one occasion a Bible having fallen on the floor it was given a kick 
 by a thoughtless boy. The reverent manner in which Dr. Stod- 
 dard picked it up, brushed it, and put it in a safe place, at the same 
 time administering reproof and looking shocked beyond measure, 
 made an impression upon me never to be forgotten. In later years, 
 when in his Bible Class, I was impressed by the fresh interest which 
 he always brought to the lesson making the period only too short 
 to cover the portion of Scripture chosen. 
 
 Aside from his goodness, I admire most Dr. Stoddard's wonderful 
 dignity, both in the pulpit and out of it. One never forgets he is 
 a clergyman. Yet he can and does take notice of the smallest or 
 meanest. No little child can pass him without receiving a wave 
 of his hand and a smile. 
 
 We were going to the Lake on canal boats. When we reached the 
 plane some of the boys jumped off the boat and started to run 
 up the tow path, some one called them back, but Dr. Stoddard 
 said: "Young activity what are you going to do with it? Let 
 it run." 
 
 At a time when about to take a position of great responsibility 
 and shrinking from it, I told Dr. Stoddard about it, and he said: 
 "Just keep saying, I will! I will! I will! and you will be given help 
 to go on."
 
 REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES 27 
 
 He loves to have the children at the church service, and greets 
 each one cordially. Even the babies are welcomed by him. The 
 children on the street take his hand and walk with him. 
 
 He is the best knot-tier there has ever been in this community. 
 He tied one for me thirty-nine years ago and it hasn't slipped yet. 
 
 When he performs a marriage ceremony his dignity makes the 
 vows seem more binding; while at the baptism of little children he 
 makes the service very impressive. He married my mother, he 
 married me, and baptized my children. No wonder the tie that 
 binds is so strong. 
 
 A lady walking with a five months old boy, was asked the old, 
 old question: "Why do you not come to church?" She replied, 
 " Oh, I would like to ; my husband is in church now and I am waiting 
 for him." "But why don't you come inside and bring the boy?" 
 "I am afraid I will annoy the rest of the congregation as the baby 
 may cry." The reply came moderately but decidedly: "You may 
 perhaps disturb the people, but you can't bother the sermon with 
 one boy. I never complain until there are seventeen babies all crying 
 at once, and then I would have to stop." 
 
 Two boys were so busily engaged in beating each other that they 
 did not notice the approach of the Pastor. His quiet, "Boys, can 
 I help you?" broke up the fight at once. 
 
 A saying of Dr. Stoddard's that has been helpful to me is: 
 "Remember that the darker the place you are in, the brighter your 
 light will shine, if it is the true light." 
 
 A young lad had gone to help his Pastor with the chores. He 
 neither desired nor expected any remuneration, but the Pastor 
 said, handing him a bill: "I want you to go to the Centennial and 
 this is something toward it." He now says: "If it had not been 
 for Dr. Stoddard I would not have gone to the Centennial."
 
 28 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 He has been a faithful Pastor to me for many years. Nothing 
 is ever too much trouble for him to take for his people. 
 
 In looking over my life, I am surprised to see what an influence 
 Dr. Stoddard has had over me. 
 
 One who visits here writes: "I really think I have a greater 
 affection for Dr. Stoddard than for any minister I ever knew, and 
 it is so good to see him in his accustomed place each time I come." 
 
 In all entertainments given in the church, our Pastor has always 
 taught us a reverence for God's house by asking God's blessing 
 upon the exercises. 
 
 I remember that during the long ministry of Dr. Stoddard 
 in this parish, our minds were never diverted from the truth by 
 a word in the pulpit of frivolity or levity. Nor have I ever heard 
 him make an unkind remark when speaking of any person, or criti- 
 cize any one even though he could have justly done so. Truly a 
 peacemaker. 
 
 " A man he was to all the country dear." 
 
 " To them his heart, his love, his griefs, were given, 
 But all his serious thoughts had rest in heaven : 
 As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
 Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm, 
 Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
 Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 
 
 It is the desire of those who have gathered together these remi- 
 niscences of their honored Pastor and his work in Succasunna 
 that his mind may be refreshed by the memory of by-gone years; 
 that he may learn in some instances perhaps of impressions made
 
 REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES 29 
 
 for which he has hoped and prayed but of which he had not certain 
 knowledge. We have been able to express so little of what we feel. 
 
 You have been OURS in our times of joy and in all our sorrows 
 you have suffered with us. Truly you have been a shepherd that 
 cared for his sheep. Each passing year only adds a strand that 
 strengthens the blessed cord "that binds our hearts in Christian 
 love." 
 
 "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face 
 to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up 
 his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
 
 1878 
 
 Eighteen hundred seventy-eight was a most memorable year in 
 the history of Succasunna and in the life of the Pastor. One of 
 the most helpful and beloved children of the church, Miss Hattie 
 Riggs, a daughter of Elder Albert R. Riggs, having been married 
 to the Rev. Dr. Joseph L. Potter of Teheran, Persia, started on her 
 mission to the East. Dr. Potter was born February 22, 1848. 
 After graduating from Princeton University and Princeton Theo- 
 logical Seminary, he was ordained and assigned to Teheran, Persia, 
 and when he came for his bride in 1878, the entire community felt 
 that they were giving of their best to the Orient. 
 
 The community, in their reception at the parsonage and at the 
 farewell service in the church, expressed a little of what was in its 
 heart of hearts. 
 
 We insert one of the hymns prepared for the occasion, and 
 one for their first return visit. 
 
 If our mission be to carry 
 
 Messages across the sea, 
 If the Master bid us tarry, 
 
 Wisdom is in each decree ; 
 Only lead us, 
 
 We desire to follow Thee. 
 
 We are one in holy service, 
 
 One in Christ on either shore, 
 One with angel friends who point us 
 Onward, upward evermore, 
 
 One in service, 
 One in Christ forevermore. 
 30
 
 DR. AND MRS. POTTER 31 
 
 Thus inspired to new endeavor 
 
 By the love of Earth and Heaven, 
 Absent, yet we work together, 
 
 Christian ties are never riven ; 
 Near to Jesus, 
 
 Near His loved of Earth and Heaven. 
 
 When shall end the toil, and watching, 
 
 Joys beyond the touch of time, 
 An eternity of meeting 
 Waits us in a fairer clime, 
 
 And rejoicings 
 O'er the gathered sheaves of time. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that 
 turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever. Dan. xii, 3. 
 
 My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Ex. xxxiii, 14. 
 At the time appointed he shall return. Dan. xi, 29. 
 
 "My presence shall go with thee 
 
 And I will give thee rest" ; 
 The Master planned the journey 
 
 To Eastern shore, or West, 
 He held each hand at parting, 
 
 He walked each path beside, 
 Through varied scenes, one leading, 
 
 One Omnipresent Guide. 
 
 "And at the time appointed 
 
 He shall return, " we read; 
 No promise disappointed, 
 The long, long years have sped,
 
 32 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 With welcomes yet unspoken, 
 
 We come to thank the Lord 
 For every mercy token 
 
 And for His faithful word. 
 
 And as we bring the tender 
 
 The loving thought to-day, 
 We bid you also welcome 
 
 For those who are away ; 
 Unseen they watch our greeting, 
 They wait until we come 
 With all our loved ones meeting 
 In our eternal home. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Potter have been welcomed home on visits, but 
 they are still in active service, and the faithfulness of these years 
 is doing much to make up the records of Persian Missions.
 
 UJO
 
 1 878 
 LADIES' MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 
 The Ladies' Missionary Society was organized in May, 1878, 
 as an outgrowth of the Missionary Prayer-Meeting of The Mothers 
 in Israel. Mrs. Fordham Corwin was our first president, and when 
 she was called to the higher service Miss Henrietta Meeker, our 
 vice-president, accepted the chair, and when she was also needed 
 beyond, Mrs. Albert R. Riggs came to our help, and we are grateful 
 to state that, while she is not in active work, the benediction of her 
 presence is still with us in her ninety-eighth year. 
 
 Mrs. Mary E. Marsh followed in the presidency of the Society, 
 and after a long and useful term, at her request, Mrs. Joseph L. 
 Potter, of Teheran, Persia, gave us the inspiration of a missionary 
 in 'touch with the work. 
 
 Mrs. N. H. Adsit was suggested by Mrs. Potter as her successor, 
 when she returned to Persia, and chosen by the Society that she 
 served faithfully for two years. 
 
 Declining a re-election, Mrs. Mary E. Marsh, once more with us, 
 consented to take up the work. Two years ago at her earnest desire 
 she was released and Mrs. Wm. E. King was pressed into the service 
 and enlisted the loyal support of the membership. 
 
 We have a Devotional Meeting as well as a Missionary Study 
 Hour on the first Thursday of every month in the chapel, and an 
 all-day Ladies' Meeting at different homes. 
 
 The Home and Foreign Missionary boxes sent during the years 
 furnishes the record of these gatherings. 
 
 One secretary has served all these years Miss Lydia A. Cook, 
 of Ledge wood. 
 
 33
 
 34 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Two years ago Mrs. William Young was made assistant. Our 
 treasurer, Miss Anna Meeker, still holds the accounts. 
 
 One of our efficient vice-presidents who has acted as president in 
 many times of need Mrs. George A. Gillig holds an honorary 
 life position. 
 
 The Silver Anniversary of the Society was celebrated at the 
 parsonage, the favors being a souvenir spoon with the dates 1878- 
 1903. 
 
 The picture was taken at the October meeting of 1912, in recogni- 
 tion of their Pastor's sixty years in the ministry, in the forty-ninth 
 year of his pastorate. 
 
 It will be appropriate to state here that Dr. Stoddard in the 
 earlier years of the Society, called for those living at a distance, 
 month by month, Linnet driving a carriage in a different direction 
 on the same errand, and later the village stage was employed, return- 
 ing their guests after tea at the parsonage, thus promoting the 
 social life of the church and uniting for service. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard was also the escort by carriage or train to the 
 Presbyterial meeting, at one time relinquishing an invitation that 
 was a great personal honor, because he would not leave the thirty 
 ladies who must reach home after dark. They did not know what 
 a pleasure he took in this service. He never thought it a sacrifice. 
 
 At the December meeting of 1879, the representatives of six 
 neighboring Societies met with our ladies at the church, for a ser- 
 vice of prayer and conference, and, after a luncheon in the dining- 
 room of the parsonage, they gathered in the parlors to organize 
 the Ladies' Missionary Union in the Presbytery of Morris and 
 Orange, which to-day calls for our largest city churches for its 
 annual gatherings. 
 
 At the Twenty-fifth Anniversary in Orange, our young ladies 
 were chosen to act as ushers to honor the birthplace of the Society. 
 And at the celebration in December, when we invited our Presby- 
 terial president and neighboring Societies, some of our young people
 
 o 
 
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 UJ
 
 LADIES' MISSIONARY SOCIETY 35 
 
 greeted them in the costumes of the missionary countries, presenting 
 the flag of each as a souvenir. And others served in the church 
 and at the chapel supper. Thus we celebrated that eventful 
 twenty-fifth year. 
 
 It is "Twenty-five Years" since a little band 
 Joined the heart to heart, and the hand to hand, 
 That a circle formed of their lamps alight 
 Might shine out afar, in the world's dark night. 
 
 Of these vanished years, with their hopes and fears, 
 With their cares and toils, with their joys and tears, 
 The recording Angel, account has given 
 In the Book we shall read in the home of Heaven, 
 Where the Circle that joined their hands that day, 
 And the Circles reflecting the steadfast ray, 
 In the circle that widens to every clime 
 Will herald the dawn of prophetic time. 
 When the nations shall meet at the open door, 
 With the gathered sheaves from each distant shore, 
 As uplifted lamps have revealed the road, 
 And a guiding hand has helped home to God. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 EVENTFUL DAYS 
 1879 
 
 February 7, 1879. A Temperance Alliance was organized. 
 After devotional exercises Dr. Stoddard gave a most able address on 
 the "cost and come to" of the liquor traffic. Rev. T. H. Landon 
 followed and Dr. Stoddard explained the formation and work of 
 State, County, and Township Alliances. 
 
 When the question was put to a vote the people of both churches 
 expressed their desire to unite in the work. 
 
 It was resolved to hold temperance meetings in the various 
 neighborhoods of the county. 
 
 Beginning in 1878, a series of Union Temperance Meetings 
 brought to this community many of the most noted leaders in the 
 work. 
 
 On one ever to be remembered evening, the Hon. Neal Dow, of 
 Maine, was the guest at the parsonage as well as the orator at 
 the church. At another time a large delegation went to Morris- 
 town to hear Dr. Buckley's masterful address, and at another 
 date to Hackettstown to 'listen to John B. Gough, with whom 
 Dr. Stoddard had formed acquaintance while a student at Am- 
 herst, being invited to the home of the already famous temperance 
 lecturer, a few miles from Amherst, and hearing his life story from 
 his own lips. 
 
 The Rev. T. H. Landon, then pastor of the M. E. Church at 
 Succasunna, was most enthusiastic in this work; and Dr. Buckley, 
 editor of the Christian Advocate for so many years, encouraged us 
 by his presence and his interest. 
 
 36
 
 EVENTFUL DAYS 37 
 
 Meanwhile the ladies were active, and later on, Mrs. Mary E. 
 Marsh had one of the most flourishing Union Junior Bands. 
 
 We were also encouraged by visits from missionaries representing 
 almost all the foreign and home fields. These gatherings promoted 
 unity and strength. 
 
 On one occasion, the Rev. Dr. Irenaeus Prime, of the New York 
 Observer, was the guest of the Missionary Society. After his in- 
 comparable address in the church, seventy ladies had lunch with 
 him at the parsonage, and then Dr. Stoddard, as was his custom 
 and pleasure, personally escorted to the train, while the guest said, 
 "I must come again. I have so enjoyed this visit." 
 
 In a week or two, the Observer gave so beautiful a description 
 of the place and the people, that we received many letters from 
 strangers asking if accommodation could be found for them to board 
 in so ideal a place for the summer. 
 
 This little glimpse of the activities of all departments reveals 
 the Pastor's unconquerable ambition to secure the best for his 
 people and for the community. 
 
 Many of the most prominent divines of the Baptist and the 
 Methodist Episcopal Churches, as well as of the Presbyterian 
 Church, have responded to the invitation of their valued friend and 
 given sermons and lectures and inspiration. 
 
 The beloved Ira D. Sankey sang for us some of his sweetest 
 hymns, prefaced by his little heart talk of appreciation and love. 
 
 Miss Fanny Crosby honored our invitation when it was one of 
 a large number for the same evening. As she stood side by side 
 with the one she called her twin brother, because she was only 
 thirty days older, she greeted Dr. Stoddard as she did afterward at 
 Atlantic City at a Christian Endeavor Convention. Then, turning 
 to the audience, she captured their hearts, as they sat spell-bound, 
 listening to her message and her songs. 
 
 A part of her little address was directed to the Brigade seated 
 in the front rows at her left. They afterward marched to the plat-
 
 38 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 form to express their thanks, and the manly way in which this was 
 done, left so great an impression that she alluded to it in her little 
 reminiscent talk to Dr. Stoddard on the platform at Atlantic City. 
 
 Thus the indefatigable energy, the unwearied devotion, and 
 the wide acquaintance of Dr. Stoddard, gave to his pastorate many 
 privileges which have left inspiring memories. 
 
 We must not omit mention of Professor Corning, the most 
 finished scholar and lecturer, who came many times to help in our 
 stereopticon and free lecture course, or of Professor West, of the 
 Brooklyn Heights Seminary, who placed his three thousand slides 
 at Dr. Stoddard's service, and while not able to give a public address 
 on his visit, he was glad to render assistance, as was also Dr. Charles 
 A. Robinson, of New York, and Professor Bickmore. 
 
 Thus Dr. Stoddard gathered from many fields for his own, 
 and no honor received abroad, and no privilege of the outside 
 world meant as much to him, as the opportunities furnished 
 by them to do more for his beloved people. And he had the 
 joy of knowing that when the problems of life called them to 
 the east or the west, to the north or the south, they were equipped 
 for service. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard often said: "If our young people must go, let 
 them have the culture and training that will honor any place. 
 This church, if it is a nursery of God's planting, must send out 
 trees that shall bear all manner of fruit, in all varieties of climate. 
 Our part is to train, to nourish, to give direction to the early growth, 
 and all that develops the best life." 
 
 For this, fifty years of work and of prayer were unreservedly given, 
 and it is ours to guard and nurture the growth of all that is pure 
 and true and Christlike, for it is still true, "The Lord hath need."
 
 LINNET STODDARD
 
 THE MISSION BAND 
 
 The Mission Band was organized March 1, 1882, at the parsonage. 
 Efficient work was done in helping to fill a box for Persia, the girls 
 earning the money for materials, some by doing amateur gardening. 
 Linnet subscribed for sixty copies of Over Sea and Land, and as the 
 subject of each month was illustrated by the Pastor with missionary 
 curios or pictures, the idea of the stereopticon was developed, first 
 with a lantern and screen at home, then with the larger arrange- 
 ments at the church. The Pastor gave a free lecture once a month, 
 covering ancient and modern art, especially as related to Bible and 
 missionary topics. These lectures became an educational influence 
 in the community, personal travels abroad adding to their interest. 
 
 "I WANT TO DO REAL WORK FOR CHRIST." LINNET. 
 
 Work, real work for Jesus, 
 
 Some real work each day, 
 As He shall guide and use us, 
 
 And when we pass away 
 The little seeds we scatter 
 
 To harvests will have grown 
 That vesper hours may gather 
 
 As we are going home. 
 
 Work, real work for Jesus, 
 
 What is our work to-day? 
 Where does the Master need us? 
 
 What does the Message say? 
 Near, very near to Jesus, 
 
 The blessing will be given, 
 As work on earth prepares us 
 
 For better work in Heaven. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 39
 
 40 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 1884 
 
 To gain strength after an illness, Dr. Stoddard, with his wife and 
 daughter, left New York, August 16, by steamer Anchoria, meeting 
 providentially, Prof. W. J. Rolfe and his two sons, with whom they 
 travelled about two months, visiting Scotland, England, France, 
 Germany, and Switzerland, returning by the steamer Austral 
 October 12, 1884, with stereoscopic pictures to review the trip with 
 Succasunna and neighboring towns in a series of lectures in following 
 years. 
 
 1886, 1887, 1888 
 
 On May 19, 1886, the Lord called to a higher service Eliza Platt 
 Stoddard, the only daughter, in her seventeenth year. On May 19, 
 1887, the corner-stone of the Memorial Chapel was laid. On May 
 19, 1888, it was dedicated to God and to his work, and has since 
 been the home of the Sunday-school, of Christian Endeavor, of 
 the Ladies' Missionary Meeting, the Mission Band, and social 
 gatherings. 
 
 Of these there has been a great variety from High School grad- 
 uations to Christmas cantatas. On Linnet's birthdays we have 
 had Pageants illustrating the life of the Orient, Persian scenes, 
 Syrian life, Chinese customs ; also America's Welcome to the Nations, 
 and The Twenty Christian Centuries. Following the Missionary 
 Centennial in New York, we had The Pilgrims of the Night and the 
 Heralds of the Dawn. In this Pageant representatives of all the 
 Eastern Nations came groping their way, as in search of light, while 
 the choir sang: 
 
 From Greenland's icy mountains, 
 
 From India's coral strand, 
 Where Afric's sunny fountains, 
 
 Roll down their golden sand,
 
 MISSION BAND 41 
 
 From many an ancient river, 
 
 From many a palmy plain, 
 They call us to deliver 
 
 Their land from error's chain. 
 
 From fertile vales, once chosen 
 
 As our ancestral home, 
 The plea ascends to Heaven 
 
 That Eden may return, 
 While Bethlehem is yearning 
 
 To hear the angels sing, 
 Jerusalem is waiting 
 
 The coming of the King: 
 
 And still the Persian sages 
 
 Would journey from afar, 
 As guided down the ages 
 
 "The Wise Men" seek the Star. 
 The Crescent's power is waning 
 
 Before the dawn of light, 
 The Herald of the Morning 
 
 To Pilgrims of the Night. 
 
 Shall we whose souls are lighted 
 
 With wisdom from on high, 
 Shall we to men benighted 
 
 The lamp of life deny? 
 Salvation O! Salvation! 
 
 The joyful sound proclaim, 
 Till earth's remotest nation 
 
 Has learned Messiah's name. 
 
 Then the distant melody of the angels announced, "Joy to the 
 world, the Lord has come." The angels enter; the pilgrims listen 
 and follow, and all sing together, "Crown Him Lord of all.' At
 
 42 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 the last verse, three of the angels knelt as they sang, "Oh, that with 
 yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall." And our hearts 
 respond, "We'll sing the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of 
 all." 
 
 The dedicatory hymn for the chapel was suggested by Linnet's 
 words written in her last letter to a friend : 
 
 "YOU NEED CHRIST, AND CHRIST NEEDS YOU TO WORK 
 
 FOR HIM." LINNET 
 
 You need Christ, and Christ needs you, 
 
 As life's journey you pursue, 
 
 Guided by the Morning Star, 
 
 Send its cheering beams afar, 
 
 And reflect the noontide ray 
 
 On each dark and shadowed way. 
 
 You need Christ, and Christ needs you, 
 As you find each promise true, 
 For the faint and weary care, 
 With the sad and lonely share, 
 Freely give, as it is given, 
 The unfailing balm of Heaven. 
 
 You need Christ, and Christ needs you, 
 There is work for each to do, 
 Go with Him to seek His own, 
 Call and lead the wanderer home, 
 And thus add another gem 
 To the Saviour's diadem. 
 
 You need Christ, and Christ needs you, 
 Many years may come, or few;
 
 MISSION BAND 43 
 
 One with Christ in either land, 
 
 One in service with the band 
 
 Singing with a meaning new 
 
 You need Christ, and Christ needs you. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 POEM FOR LINNET'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 BY 
 
 EMMA SMULLER CARTER 
 
 A tiny bird flew down to earth 
 
 In summer's golden days ; 
 The mother-heart sang at its birth 
 
 A grateful song of praise. 
 
 And soon the Linnet learned to sing, 
 
 The song that home loves best, 
 Sweet twitterings of brooding wing, 
 
 And of the sheltering nest. 
 
 The days flew lightly by, the lay 
 
 Grew sweet with maiden glee ; 
 No bird upon the bending spray 
 
 Sang blither song than she. 
 
 The golden light of morning gleamed 
 
 The day rose clear and bright, 
 But in her eyes already beamed, 
 
 A purer, holier light. 
 
 It fell upon her forehead fair, 
 
 More beautiful than day; 
 The angel-hand had rested there, 
 
 That beckoned her away. 
 
 And as the bird that mounts and sings, 
 
 Forever as it flies, 
 Upborne by song and snow-white wings, 
 
 She vanished in the skies.
 
 44 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 But ever down the summer air 
 Float echoes sweet and strong 
 
 That call on us to follow there 
 And join the angel-song. 
 
 Oh, sweet, that ever she was sent 
 To draw us to the skies ; 
 
 To show our feet the way she went, 
 The path to paradise.
 
 J 
 
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 h
 
 ANNIVERSARIES FROM 1891 TO 1899 
 
 We gather these records of Anniversaries to show the apprecia- 
 tion of the Church, the Sunday-school, the Christian Endeavor, the 
 Missionary Society, the Boys' Brigade, and the Mission Band, as 
 well as the interest of the community in each of them as the passing 
 years were brightened by the fragrant expressions of esteem and 
 love that were the inspiration and the joy of this long pastorate. 
 
 May i, 1892. From the local paper 
 A LONG PASTORATE 
 
 Dr. Stoddard, of Succasunna, finished his twenty-eight years as 
 Pastor of the Succasunna Presbyterian Church Sunday, May 1st. 
 As his health is much improved he was able to occupy his pulpit in 
 the morning, and it being communion Sunday made it a solemn and 
 impressive service. The chapel was well filled and all were glad to 
 welcome their faithful leader back again. Six united with the 
 church on confession of faith. In the review of the preceding years 
 Dr. Stoddard read the following verses, composed for the occasion: 
 
 The Fathers where are they? 
 
 The godly men who came 
 To welcome on that day 
 
 To this new Sabbath home. 
 A part have gone to their reward 
 A part are walking here with God. 
 45
 
 46 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 And of the faithful Band 
 
 Who clustered round me then 
 The sixteen with me stand ; 
 
 The full three-score and ten 
 Are in the Father's house on high 
 Where we shall gather, by and by. 
 
 The eight and twenty years 
 
 With changes have been fraught, 
 
 Through toils and joys and tears, 
 A guiding hand has brought, 
 
 And mercies ever fresh and new 
 
 With gratitude we would review. 
 
 The God of all these years 
 
 Must be our trust to-day 
 And with our hopes and fears 
 
 We humbly bow, to pray 
 Whatever may to us betide, 
 With us, dear Lord, with us abide, 
 
 Until the setting sun 
 
 Shall find us at the door 
 That welcomes one by one 
 
 To life forever more. 
 And we review the blessings given 
 With the dear church of God in Heaven. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 BOYS' BRIGADE 
 1894 
 
 A Brief History of the Boys' Brigade, taken from the book 
 dedicated to them in the hope that by choosing and defending the 
 right they may be more truly the guardians of these hills and plains 
 than an army with banners. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Marsh, in conference with the Pastor evolved from 
 the Class in Calisthenics, the Boys' Brigade. Mr. Albert Marsh 
 acted as Captain until Mr. Isaac Alward of the 23rd Regiment of 
 Brooklyn, New York, consented to give weekly drills. 
 
 A reception once a month promoted social and intellectual 
 activity. Dr. Stoddard's address of May, 1894, should be given 
 with the constitution of the Brigade because it represents one of the 
 ways in which the Pastor's love found expression. 
 
 ADDRESS OF REV. E. W. STODDARD, D.D., BEFORE 
 
 THE BOYS' BRIGADE 
 
 May, 1894 
 
 On the next day, much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that 
 Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm-trees, and went forth to meet 
 Him, and cried, "Hosannah; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." 
 John xii, 12, 13. 
 
 Mark tells us that they also spread their garments in the way. 
 This is called the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is a type of 
 the grander triumph in which we may also have a share. 
 
 47
 
 48 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 I have chosen this incident, not to talk of the facts stated, but 
 of the things suggested. Was there ever a grand procession, or 
 a stir of people in the streets, that did not call out the boys? And 
 are they not always the first to climb trees and secure leaves and 
 branches for decoration? Is it not a natural inference that the 
 lads were in full force on that eventful day, and that they gathered 
 the palms for that procession? If so, an impromptu Boys' Brigade 
 was organized. The germ life, the spirit of the Boys' Brigade, 
 was certainly there. They were most efficient helpers in preparing 
 the way for the Son of David coming in the name of the Lord. 
 
 There is a work that a Boys' Brigade can do, and do better than 
 any one else. There is something for youth and strength and 
 restless activity in preparing for the triumphal march of truth and 
 righteousness. Did the boys of two thousand years ago ever do 
 anything more noble than on that day? It is true, branches of 
 trees were not expensive gifts; they were those at hand, and they 
 were accepted. When Christ enters the gates of the New Jerusalem 
 in triumph, it will be the pride and joy of the lads of His time that 
 they were privileged to do some humble service on the earthly 
 journey. Let us do our part toward preparing the way of the Lord. 
 
 About eight hundred years ago, Peter the Hermit, and other 
 enthusiasts, called out great armies in religious wars that were 
 called Crusades, because of the Cross on their standards and on 
 their apparel. They gathered to rescue the Holy Sepulcher at 
 Jerusalem from the Turks, who held possession, and would not allow 
 Christian pilgrims even to visit the sacred spot. From all parts 
 of Europe, thousands responded. Some of these eight crusades 
 were longer and of more importance than others; but all appealed 
 to the emotional part of the religious world. 
 
 In 1212 occurred a Children's Crusade. It was really a ripple 
 of the wave of the Fifth Crusade. Thirty thousand French chil- 
 dren and twenty thousand German children followed Stephen of 
 Colyes and Nicholas of Hungary. Both Boys' Brigades set out
 
 ADDRESS BEFORE THE BOYS' BRIGADE 49 
 
 unarmed, and by different routes, to reach the sea. One German 
 division crossed the Alps and reached Brindisi; the other attempted 
 to cross Mt. Cenis, and were mostly lost. A portion of the French 
 party reached Marseilles, and being disappointed that the sea did 
 not open to give them passage, they were induced to go on seven 
 vessels that proved to be slave traders. Thus they perished, either 
 by shipwreck or by being sold into slavery. 
 
 They had a zeal, but not according to knowledge. Enthusiasm 
 must be guided, controlled, used by wisdom, if it would attain its 
 noblest end. We learn by failures; the mistakes of others are 
 beacon-lights of warning, that we may avoid the unwise and the 
 harmful. 
 
 The young people of to-day are called to engage in a holy war. 
 Holy places, holy things, are to be rescued and guarded. 
 
 An army of devoted men and women have gone before, and I 
 exhort the Boys' Brigade to heed the lessons of the past and do 
 great things in the future. 
 
 "We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
 We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives 
 Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 
 
 The following lines were written for the Boys' Brigade, to embody 
 the lesson of this hour: 
 
 Around the brow of Olivet 
 A wonderful procession swept, 
 
 Two thousand years ago. 
 The old, the young, were in that throng, 
 As with the palm-branch and the song, 
 They strewed their garments all along 
 
 The valley road below.
 
 50 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Ascending then the sacred way 
 To herald the prophetic day 
 
 When all the world shall bring 
 The choicest gifts to line the road, 
 By one triumphant army trod, 
 To crown the Son of David Lord, 
 
 The all-victorious King. 
 
 And there beneath the palm-tree shade 
 Was organized the Boys' Brigade, 
 
 The work that we now share. 
 As Christ the Lord was drawing nigh, 
 They broke the branches hanging high, 
 And gave them to the passer-by, 
 
 The highway to prepare. 
 
 Upon the hilltop, on the plain, 
 That way must be prepared again, 
 
 With palm-branch and with song; 
 For this we need the Boys' Brigade, 
 By nought deterred, by nought dismayed, 
 Because God's word believed, obeyed, 
 
 Has made them true and strong. 
 
 And as there was a Boys' Brigade 
 Connected with the Fifth Crusade, 
 
 That marched its weary way 
 To rescue from the infidel 
 The sepulcher and citadel; 
 Who by the sacred ensign fell 
 
 The martyrs of that day;
 
 ADDRESS BEFORE THE BOYS' BRIGADE 51 
 
 So now there is a true Crusade, 
 For this our loyal Boys ' Brigade, 
 
 Against all sin and wrong. 
 You need the Christ, and Christ has need 
 Of you, the earthly work to speed ; 
 Be true to every noble deed, 
 
 "Quit you like men, be strong." 
 
 You have the sword, you have the shield; 
 On every moral battle-field 
 
 How much depends on you ! 
 At dawn of light, in midnight shade, 
 Your banner in the front displayed, 
 A faithful, noble Boys' Brigade, 
 
 Stand by your colors true. 
 
 And when the victory is won, 
 
 And all earth's kingdoms are but one, 
 
 The King Himself shall own 
 Each loyal, earnest Boys' Brigade, 
 Of every clime, of each decade, 
 With laurels that can never fade, 
 
 For an eternal crown. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 1894 
 CLIPPING FROM THE IRON ERA, MAY I, 1894. 
 
 Dr. E. W. Stoddard preached his anniversary sermon last 
 Sunday morning as he completed thirty years of active service for 
 the Master in our village. But fourteen of the members who wel- 
 comed Dr. Stoddard as their Pastor thirty years ago the first day
 
 52 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 of this month remain to clasp hands with him and bravely take up 
 the work for the new year. 
 
 The anniversary exercises of the dedication of the Memorial 
 Chapel will be on May igth. Dr. Chas. A. Stoddard, of the New 
 York Observer, will be present and deliver the anniversary address 
 at 3 P.M. 
 
 A week ago in recognition of Dr. E. W. Stoddard's seventy- 
 fourth birthday the Boys' Brigade had a little surprise of seventy- 
 four iced cakes, each cake representing a year. Last Saturday the 
 Mission Band had their surprise. Three large cakes containing 
 seventy-four candles, the center one having thirty as representing 
 the thirty years of the pastorate at Succasunna. The candles were 
 lighted just before the Band came to the dining-room, and as they 
 encircled the central table a little address was made which was 
 concluded by these very appropriate lines written by Mrs. E. A. 
 Stoddard : 
 
 Each candle represents a year, 
 Each light a symbol of the cheer, 
 That love of purity and truth 
 Can give to all the years of youth, 
 To brighter grow in darkest day, 
 Until amid the twilight gray, 
 It shows the most at eventide 
 The comfort of the ingleside, 
 Reflected on the shades of night, 
 To guide unto the perfect light. 
 These candles number seventy-four, 
 We trust there may be many more, 
 And each one brighter year by year, 
 To kindle many candles here, 
 That shall out-shine in service done, 
 The mid-day glories of the sun.
 
 CLIPPING FROM THE IRON ERA 53 
 
 And as is given to every one 
 A candle to be taken home, 
 In fond remembrance of this hour 
 We ask the wisdom and the power, 
 To make our lives at home, abroad 
 As little candles of the Lord: 
 In circles small but full of cheer, 
 And usefulness from year to year, 
 As earnest, true, aflame with love, 
 As seeking things that are above. 
 Light bearers in this world of tears, 
 Amid its gloom light giving years, 
 In widening circles, each more bright, 
 Reflecting more and more of light, 
 Until with those who ever shine 
 In presence of the Light Divine, 
 To each of us the joy be given, 
 To number endless years in heaven. 
 
 1895 
 
 In 1895 * ne Succasunna Presbyterian Church celebrated its 
 1 39th anniversary by welcoming its children in the old Sabbath 
 Home, May I9th, 2Oth, 2ist. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard had by great effort secured pictures of the ministers 
 and incidents of their work and these were printed in a Historical 
 Memorial with the gleanings of the harvest week. 
 
 In this book was also a record of the stones in God's acre, around 
 the historic church.
 
 54 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 MEMORIAL HYMN 
 Tune of Webb 
 
 "Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself 
 being the chief Corner-Stone." Eph. ii, 20 
 
 Upon the Rock of Ages 
 
 The Walls of Zion stand, 
 Built by* the ancient sages 
 
 The apostolic band, 
 The royal line of martyrs 
 
 The toilers all unknown 
 And by our Honored Fathers, 
 
 Upon the Corner-Stone. 
 
 And on this sure foundation, 
 
 The Temple must arise, 
 Whose gates shall be salvation, 
 
 To all beneath the skies, 
 The light of Heaven reflecting 
 
 From every polished stone, 
 Until the Lord descending 
 
 His finished work shall crown. 
 
 Upon the Gold of Ophir, 
 
 And gems from land and sea, 
 That those we love to honor 
 
 Have offered Lord to Thee. 
 Some humble place be given 
 
 The tributes that we bring 
 On every one engraven 
 
 The signet of the King.
 
 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SUCCASUNNA 
 WITH THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 1878
 
 HISTORICAL SERMON 55 
 
 On every one some token 
 
 That those who serve above 
 In fellowship unbroken 
 
 Inspire our faith and love 
 To every new endeavor 
 
 Until the work is done, 
 And we rejoice together 
 
 In our eternal home. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 1895 
 HISTORICAL SERMON 
 
 On the occasion of the One Hundred and Thirty-Ninth Anniversary 
 of the Succasunna, New Jersey, Presbyterian Church. 
 
 BY REV. E. W. STODDARD, D.D. 
 
 Isa. xliv, 7-8 "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the 
 Lord of hosts. I appointed the ancient people, and the things that are coming and 
 shall come." 
 
 History is the record of God's dealings with men. The history 
 of a nation or of a church is a record of what the Lord has done for 
 them. We review one hundred and thirty-nine years of providential 
 guidings and blessings. Commencing with the years of the honored 
 fathers and tracing the line of mercies up to this day we render 
 thanks unto the Lord who appointed the ancient people and the 
 things that are coming and shall come. It is an inspiration at 
 certain periods to look backward. 
 
 The Succasunna Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest in the 
 county about 1755 the church at Morristown being about 
 twenty years older 1735 and that of Hanover, about thirty- 
 five years older. The deed of this church property was executed
 
 56 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 in 1756 by James Parker, one of the West Jersey proprietors. This 
 deed, for the sum of five shillings, conveys one acre for a church 
 and burial ground to Levi Lewis, Daniel Gary, and others. The 
 first church building must have been erected about 1760. It is 
 said that Levi Lewis owned a saw mill at Combs Hollow where he 
 sawed the timber for the church. This first church building had 
 only the floor finished and plain seats, no plastered walls and no 
 ceiling. The swallows twittered from the rafters even while the 
 people worshipped, nor were they disturbed by the use of the 
 church for barrack and hospital purposes, when the larger cannon, 
 some of which required three yoke of oxen to draw them, were 
 ranged and sheltered outside the buildings and the munitions in the 
 church. They were trophies from the capture of General Burgoyne, 
 near Saratoga, N. Y. When the new Centennial bell for Independ- 
 ence Hall, Philadelphia, was to be cast the United States Govern- 
 ment contributed one of these cannon for bell metal. When the 
 smallpox raged in the army, this church and that at Hanover were 
 used as hospitals, and this old graveyard has many nameless graves. 
 On January 28, 1818, in the ministry of Rev. Jacob Green, the 
 congregation resolved to repair the meeting-house, put on new 
 covering, put in new windows and new timbers and lath and plaster. 
 This house, which was nearly square, 35 x 40 feet, with its pulpit 
 on the side, accommodated the people until January I, 1853, when 
 in the ministry of Rev. Josiah Fisher the parish resolved to build 
 a new church. The last day of service in the old church of nearly 
 one hundred years was held on the first Sabbath of May, 1853. 
 The Rev. Dr. Samuel Fisher, the father-in-law of Pastor Fisher, 
 preached in the morning from the text, "Keep yourselves in the 
 love of God." The Rev. Josiah Fisher preached in the evening. 
 The old church was taken down and a new one erected on its site. 
 There may be those present who helped to take down the old 
 timbers and set them in the new house. The corner-stone of the 
 new church building was laid May 26, 1853. A brief history of the
 
 HISTORICAL SERMON 57 
 
 church, the names of its officers and members at that time, certain 
 newspapers, and a bullet found in removing the old building, 
 bearing date in etching July 4, 1776, and other relics were placed 
 in the corner-stone. The new house was dedicated October II, 
 1853. At this point it may be interesting to mention that the first 
 service held in this church was the funeral of the Hon. Mahlon 
 Dickerson, died October 5, 1853, service October 8, 1853. He 
 had been the largest contributor to the building fund. 
 
 In August, 1872, it was resolved to enlarge the church by adding 
 twelve feet to its length and a pulpit recess 14 x 7. The church 
 was re-occupied January, 1873. 
 
 The records of the church from its organization to 1817 have 
 been lost. 
 
 The recorded membership at that time, 1817, was 35. From 
 that date to this over six hundred have been added. The present 
 membership is 174. 
 
 The first pastor known to have been settled over this church 
 was Rev. Wm. Woodhull, who graduated from the College of New 
 Jersey in 1764 and belonged to the Presbytery of New York. The 
 call bears date September I, 1768, and contains the signatures of 
 Daniel Gary, Levi Lewis, Jacob Drake, Jeremiah Rogers, Eliphalet 
 Lewis, Benjamin Clark, and Elisha Drake. 
 
 Succasunna and Chester pledged the Presbytery of New York, 
 for the encouragement of the said Rev. Wm. Woodhull, forty 
 pounds, the use of the parsonage, and his firewood. So easily were 
 the ministers of a hundred years ago encouraged and freed from 
 worldly care. 
 
 Only fourteen remain who were members thirty-one years ago. 
 The Master says, Work for the night cometh when no man can 
 work. A historical poem will give us incidents and teachings:
 
 58 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 HISTORICAL POEM 
 
 Our Father's God, whose loving care appears 
 On every line of this long scroll of years, 
 As we unroll with grateful hearts to-day 
 We would acknowledge Thee in all the way. 
 Upon the cloud as on the wall of flame 
 We trace, with those of old, Thy sacred name, 
 Across the desert, at the restful fount, 
 Within the valley or upon the mount, 
 As Thou hast gone before in all the time 
 We trace the years, one hundred thirty-nine. 
 
 To-day it is our pride and our delight 
 
 To follow all along the trail of light 
 
 That passed so often by the clefted rock, 
 
 As loving pastors led the little flock. 
 
 The name of Woodhull is a worthy name 
 
 To lead the list upon this roll of fame ; 
 
 The Rev. Bradford serves as a supply, 
 
 Then wisdom sought is given them from on high, 
 
 And Pastor Lemuel Fordham comes to bless 
 
 With thirty years of loving faithfulness, 
 
 A fruitful and a happy pastorate, 
 
 That saw the babes attain to man's estate. 
 
 Then follows Jacob Green, in whose four years 
 And good nine months a change of form appears 
 In the old meeting-house, upon whose eaves 
 The swallows built their nests of twigs and leaves, 
 And while the congregation sang their hymns 
 The birds responded with their twitterings, 
 Inviting also to the open door, 
 And all the blessings that were held in store.
 
 6i)\
 
 HISTORICAL POEM 
 
 Six months for Osborne, then Kanouse was given 
 Five years of service by the grace of Heaven. 
 For a few Sabbaths Hooper was supply, 
 Then Osborne came again and this dear tie 
 Held heart and hand four years and six months more, 
 Then came supplies who for the two years bore 
 The names of Jones, Woodbury, Pierson, then 
 Fairchild and Allen, true and noble men. 
 
 The Shepherd's crook passed on to Joseph Moore, 
 
 Who for two years six months the symbol bore, 
 
 Then churchly records give to us the name 
 
 For one year and six months of David Frame. 
 
 One Sabbath morning as the record states 
 
 The President of these United States, 
 
 Martin Van Buren, with his honored host, 
 
 Our Mahlon Dickerson, were at their post 
 
 In the old meeting-house to worship God, 
 
 And listen to the preaching of the Worifl, 
 
 From 1st Corinthians, three, twelve, thirteen, 
 
 A rich discourse from which they all could glean. 
 
 And then another prince of royal line, 
 
 Daniel Magie, well versed in things divine. 
 
 For three years and three-fourths he gave the Word, 
 
 And for two years we were supplied by Ward, 
 
 And then by Davis, one year six months more, 
 
 And Fisher, the beloved, half a score 
 
 And three, meanwhile in ancient poplar shade 
 
 The corner-stone of the new church was laid, 
 
 May twenty-six of eighteen fifty-three, 
 
 The pride and joy of his long ministry. 
 
 His name engraven on the marble urn, 
 
 His name engraven on the heart and home, 
 
 59
 
 60 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 With those who also served, the good, the blest, 
 
 The crowned victors, entered into rest. 
 
 Our Albert Riggs of blessed memory, 
 
 Whose twenty years of loving ministry 
 
 In Sabbath-school is still a treasure store, 
 
 Whose Eldership of thirty years and more 
 
 Has left an imprint on all coming time, 
 
 For Christlike living makes our lives sublime. 
 
 And almost at his side a comrade lies, 
 Our Fordham Corwin, patient, tender, wise, 
 In each department of the service true, 
 Delighting in the work he found to do, 
 And full of faith in every promised word 
 While waiting long the message of his Lord. 
 And Elder Hopkins, who three weeks ago 
 So large a place left vacant here below. 
 
 They gather thus the cloud of witnesses 
 From all our ranks and years of usefulness. 
 The Father's rest, in God's own acre near, 
 Their virtues in their children reappear; 
 
 Our Hiram Hulse, the genial, tender, true, 
 Whose noble sons a noble life renew. 
 Our Goes, our Corys, our Dalrymple too, 
 Our Carys and our Byrams staunch and true, 
 Our Fordham, our LeFevre, our McCord, 
 The Elders in this ancient church of God. 
 Our Meekers, and our Condit, and our Kings, 
 And all the worthy host that memory brings 
 In honored names and in the Christian graces
 
 HISTORICAL POEM 61 
 
 Thus borne by those who rise to take their places, 
 Who wear the mantles and adorn the name, 
 That found in serving its immortal fame. 
 
 Our sons and daughters have been scattered wide 
 
 Across the continents across the tide, 
 
 On Persian soil and on the Western fields 
 
 To gather home at last with golden sheaves. 
 
 Our sons and daughters on the other shore 
 
 Who gather at the Father's open door, 
 
 Or watch us from the height, inspire to-day 
 
 To persevere along the homeward way. 
 
 One heart, one aim, in Pastor and in flock, 
 
 To feed in pastures by the clefted rock. 
 
 As thirty years and one we would review, 
 Our pledges to each other we renew, 
 As when in eighteen hundred sixty-four 
 The record first the name of Stoddard bore, 
 To hold it thus these thirty years and one 
 Until one hundred thirty-nine have gone, 
 And we recall the labors and the word 
 Of those who came as they were sent of God. 
 
 Ten pastors and the nine supplies in all, 
 And each save two, have heard the higher call, 
 Have crossed the stream, and on the peaceful strand 
 Have joined the flock of our Immanuel's land. 
 
 In August eighteen hundred seventy-two, 
 The church resolved to add a portion new, 
 And build a pulpit recess, and to crown 
 Our work, the Lord has added of His own
 
 62 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The pillars that in earthly temples rise, 
 Are fashioned for the Temple in the skies; 
 Enwrought perchance by sorrow's ministry 
 For blessed service in eternity. 
 
 Three years ago another change was made, 
 
 In charge of chosen men who felt repaid 
 
 For time and thought and service, day and night, 
 
 By added beauty, comfort, joy and light. 
 
 Your pastor found some eighty members here, 
 It has been given his ministry to cheer 
 The dear three hundred and the fifty-eight 
 The joy and comfort of his pastorate. 
 And as the blessed seasons shall return 
 He yearns to welcome others in your name, 
 Until our households and our neighbors given 
 We number all when we shall meet in Heaven. 
 Your Pastor of the thirty years and one 
 Thus overlooks the work that has been done. 
 As hand was joined to hand, the wedding chimes 
 Have echoed the one hundred sixty times. 
 To voice the sorrow of the stricken soul 
 The funeral bell has often had to toll. 
 Your Pastor in these hours of sorrow given 
 To speak four hundred times and thirty-seven. 
 Your Pastor has received your words of love 
 When his beloved have been called above. 
 Your Pastor comforted on that sad day 
 Nine years ago when Linnet passed away, 
 Your Pastor strengthened by the Mission Band 
 Who take up Linnet's work with heart and hand.
 
 HISTORICAL POEM 63 
 
 And by the ladies' missionary zeal, 
 
 Upon whose work the Lord has set His seal, 
 
 The praying circle to whose faith is given 
 
 To link this church with that which serves in Heaven. 
 
 Your Pastor looking to the Boys' Brigade 
 
 To be in very truth the Pastor's aid. 
 
 As we its noble record thus recall, 
 
 Christian Endeavor intertwining all, 
 
 Recruited by the Junior nursery 
 
 For fruitful years in the next century. 
 
 A faithful band of singers in the choir, 
 
 A faithful band of hearers to inspire, 
 
 A faithful band of trusted, tried trustees, 
 
 To plan the wisest uses of the keys. 
 
 An eldership united to conserve 
 
 The interests that they are called to serve. 
 
 A faithful band of workers here for God, 
 
 And honored names to bear the name abroad. 
 
 A record to inspire the present hour 
 
 To do its best, to add new zeal and power, 
 
 To make each year more useful than the last, 
 
 Uplifting ever by its worthy past. 
 
 Your Pastor of the thirty years and one 
 Can never feel his truest work is done 
 Until the seal of God, His love attest, 
 His benediction on each household rest, 
 And in this year one hundred thirty-nine 
 This church and people share the grace divine.
 
 64 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 ADDED, 1913 
 
 The records tell us at the present time 
 
 Of marriages four hundred eighty-nine, 
 
 Of funerals eight hundred ninety-seven, 
 
 And could a message come to us from Heaven, 
 
 Your Pastor of a half a century 
 
 Would add this prayer to crown his ministry, 
 
 "In blessing others may the church be blest, 
 
 God's benediction on each household rest, 
 
 Until the higher service calls together 
 
 And we are one, forever and forever." 
 
 ITEMS REGARDING THE ELDERSHIP 
 
 In 1768 the Church at Succasunna joined the Church at Chester 
 in a call to the Rev. Wm. Woodhull. 
 
 The following were Elders at that date : Eliphalet Lewis, Elisha 
 Drake, Jeremiah Rogers. 
 
 The next record of Eldership is December, 1817. They were 
 Ebenezer Coe and Hiram Condit in the ministry of Rev. Jacob 
 Green. September, 1818, Caleb Jennings, Samuel King, and 
 Abraham Coe were chosen Elders. 
 
 July, 1823, Mr. Absalom Woodruff, Mr. Daniel Dairy mple, and 
 Calvin Thompson were chosen Elders. Mr. Woodruff did not 
 serve on account of ill health. 
 
 June 14, 1835, Silas Riggs, Daniel Gary, and Wm. B. Lefevre 
 were chosen Elders. 
 
 January 29, 1837, Stephen F. Fordham, Silas Byram, and Henry 
 Concklyn were chosen Elders. 
 
 May 2, 1841, Samuel McCord, Martin S. Moore, and Isaac W. 
 Crane were chosen Elders. 
 
 January 2, 1846, Mr. L. F. Corwin and Mr. Lewis Meeker were 
 chosen Elders.
 
 ITEMS REGARDING THE ELDERSHIP 65 
 
 October, 1848, Mr. Geo. W. Packard and Mr. A. R. Riggs were 
 chosen Elders. 
 
 March, 1864, Mr. Joshua G. Corwin and Mr. Josiah Meeker 
 were chosen Elders. 
 
 May 6, 1874, Mr. Silas H. Hopkins was chosen Elder. 
 
 November 27, 1892, Mr. T. F. King, Mr. H. F. Meeker, and 
 Mr. Jonas W. Hulse were chosen Elders, and are still in service.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM THE 139x11 ANNIVERSARY 
 
 May iQth afternoon and evening. Mr. Ed. J. Ross related an 
 incident that has a message for to-day. The Patriarch of the 
 household had gone away. One said to the family, How can you 
 get along without your father? The answer came. When any 
 plan is before us we sit down together and ask what would father 
 wish us to do? It is the wisdom of the ages granted to the younger. 
 So is it with this grand old church. Pastors have come and gone, 
 but the Word of the Lord abideth forever. The Church of this day 
 is living on the fruits of the forefathers and this Church is to live 
 and bring forth fruit in old age. 
 
 Dr. I. W. Condit, of Dover, was the second speaker. He said: 
 "This is the place of my birth. I began church-going here at about 
 four years, and while I lived with my father we always attended 
 church on the Sabbath. The first Sabbath-school I recollected was 
 organized by Rev. Jacob Green, and I think he baptized me. Sab- 
 bath-school was held only in summer months. We learned verses 
 from the Bible and recited them. My brother received a Bible as a 
 reward which I well remember. 
 
 "In April, 1842, I came from school to spend the summer. At 
 the organizing of the school I was requested to act as Superintendent. 
 The line of study was the Union Question Book and the Shorter 
 Catechism. In October we had a review of the summer's work. 
 I gave out forty-two Bibles to scholars who had committed the 
 whole to memory, and twenty-two Testaments to those who 
 committed to memory a definite portion. I could name some of 
 those scholars, and one of them, Marcus Meeker, is now looking 
 me in the face. 
 
 66
 
 67 
 
 " In those days this congregation covered a great deal more ground 
 than it does now. The people of Flanders and Ironia and Mt. 
 Freedom, Mine Hill, Mill Brook, Berkshire Valley, and Stanhope 
 worshipped here. The street here was filled with horses and wagons, 
 and I recall one yoke of oxen that used to come. 
 
 " I remember the old church building well, but not as it was first 
 used. Then they had boxes and boards for temporary seats. A 
 sounding-board was over the pulpit. Then they laid a floor and 
 put in square upright pews with doors. Then the sounding-board 
 was removed, and one of the panels of that sounding-board for a 
 long time covered my mother's cream pot. 
 
 "But the times change, and the buildings change, but this 
 thing does not change. The boy is the father of the man. Re- 
 member that, I want you to take in all that it means. If the boy is 
 a good boy, if he is governed by right motives, the man will be 
 right. If the boy is a Christian the man will be a Christian. Now, 
 what benefit has the Sabbath- school been to me? What has family 
 instruction done for me? I want to say to all these young people 
 they taught me to respect all that is true, just, proper, and right." 
 
 Mr. John McDougall, who is about eighty-four years old, next 
 spoke: "When I look over this congregation I do not see one person 
 as old as I am. I have known this Church for years. I have seen 
 much good work for Christ done here. One question is hard to 
 answer, What of the next 139 years? Who is going to take the 
 places of all the people and workers who are passing away?" 
 
 Mr. J. C. Buck came next. In his "looking back" over forty- 
 two years he felt that the young are the bulwark of the Church and 
 Sunday-school. Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Honor your 
 parents and attend Church and Sunday-school. 
 
 Mr. Ferdinand V. Wolfe speaks: "When I was a little boy my 
 father lived near where William Corwin now lives. Miss Mary 
 Ann Corwin, now Mrs. Byram. led me many times to Church and 
 Sunday-school. Among the peculiarities of that place was the
 
 68 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 pulpit set up on stilts. Under the pulpit was the library. In the 
 high seats with doors the boys and girls were in classes. We could 
 not see out very much because of the high partitions and doors. 
 But many of the brightest and best days of my boyhood were here. 
 We got impressions and teachings we have never forgotten. This 
 was my home and when I come back here I come home and I am 
 very glad. It is a great pleasure that I was invited to come here 
 to-day. My hope is that the children of this day and this Sunday- 
 school will find the benefit that we found here many years ago. I 
 had a good praying mother and she loved this church and Sunday- 
 school. Here too the Lord raised up for me a dear, sweet wife. 
 The Lord has taken them both and by and by He will take me to 
 join them." 
 
 In the evening letters were read from the absent, and by a 
 singular coincidence just as the message from Mrs. E. Durham was 
 being read, in her distant home in Lebanon, Pa., she was passing 
 away, thus linking the Church below to the Church above. After 
 which Hervey Cook, Esq., one of our own young men, came back 
 with gleanings from contemporaneous history that showed the 
 student and the scholar, as well as the man. The discourse was of 
 profound interest and full of instruction. Next followed the ad- 
 dress of Mr. Frank Merchant, which alluded to his early acquaint- 
 ance with the pastor and recalled some very happy reminiscences. 
 
 Mrs. McDowell, a daughter of Rev. E. A. Osborne, gave a word 
 of greeting. Rev. Mr. Hampton, of the M. E. Church, brought 
 congratulations and hoped that the excellent things that charac- 
 terized this church might also characterize his own church. 
 
 On Monday, May 20, at the reception in the Chapel by the 
 Session Miss Gary, an honored teacher of the earlier days, was 
 present with many other faithful workers. 
 
 On Tuesday from 4 to 7 P.M. a reception was given to the Sunday- 
 school, Mission Band, Boys' Brigade, and Junior Endeavor. Miss 
 Louise Wiggins, who has been for more than twenty years the
 
 GLEANINGS FROM THE I39TH ANNIVERSARY 69 
 
 teacher of the infant class, received with the Pastor. The guests 
 were then entertained by music and a sight of the curious relics 
 gathered on the platform of the church, including the foot-stoves 
 of the olden times and a bench from the Friend's meeting-house, 
 at least one hundred years old, a picture of Christ teaching in the 
 Temple that is five hundred years old, a drum that served at Bunker 
 Hill in the Revolutionary War, pictures, vases, candle-sticks, mor- 
 tars, pictures worked in silk, ancient books and chairs, the study 
 chair of Rev. Fordham and the brass kettle from which his tea was 
 made. After a sight of these and other interesting and curious 
 relics the company returned to the Chapel and were served in the 
 dining-room. On the center table was a large cake containing the 
 names of all the pastors and the supplies of the one hundred and 
 thirty-nine years with the dates 1756 and 1895 and Succasunna 
 Presbyterian Church, the lettering in deep pink on a white icing. 
 Old-time candle-sticks gave the lights and from the old-time 
 memories came much to cheer. The Reunion and Review has been 
 full of instruction and enjoyment, and we trust the Reunion and 
 Review of the next one hundred and thirty -ninth year may be as 
 profitable to those who shall take up our work in this honored 
 church, while we look on from the heights above to see Zion going 
 forth, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army 
 with banners.
 
 SEVENTY-SEVENTH BIRTHDAY 
 
 1897 
 
 Dr. Stoddard's seventy-seventh birthday was celebrated in the 
 chapel with cakes and candles, Mr. Elmer Harrington presiding. 
 
 A letter from Dr. Charles Hastings Dodd of Newark, was read 
 expressing regrets at absence and devoted wishes for the occasion 
 and many returns of its sweet household joys, adding: 
 
 " If I could look forward to such an evening of my days, I would 
 heartily choose the conditions of your life as my model. What a 
 precious happiness is yours indeed ! 
 
 " Only love and loving presences will grace the feast. And best 
 of all the one presence of the incarnated Son! My dear Doctor, 
 go on go on, your influence is an achievement, with vastly more 
 momentum than the busy labors of any one of us. 
 
 "God grant a clear day, a dear day, and Heaven above your 
 roof true." 
 
 After the reading of the letter Mrs. Nannie Riggs King stepped 
 forward and read a tribute to our beloved Pastor of thirty-three 
 years on his seventy-seventh birthday. 
 
 "Behold I bring you tidings of great joy." Luke ii, 10. 
 "Many shall rejoice at His birth." Luke i, 14. 
 
 As angels sang at Bethlehem, 
 
 Rejoicing at the Saviour's birth, 
 When laying down the diadem 
 He came to share the life of earth, 
 His little ones awake the strain 
 Their angels sing the sweet refrain. 
 70
 
 SEVENTY-SEVENTH BIRTHDAY 71 
 
 Thus fragments of that song have come 
 With every child that God has given, 
 To every loving Christian home 
 
 That consecrates its gifts to Heaven. 
 Thus on and on they still renew 
 In other lives, their service true. 
 
 Within a household far away 
 
 A joy was known in which we share, 
 When seventy years and seven this day 
 The cradle formed an altar there, 
 An altar to the Holy One 
 For whom the mother trained her son. 
 
 Then as he reached the age of eleven, 
 
 He ratified his parents choice, 
 And all the years since then were given 
 To work in which the good rejoice. 
 Of them we claim the thirty-three 
 Of one continued ministry. 
 
 As we recall the past again, 
 
 The ties of love we would rebind, 
 Each link of this unending chain, 
 With best of wishes intertwined. 
 
 The seventy links and seven are one, 
 To represent each heart and home. 
 
 An emblem of the bands that hold 
 In fellowship the most complete. 
 The words the fathers spake of old 
 Their children's children can repeat. 
 While unseen guests may also bring 
 A birthday wish and offering.
 
 72 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 In every link with every name 
 
 Are seventy wishes and the seven, 
 The thought in one and all the same, 
 Enfolding all a prayer to Heaven. 
 For countless blessings from above 
 To crown a life of faith and love. 
 
 With gratitude for vanished years, 
 
 Committing those that are to come 
 We look beyond our joys and tears, 
 And see the circle gathered home. 
 
 Where all these links of time have given 
 Their jewels to the crown of Heaven. 
 
 On behalf of the seventy-seven, E. A. S. 
 
 As the "links" were mentioned Mrs. Marsh threw aside her 
 cape and displayed a brilliant chain of ribbons which, after the 
 words, "crown a life of faith and love," she gracefully draped over 
 Dr. Stoddard's shoulders. Mrs. King then resumed her reading; at 
 the close Mrs. Marsh added, "We had designed one chain of seventy- 
 seven links but it has grown to be two chains. Let one represent 
 our grateful love for the years that are past, the other our best 
 wishes for the years that are to come, of which we hope there may 
 be many and each crowned with God's blessing." She then deli- 
 cately bound Mrs. Stoddard to Dr. Stoddard with the ribbon chain 
 saying some touching words to which the heart replied : 
 
 "The kindness of this people has bound me to them with ties 
 of steel. Each year has linked us more closely in mutual sympathy 
 and service. And we trust whatever the future brings of joy or of 
 sorrow, that we all may be one in thought, in purpose, and in effort, 
 united in Christ, by Christ, and for Christ, and by and by with 
 Christ."
 
 THE TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND 
 1898 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Stoddard made part of the Aller family in the 
 visit to the Holy Land, stopping at Gibraltar, Malaga, the Alham- 
 bra, Algiers, Cairo, Malta, and Joppa, spending eleven days in 
 Jerusalem, which gave time for glimpses of many sacred places within 
 driving distances, enabling them to collect souvenirs for all the 
 friends of the home-land. Returning, they visited Rome and 
 Constantinople. While in the Bosphorus, Dr. Stoddard preached 
 on board ship on, "Our Father, " and Dr. Charles Robinson of New 
 York said of it at its close, "It was inspired." And many touching 
 incidents revealed its benefits to a congregation made up of the most 
 varied elements. 
 
 Arrived at Constantinople, a drive of nine miles brought them 
 to Robert College, where they were guests for the night, and on 
 the morrow were enabled to visit all educational centres as well 
 as to indulge in museums and bazaars, under the escort of students. 
 One of the most interesting calls was on Dr. Elias Riggs, the senior 
 missionary of the Board, at his residence in Scutari, Asia, which was 
 reached by crossing from Stamboul in Europe by a ferry-boat. 
 
 On the return Dr. Stoddard was allowed by the courtesy of the 
 collector of the port of New York to pay duty on his immense boxes 
 from Jerusalem, and then the frail things were not sent to the 
 Custom House but to Succasunna. These boxes contained curios 
 and remembrances from Egypt and the Holy Land. 
 
 As symbolical of the staff of office, the elders and trustees of the 
 church were presented with canes from the oak of Bashan. Olive 
 wood in a wonderful variety of ornamental and useful articles gave 
 the ladies and friends attractive souvenirs. There were six hundred 
 albums of pressed flowers with covers of olive wood, and cards of 
 
 73
 
 74 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 the preserved blossoms in great abundance, also little olive wood 
 tablets for the pulpit with the monogram of Jerusalem, Jordan water 
 for the baptismal font, soil from Gethsemane, water from the Dead 
 Sea, shells from Joppa, the port of Jerusalem, stones from ruins, models 
 of domestic articles, dolls to represent the babe in swaddling clothes 
 and a Bethlehem bride, embroidered suits and veils, peasant dresses, 
 an Arab costume with the John the Baptist camel's-hair garment. 
 
 These have been very useful in illustrating Oriental life in 
 connection with the stereopticon record of the journey. 
 
 1898 
 THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH BIRTHDAY 
 
 RECEPTION TO DR. STODDARD 
 
 Last Tuesday evening a reception was tendered by the Church 
 people to Rev. Dr. and Mrs. E. W. Stoddard. It was intended as 
 a welcome back home after his trip to Palestine, also to commemo- 
 rate his seventy-eighth birthday and to signalize the completion 
 of his thirty-fourth year as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church. 
 The exercises were held in the Chapel and a large number of friends 
 were present. Rev. J. E. Hancock of the Methodist Church pre- 
 sided. Rev. Dr. David Spencer offered the opening prayer, followed 
 with a solo by Joseph Harris accompanied on the organ by Miss 
 Sue Coursen, in singing the following welcome-hymn, composed 
 for the occasion : 
 
 Tune "Even Me. 1 ' 
 
 Hear, our Father, our thanksgiving, 
 As our greetings we would bring, 
 To our well-beloved Pastor, 
 
 While with grateful hearts we sing, 
 Welcome home, welcome home, 
 Faithful Pastor, welcome home!
 
 THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH BIRTHDAY 75 
 
 O'er the trackless waste of ocean, 
 O'er the deep, blue, inland sea, 
 Over mountain, vale, and desert, 
 Jesus safe did pilot thee; 
 
 Welcome home, welcome home, 
 Faithful Pastor, welcome home! 
 
 Thou hast stood by Bethlehem's manger, 
 
 Walked in sad Gethsemane, 
 Traced the paths of love and blessing, 
 To the Cross of Calvary, 
 
 Welcome home, welcome home, 
 Faithful Pastor, welcome home! 
 
 Welcome home! enthused, enladen, 
 
 With the thirty years and four, 
 Wear the crown of sheaves you gathered 
 From the "foot-prints" of that shore; 
 Welcome home, welcome home, 
 Faithful Pastor, welcome home! 
 
 Seventy years and eight are numbered, 
 
 On the milestone of this day, 
 Gratefully are they remembered, 
 While for years to come we pray, 
 Welcome home, welcome home, 
 Faithful Pastor, welcome home ! 
 
 Tell again "the old, old story," 
 
 Learned anew at Calvary, 
 Till in realms of endless glory, 
 Gathered home beyond the sea; 
 Safely home, safely home, 
 Pastor flock, all welcomed home ! 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 76 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Rev. J. E. Hancock made some pleasant remarks. He was 
 followed by Dr. Spencer. Then came a musical trio consisting of 
 cornet, Joseph Harris; violin, Elmer Gardner; organ, Miss Sue 
 Coursen; which rendered very sweetly, "Home, Sweet Home." 
 Rev. W. H. Morgan, of the Central M. E. Church, Newark, 
 formerly of Port Morris, made an address full of interest and pa- 
 thos. Dr. Stoddard spoke with great fervor and appreciation of the 
 interest shown. "Blest be the tie that binds," was sung, when 
 all repaired to the basement and were served with ice cream and 
 cake. 
 
 1898 
 
 This year's record had another specially marked day. On 
 April 2Oth, in the Peddie Memorial Church of Newark, Dr. 
 Stoddard stood at the marble altar with the happy groom to wel- 
 come the incomparable bride, who from earliest childhood had been 
 so dear to the parsonage at Succasunna. 
 
 The beautiful scene and service was the theme in many homes 
 after the great congregation had been permitted to express their 
 congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Tonzo Sauvage in their own home, 
 where the most elaborate refreshments were in keeping with all the 
 appointments of the day. 
 
 The dedication of the Peddie Memorial Church had been an 
 event in the fifty years of this pastorate. Dr. Stoddard had been 
 honored with an invitation to the laying of the corner-stone, and at 
 its dedication, standing in the cathedral pulpit, the rich, deep 
 tones of the man of God seemed to bring a message from the Word 
 to every heart, and the wonderfully impressive prayer drew all very 
 near to the Father who is in Heaven because of the deepest sym- 
 pathy with the purpose of love and gratitude that had devised 
 and given this new Sabbath Home.
 
 MEMORIAL AND DEDICATIONAL HYMN 77 
 
 Between the cherubim to dwell, 
 O Lord, the God of Israel, 
 
 To this new Temple come ! 
 The Ark of Covenant divine, 
 The mercy seat, the holy shrine, 
 
 With Thy Shekinah crown ! 
 
 The men of God who fed the light, 
 And kept the altar fire so bright, 
 
 Within the sacred place, 
 Beyond the vail the incense bear, 
 In golden vials full of prayer, 
 
 Before the throne of grace. 
 
 And clouds of witnesses are given, 
 As we would dedicate to Heaven, 
 
 A gift of grateful love. 
 Rejoicing with the sainted one 
 That this, his cherished work, is done 
 
 They come from realms above. 
 
 The absent are, in spirit near, 
 Uniting in the service here, 
 
 In song almost divine; 
 Presenting this thank offering 
 For guidance in the journeying 
 
 Of all the years of time.
 
 7 8 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 A record of the coming age 
 Is graven on this stony page, 
 
 That earthly gifts abide, 
 If linked in holy word or thought, 
 And into loving service wrought, 
 
 Before the eventide. 
 
 The portals of thy house, O Lord, 
 We open, at thy spoken word, 
 
 Inviting all to come; 
 Give blessing to the stranger guest, 
 And to the faint and weary rest, 
 
 In this their Father's home. 
 
 And when we join the bright array 
 Who fill these arches here to-day, 
 
 The unseen angel band, 
 May thousands, from this Temple gate, 
 Be welcomed by the friends who wait 
 
 In yonder Heavenly land ! 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 MAY i, 1899 
 THIRTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 REV. DR. E. W. STODDARD PREACHES HIS THIRTY-FIFTH ANNIVER- 
 SARY SERMON 
 
 Rev. E. W. Stoddard, D.D., completed his thirty-fifth year as 
 Pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Succasunna on May 1st. 
 He preached the anniversary sermon of the event from the text, 
 Matthew xiii, 3, "A sower went forth to sow." 
 
 The sermon was a rich unfolding of the thought in the text and 
 of the scenes which suggested it. God was the first husbandman 
 and man was His gardener. God committed precious seed to-day 
 to His ministry, the seed for the nourishment of the soul. Very 
 touching tributes were paid to the Elders and to the members who 
 have been welcomed to the fellowship of the Church of the first 
 born. The work of the Church has been sowing, cultivating, and 
 harvesting. 
 
 During these thirty-five years, 375 members have been added 
 to the church, 227 have removed or died, and 148 are on the church 
 record to-day; fourteen of these are of the original members. All 
 the Elders and Trustees who signed the call have passed away except- 
 ing one Trustee. There remains still work in seed sowing and 
 harvesting and what the Church needs is renewed consecration in 
 the work of the Lord. During the period, 533 funerals have been 
 attended, indicating that death is harvesting faster than the Church. 
 The following lines closed the sermon for which they had been 
 prepared : 
 
 79
 
 8o ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Beside the Galilean sea, 
 Two thousand years ago, 
 
 A part of spring-time history, 
 "A sower went forth to sow." 
 
 And Jesus used the simile 
 
 To illustrate the word 
 Committed to His ministry, 
 
 "The seed, the word of God." 
 
 He sends them forth the fields to sow 
 As faithful hands prepare. 
 
 Thus thirty years and five ago 
 I came your work to share. 
 
 Around me gathered such a band 
 As makes the weakest strong, 
 
 And heart to heart and hand to hand, 
 As one we labored long. 
 
 But there are fields beyond the stream, 
 And some are wanted there, 
 
 This border land that lies between 
 The chosen ones must spare. 
 
 But while the fathers pass away 
 They leave the precious Word, 
 
 Their children sowing in their day 
 To meet a coming need. 
 
 Thus year by year the budding leaf, 
 
 Maturing into grain, 
 Will yield the full, the golden sheaf, 
 
 To plant and sow again.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S BIRTHDAY 81 
 
 Until the day of days shall come, 
 
 When all who toil or wait, 
 Shall help to bear the harvest home 
 
 Through yonder open gate. 
 
 APRIL 23, 1899 
 DR. STODDARD'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 AND A DAY TO BE REMEMBERED BY HIS CONGREGATION 
 
 The Presbyterian Church of Succasunna last Sunday recognized 
 the seventy-ninth birthday of the Pastor of thirty-five years by a 
 very full attendance and by many beautiful floral gifts. Behind 
 the pulpit, just above the Pastor's chair, was a large and beautiful 
 Christian flag the remembrance of Mr. and Mrs. Tonzo Sauvage, 
 of Newark. 
 
 The Pastor made some most touching remarks about the flowers, 
 the flag, and the years. He alluded to the near completion of 
 thirty-five years, saying the service had been very pleasant to him- 
 self; he had tried to do all that he could for his people. It had not 
 yielded all the fruitage desired but the promises were unfailing. He 
 remarked also that it was evident by these tokens all around him 
 that his people were not reserving "the alabaster box or vase." 
 He assured them of his appreciation of these expressions of remem- 
 brance and then he gave a most excellent sermon on, "Christ, the 
 Way, the Truth, the Life," John xiv, 6. 
 
 At the close of this service a new service began. In accordance 
 with a notice from the Session and Trustees the Pastor had re- 
 quested the congregation to tarry five minutes. He supplemented 
 this notice with remarks concerning the recent parish meeting, as he 
 evidently supposed the present call was in some way connected with 
 that meeting, and concluded with, "if we stay we shall know the
 
 82 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 reason of the call." He little realized that the people knew already. 
 Immediately after the benediction the Session and Trustees formed 
 a circle around the desk and Henry Meeker spoke as follows : 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard, on this, your seventy-ninth birthday, the official 
 members of the Church and congregation and all your friends wish 
 to extend to you the hand of Christian fellowship and congratula- 
 tion. Very soon, thirty-five years of faithful service will be com- 
 pleted. Yours, indeed, is a peculiar position. Since your coming 
 here a generation has grown up and another generation has passed 
 away. The generation that has passed away were comforted and 
 strengthened by your prayers, wise counsels, and kindly ministra- 
 tions. The present generation owe much to you for what you have 
 done for them in the Sunday-school, the pulpit, and by personal work, 
 and it is our prayer, Dr. Stoddard, that the Lord may grant you 
 many days and years of usefulness with us, and may the work you 
 have done be prospered and the seeds of truth you have sown in 
 the hearts of your people find root and bear rich fruitage, even a 
 hundred-fold." 
 
 After the reading the Session and Trustees shook hands with 
 their Pastor, who, coming to the front pew in the middle aisle, re- 
 ceived the congratulations of the entire congregation as they passed 
 in one unbroken stream around the aisles. It was to him a most 
 complete and touching surprise and it was most gratifying. Thirty- 
 five years implants and nurtures many ties between a Pastor and his 
 people and an opportunity for expression is a mutual benediction.
 
 JUNE 27, 1899 
 AN INTERESTING REUNION 
 
 DR. STODDARD ELECTED PRESIDENT OF HIS CLASS, AMHERST, '49 
 
 Among the interesting features of commencement week at 
 Amherst, Mass., was the jubilee reunion of the Class of '49. Eight 
 of the sixteen survivors of the fifty-one members of the original class 
 gathered on the porch of Professor Hitchcock's beautiful home, 
 when the Rev. Dr. E. W. Stoddard was elected president of the 
 Alumni Class of '49. Letters were read from absent members 
 one from China, one from San Francisco, one from Pennsylvania, 
 where a classmate has been in one parish forty-six years. The class 
 poem was read, a bountiful luncheon was served, and then the class 
 rode to call on an old lady of ninety-eight years, a Mrs. Emerson, 
 the mother of the class valedictorian. They also drove to the col- 
 lege buildings, where they were greeted and welcomed with much 
 enthusiasm and great honor by class after class. At the alumni 
 dinner on the following day they had central seats and received 
 marked attention, Dr. Stoddard being called upon to give thanks 
 for the engathered five hundred. Their class had included a 
 president of Amherst College, a professor of thirty-eight years 
 standing, Dr. Hitchcock, to whom was presented a loving cup, and 
 on whom was conferred the honorary degree of LL.D., which had 
 been conferred on Dr. Rolfe, of Cambridge, Mass. Missionaries 
 and judges and men in high esteem in business circles were also once 
 students in this class and their reminiscences and reunion was of 
 an unusually interesting character. 
 
 83
 
 84 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 " Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and return 
 Every one to his own, was the mandate Divine. 
 
 In our jubilee year, where the camp-fires still burn 
 We would gather once more as the class "Forty-nine." 
 
 There were fifty-one students in that olden time 
 
 Who thus honored the class by long hours and hard toil, 
 
 There were thirty-two names in the year forty-nine, 
 
 And their parchments gave witness to much midnight oil. 
 
 As the roll call is answered to-day by a few 
 
 They respond for the absent who still are our own, 
 
 For the friendships we formed are so loyal and true 
 That as one in all records of time we are known. 
 
 And perchance as we listen some message may come 
 In some sweet benediction to hallow the day, 
 
 That each memory fond, of this dear college home 
 May inspire and encourage for life's work and way. 
 
 And when folded the tent that has sheltered in time, 
 And the new life shall open, may welcomes be given 
 
 To a band reunited the class "Forty -nine" 
 
 In the friendships and service and glory of Heaven. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 Amherst, Mass.
 
 A RECEPTION FOR DR. CONRAD OTTO STUMPF, 
 AUGUST, 1899 
 
 The reception for Dr. and Mrs. C. Otto Stumpf on Tuesday 
 evening brought together more than a hundred of their friends and 
 a host of others sent regrets and best wishes. The room was taste- 
 fully decorated. The large silk Christian flag was draped over the 
 alcove so that the cross was just at the centre. The flag of China 
 was arranged with that of our own beloved land, which we esteem 
 as the more worthy of the title of the "Celestial." The Persian 
 flag was also placed by the Stars and Stripes, thus representing 
 the Son and the Daughter who represent the mother church on the 
 foreign field. 
 
 After the congratulations and pleasant exchanges, Joseph Harris 
 sang the hymn prepared for the occasion and the choir led the 
 friends in the chorus. Then Mrs. Marsh, escorted by two little 
 girls carrying a chain of ribbons, came up the aisle to Dr. and Mrs. 
 Stumpf and presented the hundred silken links, as an emblem of the 
 linking and interlinking of our work and of our sympathy. As 
 each ribbon contained the name of the donor (and some of them 
 were elaborately painted or embroidered), and as the arrangement 
 of colors was most tasteful, the chain was very ornamental as it 
 encircled Dr. and Mrs. Stumpf where Mrs. Marsh entwined it after 
 the touching and appropriate remarks, which had voiced her own 
 heart and the hearts of the friends thus represented. 
 
 After the singing of the hymn, "Moment by Moment," Dr. 
 Stoddard and Henry Meeker approached Dr. and Mrs. Stumpf, 
 Mr. Meeker holding the beautiful clock, which, as president of the 
 Christian Endeavor Society, he was to present on behalf of the 
 
 85
 
 86 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Society. Dr. Stoddard made some happy allusions to the striking 
 of this clock and the answer of OUT own. Each would number 
 twelve, but one would announce the midnight and one the noon 
 hour, yet we would both count twelve and remember one another 
 for we will still be one in heart, in purpose, in hope, and, by and by, 
 one where the hours are not measured or the joys numbered. 
 
 After the presentation, cake and cream were served, and at the 
 close of this social hour Dr. Potter was requested to lead us in 
 prayer for the safety and blessing of the friends going out from us 
 and bearing so much of our love and thought into their distant 
 home. At the close of this petition and benediction Dr. Stoddard 
 started, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," and the 
 company parted, saying in their hearts, "God be with you till we 
 meet again." 
 
 The following were printed on the souvenir programme : 
 
 "And sent them two and two before His face into every city and place whither He 
 Himself would come." 
 
 "Heal the sick that are therein and say unto them, 'The kingdom of God is come 
 nigh unto you.'" Luke x, i, 9. 
 
 Before His face to every place 
 
 Where He Himself would come 
 Our Lord is sending by His Grace 
 
 To every heart and home. 
 
 The messengers to every clime 
 
 Go forth at His command, 
 That earth redeemed by touch Divine 
 
 May be Immanuel's land. 
 
 He honors by a mission high 
 
 Another of our own, 
 And in the coming by and by, 
 
 When reaped the harvests sown,
 
 A RECEPTION FOR DR. CONRAD OTTO STUMPF 87 
 
 The Lord will give as has been given, 
 
 And at the Father's door 
 The welcomes of the home of Heaven 
 
 Unite forevermore. 
 
 CHORUS 
 
 With the cross, with the cross, 
 
 And its shadow of light, 
 That has healing and strength in each ray, 
 
 You go forth by faith, precious in His light. 
 Who will guide, who will guard all the way. 
 
 "The Lord bless thee and keep thee." "The Lord make His face 
 shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee." "The Lord lift up His 
 countenance upon thee and give thee peace." Numbers vi, 24-26.
 
 EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY 
 1900 
 
 The eightieth birthday engathered the invited guests of the 
 parish with kindred and friends from near and afar. 
 
 Addresses were made by ministers and laymen. They were 
 most beautiful tributes of the fellowship of neighboring churches. 
 Letters came from the absent. A mysterious box containing 
 eighty silver dollars was presented with appropriate remarks. A 
 line enclosed therein explained the addition of a few gold pieces 
 and some crisp bills as looking forward to years still to be numbered. 
 
 The response was worthy of the man they delighted to honor. 
 
 His appreciation was beyond expression but somehow he con- 
 trived to let the people understand that their message was under- 
 stood and called forth the deep love of a grateful heart. The social 
 hour with its refreshments gave opportunity for many exchanges 
 of friendship, and we are all thankful for the privilege of bringing 
 our flowers when they could be so thoroughly enjoyed. 
 
 1900 
 
 TO REVEREND DOCTOR ELIJAH W. STODDARD, ON HIS 
 EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY, APRIL THE TWENTY- 
 THIRD, NINETEEN HUNDRED 
 
 Serus in coelum redeas. Horace. 
 (May your return to Heaven be long hence). 
 
 Moses in his lofty psalm 
 In his philosophic calm, 
 Muses o'er life's little round 
 With sublimity profound, 
 88
 
 EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY 89 
 
 Thinking of the time of man 
 As a very narrow span, 
 Even in its fourscore years, 
 Seen awhile, then disappears, 
 And within the heavenly care, 
 Seeks for wisdom in his prayer. 
 
 Doubtless he was then as old 
 As those numbered days he told, 
 Feeling that his work was done, 
 And its honors had been won, 
 Seeming to forget his eye 
 Had its wonted brilliancy ; 
 Overlooking he was strong 
 As the youthful in the throng, 
 Learning that his country's story 
 Would illumine him with glory 
 Later in his victory, 
 That would set his people free. 
 
 Now, my friend, in youthful age, 
 
 With the wisdom of the sage, 
 
 In the midst of prayer and praise 
 
 Going up from many ways, 
 
 Do not think it is Good-bye 
 
 To thy further ministry. 
 
 Still with head, and heart, and hand, 
 
 Onward is a goodly land. 
 
 Thou wert favored in thy birth, 
 In a line of pious worth, 
 Running back with pride to meet 
 Those in memory ever sweet. 
 Edwards, great as he was good, 
 Had in common Stoddard blood,
 
 90 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 And if talents we inherit 
 From our mothers, rare in merit, 
 Then that thinker has his fame 
 From the worthy Stoddard name. 
 
 Happy childhood comes again, 
 When we see the future men 
 And the women who will be 
 Loved, or in unloved degree, 
 And thou art in childhood's ways, 
 Romping in its rounds of plays. 
 Youth has morning's rising glow, 
 Hopes of manhood soon to know, 
 Full of duties, joys, and cares, 
 Rich with father's, mother's prayers. 
 
 Tasks upon the homestead farm, 
 Without love, may have a charm, 
 And the teacher, rule in hand, 
 Learns obedience to command, 
 With the college on before 
 With its depths of classic lore, 
 With divinity in view, 
 To be faithful there and true. 
 Honored Doctor, they who win 
 Many from the wiles of sin 
 To the righteous, stars shall be! 
 Such reward shall come to thee ! 
 Then thy Saviour shall thee crown 
 With His wreathings of renown. 
 
 Heaven and earth will witness now 
 All that kindles up thy brow. 
 God may have in goodness yet 
 E'en some brighter coronet
 
 EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY 91 
 
 To adorn thee further here. 
 
 Be thy going far or near, 
 
 When it comes, 'twill glorious be, 
 
 Like Elijah's, heaven to see ! 
 
 Music, song, and speech have blest ! 
 
 Blessings on thee ever rest ! 
 
 J. HERVEY COOK. 
 Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. 
 
 TO THE HONORED PATRIARCH, REV. ELIJAH WOODWARD 
 STODDARD, D.D., ON THE EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY 
 
 We bid thee hail on this memorial day, 
 
 And thank kind heaven that bids thee longer stay 
 
 To shed the blessing of serene old age 
 
 Upon a host of friends who throng life's stage. 
 
 Friendship and love unite in sweet accord, 
 
 To honor thee, dear servant of the Lord, 
 
 Now eighty years have crowned thy blameless life, 
 
 Enshrined its virtues, smoothed all toil and strife. 
 
 Long may 'st thou live, in piety and peace ; 
 
 Until the Master gives benign release, 
 
 And bids thee enter into endless joy, 
 
 Where praise and love shall be thy blest employ. 
 
 April 23, 1900. 
 
 CHARLES AUGUSTUS STODDARD.
 
 MAY 19, 1901 
 THE FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHAPEL 
 
 Miss Fanny Parsons, of Joppa, Syria, spoke in the morning 
 of the features of the work in Palestine and the race prejudice to 
 be met; in the afternoon she illustrated domestic life and customs 
 by a rare selection of Oriental articles, among them a fishnet such 
 as was used in the time of Christ, and dresses of natives together 
 with specimens of their work. 
 
 The Mission Band, the Boys' Brigade, and their guests wore 
 little sickles made of stout card-board, with the word "Reapers" 
 on the crescent of the sickle and on the reverse the text: "The 
 harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few." "Will you be 
 one?" All joined in singing the hymn written for that' question: 
 
 To fields already white, 
 And for the sickle ripe, 
 
 The Reapers come. 
 With sheaves of golden grain 
 Engathered from the plain, 
 They join the homeward train, 
 
 Will you be one? 
 
 The harvests rich have grown 
 Where our beloved have strewn, 
 
 Their work goes on 
 As Reapers join the Band 
 To glean their Master's land, 
 For those across the strand 
 
 Will you be one? 
 92
 
 THE FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHAPEL 93 
 
 Then as the Lord receives 
 The last of gathered sheaves, 
 
 You may be one 
 With those whose harvests sown 
 You reap to carry home 
 Where Christ Himself shall crown 
 
 With His "Well Done." 
 
 The assemblage listened to Miss Parsons with the closest atten- 
 tion. "You need Christ and Christ needs you, " was sung, and then 
 all went out to the music of a processional to lay flowers on Linnet's 
 resting-place. 
 
 In the evening Miss Parsons gave her personal experience in 
 mission work in Jerusalem and Joppa, with many interesting inci- 
 dents of school life, one of which should be repeated: Her little 
 girls had heard some one speak of the great wretchedness and 
 wickedness existing in Jerusalem, and going alone to pray they 
 earnestly asked God to help and bless these people. Then they 
 sang a very joyful hymn, and when asked about it said: "We 
 prayed; God will hear because He has promised, and we thought 
 we would thank Him by our hymn of praise." As Miss Parsons 
 said, Jesus loves the land of his earthly home, and He will in his 
 own time redeem it unto himself.
 
 APRIL 236, 1902 
 
 A RECEPTION AT THE PARSONAGE WITH FAVORS RECOGNIZED 
 THE EIGHTY-FIRST BIRTHDAY. 
 
 Selections from a letter of John L. Kanouse. 
 
 Owing to my advanced age it will be quite impossible for me 
 to be present, but I wish to extend to you my congratulations, both 
 on the years you have lived, and your long connection with the 
 church at Succasunna. 
 
 I am now walking in my ninety-second year, and if I could be 
 present, I would probably be the only one whose memory dates 
 back to the days of the first church building erected in Succasunna 
 which we find stated in the history of Morris County, was in 1760. 
 
 During the pastorate of my uncle, Rev. Peter Kanouse, which 
 commenced in 1823, I was for a time a member of his family. I 
 was a student at the Academy which Ezra Fairchild had established 
 and conducted successfully for the education of pupils, both in 
 the primary and more advanced branches of study, including Latin 
 and Greek and Mathematics, intending to fit young men for entering 
 college. 
 
 The Academy occupied a two-story building with a cupola and 
 a bell, and at that time stood on the side of the Main street near 
 where now stands the hotel building. 
 
 I well remember the old church as it was in my school days; 
 it was a building whose main characteristic was its strength, for 
 the timbers used in its frame were massive; the corner posts evi- 
 dently were hewn out of large oak trees; there was no steeple and 
 no bell; there were rudely formed seats, very unlike the cushioned 
 
 94
 
 A RECEPTION AT THE PARSONAGE 95 
 
 and upholstered seats of the present day. The pulpit was quite 
 elevated from the floor and plainly furnished. But we can imagine 
 that those bare and homely seats were occupied by a sturdy people, 
 many coming a long distance, and all eager and attentive listeners 
 to the words of the Pastor, words of truth, holiness, and power. 
 
 We cannot but feel the strength of the church was not confined 
 alone to the building. There were godly men and women in those 
 early days, who were willing to make sacrifices that the church 
 might be maintained. 
 
 In reverting again to my school days in this place I would like 
 to speak of the main industry of that time. Iron-ore mining opera- 
 tions were carried on extensively, and daily could be seen wagons 
 laden with ore, passing through the place, conveying it to the 
 different forges in this region. The Governor Dickerson Mine was 
 the most noted at that time in Morris County. Governor Dicker- 
 son was a regular attendant upon the services of the church; every 
 Sabbath saw him in his pew. 
 
 In the time I spent in Succasunna communication with the 
 outside world was of a limited nature; no railway trains, electric 
 cars, or automobiles; the slow but steady-going stage-coach carried 
 the mails and passengers, through storm or sunshine, wind or rain 
 or snow, through mud or dust, daylight or darkness. The present 
 generation can hardly realize the discomforts of such a mode of 
 traveling. 
 
 During the visit of General Lafayette in 1825, we school boys 
 had heard he would be in Morristown on a certain day ; our patriot- 
 ism was kindled and we felt we must see him; it would be an event 
 never to be forgotten by us. Our teachers shared our spirit, and 
 together we rode in large open wagons the ten long miles. But 
 our weariness counted for nothing, for we saw General Lafayette 
 as he walked in a procession down what is now South Street, 
 Morristown. 
 
 I can after the lapse of so many years recall to mind his looks
 
 96 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 and general appearance. He was a tall, spare, elderly man, with 
 a slight limp in his walk. 
 
 And now I must close, again extending my congratulations. 
 Please accept them, 
 
 From your friend, 
 
 JOHN L. KANOUSE. 
 Boonton, June 2, 1902. 
 
 Written in his own hand.
 
 JUNE 3, 1902 
 ANNIVERSARY YEAR MARKING THESE DATES 
 
 April 23. Dr. Stoddard's eighty-second Birthday. 
 
 May i . Completing thirty-eight years of pastorate in Succasunna. 
 
 June 7. The fiftieth anniversary of graduation from Union 
 
 Theological Seminary, N. Y. 
 June 14. The fiftieth anniversary of ordination to the ministry 
 
 by the Third Presbytery of New York City. 
 
 Also the one hundred and forty-third anniversary of the organiza- 
 tion of the church at Succasunna, N. J. 
 
 ANNIVERSARY HYMN 
 
 Over the Bridge of Memory 
 
 The laurels we entwine 
 To crown a half a Century 
 
 Of consecrated time. 
 
 Over the Bridge of Memory 
 
 We number, one by one, 
 The Thirty-Eight of ministry 
 
 In this, our Sabbath Home. 
 
 Over the Bridge of Memory 
 
 The "Eighty Years and two 1 ' 
 Are chiming their own melody, 
 
 While passing in review. 
 97
 
 98 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 And in the dear Church History, 
 
 That we to-day unfold, 
 The years one hundred forty-three 
 
 Pour out their wealth untold. 
 
 Over the Bridge of Memory 
 
 With golden sheaves we come 
 The harvests that so cheerfully 
 
 We reap for those at home. 
 
 Over the Bridge of Hope we come 
 
 Along the pathways trod 
 By those who wrought, by those who won 
 
 As they have walked with God. 
 
 Over the Bridge of Hope whose arch 
 
 Has borne the Centuries 
 We follow in triumphal march 
 
 For future ministries. 
 
 Until the meeting on the strand 
 
 Where Hope and Memory 
 Entwine their blossoms in the land 
 Of Immortality. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 TRIBUTES OF GUESTS 
 
 Selections from a sermon by Rev. Dr. T. F. White, representing 
 the Presbytery of Morris and Orange, who was commissioned to 
 present their thanks for the past, their congratulations for the 
 present, and their best wishes for the future. 
 
 What does a Pastorate in a church for thirty-eight years mean? 
 Though he has preached to the same intelligent congregation until 
 they have come to know every habit of his speech, every inflection
 
 ANNIVERSARY YEAR 99 
 
 of his voice, and every feature of his manner, and his way of putting 
 things, yet he is not preached out because he has been drawing the 
 water of life from the wells of salvation in the word of God. 
 
 It is said that there is hardly a man of whose methods and 
 peculiarities men will not tire in half a score of years, and yet here 
 is one Brother, for more than a third of a century in one parish, 
 holding a firmer grip on their hearts and a deeper place in their 
 confidence than ever before. 
 
 What emergencies he has had to meet, what problems to solve, 
 what need of almost superhuman wisdom, we only who are pastors 
 know, what prudence, what tact, what skill, what tender sym- 
 pathy in affliction, what gladness in prosperity, what shepherding 
 in the bright and dark days, what development of love to meet all 
 the ordinary duties and the emergencies of the years, always inspir- 
 ing toward the better things beyond. 
 
 Dr. Halloway spoke for the Ministerial Association, alluding 
 to the fact that not only because Dr. Stoddard had lived so long, but 
 also because he had lived so well, so many to-day rise up and call 
 him blessed. 
 
 Professor Sauvage, of Newark, sang, "Saved by Grace." 
 
 Charles A. Stoddard of the New York Observer, a kinsman of the 
 Doctor's, was then introduced. He said that a good name was to 
 be chosen rather than great riches and that their name was un- 
 tarnished. He spoke of the staying quality of the family, saying 
 that Solomon Stoddard had preached to one congregation sixty 
 years. 
 
 Rev. J. B. Beaumont, who graduated from the same college 
 with Dr. Stoddard, gave many reminiscences in the Doctor's life, 
 and mentioned the fact that he was always among the children 
 and youth of his congregation. 
 
 Rev. D. M. Ryder made a few pleasant remarks, after which 
 Mr. Theodore F. King, on behalf of the church, presented the Doctor 
 with a fine gold ring, which so completely surprised him that for a
 
 ioo ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 time he was speechless. He soon recovered, however, and made a 
 few remarks in his usual happy style. 
 
 Rev. T. F. Chambers then read the letters from clergymen ex- 
 pressing regrets at not being able to attend, and extending good 
 wishes. 
 
 The choir then sang two verses of a hymn, when the audience 
 arose and all joined in singing, "Blest be the tie that binds"; then 
 the audience was dismissed with the benediction after an invitation 
 to lunch in the chapel. 
 
 After a fine luncheon, a reception was held in the church and 
 many affectionate words were spoken to the well-beloved Dr. 
 Stoddard by the loving friends who pressed about him and received 
 his blessing. 
 
 The birthday cake was decorated with eighty-two beautiful 
 pink roses, each representing a milestone on the journey of eighty- 
 two years. One not quite so large represented his fifty years in 
 the ministry by fifty yellow roses. The third was beautified with 
 thirty-eight white roses, one for each year of his pastorate at Succa- 
 sunna. Another was ornamented with a list of the pastors and 
 supplies of the church during its 143 years of existence since 1739.
 
 EIGHTY-THIRD BIRTHDAY 
 1903 
 
 The eighty-third birthday reception was at the parsonage. It 
 brought a postal and a letter shower. From several hundred 
 messages we can give only a few. All were appreciated and cher- 
 ished. We are so glad he read them and enjoyed their individual 
 messages. 
 
 The Honorable Darwin R. James of Brooklyn voiced the grati- 
 tude of many of the boys in Dr. Stoddard's classes when he prepared 
 for his own work by teaching. 
 
 Dr. Isaiah Hopwood of Newark delighted to call Dr. Stoddard 
 one of his Theological Boys because Dr. Hopwood was pastor of 
 the home church during Dr. Stoddard's young manhood. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. J. M. Buckley, editor of the Christian Advocate 
 said, "On such occasions it is customary to offer original good wishes, 
 but, in this case, invention is taken beyond its limit to respond." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. W. W. Boyd, of St. Louis, alluded most touch- 
 ingly to the fellowship of seven years shared in the Newark pas- 
 torate, where Dr. Stoddard was always a welcome visitor. 
 
 Dr. Boyd writes: "We join with your many friends in heartiest 
 congratulations on the anniversary of your birth, which gave to 
 humanity a noble soul in a noble body ; a Christian gentleman, a 
 loyal friend, a devoted pastor, a model husband; the friend and lover 
 of all that is good and true and beautiful." 
 
 A selection from a letter of Dr. Epher Whittaker of Southold, 
 Long Island : 
 
 "I have vivid and grateful recollections of our intimate friend- 
 
 101
 
 102 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 ship and associations when we were fellow students for the ministry 
 in the Union Theological Seminary, New York, more than fifty 
 years ago." 
 
 A word from Dr. Robert E. Speer: 
 
 "I received an invitation to the most interesting anniversary 
 service. I am very sorry that it was not possible to have the 
 pleasure of being present with others, to rejoice in the completion 
 of so many years of useful life and fruitful service. I trust that 
 many more years may be added before your work is done." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. James Carter of Lincoln University, Pa., alluded to 
 his grateful remembrance as a young pastor in a neighboring parish. 
 
 Dr. T. H. Landon, of Bordentown Military Institute, repro- 
 duced some of the scenes of thirty years ago, when in temperance 
 and neighborhood work they labored as one heart and hand. 
 
 Dr. A. C. Dixon now of Spurgeon's Tabernacle, London, sent 
 congratulations and remembrances of his Brooklyn pastorate, 
 where Dr. Stoddard was frequently called to the pulpit. 
 
 From Dr. John Willis Baer comes this message: "We have 
 learned that you will celebrate to-morrow your eighty-third birth- 
 day. Permit me to send you greetings from the Board of Home 
 Missions and personal greetings, and to wish you many happy 
 returns of the day." 
 
 A cheery word from Dr. Eldridge Mix: "Eighty-three! Still 
 hale and hearty; step light and free; face illumined with the light 
 beyond ; happier than ever in your work ; fireside not overshadowed 
 by sorrow; loyal and loving people about you; youthful in spirit, 
 though aged by the count of years; held in honor by all your brethren 
 in the ministry; a tower of strength in the Presbytery; the dear 
 good man whom everyone that knows you loves, this is the way 
 I think of you. 
 
 "Congratulate you! Why a thousand congratulations well up 
 from my heart and seek for expression in this note of remembrance. 
 So many of the good men of other days, have gone on before, that
 
 ANNIVERSARY YEAR 103 
 
 you while still tarrying with us must consent to be the recipient of 
 all the more affection from your brethren. My heartiest Easter 
 greetings to you and Mrs. Stoddard." 
 
 The humor of this selection from the old-time friend, Dr. J. B. 
 Beaumont, was heartily enjoyed: . 
 
 "If memory serves me correctly, you are likely to have an 
 eighty- third birthday on or about the 23rd inst. Comparatively 
 few good men are so favored. How would it do for you on that 
 memorable day to write out a new series of resolutions, entitled, 
 'What I ought and mean to be,' and 'What I ought and mean to 
 do,' followed by the ten commandments of Scripture and the 
 Constitution of the United States. 
 
 " You have always been good to me, and a model of patience, 
 endurance, perseverance, and faithfulness to brethren in the 
 ministry." 
 
 The Rev. James M. Thomas writes: "One of the hardest com- 
 mands of Scripture is, 'Be not weary in well-doing.' So many 
 start well, but soon get tired. All honor to the grit and courage 
 that keeps steadily at the hard day's work and is not weary even at 
 eighty-three ! 
 
 "As one of the younger members of Presbytery, let me thank you 
 for the example of faithfulness, enthusiasm, and energy you have 
 given us." 
 From Chas. Rolfe: 
 
 "I am writing from Plymouth, the home of our religious freedom, 
 to you who have done so much in living Christianity, loving Chris- 
 tianity, and in teaching and living and loving Christ. May every 
 blessing be yours to-day and always." 
 
 To our dear friend, Dr. Stoddard, on his birthday. 
 
 friend, whose sheaf is swelling 
 With fourscore years and three,
 
 104 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 How shall thy friends be telling 
 The joy they share with thee? 
 
 Across the mountain ridges 
 
 On this thy festal day 
 The thought of friendship bridges 
 
 To greet thee on thy way. 
 
 May Heaven's light fall o'er thee, 
 
 As in the long ago, 
 And may the years before thee 
 
 With blessings overflow. 
 
 EMMA SMULLER CARTER. 
 
 From Rev. T. F. Chambers: 
 
 "Allow me to send to you my warmest congratulations upon your 
 vigorous health, and unimpaired usefulness at the ripe old age of 
 fourscore and three. 
 
 " Like Tennyson's brook, you seem bound to go on forever. And 
 like a brook, the longer you run, and the farther you flow, the 
 more freshness and life you seem to have in yourself, and be able to 
 give to others." 
 
 From Rev. J. L. Watson: 
 
 "The records say it is eighty- three ; but I think you are en- 
 titled to much more than the usual clerical discount. Clear-eyed; 
 a voice like Boanerges; a ruddy countenance; erect carriage; and a 
 vigorous intellect, surely this is not the description of an octogena- 
 rian. I fraternally congratulate you therefore, not according 
 to the dictum of the birth register, but as to the above stated youth- 
 ful facts." 
 
 From Rev. Charles B. Bullard: 
 
 "Accept hearty congratulations on your eighty- third birthday 
 from one whom you helped to ordain to the ministry more than 
 twenty years ago. May it always be springtime with the Sun of 
 righteousness shining upon you!"
 
 ANNIVERSARY YEAR 105 
 
 From Rev. Robt. G. McGregor: 
 
 11 Eighty- three years! No, I don't congratulate you on this 
 fact. I do congratulate you on your deeds. Emerson says that a 
 man counts his years when he has nothing else to do; you are not 
 there yet, and God grant you never will be. 
 
 "Instead of congratulating you, dear Doctor Stoddard, I con- 
 gratulate the people with whom you have spent your years." 
 
 From Rev. David O. Irving: 
 
 "It gives me great pleasure as a young man, to express my con- 
 gratulations to you, an old man, so well preserved, so happy and 
 so healthy, on your eighty-third birthday. You are certainly a 
 wonderful example to the rising generation. I can only hope that 
 if I am privileged to live to the allotted time for man, that I may 
 bear my honors as gracefully as you do yours. 
 
 " May God bless you and keep you and make you a still greater 
 blessing to His church." 
 
 From Rev. Dr. Halloway: 
 
 "With all my heart I congratulate you on your eighty-third 
 birthday. ...r< 
 
 "With all my heart I pray that your long life of eminent useful- 
 ness in the Lord's work my be prolonged yet a long while. 
 
 "With all my heart I join with your host of friends in the en- 
 deavor to make this day in your life's journey one of sweetness and 
 light." 
 
 From W. E. Honeynian: 
 
 " Such a young, active, and vigorous man as you are, it seems is 
 determined to be eighty-three years old on the morrow. I can 
 hardly believe it and had to read the announcement over three 
 times before I gave it credit. 
 
 "Well, since it must be so, I want most heartily to congratulate 
 you, or rather I should congratulate your wife and your congrega- 
 tion that you have been spared so long to cheer and comfort them, 
 and brighten their lives, and bring untold blessings to them.
 
 io6 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "May you be spared for many more years of usefulness." 
 
 From Rev. Dr. J. A. Ferguson: 
 
 "In addition to the fraternal association of thirty- three years, 
 I recall some facts which drew me towards you at the beginning of 
 this period. I was a seminary mate of your brother Samuel. It 
 was at Succasunna that I became a fellow Presbyter with you. 
 Your home was the first one in the Presbytery in which I was enter- 
 tained. At my examination for ordination you questioned me in 
 church government. Your hands were placed upon my head at 
 my ordination. At my installation as pastor at Hanover you 
 delivered the charge to me. 
 
 "May you have more years of happy ministry, and, at the end 
 receive the crown of life, the crown of righteousness, and the crown 
 of glory." 
 
 "Dear Uncle Stoddard, 
 
 We venerate thy golden years ; 
 We honor thy noble character; 
 
 We admire thy sweet life ; 
 And love thee for what thou art." 
 
 Our Pastor dear, to-day we come 
 
 With a message of love to thee ; 
 Rejoiced to know that one by one 
 
 You number the years of eighty-three. 
 
 Congratulations we send to you, 
 
 On this fair day in the early spring, 
 Among them all, there can be but few, 
 
 More sincere than this, from E. L. King. 
 
 From Rev. Edward P. Gardner. 
 
 I am glad that, though some snow has fallen on the roof of your 
 cottage, the fire still burns bright on the hearth-stone inside. May it 
 be so for years to come.
 
 ANNIVERSARY YEAR 107 
 
 1903 
 
 The Crystal Anniversary of the Christian Endeavor Society 
 was celebrated in the chapel with representatives of the County 
 Societies. The favors were glass tumblers, chased with C. E. and 
 the dates. Dr. Stoddard was very happy in their presentation 
 after refreshments. 
 
 ANNIVERSARY HYMN, JULY 17, 1903 
 
 A crystal anniversary 
 
 We celebrate to-day ; 
 Its fifteen years of ministry 
 
 Have cheered the pilgrim way. 
 
 As pure as flows the crystal stream, 
 
 Fed by the crystal spring, 
 As bright as is the crystal gleam 
 
 Of dewdrops blossoming. 
 
 As beautiful as crystal snow, 
 
 With all its crystal stars, 
 And as the many tinted bow 
 
 Of summer's crystal showers. 
 
 And richer than the crystal gem 
 
 The Crystal years that bring 
 Their choicest, for His diadem, 
 
 Love's tribute to her King. 
 
 And if the Silver and the Gold 
 
 The coming years record, 
 Christian Endeavor will unfold 
 
 Her treasures for her Lord. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 A CLIPPING FROM A MORRISTOWN PAPER OF JUNE 14, 
 
 1903 
 
 The First Presbyterian Church held its services at 3 30 and the 
 children and their friends attended in large numbers, but if they 
 had known what was in store for them they would have been pre- 
 sent in larger numbers. The Rev. E. W. Stoddard, D.D., of 
 Succasunna, delivered the address to the children, and at the close 
 he gave a description of his late visit to Palestine, which he had 
 longed to take for over eighty years. He presented each member 
 of the Sunday school with a flower from the Holy Land. The 
 flowers were attached to cards, and he expressed the hope that those 
 that received the flowers would always keep them in remembrance 
 of the land where Christ lived and died. The music was furnished 
 by the Sunday-school orchestra. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard preached in the South Street Presbyterian Church 
 the same Sabbath evening. 
 
 CHILDREN'S DAY SERMON 
 
 Taking as his text John x, 1 6, Dr. Stoddard preached the follow- 
 ing sermon, Children's Day: The fable of the Persian tent has a 
 new meaning as we think of all the children of the world as gathered 
 under one loving care. You remember the tent originally covered 
 only the King and his Court, but it could expand to house the army 
 and the nation. 
 
 God's love shown in Christian homes and in Christian schools 
 
 1 08
 
 CHILDREN'S DAY SERMON 109 
 
 and in Christian nations is large enough to cover the whole world 
 and while we guard most tenderly the lambs of the flock let us 
 remember there are those "on the mountains cold and bare, 
 away from the tender Shepherd's care," and we must join in His 
 loving quest if we would "rejoice when the Lord brings back His 
 own." Our children are God's children, His gifts to the home. 
 The poet expresses it thus, "The soul that rises with us, our life's 
 star has had elsewhere a setting and cometh from afar." 
 
 In trailing clouds of glory do we come, from God, who is our 
 Home." 
 
 Since God has said to every parent, "Take this child and train 
 it for me," how important it is that we gather them around the 
 family altar and teach them out of the Word of God. It is an easy 
 step from the family altar to the home of God, where we can say, 
 "Here am I and the children Thou hast given me." Many of us 
 remember when we came as children to the house of God with our 
 fathers and mothers who taught us by example as well as by pre- 
 cept, the true value and use of life. 
 
 President Schurman of Cornell University said in substance in a 
 recent address before the students, "A man who knows his Bible 
 cannot be an ignorant man. His mind is trained and expanded 
 to use knowledge in any form, and his soul is guided in right choices. 
 He who knows his Bible well is, in a very important sense, educated, 
 and the man ignorant of the Bible, whatever his attainments in 
 other studies, is in a measure uneducated." 
 
 "The word of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Fellowship 
 with high themes, the entertainment of lofty thoughts will exalt 
 and develop. 
 
 Let us take hints from our educators. During the Revolutionary 
 War, Benjamin Franklin was our representative at the court of 
 France. Himself a self-made man a man of the people a man 
 educated in a God-honoring Bible-loving home. He had the 
 sterling qualities that command respect in the most educated circles.
 
 I io ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The diplomats at Paris were accustomed to meet for mental enter- 
 tainment and culture, each bringing some gem of literature gathered 
 in reading or study. 
 
 At one time during a quiet moment, Dr. Franklin commenced 
 to read from an old book. 
 
 The circle listened with increasing attention, and at its close 
 demanded the author. "This is from the Bible," said Franklin 
 "the discarded book, and it is full of such beautiful lessons, such 
 literary gems, such majestic utterances." 
 
 We teach our children by object-lessons of nature of science 
 of history some of the laws of God and how to think God's 
 thoughts after Him, but the Word is to make them wise unto salva- 
 tion. A knowledge of the Bible interprets and explains and applies 
 and makes useful the knowledge we gain from all other books. "The 
 fear of the Son is the beginning of wisdom." This wisdom is for 
 the every-day need. It is profitable for the word that now is and 
 for that which is to come. 
 
 It teaches us, just to be tender, just to be true, 
 
 Just to be glad the whole day through, 
 Just to be trustful as a child, 
 
 Just to be gentle and kind and sweet, 
 Just to be cheery when things go wrong, 
 
 Just to drive sadness away with song, 
 Whether the hour is dark or bright, 
 
 Just to be loyal to God and right, 
 Just to believe that God knows best, 
 
 Just in His promises ever to rest, 
 Just to let love be our daily key, 
 
 That is God's will for you, and for me. 
 
 Thus living we will help others to live. Professor Drummond 
 says, "No man can meet another on the street without making 
 some mark upon him; we say we exchange words when we meet;
 
 CHILDREN'S DAY SERMON in 
 
 what we exchange is souls." That is another way of saying we 
 lead others unconsciously into the paths we choose. 
 
 You all know how easily the flock follows the lead of one sheep. 
 How important that the leader is directed by the Shepherd. 
 
 Christ desires one fold for all the scattered flocks. The world 
 is becoming one in interests. Communication is so close that 
 sympathy is binding together with new links year by year. This 
 world is to be one under the rule of Him whose right it is to reign. 
 What are we doing to help forward that day when the knowledge 
 of the Lord shall cover the world as the waters cover the sea, when 
 there shall be indeed "One fold and one Shepherd," as the prayer 
 shall be answered, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on 
 earth as it is done in Heaven. "
 
 1904 
 
 On September fifth, Dr. Stoddard was accorded the honor of 
 laying the corner-stone of the Roxbury High School. The silver 
 trowel used on the occasion was an heirloom in Mrs. Stoddard's 
 family, and is preserved in the High School building with the 
 photograph of the event. 
 
 DEDICATION OF THE ROXBURY HIGH SCHOOL, 
 SEPTEMBER 5, 1904 
 
 The story of the past inspires, 
 
 As from the schoolhouse of our sires, 
 The embers of the long ago, 
 
 Upon the silent hearthstone glow, 
 Enkindling ours as we receive 
 All that a hundred years bequeathe. 
 
 From Academic halls we trace, 
 
 In useful lives, in honored place, 
 The sons and daughters who were taught 
 
 The principles, that well enwrought 
 Make noble men and women, too, 
 And keep the generations true. 
 
 The School House built upon the hill 
 
 Had its great mission to fulfil, 
 While those upon the Plains, unite 
 
 In sending forth a Beacon Light, 
 And this reflected, prints the name 
 Of many on the scroll of fame. 
 
 112
 
 (fi LJ
 
 DEDICATION OF THE ROXBURY HIGH SCHOOL 113 
 
 The High School that we dedicate, 
 
 More perfectly would educate 
 In all that stands for right, and truth, 
 
 That Wisdom, treasured by our Youth, 
 May give a blessed ministry 
 To every coming century. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 1904 
 
 An interesting event of 1904 was the Centennial of the Church 
 in Dr. Stoddard's native town of Coventryville, New York, where 
 his welcome was as enthusiastic as it was sincere. Every service 
 gathered the people from far and near. On the Sabbath he attended 
 four meetings, preaching morning and evening. His voice was 
 clear and strong and impressive as he urged them to, 
 
 "Make each year more useful than the last, 
 Upholding ever by a worthy past." 
 
 concluding with, 
 
 "The sowers and the reapers are as one, 
 Those meeting here and those engathered home. 
 The sons and daughters of the other shore 
 Are watching from the Father's open door, 
 As we bind sheaves that ripened in the plain 
 Because they scattered wide the golden grain 
 Inspiring us to leave a legacy 
 For all the years of the next century."
 
 1904 
 THE EIGHTY-FOURTH BIRTHDAY 
 
 On April 23, the sun-parlor of the parsonage took on a very 
 festive appearance. A card attached to a large basket of flowers 
 explained the many floral surprises of the day. It read, "A loving 
 remembrance from his people to Dr. Stoddard, on his eighty-fourth 
 birthday." 
 
 On the Sabbath, April 24, Dr. Stoddard completed his forty 
 years of ministry to this parish. The ladies had trimmed the 
 church very elaborately. Under the Gospel flag in the pulpit 
 recess, framed in green and lettered in gold, were these words, 
 "Forty Years of Faithful Service," 1864-1904, being lettered in 
 green on either side, while the entire recess was banked with flowers. 
 On the table in front were eighty-four birthday pinks. 
 
 The senior elder, Mr. T. F. King, brought the pastor into his 
 pulpit from which he had been absent nearly two months. Dr. 
 Gessler, of Hopatcong, and Dr. Warden, of Ledgewood, assisted 
 in the service. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard made the announcements, and in a few happy 
 words alluded to the delicate and touching evidences of his people's 
 care during his illness and at his home-gathering after the long 
 separation. He said that what he saw about him was very impres- 
 sive to him and very expressive of the labor of many hands and 
 hearts. Alluding to the joy of his return, he said at no moment 
 had he been absent in spirit and in interest. 
 
 Dr. Gessler, who had so faithfully filled his pulpit in his absence, 
 was asked to give a ten-minute talk on "A Forty- Year Pastorate." 
 The Doctor was most happy in his introduction, and in his entire 
 
 114
 
 THE EIGHTY-FOURTH BIRTHDAY 115 
 
 address, giving a brief but graphic outline of what forty years had 
 wrought in the history of the world. 
 
 He said among other things that those forty years almost com- 
 passed the reign of steam. It was coming in. It is going out, as 
 a ruling agency, electricity taking its place. 
 
 Forty years ago, if one had spoken of communicating with a 
 friend in New York or Chicago, in his own tone of voice, it would 
 have seemed incredulous. 
 
 Turning to Dr. Stoddard, Dr. Gessler said, "When we were boys 
 we studied about the great American Desert. Now you search 
 in vain for this Desert on the map. Modern students know nothing 
 about it." Then in an aside to Dr. Stoddard, "We knew many 
 things that they do not know." 
 
 Dr. Gessler alluded in a felicitous manner to his own pastorate 
 in Elizabeth. 
 
 Dr. Warden followed in brief but most appropriate remarks. 
 He said among other good things, that forty had as many letters 
 as Jesus; that it was forty years of service for Jesus. He alluded 
 most touchingly to Linnet's Memorial which he had found on a 
 table in Ledgewood. 
 
 At the close, Dr. Stoddard introduced the hand-to-hand greeting. 
 Then those whose acquaintance dated back to forty years, came 
 away with one of the forty pinks, and the forty-four pinks were 
 given as mementoes of a very interesting and remarkable gathering.
 
 1905 
 
 NEWSPAPER NOTICE OF THE EIGHTY-FIFTH BIRTH- 
 DAY. SABBATH, APRIL 23 
 
 At the last Easter service the pastor celebrated his eighty-fifth 
 birthday by preaching at both services upon the Resurrection 
 of Christ. The venerable man is like Moses tall and straight 
 as a pine tree, with eye undimmed and no use for glasses; a strong 
 and resonant voice, and a bright and vigorous mind. He has been 
 in the ministry for fifty-three years, and has completed forty-one 
 years of fruitful labor at Succasunna. At the birthday service 
 the church was one mass of flowers, and on a table in vases were 
 eighty-five daffodils, to represent the age of the pastor. After the 
 morning sermon a member of the church read the following touching 
 lines, written for the occasion. 
 
 The melodies of Easter time 
 Ring out the sweet, the joyous chime, 
 "The Lord is risen, " "the Lord is risen, " 
 "He lives," He lives enthroned in Heaven, 
 And Angels wave triumphant palms 
 As we are chanting grateful Psalms. 
 
 Amid the music of the spheres 
 A Birthday note this date endears 
 A life, that to the world has given 
 So much that it received from Heaven, 
 Its four-score years and five may bring 
 As this year's Easter offering. 
 
 116
 
 EIGHTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY 117 
 
 The life of our ascended Lord, 
 
 According to His faithful word, 
 
 Is still the light and life of men 
 
 As Christ shall live and work through them 
 
 And since His mission is their own 
 
 His glory year by year will crown. 
 
 And thus the bells of Easter time 
 May ring to-day a Birthday chime, 
 As eighty years and five would tell 
 The story that we love so well 
 And Heaven and Earth as one, adore 
 The Risen Christ forevermore. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 1907 
 
 The eighty-seventh birthday had the usual afternoon and even- 
 ing reception with cakes and candles and sweets. 
 
 Again the ladies had planned a surprise. Mrs. Dr. Wiggins 
 came early and carried a little package to Dr. Stoddard in the sun- 
 parlor. The dainty box held a beautiful crystal embossed with 
 gold on which lay the gold coins representing eighty-seven years. 
 
 The Pastor who had given these years to the Lord mentally 
 consecrated their golden representatives, and two of them very 
 recently were laid in the plate to aid in the church's contribution to 
 Educational and Ministerial Relief. These two boards, introducing 
 into the ministry and making comfortable its close, were very near 
 to the Pastor's heart.
 
 LAYING OF CORNER STONE 
 
 AND 
 
 DEDICATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNION CHAPEL, IRONIA, N. J. 
 
 JUNE 2, 1907 
 
 SERMON BY THE REV. E. W. STODDARD, D.D. 
 DEDICATION HYMN 
 
 The sons and the daughters of Zion have come 
 Once more to bid welcome to their Sabbath Home. 
 In this Dedication each heart has one prayer 
 For still better service this day must prepare. 
 
 It is thirty-four years since was kindled the light 
 That shone like a Beacon afar in the night, 
 Over hills over valleys by willing feet trod, 
 It led to the worship and service of God. 
 
 A part of the pilgrims have passed on before, 
 
 We follow to meet at the wide open door, 
 
 Where the earnest endeavor a blessing is given 
 
 As the households of earth form the household of Heaven. 
 
 The sons and the daughters of Zion thus come 
 To bid you all welcome to this Sabbath Home, 
 To share in its service, to claim as your own, 
 The joy of this present, the future's bright crown. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 118
 
 1908 
 
 An interesting surprise of the evening reception upon Dr. 
 Stoddard's birthday, was the presentation of a beautiful silk um- 
 brella by Elder T. Y. Crater, on the behalf of the guests. 
 
 This umbrella was the traveling companion of Dr. Stoddard 
 for many years, in his journeyings to and fro. The last time he used 
 the umbrella it created quite a sensation. Dr. Stoddard and the 
 young Rev. W. G. Greenslade were walking arm in arm in New 
 York from the trolley to the ferry, when a little shower called for 
 the opening of the historic umbrella. The long service had left its 
 marks upon the umbrella, but the happy pair walked on unconscious 
 of the second looks of passers-by. 
 
 1908 
 
 A Selection from a Letter of a Classmate. 
 
 Southold, New York, 
 
 January 28, 1908. 
 Dear Dr. Stoddard: 
 
 I have not forgotten my debt to you for guiding me through the 
 impressive and serious ritual of a marriage fifty-six years ago to-day. 
 My beloved wife, the fair bride of that day, is here with me in my 
 study, while I write these lines in this most thankful mood. 
 Yours truly and fraternally, 
 
 EPHER WHITAKER. 
 119
 
 120 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 1909 
 
 The Rev. J. M. Buckley and Mrs. Buckley of Morristown, Mr. 
 and Mrs. W. A. Seward of Madison, N. J., and Mr. John H. Wash- 
 burn of New York, Vice-President of the Home Insurance Company 
 of New York City, celebrated Dr. Stoddard's eighty-ninth birthday 
 with him at an informal luncheon, after which a reception to the 
 parish and friends gathered a most interesting and interested circle, 
 who enjoyed the great variety of choice flowers, among them eighty- 
 nine roses, eighty-nine pinks, and five tall vases of American 
 Beauties. 
 
 WELCOME 
 
 I82O TO I9O9 
 
 EIGHTY-NINE YEARS 
 
 \ 
 
 The milestone of the Eightieth year 
 
 Was circled with a loving band. 
 Kindred and friends engathered here, 
 
 The Parish its surprises planned. 
 The brethren in the ministry 
 
 Brought words of cheer and wishes best. 
 That seemed almost a prophecy 
 
 As Nine eventful years attest. 
 
 They are the answer to the prayer 
 That health and vigor might be given 
 
 As sent adown the golden stair 
 
 The angels should bring gifts from Heaven. 
 
 The Eighty-Second milestone bore 
 
 The touch of half a century. 
 The student fifty years before 
 
 Had entered on his ministry
 
 WELCOME TO EIGHTY-NINE YEARS 
 
 And comrades of those earlier years 
 And those who shared a smaller part 
 
 Talked of the things that man reveres, 
 And of the things that hold the heart. 
 
 The Eighty-Third by messengers 
 
 Sent letter showers from far and near. 
 
 To which a quiet hour refers 
 
 With much of comfort year by year. 
 
 The Eighty-Fourth, a Sabbath day, 
 An Easter with its peaceful hours 
 
 Heart blossoms do not fade away 
 And these entwined the springtime flowers. 
 
 With less of demonstration came 
 
 The much desired Eighty-Fifth. 
 Appreciation was the same 
 
 As also in the Eighty-Sixth. 
 The Eighty-Seventh its signet bore 
 
 Of loving thought and Eighty-Eight 
 Has but increased the treasure store 
 
 That years cannot enumerate. 
 
 And now the Eighty-Ninth is here 
 
 Another milestone on the road 
 On which an altar new to rear 
 
 In the sweet service of our God. 
 
 What can we say that was unsaid 
 
 When open doors, so cheered each guest? 
 
 What can we write that was unread 
 When Birthday letters told the rest? 
 
 Unqualified our grateful love, 
 Unceasing is the earnest prayer.
 
 122 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Unnumbered mercies from above, 
 
 The precious life still longer spare, 
 For service waits, experience gives 
 
 A usefulness, a cheer, a grace, 
 The mind and heart that much receives. 
 
 Has more to lavish on the race. 
 
 With gratitude for years agone 
 The blossoms of the heart we twine 
 
 To crown upon this April morn 
 The Patriarch of Eighty-Nine. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 1909 
 
 Rev. Dr. Halloway writes: 
 
 "Congratulations upon another mile-stone passed in your life 
 journey. What is Weston to you? He walks across the continent, 
 taking a few months. You journey between two worlds, and take 
 nearly a century! And your natural force is not abated. 
 
 "We will all join in singing, 'Praise God from whom all blessings 
 flow.' 
 
 A friend sends the following message : 
 
 "Amid all the shower of congratulations from your many friends 
 do not overlook mine. I am so glad the Lord gave you to us, that 
 I think we are the ones to be congratulated. Therefore I send you 
 my love and the sincere wish that there will be many more birthdays, 
 each one more full of peace and friendliness. 
 
 "You know you have often told me, " A man is only as old as he 
 feels." Judging by that standard you are still young. And if we 
 judge by your voice and zeal and energy in the Lord's cause, we will 
 never believe that they have counted the years right. They have 
 made a mistake of at least twenty years."
 
 1909 
 SERMON TO ROXBURY GRADUATES 
 
 Dr. Stoddard preached the baccalaureate sermon at the Succa- 
 sunna church, to the Roxbury High School graduates, Sunday 
 evening. He took as his text: 
 
 Esther iv, 14, last clause, "Who knoweth whether thou art come 
 to the kingdom for such a time as this." The beautiful story of 
 Esther has a special message to the young student on one of these 
 supreme days when there opens a new door into new opportunities, 
 new possibilities for which the discipline of the past years has 
 prepared. Frances Willard said on a similar occasion as she ad- 
 dressed a graduating class: "This is your age. The best time 
 in all the world's history is yours." The student of to-day is the 
 heir of all the ages. What will be your legacy to a coming time? 
 
 On the wall of your schoolroom hangs a picture of this uncrowned 
 queen. In our families, in our schools there are uncrowned queens. 
 We know not what the future may demand of them. Our part 
 is to train them for their destiny. In the home realm they will 
 reign and they may leave the stamp of their individuality upon 
 their generation. A marble statue in the Capitol at Washington 
 is a worthy tribute to Frances Willard. 
 
 The coming years will enshrine the uncrowned queens and kings 
 of our day, who go forth with high ideals and unfaltering purpose 
 to make the world better and happier. "The Training of a King" 
 was the heading of an article in the daily papers ,about a week ago. 
 It referred to the grandson of King Edward VII. of England, a 
 lad at school faithful in the humblest tasks, learning to obey that 
 he may rule, sharing his comrades' fare that he may know how to 
 solve the problems of every-day life. 
 
 123
 
 124 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Frances Willard said, " Character is habit crystallized." Obedi- 
 ence to her uncle in the home prepared Esther to save her people 
 in the hour of need. Who knoweth whether thou art come to the 
 kingdom for such a time as this, my dear young friends. Truly 
 has it been said: "Every life is a plan of God and the supreme 
 desire of each heart should be to carry out that plan for the glory 
 of God and the welfare of many." Your young friend, Mr. Zeigler, 
 very often writes in his letters: "I do not want God to be dis- 
 appointed in my life." 
 
 Could I give a higher motto to this graduating class? Does 
 it not emphasize the words written to Esther, "who knoweth whether 
 thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this." Each 
 generation has its special opportunity. The ancient and eternal 
 truths of life repeat their lessons from age to age. There may be 
 novelty of expression but it is the same earnest appeal to faithfulness 
 to a passing hour. 
 
 The Mayor of New York in a recent address to a graduating 
 class spoke of physical courage as a natural heritage of the race. 
 Moral courage is rarer and more precious. Youth looks forward 
 to a future, containing neither failure nor disappointment; but in 
 order to preserve the heart of a manly boy and the fragrant beauty 
 of girlhood ; in order to preserve the ideals of young life to its crown- 
 ing day there must be one steadfast aim, and there must be un- 
 varied effort, guided by the wisdom that cometh from above. 
 Effort is not to be avoided, time is not a plaything to be trifled 
 with. The golden days fly with unremitting speed, but never 
 come again, but if you determine to make every day spell progress, 
 you will become masters of each task. It is with very especial 
 interest that I congratulate the graduating class on the success of 
 their earlier years, and commend them to the Great Teacher, who 
 has a plan for each life. Make this plan your choice. You have 
 come to the Kingdom for such a time as this. 
 
 A high and noble purpose embodying all that your faithful
 
 SERMON TO ROXBURY GRADUATES 125 
 
 teachers have so earnestly and lovingly brought to you from the 
 richness of their experience to prepare the sons and daughters of a 
 King for the service of the present and the glory of the future. 
 "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such 
 a time as this." 
 
 Three thoughts I commend to you in seeking plans for the 
 future : 
 
 First "Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him, 
 and He shall bring it to pass." 
 
 Second Choose a worthy plan. 
 
 Third Each day study hard upon it. 
 
 Luther had this motto: Bene est studisse, bene est precasse. 
 To study well is to pray well.
 
 1910 
 
 The Mission Band gave the welcome on Linnet's Birthday, 
 July 21, to Dr. Stoddard's ninetieth birthday. 
 
 HYMN OF WELCOME 
 
 The ripened seeds of gathered flowers, 
 The golden sheaves of garnered grain 
 
 Resown by all the coming hours 
 Will blossom and mature again. 
 
 The work goes on and on and on 
 Until we bear the harvest home. 
 
 The Mission Band to-day would bring 
 
 Their clusters of forget-me-not 
 To interwine the offering 
 
 Of laurels from this garden spot 
 Where forty years and six have given 
 
 So much to earth, received from Heaven. 
 
 The ninety years of pilgrimage, 
 
 The fifty-eight of ministry, 
 The benedictions to the age 
 
 Of counsel and of sympathy, 
 Are recognized afar and near 
 
 More valued with each passing year. 
 126
 
 NINETIETH BIRTHDAY 127 
 
 On Linnet's birthday we have come 
 
 To welcome our loved Pastor here, 
 And while she waits for us at Home 
 
 We celebrate his ninetieth year, 
 So grateful for the tender care 
 
 We hope for many years to share. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 The Rev. Robert E. Zeigler, of Baltimore, spoke of the meaning 
 and value of a life dedicated to the highest and the best, a most 
 impressive and inspiring address, that was much appreciated by 
 a large audience. The social hour with its refreshments added its 
 pleasures to the day. 
 
 Westville, N. J., April 22, 1910. 
 
 Rev. E. W. Stoddard, D.D., 
 
 Dear Dr., 
 
 I have just learned that you will reach the ninetieth milestone 
 on your life journey, and I count it my very happy privilege to 
 greet you on this your delightful journey toward eternal youth, 
 and inasmuch as it is a journey toward the happy youthful life 
 above, I greet you as ninety years young, for I know of no one who 
 more forcibly illustrates to me how one can retain the spirit of 
 youth, than your delightful self. 
 
 I first remember meeting you on the platform at the Montreal 
 International C. E. Convention, and I have ever carried the remem- 
 brance of your kindly face and the inspiration of your genial 
 greeting. 
 
 May the glorious and divine Brother (Heb., ii., 10, li) who has
 
 128 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 so long sustained and blessed you, be with you on Saturday and may 
 you on the Lord's day have a new unction to preach his glorious 
 Word. 
 
 From your 
 
 Christian Endeavor Friend, 
 
 W. D. STULTZ, 
 
 Vice-President State C. E. Union, 
 Westville, 
 
 N.J.
 
 CHAPEL 
 
 PHILADELPH I A 
 
 HOPATC ONG
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S FRIENDSHIP 
 
 CALENDARS 
 QUOTATIONS AND HEART MESSAGES 
 
 All designed to represent some characteristic of their dearly 
 beloved Pastor and Friend. 
 
 1894 an d I 9 I 
 
 At its Christmas-tide, 1894 revealed the hidden current of 
 many beautiful thoughts as they were crystallized in a Book of 
 Remembrance. On the covers were sprays of apple blossoms, most 
 exquisite in design and coloring. This was the work of our neigh- 
 bor artist, Mrs. Wolfe, the wife of Dr. T. F. Wolfe, the author. 
 She was assisted in many of the page decorations by Mrs. H. C. 
 Wiggins. 
 
 Of the three hundred forty-two pages, seventy contain auto- 
 graphs of those who in the past twenty years have been called 
 higher, among them the beautiful and accomplished Mrs. Wolfe 
 who simply wrote on her page, "Just a line for remembrance," 
 while every page revealed her artistic touch and loving thought, 
 
 We give 
 
 REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES 
 
 "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that 
 bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good 
 tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, 
 Thy Godreigneth!" 
 
 JULIA A. CANFIELD. 
 129
 
 I 3 o ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 May your mental abilities never grow old but continue youth- 
 ful and cheerful to the end. 
 
 W. S. GARY. 
 
 "Fair was the morn and the noon fleeting fast, 
 Let us live as brave men what time we shall last." 
 
 WILLIAM CORWIN. 
 
 "Stilled now be every anxious care; 
 See God's great goodness everywhere ; 
 Leave all to Him in perfect rest ; 
 He will do all things for the best." 
 
 CONRAD STUMPF. 
 
 MY DEAR PASTOR: 
 
 Many thanks for your good sermons, also for kind attentions 
 in sorrow and bereavement, in joy, in pleasure, as well as during 
 the years that are past. 
 
 Hoping that we shall meet in our Father's house on high where 
 we shall know as we are known, I am with best wishes and kindly 
 Christmas greetings for yourself and Mrs. Stoddard. 
 Very sincerely 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 NANCY RIGGS. 
 [Living to-day in her ninety-ninth year.] 
 
 As I look back through the long vista of years, my memory 
 recalls your advent among us. During all these long years you 
 have been our counselor, pastor, and friend. In joy and sorrow 
 your sympathy and counsel have been very dear and precious to 
 us. That you may live long and enjoy the harvest you have so 
 liberally sown, is the earnest prayer of 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 JETUR R. RIGGS.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CALENDARS 131 
 
 "Oh! happy we, if all along 
 
 The way that we are going 
 Our fellow-pilgrims catch the song 
 That from our life is flowing. " 
 Very lovingly, 
 
 SISTER SARAH. 
 
 "Now from many an earnest mind 
 Gentlest thoughts expression find 
 None than mine can be more kind." 
 
 S. B. MEEKER. 
 
 "A little while my patient vigil keeping, 
 
 To face the storm, to wrestle with the wrong, 
 A little while to sow the seed with reaping, 
 
 Then bind the sheaves and sing the harvest song. " 
 
 ARTHUR G. SKELLENGER. 
 
 " May many years of blessing, 
 
 Be added to thy sowing 
 Bringing sheaves unto perfection 
 Not numbered in thy knowing." 
 
 THEO. F. KING. 
 
 For thirty years thy counsel hath 
 Led upward in the narrow path 
 
 Of light and love. 
 May many more be kindly given, 
 To still win souls for Christ and Heaven 
 
 And God above. 
 
 EMMA L. KING. 
 
 "Yet through all our key-note sounding, 
 Angels' watchword, 'All is well.'" 
 
 ALBERT RIGGS POTTER.
 
 132 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The passing years have fully proved that friends at the parson- 
 age are kind and true. 
 
 May the Lord add many blessings to those whose lives have been 
 so unselfishly spent among us. 
 
 NANNIE W. RIGGS. 
 
 "Thrice happy lot loved flocks to lead 
 From earthly on to heavenly mead ! 
 Songs now unite for those we love, 
 And join angelic choirs above!" 
 
 J. HERVEY COOK. 
 
 "O happiest work below, 
 Earnest of joy above, 
 To sweeten many a cup of woe 
 By deeds of holy love." 
 
 SALLIE M. BYRAM. 
 
 For words of comfort often spoken, 
 For the silken tie so long unbroken, 
 Accept this humble loving token. 
 
 With kindest regards, 
 
 F. V. WOLFE. 
 
 In these days of hurry and change in the rulings of the providence 
 of God, not many enjoy as long a pastorate as has Dr. Stoddard 
 and the Presbyterian Church at Succasunna. That it may con- 
 tinue and prove a blessing for years to come is my earnest prayer. 
 Yours in Christian fellowship, 
 
 MARCUS R. MEEKER. 
 
 "Man's life's a book of history, 
 The leaves thereof are days, 
 The letters, mercies closely joined, 
 The title is, God's Praise." 
 
 W. C. SWENEY.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CALENDARS 133 
 
 "God gives us ministers of love, 
 
 Which we regard not, being near; 
 Death takes them from us, then we feel 
 That angels have been with us here." 
 
 MAMIE H. SWENEY. 
 
 "The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face 
 to shine upon thee and give thee peace." 
 
 Your friend and former parishioner, 
 
 D. S. ALLEN. 
 
 "Nothing useless is, or low, 
 
 Each thing in its place is best 
 And what seems but idle show 
 
 Strengthens and supports the rest." 
 
 GEO. A. GILLIG. 
 
 That your Christmas may be bright with the presence of the 
 blessed Jesus, the company of loving friends, and with precious 
 memories of an angel child, is our wish. 
 
 CHARLES AUGUSTUS STODDARD, 
 MARY PRIME STODDARD. 
 
 "What do we live for if it is not to make life less difficult to each 
 other?" 
 
 "Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them 
 beautifully." 
 
 The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not 
 that of having had one. SENECA. 
 
 I have heard you say that we shall see and know our friends 
 in heaven. SHAKESPEARE.
 
 134 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "A whiter soul, a fairer mind, 
 
 A life with purer source and aim, 
 A gentler eye, a voice more kind, 
 We may not look on earth to find." 
 
 " Contact with a strong nature inspires us with strength. Our 
 friendship should give a new zest to duty, and a new inspiration 
 to all that is good." 
 
 "We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
 He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 
 
 " Keep evergreen the memory of the many happy years we have 
 spent together as pastor and people." 
 
 " Our friendship has been a golden one without a particle of alloy." 
 
 MY DEAR DR. STODDARD, 
 
 I want to send you my love. 
 
 AUDREY. 
 
 Your little friend, 
 
 GWENDOLYN SAUVAGE. 
 
 I would like to be included in the friendship calendar. 
 
 VIVIAN SAUVAGE. 
 
 It is April now, the flowers are coming; may your spring be a 
 
 pleasant one. 
 
 ELAINE SAUVAGE. 
 
 "A man who is gentle and just, 
 A man who is upright and true to his trust." 
 
 " None knew thee but to love thee, 
 Nor named thee but to praise thee."
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CALENDARS 135 
 
 "There is no end to the sky, 
 And the stars are everywhere, 
 And time is eternity, 
 And the here is over there. 
 For the common deeds of the common day, 
 Are ringing bells in the faraway." 
 
 "A friend in need" my neighbor said to me, 
 "A friend indeed, is what I mean to be; 
 In time of trouble I will come to you, 
 And in the hour of need you'll find me true." 
 
 I thought a bit, and took him by the hand: 
 "My friend, " said I, "you do not understand 
 The inner meaning of that simple rhyme : 
 A friend is what the heart needs all the time." 
 
 The one who lives close to the hearts of men, and toils patiently 
 and sweetly for their uplift, the fruition of such a life will be 
 glorious. 
 
 Joy is love looking at its treasures, 
 May your joys ever be full. 
 
 CUYLER. 
 
 "This is your birthday. On the Calendars of those who know 
 you it is marked with gold. As both a holy and a holiday." 
 
 "You make us happy and you make us good, by simply being 
 with you. You bestow and think you are receiving: like a rose 
 that marvels at the fragrance of the breeze. 
 
 "We are most glad since you were sent to earth it was while 
 we are here ; not hastened down to shine amidst the shadows of the 
 past nor kept to grace some joyful future day, but come to share 
 our present as it is, and leave to-morrow better for your stay."
 
 I 3 6 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "This is birthday week. We are celebrating with cakes and 
 candles. Every candle representing a light in the household in 
 the community in the world. May it shine 'on and on and on.'" 
 
 " Before us ever, as behind, God is, and all is well." 
 
 '"What is so rare as a day in June,' and what is so rare as the 
 faithful ministry of a pastor for forty-five years, whose constant 
 thought and prayer has been for the welfare of his people, that 
 they should strive for all that is highest and most noble in life." 
 
 He was a man, take him for all in all, 
 I shall not look upon his like again. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 "It is easy to say how we love new friends, and what we think 
 of them, but words can never trace out all the fibres that knit us 
 to the old." 
 
 "Thank God for the man who is cheerful 
 In spite of life's troubles, I say, 
 Who sings of a bright to-morrow, 
 Because of the clouds of to-day. 
 His life is a beautiful sermon, 
 And this is the lesson to me, 
 Meet trials with smiles, and they vanish, 
 Face cares with a song and they flee." 
 
 "A good man is the best friend, and therefore the soonest to be 
 chosen, longest to be retained, and indeed never to be parted with.' 
 
 "His life was gentle, and the elements 
 So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up 
 And say to all the world, 
 'This was a man.'"
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CALENDARS 137 
 
 To REV. E. W. STODDARD: 
 
 On this, the birthday of the great Thackeray, I remember his 
 wish for a life-long friend that he "might enjoy an age of benign 
 restfulness and peace after an active life spent in good works," 
 and I find it well expresses my earnest desire for my esteemed friend 
 and neighbor. 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 THEO. F. WOLFE. 
 
 Grow old along with me ! 
 
 The best is yet to be, 
 The last of life, for which the first was made : 
 
 Our times are in His hand 
 
 Who saith, "A whole I planned 
 Youth shows but half; trust God: 
 
 See all nor be afraid!" 
 
 BROWNING. 
 
 " To our dear Dr. Stoddard with a great gladness for the oppor- 
 tunity to tell him how we love him, who knows so well how to guide 
 in the true path and make the Christ-life so attractive and clear 
 and plain. May he be spared to guide us for many, many years 
 and may his be: 'The slow sweet hours that bring us all things 
 good.'" 
 
 "One harvest from thy field 
 Homeward brought the oxen strong; 
 A second crop thine acres yield, 
 Which I gather in a song." 
 
 "To pass through life beloved as few are loved, 
 To prove the joys of earth as few have proved, 
 And still to keep the soul's white robe unstained, 
 Such is the victory thou hast gained."
 
 138 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 A life well spent in loving deeds, 
 A life to others given, 
 God blesses here upon this earth, 
 And crowns at last in heaven. 
 
 "The greatest Art in Life is to cultivate the love of doing good, 
 and promoting the interests of others." 
 
 " Your heart is as great as the world, but there is no room in it 
 to hold the memory of a wrong." 
 
 "Nothing ending in its own completeness 
 Can have worth or beauty, but alone 
 Because it leads and tends to further sweetness 
 Richer, higher, deeper than its own." 
 
 "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth. Yea, even unto 
 old age and gray hairs. O God, forsake me not; until I have de- 
 clared thy strength unto the next generation." 
 
 KING DAVID. 
 
 " Many years of noble living, 
 Many years of generous giving, 
 Many years Christ's message talking, 
 And with God your Father walking." 
 
 "A quotation is all very well, but between lifelong friends I feel 
 the need of something more intimate and personal. I can not 
 remember the time when I did not look up to you with love and 
 veneration which have grown with the years. 
 
 "Long may you live to be a blessing to all who know and love 
 you." 
 
 Honor to the man, who, in the declining vale of tears, continues 
 to learn new subjects and to add to his wisdom. 
 
 ARISTOPHANES TO SOCRATES.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CALENDARS 139 
 
 " May the many years of labor for the Master be productive of 
 great results for many years when your labors shall have ended." 
 
 "Many sons have done well, but thou excelleth them all." 
 
 " Let this page bear a message of love to one who has always had 
 the good of his people first in his thoughts." 
 
 MR. CHARLES P. ARNOLD 
 happy in boyhood memories of a faithful pastor, 
 
 and thankful that, 
 
 though in another field yet in the same work 
 that servant of the Lord has been permitted to labor on, 
 
 sends to him, 
 The Rev. ELIJAH W. STODDARD, D.D., 
 
 most hearty congratulations 
 on the felicitous rounding out of 
 
 three-and-eighty years 
 of his still continuing life of usefulness, 
 ANGELICA, NEW YORK, 
 April 23, 1903. 
 
 Congratulations to Rev. E. W. Stoddard, D.D., on his eighty- 
 third birthday. 
 
 FRANKLIN MURPHY, 
 Governor of New Jersey. 
 
 Heartiest congratulations and thank God for the saintly char- 
 acter and beneficent ministry of Dr. Stoddard. 
 
 In best bonds, 
 
 KERR BOYCE TUPPER.
 
 140 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Hearty congratulations to the oldest pastor in my dear Mother's 
 native county of Morris. 
 
 "And in old age when others fade 
 They fruit still forth shall bring, 
 They shall be fat and full of sap 
 And aye be flourishing." 
 
 THEODORE L. CUYLER.
 
 TO THE REV. E. W. STODDARD 
 APRIL 23rd, 1911 
 
 From one who styled herself "twin-sister." 
 
 A heartfelt wish in simple words expressed, 
 God's richest blessings on thy birthday rest, 
 Bright as the past, Oh, may thy future be, 
 Till time shall end in immortality. 
 Sincerely your friend, 
 
 FANNY J. CROSBY. 
 
 1911 
 
 On his ninety-first birthday, Dr. Stoddard was favored with 
 a visit from his lifelong friend, the Rev. Wilson J. Phraner, D.D., 
 of East Orange, New Jersey. The two standing in the pulpit 
 represented one hundred and eighty years of life. 
 
 Dr. Phraner, preached the sermon, taking the text from the 
 9 ist Psalm, "With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my 
 salvation." The remarks were based upon, The things that conduce 
 to a Happy Old Age, a good measure of health of body and mind; 
 congenial occupation; a competence sufficient to secure against 
 anxiety and care ; faith in God ; hope for the future. 
 
 At the close of the sermon Dr. Phraner recited the following poem : 
 
 Old! Are we growing old? 
 
 Life blossoms as we pass along, 
 Up the hills toward the lovelier dawn 
 
 Of the brighter world beyond. 
 It is because Heaven is in us to bud and unfold 
 
 We are only growing young, because we are growing old. 
 
 141
 
 I 4 2 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Old! Are we growing old? 
 
 Passing along this beautiful road, 
 Finding this earth a still fairer abode. 
 
 Nobler deeds by our hands to be wrought, 
 A wider range for our hope and our thought ; 
 
 The thought of God's love so sufficient for all 
 Who hear and give heed to his kindly call. 
 
 But it is because of the promise of the years untold 
 That we are cheerfully growing old. 
 
 Old! Are we growing old? 
 
 Passing up where the sunshine is clear, 
 Watching the wider horizon appear 
 
 Out of the mists which encompassed our youth, 
 Standing more firmly on the mountains of truth, 
 
 Daily rejoicing in God's wondrous love, 
 And setting our hearts on things above. 
 
 But it is because of the promise of the years untold 
 That we are joyfully growing old. 
 
 Growing Old! Are we growing old? 
 
 Passing on toward those gardens of rest, 
 Which glow through golden gates of the West, 
 
 Where the rose and the amaranth blend 
 And every path is the way to a friend 
 
 The friends we have loved, but who have gone on before 
 The friends who await us on the heavenly shore. 
 
 But ah ! It's because of the promise of the years untold 
 That we are hopefully growing old. 
 
 It's because Heaven is in us to bud and to unfold 
 That we are only growing younger, because we are growing old.
 
 At the spring Meeting of Presbytery at East Orange, N. J., 
 after the approval of the examination of the Rev. W. G. Greenslade 
 and his ordination, Dr. Stoddard was requested to give the charge 
 to the new minister who was to go on his mission to Syria, in August. 
 
 There was no time for rest or preparation, but Paul's words to 
 Timothy had been studied for sixty-one years, and the heart had 
 its message, which, in tones of the clearest, richest, tenderest sym- 
 pathy, portrayed the work for another of his sons in the ministry. 
 
 It was his last service to the Presbytery of Morris and Orange, 
 and it was worthy of his record. 
 
 Recognition of the entrance into the sixtieth year of ministry 
 
 MEMORIES OF DR. GESSLER'S SERMON. 
 MAY 19, 1911. 
 
 "But let them that love Him be as the sun going forth in his 
 might." Judges, v, 31, 36. 
 
 The Christian is compared to the sun. What does this com- 
 parison suggest? 
 
 First, The majesty of the life hid with Christ in God. To 
 be a Christian is no mean privilege. It is as high above the in- 
 significant as heaven is above earth. The call of Christ is a sum- 
 mons to power. We sit down with him on his throne. We acquire 
 a kingly bearing. There is a regal atmosphere about us. We are 
 heirs of all things. We share the majesty of the Eternal. 
 
 Again, This comparison suggests the beneficence of the 
 Christian life. The sun is the friend of all. It is continually 
 bathing the world in a flood of light. Its reign is beneficent. All 
 
 H3
 
 144 ELIJAH WOODWARD STOOD ARD 
 
 material blessings are traceable to its power. So the Christian 
 does good to all men, loves his neighbor as himself, forgives his 
 enemies, prays for them that despitefully use him. He follows 
 in the footsteps of him from whom all blessings flow. If he has 
 the majesty of a king, he has also the humble lowliness of a servant. 
 He is among men as one that serveth. His majesty is that of one 
 who is the servant of his people. As the sun is unwearied in pouring 
 out its blessings upon the earth, so the Christian does not grow 
 weary in well-doing. In his efforts to reclaim the lost he does not 
 become discouraged through repeated failures. He seeks until he 
 finds. His love is tireless and his patience is without limit. When 
 he has done all, he still feels himself an unprofitable servant. There 
 is no discharge in this war. He is ever in pursuit of a flying goal. 
 The nearer he comes to it, the further does it withdraw. He can 
 never say anything else but, "I press on." He is faithful to the end. 
 
 The application was in Dr. Gessler's most felicitous style, 
 voicing his own appreciation and that of his hearers. One of them, 
 sharing the pulpit on that occasion, has given the closing thought 
 in the language of a later date. 
 
 Those who knew and loved the pastor of Succasunna like to 
 think of him in the language of this verse. He was indeed as the 
 sun going forth in his might. Who can ever forget that majesty 
 of mien, that superiority to all things trifling and insignificant, 
 that absorption in all things high and holy. Nor was that majesty 
 more marked than the benevolence with which it was allied. 
 
 All through these years Dr. Stoddard has allowed his light to 
 shine. How many have seen that light and rejoiced in it only 
 eternity can reveal. The darkness fled at his approach. Through- 
 out his pastorate a steady stream of good words and good deeds 
 flowed forth from his capacious heart. He knew how to do good to 
 all men and especially to those who are of the household of faith. 
 
 His life is an impressive illustration of the words of our text: 
 "As the sun going forth in his might."
 
 1911 
 
 Poem used in Dr. Stoddard's sermon of December 3ist. 
 LAST CHIMES OF THE OLD YEAR 
 
 The year that came on Sabbath day 
 With Sabbath hours will pass away; 
 The fifty Sabbaths in between, 
 With visions of the world unseen, 
 Have made "The Day of all the Seven" 
 The crown and joy of Nineteen eleven. 
 
 The year that came on Sabbath day 
 With Sabbath hours will pass away ; 
 What sacred memories entwine 
 Around this dial plate of time 
 That marks a year of blessings given 
 In daily care and grace from Heaven. 
 
 The year that came on Sabbath day 
 With Sabbath hours will pass away, 
 But in the days and years to come, 
 For every heart and every home 
 Our Father's love has good in store 
 As boundless as the evermore. 
 
 The Old year rings its far-off chime 
 As with a melody sublime, 
 The bells upon "the midnight clear" 
 Proclaim the advent of a year 
 That we would Consecrate together 
 To every noble, true Endeavor. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 145
 
 This year Dr. Phraner once more favored Dr. Stoddard and his 
 people by preaching in his pulpit on the Sabbath preceding the 
 birthday, giving another recital of interesting experiences. 
 
 The ninety-second birthday was celebrated by a reception at 
 the parsonage. Ninety-two beautiful white carnations, ninety- 
 two sweet-pea blossoms and ninety-two frosted cakes with candles 
 indicated the celebration of a ninety-second birthday. The cakes 
 formed the initials E. W. S. 1820-1912 and were lighted a 
 number of times during the afternoon and evening as groups of 
 guests were gathered around the long table with Dr. Stoddard. 
 Friends from a distance mingled with the home people and enjoyed 
 the interchange of thought with one another, as well as the oppor- 
 tunity to congratulate their Pastor. 
 
 By request the following tribute was read, while the candles 
 flooded the room with light : 
 
 On a very quaint card that read "Happy Returns, " 
 A message was printed that most deeply concerns 
 Every student of life for it said, "As you climb 
 You become such a problem to poor Father Time; 
 On each birthday you have, come those sighings of his 
 'Why, the older I make him the younger he is.' 
 Growing old as we number the ninety and two, 
 Growing younger as eagles their strength may renew 
 By the heights they attain and the depths they explore 
 And the vision that circles the ocean and shore, 
 Since life in its meaning, most true and sublime, 
 
 146
 
 NINETY-SECOND BIRTHDAY 147 
 
 Can never be measured, by milestones of time, 
 
 Its heart-throbs, its purpose, its love for mankind 
 
 Must tell of its value, for the years but remind 
 
 Of occasions for service, of springtime and sheaves, 
 
 Of the promise of harvests in fresh budding leaves, 
 
 And thus life, growing larger in promise and store, 
 
 Is a part of the life of the great evermore. 
 
 And as thus benedictions shall hallow the day 
 
 We ask for new blessings, to the end of the way. 
 
 Your birthday how splendid, as life's hill you still climb, 
 
 May you long be a problem to poor Father Time. 
 
 On each birthday you have, may this sighing be his, 
 
 'The older I make him, the younger he is.' ' 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 Upon the ninety-second birthday Rev. Dr. Gessler writes: 
 " So you are ninety-two years young. It is according to a well- 
 indorsed promise that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
 strength, so that there is really nothing marvelous or miraculous 
 about you. You have tried to do your part of the bargain and the 
 Lord is simply keeping his word as He always does. 
 
 " May every year bring to you its own handful of blessings."
 
 The ninety-fourth birthday, at the completion of ninety-three 
 years, was celebrated at the parsonage. The ninety-four candles 
 on the little frosted cakes, grouped into E. W. S., and 1820, and 
 1913* were lighted a number of times and given as souvenirs, as in 
 other years, both afternoon and evening. 
 
 About eight P.M., Dr. Stoddard, finding himself surrounded 
 by a very large circle, asked for the reading of the poem, "The 
 Lord is My Shepherd," that was suggested by the sermon of the 
 Rev. Robert E. Zeigler, who came from Baltimore to preach on 
 the Sabbath nearest this birthday. 
 
 After the reading, Dr. Stoddard, in a clear, sweet, resonant 
 voice, gave some touching reminiscences, and most loving, tender, 
 counsel. They came from the heart, they entered into the heart, 
 and no words can reproduce them on paper. 
 
 As Dr. Stoddard' s picture had been placed in the Christian 
 Endeavor World of that week, copies were given to the friends. We 
 give selections from the article : 
 
 A 93-YEAR-OLD ENDEAVORER 
 
 The Christian Endeavor World gives a hearty birthday greeting 
 to the beloved Pastor and enthusiastic Christian Endeavor worker, 
 Rev. Elijah W. Stoddard, D.D., who was born April 23, 1820, and 
 this week reached the splendid age of ninety-three. 
 
 Notice his Christian Endeavor pin on his scarf in the portrait. 
 This little emblem seems a part of Dr. Stoddard. Though ninety- 
 three years old, he is still the active pastor of the Presbyterian 
 
 148
 
 A 93- YEAR-OLD ENDEAVORER 149 
 
 Church of Succasunna, N. J., after fifty years of service in that 
 parish, and sixty-one in the gospel ministry. 
 
 He attends national and international Christian Endeavor 
 conventions, and brings from them inspiration to the societies at 
 home. Our readers will remember that he stood on the platform 
 at Atlantic City with Fanny Crosby, who claims him to be her 
 "twin brother, " as there is but one month's difference in their ages. 
 Dr. Stoddard was made a life member by the Morris County 
 Christian Endeavor union. 
 
 Young people are often supposed to oppose aged ministers and 
 to rally around young pastors only. This is not the case. When a 
 man of many years carries, like Dr. Stoddard, a young and fervent 
 heart, young folks will always love him, and honor him all the more 
 for his silver hair.
 
 DR. STODDARD AND HIS OFFICIAL MEMBERS AT THE 
 
 PARSONAGE 
 
 The parsonage was built in the pastorate of the Rev. Josiah 
 Fisher, the predecessor of Dr. Stoddard. It was enlarged in 1899 
 by the rebuilding of the dining-room and the kitchen, and the 
 addition of another story with a sun-parlor and modern improve- 
 ments. 
 
 In the autumn of 1912 a sun-parlor was erected over the south- 
 western part of the porch, giving a fine view and abundance of air. 
 
 In 1913 an elevator was put in so that Dr. Stoddard could have 
 the freedom of the house and attend church; and although some- 
 times in much pain, his face was radiant with delight. He was 
 glad when they said, Let us go to the house of the Lord; and his 
 presence was a benediction. Taking some part in each service, 
 entering into the theme of the morning, emphasizing its thought 
 in the prayer, welcoming his people as they gathered around him, 
 his Sabbaths were foretastes of heaven. 
 
 Only three weeks before his translation, he enjoyed this 
 privilege. At that time he led in the congregational prayer. Its 
 scope, its fervor, its tone, its manner, thrilled the hearts of the 
 audience, revealing the wonderful strength of his mind, as well as 
 the unconquerable love of his heart. 
 
 Before the benediction, as if he felt it to be the last, he uttered 
 one more prayer that God would bless the families of this church 
 and community. It seemed as if an angel spake. 
 
 A message was sent even to the last Sabbath, and many feel 
 that messages still come from Home. 
 
 150
 
 1913 
 
 Written by Dr. Stoddard for The Twenty-fifth Anniversary 
 of the Christian Endeavor Society. 
 
 While the poet cautioned wisely when he said, "Look not mourn- 
 fully into the past it comes not back again; wisely improve the 
 present it is thine, go forth to meet the shadowy future without 
 fear and with a manly heart," there is a backward look that in- 
 spires to present duty and prepares for future usefulness. 
 
 This Christian Endeavor Society has attained its twenty-fifth 
 year. These twenty-five years emphasize three facts: First, 
 The Church must depend upon and culture its young people. 
 Second, This Society has demonstrated and illustrated the wisdom 
 of the methods employed to cultivate piety and prepare for Chris- 
 tian work. Third, Study of the word and prayer, that have been 
 the means of its growth in grace and in knowledge, are of the greatest 
 importance to-day; Study of the word and prayer, the efficient 
 preparation for the work of the present and the future. This work 
 is personal work, involving individual responsibility. 
 
 No one can do it for another. We can help each other, we can 
 work together, but it is a personal endeavor for Christ and the 
 church that wins the blessing. 
 
 I am glad to-day to wish you God-speed. 
 
 For down the future through long generations, 
 
 The work is to go on and still increase, 
 A Psalm of life whose sweet vibrations 
 
 Give to the world the messages of Peace. 
 151
 
 152 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The Five and Twenty years of your Endeavor 
 
 Are prophecies of half a century 
 That may be yours as working on together 
 
 You celebrate a well-earned Jubilee. 
 
 And looking back trace inspirations given 
 As a new altar crowns the milestone here, 
 
 And gathered at the very gate of Heaven 
 Recount the mercies of a Fiftieth year. 
 
 Thus on and on, and on and on forever 
 
 Until the sunset bells ring out their chime, 
 And then the rich fruition of endeavor 
 
 And better service in a holier clime. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S LAST SERMON 
 
 As the last funeral service of the Pastorate, this sermon for Mrs. 
 Wm. Gary, at Gary's, on May 15, 1913, is given in full. 
 
 JOHN xiv, 2, 3. 
 
 "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a 
 place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. " 
 
 One more of God's dear children has gone home. A long life 
 of devoted service has endeared her to this household, to this com- 
 munity, and to the church of God. 
 
 Her going takes with her loved personality, the tender counsel, 
 the unfailing sympathy, the sweet helpfulness that made the 
 earthly home so full of comfort. The place is conscious of her 
 presence still. Her work will go on and on and on in its inspiration 
 to a true life, even while she rests in the Father's home above. 
 
 There is no more solemn moment in life than when we watch 
 the going away of a loved one. Every breath is noted, falling on 
 the ear like the retiring footfall of one about to journey beyond; 
 but on the quiet face is the record of God's peace that He giveth 
 to his own, as He takes them to Himself. 
 
 Last Sabbath afternoon, as we bowed in prayer beside the seem- 
 ingly unconscious form, the eyelids opened once more and there 
 was the faintest sound of recognition, a sweet farewell as she was 
 passing away, a pause in the going to give one more dear mes- 
 sage to the beloved, a token for earth almost from the Father's 
 door of Heaven. 
 
 153
 
 154 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 She had early given her heart to God. She had lived the life 
 of the Christian; she had kept the faith; she was ready to go home. 
 
 Eleven years ago, her beloved husband, the honored William S. 
 Gary, was gathered to his fathers. In the long years of bereavement 
 this home and this church have realized the blessedness of prophetic 
 words uttered by our Brother Gary to his pastor in answer to the 
 remark, "God is faithful to His promises. We can trust Him at all 
 times. " With kindled eye, and outstretched hand, and an emphasis 
 of tone that carried conviction, our Brother said, "And He will do it." 
 
 Let the household again bereaved, let the community once 
 more in sorrow, let the church in her hour of need, lay hold on 
 the promises of God, and repeat after every one, "He will do it." 
 God will redeem his word; it is a part of Himself. He will do it. 
 
 We have watched and waited long with our beloved on this side 
 the river. She has passed over and her going brings us nearer to 
 the unseen. 
 
 At the moment of our Brother's passing, a clear, distinct, beauti- 
 ful rainbow arched the distant blue, beneath the cloud. It was 
 so beautiful that it seemed almost a reflection of the beyond, as it 
 reminded us of the legend of the Norsemen, that the spirits of the 
 good pass over a rainbow bridge to their home. 
 
 So our beloved Sister has followed those who through faith and 
 patience have inherited the promise. She is not here because God 
 has taken her to himself. 
 
 She loved the house of God. On February 7, 1869, she was one 
 of the cluster of thirteen welcomed into the Succasunna Presby- 
 terian Church. Two of these remain on earth, but they have 
 removed to other church homes. Our beloved sister is the last on 
 the record. 
 
 The interests of Zion were always near to her heart. While 
 unable in later years to attend the services, she loved the church 
 of God, and even in this last illness expressed great concern for its 
 welfare.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S LAST SERMON 155 
 
 The life of a Christian is its own eulogy. Each of us permitted 
 to know her will cherish tender memories of her constancy and 
 faithfulness. The dear Lord had need of her beyond. He came for 
 her. He has said at the entrance of her new home, "This is the 
 place prepared for you, the place for which you have been prepar- 
 ing by your fidelity to all the entrustments of time. Enter thou 
 into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 We too are 'going Home. 
 
 One by one we miss the voices 
 
 That we loved so well to hear. 
 One by one the cherished faces 
 
 In the shadows disappear. 
 
 But to us it has been given 
 
 Walking with them day by day 
 To the very gate of Heaven 
 
 Thus to help them on their way. 
 
 And when we have filled our mission, 
 
 With each precious absent one, 
 There remains a full fruition 
 
 In the Heavenly Father's Home. 
 
 Almost to the edge of Heaven 
 
 Parting at the open door 
 By and bye to us be given 
 
 Welcomes there forevermore. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 
 NOVEMBER 2, 1913 
 
 Before the Pastor was taken to the church for his silent message 
 and the last benediction of his bodily presence, a short service was 
 held at the Parsonage by the Rev. John Bovenizer and the Rev. 
 Robert E. Zeigler. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard's last request, " Let everything be done to the glory 
 of God," was the one thought of the ministerial brethren. The 
 Rev. Dr. J. M. Buckley in the invocation lifted our souls from a 
 present crushing sorrow to the blessed hope of the beyond. 
 
 The Rev. H. M. Dare read the selections made by Dr. Stoddard 
 for his home reading the previous Sabbath, among them 1st Thess. 
 iv, 13-18. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. T. A. Gessler. 
 
 The sermon, given in full on another page, was by Dr. D. R. 
 Frazer, a lifelong friend. 
 
 Rev. R. E. Zeigler read selections from letters of sympathy and 
 appreciation, from members of the Presbytery; from Dr. Francis 
 Brown, President of Union Seminary; C. E. Sproul and many 
 others, after which Dr. Charles A. Stoddard, a kinsman and lifelong 
 friend, paid the tribute of the Stoddard clan. 
 
 The male quartette of the Presbyterian Church, tenderly sang 
 a number of selections, among which were : "Beyond the Smiling and 
 the Weeping We Shall Be Soon," and "The Christian's Good Night." 
 
 The ladies had appropriately decorated the pulpit with palms, 
 white chrysanthemums, resurrection lilies, and white roses. There 
 were thirty-five floral pieces, representing the Roxbury school, and 
 all the organizations of the church, as well as friends, near and far. 
 
 It is estimated that five hundred persons were at the church while 
 
 156
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 157 
 
 the chapel was filled. A special trolley car brought a large delega- 
 tion from New Rochelle, N. Y., Brooklyn, and Newark. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard rests in the shadow of the church he loved so well 
 on earth and now represents in Heaven. 
 
 His life has entered into the community as an inspiration to all 
 that is "true and lovely and of good report. " 
 
 SERMON BY DR. D. R. FRAZER 
 
 It is a noteworthy fact that the Bible, in recording for our 
 instruction the careers of the men and the women whose names and 
 work find a place on the sacred page, presents their faults and their 
 foibles as fully and as forcefully as it does their virtues and successes. 
 
 And it is equally noteworthy that these faults and foibles are 
 ordinarily in marked contrast with, often in direct contradiction of, 
 those peculiar traits which constituted the real excellences of the 
 worthies named. 
 
 Abraham was the ' ' Friend of God ' ' and the Father of the Faithful, 
 but that was a very shabby trick he tried to play on Pharaoh. 
 
 Moses was the meekest of men, but his self-assertion at Meribah 
 cost him his inheritance in the land of promise. 
 
 Peter was bold, impetuous, ready to go to prison or to death for 
 his Master, yet in the hour of greatest need he quailed under the 
 taunts of a waiting-maid. 
 
 John, the beloved disciple and the disciple of love, was he who 
 would have "called down fire from heaven," responsive to that lowest 
 and meanest of sectarian considerations, "they follow us not." 
 
 Than Elijah, the Tishbite, Jehovah never had a more faithful 
 servant, nor the truth a more loyal witness. He was the incarnation 
 of courage. No threat could terrify, no danger alarm, no sacrifice 
 impede. 
 
 Yet we find him under a juniper tree, dejected, disconsolate,
 
 158 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 wanting to die rather than await the glorious translation which his 
 gracious Master had prepared for him. 
 
 Is it any marvel that the Angel of the Lord, as if surprised at the 
 sight which greeted him, should cry out "What doest thou here, 
 Elijah? 
 
 Yet we can find reasons for this development perhaps better 
 than the Angel could. 
 
 One reason would be physical exhaustion. Think of the awful 
 strain on Carmel. Think of that fifteen-mile race before the king's 
 chariot to Jezreel in a blinding storm, where he was confronted with 
 Jezebel's threat, "By this time to-morrow thy life shall be as the life 
 of one of Baal's slain prophets. 
 
 It was "the last straw" ; the man was unnerved, and that it was 
 this physical reaction rather than cowardice which prompted the 
 flight is attested by the provision of "the cake and the cruse." 
 Many a despondent man seeks the D.D. when he really needs the 
 care of the M.D. 
 
 Another reason would be the prophet's loneliness. 
 
 On Carmel he faced eight hundred and fifty false prophets; 
 dictated the test to be used, "The God that answereth by fire, let 
 Him be God." He cried, " I, even I only, remain a prophet of the 
 Lord," without any thought of isolation. 
 
 But then, there was the excitement of the occasion. Now, he 
 was solitary and alone. 
 
 Solitude and meditation are good for the soul, hence Jesus 
 enjoins, "Enter into thy closet and shut the door. " But this is not 
 the only duty or the highest good, hence the mandate, "Son, go 
 work to-day in my vineyard. " 
 
 There may be men of sufficient force to live godly lives in the 
 cloister, but ordinarily, piety is dwarfed when divorced from proper 
 associations. 
 
 To meet this need the lonely prophet was told that there were 
 seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 159 
 
 But perhaps his seeming failure was his heaviest burden. On 
 Carmel his life mission was apparently crowned with success, for the 
 people cried, "Jehovah, He is God." 
 
 Now he takes up the lamentation, "I, even I only, am left, and they 
 seek my life. " To correct this misapprehension, a strong wind, an 
 earthquake, and a fire came, but God was not in the wind, the quake, 
 or the fire. 
 
 And after the fire came a still small voice saying, "What doest 
 thou here, Elijah?" directing him where to go and what to do. 
 
 Had the Angel of the Lord appeared to the venerable man on 
 whose behalf we are gathered to pay our tribute of respect and love 
 before we commit all that is mortal to the custody of the tomb, 
 he would have detected none of the features which marked his visit 
 to Elijah, the Tishbite. 
 
 Had he repeated the inquiry of the olden time, it would have 
 been in tones of surprise to find that he who had borne life's burdens 
 and responsibilities for almost one fourth of a century beyond the 
 threescore and ten of mortal probation was still bearing the load. 
 Had he been overlooked? Could he have been forgotten? What 
 doest thou here, Elijah, when thine earthly work is done and done 
 gloriously? What doest thou here, Elijah, when grace divine has 
 made thee meet for the inheritance of the saints in light? 
 
 What doest thou here, Elijah, when fitted for thy coronation? 
 It is enough, good and faithful servant. Well done and welcome. 
 Come up higher and be forever with thy Lord. 
 
 But it is also noteworthy that when God sent the fiery chariot to 
 bear Elijah from his work to his rest, so profound was Elisha's sense 
 of the great loss he had sustained in the removal of his Leader, 
 Teacher, and Friend, that instead of attempting any analysis of his 
 character or rehearsing the exploits of his life, he simply cried out 
 in deepest anguish of spirit, "My father, my father, the chariot of 
 Israel and the horsemen thereof. ' ' 
 
 Realizing that greater than all spoken grief is that which is un-
 
 i6o ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 spoken because unspeakable, realizing that words cannot adequately 
 portray the deepest and tenderest emotions of the heart, Elisha 
 regarded and accepted silence as the most befitting expression of his 
 grief. Imitating his example we attempt no high-sounding eulogium, 
 Dr. Stoddard does not need it. His life is his best eulogy. We 
 pronounce no measured panegyric. He would not like it, and as 
 for anything savoring of fulsome adulation, he would despise it. 
 He is the last man whom I would canonize simply because he is 
 dead. Yes, dead to all earthly relations and obligations. 
 
 Without fear and misgiving our venerable father met the great 
 certitude of human life, confronting the recognized fact, "it is 
 appointed unto man once to die." 
 
 It is useless to raise the question as to whether God might not 
 have ordained a system which should be free from pain and sickness 
 and sorrow and death. 
 
 Futile has been the endeavor of the seers and sages of the past 
 and present to solve that great problem of the ages : Is the tomb the 
 final terminal? Does death end all? 
 
 Upon the basis of analogy and responsive to the deepest protests 
 of our instincts, human wisdom has pronounced it "possible," even 
 "probable, " that man may live beyond the grave. 
 
 But these same instincts cry out for something more substantial 
 than a mere possibility or probability, where such vital interests are 
 involved. 
 
 This great problem must have remained a sealed mystery, had 
 there not stood at the center of human history a unique man 
 proclaiming, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that 
 believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And who- 
 soever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. " 
 
 It was his simple faith and trust in a Crucified, Risen, Regnant 
 Redeemer, that made Dr. Stoddard the man he was and can make 
 each of us, if, like him, we are supremely jealous for the glory of God. 
 
 This was the formative, dynamic power in his life; it was the
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 161 
 
 burden of his love as he confronted death, which for him had no sting, 
 and over whom the grave achieved no victory. 
 
 He is dead, but still lives. Lives in the grateful memories of all 
 who knew him. 
 
 We recall the man of childlike simplicity, of marked unselfish- 
 ness, of deepest piety. While endowed with those elements which 
 go to make up the strong man, yet these were ever softened and 
 sanctified by his singular gentleness and his winning tenderness. 
 
 Very appropriately, we have brought the veteran Pastor back 
 once more to this the place of his toils, trials, and triumphs, but only 
 to bear him hence to his last long resting-place. 
 
 Never again shall we see that patriarchal form in this sacred desk. 
 Never again will that well-known voice arouse the slumbering echoes 
 of this house of God. Never again will he administer the baptismal 
 rite or dispense the emblems of the broken body and the shed blood. 
 
 His life-work is done and well done. He comes to his grave 
 approved alike by God and by man, without a stain on his character 
 or a spot on his reputation. Like Enoch of old, he walked with God 
 and is not with us, because God has taken him. Life's labors over, 
 he sleeps in Jesus, and we shall see him again, only when this mortal 
 shall have put on immortality. 
 
 Could he speak once more, his charge to us would doubtless be, 
 " Remember the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with 
 you." In the presence of the dead, let each ask himself, Am I 
 remembering? Am I living the life in the flesh by the faith of the 
 Son of God? Am I striving to glorify, in body and spirit, that Son 
 of God whose atoning sacrifice for sin it was his joy to make known 
 tome?" 
 
 Though we may not speak his worth or overestimate our loss, 
 we may imitate his example, and by so doing enshrine among our 
 dearest earthly memories and help perpetuate the name, the work, 
 and the worth of that honored servant of Christ who entered into 
 rest in the ninety-fourth year of his age, after a service of sixty-one
 
 162 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 years in the ministry and in the fiftieth year of his pastorate of this 
 church, the name of Elijah Woodward Stoddard. 
 
 A MEMORY ITEM OF THE MOST APPROPRIATE AND 
 TOUCHING ADDRESS OF DR. CHARLES A. STODDARD 
 
 I want to say a few words concerning my kinsman. The name 
 of Stoddard has had an honorable history in the annals of the Chris- 
 tian ministry. This tradition established by such men as Solomon 
 Stoddard in New England, was worthily maintained by Elijah W. 
 Stoddard. Though there is none good save God, yet, humanly 
 speaking, Dr. Stoddard was without blemish. He was gathered 
 to his fathers with no blot on his escutcheon. 
 
 Some lines in memory of Rev. Dr. E. W. Stoddard of Succasunna, 
 New Jersey, by one who was his colleague in the ministry from 1857 
 to 1860, and a yoke-fellow in Christian service through more than 
 fifty-six years. 
 
 O comrade in the bannered line 
 
 Of Christ our Leader, King; 
 At last the victory is thine; 
 
 The palms of triumph swing! 
 
 The end is reached, the end of road 
 
 Trod long by toiling feet ; 
 With joy the pilgrim drops his load; 
 
 God's watchman comes from beat ! 
 
 A golden sheaf of ripened grain 
 
 That waved in summer air, 
 Is born from field on harvest wain 
 
 To find the garner's care.
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 163 
 
 O brother mine, how early days 
 
 Around me surge and sweep ! 
 What echoes sweet of old-time lays 
 
 Across the distance leap ! 
 
 How oft our feet together trod 
 
 The hallowed place of prayer ! 
 How oft our eyes looked up to God 
 
 And found his blessing there ! 
 
 And now we toilers part a while, 
 
 One with his Lord to dwell ; 
 One here below to wait in file ; 
 
 Farewell! a short farewell! 
 
 O flock of God this shepherd led 
 
 Through half a hundred years, 
 Take up this autumn day your dead 
 
 While fall the" dimming tears, 
 
 In shadow of the old church walls 
 
 Lay down this hoary head, 
 Till trump of God the sleeper calls 
 
 And stirs the narrow bed. 
 
 Then back to service bravely go 
 
 With quickened heart and hand, 
 The soul alert, the face aglow, 
 
 The Master's loyal band ! 
 
 T. E. VASSAR. 
 Elizabeth, N. J., November 2, 1913.
 
 164 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Selections from the most interesting and appropriate sermon deliv- 
 ered by the Rev. R. E. Zeigler, on Sabbath evening, November 2, 1913. 
 
 THE REMARKABLE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF THE 
 BELOVED PASTOR OF FIFTY YEARS 
 
 FIRST, Dr. Stoddard was a good man. He was gathered to 
 his fathers with no blot on his escutcheon. A man in whom there 
 was no guile. His life was hid with Christ in God. 
 
 There are those who imagine that uprightness of life is a trifle 
 compared to more pretentious gifts. They excuse from indiscretions 
 one they term a genius. In the familiar incident of the young man 
 who came to ask what good thing he could do to inherit eternal life, 
 the answer was, "There is none good but God." 
 
 It is not power or wisdom, but eternal goodness, that is the 
 characteristic glory of God. That which is first with the Almighty 
 ought to be first in the estimation of men. No natural ability, no 
 amount of culture, no attainments, are to be weighed against good- 
 ness. Blessed is the man whose biography can be written in that 
 brief eulogy of Barnabas, " He was a good man and full of the Holy 
 Ghost and of faith. " 
 
 The Bible says that God made man in his own image and that 
 man defaced the image by his sin. Yet in every generation there 
 are men in whom we see the brightness of the Divine. 
 
 They shine as lights in the world. Such a man was Dr. Stoddard. 
 
 The springs of his piety were not far to seek. Talking to God 
 and listening to God were his daily meat and drink. The Holy 
 Scriptures were his dwelling-place all his life long. He was a past- 
 master in the difficult and divine art of conversing with God, because 
 the Master taught him to pray. 
 
 Any one who has had the privilege of being a guest at his house, 
 will never forget the morning and evening prayers. In that deep- 
 toned and mellow voice, which withstood the weakening of age, the 
 Doctor invoked Him whom he was wont to style, "The God of the
 
 MEMORIES OF THE EVENTFUL SABBATH 165 
 
 morning and the evening." He never failed to include in these 
 prayers special petitions for the sick and the sorrowing. On Satur- 
 day evenings his petitions were full of solicitude for the Sabbath and 
 its work. It was a benediction to hear him pray. 
 
 His pulpit prayers were marvels of that simplicity and compre- 
 hensiveness which must ever characterize the speech of man with his 
 Maker. Faith and obedience were the outcome of a daily walk with 
 God. 
 
 SECOND, Dr. Stoddard was a truly great pastor. He had 
 mastered the art of shepherding the flock. His example will be a 
 perennial inspiration to all the ministers who were associated in any 
 way with this pastor, who shared with his Lord the supreme love 
 for the sheep and the lambs of the fold. 
 
 Our Saviour said, "For this cause came I into the world, to lay 
 down my life for the sheep. " "As the Father hath sent me, so send 
 I you. " And what was first with the Good Shepherd must be first 
 with the pastors to whom are entrusted the flock of God. 
 
 The question is sometimes asked, Who is greater in the kingdom 
 of God, the pastor or the preacher? 
 
 A generation of great preachers is greatly to be desired, but the 
 sermon is the overflow of the preacher's soul, and there is nothing 
 which more inspires thought and prepares a quickened intellect to 
 select an appropriate message for the Sabbath, than the everyday 
 intercourse with men in all the associations of life, and under all the 
 varied experiences of joy and of sorrow. 
 
 Therefore the pastor and the preacher are mutually helpful. 
 They cannot be separated. A good minister of Jesus Christ is a 
 good shepherd. Such an one was Dr. Stoddard throughout his 
 long life. He never forgot the words of Peter: "Feed the flock 
 of God which is among you." He ever studied to show himself 
 approved unto the Good Shepherd, and when, after sixty-one years 
 of service, he fell asleep, men recalled the words of the apostle: 
 "And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive 
 the crown of glory which fadeth not away. "
 
 1 66 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 THIRD, Dr. Stoddard was a gift of God not only to this church 
 and community, but to the cause of Christianity. He was a stalwart 
 defender of the faith. His was that highest apologetic, the apologetic 
 of faithful service. 
 
 One will never be able to compute the value of services rendered 
 the Christian faith by those ministers who have been content to 
 labor in quiet country parishes, whose great gifts have been bestowed 
 on rural churches, and who have redeemed many a village from 
 oblivion by their self-sacrificing labors. 
 
 The pages of ecclesiastical history have records of many such 
 pastors, whose influence extended far beyond the circle of immediate 
 labor. In this Apostolic succession Dr. Stoddard had, and will 
 always have, a worthy place. 
 
 The manse and church of Succasunna will be fragrant forever in 
 many hearts because of its association with the ministry of Dr. 
 Elijah Woodward Stoddard. 
 
 No one who ever saw Dr. Stoddard will ever forget him. Those 
 who knew him will always be glad that their path crossed his path. 
 
 His monument is in the great company to whom he was a Father 
 and a Guide. 
 
 The children on whom he laid his hands in baptism, the young 
 men and women who were joined in marriage by his sweetly intoned 
 service, the ministers of the Gospel who counted him as brother, and 
 are inspired by the memory of his Christian life and ministry, the 
 households whose aching hearts he comforted in times of supreme 
 need, and the young and old whom he guided in the way everlasting, 
 all classes and conditions of his parish, unite in grateful remembrance 
 of this long pastorate. 
 
 May we add one word to the bereaved, in the words of the mes- 
 sage to Queen Victoria at the passing away of Prince Albert, 
 
 "May the love of all thy people comfort thee, till God's love 
 set thee at his side. "
 
 G,
 
 PEN PICTURES 
 
 These pen pictures have been arranged in response to a request 
 for some of the tributes that illustrate the different phases of char- 
 acter and periods of life. 
 
 As Dr. Stoddard was at the time of his "going home" the oldest 
 Alumnus of Amherst College and of Union Theological Seminary, 
 New York City, and as he had completed sixty-one years of active 
 service, he was much honored and beloved, but it was his chief joy 
 that he had been granted the privilege of entering on his fiftieth 
 year in the pastorate at Succasunna, N. J. 
 
 TRIBUTE FROM AMHERST 
 
 " I shall never forget the half -century reunion of the Class of '49 
 in 1899. The larger number are in the better country. It was a 
 great privilege to know Dr. Stoddard and to meet with him. His 
 presence was an inspiration." 
 
 FROM DR. FRANCIS BROWN, PRESIDENT OF UNION SEMINARY 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard's presence with us has so often been a benedic- 
 tion at the annual gatherings of the Seminary, and the knowledge 
 of the esteem and deep affection in which he has been held by the 
 succeeding generations of his long and happy pastorate has given 
 us such peculiar regard for him that the news of his translation 
 affects us very especially." 
 
 " A missionary from Central Africa tells us that the Africans say 
 of one who has died, 'He has arrived.' This is profoundly true 
 of Dr. Stoddard, and, while our sympathy is with you, we rejoice 
 with him." 
 
 167
 
 i68 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 FROM A FORMER PASTORATE 
 
 "What pleasant days they were. The well-filled auditorium on 
 the Sabbath and the crowded lecture-room at the mid-week service, 
 the large and flourishing Sunday school, the Pastor's calls, punctil- 
 iously and intelligently and spiritually made, and social amenities 
 acceptably observed, fixed the remembrance of those years among 
 the cherished memories of life. 
 
 " In my student days he once said to me, As in solving a mathe- 
 matical problem, one goes step by step until the solution is reached, 
 so in the matter of personal religion one having given assent to the 
 evangelical fundamentals, ought, as with the mathematical problem, 
 to accept fully and openly the result of such demonstration." 
 
 "Much of his life was withdrawn from the turmoil of near-by 
 cities, yet not withdrawn from the atmosphere of the best culture 
 and refinement. In a place where one could be apart from the world 
 and yet a faithful laborer of the world he esteemed it a privilege." 
 
 " In all that he has been, and in all that he is now, have we not 
 abundant cause for thanksgiving." 
 
 FROM HIS PRESBYTERY 
 
 "The translation of another Elijah leaves us a mantle that had 
 no stain or mark of dishonor, as became a co-worker with God." 
 
 "His wonderful youthfulness of spirit, his unvarying kindliness, 
 his extensive acquaintance and his devotion to his work make his 
 loss seem like a public calamity." 
 
 " I cannot imagine a more beautiful story than has been written 
 on the hearts of men by Dr. Stoddard. Everywhere he went people 
 were blessed and helped by the sweetness and strength of his char- 
 acter and influence. I felt it the moment that I met him in the
 
 PEN PICTURES 169 
 
 Morris and Orange Presbytery, over twenty-five years ago, and I 
 can feel now the reality of his prayers as he led his brethren in the 
 devotional service." 
 
 " In very truth could it be said of him that his life pathway bright- 
 ened and shone more and more until he came to the perfect day and 
 the awakening into the fullest life above." 
 
 "To some of us who in our young manhood felt the influence of 
 his life he has meant much and I am happy to think that no one on 
 earth can ever estimate the value of such an influence. It is 
 unending and limitless. I shall always think of Dr. Stoddard with 
 thanksgiving." 
 
 " I felt it a great honor to know Dr. Stoddard. What a record in 
 the completed volume of a beautiful character gone to its fulfilment ! 
 A long life of service has been crowned." 
 
 " Dr. Stoddard was an inspiration to all of the younger men in the 
 Presbytery. The fragrance of his ministry will linger with us until 
 we renew our friendship in the Father's house." 
 
 "One of God's good men the salt of the earth has been taken 
 and life is greatly impoverished. I am glad that I knew him and 
 knew him so well and I wish that all of us had more of his spirit. 
 The God who has guided his steps through his long pilgrimage will 
 abundantly comfort in the hour of sorrow." 
 
 " For the long life filled with the gracious influence of the indwell- 
 ing Christ, we have reason to be grateful and to rejoice in his joy, 
 as absent from the body he is present with the Lord." 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard's was indeed a remarkable life, not only in its 
 unusual length of active service, but also in its rare tenderness and 
 beauty."
 
 170 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 " I do want to express the sentiments of reverence and admiration 
 for Dr. Stoddard I have felt always, from the first moment I ever 
 saw him. He was to me in the flesh, what Abraham has been to my 
 mind and imagination Patriarchal in form and bearing the Man 
 of Faith. He believed God and it was accounted unto him for 
 righteousness. Thinking of what he was, one may sense the degree 
 of your earthly loss." 
 
 ''We held our venerable Brother in the highest respect. None 
 knew him but to love him. Surely his was a splendid witness, a 
 long course, an achieved victory." 
 
 "I would bear testimony to the warm Christian life and the 
 faithful ministry of the Patriarch of the Presbytery." 
 
 "The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance." 
 " He that doeth the will of God abideth forever. " 
 
 " How of ten his words were an inspiration as has been his life ever 
 since I knew him." 
 
 "He will be sorely missed, but his life and preaching have been 
 engraved upon the hearts of men and such a life is imperishable. 
 
 "As a Brother Pastor of earlier days it is pleasant to remember 
 that never a shadow of misunderstanding fell across our intimacies." 
 
 " At the meeting of the Presbytery of Morris and Orange, in Jan- 
 uary, 1914, Dr. Halloway was appointed to prepare a memorial of 
 Dr. Stoddard. On February eighth, Dr. Halloway was called to 
 the General Assembly of the first-born in Heaven, and the message 
 of his brethren was delivered in person. 
 
 "At the April meeting of the Presbytery some one else will be 
 delegated to write the word of appreciation for the church and the 
 household on this side of the river."
 
 PEN PICTURES 171 
 
 "His character is his monument; his life, his testimonial. He 
 lived to make the world better; his influence will remain to inspire 
 those who take up the work which he has laid down." 
 
 "One of the many who feel that their lives have been benefited 
 by the gracious uplifting influence of the dear pastor and friend." 
 
 " He lived a life of love love for the church, for the Sunday-school 
 love for everybody. His sympathy and charity were for those in 
 all the walks of life." 
 
 "What a benediction that life is to me! The embodiment of 
 kindness and goodness." 
 
 " Life has been rich in friendships, and high above them all stands 
 my acquaintance with the Pastor of Succasunna." 
 
 "May his high and unselfish life lead us to a more faithful per- 
 formance of our humble duties and to an unshaken faith in the ideals 
 of the great Teacher." 
 
 "He was in my regard the most truly good, the most saintly 
 human being I ever knew. We had reason to know him intimately, 
 and we watched the every-day patience and wisdom with which he 
 met trials, doing good to all, sometimes to the unthankful and 
 the evil. 
 
 "I heard his first public sermon in Dr. Asa D. Smith's church in 
 New York, ' and the people gladly received Him for they were wait- 
 ing for Him.' ' 
 
 " It puzzles me to think of the church and the individual lives of 
 the dear little village without the saintly benediction of his presence 
 but his life has entered into the life of the community that he 
 served for half a century."
 
 172 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "He is always associated with my earliest religious impressions 
 and aspirations." 
 
 "He will always live in the hearts of those he left behind. It will 
 always be a potent factor in the development of the highest type of 
 life. Wherever he went the people loved him, and that helped to 
 make life a success and to endow the community with the priceless 
 legacy of a Christian character." 
 
 "After turning over in my mind the many sides of Dr. Stoddard's 
 influence and usefulness I have been brought to realize that no 
 memory of his gracious personality and his zealous work for the 
 Master will ever be lost. I am glad that the sunset added beauty 
 and glory to the long, beautiful life, and so He giveth His beloved 
 sleep until the memory breaks and the shadows flee away. Assuredly 
 Dr. Stoddard was one of the beloved not only to those privileged to 
 know him but to the Master whom he so loyally and faithfully 
 served. It was a blessing to anyone to have known him, and his 
 memory will be cherished and his work go on and on and on through 
 the lives he has inspired to the highest service." 
 
 "Life's work well done, 
 Life's race well run, 
 Life's crown well won, 
 Then comes the rest." 
 
 " Dr. Stoddard possessed the qualities which are requisite for the 
 highest function of a Christian minister: great faculty of sympathy; 
 a mind masculine in its power, feminine in its tenderness ; humility ; 
 wisdom to direct; that knowledge of the world which Christ calls 
 the wisdom of the serpent, and that knowledge of evil which comes 
 from repulsion from it rather than from personal contact with it; 
 and whole-hearted consecration to God, the Church, and fellowmen."
 
 PEN PICTURES 173 
 
 FROM YOUNG MINISTERS ASSOCIATED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS 
 
 " How glad I am that at the very beginning of my own ministry 
 it was my favored lot to sit at his feet and learn of him. Anyone 
 who has had the privilege of being a guest in the parsonage at 
 Succasunna will never forget the morning and evening prayer. 
 
 "In that deep, mellow voice, which withstood the weakenings 
 of age, the Doctor invoked Him whom he was wont to style 'The 
 God of the morning and the evening.' He was a past master in the 
 divine art of conversing with God because he walked so close to God 
 at every step of the way." 
 
 "Can we wonder that he was truly a great Pastor? 
 
 " In shepherding the flock he studied every need of the hours of 
 sunshine and of shadow. He was especially watchful over the lambs, 
 associating himself in every way with their interests. 
 
 ' ' He was a stalwart Defender of the Faith, and the name of Succa- 
 sunna will be fragrant forever in many hearts because of its associa- 
 tion with the Apostolic ministry of Dr. Stoddard. 
 
 "Throughout life I shall esteem it a unique personal privilege 
 to have known a man who had served so long and so efficiently in 
 Christian work. 
 
 "Few pastors have succeeded in impressing their personality on 
 the character of a congregation so indelibly as Dr. Stoddard. My 
 estimate of him will always be in the superlative. 
 
 " Truly a great man has fallen ; my prayer is, Lord, let his mantle 
 fall on me." 
 
 " I came out from Union Seminary twice to preach for Dr. Stod- 
 dard. I have always remembered his fatherly nature. In his 
 patriarchal appearance he always reminded me of Abraham." 
 
 "A triumphant entry into a larger life for him an unspeakable 
 loss to us and to the church."
 
 174 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 " I regret that I could not be present with the multitude to express 
 by my presence something of the feeling of benediction that came 
 to me in the high privilege of sitting in the pulpit with him and 
 speaking to his people when, had his strength been sufficient, he 
 could have done it so much better. But the largest multitude is a 
 small representation of the great host who in the long lifetime were 
 blessed by his service, and I belong to that great majority who were 
 detained by distance and duty from paying our tribute of love." 
 
 " It is most difficult to express what Dr. Stoddard's life meant to 
 others." 
 
 "My heart will always be filled with gratitude to God that I 
 knew him, pure, sweet, stalwart soul, an inspiration in its con- 
 stant witness to the power and love of God." 
 
 " He has left enough of his spirit with the parish to strengthen the 
 faith of those who must carry on the work." 
 
 " It helps me to know that he was interested in my work. It 
 helps me to solve Missionary problems to remember that the work 
 is one on earth and in Heaven, and the parting is a physical one only 
 for, spiritually, we are one in seeking the glory of God." 
 
 " I never felt to such an extent the powerlessness of what we call 
 death to separate us from those who were and are workers together 
 with God." 
 
 MEMORIES OF THE SUMMER OF 1908 
 
 " It was in the spring of 1908 that I made my first visit to Succa- 
 sunna. 
 
 "After I had made several visits, the Doctor asked me if I would 
 assist him during the summer. One other call came to me, but I
 
 PEN PICTURES 175 
 
 can never be thankful enough that I decided to spend the summer 
 in Succasunna. 
 
 "It was my first work out of the seminary, and never could one 
 have been introduced to his work under a better guide. The Doctor 
 was a whole seminary course in himself. He was a great and good 
 shepherd of the sheep. One could not be with him without drinking 
 in a new estimate of the greatness and the glory of the ministry. 
 It was nothing less than a divine providence that brought me under 
 his influence. 
 
 "How well I recall the family prayers, the deep-toned voice in 
 which the household, the parish, and the world were commended to 
 God. How well I remember the many rides we had together, the 
 prayers which the Doctor offered in the homes of the sick, the 
 kindly words to those we met. Above all I remember his surpassing 
 kindness to me. 
 
 "The unvarying youthfulness of Dr. Stoddard was a source of 
 perpetual surprise. When in his company I was never appalled by 
 the difference in our ages. He could take a young man's point of 
 view. He could see life through a young man's eyes. Age had not 
 withered his youthful spirit. In a company of young people he 
 was in sympathy with the youngest. 
 
 "As to myself, he gave a few simple directions, and allowed me 
 to choose my own paths. Such trustfulness could not but win a 
 young man's deepest appreciation. 
 
 " Not a few young men now scattered throughout the world have 
 had also the inestimable privilege of association with the Doctor. 
 
 "Every one of them will thank God to the end of his days that he 
 was introduced to the work of the Christian ministry by such a rare 
 and radiant soul as Dr. Stoddard."
 
 176 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 A FEW REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES FROM THE CO- 
 WORKERS IN THE PASTORATE OF FIFTY YEARS. 
 
 KENVIL, N. J., Jan. 27, 1914. 
 DEAR MRS. STODDARD: 
 
 We mourn for Dr. Stoddard, and feel that in his death the Church, 
 the community, and we ourselves have suffered a great loss. 
 
 We realize that we have been favored by Divine Providence in 
 having had for many years the benefit of the services and prayers 
 of this righteous man. 
 
 That we may now so regulate our lives as to meet him in the 
 great beyond, is our earnest prayer. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 D. B. JARDINE. 
 
 One of the official members of the church, in referring to the 
 impression made by a sermon of Dr. Stoddard's, thirty years ago, 
 said that on one Sabbath, the illustration of the need of being rooted 
 and grounded in our faith was taken from the effect of a storm upon 
 the trees bordering our streets, or growing in the forest. 
 
 With the accuracy to nature that appealed to our every day 
 experiences, the Doctor outlined the scene of gathering clouds and 
 sweeping wind and pelting storm, under which the stalwart oak stood 
 firm, while the trees whose roots had not laid hold upon the strength of 
 the earth, were swayed to and fro, and many of them marked the 
 path of the storm as they lay prostrate on the ground, awaiting the 
 woodman's ax. 
 
 The narrator said, "I could not help seeing the tear-drop in the 
 eye and on the cheek, that told of the deep emotion of a strong young 
 man sitting near me, as the tender, earnest voice of the speaker drew 
 the lesson and made its plea to the reason and to the heart. 
 
 "The impression of that hour has remained with many to this
 
 PEN PICTURES 177 
 
 day, building up character for service in the church and in the 
 community." 
 
 w. c. s. 
 
 "I often think of you, and so frequently as I look back have I 
 remembered the guidance and original moulding of character and 
 religious training which I received at the hand of Dr. Stoddard. " 
 
 "One of the 'elect women' of the church, a lifelong member of 
 the community, said, in speaking of her pastor, 'One of the distin- 
 guishing characteristics of Dr. Stoddard was his purity of thought 
 and life.' 'To the pure all things are pure,' was eminently true of 
 the man who was so much like his Master that it can be truthfully 
 said, ' In him there was no guile.' 
 
 " Never was a disparaging word spoken nor allowed to be repeated. 
 'He hoped all things, believed all things' that were of good report. 
 And the lines must have been written on his countenance, as a 
 stranger to whom he came with a message in New York City, forty 
 years ago, said, ' I beheld the face of an angel.' " 
 
 ' ' His kindly devotion to every member of his congregation and his 
 constant cheerfulness have left beautiful memories. 
 
 "From my childhood, when asked who my pastor was, I have 
 always been so happy to reply, 'Dr. Stoddard, of Succasunna.' 
 I feel it a great blessing to have been counted one of his children. 
 I very often attended the large churches in New York City, but to 
 me no preacher seemed so great as dear Dr. Stoddard, and I would 
 wish that I might be where I could hear his voice and see him stand- 
 ing in his accustomed place in the church. Without his presence 
 I fear the old church will not be quite the same to me. " 
 
 "To me a pleasant memory of the evening worship was this 
 sentence so often used in acknowledging the mercies of God; 
 ' New in the morning, fresh in the evening, repeated every moment.' "
 
 178 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "In Dr. Stoddard it was my joy always to see the common 
 Christian characteristics raised to the highest degree of power. He 
 was wholly surrendered to the spirit; he mastered the spiritual 
 Word; he reaped even the corners of the wide fields of religious 
 thought ; he opened the iron gates of difficulty with the golden key 
 of prayer; he tested the finer possibilities of knowing God's will, 
 by a service which embraced many kinds of loving devotion to his 
 fellowmen. 
 
 "And so he came to be the Dr. Stoddard I knew, a man of 
 sunshine, enthusiasm, sympathy, patience, simplicity, and integrity 
 of faith. What I always marveled over was the finished and mature 
 character of all these traits in him. His sunshine had no drifting 
 shadows to make it intermittent, his enthusiasm was not spasmodic, 
 but continuous; his sympathy knew no checks through over strain 
 or monotony ; his patience was not passivity, but the greater power 
 to 'wait for the revealing'; his simplicity of faith was that which 
 Jesus commended to Martha, ' But one thing is needful. ' ' 
 
 "The fruits of his earnest work for so many years will assuredly be 
 an enduring monument to him. He was associated with so many 
 of my early experiences those experiences which were most dear to 
 me that his loss is keenly felt by me, as it must be also by many, 
 many others." 
 
 "What some people would call affliction, was named the guidance 
 of a Father's hand. " 
 
 "I scarcely know how to select a single characteristic of the 
 pastor whose whole life seemed so rounded out and complete in every 
 particular. But as I think it over I am specially impressed with his 
 gentle, quiet manner of dealing with his people at all times. No 
 matter how crooked and unruly any of them were, he never scolded 
 nor found fault, but quietly led them back into line. Then his 
 ever ready sympathy with his flock in times of joy or sorrow; never
 
 PEN PICTURES 179 
 
 too old to be interested in all the young people were doing, or too 
 young to enter into the pleasures of the older ones. " 
 
 "He was an earnest, faithful, and devoted Christian pastor, 
 reaching out in every direction, working for the good of his people. 
 Amid many discouragements, and handicapped by illness in his own 
 family, still he pressed on toward the mark for the prize of the high 
 calling of God in Christ Jesus." 
 
 "My memories of him are all delightful, and his teachings of long 
 ago have been an influence for good through all the years. " 
 
 "I can affirm most earnestly that one had only to meet Dr. 
 Stoddard to realize and appreciate his noble, honored, and lovable 
 character." 
 
 "We shall so miss his venerable figure when we come home. 
 But what a blessed memory he has left behind him in his well- 
 rounded life of well-nigh a century! 
 
 "Oh, for a little talk with him! Truly we are all bereaved. He 
 has been to me all my life such a kind true friend. To fill his place 
 is just impossible ; to fill the pulpit will be comparatively easy, and 
 the young people can find a friend in a new pastor, but Dr. Stoddard 
 has been a father to most of us, and no other can ever be the same. 
 
 " He knew every child by name and greeted them each as he 
 passed. His kindly, loving counsel is always in my mind. I feel 
 now as if I have no one at all to whom I can go for rest of mind. 
 His faith impelled me to believe ; his rare good sense gave me such 
 a feeling of stability; I could depend upon it. " 
 
 "With the first news of his release came the realization of how 
 nearly he lives in the hearts of his people. It is he who has taught us 
 the deeper inner truths that are our lifelong gift and foundations of 
 our being. It is he who has taught us and explained to us by his
 
 i8o ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 life, the fundamental truth of the Fatherhood of God in so real a way 
 that it can never leave us. Mother has told me these, saying that 
 Dr. Stoddard gave her the knowledge and realization, so that genera- 
 tions may well call him blessed. This, people will realize more than 
 ever. 
 
 " O, dear, blessed, faithful, father and friend, I cannot believe 
 that I shall never feel his peace and assurance and love in the flesh. 
 I cannot bear to think of any one's taking up his work in the church. 
 We must not grieve for Dr. Stoddard. Think only of his joy in 
 having fought the good fight and in receiving his reward. " 
 
 REPRESENTATIVE TRIBUTES 
 
 " My pleasantest impressions of Dr. Stoddard are connected with 
 his care of the lambs of his flock. My first recollections are of his 
 cordial greetings, to even the smallest child, as he walked through the 
 village streets. He was able to call each little one by name, and 
 could truly be said to lead them toward the 'green pastures.' 
 When driving, he never failed to greet each child with a wave of the 
 hand, which was always appreciated and returned. 
 
 " He never forgot his own, and when one revisited the home of his 
 childhood, of one thing he was sure, Dr. Stoddard had not forgotten 
 him, and the welcome he received from his pastor was one of the 
 delights of the home coming. If Dr. Stoddard went into a strange 
 town or city, his thought would be, 'Are there any of my own here?' 
 And at any expense of time or trouble he would hunt them up. 
 'The sheep who were not of his pasture,' 'the stranger within the 
 gates,' had just as cordial a welcome, but he loved his own best. 
 
 " One of my mind pictures of Dr. Stoddard is as he conducted the 
 monthly Sunday-School Concert, an institution which was very 
 helpful in the early part of his ministry. The faithful work in 
 preparing for these exercises, and the hours spent in getting ready 
 for the Christmas celebration are not forgotten. This was done
 
 PEN PICTURES 181 
 
 often through much discouragement. All his lambs were not 
 embryonic angels, but he had infinite patience. 
 
 " This reminds me of another trait, his compassion and charity 
 and toleration for the small offenses of the children. He loved the 
 sinner, but oh, how he hated the sin. I have a vivid recollection of 
 the flash in his eye as one was spoken of who had proved himself 
 unworthy. It was involuntary, for not one word of condemnation 
 passed his lips. But how he scorned the ignoble act. A pure man 
 himself, he would all men were pure. " 
 
 "It is more than thirty years since I first met my dear pastor. 
 Dr. Stoddard always seemed like a father to me, as he listened with 
 patience and kindliness to all I had to tell. And we were proud not 
 only of his record at home, but of his reception abroad. The at- 
 tentions paid him at all religious and social gatherings were so many 
 and so hearty and so deserved. 
 
 " I have been associated with him under many circumstances, in 
 joy and sorrow, as a teacher, preacher, and friend who never failed 
 me. A truly Christian soldier was he. 
 
 " But my latest remembrance, sad, oh, so sad, because I realized 
 the nearness of the end of life's journey; but mingled with sadness 
 was gladness, for those days were filled with God-given peace, 'the 
 peace which passeth all understanding,' the great peace which is of 
 God, gained through joy, sorrow, and striving. 
 
 "He was ready for the Master's calling. He still lives; his 
 example and his influence will never die. 
 
 " The memories of the past, how they crowd in one after an- 
 other. The thoughts of the future, who can tell how far-reaching? 
 Would we had more such true-hearted Christian gentlemen. " 
 
 "I could write pages and yet not be able to express my feelings, 
 nor what Dr. Stoddard has been to me all my life. He has been 
 like a dear father to me nearly ever since I can remember. It was
 
 1 82 ELIJAH WOODWARD STOOD ARD 
 
 always a joy to be in his presence and to be within the sound of his 
 voice. He helped me in my Christian life more than any other. 
 
 " As a child it set me in a tremble of delight when I saw the familiar 
 horse and carriage approaching me on the street, for I knew I should 
 be stopped and feel the warm hand-clasp, and meet the kind ques- 
 tions with probably a gentle reference to things heavenly, which were 
 pondered in my heart until the next meeting. " 
 
 "In thinking of him I see him in many ways. I remember dis- 
 tinctly how he used to caution our wayward little lips, by putting 
 his forefinger to his lips, and smiling to us with his eyes, and com- 
 forting us in our childish troubles by laying his hand on our heads, 
 and with tender words soothing our hearts. I often think how we 
 must have tried his patience. 
 
 "And there was no pastor so loving to his flock as Dr. Stoddard. 
 I know as a child, when visiting other Sunday-schools, I would think, 
 'There is no minister so dear as Dr. Stoddard.' I shall never forget 
 his words of comfort in our great sorrow when our loved ones were 
 taken from us. How great was his care of us in these dark lonely 
 days. It may be truly said of him, ' He gave the joy of living to 
 others.'" 
 
 "We can never forget him and his kind fatherly care and 
 interest in us all." 
 
 "I shall treasure Dr. Stoddard's photograph. It brings to mind 
 the interest he always displayed in my spiritual welfare as a child and 
 young woman." 
 
 Some greeted him as, "Dear Inspiration." 
 
 "I have so often thought of the time when I accompanied you 
 and the Doctor to Boston. How proud I was of Dr. Stoddard. I 
 was happy to say, ' He is my pastor and my dear friend.'
 
 PEN PICTURES 183 
 
 " I can see him now as he stood, the center of admiration, looking 
 so stately and so good. That was the way I always found him, good, 
 kind, and lovely. A better friend one never had. " 
 
 FROM OUR SUNDAY-SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT 
 
 In reviewing the past years, I am at a loss to adequately express 
 my appreciation of Dr. Stoddard, and what he did for me. Never 
 having known another pastor, the period of my life covers the larger 
 part of his eventful pastorate in this community. 
 
 My recollection carries me back to the time when the sessions 
 of the Sunday-school were held in the church, previous to the erec- 
 tion of the Memorial Chapel, where the pastor taught a large Bible 
 class. But it was within the last twelve years in which I was more 
 closely associated with him more intimately, during the last six 
 years, when more actively engaged in Sunday-school work. It is of 
 his work and deep interest in the school, of which I particularly 
 desire to write, because here was the work most dear to his heart. 
 
 Only circumstances beyond his control ever kept him from his 
 accustomed place in the Sunday-school, where he always taught the 
 Bible class, and took active part in the devotional exercises, giving 
 inspiration and encouragement. The purity of his life, his stainless 
 character, his fine intellect, exerted a wonderful influence over the 
 young, as well as the older members. He knew them all by name 
 and was ever ready with a kind word and smile. 
 
 Never has there been a pastor and teacher who more constantly 
 and consistently taught and upheld higher ideals to the members of 
 his school than did Dr. Stoddard. That all should gain a thorough 
 knowledge of the Bible, which he knew and loved so well, was always 
 his chief aim. His supreme object, his constant prayer, was that all 
 of the members should find the Christ, and become confessing Chris- 
 tians, actively engaged in Christian work. 
 
 It was always his practice to include in the devotional exercises
 
 184 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 either the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, or a Psalm, particu- 
 larly the First, Twenty-third, or Nineteenth. A short prayer at the 
 close of the session was always followed by the first, second, and 
 tenth verses of the Fifty-first Psalm, and the Lord's Prayer. Many 
 have been the testimonies from those who have felt the influence in 
 their lives, of the knowledge thus gained of these portions of the 
 Word. 
 
 Another strong feature at one time, in the exercises, was the sing- 
 ing, led by the pastor, in his inimitable voice. Who of us can forget 
 the deep resonant tones, as he sang so heartily? Who of us have not 
 been moved by the charm of his voice, which was, and continued to 
 the last, the wonder of all who heard it? 
 
 His deep interest in the school never abated, a message being sent 
 on the last Sabbath. During the months when he was unable to be 
 present, I endeavored to keep him informed concerning the work. 
 Wise counsel, words of encouragement and cheer were always given, 
 and one could but go away feeling the influence of his personality, 
 and with a desire to strive for the higher things in life. 
 
 On the occasion of one of my last visits, these words were given : 
 "Keep right on do not allow anything to hinder you in your work 
 for Christ." 
 
 His was a grand, noble life always a living example of what he 
 preached in every sense, a real pastor. 
 
 The value of such a life cannot be estimated, because there are 
 no bounds to its influence, which will go on and on, through the 
 coming years. Truly, he was a man who "walked with God."
 
 PEN PICTURES 185 
 
 FROM THE RECORDING SECRETARY OF THE MORRIS CO. SUNDAY- 
 SCHOOL ASSOCIATION TRIBUTE TO REV. DR. 
 E. W. STODDARD 
 
 I cannot close this volume of our Minutes without referring to 
 the loss of our Association in the call on October 30, 1913, to the 
 higher life of our long-time friend and co-laborer, Dr. E. W. Stoddard, 
 for fifty years pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Succasunna. 
 
 He was spared us until he had reached his ninety-fourth year, 
 leaving behind him a life full of good words and works. 
 
 He was present at our convention at New Vernon in 1911 ; and 
 sent us a warm greeting when we assembled at Morristown in 1912, 
 which was printed on page 2 of our minutes of that year. We 
 shall miss his kindly face and wise counsel. 
 
 FROM THE PRESIDENT OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR 
 LOVING MEMORIES A PEN PICTURE 
 
 A Pen Picture of Dr. Stoddard, did you say! Ah! what chapters 
 might be written to express one's thoughts; what volumes might be 
 filled to fully describe the life and character of the man as I knew 
 him. Such a task is beyond the ability of the writer, who cannot 
 put all he feels into expression. 
 
 My first recollection of Dr. Stoddard was in my very early boy- 
 hood, when as a lad of seven years I learned to look for visits of our 
 then aged pastor, as he and " Dolly" made almost daily visits to our 
 house to plan church work with my beloved father. 
 
 As I grew older, the acquaintance also grew until I reached my 
 thirteenth year, when my father was called home from his earthly 
 labors.
 
 186 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The ties of friendship between my father and Dr. Stoddard had 
 been very close, and after his going away I naturally came to look 
 to Dr. Stoddard as a counsellor and guide, going to him for counsel, 
 and advice, always being received with the same kindly spirit of 
 interest and love that marked his character to the last. On these 
 occasions of confidential exchanges he never lost an opportunity of 
 impressing upon me the importance of accepting Christ as my per- 
 sonal Savior in my youth. 
 
 Nothing sensational ever marked these quiet meetings, but the 
 gentle kindly advice, the strong personality of the man, had a far 
 more powerful effect on me, finally bringing about the result desired 
 by him. 
 
 In more recent years, the bond of friendship between us grew 
 more close by church work, as he depended more on his young people 
 to help him carry out his work here ; whether we failed or succeeded 
 is not for me to say at this time. If we failed, it was surely not for 
 want of an example of a godly man, which Providence had given us. 
 If we in a measure succeeded, it was only because of the influence of 
 this same quiet godly life constantly set before us in previous years, 
 endeavoring to mould our characters by the influence of his strong 
 personality and good example. 
 
 When the end finally came, I lost one, who had, through long 
 years of association in daily life and church work, endeared himself 
 to me in many ways, and it is my earnest desire that the young people 
 of this place, especially the members of our Christian Endeavor 
 Society in which Dr. Stoddard was always deeply interested, may 
 profit by the influence of this peaceful and noble life, and determine 
 to do more efficient work because of it. If we have not profited, 
 the fault surely lies with us. 
 
 I have tried, in my simple way, to describe the man as I knew him, 
 to picture him as he was, yet I know I have failed to put all I feel 
 into words, but the loving memories of years now gone, help me more 
 than idle words, or expression ever can, and if any homely sentence
 
 PEN PICTURES 187 
 
 recorded here is adequate to form but a small portion of the "Pen 
 Picture, " then the writer is content. 
 
 Lives 
 
 Of great men 
 
 Very often 
 
 Imply 
 
 Nothing, but worldly 
 
 Gain. 
 
 Many men 
 
 Enter life's struggle, but the lives of but few 
 
 Men 
 
 Or women 
 
 Result 
 
 In such success, as that of 
 
 Elijah W. 
 
 Stoddard. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 G. W. THORPE, 
 
 Succasunna, N. J. 
 January 20, 1914. 
 
 A FEW OF THE MESSAGES FROM FRIENDS 
 
 " Dr. Stoddard has a gift which enables him to unfold his heart 
 for the joy of others." 
 
 " From a child I have loved and admired that man of God." 
 
 ' ' Dr. Stoddard's life was a hymn of praise. What a blessed thing 
 to die thus loved and honored, and leave a ministry complete."
 
 1 88 ELIJAH WOODWARD STOOD ARD 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard's life meant so much to me, not only because he 
 was the only pastor I have ever known, but also because he was so 
 strong and secure in his faith as a Christian and so exemplary in 
 his life." 
 
 " Even in our sorrow we almost rejoice because this saintly ambas- 
 sador of God has received the reward which he so richly deserved." 
 
 " No labor was too heavy, for Christ and the church." 
 
 ' ' For me there was always comfort and peace in his voice and in 
 the touch of his hand ; hundreds of hearts have felt the blessing of his 
 long beautiful life of service." 
 
 "We like to remember Dr. Stoddard as associated with the most 
 important time of our lives. I can never forget the impressive 
 marriage service and the benediction of his presence." 
 
 "We have been unusually blessed to have him with us all these 
 years; I am thankful that I was privileged to be one of his children." 
 
 " He lived such a beautiful life, he leaves a large family to mourn 
 for him. 
 
 "They must live up to the standard of his life." 
 
 1 ' Few will have more friends to really grieve over his departure and 
 the influence of such a quiet, earnest life of purpose widens until it 
 makes one glow to feel that they have been within the circle of it." 
 
 "I am only one of myriads that he has helped by his public 
 ministry and his home life." 
 
 "'Go on and on whatever the discouragement may be,' was the 
 .message of his life of faithfulness that had a thought and a word 
 and a kindly act for everybody."
 
 PEN PICTURES 189 
 
 "It has been a benediction to me, all the years the strength of 
 his character made him the trusted counselor and his gracious 
 presence made him the ideal friend." 
 
 " In the sweet service that gave me my wife, he seemed to make 
 life so beautiful How we love him!" 
 
 " The love for Christ and his work made every effort of the church 
 in its varied branches of interest to Dr. Stoddard." 
 
 "At one time the M. E. Conference was in session in Newark. 
 Dr. Stoddard quietly entered the church to hear some of the 
 speakers. He was discovered and led to the platform and the 
 entire congregation arose in greeting." 
 
 "Night after night in the special meetings of the M. E. Church 
 in his own village he shared in the service, always giving some word 
 of the Lord that might guide into the light. 
 
 " If some one alluded to a church not in accord with our doctrine, 
 he would simply say, 'Those people do not think quite as we do.' " 
 
 "He was such a large-hearted, pure-hearted man, so progressive 
 in spirit and lovable in deed. We miss him sorely, but he is with 
 Jesus, whose he was, and whom he served so long and so faithfully. " 
 
 "What a splendid and telling life it was, and how it continues, 
 and will continue to live in the hearts and lives of others. " 
 
 "To have kept in service almost to the last is a distinction so rare 
 that we can not too highly value it. It is apt to be forgotten that 
 God set a special honor upon long life, and the most beautiful thing 
 in the world is ripe, mellow, sane old age. " 
 
 "It was only two weeks ago, when I was visiting at the Union 
 Seminary, that one of the students told me of his visits to Succa-
 
 190 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 sunna, and of the wonderful influence of Dr. Stoddard. I have also 
 heard his name mentioned in different parts of our State. His life 
 has exerted an influence far beyond the bounds of your little town. " 
 
 "There are so many thoughts relative to Dr. Stoddard's influ- 
 ence and helpfulness. How thankful I am that I was a scholar in 
 his Sunday-school. This early training, together with that of later 
 years, helps me to say, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by thy 
 spirit.'" 
 
 "His character is his monument. His life is his testimonial. 
 He lived to make the world better. He served his day with devotion 
 and fidelity. His spirit, his chivalry, his devotion, will remain and 
 abide to inspire and to encourage those who will take up the work 
 which he has laid down." 
 
 ' ' How many lives he has helped. How many are thinking of him 
 now with reverence and thankfulness. How many too, doubtless, 
 in the other life have already greeted him with joy as the one who 
 helped to bring them to that unseen world. I have known your 
 husband only in his advanced years but I am rejoiced to think how 
 he was surrounded with affection. 'The hoary head is a crown of 
 glory.' Few have been allowed to continue in their work so long. " 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard's portrait will be preserved by us. Even a 
 glance from it would point to the skies." 
 
 " Having known Dr. Stoddard so long and so well, his going away 
 is a personal loss. All who knew him are mourning." 
 
 "Dr. Stoddard will always live in the hearts of those he left 
 behind." 
 
 " The dear Doctor has always been a benediction to me."
 
 PEN PICTURES 191 
 
 "Ninety years of life, sixty years specially devoted to standing 
 steadfastly pointing, pointing toward the right, is a monument 
 more enduring than granite." 
 
 "Just before I left, the two, the man who had passed eighty-eight 
 milestones, and the lad of twenty-four, sat side by side, the one 
 giving, the other receiving instruction for the Sunday service. ' I 
 am sure you will do the boy good,' I said, 'and I hope he will serve 
 you well.' Then the erect figure, seeming to stand a little taller, 
 and looking at me steadily, said, 'We will do our best, and do you 
 pray for us mightily.' " 
 
 " There is scarcely a day in the week that he doesn't have some- 
 thing going on to amuse or interest the young people of this place." 
 
 " He was one of the rare men of the world; and the beauty of his 
 life will have an influence in Succasunna yes, in Syria, and wherever 
 there are those who knew him, for many years to come." 
 
 ' ' To me Dr. Stoddard stood for everything that was good and 
 holy. 
 
 " I am sure no minister was more beloved by his people and others. 
 I heard a man say, 'If I had been brought up in Dr. Stoddard's 
 church, I think I would have been a better man.' " 
 
 While Dr. Stoddard was of far more than ordinary ability as a 
 thinker and a preacher, his great hold upon his people lay in his 
 unselfish devotion to their welfare and in his purity of spirit and 
 purpose. He won their hearts through loving service and genuine 
 sympathy and compassion. His attitude in theology, personal life, 
 and pastoral service was ever optimistic, cheery and inspirational. 
 
 Truly another aged patriarch has been "gathered to his people" 
 without ever crossing the dreaded "dead line." 
 
 A "friend of God" and a "father" of blessings to multitudes. 
 
 REV. WM. HOPPAUGH.
 
 192 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 " One of the most beautiful qualities of this one of God's noblemen 
 was his broad Christian sympathy and fellowship which was not 
 limited by creed. It was always an inspiration to the higher life. 
 He possessed all the elements of the teacher and leader. He had 
 sunshine and good advice for the children, wisdom and encourage- 
 ment and an ever ready helping hand for the "grown ups," and for 
 all the benediction of a beautiful life." 
 
 At the Peddie Memorial Church prayer-meeting, the clerk was 
 authorized to send the sympathy of the entire church to whom in 
 former days he brought so many messages of peace and good will. 
 
 These ninety years ! 
 
 Yet it would seem but yesterday to thee, 
 When, as a toddler at thy mother's knee, 
 
 Those mighty truths were learned ; 
 Which in thine after life thou did'st repeat 
 To congregations sitting at thy feet. 
 
 But not alone 
 
 The faithful servant passes to his rest 
 In long eternity amongst the blest ; 
 
 A happy throng, 
 
 Of those who through his lips the truth received, 
 And in the name of Jesus Christ believed, 
 
 With joy him greet, 
 
 While others follow on their bliss to share ; 
 And swell the happy song of triumph there, 
 
 At Jesus' feet. 
 
 MARY A. WAY. 
 
 He is not greatest who is great in only one branch of his life, 
 but he is great whose life is symmetrical, evenly balanced. Find 
 such a man and he is the man God says he wants. One's ability 
 to do good is measured by one's capacity to inspire others. 
 
 DR. EDWARD JUDSON.
 
 PEN PICTURES 193 
 
 That pulpit is not weak which has in it a man with a prophet's 
 message, a real man who insists that men's relations to Christ 
 shall regulate all their relationships in life. 
 
 REV. THOMAS VILLERS. 
 
 This is the truth about the procession of life when life is related 
 to God! "They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them 
 appeareth in Zion before God!" 
 
 REV. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, D.D.
 
 THANKSGIVING 
 
 NOVEMBER 27, 1913 
 
 On March 3 1st, at a union service in this church, the Pastor's 
 sermon touched a chord that vibrates in this Thanksgiving service. 
 As it was among the last messages of the Fiftieth year of his ministry 
 at Succasunna, the central thought of "Hosannah" may inspire 
 this Thanksgiving Day. 
 
 A SELECTION 
 
 It has been quaintly said that many of our blessings come to us 
 in such commonplace wrappings that we do not always open them 
 to find the jewels they bring. 
 
 There are gems whose price is above rubies, that come to us in 
 the everyday wrappings of the home-life, and sometimes they are 
 accepted without a true appreciation of their worth. 
 
 There are precious opportunities for service that come with the 
 daily tasks and they will enrich life if we unfold and appropriate. 
 
 Let this Thanksgiving Day number its obligations to earth and 
 to Heaven and prepare for the great Thanksgiving Day of the eternal 
 life. 
 
 There is a bright side to everything, but in order to see it, we must 
 be on the sunward side of the cloud. Walking with God means 
 walking on the sunward side. 
 
 THANKSGIVING, 1913 
 
 Another Thanksgiving will cluster in one 
 The dear household bands who are meeting at home, 
 Another Thanksgiving has opened the door 
 To the Father's own Presence and those "gone before." 
 
 194
 
 THANKSGIVING 195 
 
 We sit at the table, God's bounty has spread, 
 For them our dear Father has broken the bread. 
 We share in the fruitage the seasons have given, 
 They share with the Angels who welcomed to Heaven. 
 
 We join in the song that would number our days 
 By the mercies that follow in all of our ways. 
 They sing with the ransomed of blessings untold, 
 That for ages to come will their richness unfold. 
 
 We trust in the promise, "the Lord will provide, " 
 But those who are walking so close to His side 
 Can trace all the guidings, and know of the Love 
 That is granted below and perfected above. 
 
 And thus, while the clouds may o'ershadow the road, 
 We commit every step of the future to God, 
 Well assured we shall praise Him when we too shall come 
 To the Thanksgiving Day with our loved ones at Home. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S CHRISTMAS 
 MESSAGE OF ONE YEAR AGO 
 
 As this is the Forty-ninth Christmas-tide that I have been 
 privileged to be with this church and people, I am glad that my 
 message can be the same as that of nearly half a century ago. 
 
 "We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship 
 him." Matt, ii, 2. 
 
 Almost all the congregation of that Christmas time have fol- 
 lowed the Star into the presence of the King. 
 
 Many who were with us last year are spending this Christmas 
 "At Home." 
 
 As I said to you on a Sabbath evening, three weeks ago, my 
 sister, my only sister, was called the day before Thanksgiving. 
 The dear Saviour came for her and leading her by the hand to an 
 open door, He said, " My daughter, this is your Home, it is the place 
 prepared for you, the place for which you have been preparing by 
 your earnest, faithful Christian life" ; and passing over the threshold 
 she entered upon the life everlasting. 
 
 Let us remember that we go not merely to the General Assembly 
 of the Saints in Heaven, but we go to a place prepared for our 
 individual needs and our individual work, a home in which our 
 highest ideals are to be realized and every desire of the heart find 
 its fullest satisfaction, a place for which we are being prepared by 
 all that is beautiful and bright in our lives and even by trials and 
 difficulties. ,. 
 
 Joy and sorrow develop, as sunshine and cloud prepare for the 
 harvest, and we do want to join the reapers "bringing in the 
 sheaves." 
 
 196
 
 DR. STODDARD'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 197 
 
 The Star led the Wise Men to the Christ. The tradition is that 
 for a moment they lost sight of the Star, but they followed the path, 
 and coming to a well near Bethlehem as they looked down into its 
 depths, they saw the Star. 
 
 Pilgrims still gaze into this well as they journey to Bethlehem. 
 We did not see the reflection of the Star, but we remembered that 
 the Christ of Bethlehem is now on the throne as St. John saw Him 
 in Patmos ' ' In his right hand are seven stars and the seven stars are 
 the angels of the seven churches," and we recognize the privilege of 
 the church of God to be a light in the world, reflecting the light 
 of the Christ whose glory is to fill Heaven and earth. 
 
 The wise men followed the Star. They brought gifts. What 
 can we bring? Our hearts and our service, remembering the word 
 of the Lord Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
 least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me. " 
 
 At the creation, "The morning stars sang together." Job. 
 xxxviii, 7. 
 
 The song of the Angels brought the glad tidings of the birth of 
 Christ. Luke ii, 10, u. 
 
 The star in the east heralded his coming and his errand of light. 
 Matt, ii, 2. 
 
 And the redeemed of every kindred and tongue and people 
 and nation shall sing a new song in the new heaven and the new 
 earth. Rev. v, 9. 
 
 "Oh, that with yonder sacred throng 
 
 We at His feet may fall, 
 To sing the everlasting song 
 And crown Him Lord of all." 
 
 "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, 
 and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and 
 ever." Dan. xii, 3.
 
 198 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 As the stars beyond our sight 
 
 In a ministry of light 
 Gently hold us in our sphere, 
 Absent loved ones draw us near 
 To their home, whose gates ajar 
 Send the guiding ray afar. 
 
 Star by star on earth must set, 
 
 But the Heavenly, coronet 
 , Has one other cheering ray 
 For the shadows of the way, 
 Ministrations of that light 
 Comforting the weary night. 
 
 Thus our loved with us abide 
 In their influence to guide, 
 As the messages from home 
 With their Benedictions come, 
 Passing on the Ministry 
 Of a half a century. 
 
 Thus the work goes on and on, 
 
 Until that eternal morn, 
 When the angels sing again 
 And we chant the glad refrain, 
 As each star becomes a gem 
 In the royal diadem. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 Succasunna, N. J., Christmas, 1913.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 199 
 
 [Printed for the closing Sabbath of 1913] 
 DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 
 
 MALACHI iii, 10 
 
 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, 
 and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows 
 of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive 
 it." 
 
 The same love that spoke through the prophet Isaiah in such 
 tones of entreaty, "Come now, let us reason together," sends us 
 this message by Malachi, "PROVE ME NOW." Give me the oppor- 
 tunity; put my words to the test. Fulfil the conditions of each 
 promise and receive the blessing. At the opening of another year 
 we have been called to look out upon the Christian world gathered 
 around the throne of God in the week of prayer. The message has 
 come to us as individuals. 
 
 Who knows but thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time 
 as this. 
 
 We recognize that at great crises in the history of mankind 
 great leaders have been raised up to meet the emergency, but we do 
 not always realize what the quiet life that has brightened the 
 pathway and shared the burdens and left footprints that were safe 
 to follow, what such lives have meant to the world. We can never 
 estimate their power and their helpfulness. 
 
 To all of us have come moments of inspiration, as we have 
 listened to the music of the human voice or of some instrument 
 responsive to the skillful hand. 
 
 The voice of the sweet singer has been trained, the instrument 
 has been attuned to the will of the Master, and where he has had the 
 fullest control the most perfect has been this response. 
 
 We are told that Stradivarius while making his violins associated 
 his workmanship with the infinite. He said, " It is God choosing me
 
 200 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 to help Him," and this realization of his relationship to God in his 
 work of bringing harmony and melody out of a perfected instrument 
 ennobled his daily life. 
 
 Our common days are associated with the wonders and the possi- 
 bilities that under God's guidance may elevate and bless the world. 
 
 Would we make life a psalm, a hymn of praise, a paean of victory, 
 we must let God use our every power of thought and submit our 
 wills to His will. We must give Him the fullest opportunity to use 
 all that we have and are for His glory. 
 
 How can we do this? First, by trusting God ; second, by prayer; 
 third, by service. Thus we bring the tithes into the storehouse. 
 
 Dr. Matthews, Moderator of General Assembly, in interpreting 
 his text to his people called it, Giving God a Chance, and he asked 
 the question, "Have You Given God a Chance?" 
 
 It appealed to me as a novel way to interpret Malachi's message 
 in Twentieth Century language, and it comes home to us to-day. 
 Are we doing our part, or are we hindering the coming of the blessing? 
 
 Dr. Matthews uses this illustration, "Out of yonder fountain 
 pours the pure crystal stream of cold water. Thousands of gallons 
 come from the unceasing source. You stand at the fountain with a 
 bucket in your hand and over it pours the crystal stream. Some- 
 body says, 'Why isn't your bucket full?' And upon examination 
 it is found that the lid of the bucket is on and fastened, yes, sealed, 
 making it impossible for one drop of water to flow into the bucket. " 
 
 In like manner, unbelief, doubt, distrust, lack of faith, seal the 
 openings to the heart and the soul and the life, making it impossible 
 for God's blessing to pour into you. Should not this New Year open 
 up the heart and the life that God's blessings may flow freely to 
 enrich every day of this New Year? 
 
 We are studying in our Sunday School of the great beginnings. Our 
 interest to-day centers in the Garden of Eden our ancestral home. 
 
 Milton in his poem suggests the need of guardian angels even in 
 Paradise.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 201 
 
 Ithuriel and his companion Zephon were delegated by Gabriel 
 to watch over our first parents. Ithuriel detects an evil spirit in 
 disguise. He touches the crouching figure with his spear, for no 
 falsehood can endure touch of celestial temper, but returns of course 
 to its own likeness. The tempter is revealed and his designs for 
 that hour failed. The touch of Ithuriel' s spear will reveal the truth. 
 It is well symbolized by the word of God which reveals the true 
 relation of man to man and of man to God. 
 
 It is our guide, our defense. 
 
 Let us take it with us into the New Year. 
 
 Suggestions of good come from our guardian angels, by the 
 memories of the fathers and mothers and friends who may be sent 
 to minister still to their beloved. And we have their weapon of 
 defense the Sword of the Spirit whose touch is like that of 
 Ithuriel's spear, revealing the truth. 
 
 Let us take this sword with us into the New Year that we may 
 know the right and follow. Then shall we most gladly bring the 
 tithes into the storehouse and God will open the windows of Heaven 
 and pour us out the needed blessing for our homes and for the world. 
 
 Printed for the First Sabbath of 1914 
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S NEW YEAR 
 SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 
 
 JOSH, iii, 4, 5 
 
 "That ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way 
 heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the 
 Lord will do wonders among you." 
 
 Israel was to make a new beginning in a new land. They were 
 to sanctify themselves. We shall come into our new year of life 
 with better hope of conquest and of successful labor if we have also 
 sanctified ourselves.
 
 202 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 It will be a year of blessing if we walk closely in the footprints 
 of our Leader for we have "an infallible Christ," who will lead us 
 to the highest and the best in the journey of another year, and we 
 know not into what an inheritance this year may enter. Man, 
 the last of created things, has become almost a creator, what has 
 enabled him to rise? 
 
 It is his willingness to venture into the unknown. 
 
 Let us compare man with the animal creation. 
 
 The beaver knew how to fell a tree and had the tools to do his 
 work when man was quite unable to lop a single branch ; the beaver 
 could bujld a dam, when man was utterly at the mercy of the flood. 
 
 The spider could spin, the bird could build, and the mole could 
 make its long tunnels, before man began to do these things even in 
 the humblest way. 
 
 But no beaver ever ventures upon more advantageous building, 
 no spider aims at a new design, no mole varies his working but 
 man has ventured into the unknown in a thousand directions; he 
 has advanced and conquered obstacles. * * * 
 
 Faith in God, faith in man, faith in our opportunities of service 
 will enable us to "build new chambers" for the soul this year to 
 attain to greater things by a diligent use of the passing days. 
 
 If we sanctify ourselves, God will do wonders among us, for as 
 we obey God we are used for God's glory. 
 
 There is something touching in the appeal, "ye have not passed 
 this way heretofore. " It is an untrodden pathway into the un- 
 known, and much we need to place our hands in God's hand. "He 
 knows the way He taketh and we will walk with Him. " 
 
 As you enter once more upon a new year, 
 One waiteth to strengthen to guide and to cheer. 
 "Whatever we ask," is the promise Divine, 
 The Saviour has said, If your will is as Mine
 
 DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 203 
 
 The powers of the earth, of the sea, of the air 
 Your servants become, every hour everywhere, 
 The most secret things to your touch will unfold, 
 More rich in their treasures than silver or gold, 
 And the fathomless depths of the ocean of love 
 Shall open its pearls "for thy coming above." 
 
 Would this year be happy, contribute your share 
 To brighten its shadows, to lighten its care, 
 By giving the best that to you has been given ; 
 Reflecting the light that you welcome from Heaven, 
 Repeating the story that never grows old, 
 With faith in the promise that conquers the world, 
 Go forward, press onward, the way is unknown 
 Save, before you is service, beyond is the Crown. 
 
 May harbor bells welcome us each as we come 
 
 To the Sainted who serve in this New Year at Home ! 
 
 January i, 1914. E. A. S. 
 
 HARVEST HOME 
 
 The ripened seeds of gathered flowers, 
 The golden sheaves of garnered grain, 
 
 We sow around these homes of ours. 
 And when the harvest waves again 
 
 The work of faithful hands goes on, 
 
 And on and on when they are gone. 
 
 The generations of the past 
 
 Have thus bequeathed a sacred trust ; 
 
 The seeds into time's furrows cast 
 Will blossom from their sacred dust. 
 
 By life, by death the work goes on, 
 
 And on and on when they are gone.
 
 204 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 Another harvest from the field 
 We bring to crown another year, 
 
 To scatter wide that it may yield 
 Its thousandfold when shall appear 
 
 The reapers, with each sainted one 
 
 Whose work goes on when they are gone. 
 
 Our fathers' God, to thee we come 
 Help us in faithfulness and love 
 
 To gather for the harvest home 
 The sowing of these saints above, 
 
 While they rejoice that work goes on, 
 
 Forever on, when they are gone. 
 
 And when we rest, may other hands 
 Bind up the sheaves and sow the grain, 
 
 Until shall bloom the desert sands, 
 And over all the Christ shall reign ; 
 
 And higher service shall be given, 
 
 The fellowship and joy of heaven. 
 
 NEW YEAR GREETING 
 1914 
 
 A maiden drew the curtain fold, 
 
 And watched the setting sun, 
 As with its crimson and its gold 
 It shed a glow on a pilgrim old, 
 Whose course was almost run. 
 
 His mantle, with long use, was gray, 
 
 His sandals travel-worn, 
 Three hundred miles of dusty way 
 And sixty-five he counts to-day 
 Since it was New Year morn.
 
 DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF A YEAR AGO 205 
 
 Around the dear, departing year 
 
 Are forms of love and light, 
 The memories that link us here 
 To yonder holy happy sphere 
 
 Whose veil seems drawn to-night. 
 
 And the heart cried for vanished hours, 
 
 The hours that long have sped ; 
 The beautiful, the gathered flowers, 
 The treasures that we once called ours, 
 
 Oh! Bring them back, she plead. 
 
 But still the bent, gray mantled form 
 
 Kept steadfast on his way, 
 As in the sunshine and the storm 
 The measured step had marked so long, 
 
 The ever-passing day. 
 
 The midnight hour was near at hand, 
 
 That hour must bring him home, 
 He could not pause at her command 
 His staff was not a magic wand 
 
 To bid the past return. 
 
 Come back, come back, for one more word, 
 
 I would redeem the time, 
 But echoes of retreating tread, 
 One, two, three, four, to twelve were heard, 
 
 And then the New Year chime. 
 
 For time returns to us no more, 
 
 But all that time has done, 
 The fruitage of the days of yore 
 Is garnered on the other shore, 
 
 To use when we go home.
 
 206 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 The buoyant step that walks beside, 
 
 So full of hope and cheer, 
 For twelve long months will be your guide ; 
 What treasures will you each confide 
 
 To this expectant year? 
 
 As new resolves you make to-day, 
 
 To use the blessings given, 
 With voice and heart, most humbly pray, 
 That God will guide until earth's way 
 
 Shall end at gate of Heaven. 
 
 And there all mysteries are known, 
 
 As sent to us in love, 
 For we are going to our own, 
 With every year still nearer home, 
 
 That Home prepared above. 
 
 E. A. S.
 
 THE ANNIVERSARY OF DR. STODDARD'S NINETY- 
 FOURTH BIRTHDAY 
 
 APRIL 23, 1914 
 
 Did the Angels know of your errand here? 
 
 When from home to home they brought love and 'cheer, 
 
 From the Father's house to our open door, 
 
 With the dear young child that their pinions bore, 
 
 Did the Angels know of the plan of love 
 
 Enwrapped in that gift of the Home above? 
 
 And what did it mean when to them was given 
 To return the Gift, to the Home of Heaven? 
 
 And what of the years of most precious time? 
 Do the birthday bells of another clime 
 Tell the story of love and of ministry, 
 As a part of the life of Eternity? 
 
 There were sixty-one years of the pastorate, 
 But the love for the work did not abate 
 In the fifty years of activity 
 With the flock of a half a century. 
 
 There were ninety-four pealings in last April's chime, 
 
 They engathered to give us in tones most sublime 
 
 A message of tender review of the past, 
 
 An outlook beyond, so far reaching, so vast, 
 
 It prepared for the autumn we knew was in store 
 
 When the last sheaf was gathered in harvests of yore, 
 
 To yield seed for new sowing that work may go on, 
 
 Until the last reaper at sunset shall come, 
 
 To the welcome and service awaiting "At Home." 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 207
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE PASTORATE 
 OF FIFTY YEARS 
 
 As May third, 1914, completed the ministry of half a century, 
 the church at Succasunna held a Memorial Service for Dr. Stoddard, 
 whose picture, draped in golden damask, stood on an easel on the 
 pulpit platform, the figures 50 in gilt nestling in the white blossoms 
 that looped the silken drapery. 
 
 The decorations were under the care of the Ladies' Missionary 
 Society. 
 
 Yellow daffodils and palms predominated. 
 
 The senior elder, Mr. T. F. King, with Mr. Jonas Hulse and 
 Mr. F. A. de Camp, occupied the pulpit with the Rev. Ralph Davy. 
 The choir and the quartette gave selections in addition to those on 
 the program, which are given here with the printed leaflet that 
 served as a souvenir of a most impressive occasion. 
 
 The first address was by Mr. F. A. de Camp followed by Mr. 
 Jonas Hulse, and then Mr. T. F. King touched every heart by his 
 reminiscences. 
 
 The Rev. Ralph Davy, after reading a most intensely interesting 
 appreciation from the Rev. Robert E. Zeigler of Baltimore, added 
 his testimony to the benediction of the fifty years, and just as the 
 sacrament of the Lord's Supper was celebrated fifty years ago, the 
 church gathered at the table of the Lord, grateful for the circle on 
 earth and the household in the Father's house in Heaven. 
 
 208
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 209 
 
 HYMNS 
 ADAPTED FROM THE FORTY-EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY. 
 
 Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me. 
 
 Jesus, Saviour, pilot me 
 
 Sang the child at mother's knee, 
 And the life became a psalm 
 
 In the storm and in the calm 
 Conscious of the Pilot's care 
 
 Every day and everywhere. 
 
 For the track across the wave, 
 For the guidance that it gave, 
 
 We give thanks as day by day 
 We pursue the homeward way, 
 
 Tracing other paths of light 
 For the pilgrims of the night. 
 
 Thus the barks that sail beside, 
 Hope to meet beyond the tide, 
 
 Thus His presence still shall keep 
 Those upon the trackless deep ; 
 
 As still sounds across the sea, 
 Fear not, I will pilot thee. 
 
 And when journey ings are past, 
 And the anchor safely cast, 
 
 Meeting on the other shore, 
 With our cherished treasure-store, 
 
 In their sweetest chime and tone 
 Harbor bells will welcome Home.
 
 210 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 "I Heard the Voice of the Lord Saying, Whom Shall I Send ?" 
 
 ISAIAH VI, 
 
 Who will go to work to-day? 
 
 Who will sow the precious seed? 
 Who will bear the sheaves away 
 
 To supply a world in need? 
 And the answer rose to Heaven 
 
 "Here am I, dear Lord, send me" 
 And the grace of God has given 
 
 All these years of ministry. 
 
 Sixty-one of loving thought, 
 
 Years of earnest, faithful care; 
 Sixty-one of life enwrought 
 
 In the work that angels share. 
 On this anniversary 
 
 Fifty years we contemplate, 
 In the half a century 
 
 Of the happy pastorate. 
 
 Grateful for each memory, 
 
 Heart to heart and hand to hand, 
 One in love and sympathy, 
 
 We must hear the Lord's command, 
 And go forth as sent anew 
 
 To the service of to-day. 
 Grace and strength He will renew 
 
 In each effort to obey. 
 
 Generations come and go, 
 
 But the work goes on and on ; 
 There are many fields to sow 
 
 Ere the setting of the sun. 
 With our sheaves of golden grain, 
 
 May we with the reapers come, 
 When upon the Heavenly plain 
 
 Angels bring the harvest home.
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 211 
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S SERMON OF 50 YEARS AGO, 
 
 May i, 1864 
 
 LUKE v, 26 
 
 "And they were all amazed, and glorified God, and were filled 
 with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to-day." 
 
 It was in the midst of an unusual number of Pharisees and doc- 
 tors of the law that Christ sat teaching. They were gathered from all 
 parts of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. They listened most 
 attentively, and the power of the Lord was present to heal. 
 
 Crowds filled the entrance to the court of the house. . . . The 
 poor palsied man, borne by his four friends, could not find a way of 
 approach until some one suggested to let the invalid down from the 
 flat roof. . . . Christ understood the errand and spoke the word 
 that healed the soul and the body. 
 
 This method aroused the Pharisees. "Who can forgive sins but 
 God?" was their question. Christ proved Himself to be God by 
 the new life given to the helpless, who returned to his house glorifying 
 God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were 
 filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things to-day." 
 There was an air of solemnity and grandeur about this whole 
 scene. . . . 
 
 The witnesses of this miracle could only say, "We have seen 
 strange things to-day." They could not understand because they 
 did not accept Christ as their Messiah. 
 
 True religion has always been strange and unaccountable to the 
 heart that is not taught of the Spirit. The facts are plainly seen, 
 but the process is a mystery. . . . The pilgrim who has wandered 
 over hills and valleys, in narrow paths, would be poorly prepared to 
 explain or appreciate a railway. A moving train would be a strange 
 spectacle, because he has not studied the construction of a railway. 
 He knows many facts about iron and wood and water, but he has
 
 212 
 
 never dreamed of such a transformation. Thus, when the soul is 
 brought into the knowledge of the truth, a revelation is made of 
 power and beauty and blessing beyond any human thought. We 
 shall see strange things to-day if we yield ourselves to God's blessing. 
 
 Man was created by God in His own image; sin has defaced 
 that image. Christ came to restore, and as He brings us to our high 
 estate and unfolds the possibilities of life, we shall see strange things 
 at this very hour. 
 
 God's word, studied and obeyed, brings us into proper relations 
 to God, and a new life pulses in our veins, which life finds its expres- 
 sion in praise. 
 
 It was singular that men in Christ's day did not say " We have 
 seen strange things " when they looked on the crowds of sufferers re- 
 presenting all manner of disease, but when one was healed they were 
 amazed. And thus when a sinner is reclaimed from his evil ways 
 people say We have seen strange things to-day, something unusual. 
 The preaching of years has not the power of one true conversion. 
 What the Church now needs is to have the facts of true religion 
 illustrated in everyday life. Genuine conversions to God are stronger 
 in their pleading than all theories. 
 
 Thus God is glorified. . . . Would we see strange things to- 
 day? Would we witness the power of God over all evil? Let us 
 surrender ourselves to the Present Christ who has all power to heal 
 and to bless. Christianity has done wonderful things for the world 
 in elevating and developing man. Christianity has still its revela- 
 tions of power. As the heart opens to receive, as the life yields to 
 its guidance, as our homes welcome the Christ, as we bring others 
 for a blessing, it shall be true in the highest and best use of the words, 
 "We have seen strange things to-day."
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 213 
 
 GLEANINGS FROM DR. STODDARD'S 42ND 
 ANNIVERSARY SERMON, May, 1906 
 
 "A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW" 
 
 MATT, xiii, 3 
 
 Memorial days reflect the light of the past on the present. 
 
 For this Anniversary I have selected the teaching of a parable. 
 
 When Christ saw the husbandman by the Sea of Galilee, sowing 
 the seed for the food of his household, he used the incident to illus- 
 trate the manner in which the truth, the food of the soul, must be 
 given to those who would sow beside all waters. 
 
 As the sower went forth to sow the fields by the Sea of Galilee, 
 so Jesus sent His disciples with seeds for the food of the world. A 
 provision for every creature is in the command to "Go into all the 
 world." 
 
 It is in answer to this command of Christ that the Christian minis- 
 try are ordained and set apart to go into different fields where one 
 soweth and another reapeth. This is the history of the Church. 
 It is Christ sending His disciples into the fields that may be still 
 fallow ground, that may already be planted, that may be white unto 
 the harvest. 
 
 The word of God is the seed from which man's spiritual nature 
 is to be nourished. This cannot be repeated too often or emphasized 
 too strongly. The seed is the word; from its growth the ministry 
 is to feed the flock of God. 
 
 The familiar figure used by our Lord, you easily apply. 
 
 The part that the Church has in preparing the soil, in helping 
 to nurture the seed sown, and in reaping the harvest is well known. 
 Therefore, the review of the years that we have labored together 
 has its precious memories and its lessons for us all. 
 
 Of the Elders who with the Trustees made out the call under the
 
 214 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 direction of the parish, not one remains with us, and only five of the 
 membership of that day. On that memorable day that introduced 
 me to this parish, I noticed the sowers, as they went forth to sow. 
 
 I came with the living seed and very earnestly I prayed for a 
 blessing on the Word. 
 
 The ingatherings have not been all I desired, but we have had a 
 rare circle of devoted Christians. 
 
 Three hundred and six have removed or died, including the eighty 
 who welcomed the new pastor. 
 
 One hundred and thirty-five are on the church records of to-day. 
 This church has had the honor of giving efficient workers to many 
 other churches and to many departments of missionary service. 
 What is needed is more growth in each field. 
 
 Who will go to work to-day? 
 
 Our lives are before us. What shall we do with them? 
 
 Life must go on and on in its helpfulness and blessing because it 
 is a part of the life eternal. On whom shall the mantle of the de- 
 parted and departing fathers fall? 
 
 ANNIVERSARY SERMON OF 1912 
 "THE FEAST OF INGATHERING AT THE YEAR'S END 
 
 EXODUS XXxiv, 22 
 
 I have chosen this illustration once more to convey the lesson 
 of another year a year that completes sixty years in the ministry 
 and forty-eight years of a pastorate, with a people whose courtesy 
 and kindness have made possible this almost half of a century of 
 united service in the work dearest to our hearts. 
 
 Forty-eight years ago, on the thirtieth of April, a stranger was 
 met on the platform of the old Drakeville station by a son of one of 
 the elders of this church. Two miles brought us to the hospitable 
 home, whose courtesies have been associated with these forty-eight
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 215 
 
 years. The precious mother of the household still speaks the wel- 
 come that the sainted father gave first on that memorable evening, 
 and the place seems still conscious of his presence as his children 
 honor his memory by taking up his work. 
 
 On Sabbath, May 1st, we all came to this church to worship. I 
 had prepared this message, my first sermon in this pulpit, from the 
 text, Luke v, 26, "And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, 
 and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things 
 to-day." 
 
 You will recall the words in connection with the healing of the 
 paralytic who was let down before Christ while he was preaching. 
 ... A very few of those present at that service are here to-day. 
 Three names are still on the church record. With the exception of a 
 few who have taken letters to distant church homes, the remainder 
 are enrolled in the Lamb's Book of Life. These include all the Elder- 
 ship and the Trustees and the Fathers and Mothers in Israel but 
 as every age, every home, every heart, is the starting point of 
 influences that live on and on and on, moulding the future as well as 
 enriching the past, the absent are still a part of our lives in their 
 bequeathments of noble examples and unswerving love of the 
 truth. 
 
 They have passed over the Bridge that our Christ threw over the 
 chasm that had separated man from God; and from the brighter, 
 other side they watch us as we journey home. 
 
 Let us stand by that bridge. There is no need to dig up the piles 
 to see if they are sound. The fact that the Bridge has carried 
 millions upon millions safely over is proof of its stability. This 
 inheritance of the fathers, faith in God, I emphasize to-day. 
 
 As it is our sacramental season, I will leave the historic sermon 
 for another day. We gather at the table of the Lord to remember. 
 
 We remember that first company seated with our Lord in the 
 upper room. We remember the dear circles of our own communion 
 season in these years.
 
 216 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 We remember the promise of sitting down with them again in the 
 Kingdom. 
 
 May this hour be one of sweet fellowship with a present Christ. 
 
 Note 
 
 Dr. Stoddard also spoke on the Anniversary in May, 1913, and 
 at the communion season in August. 
 
 On the first Sabbath in November, while his beloved people 
 gathered for the solemn service here, their beloved Pastor was with 
 the flock on the other side; representing this church in the General 
 Assembly of Heaven. 
 
 ADDRESS BY MR. FREDERICK A. DE CAMP 
 
 In commemorating to-day the fifty years of Dr. Stoddard's 
 pastorate of this church, I have been requested to bring a message 
 on behalf of the Sunday-school, which he so dearly loved. 
 
 While our hearts are sad, and we miss his presence, and the sound 
 of his voice, more and more as the days pass, we at the same time 
 have occasion for rejoicing for the long and eventful life, so fully 
 consecrated to the service of God, and for fifty of the sixty-one 
 fruitful years in the ministry. 
 
 I well remember a large portion of the fifty years. 
 
 Many of us remember when the sessions of the Sunday-school 
 were held in this church, previous to the erection of the Memorial 
 Chapel, where the pastor always taught a large Bible class. Many 
 will recall the deep interest that all of the members manifested in 
 the lessons, so faithfully and realistically presented. Only cir- 
 cumstances beyond his control ever kept him from his accustomed 
 place in the school, where he always took active part in the exercises, 
 giving inspiration and encouragement. 
 
 Never has there been a pastor and teacher who more constantly 
 and consistently taught and upheld higher ideals than did Dr.
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 217 
 
 Stoddard. That all should gain a thorough knowledge of the Bible 
 was always his chief aim, and many have been the testimonies from 
 those who have felt the influence in their lives of the knowledge thus 
 gained. 
 
 His supreme object his constant prayer was, that all of the 
 members of the school should find the Christ, and become actively 
 engaged in Christian work. 
 
 His deep interest in the school never abated, a message being 
 sent on the last Sunday. 
 
 His was a grand, noble life always a living example of what he 
 preached. The value of such a life cannot be estimated, because 
 there are no bounds to its influence, which will go on and on through 
 the coming years. 
 
 As has been said, let us pray that his "mantle may fall on us," 
 that we may faithfully carry on the work which he so dearly loved. 
 
 ADDRESS BY MR. JONAS W. HULSE 
 
 When Dr. Stoddard came to this parish I was three years of age. 
 
 During this period of fifty years many of our fathers have gone 
 to their reward, and as we gather here this morning can we not say, 
 "The faith of our fathers is living still" ? 
 
 Of that faith and love for my Saviour the greater part I owe to 
 Dr. Stoddard. His influence and example in my early days helped 
 me to see and to become better acquainted in the work of the 
 spirit. 
 
 Especially would I speak of the Sabbath-school how we were 
 taught to use the Scriptures, to know the Commandments, Dr. 
 Stoddard often calling upon the school to give them from memory. 
 Thus we became so acquainted with those choice passages of Scrip- 
 ture that they have never left me, and no doubt they have been 
 as helpful to many others as I have found them to be in time of 
 need.
 
 2i8 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 ADDRESS BY MR. T. F. KING 
 
 In the few words I may say this morning it does not seem neces- 
 sary to attempt to eulogize Dr. Stoddard. As a pastor and friend 
 we all knew him well. There were a few traits in his character 
 which I think can be mentioned with profit to the church and 
 community. I had the good fortune to attend many public gather- 
 ings with him, such as Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly, 
 and the one special thing always prominent was the attention and 
 respect he commanded. It seemed that the kindly, gentle disposi- 
 tion and ability was apparent at sight and commanded respect with- 
 out the least effort on his part. I remember attending Presbytery 
 at one time when he was selected to make the after-dinner speech, 
 and he gave without any effort as good an address as I have ever 
 heard on such an occasion. Again, at the Ordination services of 
 the young man who has gone to Syria, held before Presbytery, it 
 fell to the lot of Dr. Stoddard, then over ninety years old, to preach 
 the sermon. I think it was the best sermon I ever heard. It was 
 filled full of thoughts and teachings that would impress upon this 
 young man the importance of the work, the opportunities it would 
 bring to him, and the necessity of thorough consecration to God. 
 Dr. Stoddard's life has left an example of faithfulness that we ought 
 never to forget. We saw him in the pulpit when he was not able 
 to be there, and when too feeble to walk he continued to come in the 
 wheel chair. On one occasion when so feeble that he sat seeming to 
 be sleeping and the time came to ask him to offer the benediction, 
 with scarcely a moment's hesitation he made a prayer that I doubt 
 if any one present will ever forget. Shall we remember and strive 
 to follow his example of faithfulness? His communion with God 
 was so trusting and faithful that when he prayed it seemed that God 
 was very near and that he was talking to Him. It was truly won- 
 derful, the effect upon him of going so frequently to God in prayer. 
 Shall we learn this lesson and give God the opportunity of molding
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 219 
 
 us and giving us the wisdom and thought to pattern after this life 
 and its work? 
 
 Dr. Stoddard could never be induced to say an unkind word 
 about any one ; no criticism or sarcastic remarks, nothing but gentle- 
 ness and kindness, so that little children did not fear him, but loved 
 him. Shall we remember this trait in his character, and instead of 
 finding fault or some flaw in our neighbors and friends, as human 
 nature is prone to do, shall we strive to help each other and spend 
 more time examining ourselves and asking God to help us to get 
 right? 
 
 We have had fifty years under his pastorate, which has been one 
 continued, earnest effort to live near God and keep the church at 
 peace. May our remembrance of his examples and teachings en- 
 able the church to carry on the work in peace and harmony. 
 
 My business has been such that I have had the opportunity of 
 meeting many classes of people, and in the forty years that I have 
 known Dr. Stoddard not once have I heard him criticized by any one 
 as to his sincerity. All believed that he believed what he preached 
 and prayed. Some would question the correctness of his belief 
 in a God, but never did I hear his honesty of purpose questioned. 
 Shall we strive to live up to this example? Shall we earnestly 
 endeavor to cultivate a gentle, loving disposition, faithful to God, 
 the church, and our friends, frequently and earnestly praying to our 
 Father for guidance and help that each one of us may do our duty? 
 
 ADDRESS BY THE REV. RALPH DAVY 
 
 It may seem presumptuous in me, a comparative stranger, to 
 attempt to add anything to these words of appreciation of this noble 
 character, that have been spoken by those so intimately associated 
 with him in his life and work. 
 
 Twenty years ago last Christmas Day I first came to Succasunna. 
 On the same evening of my arrival, I attended a Christmas enter-
 
 220 ELIJAH WOODWARD STODDARD 
 
 tainment in this church. And it was here I first saw Dr. Stoddard. 
 I had heard of him and his work but had never seen him in person 
 before. I have an especially vivid recollection of Dr. Stoddard as 
 I saw him in the regular church service on the following Sunday and 
 in the Sunday-school which followed in the afternoon. I was 
 especially impressed with the manner and character of his work in 
 the Sunday-school. During that visit and in my subsequent more 
 recent acquaintance with Dr. Stoddard there were certain charac- 
 teristics of the man that indelibly fixed themselves upon my mind. 
 
 First of all to a remarkable degree Dr. Stoddard possessed that 
 ability without which no man can succeed to any marked degree in 
 the ministry, namely, the ability to organize. Then there was 
 another remarkable trait which Dr. Stoddard possessed to a degree 
 seldom equaled and that was his peculiar self-possession. The 
 church services or whatever he did moved along with a peculiar ease 
 that convinced one that there was organization of machinery and 
 forces somewhere but everything moved so smoothly that the rattle 
 and clank of the machinery never reached the ear. This coupled 
 with his great self-possession, which seemingly never forsook him 
 under any circumstance, gave to all the services which he conducted 
 a quiet restfulness most delightful to experience. 
 
 Dr. Stoddard, while not a stern or austere man, yet was one who 
 never lost the sense of the high dignity of his calling. Of com- 
 manding presence, one felt when with him that he was in the 
 presence of one of God's noblemen. His patriarchal appearance 
 and dignity of demeanor gave to his later public ministry a certain 
 exalted grace attained by few indeed. 
 
 But best of all, greatest of all, his heart was in his work. The 
 heart of the great Dr. Livingstone was buried in Africa and his body 
 in Westminster. Our dear friend's spirit is in heaven but his heart 
 is here in this place. He loved his people. He put his whole life 
 into his work. He spared not himself. He counted not his life 
 dear, but poured out his life forces freely for the Gospel's sake. And
 
 MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FIFTY YEARS' PASTORATE 221 
 
 in losing his life for the Master he found it again in richer, fuller 
 measure in the lives of those for whom he labored. 
 
 Although coming into intimate contact with Dr. Stoddard but a 
 short time before his translation yet I count myself happy indeed 
 that even in the golden sunset of his splendid life I was permitted 
 to come into contact with him. 
 
 "God buries his workmen, but continues his work." To-day 
 we close a page of our church's history. It is eminently fitting that 
 we pause a moment together about the Lord's Table in consecration 
 of ourselves anew to the Master's service before turning another 
 page. What we write on the new page will show how well we have 
 profited by the splendid past.
 
 THE GLOW OF THE LAMPS 
 
 "He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that he 
 that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." John iv., 36. 
 
 The glow of the Lamps that have passed out of sight, 
 The footprints of pilgrims who rest on the height, 
 The sheaves of new harvests, as years shall repeat, 
 Inspire us to sow, that the ages may reap. 
 
 Our Father, we thank Thee for lives made sublime 
 By working with Thee, in the cycles of time, 
 For service eternal from life's little span, 
 Wrought into some part of eternity's plan. 
 
 The glow of the Lamps will engirdle the night, 
 As footsteps press onward in pathways of light, 
 To scatter the sheaves until harvests shall meet 
 And earth be one field for the angels to reap. 
 
 E.A.S. 
 
 222
 
 TRIBUTE OF UNION SEMINARY 
 
 On May 12, 1914, at the meeting of the Alumni of the Union 
 Theological Seminary, when the announcement was made that the 
 Rev. Elijah Woodward Stoddard had been called to a higher service, 
 his kinsman, the Rev. Dr. Charles Augustus Stoddard, gave a short 
 review of the sixty-one years in the ministry, alluding most tenderly 
 to the tributes to the fifty years of the pastorate with the Presby- 
 terian Church of Succasunna, N. J. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. David R. Frazer followed in a few well chosen 
 words of heartfelt endorsement, and in the closing prayer gave 
 thanks for the life and the work of the patriarch, who only two years 
 before had arisen in response to the roll call of the class of 1852; in 
 his clear, earnest tone bringing a message from the past, to the 
 present, for the future. This was repeated by letter one year ago 
 and it comes to us to-day with an added benediction. 
 
 The desire of Dr. Stoddard's heart has been granted in the 
 privilege to continue in the active ministry until needed "at Home. " 
 
 His last message was characteristic of his life, "Let everything 
 be done for the glory of God. " 
 
 223
 
 VICTORY 
 
 One grand paean of victory 
 
 Is wafted from the height, 
 Where those who fought so valiantly 
 
 Are crowned in realms of light. 
 
 The ranks in front are conquerors, 
 
 Amid the battle's din 
 We hear them shout, the day is ours, 
 
 Your triumph song begin. 
 
 The workmen die, the work goes on, 
 
 A ceaseless ministry 
 That traces on the builded stone 
 
 Its immortality. 
 
 Some portion of the symmetry 
 
 Of temple-arch or tower 
 Depends on our fidelity 
 
 To every present hour. 
 
 Not only for a century 
 
 We mold our bricks of clay, 
 Those build for an eternity 
 
 Who build with God to-day. 
 
 E. A. S. 
 
 224
 
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