CHAPTER XVII. THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL AND FAREWELL.

When, like Ruth leaving her native land to dwell with Naomi—mother in love, as well as in law—John Chambers¹ plighted² his troth to the church that became orphan³ for his sake; he made Ruth's words his own, and in his heart said to his people: "The Lord do so to me and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."

For fifty years his one congregation was his first and only love. Deaf to all calls—and they were many—his one answer to his people was Ruth's to Naomi, and to those seeking him, the Shunammite's, "I dwell among mine own people." "How often have I heard him say," said Dr. Levy⁴ in 1875, "that though you could give him only a crust of bread and a cup of cold water, he would continue to be your pastor⁵." Love begets⁶ love, and "unfailing confidence, tender sympathy and ardent⁷ love ... made this union enduring and fruitful of everything sweet and precious".

It was in the year 1875 that, after long preparation, the pastor's semi-centennial anniversary was celebrated⁸. We here reproduce the programme as printed:
1825
1875

COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES

ON THE

SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

OF PASTORATE OF

REV⁹. JOHN CHAMBERS, D.D.

OVER ONE CONGREGATION

MAY 9TH TO 14TH, 1875

    Sabbath Day, May 9th, 10? A.M.—Anniversary Sermon—Rev. John Chambers, D.D.

    [142]

    Service 4 P.M., Sermon, Rev. T. J. Sheppard, D.D.

    Service 7? P.M., Sermon, Rev. Wm. Blackwood, D.D.

    Monday Evening, May 10th, Services 7?.—Reminiscences of Early Days—Short addresses by Rev. Edgar Levy, D.D., Rev. Joseph Baker¹⁰, Rev. John Bliss¹¹, Rev. Thomas J. Brown, and Rev. R. G. S. McNeille, who were formerly¹² members of the church.

    Tuesday Evening, May 11th, 1875.—Sabbath School Jubilee¹³. Half past seven o'clock—Singing and Addresses. Half past eight o'clock—Refreshments¹⁴ for Scholars of Sabbath School.

    Wednesday Evening, May 12th at 7 o'clock. Social Re-union with a Festival, for Members of the Church and Congregation, at Horticultural Hall.

    Thursday Evening, May 13th, 7? o'clock. General Praise and Thanksgiving meeting—participated in by Ministers of different denominations¹⁵.

    Friday Evening, May 14th, 8 o'clock. The Congregational Prayer Meeting, in the body of the church.

In a sermon marked by the usual graces of delivery, Dr. Chambers, as he was then, recounted in a touching¹⁶ manner the wonderful goodness of God enjoyed during a half century. He was surrounded by his church officers and congregation and his young alumni in the ministry¹⁷. His old friend, Rev. Dr. T. J. Sheppard, with singular grace and power, preached from the fitting text: "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth¹⁸ his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither¹⁹". Monday evening was devoted²⁰ to epistolary communications or addresses by pastors²¹ who had formerly been members of the church, such as the Rev. Charles Brown, Rev. Dr. Levy, Rev. Joseph J. Baker, Rev. William J. Paxson, Rev. John C. Bliss, Rev. S. P. Kelley, and Rev. R. G. S. McNeille. Tuesday evening was for the participation²² of the Sunday School children in the jubilee service. On Wednesday evening the social reunion at Horticultural Hall took place, when besides the singing, led by Prof. William G.[143] Fisher, and appropriate words from Rev. Dr. Eva and Rev. William R. Stockton, Francis Newland, the life-long friend and elder of the church, presented in the name of the people a golden tribute in the form of one thousand dollars. One of his young men, John Wanamaker, on the eve of his departure for Europe, had the day before sent his pastor a five hundred dollar bill on the United States Treasury²³. The audience, numbering a thousand, after promenading²⁴ and shaking hands with their beloved minister, partook of refreshments, each lady receiving a handsome memorial bouquet²⁵. On Thursday evening there was another feast of reason and flow of soul in the greetings by pastors of neighboring churches. Rev. George Dana Boardman was in the chair, and Rev. Dr. Breed, Rev. Dr. Newton, Dr. Hatfield, and William R. Stockton showed by word and look their love and fellowship. Dr. Breed, in the course of his address, read the following original lines:
A stranger boy from Erin came—
He made our land his chosen home.
He heard the Master's gracious call,
He seized the banner, climbed the wall,
He blew the trumpet²⁶, drew the sword,
He fired the shot, he preached the word
By grace divine, thro' toils²⁷ and tears,
With ardent hopes, defying fears,
In holy scorn of scoffs²⁸ and jeers²⁹
He's held the fort for fifty years!
And if the God whom we adore,
But grant what thousand hearts implore³⁰,
He'll hold it yet for many more!
Amen and amen!

The time honored Friday evening prayer meeting was held this week on May 14 in the upper auditorium³¹ and Rev.[144] Dr. Plumer of Columbia, S. C., and Rev. Charles Brown of Philadelphia made addresses.

It was at the "golden jubilee", as we have shown, that Dr. Chambers having on other occasions recounted the gifts of his people to their pastor—the furnishing of his house, the table set of silver, the expense money for a trip to Europe, the carpeting of his house, study and parlors³² by the ladies, the young people's birthday offering of $111 in gold pieces was treated to a fresh surprise, the "golden token"—one thousand dollars. In the grand old pastor's speech in response to his unexpected golden shower, he made it clear "what radiance it throws around this old man's evening of life".

Entering upon his seventy-eighth year, Dr. Chambers still kept up his abundant labors³³, though it was manifest, especially after the funerals of old and beloved parishioners and the great drain on his sympathies, that his powers were failing fast. In the month of August, 1875, he had an attack of paralysis³⁴ of the bladder, which induced severe inflammation of the kidneys, resulting in blood poisoning, from which he died in his home, at Girard and Twelfth streets, after an illness of several weeks, at 11.15 P. M., September 22, 1875. It was on Communion Sunday, the last of the month, that asleep in God his mortal remains³⁵ awaited their burial. His body was brought to the church, and thence from the spot where he had, a few weeks before, celebrated his golden anniversary. The last words uttered by him and set to music were sung by the quartet as the remains of John Chambers were taken from the church:
"Farewell, farewell, farewell,
We meet no more on this side of Heaven.
Our parting scene is o'er,
Our last fond look is given.
Farewell, farewell, farewell."

[145]

I have copied these words as kindly³⁶ contributed by one of the original quartet, Mr. A. Gunning.

Dr. Chambers died September 22, 1875, four months after his fiftieth anniversary. His successors in the pastorate have been Rev. Henry C. Westwood, D.D., 1876-1878; Rev. J. M. B. Otts, D.D., 1879-'83; Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D.D., 1884-1902. On this very day, June 30, as I finish revision of the manuscript to hand to the printer, July 1st, 1903, I read of his decease yesterday.

The executor of the estate of John Chambers, Robert H. Hinckley, Jr., attended to the settlement of the earthly affairs of his teacher and friend, including the distribution among his grandchildren of the pieces in the set of silver presented by the congregation in 1865.

In the central part of Laurel Hill Cemetery³⁷, in a small lot just off the main driveway, with four granite³⁸ posts to mark the corners, is the very modest monument made of three blocks of granite, set one upon another, the whole indicative of solidity, strength and symmetry. The top piece is uninscribed. On the center piece one reads:

REV. JOHN CHAMBERS

"FOR FIFTY YEARS PASTOR OF CHAMBERS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,

Dec. 19, 1797.      Sept. 22nd, 1875."

(On the ground block is inscribed,)

"They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever."

(On the other side, on same block with the name is:)

"I am the resurrection and the life."

"MATILDA P. CHAMBERS

Wife of Rev. John Chambers

Died March 4, 1877."

1 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

2 plighted   

vt.保证，约定（plight的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They plighted their troth for the rest of their days. 他们俩盟誓结为终身伴侣。 来自辞典例句
• Here and there a raw young lady does think of the friends of her plighted man. 这是阅历不深的的年轻姑娘对她未婚夫的朋友往往会持有的看法。 来自辞典例句

3 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

4 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

5 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

6 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

7 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

10 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

11 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

12 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

13 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

14 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

15 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

17 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

18 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

19 wither   

vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡

参考例句：

• She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。
• In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。

20 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

21 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

22 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

23 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

24 promenading   

v.兜风( promenade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• No doubt this "promenading" was not at all to her taste. 没有问题，这样“溜圈儿”是压根儿不合她口胃的。 来自辞典例句
• People were promenading about the town. 人们在镇上闲步[漫步]。 来自互联网

25 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

26 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

27 toils   

网

参考例句：

• It did not declare him to be still in Mrs. Dorset's toils. 这并不表明他仍陷于多赛特夫人的情网。
• The thief was caught in the toils of law. 这个贼陷入了法网。

28 scoffs   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• [ Scoffs ] Why should a young girl like that love an old fart like me? 为什么一个那样的年轻女孩应该喜欢我这样的老家伙？
• The noise of the moment scoffs at the music of the Eternal. 瞬刻的喧声，讥笑着永恒的音乐。

29 jeers   

n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They shouted jeers at him. 他们大声地嘲讽他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The jeers from the crowd caused the speaker to leave the platform. 群众的哄笑使讲演者离开讲台。 来自辞典例句

30 implore   

vt.乞求，恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
• Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。

31 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

32 parlors   

客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店

参考例句：

• It had been a firm specializing in funeral parlors and parking lots. 它曾经是一个专门经营殡仪馆和停车场的公司。
• I walked, my eyes focused into the endless succession of barbershops, beauty parlors, confectioneries. 我走着，眼睛注视着那看不到头的、鳞次栉比的理发店、美容院、糖果店。

33 labors   

v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
• Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句

34 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

35 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

36 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

37 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

38 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。