fastly fixed on his sacred calling, he was to his expiring day faithful to his Master. * * * * "In October, 1835, a handsome monument was erected by his family to his memory in front of the church he founded and so long presided over. It was of white marble, representing a pyramidal tablet resting upon a solid Ionic base against the wall between the doors of the main entrance, with no other ornament than a wreath beautifully sculptured at the top. It bore the following inscription: "Sacred To the memory of STEPHEN B. BALCH, D. D. He planted the Gospel in this town, "Reliquiae mortales STEPHANI BLOOMER BALCH, D. D., Sub hoc marmore Inhumantur. His children have erected this tablet To record The virtue of the dead and the Gratitude of the living.' "In the spring of 1873, when the church was demolished, his remains were reinterred in the Presbyterian cemetery on 33rd Street near the chapel. In the spring of 1874 the philanthropic William W. Corcoran wrote to his children requesting the privilege of removing the remains to Oak Hill cemetery. Writing to his son, the Rev. Thomas B. Balch, he said: 'I knew your father from boyhood, and the sentiments of profound esteem with which at an early age I regarded him were undiminished at the close of his protracted and exemplary life.' And on June 18, 1874, the remains of this apostle of God were reinterred near the Chapel in Oak Hill cemetery. A mural tablet ordered by W. W. Corcoran was mounted on the wall of the Chapel bearing the following inscription in letters of gold:-— "In honor of STEPHEN BLOOMER BALCH, D. D., Born On "Deer Creek," near Balt: Md. Came to Georgetown, D. C. "The Bridge Street Presbyterian Church" In life he Practiced what he Preached 140 Mr. Jackson at the end of his article wrote: In 1818, he received from Princeton College the degree of D. D. The Rev. William B. Sprague, D. D., in 1858, wrote of Dr. Balch:-141 "During his residence in Calvert County, he made the acquaintance of Bishop Claggett, from whom he received many kind attentions, and with whom he was ever after in very friendly relations, till the close of the Bishop's life. "He continued teaching for about four years, and received the greater part of his salary in Continental money rather a bright remuneration'-to use the language of his son, 'for fighting with mosquitoes, and for being conquered quite frequently by the Tertian ague.' "He then went to Pennsylvania, and was licensed to preach the Gospel, by the Presbytery of Donegal, on the 17th of June, 1779. Hearing, about this time, of the death of his father, he returned to the South, and spent some months in travelling as a sort of missionary in the Carolinas. On his way thither, he spent a Sabbath in Georgetown, and preached in the hamlet which had been founded in September, 1751, by George Beall, whose granddaughter he subsequently married. The people invited him to remain, promising to build him a church, but he declined at that time, though he gave some encouragement of returning to them after performing his projected tour at the South. "It is my desire that this sketch may be the means of arousing not only the Presbyterians of the District, but the citizens of Georgetown, to erect in some public place a monument to this worthy pioneer of religion and education, for many years ‘a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.' 141 Annals of the American Pulpit, by William B. Sprague, D. D., New York, 1858, Volume III., page 410. "While Mr. Balch was itinerating in North Carolina, he was subjected to many privations and hardships. On one occasion, night overtook him when he was in a strange neighbourhood; but he discovered a dwelling not far from the road, which he supposed, from its appearance, must be the residence of some wealthy man. He made his way to it, and was very hospitably received by the lady of the house, though her husband was not at home. Being greatly fatigued, he retired early, and soon fell asleep; but it was not long before the gentleman of the house, who was no less a personage than General Williams of North Carolina, returned unexpectedly, entered his chamber, and intimated to him, in no equivocal terms, that he should allow no one who was not a Whig to sleep under his roof. 'Let me rest in peace then,' said his guest, 'for I was educated under Dr. Witherspoon,-one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.' The next day, the General entertained Mr. Balch with a poem which he had composed on the Stamp Act; and, on the following Sabbath, as the enemies of the Revolution laid great stress on the apostolic injunction to be subject to the higher powers, he earnestly requested his clerical guest to discourse upon that passage. He did so, much to the annoyance of the Royalists who were present, while the General, with several pistols in his belt, acted as Clerk. "Mr. Balch was invited to settle over a congregation in North Carolina; but he had made up his mind to return to Georgetown, with a view to establish there a Presbyterian Church. Accordingly, he went thither in March, 1780, and found as unpromising a field of labour as can easily be imagined. He preached for some time in a room rented for the purpose; and, in 1782, a few individuals interested in sustaining Divine institutions, joined in building a very plain house for public worship. There were seven persons, including the Pastor, who joined in the first celebration of the Lord's Supper. Shortly after this, he was instrumental in establishing a Presbyterian Congregation in Fredericktown, Md. "The return of Peace, at the close of the Revolution, contributed not a little to the growth of the village in which Mr. Balch was settled. His church gradually increased, and many Episcopalians who resided in the neighbourhood joined in their worship. Still he found his salary quite inadequate to the support of his family; and, in order to meet his current expenses, he was obliged to resort to some other business; and he chose that of instructing youth. Accordingly, he was in the habit, for many years, of conducting the education of young men; and among his pupils were not a few who have since attained to great usefulness and prominence. "After the removal of the seat of government to Washington City, the Episcopalians, who had been accustomed to worship in the Presbyterian Church, established a church of their own; and thus the number who contributed to Mr. Balch's support was temporarily somewhat diminished. The loss was, however, quickly much more than made up by fresh accessions from various quarters; insomuch that it became desirable that the place of worship should be enlarged. Into this project Mr. Balch entered with great resolution and vigour; and it was chiefly, if not entirely, by contributions obtained through his persevering efforts, that the enlargement was effected. Mr. Jefferson, who |