high ideal of laboring for the comfort of his fellowmen held the chief place. It is said that he once saw a young woman on a doorstep near the post-office sobbing bitterly. In answer to questions, she said, "A letter from my mother is in there, and I can't get it; they ask seven pence and I have but a penny.” Mr. Hill released it and went home thinking. Often we know letters had to go to the "dead-letter office

unopened for want

of the postage. Sometimes tricky evasions were resorted to, such as pretending to be unable to read, in order to get the contents of the letter without paying, or there would be a set of signs on the outside, so that a mere look would convey the letter's meaning.

Time would fail me if I were to tell of many other noble ministers of this Seminary, in Virginia and other Dioceses, whose record is on high. This Seminary may well be proud of her sons, who in every land, in both hemispheres, have by their godly life and true doctrine adorned the gospel of Christ and labored for His kingdom.

I might speak of Dr. O. A. Kinsolving, of the class of 1845, whose broad culture, ability and devotion to the Church are well known, and who gave to the ministry three noble sons, two of whom are bishops. (Cotton Mather commemorates an old Puritan as one excelled only by his distinguished sons.) I never knew a father that objected to his sons being thought better preachers than himself. He was a very genial man, and delightful in social intercourse, a beautiful reader of the service, an able sermonizer and preacher. He was of very noble presence and on one occasion when the Bishop was absent presided in Convention with great dignity. He had calls to larger positions but preferred the country parish.

Dr. William Norwood, the founder of St. Paul's Church, Richmond, Bishop Johns used to say, was the best preacher in the Diocese, and his son, Rev. J. J. Norwood, was for many years the efficient evangelist of Virginia; and I might speak of many others, living and dead, whose names and faces rise up before me. I shall give some random jottings, sometimes giving names and sometimes not.

Rev. Mr. Jones, who from his height was called High Priest Jones, had considerable reputation in Virginia as a public speaker. I remember his preaching on the text "Call upon Me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou has not known"

NORWOOD AND JONES.

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(Jer. xxxiii. 3). Once when he was preaching at Markham, I think, a small, wiry man got up and said, "Gentlemen, a storm is coming; look to your saddles.' A stampede of the men ensued, and when they returned Mr. Jones was in confusion, and said, "Brethren, I have lost the thread of my discourse." He struggled on for a while without finding it and had to stop. No storm came.

A like incident happened when Dr. Norwood was preaching in Richmond. A cry of fire caused many men to leave the church, and Mr. Norwood thought to turn it to good account. He said in substance: "How interested you are in temporal things, if your business or your houses are in danger, and how careless you are about eternal things. There is a fire that will try men, more severe than this," &c., &c. Just then Tom Nelson, who was well known in Richmond, came in and said, sotto voce, but heard by many, "It is a false alarm," somewhat spoiling the moral.

CHAPTER XXI.

WASHINGTON CITY.

ASHINGTON City is of great interest to us, because I

WASE

may truly say that it was the kind foster-parent of our infant institution. Washington and Maryland clergymen, like Rev. Walter D. Addison, Mr. Hawley, the Wilmers and others, wanted a seminary in Washington or Maryland, but when their efforts failed they generously aided our Seminary and made it their own. Washington and Maryland laymen, like Francis S. Key, Judge James S. Morsell and others, worked and prayed for our Seminary. We look to Washington and Maryland still to send its candidates to us to be trained in harmony with the feelings and surroundings of these nearly related dioceses.

I can never forget Judge Morsell, who was born in 1774, and was, I thought, an old man when I first met him in 1836. He was never married until fifty-six years old, but was married twice before he was sixty, each wife leaving him one little girl. I knew him through Rev. Philip Slaughter, then rector of Christ Church, Georgetown, and so cordial was his invitation to me that I looked upon it as a home on my visits to Georgetown and often spent several days together with him. I have never known a more pious, devoted layman. It was a beautiful sight to see his two little daughters kneel down before going to bed and at his knee repeat the Lord's Prayer and Creed, when the youngest could hardly pronounce distinctly the words. He always shaved on Saturday evening instead of Sunday morning, and was a most devout and constant attendant at church. He had a prayer-meeting of laymen of the Church to meet regularly at his house, a sight I never saw elsewhere, and I well remember attending it. He told me that he was converted when a thoughtless, irreligious man, by a dream of the last Judgment. So vivid was it that he rose from his bed and began to pray. For some days he prayed without ceasing, until he found peace in believing. He delighted in talking on religious subjects, and his intelligent interest in Church affairs was very helpful. His brother, William Morsell, was the father of Rev. Joshua Morsell, a friend of mine for years,

and James S. Morsell. One of Judge Morsell's daughters married Gen. William P. Craighill. The Judge himself lived to be ninety-six years old, dying in 1870, and at ninety-four walked with a cane anywhere, and, with his long snow-white hair falling on his shoulders, he made a beautiful picture of old age found in the way of righteousness. Judge Morsell's memory has been precious to me, and I hope through Divine grace to meet him again in heaven. He was a firm friend and supporter of the Seminary, of Bishops Meade, Johns and McIlvaine, and of Doctors Sparrow, May and Keith.

General Craighill is of the large and honored family of that name in Virginia, one being a trustee of the Seminary and Rev. James B. Craighill (1868), a faithful clergyman in Maryland. General Craighill, chief of engineers, was lately retired at his own desire under the forty-year service law, with a most brilliant military and scientific record.

Francis Scott Key, an intimate friend of Judge Morsell, and so well known by his national song, was a lovely Christian character. As early as 1816 Rev. Mr. Addison and the vestry of St. John's, Georgetown, wishing a lay-reader, requested the Bishop "to appoint Francis S. Key, whose talents and piety and soundness in the faith render him apt and meet to exercise the office." His name is inscribed on a brass tablet in our chapel as one of the founders of this Seminary, and he was earnest in his prayers and counsels and liberal in his gifts to it, and to all good works. He used to exhort the people at Falls Church, and taught in Trinity Church Sunday School, where he was senior warden and lay delegate. He often attended our commencements, where I met him. Once, shortly after the death of his son Daniel in a duel, I recall his sweet face with its sad expression and his silvery voice. He was a very refined, delicate looking man, an intimate friend of my wife's family.

As for churches, St. John's, Washington; St. John's and Christ, Georgetown; Old Rock Creek; Christ, Navy-Yard; with Broad Creek and Addison's Chapel, both near the city, were about the only ones of any note. Think now of nearly fifty Episcopal churches and chapels in the District. Trinity Church had then just been built on Fifth street, but was afterwards sold, and is now the site of lawyers' offices. Rev. Henry V. D. Johns had

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CHURCH ATTENDANCE.

been its first rector, and had just left. The Rev. Mr. Bean was then at Christ Church, Washington.

In those days church room in Washington was scarce, very many more people coming to the city in the winter months than could find places in the churches. I think, too, that churchgoing was more general then than now; so that the Hall of Representatives used to be occupied on Sundays for public services. These I used to like to attend. There was at once a novelty and freedom at them. A good choir was usually made up, and some of the best preachers, the chaplains and others whose services could be secured, preached. In Miss Murray's book, "One Hundred Years Ago," a very interesting account is given by a stranger in Washington of a powerful sermon by Rev. W. D. Addison, preached in the House on Sunday, February 5, 1804. As church accommodations increased the custom of using the House fell into disuse, though it continued at intervals till the war.

I might say something of the ministers of our Church then in Washington. The Rev. James F. French, my intimate friend and colleague at Bristol, had begun about 1840 what is now Epiphany Church. They met in Apollo Hall and I often used to preach for him. When Webster was preparing for the Girard will case he would frequently go to see Mr. French and discuss with him the evidences of religion, and thus he got primed on that part of his argument, and made some of the most admired points in his argument. One of our ministers in the city, who had a vehement, denunciatory style, and preached the law more than the gospel, was called by Senator William Preston, himself a most polished, eloquent speaker, "God Almighty's prosecuting attorney." One of the chaplains, a Methodist. who made a great attempt at oratory, Webster said reminded him of a syllabub made of bad eggs.

The Rev. Mr. Cookman, who was there about this time, was drowned in the steamer President, which was lost at sea in 1841.

Rev. Mr. Hawley, rector of St. John's, had been a captain in the War of 1812, and after that studied for the ministry. He used to live on F street near Thirteenth, and would put on his gown and walk up the street to church, very erect and like a soldier. When Epiphany was started about 1840, the vestry of St. John's objected to giving up the best part of the city and refused to