Stoney Lake:

Total: $5.00

Excerpts from the Diary of John Mears:

Monday Sept. 9, 1907 -
I have heard W.H. preach four times now, enough to get a fair idea of what he is as a preacher. What do I think of him. Well I like him and his sermons have done me some good already, very different discourses to what I heard at Thornton. First and foremost there is the personal element - a pretty large one, no doubt about that. It is not so much what he says as the way he says it. Gesture, posture, inflection, facial expression count a good deal in him. Those sudden shouts, I could wish less earpiercing, they are not rather as I fancy fully sincere, they are from the mouth outward. But withal he is very fluent remarkably so, and never involved, he is completely master of his matter; it is not exactly memorized I think, and yet many finished periods would lead one to think so. I understand Mr. Wager's remark that "listening to him spoils one for ordinary preachers". His prayers are good very good if they were a little less patronizing a little more reverent and addressed to God. One preaching sin he has not - dullness. Withal I find much to like in him as a preacher and shall learn many things. He uses scripture frequently and aptly.

Wed. Sept. 25, 1907 -
Took charge of prayer meeting tonight and had libery in talking and got through all right notwithstanding the heat of that radiator. Maggie [his wife] sick today lay in bed all the time.

Friday Sept. 27, 1907 -
Dot [his daughter Florence, my grandmother] sick with D. my turn next I suppose.

Sunday Sept. 29, 1907 -
Still raining, good for it! The ground is surely pretty well soaked. Went to the Western Church all three of us for S.S. Rally service, very small audience on account of the wet Mr. Denyes not there for same reason. A feeling of disappointment was upon us all however rallied as well as we could. Self had a fair time in speaking. Heard W.H. at night on "Achan's Sin" very good about the best I think I have heard from him. He carries the colloquial style of address to the extreme & he hardly treats his audience with courtesy. Went to parsonage after service, rather poor talk.

Thurs. Oct. 10, 1907 -
Drove out to Newburgh this morning with Mrs. Martin's horse to the W.M.S. Convention, a pleasant drive. The conditions that is material conditions in the Newburgh Church in the fall of the year were not different from what they used to be, a scarcity of coal and a superfluity of smoke. The people were glad to see us as we were glad to see them. The basement looked nice with the tables all set; the program was not a very long one, neither was it too good, shorter it would have been but for Jacob C. Had thought of stopping overnight, but the meeting closing in good time we returned to Napanee, bringing with us a good supply of snow-apples through the kindness of Mrs. Nesbit and Mrs. Rose.

Sunday Oct. 13, 1907 -
Preached morning and evening today for W.H. he being away at Port Hope, it rained as usual in the evening and so the congregation was smaller than it would have been. Had pretty good time at both services. Maggie made her first appearance in the chair today, and Dot and Bessie had the seat to themselves in the morning. That duck went all right yesterday, went the way of all flesh in fact, creating more human pleasure in its death than in its life. W.H. was telling me yesterday that he had accepted an invitation from the Western church for next year at $1200. Hm! Hm! No more shew for me. Have a smashed thumb these two days.

Thurs. Oct. 31, 1907 -
Thanksgivingday and Dot's birthday. 13 years ago since she saw the light of this world.

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Jennifer's Genealogy Page
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