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A PIONEER MINISTER BY REV. SUPPLY CHASE
APRIL 21, 1873
But to the writer the promise has been fulfilled, that to him who serves God, "bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure. " But it was only by the most rigid economy, and a resolute determination that expenses should never, while in health, exceed income, that it was accomplished. His first residence (and this was all that could be obtained) consisted of a single room, fourteen feet square, or thereabout; no stove or fireplace for cooking; a privilege of cooking by a fire in the yard, and a chance to place a children's bed in a small chamber. This room was eating room, sitting room, study, sleeping room, and parlor for months, until a house could be built. And happy times were seen and enjoyed here; full of joy and faith, heart and hope. The church grew, and converts were multiplied.
And what was true in the writer's experience, was true in the case of most of the ministers who came to Michigan with the early pioneers. They were men who entered the ministry from a sense of duty; men largely the product of the great revivals among the churches of Western New York, from 1826 to 1836. Few of them had been favored with a classical education. They were largely from the farms and mechanics' shops; men brought up to labor, who could use the ax, or hold the plow, or handle the plane when occasion required, without being ashamed to be seen at work. They were of the people, sympathized with the people,, and shared their privations.
Michigan
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