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    1. Miller's Run Sept. 1, 1897 McDonald PA Outlook
    2. Victoria Hospodar Valentine
    3. Miller's Run Harvest Home The Best Meeting Ever Held in the Old Calvinistic Neighborhood. A Feast of Reason and a Flow of Soul. On the 26th ult., at Miller's Run Presbyterian Church, assembled for the annual Presbyterian (P., U. P. and R. P.) Reunion, at that place, at least 1,500 people--residents of that section and their distant friends who came to rejoice over the gathering of a plentiful harvest and the continued material, a mental and moral progress of a country where Presbyterians have held undisputed sway for more than a century. Cecil, Chartiers and Mt. Pleasant townships in all past time have had only Presbyterian congregations with people that persisted in having the Bible used as a text book in the public schools and the "Shorter Catechism"--an abstract of the Westminster Confession of Faith--as carefully committed by their children as the Multiplication Table. There are three distinct sects of Presbyterians in these beautifully wooded and watered and rich limestone hills, but the differences between them are so small that they have no difficulty in meeting at such reunions ! and on Sabbaths and at Sacraments they are often found listening to the same preacher and joining in worship at the same communion table. The Covenanters, U. P.'s and "Old School Presbyterians" always easily united in church exercises, in school education, in neighborhood improvement, in social enjoyment, in the main points of their political creeds; and their sons have often been found brigaded together and shoulder to shoulder on the battle field, rushing with yells upon an enemy's volleying batteries. These Scotch-Irish are the best people in the world. Well, ... they came together at "Old Dr. SMITH's" Church, on the forest-capped summit a mile sough of Venice and a mile north of "Mr. SLATER's Covenanter Church. This was the fourth annual reunion. Robert D. HAMILTON, one of the elders, was made President. Rev. Mr. PARKINSON made an address of welcome, and Rev. Dr. ANDERSON, the Venice U. P. pastor who has labored in this field for forty years, responded. The noted BROWN brothers--Rev. Dr. W. F., Rev. A. B., Finley, who is a physician, and Henry and Neven, farmers--all sons of the late Dr. Alexander BROWN and grandsons of "Old" Dr. Mathew BROWN--these famous singers charmed the audience with their music. The Bridgeville Cornet Band was there also. Then Scotch-Irish ministers were present--all finely educated and accomplished men that would command respect in any court in Europe or in any scientific, literary or theological coterie in the world, each one of them and "Ian MACLAREN," the strongest, the brighte! st and the most admirable character found among the sons of men. They were, Rev. Dr. W. D. IRONS, Rev. Dr. A. R. ANDERSON, Rev. Dr. W. F. BROWN, and the Rev. A. B. Brown, PARKINSON, MCDONALD, PATTON, SHRODES, MCBURNEY. Miss Kate MCBURNEY, the fartraveled and experienced missionary, was also there. Present to were Mrs. LINDSEY and Mrs. DOUGLASS, both of McDonald, the former 86 years old, the widow of Wm. LINDSEY and the mother of a large and well-doing family, and the latter 88 years old, the widow of Robert DOUGLASS, the long-ago stonemason, and the mother of T. Martin DOUGLASS. Both these aged women and their families, for half a century, attended church here. A volume would be needed to record all the pleasant incidents of the day that occurred over the bountiful feast tat was spread. It was like an oasis in the life of everyone there, and the day will always be remembered with pleasure.

    10/02/2005 11:23:44