At one of the Quarterly Meetings of this charge, I was approached, at
the close of the morning services, by a gentleman who enquired whether I
came from the State of New York. On learning that I did, he further
enquired whether I attended, when a boy, Prof. McLaren's Academy at
Gallupville. I informed him that I was there several years. "Well," said
he, "are you the one who measured the shote?" I replied, "Tell me about
it, and we will see." He then related the following incident: "At the
time to which I refer there was a boy about thirteen years old who was
very proficient in figures, and the Professor took great pleasure in
giving him difficult problems to solve during the dinner hour. On one of
these occasions, as the Professor was going across the green for his
dinner, the boy met him and asked for a problem. Looking up, he saw a
half grown hog near by, and quickly replied, 'Give me the cubic inches
of that shote.' And, supposing he had got a good joke on the boy, he
passed on. But as soon as he was fairly out of sight, the boy called
together several other boys, and stated the case to them, adding, 'Now,
boys, if you will help me to catch that shote, we will show the
Professor a thing that they have never done in Edinburgh.' The boys
consented, and his hogship was soon made a prisoner. Under a vigorous
vocal protest, he was then dragged to the back end of the Academy
building, and plunged into a half hogshead of water. After his release,
of course, the vacant space in the hogshead, caused by the displacing of
the water, represented the actual size of the shote. In five minutes
more, the cubic inches were obtained, and on the return of the Professor
the answer was ready for him." The story was well told, and I was
obliged to confess to the impeachment.
During this, the last year of my second term on the Fond du Lac
District, my strength was taxed to its utmost. Besides the regular
Quarterly Meetings, I had made it my earnest concern to aid all the
Preachers on the District in their work as far as possible. During the
winter this service was largely rendered in protracted meetings, and
during the summer in Church enterprises. In fact, the latter branch of
labor had been made a specialty during the entire term. And as a result,
two Churches had been dedicated in Fond du Lac, three on the Chilton
charge, three on the Hingham work, one on the Byron, two on the
Markesan, one on the Brandon, one on the Rosendale, one on the Fox Lake,
one on the Empire, and one on the Horicon and Juneau, besides quite a
number that were remodeled and largely improved. Including both classes,
we had had on the District during the term twenty-two Church
enterprises. Extensive revivals had occurred, and we were now able to
report an increase of eight hundred and seventy-seven members.
CHAPTER XXIV.