y sweet Christian associations of past years,
and throw in their lot with a little handfull of Jesus' praying
disciples, who had few possessions, save that faith which made them
lovingly cling to their Master's cause? My husband had been one of the
first to assist in building up the Second Presbyterian church. He was
an Elder, and a Trustee, and, after much anxiety, and the utmost
straining of his ability to raise and to contribute funds towards the
completion of their house of worship, he was just beginning to enjoy
the comfort of seeing the debt, which had hung as an incubus over it
for years, wiped out, when this new call was made upon him. A few
young people proposed to go out to the assistance of the feeble church,
upon the condition that Mr. Charless and Mr. Keith would go with them
--wisely concluding that the attempt to sustain it without some such
efficient aid, would be utterly in vain. It was thought, however, by
the members generally, that it was a useless undertaking to keep the
little church, as such, alive; and that it would be better for its few
advocates to be merged into the different churches already established.
Yet all seemed to think that St. Louis, growing as it was so rapidly in
population and in wickedness, needed more houses of public worship; but
most of the members of this church evidently shrank from the self-denial
necessary thereto.

Your grandfather did not at once accede to this proposal, without
first consulting his wife, as to her views, and especially her
feelings, and she could not have it in her heart to consider her own
comfort and pleasure, or that of their daughter, when he so evidently
felt that, for him, this was the path of duty. I cheerfully consented;
but, looking back at the "flesh-pots of Egypt" (and there is no doubt a
great deal of this kind of worldliness carried even into the Holy
place), I requested that we should retain our pew, calculating, as soon
as the young church was fairly established, again to occupy it. We
both loved and admired, and, like everybody else, felt proud of our
minister--for, without doubt, he stood among the first, if not at the
head of the Presbyterian church in the West--and we knew that no Dr.
Potts could be obtained for this poor little church, which seemed to be
tossed upon the breakers, and ready to sink. But my husband, like the
early disciples, would have been pleased to toil all night upon the sea
of Galilee, and at early dawn wo