THE SUNDAY EXERCISES
Sermons appropriate to the occasion were preached to large congregations in all the churches Sunday morning. These sermons, in so far as they were historical, are reproduced herewith:
BY REV. FRANK A. JOHNSON
In the First Congregational Church
“...In the summer of 1707, an eagle, poised on extended pinions over the Housatonic Valley, would have looked down upon a scene of singular beauty. He would have beheld a wilderness; but has not a wilderness a beauty unsurpassed by the artificial works of man? Mountain, hill and valley were clothed with magnificent forests of oak, chestnut and ash. The river, then a clear mountain stream, weaving its way among the hills, added to the sylvan beauty of the scene. There was no sign of the presence, or even existence of man, save possibly the thin smoke from the camp-fire of some peaceful Indian, who loved these hills, the home of his fathers.
“Into this trackless wilderness, from the then far-away north-land of Massachusetts, came John Noble and his little eight-year-old daughter. Do we, who know this lovely valley so well, wonder that he built his simple home here, and that his descendants have remained here ever since? His house was for some time the last house this side of Albany.
“After a short time, a company from Milford, on Long Island Sound, took up much of the land here, and naturally gave the name New Milford to the new settlement. These men were of a sturdy race, strong in body, courageous, believers in God and His righteousness. Just think of the task that confronted them! The great forests, which would be a better possession than a gold mine now, were an encumbrance then. The traditions of these fathers tell us nothing of enervating club life, or midday siestas; the daily rule of life for man
