sum of nine dollars was collected to send two men some two hundred miles by steamer and stages to be a month away from home. But we started, got as far as Coburg by steamer; again when we came to pay our last steamboat fare, we lacked five cents of the sum required. Brother Trout said, "That is all the money we have." The purser asked, "Is that all your money?" "Yes, sir, every penny." He said, "Oh, well, you look like two honest men, and we will let you go with it." Well, we agreed with him about the honesty, and were glad to get thus to our journey's end.

We stayed three weeks in the county, and labored hard with meetings, often twice a day, got the brethren reconciled, the difficulties all settled, and some twelve additions to the churches; and now the brethren are taking us out to Wellington, where we are to take steamer again to Toronto, and not a penny in the pockets of either, and not one brother or sister so far has mentioned money to us at the village. Brother Trout came to me smiling and asked, "Have you got any money?" "No, have you?" "Not any. How are we going to get home?" "I don't know, here are the brethren coming to bid us goodbye." And in doing so, Brother Platt put four dollars in my hand, and Brother Lambert put thirty-seven and a half cents into the hand of my venerable brother. Four dollars paid the fare to Toronto, and we had the rest to live on for twenty-four hours; but with the kind hand of God about us, we got safe to Toronto and were penniless. We went to a brother's house in the city and stated our case. He gave us one dollar and seventy-five cents, which paid our steamer fare to Port Credit, and we had each twelve and a half cents to come home with.

In parting with Brother Trout I said to him, “If I outlive you, I will tell of this preaching tour, and how much we made by it in a worldly point of view." (I have heard the story from both.-W. H. T.) And now that I have told it, the thought strikes me that in the Book of God it may amount to more than any tour he ever made; and I am happy to state that Brother Trout was not discouraged, for he went back to Prince Edward several times after that. But in order to do this, I expect sister Trout had to deny herself a good many little comforts she ought to have had; but today I believe they are both saying, "No, dear Lord, it was not too much. Oh, that we had done more for Thee who stooped so low to lift us up to such wonderful bliss!"

Shortly after these events, Brother Trout left Norval, and went North to the shore of the Georgian bay, just then being settled. A few of the brethren went also, and here Brother and Sister Trout, with four others, began to meet as a congregation; and this was the beginning of the church at Meaford. Brother Trout and D. L. Layton took the oversight; and it has been, and still is, one of our most prosperous churches. Here Brother Trout lived and labored in the Gospel for thirty years. His family and the church grew up around him. His converts to Christ are scattered all over that region, and many of them have passed to their eternal rest. The church looked upon him as their father in the Gospel, and always listened to his wise counsel and instructions, which were always according to truth; and the consequences were union and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and the number of the disciples greatly increased, and here his labors closed. No doubt the church will miss him much; and though of late years he was not able to take the active part he formerly did, he was present when possible, and had words of cheer and comfort for the brethren.

1

Brother Trout was twice married. With his first wife I was not acquainted. By her he had two children, a son and a daughter; the son died young. The daughter is still living; and with her he had made his home since the death of his second wife, who was an excellent and pious Christian, with whom I had a good acquaintance. Her maiden name was Catherine MacKinnon, and well did she fill her place as an elder's wife; she was always ready to assist and encourage her husband in his efforts to serve the Lord, and to cheer the hearts of brethren and sisters who visited her home. By her he had six sons and three daguhters (and one daughter who died in childhood-W. H. T.), all surviving except the beloved John M., the late proprietor of the Monetary Times. Brother Trout was never rich. He at one time made considerable money, but spent it freely in training his children, to whom he gave a liberal education (accounted so at that time-W. H. T.). Some of them are now occupying honorable positions in the world. He had also the pleasure of seeing them all become members of the Christian church, not only that, but useful members, trying in some degree to follow the example set before them; and when he got old and feeble, his children showed the most tender regard for him, anticipating all his wants and needs for his comfort. God bless them, a great contrast to the heartless manner in which some children in Canada treat their aged parents. Brother Trout died of congestion of the lungs, and at times his mind would wander as is common in that disease; but when called back, the Scriptures were his constant theme, and he would keep repeating text after text of the most cheering and comforting portions of the word of God. Thus passed away one of our truest men, respected in the church and out of it, by those who knew him; but he rests from his labors and his works do follow him.

Brother Trout for a short time, farewell. I feel that I have done poor justice to thy memory, but I hope what has been said may be accepted by all concerned as a trifling tribute of respect, from one who loved thee much, and was thy willing fellow laborer in the Gospel.

Rockwood, December 24, 1877.

A. ANDERSON.

Thus, one by one, we leave our dear ones behind us, or rather they pass on before us, and we in our turn follow in the great procession. If there were no resurrected Christ, it would be a dismal ending; but with Him there is the prospect of a bright reunion, and a new beginning in a NEVER ending life.

So for the present we leave them to continue the family story.

EDUCATIONAL

Peterboro had a Mechanic's Institute, with a library, both organized according to act of Provincial Parliament, so that it received a government money grant from the school fund, on account of maintaining evening classes in mechanics and allied studies. It had a president, vice-president, secretary, and board of directors. I joined it, and in the winter of 1874

and 1875 taught classes in mechanical and architectural drawing; and continued this for eight years. I was vice-president for several years. We had the association of professors from the Collegiate Institute who taught arithmetic and English. We also had a large reading room, well supplied with current mechanical, scientific and literary journals. All this, with the well-selected, loaning library, made a good, practical and pleasurable center of culture in which I shared, both in receiving and giving; and in common with good teachers have enjoyed seeing my student boys take good responsible positions and hold them creditably.

At the close of one of our exhibitions of the winter's class work, I was placed on the final part of the program for a lecture on mechanical design. Before I began the lecture, a few not interested left for home. At the close of the lecture, which was illustrated by drawings, I gave the opportunity for questions. The principal of the Institute said his interest had been so intense that he could not frame a question. Another professor said, "I remained here out of compliment to Mr. Trout, expecting to hear dry details of mechanical principles; but I am most agreeably and greatly surprised, for he has given us in excellent form, not alone the practice, but the poetry of mechanics, and given us a fine outlook upon the engineer's field of imagination."

CORLISS ENGINE WORK.

While in the service of the William Hamilton Manufacturing Company, a contract was made with the MacLaughlin & Moore Milling Company, of Toronto, to furnish a steam plant and Corliss condensing engine, twenty by forty-two inches, with a guaranty of economic consumption of two and one-half pounds of coal per horse power per hour. This was regarded as a degree of economy seldom attained. For every ounce of coal above that consumption there was a large specific forfeit of so much from the contract price; and for every ounce of reduction below two and one-half pounds there was a similar premium above contract price. Manifestly it must be of the finest design and most careful workmanship. The time

for delivery was rather short; and drawings and patterns had to be made. As I was sole draftsman and boss patternmaker, it is easy to see on whom the main responsibility rested, and while it did not rest lightly, it was certainly borne cheerfully; for a good, heavy, hard job always gave me added interest. Being the first job of that style, the boss would be satisfied if we got out even. In due time the job was completed, delivered and finally tested; and the certified consumption was two and eleven hundredths pounds of coal per horse power per hour, and the added premiums gave us a good paying contract. In this engine contract and its results, there were a good many satisfactory elements-the location of the mill was on the harbor front of the large growing city of Toronto; a fine advertising point. On this account the bidding for the job was keen, and for William Hamilton to capture it from older and wealthier engineering firms was no trifling victory to begin with. Then to raise the performance record to such a high step, was the crown of the undertaking. The other fellows had to take off their hats and congratulate old Willie on his success; and when afterward I met those high-brow engineers who think they hold all useful knowledge under their hats, I could meet their banter with effective counters that hit their weak spots. That small job raised our shop to a rank before unattained.

THREE MONTHS IN MILWAUKEE

Great business depression prevailed in Canada in the year 1878 and 1879. Our shop ran on three-quarter time, and we made extensive improvements and enlarged shop space, to be ready for better times in the future, which were slow in coming. And we further had to submit to a reduction in wages. I told Mr. Hamilton I would submit to the reduction only while I had to. He replied that was all right. In the summer of 1880 I met Mr. T. J. Neacy, a traveller for the Filer & Stowell Company of Milwaukee, who manufactured lines of machinery similar to William Hamilton. I wrote the Milwaukee Company, applying for a draftsman's position, and referred to Mr. Neacy, and received a favorable reply,

with a good offer. Mr. Hamilton was willing to advance, but not to equal the Milwaukee offer, which I then accepted on a three month's trial. Before leaving, Mr. Hamilton was willing to equal it, but then it was too late. However, before the three months expired, Mr. Hamilton felt warranted in offering an advance of fifty cents per day above Milwaukee price; so I returned home.

This Milwaukee three months' engagement was an interesting and improving time to me. It was the biggest city I had lived in. Its novelty was increased by being so preponderately German and Polish. The shop was larger and slightly more systematically conducted than William Hamilton's, which is faint praise. The superintendent, John E. Fitzgerald, was my first Milwaukee friend, and remained a friend until his death. Albert Cunningham was the second and was faithful till he lately passed away. I saw the stress of the presidential campaign that elected James A. Garfield. I made the first blue prints of the Filer & Stowell Company, and did the same for William Hamilton on my return; using the formula first published in the Scientific American, making my own blue print paper. And with occasional visits to the shops of the E. P. Allis Company, I observed and studied their advanced engine and sawmill machine construction, in which the Company was the leader of America. But I was away from my wife and family, and when Mr. Hamilton's letter came, that called me back, I was a happy man.

When leaving for Canada, and bidding the officemen and superintendent good-bye, the latter said, "Ah, Trout, you would never get away if I had the fixing of your salary."

I entered the old shop again with much more prestige than I left it. It was known that I came back with a good advance, which insured me a fine standing with the men. The mill proprietors all realized the advantages, of even my brief term, of American experience. Shortly after my return, one of our ambitious young news reporters sought me for an interview, to bring out what little might be of interest in my Milwaukee experience, and in my then leading position as designing draughtsman for William Hamilton.