Excerpt from Biography and Recollections of Rev. William Hanna, From the Year 1826 to Year 1880 Every writer ouqht to have some object before him: either some abuse he wishes to correct or some aspiration he wishes to encourage. Such an object the writer hopes has actuated him to undertake the following pages. He has long felt that the office of the Gospel ministry was the most high, holy, and heaven instituted calling that could be bestowed on fallen mortals; that its duties are more arduous, and its responsibilities greater; and therefore none but the first talents of the entire community should be inducted into this position. And yet, because those requisitions are not always found in the abodes of the rich, but much more frequently in "poverty's vale;" because the youth possessed of No.1 capacities sees an insuperable barrier thrown around him, he often feels compelled to put his light under a bushel, quench his rising desires, and drag out in obscurity a life, that, had it been spent in the ministry, might have been the means of leading many souls to Christ. The writer begs leave to present to poor young men the history of one, although born in a "cabin," surrounded by circumstances utterly forbidding, yet, by assistance of divine grace, by persevering industry and economy, and by following the leadings of Providence, he roe from obscurity to notoriety, from poverty to medium wealth; and, although often brought into competition with the most learned of the land, the verdict of the masses was almost always in his favor. While other ministers found it difficult to hold their own in old congregations possessed of "steady habits," he was permitted to build up and double those churches originally composed of heterogeneous elements, leaving them possessed of stability, energy, and life. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.