Paxton, William

Paxton, William D.D., a Presbyterian minister, was born in Lancaster County, Pa., April 1,1760. His early education was limited, and when the Revolution broke out he joined the Continental army. When about twenty-four years of age he entered the Strasburg Academy, near Lancaster City, Pa., where he greatly distinguished himself, and was by the Newcastle Presbytery licensed to preach April 8, 1790. After supplying for a while the churches of West Nottingham and Little Britain, he was, Oct. 3, 1792, ordained and installed pastor of the churches of Lower Marsh Creek and Toms Creek. After a lapse of some years he devoted himself exclusively to the former congregation, where the greatest success and usefulness attended the forty- nine years of his ministry. His health obliged him to resign his charge Oct. 19, 1841, after which he gradually declined until his death, April 16, 1845. Although his sermons and other literary productions were marked by great talent and profound learning, his modesty prevented their publication. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, 3:554. Payne, Joseph, one of the noted English educators of our times, was born in 1808. He received his educational training at the University of London, and early distinguished himself as a teacher of English. For a number of years he was connected with his alma mater. In 1873 he was appointed to the newly founded professorship of education in the College of Preceptors, the first chair in any public institution in England assigned to that subject. He devoted himself in this position, and also by his writings, to the promotion of education, making the improvement of methods of teaching his special object. He was the author of Lectures on Education, and numerous lectures and pamphlets on allied subjects. He also took all active part in the work of the Woman's Educational Union. Mr. Payne contributed several papers to the Proceedings of the Philological Society, chiefly on English dialects, and the relation of Old English to Norman French. Among his other publications were text-books in English literature, entitled Studies in English Poetry (5th ed. Lond. 1864, cr. 8vo), Studies in English Prose (1867, cr. 8vo), and Select Poetry for Children; the last of which especially had a very large circulation (15th ed. 1868, 18mo). Payne died at Bayswater April 30, 1876.