much more demanding for women than for men. Most ladies wore heavy and uncomfortable silk dresses, which often caused discomfort while sitting in church and theater pews. Decorative and often heavy bonnets were also a social requirementfor women.This was most evident at special events, and Sunday church services were special events. Attendance on bad days was often limited to the very devout. All of the streets in Charlottetown consisted of red Island soil, and in spring and fall they often became ankle deep mud, necessitating some sort of rubber footwear. A letter to the editor in one edition of the Examiner stated the following, "It was ludicrous as well as painful to see....Ladies of all ages on their way to church, floundering about in the mud like swine in a bog-stye. One lady we saw fell flat on her face and hands in the mud. After she succeeded in getting up she lost her India rubber shoes and was forced to walk on into church without." The Charlottetown Baptist Church had a series of short term pastors, and clerk James DesBrisay reflected in his notes the desire of the church to obtain more long term participation from their spiritual leaders. In September of 1857, their search led them to the Baptist Church in St. George, New Brunswick and its pastor, 52 year old Rev. John Davis . To their surprise, John Davis expressed a sincere interest in coming to Prince Edward Island . When the possibilities were discussed with him, he conveyed the fact that he wanted to be busy and would enjoy preaching at the St. Peters Road Baptist Church ( Marshfield ) as long as it did not interfere with his Charlottetown commitment. He wanted to visit the Island to see the situation first hand, so the church agreed to advance him $50 for expenses, if he accepted the call. If not, the money was to be refunded. One month later the Charlottetown Baptist Church received a letter from John Davis declining their offer for the time being, because of some unfinished business in St. George. He would, however, accept the position in the spring, if it was still open. Charlottetown sent a letter to the Nova Scotia Baptist Association asking for someone to supply for a few months. No response came before the winter set in, and for a period of time trustee James DesBrisay read sermons every Sunday. The sermons were written by some of the world's great preachers, like Reverend Charles Spurgeon whose theological training school in London was very popular with potential clerics. In early April, the church made another contact with Rev. John Davis , and this time he accepted and was willing to come as soon as possible. His annual wage would be $200, of which the Charlottetown church could contribute $170. The Nova Scotia Baptist Association agreed to contribute the other $30. On May 23, 1858, the steamer SS Westmoreland arrived from Saint John atthe , Steam Navigation wharf at the foot of Great . Aboard was the Reverend John Davis and his daughter Matilda. Mrs. Davis would arrive later. We can assume that Rev. Davis would have been met by an enthusiastic Baptist delegation who walked with him the few hundred yards up the hill to the church. At a meeting that evening, clerk James DesBrisay wrote in his book, "Our hearts were made glad as we Rev. John Davis 30