The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-12-24
The New England Country Church.

| TX. MARVEL, author OF Rcveries of Bach
elor)
The country church is a square old build.
and Of that genuine Puritanic stamp which
is now giving way TO Greek porticos and
cockney towers. 1t stands upon hill, with
a little churchyard in its rear, where one or
two klylookng trees keep watch and
ward over the vagrant sheep that Craze a.
mong The graves. Bramble- bushes seem 10
flower in the little yard, save few goIden>
rods, which flaunt their gaudy and inodo-
rous color under the lee oil the northern
wall.
New England country-livers have as yet
been very little noculaied with The senti-
ment of beauty; even the doorstep to the
church is rude fiat stone, that shows not "A
single stroke of the hammer. Within, The
simplicity is even more severe. Brown gall
leries run around three sides of the old build
ing, supported by timbers, on which you still
trace, under the stains from the ieaky roof,
the deep scoring of the woodman's axe Be
low, The unpanted pews are ranged in
color of those fragmenlary wrecks Of cigar
boxes, which you see upon the top shelves
in the barrooms oil country taverns The
minister's desk is lofty, and has once been
honored with coating Of paint; as well ms
the huge soundng-board, which, to your
great amazement, protrudes from the wall
at very dangerous angle of inclination,
over the speakers head. As the Squire's
pew is the place of honor 10 the right of the
pulpit you have little tremor yourself at
sight of the heavy sounding>board and can
not forLear indulging in quiet feeling of
relief when the last prayer is said.
There are in the Squre's pew long, faded
crimson cushions, which it seems IN YOU,
must date back nearly to the commencement
of the Christian era in this country. There
are also sundry old thumb-worn copies of
DR.. Dwight's Version of the Psalms of pa-
NiNI dIlOHNSb " bS euuS III Nhhi'h'Ss W
authority of the General Association ol the
State of Connecticut The sides OF Dir.
Dwights Version are, yon observe, sadly
warped and weather-stsined and from some
stray figures which appear upon Il ly-leaf,
you are constrained TO think that the Squire
has some time employed quiet interval of
| tho carviao with ract op ~, tI,o ,opfap.s
of the old sIocking-leg at homo.
The parson is a stout man, remarkable in
your opinion, chiefly, for a yelowish brown
wig, a strong nasal tone, and occasional vio-
lent humps upon the little dingy, red velvet
cushion, studded with brass tacks, at the top
of the desk. You do not altogether admire
his style and by the time he has entered
upon his 'Fourhly,' you give your attention,
in despair, to new reading ct must be the
twcntieth) Of the preface 10 DR.. Dwights
Ver.ion Of the Psalms"
The singing has a charm for you. There
is long, thin-iaccd. fax.haired man. who
carries tuning foik IN his waislccal pocket
and who leads The choir His position is in
the very front rank of gallery benches fac,
ing the desk and by the time the old clcr-
gyrnan has read two verses of the psalm, the
country choristcr turns around to his little
group Of aids, consisting of the blacksmith
a carroty-headed school-master, Two women
m snufi-colored silks, and girl in Il pink
honnot In ,nununco Lo tura
This being done in an authoritative man-
ner, he lifts his long music book glanccs
again at his little company clears his throat
by powerful 'ahem followed by pow
erful use Of bandanna pocket handkerchief;
draws out his tuning-lork, and waits for the
parson to close his reading. lie now re-
views once more his company; throws re-
proving glance at the young woman in the
pink hat, who at the mament is biting of a
stout bunch OF fennel lifts his music. book
thumps upon the rail with his fork, listens
kcenly; gives another slight 'ahem p falls
into the cadence, swes into strong cres>
cendo: catches at the first word Of the line,
as if he were afraid it might get away turns
to his company lifts his music. book with
spirit, gives it powerful slap with the dis
engaged hand, aud with majestic toss of
the head, scars away, with half The women
below struggling on in his wake, into some
snch brave old melody as--Licbfield
Being visitor, and in the Squre's pew,
you are naturally an object of considerable
attention 10 the girls about your age as well
as TO a great many fat old ladies in iron
speciacles, who mortiiy you excessively by
patiing you under the chin after church, and
insist upon misIaking you fol Frank; and
force upon you very dry cookies spiced with
caraway.sceds.
Yon keep somewhat shy of the young La
dies, as they are rather Stout for your no.
tions Of beauty, and wear thick calf.skin
boots. They compare very poorly with
Jenny. Jenny, you think, would be above
eating gingerbread between service. None
of them, you imagine, ever read 'Thaddeus
OF Warsaw or ever used a colored glass
seal with a heart upon it. You are quito
certain they never did, or they could not,
surely, wear such dowdy gowns. and suck
their thumbs as they do
The farmers you have high respect Tor
particularly for one weazen he AIDED old gem
ileman in brown suriout, who brings his
his whip into church with him, who sings in
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