Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-11-09
Our Old Meeting House.
FROM The ArroB BIOGRAPHY or r.r.BARxUM.

FROM The AUToB BIOGRAPHY or Z. T. BARxUM.
| have before said that our Old Meet
ing House without either steeple or bell
was q comfortable place to hold meetings
in summer; but my teeth chatter even
now as think Of the dreary, cold and
freezing time we had there i'll winter.
SIch thing as a stove in q Meeting
House had never been heard OF in those
days, and an innovation Of that dcscrip-
ton would have been considered little
less than sacrlege. The old fashioned
sermons were an hour and half to two
hours long. and there the congregation
would sit and shiyer. and their faces
would look so blue that it is no wonder
"the worlds people sometimes called
them 'LlIeskins." They were literally
so.
Our mothers and grandmothers were
TIE only persons who were permitted to
approach comfort. Such as could afford
it had "muif and tippct," and carried
along foot stove, which consisted of
small square tin box, perforated with holes
and enclosed III q wooden frame, with
wire handle. There was a door in one
side in which was thrust small square
iron dish Of live Goals, sprinklea over
W tn few ashes. Those who lived some
distance from the Meeting Hous, t. OK
their foot stove in the wagon or cutter"
FOR tn r was generally good sleighing
in winter--and on arriving "to meeting"
they would replenish the foot stove it'll
fresh Goals at the nearest neighbours be-
fore entering the sanctuary.
At last, and after many years, the spirit
of reform reached the shiyering, chatter
ing. frccaing congregation Of the Old
Bethal Meeting House. Some brother
who was evidently quite ahead of the age,
and not, as sone of tire elder brethren
thought, ''oHt of his head" bad the te-
merity to propose shat store should be
introduced into the church for the pur-
pose Of heating it. Many brethren and
sisters raised their hands and rolled their
eyes in surprise and horror. a pretty
pass, indeed, when protesting Christians
needed fire to warm their zeal" The
proposition WAS impious, and it was vo-
ted down by an overwhelming majority.
Thu rcforner," however. rcrscyercd,
and by persuasion and argument he grad
uallv gained a few converts. He argued
that one large stove for heating she whole
house was as harmless as fifty small stoves
to warm the fifty pairs of feet belonging
to the owners of said portable stoves; and
while some saw no analogy between the
two cases, others declared that il he was
mad there was method in his madness"
Another year rolled by, cold Noyem
Der arrived and the stove question was
ayainmoved. Excitement ran high: night
meetings and church caucuscs were held
to argue the question; arguments were
made pro and con in the village stores !;
the subject was introduced into confer
ence meetings ard prayed over even the
youngsters had the question brought up
in the debating club and early in De
ccmber great ''Socicty's Meeting" was
called to decide by ballot whether there
should not lc stove in the meeting
house.
The ayes carried it by majority of
one. and to the Consideration of the mi
nority the stove was introduced. On
the first Sabbath afterward two ycncra-
bic maiden ladies tainted on account Of
the dry atmosphere and sickly sensation
caused by the dreaded stove. They were
carried out into the cold air and soon re-
turned to consciousness after being in
formed that in consequence of there not
being stove pipe enough within two
lengths, no fire had as yet been placed in
the stove!
The following Sunday was 4 bitter cold
dav. and the stove was crammed with
wei seasoned hickory wood and ht fought
nearly to red heat. This made most
parts Of the house comfortable, pleased
many and Mortified some.
Immediately after the benc,Hction had
been pronounced at the close of the at
tcrnoon services. one Of the deacons
whose pew" was located near the door.
arose and exclaimed in loud voice, The
congregation are requested to tarry."
Every person promptly sat down on
hearing this common announcement.
The old deacon approached the altar and
turning TO the people, he addressed them
/ in whining tone Of voice, as follows :
/ Brethren and sisters, YOU will bear me
witness that, from the first. have raised
my voice against Introducing a stove IN
{ to the house Of the Lord. Bat major
/ ity has prevailed against me. trust
/ they voted in the fear of God, and sub
nit. for would not Willingly Introduce
sch,sms into our church; but if We must
have a stove, do insist on having a lar
ger one. for the one you have is not large
enough to heat the whCle house, and the
CONSEQUENCE is. it draws all the cold back
Is far as the outside pews, making them
three times as cold as they were before,
ana We who occupy these pews are obhg-
ed to SO in the entire cold Of this Whole
+ house"
/ The courtsnaace and manner OF the
/ speaker indicated beyond al doubt that
! he was sincere. and nothing would APP
pease him until the " Business Commit
tee'' agreed to take the subject into con-
sideration. In the course of the week
they satisfied ihim that the stove was
large enough except on unusually severe
days, but they found great difficulty in
making bin comprehend that if the stove
did not heat the entire building, it did
not intensity the coId by driving it all in
70 Q corner,