Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1856-05-07
For the Grand River Times.

Mr.. EDIroR:- Have you ever lived in
New England, in a good, old-fashioned, steady
habited, go-to-meeting community, where the
labors of the week are completed precisely at
on Saturday evening, and everything
around at that early hour seems to assume
the sober realities of the Sabbath? If so,
you remember the never-to-be-forgotten scenes
connected with the arrival of the first day of
the week-how quietly at the early dawn
of that morn, sacred to the alteration of the
Creator, when the rising sun has just gilded
the peak of some far-off hill or tipped the
top of some distant forest tree, the sturdy
farmer, arisen from his downy couch, goes
forth noiselessly "to do up the morning
chores" that stern necessity renders impera-
tive even upon sacred morn, and how MIN
bly, the good dame, assisted by blooming
daughters, prepares the frugal morning meal ;
and after "the clearing away of the dishes, y
the hour of busy preparation for meeting
Perhaps, sir, you are native of New Eng
land and spent your childhood and youth
amid its thousand interesting features. Ifso,
you well remember how we, when children,
used to take Testament in hand, and, in some
quiet corner of the old family mansion, sit us
down to con over our lesson for the Sabbath
school, and how diligently we committed
verse after verse of a long lesson, that we
might not be deficient in answer to any
question that might be asked us. You re-
member the bell that hung in the old Church
steeple, whose grave and solemn tones al
ways saluted our ears at precisely nine o'clock,
A. M, reminding us that in just one hour
and half church services would commence,
when that sanctimonious monitor would again
send forth its inviting appeal to the early-ar-
rived worshippers to enter and take seats,
ready to listen to the minister when the last
stroke of the tolling bell announced him
pulpited.
You further remember what an air of SOL
emnity pervaded the assembly while they
listened to that aged pastor, discussing in
tones of love and deep reverence, of life,
death and Immortality. At that day, woe
betide the unlucky urchin who should so far
forget the rules of decorum as to engage in
whispering or sporting with an intimate
You recolect doubtless, how
the minister has stopped in his discourse,
when his eye has incidentally caught such
an one and administered to the culprit a
merited reproof in presence of the congrega-
ton, and how gladly we felt that it did not
happen to be our i'll fortune to be thus pub
licly disgraced.
Service over, you easily bring to mind
the assembly of children and youth, of both
sexes, young men and women, venerable sires
and matrons in their several classes, engaged
in the interesting duties of real New-Eng-
land Sabbath school-and how infinitely and
critically the lesson for the day was examined
and commented upon by teacher and super
intendent. An hour passed in this pleasing
and profitable exercise, that faithful steeple
monitor again calls to service-that conclud-
ed, we retire home, bearing upon every feat
ure of countenance an impression of the SOL
emn nature Of the duties of the day, and af-
ter partaking of our evening meal and recit-
ing select portions of the Catechism, how
we waited for the disappearance
of the sun, that the joyous hilarity of our
youthful spirits might manifest itself without
No doubt your readers, on glancing at our
heading, imagine we have wandered some
hundreds of miles from our subject-begging
pardon for the depression, we will now come
directly to the point.
I Circumstances rendered it convenient for
us to attend church in your village recently,
and for many month gone by, we have not
been placed in position that reminded us
SO forcibly of the scenes of New England
Sabbath as enjoyed by lis in our earlier years,
as those presented us upon that occasion.-
AT 8 o'clock, A. NJ, the bell attached to the
Union school house Of the village, IA build
ing that does infinite credit to the enterpris-