The Portland daily press., 1865-09-28
wEY WIZ rIznv no lrp

n AZ surprising what an amount Of conser-
vatisIn in relation to small things may be
found underlying that spirit of progress char
-acteristic CT New England communities, III
usage be but ng-established, no matter
whether it have any merits to recommend it
or not, It holds, and the difficulties in the way
of upsetting it are nearly insuperable. Sitting
in church one Sunday morning net long ageg
we were strongly reminded Of this fact by
what we saw passing around u.s. 9 2Gs
Long, long years ago, when this country was
but a, halfbFekeA wilderness, wliensettleaaents
were sparse and feeble, when churches were
few, and up to their very doors stretched the
great forest swarming with savage beasts and
stillm Savage indians, the worship feed
in the Sanctuary was an act attended with
! danger. The settler never thought Of going
thither without his itrusty fre-lock which
through the prayers, the psalms, and the
powerful" sermon, often three or four hours
long, was placed in such position that il
could be grasped at moments notice. In
seating his family, too, he was led by the cir
cumstanees to a. certain usage. The women
and children and other helpless ones went
first into the shelter of the great pew, and his
own scat was near its door that he might be
ready at the first note of alarm to spring up
and. meet the foe. So the custom, founded at
first in the essential fitness of things, became
fixed, and from that day to ours the place Of
the woman has been toward the "head" of the
pew, and, that Of the man at its foot.
But we cannot help thinking, in view ofthe
fact that the times and the manners are some
what changed from what they were in that
early day, that this is a custom which now
"were more honored in the breach than in the
observance" 1t has lost all its claim of fit
ness or necessity, and is productive only, of IN
convenience and annoyance. -Four or five
! tall men with heavy boots have come early to
church, and are comfortably seated ina pew,
when a lady comes tripping in and presents
herself at its door. Instead of doing what
common sense and genuine good breeding
| would seem to dictate, namely, moving quiet
| Iy up and allowing her to seat herself below
them, they make a scramble for their hats,
and file out into the aisle in order that she
may sit at the 'head," thus, in obedience to
the law of now senseless custom, Subject
| ing themselves to Inconvenience, the lady to
annoyance, obstructing the entrance of other
people, and making confusion generally.
We should most certainly never think of
finding fault with the sentiment of defernce
and courtesy on the part of men toward wo-
men which dictates this custom. There is no
more shining trait in the character of Amer
| lean men than the true chivalry which they
manifest toward every thing in feminine form,
and we only wish our fair friends more gener-
ally exhibited a Interpretation of the con-
sheraton they receive; but this isan exhibit
ton of courtesy which the circumstances do
not cali for. Ladies do not ask it or like it. 1t
Eisas embarrassingto them to be the cause and
the centre of such conspicuous confusion as it
i is to gentlemen to be SO disturbed. One seat
in pew is as good as another, and, not wo-
man of them an but, fshe were consulted in
the matter would vastly prefer the quiet and
rational rule of "first come first served" We
are quite sure that the adoption of such rule
would wonderfully simplify the intricate bust
ness Of seating a large congregation, and
would introduce into our churches very much
more Of quiet and order thanare now to be
found there,..We commend the idea to the
sections and other officials of our fashionable
churches. II they would start the plan by a
vigorous effort, it mightlso commend itself to
the good sense of the people, as to become a
custom ~ ;-F I.ce 1870 sit-4',,.s;, IN