Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-06-28

ItsuliIlN VI tut uuust OA OOu. lnt
good danes rode behind their husbands
on billions, carrying their babies In their
arms, The young girls walked in their
coarse shoes, until nearly in sight of the
church where they put on their shiny
moroccocs, leaving the others beside a
stone or the fence, changing again on
their return.
"The boys and girls, there were no
young gentlemen and ladies then" said
a good old lady TO us, used all To belong
to the choir, The gallery was always
| full of singers on its three sides. The
leader would flourish his pitch pipe,
with his ia, sol, la, sing and we did
sing"
One Sunday we were told the master
of the pitch pipe was absent, and it de-
volved on one OF the brethren to raise
the tune. This brother was black
smith, and had an apprentice by the
name of Chittenden, called Chit for
short. The brother brought out the ia,
SOL la, admirably. "Blow, Chitw
An he forgot he was in the meeting
house, The singers however preserved
| their gravity and went on with the
| hymn, for those were decorus times, and
laugh in church in the presence of the
minister, would not have been allowable,
| even under the most laughter provoking
| circumstances.
But the plain old fashioned church,
where good men and women worshipped
in all faith and simplicity, long ago
gave place to one of greater preten-
tions, and there are few left whose early
memories cling to it.
No ancient cathedral, not even st.
Peters itself, equaled in our childish i'm
animation the present church though
after years of absence walking again
through the streets OfOur native village
it seemed to have diminished wonderful
| ly in size, yet no other church can ever
be half so sacred to us. 1t is true its
pure white walls have been daubed with
an unsightly attempt at frescoing. The
organ too is broken winded, and at times
has violent spasmodiC symptoms. We
could better have listened to the tones
of cracked and worn out bell, than to
its unearthly blubbering and shrieks
and groans. In spite of early associa-
tions, we will lend q helping hand to push
itout of doors, whenever our good towns
| PCODlJ ouiLA ObCu JutAt DulOGS 4Ol lut
purchase of another.
Though in New England the Puritan
church was the first, yet here as else
where, other denominations have arisen
The church, brought to these shores one
hundred years ago By the wonderful
men, types OF the apostles of old, here
too has a home. The church always
surmounted by the cross rises in our
midst, and sect lately sprung up have
erected house Of worship here.
Among the early New Englanders a
school house was deemed only next in
Importance to the church. Every enid
must be taught to read and write and
the histories Of ciphering A thorough
knowledge of the assembly's Catechism
acquired at the sabbath school complet.
ed the education Of the well trained
youth. To young girls education was
added the accomplishment of working
the sampler. We were shown one the
other day, worked under the instruction
OF one of the early school ma'ams OF
the village schools, which we were as
Sured was MASTERPIECE in it's day, and
created quite as much admiration then,
as now does the most elaborate fancy
work acquired at boarding schools.
remember, said my old lady friend,
when went to school there was log
fence all along the north side of Main
street we children used to run home on
the logs stopping always in butternut
time to gather our aprons full of butter
nuts under an old tree on the way.
In time our towns people grew ambi-
tiOus that their sons and daughters
should have more extensive acquire
ments, and they projected the old acad-
envy. The memories Of many now turn
back to that old academy. Those were
great times the boys and girls used to
have then. They have passed away
with the old academy ITSELF and the
seminary has long been the browning
glory of our village. In our younger
days we firmly believed its walls con-
tanned all the wisdom and all the learn
ing of the world. We are certain now
that it contains the prettiest, brightest
rosiest.cheeked gifls in all New Eng
land, consequently in all the world.
OF course in all the great political ex-
elements our Castletonians have been
politicians. Said a gray headed old
| HAL w group VI US SdGneTeu arc unQ
the fire the other evening, ~ was little
boy; but I remember the days of the
| Federalists and the Democrats. l think
the Democrats were somewhat unfair;
for if they carried the day, all sub-ofIl-
GERS appointed were of their party and
if Federalist had case in court, he
was sure to be the loser. DR.. Shaw was
the leader of the Democracy here, and
remember the first sentence of his ha-
rangue to the party after a successful
election. Mounting the stand, he said
My friends, let US not run about after
that thing called Federalism
Federalists denounced their Democrat
&c neighbors as tories. Democrats de-
clared if England should again wage
war, the Federal party would join her,
and either being asked, often were not
able to define the difference in their prin-
ciples.
While the leaders in our little town
abused one another on the stump, their
wives gave tea parties, the ladies (Dem-
ocratic) freely discussing the short. COM
sx,oxo A.