Litchfield enquirer., 1867-10-10

| street corn CTS hear the words first nine
 ''muffed, umpire" &c.,, vociferated in
 manner which would indicate that here, { = elsewhere, the young men have ''base ball o l the brain"
 Nor is this all, for at almost any point O the street in the afternoon, may be heard tl , t'click, click, ;" which indicates the progres of a game of croquet. The other morning 5 during the progress of short ramble, counted no less than eight lawns whereo
 there was an array of stakes and arches
 The ladies of course are fascinated with tn , game and the air IS made merry with clea voices, the lawns enchanting by their brigh , faces. ''So mote 1t be-"
 : CHURCHES
 There are in the village four church edi fees wherein Congregational, Episcopal Methodist and Catholic congregations. re
 spectively worship, The Congregations society are having erected an elegant an,
 commodions edifce of Torrington granite The dimensions of the building will b.
 ninety feet in length by fifty-5wo in breadth
 A stone tower will crown the summit. aut
 the building will be finished internally il
 elegant style. When completed the edifct
 will probably be the finest in the county
 The society is at present under the pastora charge of Rev. Geo. B. Newcomb, (former ly of Bloomfield, Conn., with whom his people are we'll satisfied, believe.
 The Methodists have for nearly two years worshipped in their handsome edifice ot brick, located short distance north of the center. They are at present. ministered to | by Rev. l.. W. Abbott. Rev. MT. Sanford officiates at the Episcopal church, and Rev. Father Leo, of Winsted, holds service at | the Catholic church on alternate Sundays. THE soRIoLs
 of the village are under the direction of Mir. h. R: Morrill, ,as principal whom I called upon at his "Temple of knowledge" yester- day, and with whom I spent several hours very pleasantly. The schools have recent ly been graded and are now embraced in four departments as follows: The high school numbering fifty scholars who are under the direct supervision of MT, Morrill, and his assistant, Miss J. l.. Gris- wold; the grammar school, numberine Q fifty- five scholars, under the charge of Miss M, l.. Witham; the intermediate department whose fortyfive scholars are taught by Miss M. l.. Morris. and the primary schools 1n der the charge of Misses Addie ard Della Henderson, who lead thus early into wis dom's ways the feet of one hundred and thirty little girls and boys. As I watched the bright faces of these babe for many of them are nothing more, Lent over their books, there t1oated through my mind the opening lines of Longfeilow's "Weari- ness"-
 Must ache and Diced bsnsatnl nlyoet ssazssss=- Heaven grant them strength for the long ascent that they are just beginning to climb for they will need much of 1t, and how little some of the weary ones appear to have
 This Murder of the Innocents, ''by send ing them from the cradle to the school room is, in my opinion, one of the crying sins of the age. But ''to resume, etc. With the general order and arrangements of the school I was highly pleased. Everything appears to move with clock-hke regularity and speaks we'll for the ability of Mir. Mor- Till. With his own department I was es- pecially gratifed. Among the studies there pursued are Latin, Geometry, Algebra, Nat ural Philosophy, Chemistry, etc. A class of young ladies is engaged in the transla- tion of Virgil, and are making excellent progress I also listened to recitation in ge- ometry by a young lady of Is, which might ''put to the blush" many college student. The ability and good order of the scholars is highly complimentary to them and to their instructor. MT. Merrill is graduate of Wesleyan University, class of '66, is an accomplished teacher, and withal a perfect gentleman. l understand that he gives ex- cellent satisfaction in his position.
 This morning, having procured for my self a.horse with vehicle attached thereto, I enjoyed short drive
 OVER THE HILLS,
 in the embrace of which the village so so peacefully reposes There are within the limits of the town number of objects of interest to the visitor. About two miles north of the village, on the old Winchester road, stands
 THE NEwFIELD MEETING HOUSE,
 concerning which there is an interesting story which briefly give. A few Baptist brethren, hoping probably to originate fiourishing settlement, wherein their own denomination should be the most firmly established, erected at this point church edifce. Whereat good Methodist broth CT, being filled with envy, vowed that his Baptist brethren should not thus take the lead, and erected, nearly opposite, another church building. But alas! no settlement came; few meetings were held, and but q few; builders, both Methodist and Baptist, one by one, passed into ''the Silent Land, and there the churches stand to-day amid the rocks and hills, desolate and unoo u pied But one house is in sight, and that IS seem ingly as ancient as the hills themselves The scene is dreary one and in winter must be bleak and terrible, but there the churches stand. When the Sabbath comes no church bell sends out its melodion' peals, no devout worshippers gather at the
 sanctuary, no hymns of praise float out upor
 the hushed air, and passers by look at then
 and wonder, and knowing the story, muse
 perhaps, as they go, upon the folly of man
 But now I must notice what perhaps ma ny will be interested in. West from tn
 village about three miles is the Torrlngtol
 church, short distance north of which | grass-gr own road leads off to the left, an' winds among the woody wales. Following this for while I came at last to a shor hill, whose brief ascent having been made I came in sight of an old farm house, ,standini lonely among the hills. It IS
 ,, THE BIRTHPLACE OF OLD JOHN BROWN. 5 drove to the door, stepped to the groun and looked at the old house. Age rests uE r on it, and the moss covered roof and brow and crumbling timbers tell of coming de l.