Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-14

advance, in getting plans and making contracts.
One year, plans and contracts April 1871, to 1872
One year, bnild and cover in. April 1872 to 1873
One year, plaster, finish and - -.
One year, pay for In full and 49,.
dedicate April l, 1874, to 1916
1t is proposed to expend not less than 900, 900
nor more than $4,000, according to the ability
shown by the returns of these cards OF confden-
tia subscription. Any member OF the church
and congregation, or any friend of the church,
is allowed and invited to subscribe. But no one
is urged.
T. X. BEECHER, Pastor
To help build our meeting house think shall
be able to give
Not less than ST.. and
Each year for four years, beginning April l, 1871.
Or can make In one payment $,,.... .........,.
Trusting In the Lord TO help me, l hereby sub
scribe the same as noted above
NhIle ,..'ss'ss's's,.'s'''
Residence, ........,,,,,.'
The subscriptions were to be wholly voluntary
and strictly confidential; no one was to know
the amount of Il mans subscription except him
self and the minis ter; nobody was urged TO give
anything at all; all were simply invited TO give
whatever sum they felt was right and just, from
ten cents upward and no questions asked, no
criticisms made, no revealments uttered. There
was no possible chance for glory, for even though
Il man gave his whole fortune, nobody would
ever klOW IL. l 10 uOL hHOW Wncn ANY, ulllH
has struck me as being so Utopian so absurdly
romantic, so ignorant, on its face, of human ma
ture. And so anybody would have thought.
Parties said Mr.. Beecher had educated" his
people, and that each would give as he privately
felt able, and not bother about the glory. be-
lieve human nature to be more potent educa-
tor than any minister, and that the result would
show it. But | was wrong. At the end Of
month or two, some two-thirds of the circulars
had wended back, one by one, to the pastor, s-
lently and secretly, through the post office and
then without mentioning the name of the giver,
or the amount of his gift, Mr.. Beecher an
nOunced from his pulpit that all the money
needed was pledged-the certain amount being
over 900, and the possible amount over $685.
600! When the remainder of these circulars
have come in it is confidently expected and be-
lieved that they will add TO these amounts sum
of not less than $4,000. A great many sub
scriptions from children and working men con-
sisted of cash Enclosures, ranging from ten
cent currency stamp up to five, ten and fifteen
dollras As said before, the plan of levying
tax, and the success of the plan, are much more
curious and surprising than the exceedingly Gu
rious edifce the money is to create.
The reason the moneys are to be paid in four
annual instalments-for that is the plants
partly to make the payments easy, but chiefly
because the church is to be substantially built,
and its several parts allowed time to settle and
season, each in its turn. For instance, the SUI
perstructure will be allowed good part of the
first year to settle and compact themselves after
completion; the walls the second year, and so
forth and so on. There is to be no work done
by contract and no unseasOned wood used.
The materials are TO be sound and good, and
honest, competent, conscientious workmen
(Beecher says there are such, the opinion OF the
world to the contrary Notwithstanding hired at
full wages, by the day, to put them together.
The above statements are all true and genu.
inc, according to the oath have already made
thereto, and which l am now to repeat before a
notary, in legal form, with my hand upon the
book. Consequently, we are going to have at
least one sensible, but very, very curious church
in America.
l am aware that had no business to tell all
these matters, but the reporter instinct was
besides, they were in everybody's mouth in
Elmira anyway.