Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-18

business part of the city. The stiffness is very
pleasant; closed stores, deserted sidewalks, no
sight or sound of wagons and carts give an air
of strangeness and Iepose to even Cornhll and
Brattle street. In the narrow passage between
these streets stands the old Bratle street church.
and there it will stand for few days longer,
and then will be swept away. For 172 years
"the Brattle street church" has gathered on that
spot for worship. In 1899 the society was formed
and church built, and Mr.. Benjamin Colman
was the first minister. The committee, in their
letter of invitation to him, say; owe only pro-
pose that the Holy Scriptures may be publicly
read every Sabbath in the worship of God,
which is not practced in other churches Of New
England at this time; and that we may lay
aside the relation of experiences, which are i'm
posed in other churches, in order TO the admis-
sion of persons to the Lords table," The Rev.
Mr.. Colman preached here for forty eight years,
till 1747, when he died. He was succeeded by
Rev. Samuel Cooper, who became DR.. Colman's
colleague in 1746, and remained pastor of the
church till his death, in 1873. He was followed
by DIR. Peter Fletcher, who died at his post in
1902; and he by Rev. Mr.. Buckminster, who
died in 1872, only twenty-eight years old. Then
came the Rev, Edward Everett, the first pastor
who had resigned that charge; he preached but
enc year, and was succeeded by the Rev. John
G. Palfrey, who retained the Office for 10 years,
and then resigned it. The plesent minister, Dr.
Lothrop, was installed in the summer of 1884.
In 1878 the present church was built; the first
one having fallen into decay. In 1775 and 1916
British troops were quartered in this and in
other churches, and remained here until the
town was evacuated in 1776. The night before
the evacuation heavy cannon ball struck the
| church and knocked hole in the wall The ball
was picked up by Mr.. Turell, who kept it, and
when the church was repaired, it was placed in
the breach it had made, "where it is to be seen
projecting from the surface at this day." The
church is square, with heavy Corinthian pillars,
and other elaborate woodwork, painted white.
The pews are painted dark green and orna-
mentd with small, regular panels, twenty or
more in each pew; double row of SMALL deep
set, arched windows with queer old-fashioned
panes of glass let IN an abundance of light, and
the tall dark pulpit, with its heavy sounding
board built into the wall; with its hidden stairs,
its reading desk below, and its crimson-cur-
tanned window behind, is | think very hand
some and effective, and quite in keeping with
the voluminous clerical robe which the incum-
bent still wears, when on duty. There is a
quaint statelness and air of authority about
the whole arrangement that is in pleasing con-
trast with more modern churches. Even the
hymn book is the Tate & Brady's version of the
psalms, with an addition of hymns made by
in 17EQ. nd nd
dition made in the same way in 1908.
These hymns took the place of psalms
'deaconed Off and sung line by line; for Brat
tie street church was an innOvator. and not only
voted and acted against that barbarous way of
numbering psalms and hymns, but its members
established the first singing society in Boston.
Yet space and quiet age and quaintness, hi storic
associations, and clerical renown fail as other in
ducements have failed elsewhere to attract sum
mer congregation. Here and there head is to be
seen in the corner of one of the long pews; a
few strangers come to take their first or last
look at the old place, or some clergyman, rest
ing from his own labors, puts himself in the
| place of layman, and tries the experiment of
listening.
The careless grumbng about churches closed
in summer, and about people who want to hear
preaching having nowhere to go, has called out
public statement from Rev. Rufus Ellis that
open churches are abundantly provided for the
present summer, and worshippers of every
name will find open doors and altogether free
seats. And he adds:
Twill any considerable portion of the seats be
Occupied2 We believe that the few who wish to
oft al1s haxa n1 oil TO a tInI
and that for their sake the honses should be
open; but having had some experience in city
| churches during many summers we shall VEN
ture to remind some who are very earnest in
protesting against closed doors and yet net very
earnest in their own attendance that it is very
hard to ask minister to preach to black
| walnut whilst those for whom the services
/ are maintained are trying to keep cool at home
beyond the reach Of his voice. Let us see how
many open churches are really needed in Boston
during the months Of July and August. "A
| chiefs amang We taking notes. We give fair
warning that it is proposed to collect some
statistics touching this matter this summer.
We have shrewd suspicion that always in this
city there are more church Sittings than there
are men and women who care to occupy them"
So now let the grumblers go regularly 10
church, no matter who breaches, or where the
mercury is, or hereafter let them hold their
peace.
The horticultural exhibition yesterday was
small, although the lilies and double holly
hooks were large, and there were splendid speci-
mems of currants, so clean and bright that it
was pleasure to look at them. Butthe prettiest
flower show in the city is now open to
the public every day-the hollyhocks in
the old Granary burying ground. They crowd
back against the Athen@um and the garden wall
of the neighboring house; year after year they
have sowed their seeds, and chosen their own
colors, and now there are perhaps a thousand
stalks with flowers, mostly single, of every i'm
aginable tint, from the purest white to the
deepest crimson. They conceal each others
stiffness and other defects, and make so brave a
show that one wishes some poet would sing
them into immortality, as Wordsworth did the
ten thousand daffodis which he saw "tossing
their heads in sprightly dance" My hollyhocks
are not "besde the lake" as his dafodils were but
the grass around them is fecked with the white
blossoms which the tall catalpa trees have flung
down, and the winding brown path is notified
with yellow leaves already falling from the will
lows, and lively little bird perches on a low
gravestone, and "bury bees from bloom to
'iSN'A SNot SsSiNNh jus Oh wing anu
Yes, it is worth poem, a short one; but then
hollyhock is a bad word for a rhyme, and we
should not quite know it by any other name.
When the shadows begin to fall eastward,
and breath from the sea tempers the heat of
the MONDAY, and we who are left in town are
able to think at all of plans and work, we
think of and wonder at Mr.. Gilmore's plan for
his worlds jubilee next year. He is busiy at
work, with every prospect of success, and next
June will probably gather in Boston singers
from every civilized nation on the earth, sent
officially to sing peace on EARTH" In this I'M
dertaking Mr.. Gilmore meets with less opposi-
ton than he did in his peace jubilee of 1869
Many people who thought that plan perfectly
impracticable, and almost insane, acknowledge
their error, and have entire faith in Mr. Gil
more's ability to carry out this new scheme.
The jubilee of $50 is said by impartial judges
to have given a powerful impetus to
musical study all over the country,
and so TO have done a great deal
Of permanent good; and now musicians give
Mr.. Gilmore their hearty support. He himself
is working with great enthusiasm and untiring
II