Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-16

Tue MAsoNs OF FIFTY YEARS AGo.-ln
his Sunday mornings discourse, last Sun
day, Rev. J. g. johnson, of Rutland. gave
4 sketch Of the history Of the Congrega-
tional Church of tina. village. In a report
Of his sermon the Rltland Herald. said
When Rev. Dr. Charles Walker began bis
pastorate in 1923, only three men in the
village were members of the church. One
of the most striking features OF Mr.. John
sons discourse was the contrast which he
drew between the condition Oi society a. it
was then and is now. and the influence
which this church has had in electing this
changed condition. Mr.. johnson quoted
from a statement made by the late Governor
Williams, the sou of the first minister OF the
church, to the effect that at about the time
referred to (IS23) there was not a lawyer
from Bennington to MiddleburY who was
professor of religion or willing to De known
Us friend to Christianity, and that the
lawyers Offices here were kept open OF the
Sabbath Ii is an open secret, we believe,
although the face was not mentioned in the
discourse. that at this time the word devil
was substituted for the word God by the
Masons when reading their liturgy in the
meetings of their lodge. At the present
time, said Mr.. johnson, the leading public
men, the professional and business men of
the town, are without exception friendly to
religion, and many of them are its best ex-
ponents and most cordial supporters.
The Rutland GLOBE pronOunces this open
secret" vile SANDER, and adds:
At this time. and for many years before,
Phineas White was either Grand Master.
Deputy Grand Master or one of the Grand
Wariens of the Grand Lodge OF Vermont.
His character and services to the State, the
Church, the Bible society, the Colonization
society, AMI other benevolent organizations
and objects are too well known in Vermont,
to authorize tine belief that he would cOun-
tenance the substitution Of the word
devil for God in the liturgy Us used in
the lodge room. Joseph Howes. of Mont
pelier, was the Grand Treasurer from 1922
to 1884, and was a member of the Congre-
gational church OF that town at Its organi-
zation and through life, and was one OF the
first officers OF the Sabbath-scnOol. His pre-
decessor was Seth SEoIrs, deacon of the
Congregational church of Middlebury from
1901 to 1882. Other officers were Rev. Joel
Clapp, d. D., distinguished Episcopal
clergyman from prior to 1870 until long
after 1850; Rev. Aaron Leland, Baptist
clergyman oil Chester, Speaker Of the House
of Representatives and observation-disclosures
OF the State Thomas Chittenden and Isaac
Tichenor, Governors of the State; Noah
Smith, Enoch Woodbridge, Stephen Jacobs,
Enock d. Woodbridge and others, Chief
Justices or Judges of the Supreme Court.
We select these names at random. because
they are tolerably well known in the State,
and not because they by any means exhaust
the list. If any one will take the trouble,
as We have done, to compare the proceed
iDgs of the Grand Lodge of Masons from
about 1915 to 1880 with the proceedings OF
the Vermont Bible society for the same
period-we take these years because they
cover the period referred to-they will SEQ
that the same men are prominent in both
institutions. Indeed, as matter of fact,
there was hardly q clergyman in Vermont,
or one interested in her benevolent and re-
ligious enterprises, that was not, at the
same time, Mason