The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-22
I" HISTORY oE THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH OF RUTLhND.u

CHURCH OF RUTLAND"
We take the occasion of the appearance
of the "History of the Congregational
'' church of Rutland, Vermont" a die
course preached by the Rev. James Gibson
johnson, February 4, 1S77-from the press
o: futile and company-to throw together
q few disjoInted paragraphs supplying some
Of the omissions and correcting some of
the errors of this ''history," with such
other remarks as suggest themselves as we
go along.
1t is to be remarked, at the outset, that
the title of this pamphlet is a misnomer.
The discourse does not, in any sense, pur-
port to be a ''history Of the Congregational
L" church of Rutland" but only Of one
branch th~ereof-namely the church In the
east parish of Rutland. The parent church
which was "he Congregational church of
" Rutland is dismissed in less than three
lines, while no notice whatever is taken of
the church at West Rutland or of "Orange
" parish" which had a quasi existence for
several years and which had q regularly
settled pastor.
About 1880, says the discourse, 'the
''people Of East Rutland withdrew and
"worshiped by themselves'-but the dis
course is.perfectly silent as to the cause of
that separation. The cause was one as old
as the organization OF churches, and one
which, even to this day, is breeding OLSEN
sions among all religious denominations
dissatisfaction with the minister and with
the location of the meeting house. A Con-
gregational church was organized here Oc-
tober 90, 1878, with the Rev. Benajah
Roots as pastor, and a meeting house To-
Gated and built at Center Rutland-then
not only the geographical, but the business
center Of the town. With the growth of
the town, the center of business changed,
and villages sprung up both in east and
WEI; Rutland, and n strife for the location
of the meeting house, something like the
strife over building a town hall thirty years
ago, commenced which was only terminal
ed by the division of the town into two
parishes in October, 1887. Evidence Of
this strife is found scattered through the
town records from 1850 to 1888, in voting
to repair and refusing to repair the meeting
house; voting to build a new one, and re-
fusing to take any steps in that direction;
appointing committees to demonstrate
against the division of the town into two
parishes, etc., etc.
This strife about the location of the meet
ing house was supplemented with dissatis-
faction with Mr.. Roots. 1t was easy
enough to find fault with him, and a coun-
Gil at %Simsbury, Connecticut, having found
him guilty Of unsoundness Of doctrine, this
was eagerly seized hold of and the mosl
made of it. The town records show that
Rev. Henry Cary, Rev. Mr.. Mitchell Of
Woodbury., Connecticut, Rev. Mr.. Gay
lord, Rev. Mr.. Bell, Rev. Mr.. Perry and
others were invited by the town, and
preached here during the pastorate of Mr..
Roots. But of these we now have tn do
only with one-Rev. B"1ry .1ary-who
was undoubtedly the FIRST person + preach
to the 'people of East Rutland" sitter the7
had withdrawn from the parent church.
At what time he first came to rutland is
unknown, but it was as early as 1881. At
ter preaching a time to the "people of East
Rutland" the town, at q meeting held in
June, 1882, voted that ''the committee for
hiring preaching apply to Rev. MIR. Cary
"to preach in Rutland by the Day for a
Season Unlimited;" and November 18th,
of the same year, it was voted to dismiss
Rev. Mi. Cary from preaching" Tha,
he continued to preach thereafter, is evi.
denced by the fact that the town, in Janu.
airy, 1888, voted to allow his account fol-
preaching at fifteen pounds, fifteen shill
ings, and voted a tax Of two pence hall
penny on the pound to pay this and othel
debts but in March Of the same year O
tax was raised to pay the debts of the towr
with the proviso ''that no part of it 20 te
pay Mr.. Cary for preaching any Other
vote to the contrary not understanding
MIR. Cary subsequently, in 1892, brought g
suit to recover for his preaching, and ar
agent was appointed to defend the tow1
and, as the record hath 1t, ''the question
was then put whether the town woult
" raise any money to pay Mr.. Cary fol-
preaching and past in the negative"
Henry Gary was born in Bristol, Rhod,
Island, in ITO graduated at Harvard col
lege, in 1888 ; was settled at Ashford. Con
neclicut, and afterwards removed with
number of his church to Wyoming on th
Susquehanna, where he remained until tina
settlement was broken up by the Indiana
and his people dispersed. He then wen
to Massachusetts, and preached occasional
ly, but had the charge of no particular par
ish and soon after came to Rutland, an
lived with his daughter, the wife Of Cap
tain Zebulon Mead-whose house was o.
the Joel NJ. Mead farm near Sutherland
Falls. How many years he preached il
Rutland cannot now be ascertained, but h
remained here, preaching more or less
from 1850 or 1881, until his death whic
took place at the residence of Henry Mead
a son of Zebulon Mead. His remains wer
buried at West Rutland, aud a stone erecI
ed to his memory bearing the following In
scription:
REV. Henry
GARY
died May 9Th
1902 In tho
9lst year OF his ago.
He still instructs the listening throng
Let mOrtals come and see.
These are the accents OF his tongue
Prepare 10 follow me,