Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-20
oln riMEs y. nExu

Of this age when they say that people
are sny worse than they were q hun
dred or two years ago. The differ
ence between now and one hundred
years ago, is, that the newspapers of
the country, through means of the
electric telegraph, herald crime from
one end Of the country to the other,
within few hours after its commits
sion, while a hundred years ago such
news travelled slowly and frequently
never got beyond the neighborhood
in which crime was committed. As
q sample of the church organizations
that existed in the eastern states
century ago, we clip the following
from the New York Observer, which
is published under the head of "Wor-
shippers in Colonial Times" After
reading this we think that any impair
tial man will admit that our people
are growing better, and have made
considerable improvement on the
manners Of the Colonial fathers:
Joseph Emerson, who was settled
at Pepperell, Mass, in l747, on . sala-
ry of ''sixty-two pounds ten shillings
and thirty cords of firewood," in his
first sermon preached in the new
westinghouse, lamented that the
"devil is great enemy to settling
ministers and building meeting-hous-
es, and to the utmost of his powers
stirs up the corruptions of the chill
dren Of God to oppose or obstruct go
good work"
At Stamford, Conn, in 1911, the
people quarreled over the question,
"Shall the Westinghouse be thirty
eight feet square or forty-five feet
long and thirty-five feet wide" As
an agreement on this important mat
ter was impossible, they voted to
leave the size Of the house ssto the SOL
emn decision of God in the casting of
lots !" The record says: "The solemn
ordinance being as above had, the lot
carried it for a square meeting
house."
The people of birmingham, Mass,
quarreled from 1725 to 1874 about the
location of a Westinghouse to be
built, and in the meantime refused to
repair the old house. 1t was custom
airy in such case, for the General
Court to send viewing committee"
to fix the location. The decision of
this committee was always final
The house must be built on the spot
where the committee "set the stake, /"
and q report was required as evidence
that this had been done. The follow
ing is q report from Woodbury., Conn.
in 1747:
'To the Hon. Assembly at New Ha-
ven These may inform your Hon'rs.
that the Prime Society in Woodbury.
Have set up Meeting House in the
place where the Courts Committee set
the stake Have Covered & Inclosed
it & for Bigness Strength & Archi-
lecture it Does appear Transcendant-
~ Magnificent pr Joseph Miner So
ciety's clerk"
In 1862 the church at Wallingford,
Conn, was stirred into quarrel
about the doctrine of Probation,
which resulted in the forming of a
new church. The seceders began to
build Westinghouse eighteen rods
distant from the old one. An iniunc-
ton was applied for to stop the build
ing and the testimony of two women
was offered that the minister could
be heard preaching at least twenty
rods distant. In the meantime the
dispute about Probation grew into 9
street fight which engaged many pu
gilists from the surrounding country
and tina spectacle which the founda
ton trenches presented was like tina
which frequently accompanies al
Irish wake.
| In 175O the people of Hadley, Mass.
voted to build Westinghouse "il
the center of the town." But as eve
rybody had his own opinion as Il
where the "center" was, q disput,
arose about the location and lastet
for thirteen years! More than fit,
town meetings were held during thi
time for the purpose of agreeing on
location. At last a decision Of tn
question had to be referred to lot
terry under the charge of minister
from four neighboring towns.
After town had agreed where I,
build it's Westinghouse, the next i'm
portant event was the "raising."-
The day appointed for this was calle,
"raising day." 1t was q general hol
iday, when the people laid aside thei
soberness of demeanor and expecte,
to enjoy themselves in an unusua
manner. The frame of the buildinI
having been previously prepared
each broadside was put together OF
the ground. Then, after a prayer
the sides were raised to their posi-
lions upon the foundation by til
united strength Of the men, some o
whom supported the frame by loni
poles while others were raising it ul
1t was customary for people to sea
themselves upon the stills; and it wa
} said to be q very small town that hal
not men and women enough to cove
them.
Now "vitila and drink" were freel
distributed. Generally, the victual
: were pastries and the drink was rum
This is q common record: "Vote,
that the committee make suitabl
preparation of liquor for the raisip
of the meeting-house." Gloucester
Mass, in 100, "Voted to provide vii
lis and drink for as many men as tn
selectmen should think convenient 70
; the raising"
In 1875, Framingham "voted TO
the raising Of the meeting house, on
barrel of rum, three barrels of cider
six barrels of beer, with suitable pro
visions Of meat and Bread" at an ex
pense of seventy pounds, which wa
: then the amount of the minister's sal
airy for year.
In 1854, Groton elected two dea
cons, two captains, two lieutenants
one ensign, and one private, to su
perintend the raising and provid
zone hogshead of rum, one loaf o
white sugar, a quarter Of q hundre'
weight of brown sugar, and victual
and drink for one hundred men,"
The records Of Medford state tina
: at the Westinghouse raising in l76
mo one was hurt" which probabl
means that no one was intoxicate,
!: enough to put his life in peril. Blu
in another town near Boston, wher
part Of the frame fell during tn
raising, in 1873, there is no doubt tina
every body was drunk; for the rec
ords say: "Voted to provide on
: barrel Of West Indian rum, one bar
, rel of good brown sugar, half bo
of lemons, and two loaves ofloaf su
gar, for framing and raising tn
meeting house !"
Alcoholic drinks were used dali
, by both the ministers and the people
: There was no change of this custom
until about the year 1913, when Asso
Citations of mini, tiers began to resolve
"Thst ardent spirits hereafter form n
part of our entertainment"
Although the custom of rum drink
ing was universal, there wac now an
then, q protest against 1t. Jane
. Keith, preaching at Bridgewate
Mass, in lit, said: Besides othe
: evils which might be mentioned,
would refer particularly to the es
cessive and prodigious expense upo
. strong drink, above all that of Rum
:, say the scandalous and horribl
! abuse Of rum, which threatens rui
unto this land and unto this place I"
II ssTho ,poo&;rr &hop 1;aporoad n 81 ,