St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-02-25
Statement by the Pastor.

Four years ago lacking few days.
it was Feb. 26th,-eight young men of
this North congregation, with the pas
tor, met in an office in yonder Bank
block to talk about a new church. 1t
was after the Wednesday evening
prayer meeting. An hours conference
made it evident that the time was
ripe, at least to try for it. The congre-
cation was accordingly districted geo
graphically, and each of the eight took
IA district to canvass for il meeting of
its representative men. This was held
in the church vestry the Saturday
evening following. The attendance
there, and the sentiment, were both
encouraging. The meeting was adj
journed to the next Wednesday even
ing, after the prayer meeting. The
project found no Opposers, nor seemed
to require any advocacy. 1t moved
steadily on by its own weight. 1t only
needed organizing. That evening, Git
was now week old,-a canvassing
committee was appointed, which met
the next evening, and began its work.
Individual subscription papers, running
four years, payable in quarterly in
stallments were printed, and one of
fered to every adult in the congrega-
ton. No one outside was solicited.
A similar one, but calculated for week
ly payments, was prepared for the chill
dren in the Sunday school.
At a meeting of the congregation
called for Monday, Apr. 9th, the COM
mittee reported S7, ll4.6S subscribed,
Thereupon a Building committee was
appointed, of which, Gov. Horace Fair
banks was made chairman.
Long before this, plans for the new
structure had been under consideration.
made of the old church, which must
nevertheless furnish us shelter for three
or fonr years to come. This problem
was happily solved by two of our num-
Der, who purchased the corner lot OPP
posite, on the south, and offered it to
us, tent free, to set the building on
till some other disposition could be
made of it. Its brick basement was
accordingly replaced by a frame Of
| timber, under which ways and rollers
were set, and, in command of Capt
E. H. Stone, an experienced pilot, \at
eleven o'clock a. NJ, Tuesday, July
10th, it slipped its cables and set out
on its voyage. Wednesday evening, as
it lay at anchor in Church St., with
lamps in our hands, by the help Of
spare blocking, we clambered on board
and held our weekly prayer meeting OF
its main deck. Early the next week il
was made fast at its new moorings
Wednesday evening, Sept. 4th, VT
were able to leave our too ample ac-
commodations up stairs, and after but
two months Interruption, take posses
sion of the reconstructed basement
rooms, with somewhat improved &C.
cOmmOdations.
Our plans for the new structure were
now SO we'll outlined that we coult
proceed with the foundations. Some
of the ground needed little excavation
but for the tower, partly because it wa.
on the higher side of the lot, the shovel.
we're piled to the depth of eighteen
| feet, twenty-five feet below the cornel
stone. The first stone was laid Oct.
Danville Joined US in this sacred game
of dOminOes, putting down as hel
pieces, the stones of the old county Jail
not, am sorry to say, because Gale,
donia county had no criminals, but be-
cause she had ceased to keep then
there they belonged more properly to
the town which furnished most of them
we will say. These spoils from Satan
kingdom were laid crosswise at til,
bottom of the trenches. Thus we fol.
low out the thoughts of our venerable
Father Augustine:
Nor deem the irrevocable past
| As wholly wasted, wholly vain,
| If rising on its wrecks, at last
| To something nobler we attain
Before winter set in the foundation
was completed, and the ground bTOugh
up nearly to grade. For this, and Il
complete the grading, 35l4 carloads o
earth were requisite.
We had thus far expected to build o
brick. During the winter the desire
became general and strong to employ
stone. At length, as the season drew
near for renewing operations, Messrs
Horace and Franklin Fairbanks mad,
to the Building committee this PROPOSE
ton to build stone church, sub
stantially according TO the plans before
us, for the subseriptions,-the commit
tee keeping the amount good as nearly
as possible.-and the old house. Suct
an offer was of course accepted, anC
the opening spring, 1873, witnessed the
vigorous renewal of operations. The
stone selected was the Isle La Motto
marble. 1t was brought by boat tC
Maquam Bay, aud thence across the
L. l.