The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-19
Pews VS.. Free Seats.


Or free seats vs. pews, it does not matter
which, for the one is against the other, people
seem to think so. Now, am for free seats
was raised on that kind. At first they were
made of slabs obtained at the saw-mill before
slabs couldbe utilized as fuel to run the mill by
it was water-mill, any way, and the slabs
were free, to begin with. Some one volunteered
to haul them to the meeting house, free of
charge, and few of us with augers and axes
soon put four legs in each and
hewed off the feather edge where it was too
wide for comfort, and all without pay. So
you see the seats cost nothing. By and by
when the congregation became more aristoeratic
few pine boards were donated and several of
the more wealthy members paid a carpenter for
making seats with backs to them, all of pine
Some paid for one, but some of the very rich
paid for two or three so that in the course of
the first summer after this was undertaken
more than half of the slab seats had been re-
placed by pine seats, costing the church moth
ing, few individuals meeting the heavy expense
voluntarily, as they had the slab seats that had
preceded them. AS these were free seats, and
were all set up in the 'amen corner or near the
stand" they We're usually first filled and the
less pains any one had taken to procure them the
| more exacting he became for his identical place
on this end or that of this seat or that and his
wife likewise on tbe other side of the rail which
separated the hes from the shes, for the poor had
| the gospel preached to them, you know 1t cost
nothing to sexton that meeting house, for the man
| who had given most to build it was expected to
| furnish fuel and candles and to build the
| fires and snuff the candles. and if it ever
swept his wife daughters were to do the
| sweeping, for 1T was free-Seat meeting house
After a while the church so far forgot its nr1ni
! tive SIMPLICITY and so far eonformed To the
| wicked WAYS of the world as to ask for a col
lection once or twice a year to buv wood and
| candles the old man who had borne this burden
for wears thinking that If he made the fires and
| snuffed the candles and had the meeting house
| swept somebody else oueht TO furnish t6e raw
material But the COLLECTIONS did NOT; amount to
| much. The people were mostly in favor of free
seats and they did not belieyein GOING to church
| if they had to paw for IT. In the course of time
! the man who had built fires and sn11ffed candles
| for many years. and most of this time had fur
nished the wood and candles. concluded TO re
sign Great was the embarrassment in this
! church of free seats. No one would take his
place and for a Sunday or two the house was
| not warmed or lighted at all A council was
was called and it was resolved to hire a
sexton at ST. a month and wood and
candles found But This would reouire a colIec-
ton every Sunday, and that would certainly
drive off the poor people But il didn't At
| first the collection was taken in a hat but soon
some inventive genius suggested a bag made of
black cotton velvet on. the end of a long mole
This could be put in the very face of the poor
But they soon got used to the black bag. and let
it pass, for they believed in free seats. and free
seats meant free preacher and a free
sexton. Now it did not always happen
that it was the poor only who turned the
black bag away empty The man who volun-
teered to take up the collection noticed Sunday
after Sunday that only one little old woman re
sponded to his call hence to save the feelings of
those who believed in free seats, free meeting
houses and free gospel, he went directly to
her, and having bagged her contribution, he re
turned the bag to its place. Having dene this
two Sundays in succession, he called as usual on
the congregation, receiving something from
nearly every one present. 1t was a gentle but
very effective hint that free seats did not keep
themselves warmed and busted.
Some churches prefer to rent their pews for a
stipulated sum. 1t is said to work more salts
factorily in the way OF meeting the incidental ex
penses. Evidently this is an end to be sought,
for, as rule, poor pay makes poor preaching
and poorer seAtonlns With all the prejudiees
OF my early life IN favor of free seats confess
that something can be SAID in favor OF selling