The Portland daily press., 1886-07-05

into the Second Parish choir. He likewise
persuaded Mr.. Edwards, Of Groton Mass,
to come and set up business in Portland on
account of his musical talent and assisted
him ali he could, and he led the choir of the
Second Parish for many years, keeping up
with the progress of the times Difficulties
in church choirs were as prevalent then as
now. At one time ,s,ot the first hymn was
the choir. My father who was good singer
Immediately read the hymn, LET those re-
fuse TO sing who never knew our Cod ETC.,
led off himself, the church and congregation
ioined in When the next hymn was read
the choir concluded to sing
There was no fire in the meeting houses.
The women carried foottstoves that contain
ed an iron dish filled with hot Goals. The
sexton was bound by written contract to
keep good rock maple wood fire on the
Sabbath in order that the people might have
good Goals to fill their foot stoves in the
morning and replenish them between meet
ings. Children suffered the most from cold
feet and would often cry with cold. used
to run my legs to. the knees into mothers
muff and get my feet on her foot stove and
long for services to be done. NV father used
to say that when he could hear people all
over the house striking their feet together to
quicken the circulation he felt it was time to
stop preaching and indeed seldom preached
more than forty minutes and often less. But
of the old ministers who exchanged with
him, many of the later ones, had a method of
dividing their sermons that to boy with
cold feet was. extremely tantalizing. They
would have SIX, eight and often ten heads of
discourse after which came the Improvement
the most eXcruciating of ALL After long
time occupied in the application of what had
| preceded the minister would say lastly. Then
all the younger portion of the audience
would prick up their ears and handle their
mittens in expectation of the close, but after
this would come finally, and on the heels of
| finally, to conclude, and after con-
clude in short. There was no Sab
bath school, religious instruction was
| in former days given to children by means
of the Westminster catechcism that was
| taughtto children by their parents and at stat
| ed times in the year the ministers were accus-
| toned to assemble all the children of the
| parish and cateehise them. Parents who
were not religious equally with others taught
! be able to answer the questions of the minis
| terS and appear as well as their companions.
| This method OF instruction had fallen in a
| measure. into disuse and though Sabbath
| schools had been substituted to take its
place they were not cherished as at present,
nor were they conducted as at present. No
| pains were taken to render them attractive.
| Some parents held on to both upon the prin..
| ciple that there never could be too much OF
| good thing. They had little hold upon the
| hearts of the ministers or the church and were
| generally taught outside. The first Sabbath
| school attended was held in school house
| that stood op the northeastern side of State
| street on vacant lot. The late MI Cahoon
was my teacher. The New Testament was
| the text book. Children committed hymns
| but took no part in singing.
There was a wen of auSterity running
| through the relations that existed between
| parents and children. They were neither fond
| led nor pampered, but taught self-denial, to
| obey their parents and reverence old age. In
many families the children ate at side table
| as they were not supposed to be fitted by age
l nr dawn nlnTNn tn 20 fhh1T a
! erS.
/ In the province of labor there was no spec
! ial adaptation of the implements of labor to
| the physical strength of children nor in mat
ters of education any adaptation of studies
| or methods of teaching to their mental wants
| as at present, but children and youths used to
| aslarge extent the tools and books of their
elders or waited till they grew up to them.
Thas in matters of religion, immediate eff
feet was not expected, either in relation to
children or adults. 1t was not expected that
a person would be converted till he was
married and settled in life.
| The question will naturally arise in the
minds of many. what was the result of such
mode and spirit of worship as to the pro-
| motion of vital godliness and the conversion
of souls. reply, there was but little fruit.
The preaching was mostly argumentative
and controversial, or political-the comic
sections of godliness. Ministers seemed to
feel that their responsibility ended when
they had faithfully preached the truth and
kept back nothing and church members,
when they attended the ordinances and kept
the faith.
The first great change for the better in this
| state of affairs was caused by the embargo
| which crushed for a season and well nigh
| exterminated the business interests of Port
land. 1t taught those who had become giddy
with more than twenty years of unexamplsd
| their prospects in this life were blighted,
| they directed their attention to the attain
ment of more durable riches. The ministers
| of the gospel, of all denominations, took adj
vantage of the changed condition of thought
and there was great revival of religious
interest throughout New England. Ed
ward Payson, who was then in the prime of
| life and colleague with my father. exerted
himself to an extent that consigned him to
an early grave and there was, during his
ministry constant revival. Instead of fate,
| free-will, fore-knowledge, absolute free
will, ETC.. people began to hear OF
Christ and Him cruciied and the still small
voice of the spirit and the danger of delay.
| The eyes of men stirred to new life were
now opened to perceive the great obstacles
to the progress ofireligion and morality. The
drinking customs of the day that had now
reached-a fearful extent, and African slavery
and the discussions caused shaking of
many dry bones seldom equalled, for con
| scence, self-interest and the law of God
| were pitted against each other. The main
shaft that carried the wheels of business in
Portland was the lumber trade, which con-
sisted in transporting lumber to the West
Indies, bartering it for molasses, a large por-
tion of which was made into rum that went
all over the country. There was new rum
for poor people and West India rum for
those in better circumstances. | have seen
my mother as often as Parson Lancaster
exchanged with my father mix Holland gin
and loaf sugar and warm it for him before
he went into the pulpit and after he came
out. l once went with my father to a
liquor in a decanter was set on the coffin and
glasses. At IL o'clock the bell rang, the
masons came down from the ladders, the
joiners dropped their tools and all partook of
rum, salt fish and crackers. This great OBJ
stacle, in a measure taken out of the way,
led to the development of spirit of Chris
tian enterprise that leave to ADLER hands to
describe.
The following anthem was then sung by
the choir.
ANTHEM-Jehovan's Praise.