Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-21
roREFATHERs, DAY.

Senator o. Hs Platt Delivers SGfOmgs
 Comprehensive Address at Dwight
 Place Chureh-The Old Meeting
 House Was Ihe Father of Political
 Liberty-The Church of To-Day
 Memories of the Past.
 A happy celebration of ''Forefathers' day" was held by the New Haven Congregational club in the parlors of Dwight Place church yesterday evening. The ceremonies began at 6 o'clock At half-past a supper was serv- ed and at half-past 7 addresses were delivered by Senator o. H. Platt and Rev. James L. Willard, D. D.
 Dr.. Willard's remarks were upon "The Home Teachings of the Pilgrims" He dwelt upon the need of brave, conscientious men in Church and State to champion the weak against the strong.
 Senator OH. Platt's remarks were earnest ly listened to and were replete with broad knowledge and sympathy with man both po- litically and in matters of religion. He spoke upon "The Extinction of the Meeting House."
 s'The meeting house in name, character, force and result is becoming extinct," he said. t'I do not fancy our grand cathedrals and churches. I was born amid the simple meeting houses, and the rich tint of sunlight | an adornment that I enjoyed. The word | Church in it's application to building was | first applied to those structures in England | in which the ceremonies of the established | church were performed As the word came \ to this significance we cannot understand the \ intense hatred felt by every one of the Pill l Rrims for this symbol of the Church of Eng- | lands tyranny. The worship of this was l little less idolatrous than that of the Church ! of Rome. The name that the Pilgrims gave | to their house of worship was recognition of the greatest religious right of Christians to assemble and worship God in freedom. It ! twas their assembly, their meeting house and church. sounded foreign and hateful to their ! ears. feel that the church of to-day is much
 less pervaded by the spirit of God than the meeting house of my boyhood."
 Senator Platt here read description of the meeting houses of the early Pilgrims, written l in the seventeenth century. Davenport l meeting house in New Haven had tower in which sentinel always sat during the meeting. The houses were always armed l with guns and were places of all public meetings. It is quite possible that we are losing our appreciation of what our fathers cherished as the dearest rights of their free
 dom.
 "It was the meeting house and not the town house that first prepared the way fol
 our republic. Religious independence was
 delared before the Mayfower touched tho | waters of Plymouth Rock. Political inde
 pendence was not agitated until 1776. It wal
 at least 156 years later. Our fathers sought the sea to receive the blessings of civil anc
 religious liberty. We always put 'tcivip | before "religious," but it was religious liberty
 that they then sought. They brought the ides , of free church with them, but it was the
 germ of the free state that followed.
 The first assertion of religious self-govern
 nent was made by the followers of the Pil n | ligious democracy and political democracy
 closely followed. I bring these facts be- l cause men forget how much of our politica } liberty we owe one to the establishment of { free meeting house by the pilgrims or
 Plymouth Hill. The meeting house was ap
 piled and stood for religious liberty, Chris tian voting and self.governmen. To cal it 8 church was to submit in obedienc'
 to the authority of bishop and crown | Sometimes grow very sad when think th | meeting house as I have shown it is totterinl } upon the verge of death and decay. It is al
 ways sad to see monument overthrown. . \ wonder if the time will ever come when th
 old meeting house will have to be again SC up as the symbol of religious and politica ' freedom, or whether the map ot tradition will forever suffice. The freeman's oath ha been changed to the electors. I am sorry t
 see it, but I hope the standard of citizenship will be as high it was when every maj
 took the good old freeman's oath. | The permanence of free government based upon the earnest individual obligatio,
 of every citizen. If man does not take a interest in politics I tell him he is endanger
 ing American freedom. Everything wa , thought out, and if necessary fought out, il the day of the meeting house. No one reste' , conteatedly in the idea that he could no comprehend. All were in earnest. The da.
 of the meeting house was a day of mora - earnestness. The speaker continued, 6nel.
 elaborating this line of thought.
 The senator's remarks were received wit r much applause, and afterwards short ad
 dresses were made by Dr. Twitchell and oth \ CTS present.