The Portland daily press., 1888-03-22
DEDICATION AT sAccARAPPA.
Interesting Services at the New UNI
versallst Church.
Addresses by Leading univer salist
Ciergymen.


CIergymen.
The dedication of the new Universalist
church at Saccarappa took place yesterday.
The ceremonies were conducted during the
afternoon and evening and notwithstanding
the stormy weather there was a large at
tendance. The services in tine afternoon
were exceedingly interesting, although Rev.
|. j. Mead and Rev. Geo. w. Ricknell who
were to have taken part were unavoidably
absent. On table in front of the pulpit
was large vase of Gala lilies and upon and
on tables at either side of the pulpit were
bouquets of choice flowers. A floral cross
rested against the front of the pulpit, and the
organ was adorned with plants in full bloom
The ushers, Messrs. l.. Z. Wesc0tt, L. ii.
Bracket, G. w. Folger, C. NJ. Cloudman, ].
G. Babb and c. A. G. Jackson, wore ex-
quisite buttOnhole bouquets, white gloves
and suits of black. Upon entering the build
ing and passing into the auditorium the first
impression is very pleasing one
1t would be difficult to find prettier or
more convenient church. 1t is a wooden
structure, handsomely painted on the out
side while the auditorium is painted in deli
cate water coloIs that beautifully harmonic
producing an affect very pleasing to the eye.
Damon Bros of Haverhill. Mass, were the
architects. The building is heated through
out with steam, lighted with gas and ar
ranged in the most convenient manner pos
| sible. The vestry is entered from the out
side at two doorways, one at each end on the
IN or side af fhQ ahnrah In aifbar cfda IF
| the entrance at the rear there is a dressing
room, one on the left for gentlemen and one
ON the right for ladies' A slide door, through
which ladies can pass their baskets, opens
from the dressing room into the kitchen,
which Is on the right hand side in the rear of
the vestry. Beyond the kitchen is the boiler
| room, which contains two steam boilers, the
Baker heater, that furnish the heat for the
building, and on the left of the kitchen is
the conference room, which also has a slide
| door opening into the kitchen. The kitchen
itself Is a model of convenience. In the
front of the vestry there is a hand some. well
equipped stage. on either side of which there
are spacious dressing rooms In which, on
| Sundays, the Sabbath school classes will re-
| cite. A stairway from the ladies' dressing
| room in the vestry leads to the minister S
| private room which is on the right of the pull
pit The organ is located on the ieft of the
| pulpit.
The seating capacity of the auditorium is
about 400. 1t is beautifully finished in white
wood. handsomely carpeted and abundantly
lighted through large windows of beautiful
col0red glass of varied tints that soften the
rays Of light in a manner producing a most
agreeable effect. A stairway also leads
| from the rear OF the vestry to the corridor
above. Over the entrance to the auditorium
there Is a spacious gallery from. which one
may obtain an excellent view of the pretty
| church before him.
The building without the furniture. heat
| ing and lighting apparatus, cost little over
| $4,000, the furniture. etc. cost over $1,000,
| making the total cost thus far something
over SIT, 900. The society nave paid tow
| ards this debt between $500 and $7400, and
are making praisewOrthy efforts to raise
enough more money to enable them to
| soon pay the debt in full
AFTERNOON SERVICE.
The afternoon service opened with an or
gan voluntary by Miss Mabel Grant, which
was followed by an anthem sung by a
double quartette The quartette consisted
of the church choir, composed of Mr.. George
II. Sawyer, chorister; Miss Harriet Lon
don, soprano; Mrs. Jordan. Alto O. NJ
Nash, tenor; assisted by w. #. Pennell,
base; L. ii. Snow, tenor; Mrs. Samuel
Thompson, soprano; and Miss r. uezetine,
alto.
After singing by the quartette, Rev. @. H.
Shinn, pastor of the church, invoked the
divine blessing. Responsive reading and a
response by the choir were followed by the
reading of appropriate scripture selections
by Rev. NJ. Crosley. Prayer was offered
bp Rev. George ii. Emerson, ID. ID. Music
was then rendered by the choir, after which
Rev. A. A. Miner, ID. D., pastor of the Co.
lumbia Avenue church. Boston, Massachu-
sets. preached sermon, taking for his text
a clause Of the fourth verse of the sixty fifth
| Psalm, "We shall be satisfied with the good
ness Of thy house." In the beginning DR..
Miner said:
II cannot refrain in the outset in rendering
you my profound congratulation on the COM
pletion of this edifice. can only and merely
suggest to you what IL does or does not mean.
| 1t Is not club houee where citizens meet to
! talk over this matter and that, and to deter
mine whether the tariff shall or shall not be
| changed; IL Is not play house with that for
| an end, yet do not doubt that some most
| brilliant and enjoyable events will take place
| yet it is hall that shall nurture the princi-
| pies OF righteousness, nor will 1t be to you,
| trust, place for mere d0Gmatic discussions.
| 1t has been the custom from time immemo-
| rial to dedicate certain things to God, as, for
| instance, churches; and l call these things
sacred. Your church will be sacred to the
extent that you use 1t for house of worship.
That soul w0rships God that has come in
close communion with Him. To love God is
not mere name, nor is it to love mere
name. 1t is the heart that has come to know
| the ways of God. so to speak, that loves God
| am perfectly satisfied that Gods WAYS
| when found out will vindicate themselves to
man. 1t Is one thing to apprehend the prin-
4 osr In .fs h vxrxh s.ts so
comprehend all the parts of which that prin-
ciple is made. / am very well satisfied with
one truth which must be very comforting to
some. 1t Is that God never intended to put
us in world free from trouble. Why may
we not rest in the holy principles that the
| religion offers us even though we cannot
| comprehend all? So the question comes
back to us, how are we TO gain that love?
I'VE love Him because He first loved u.s."
| Now can we but settle down to the truth that
God Is love? He never for moment laid
off that principle Of love.
The speaker here referred to the element
of divine wrath which has wrongly been
said to pervade both the Old and New Testa-
ment, the terror conveyed for ages gone by the
word hell and how that word was found not
to mean place of endless punishment here
after, and of the attitude in which the New
Testament now stands in the eyes OF the
civilized world. The corruptions in govern
ments were finally spoken Of in forcible
have been in full blast for years yet we want
men. Let this church make men. Let our
pulpits seek to build character"
The ceremony of the delivery Of keys
took place after an anthem had been sung by
the choir. The keys were presented by Mr..
Charles Goodale, in behalf of the building
committee, to Mr.. Charles M. Cloudman,
chairman OF the church committee, appro-
| pirate presentation remarks being made and
as appropriately answered.
The dedicat0ry prayer by Rev. Henry
blanchard was strong and full Of pathos.
The sentence Of dedication was pronounced
| by Rev. Mr.. Crosley.
Rev. Charles A. Hayden, of Auburn, spoke
briefly words to the People," He said
"The chief word that have to say as look
| into your faces is simply of congratulation.
| hope you will make this a Christian church !;
| hope that the church will be the common
home of all, the rich and the poor, the high
and the low. Keep it alive, and active, and
earnest in the things that belong to the
| church. can cong .atulate you on your out
look, and may the church be home, warm,
and bright and good, to ALL"
After hymn by the choir and congrega-
tlon, the pastor, Rev. @. III. Shinn, pro-
nounced the benediction, which closed the
L arxf0n nf fhn