Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-09-07

ply Of windows, in number just double thn
which the same frame now holds hkewis,
the same weather vane, with the letters thai
now crown our spire Beneath was eel
lar, not always in perfect order, Hs in tn,
warrant Of March IA, 1925, we find a spec
ial article and vote 10 clean it out. Her,
were kept two old cannon, said to hav,
been captured from Burgoyne, the villag,
hearse, and for while Judge Tylers sulky
Such IA collection drew the children to Tia,
door, through which they would curiously
and fcariully look, without venturing tC
enter
The arrangement within the church wa,
| quite different from the present, though tn,
identity has not been lost The pews wer,
not the old fashioned square pews, but
straight, though shorter and wider than
now, aud with Il door at each end except
for the wall pews There were three aisles
and, while there were wall pews yet the
number Of pews was not as great as at
present. Each line Of pews had an aisle t.
itself. Had our pews, recently changed,
been left as they were, and a middle aisle
! run down through the double set in the cen
tire, it would have restored the old plan. A
main purpose Of aisles seems to have been
| TO keep the pews apart. The centre aisle
ran 10 the space before the pulpit, while the
side aisles branched ~ right and left respec
lively, atfording access to the corner pews,
"'' VI" each sue ana ihclu"lhg iuhE ones
aS''ns' Ine walls Whi'h were at rlght an
| giles to the main body. The gallery had on
que SUES TWO rows Oh peWs' with long aisle
between, running all the way down, and
! circular pews, three deep, at the south end.
where the singers sat The church was
p''uueu pam "h'ue All through' WIN uark X
up 'ri''ilhlng Ks ior the Pews' except peilIh'
si' PuiPit' "here were ireSc"ed III re' 'o'nTS'
Ir"'n Cellhg 70 moor, the gorgeous curtains.
""l'eu appropriately BACK l"r the uhilI
en'ergeh'e "i the sacred desk "hlrh met
anu "PPTeSsed the eyes ,that IS the curtains
"'' 'he ueSk' oi c"ufSe) oi the SUNDAY com
pa"E; me Pulllt was hall tine helsht "i
'''e 'nuI'h' aiJer the common manner, ana
was SuIP"ICeu upon ana over lour plllarS'
7'ea'" ""i'h was u r''eNs' ana III tnlS the
9i.'''SVer sat aV the communion, WINE ne
.ti '.'''' ''''' '''e Uu''e' 'h elOu'r si'e W
JHlS recess was door, one leading To the
pulpit stairs, and tn" other into u closet
where were kept the furniture and the ele-
inehts Tor the sacrament and where the
small boy supposed, from what he saw
forthcoming that the ministers wife lived.
The pew furnishings as to cushions. car
monuments OF the very diversified mhvd.
ual tastes oi thrlr occupants. while IN the
h,,r' mere was nothing.
ne hght was "i'""- Whit" light, for the
windows were many aud the blinds were
NOT III" curtains were poor, inadequate
paper aHairS often rent, which allowed
uh' penetrating beams Z" strike the lace
ai'' clu'' Tue eye without mercy, ana cause
lh' hahuH ana hhis u 2" mp M sell prntec-
ti"n' Ihe immense Navarn" bunnets. near
y as large as an umbrella, here hntlng "a
reason tor being. In the cold season the
mousse came ." be heated, or better, smoked,
10y stoves, though the age oi foot stoves
lah not yet passed away and these two
IhnnNatlIE stoves, that stood at the south
end on each side, did double duty. The
pipes ran along under the gallery As far n
me slde alsleS went, and then turned sud
nehIy at an angie and went out OF the near
est window, through tin lined aperture
ana the smoke sometimes took revenEes
I"r su'h uhrerehonl"uS elecuon by max
lhg another eccentric turn back again, 50
that we hnd other special articles in war
rants dealing with tins burning question OF
smoke IN the meetms-house.
Now let the people enter. They come in
numbers and IN all weather; and the winter
had once been pine plain was bare of
trees, and even OF grass, though penny
royal grew ON the east side. 1t had been
the playground OF the boys and the train
ing ground OF the militia. The snow had
no hlndrance from Asylum buildings or
trees as now. 1t drifted tremendously.
ne MINISTER head would disappear IN the
path as he went from house to church che
sleighs, which were many, and had the
large old style bells we find now sometimes,
could only pass one way, up one side and
down the other ON the branches of Main
street and stood in long line reaching
back from the church 10y the approach,
when the service ended.
have before me the first plan of the old
church, with the occupancy of the pews reg
lstered also the chart of 1873, after the
removal to the present site and there in
our vestry hangs the chart today What
sweeping changes
Time, like an cvtr.rollinS stream
hrafS ,'I' MS sons away.
There, IN the first plan, we find John llol-
brook IN the north east long corner pew
against the wall, and meeting his pew at
sharp right-angle the ministers pew. In
the corner pews, III front of Dea. Holhrook.
came j. Fessenden, f. Allen, f. Clark, and
Lemuel Whitney Facing them in the
north west corner slips are q. q. Atherton,
Samuel Elliot, Asa Green, ArtemuS Rob
bins. Across the front, after the minister 5
pew, are Peleg Kingsley, q. r. Ellis and
T. Sergeant. Behind Mr.. Ellis was the pew
of Jonathan Hunt, in which Daniel Web
Ster sat when he came here, erect, interest
ed, with his eye steadily and continuously
fixed on the minister. l need not name
| over the congregation. They came from a
distance some Of them, as now The mem
hers living over West river sat mainly on
the east side of the church In the end
gallery pews, looking right down on the
pulpit are the names of James Frost and
Eben Wells. As some men owned several
pews. it cannot he seen where they sat.
The occupants of the end circular pews,
however, speak for themselves They
| we're the choir They had the instruments