Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-03-07


worship instead.
When we were young, there used to
be Westinghouse
How well we can see that old meet
inR-house where first we heard the
terrors of the law laid down, and very
little, II anything, said about the re-
wards.
It stood on q hill. All meeting
houses used to be located on hill,
that their light might shine abroad.
II was q square bodied building, with
whitewashed walls, and two chimneys,
one at each end, and setjust Is far apart
as they could possibly be, just as If
there was danger of their quarreling If
they were In too closely vicinity; and II
had six long windows on each side,
and one fan-shaped window over the
pulpit, and two more of the same shape
over the singing seats; and there were
two doors In the end, and flight OF
windy stone steps leading thereto; and
around those steps the young men used
to congregate, to talk about the crops,
and watch the female portion of the
worshipers as they tripped along in
their Sunday best, with their reticules
on their arms, with lunches therein for
the whole family. For in those days
our ministers used to give us our
moneys worth, and two sermons day
of two hours long, and a shorter service
in the evening, was considered a mod
crate allowance.
Inside, the structure was bare and
monastic. The walls were white, and
the windows were shadeless. The sun
used to pour in as if bound to scorch us
all to cinders in our sins; and the flies
used to buzz like mad on the dingy
panes, aud the slim-wasted wasps
9rawled ut their leasure through the
filmy cobwebs up to their drab honey
comb:homes in the upper corners ofthe
windows.
The pews were large, and square, and
high, and when once you were inside
of them, and the door was shut, and
buttoned on the outside, you felt as if
doom had closed down upon you, and
thereiyou had to stay, let what might
betide, until the sermon was over.
There was no carpets, no cushions,
and the seats were made only for long
legged persons, and we used to sit on
those hard boards, and twist, and wrig-
gle, and try vainly to touch our toes to
the floor, just to make sure that 1t was
there, and that we were not actually
swinging on nothing, above that terri
BILE abyss of which the preacher seemed
80 delighted to expatiate to us.
How long the time seemed! We
counted the wasps' nests by way of di-
version, and wondered if it would be
possible to get our hair plastered down
as tight and smooth to our faces as
Deacon Jones had his piastered, and We
speculated on what the people would do
If we should break loose and rush down
the long, bare isle, out into sunshine,
and give whoop of intense relief, just
as we wanted to do?
The pulpit.was the work of art. 1t
was placed at dizzy height, and in
those days only q man with steady
head was fit for preacher. Over the
head of the minister, like the sword of
Damocles, hung suspended that iRven-
tion of ancient times, sounding
board:" and as the preacher waxed
eloquent, the contrivance caught the
inspiration, and began to go round,
slowly at first, but increasing in vigor
as the whacks on the pulpit-desk grew
heavier and more frequent, and the
denunciation of sinners more emphatic.
VIC u5cu w lCCl bIIdiu lOL LhC
we lived in mOmentary expectation
that the "board' would fall and crush
him where he stood; but we c0mforted
Ourself with the thought that he had so
much religion he wouldn't mind it if it
did.
In front of, and below the pulpit, was
the deacon's seat, and here, Sabbath
after Sabbath, the two venerable dea-
cons, who had worked hard all the
week, reminded themselves that the
Sabbath was day of rest, and slept as
peacefully as children, with their red
bandanas spread over their heads to
keep the flies from tickling the bald
places.
Up in the singing seats, the bass viol
player surreptitiously tuned his viol
when the demonstrations from the
sacred desk were nOisiest; and
the good-looking tenor made eyes at
the first soprano, and the younger sing
ers passed around cloves, and pepper
mint, and wrote tender messages on the
fiy-leaves of the hymn books.
And when the time came for singing,
it was worth something to see and hear
that choir! How they braced up to the
effort! How them hemmed and hawed
in preparation! How they drew in
their breath and their faces grew red,
and the veins in their foreheads swelled
and their necks heightened out, and
the way they gave nineteen verses of
Watts hymns-select - would make
the hair rise on the heads of one of our
modern quartetters!
After the service closed, neighbOrs
greeted each other in quiet, subdued
way; and asked after Sam, and Tom,
who had the measles; and Susan, and
Maria, and Jane, who were wrestling
with the hopping cough. Everybody
remembered it was Sunday, and secular
conversation was avoided; but the good
sisters could not help seeing If there
were any new bonnet trimmings. or
freshly "done over" leghorns, on the
heads of the congregation.
There was grove back of the meet
ing-house where we went to eat our
lunch, and spring supplied the liquid
necessary to wash down the seed cake
and hard gingerbread. and soliiified
doughnuts. And thus fortified, we
were ready for another two hours Of
Oratory.
And when 1t was over, and the min
lister put on his tall, white hat and
shook hands with the people, and we
filed out into the fresh air and sunshine
once more, everybody was secretly glad
that G,,nAo,, x,,o, x,,oll 0,,av ovI kho 40