The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1893-01-05
NEW ENGLAND DEAcoNs.
They Were High In Authority in tn,
Olden Time.

They Were High In Authority la the
Olden Time.
In the old Westinghouse Of New En-
gland the most conspicuous object.
next TO the pulpit, was the deacons'
pew. II was near the pulpit. foot or
two above the level OF the meeting
house floor, and contained several high
backed chairs and a table, or broad,
swinging shelf, for use at the commun-
ion service. In IL sat venerable men.
who had charge Of the church poor and
of the prudential concerns" of the
parish. Next to the parson, they were
the most respected persons of the par
ish. In Bristol, Conn, n singular local
custom obliged the deacons. while in
the Westinghouse, TO wear starchcd
white linen caps.
Among the minor duties of the dca-
cons OF the olden time were visiting
and praying with the sick, the calling
at houses of church-members to hear
the children say the catechism, and the
reporting to the pastor of petty offcnscs.
They also had charge of the vessels
used in the communion service; they
provided the sacramental wine and
bread, and watched that no one but an
accepted communicant partook Of the
sacred cmblems
The author of THE Sabbath I'm Puri.
tan New England" mentions custom,
which prevailed in several New En-
gland churches that made IL the duty
OF the deacons to walk up and down
the aisles of the church at the close of
each service, and deliver to every pet
son, who, in their judgment, was fitted
10 commune, n metal check, which en-
titled him at the next celebration of
the Lords supper to join in the sacl ed
ordinance.
On the communion Sabbath il was
the deacons' duty to see that everyone
who presented himself at the Lords
table had this check and to collect it
from the communicate before passing
To him the bread and wine.
The deacons took charge of the
church contributions In his "Plaine
Dealing" Lechford, IA lawyer who lived
in Boston from 1888 to 1641, describes
the manner of contributing in the
church Of that town, after the minister
had preached.
Baptism being ended, follows the
contribution, one OF the deacons saying:
Brethren of the congregation, now
there is time left for contribution,
whereof as God has prospcrcd You SO
freely Offer
THE magistrates and chief gentle
men first, and then the elders and all
the congregation of them, and most Of
gho,,, thnt ,f lao, III
single persons, widows and women in
absence of their husbands. came up
one after another one way bringing
their Offering to the deacon at his seat,
and put II into II box of wood for the
purpose, IL il bc money or papers. If
il be any other chattel they set or lay it
down before the deacons; and so pass
on Co their seats again"
In the early days the churches had
few psalm books, and this gave rise To
the custom of lining" or "deaconing"
the psalm. The pastor announced the
psalm TO Toe sung; the deacon then read
it line by line, and as each line was
given out the congregation sang it.
II is possible, though not probable.
that from that custom has come the
mercantile phrase which describes a
barrel of apples, or n keg of butter, in
which the top layer is the best, as
"dcaconed." The slang word may have
originated from custom, and not from
the reputation of New England dea-
cons
The cheap wit which snecrs at dea-
cons is contradicted by the fact that in
n
almost every deacon is trustee, or
executor, or guardian, selected by men
about to die, or appointed by the pro-
bate court, to look after the property
of widows and children. Millions of
dollars of trust funds are managed by
deacons--a fact which confutes the
conventional sneer. youths Compan-
ion.