The record-union., 1894-07-14
A NOTABLE CHURCH.
From Its Belfry Came Paul
Reyere's Signal.
Full of Queer Relics-It Contains One
of the Rare Vinegar Bibles-strange
Books With Stranger Titles An
Underground Cemetery First
Statue in Honor of Washington.

The famous sOld North" Church. IN
Boston, was the one from whose tower
the signal lights were displayed OF Paul
Revere, TO give him information as to the
British movements, and it is on account
of this that the church IS best remem-
bered. It has. however, still other claims
to distinguished interests. 1t is the
Oldest church building now standing IN
Boston. having been erected IN l1Z5. and
it contains objects of curious value.
Chandeliers for candles still hang in
the church, having been placed there a
century and half ago, after having
been captured from a French vessel. In
front of the organ are several little cheru-
BIN, blowing trumpets, and these cheru-
bim were brought to Boston at the same
time and in the same way as were the
chandeliers. The church possesses one
of the rare Vinegar Bibles" so called
because of the reference TO the Parable
of the Vinegar" 1t has, too, an ancient
communion service, some of the pieces
having been presented to it by King
George the Second. 1t possesses, also,
some Bibles and prayer books that were
given to 1t by the same monarch. There
is in the church the first monument ever
erected to the memory of Washington in
the United States.
1t is most notable church, and the fact
that it is still regularly used for church
services makes it still more Interesting.
But, after all, these things are what are
examined by most of the visitors who go
there, and it occurred to us that a church,
with such history and such associations.
must have even more than this to show.
So we said to the sexton:
IN low, can you not show US something
that most people never see?"
He smiled, and reflected for few mo-
ments. Would you like to see some old
pictures?"
He took us, then. into little room in
the rear OF the building, and there, hang
ing on the wall, were portraits of minis
tors who, generations ago, had preached
in the church. 1t was an interesting col
lection of faces. Great wigs did these old
time preachers wear, and the men were
Of various types OF character. Some
were mild OF aspect; some were grimly
severe; one, that we especially noted, had
features that were rugged and stern, and
yet there was withal such a gentleness
apparent as well showed that he was
man TO be loved.
Nov let me show you some books"
said the sexton; and he forthwith led us
to the old library of the church, where
books OF great value to students or col
lectors Or curiosity seekers stand soberly
looking out from the old cases. Ona
needs TO be student OF languages to reay
them all, for they are in variety of
tongues.
We noticed at least one old volume that
was in French. Some are in Latin. Some
are In the old English black letter.
One caught our attention at once, from
the extreme modesty of the title. 1t was:
The works of the Pious and Pro-
w I aor Mado II
This unassuming volume was printed in
1919.
There were books from the Oxford
press, and from Amsterdam. They were
dusty and yellow. Some were torn and
falling to pieces, and some were still
sonnd and good. One interesting book
was an old work by Jesuit on Christian
doctrine, and it was bound in velIum and
printed at Valladolid.
A queer title was: "The third age of
the church, or the history of the church
fading and of anti-Christian rising, con-
tanning the space of 400 years from the.
year of our Lord 800 until the year 1000"
Another curious one was: 1.-The Mys-
terry and Misery of Scandals, Both
Taken and Given" and it was printed at
"PauPs Churchyard in the Greyhound,
1851"
One old, old work was in manuscript,
written with pen and ink, and it's pages
were yellowed with age.
Another old volume, printed in 1914, is
a paraphase and exposition of the
prophesies of S. Peter, concerning the
day of Christ's second coming" and it
contains "Epistles regarding Cog and
Magog and the gothick liturgy and the
passage in the Methodus touching the
millennium" This last mentioned work
was doubtless intended for light summer
reading.
And now," said the sexton, ''I can
show you something that even most Bos-
tonians know nothing OF"
He led US to q stair, leading down be-
meath the church. He went slowly down,
and we slowly followed. All was dark
ness, and he lit a little candle, which
splutteringly burned. He opened door.
He went inside. we followed him. Then
he closed the door, and by the dim light
of the candle we looked around.
We were in a burial vault, and some
forty cotfins were piled round about US.
1t is generation since the vaults have
been used, and in the two coffins into
which we glanced (the tops being loose)
there was nothing but ashes. IL was
grussome spot, and after while the sex
ton opened the door and we went cut
He then led us through the dark passage
ways beneath the church, and on each
side OF US, as We passed along, we saw
rows of private burial vaults. There
were old-fashioned long hinges on the
vault doors. and there were rusty pad
locks. Now and then we paused to read
the inscriptions.
One was for "Shubael Bell" the man
who presented the Washington statue to
the church. One showed that it was the
last resting place of Mrs, Catherine Hay,
sister 10 Lord John Hay, and woman
noted for her great beauty. painting
of her, by Copely. is in the Boston
Atheneum. Her vault is in particu-
larly lonely corner, far from the entrance,
and it needs no philosopher to reflect
that
All that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour.
One vault is marked: "William Ship
pard. Tomb, February ye IL, 1744."
One of the most interesting states that:
Here Lyes Entombed the Body of the
Rev. Timothy Cutter, d. D., First Minis
lister of This Church. Deceased August
II, 1765. aged 81 years."
We leave the dark vaults and return
upstairs. There everything speaks of a
1ong-past time. Washington himself
once attended service here, and thus the
church has a direct connection with the
leader in the cause of national liberty,
as well as with King George Ii. 1t has
distant connection, too, with something
that was the direct opposite of liberty,
Tor ID The gallery are still the old slave
pews, where the negro slaves of Boston
owners sat and listened TO the services,
while their owners sat in the pews below.
It is difficult now to realize that New
England slavery once existed. The slave
pews IN the old church, it may be added,
we're so constructed as to allow of lock-
ing the slaves in. 1t was not until 1881
that it was declared that slavery no longer
existed in Boston or Massachusetts. The
first peal of bells in America were those
placed IN the steeple of the Old North,