St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-05-15
patriots, Day at the Old North Church.

With iTOnsnunucu Duly HlSiHN'' $780,
ri. r. Lowell on the heroes Of Patriots Day
II the wide world were offered Tor
a choice, it would be difficult to lind
better place tor a Patriots Day
celebration than Christ church, or
the old North church, where Paul
Revere and Robert Newman hung the
signal lanterns on that never'to'oe-
forgotten night so long ago.
Thanks to the courtesy of a Daugh-
ter of the American Revolution, that
pleasure was ours this year.
A walk through Salem street to
Christ church is interesting on ac'
count OF its suggestions OF the ola
DAYS, and on account OF the novel
sights and sounds of the present. On
a holiday the houses seem emptied
into the street, and men, women and
children, of all ages and many types
crowd the doorways and sidewalks.
The foreign words one hears in pass
ing along, the foreign names one sees
on the stores, make one feel as II ne
were walking in some foreign city,
without the trouble OF crossing the
ocean. The children look happy, not
withstanding their rags and their
dirt and often one sees striklngly
pretty face among them. The crowd
on Patriots Day was well behaved.
The only quarrel we heard was car
ried on, not in foreign tongue, but
in unmistakable English language,
with an abundance ofAmerican slang.
That would seem to be a promise
that we have no more to fear in the
. foreign element of our population
than from those of American birth.
We met many boys who showed
that they had already acquired the
Yankee shrewdness, Selling the oppor-
> tunitv the day gave them to earn a
: little money; or were they descend
ants of the ubiquitous guides oil
e Europe!
S "Do you want to see Paul Revere
. house," II can show you Pau
: Revere's house." were words that
!; soon became uncomfortably familiar
!, Paul Revere's house now bears
!, tablet, placed upon it by the Pau
y Revere Chapter of the Daughters o
; the American Revolution, to desig
l. nate it to the stranger passing by
e On Patriots Day the house wa
Al tastefully decorated.
t Before ten O'Clock we reached tn
'e church, and although the services dl
,s not begin until eleven, a large CON
1t pany of people were at the door
ne showing that the memory and spir1
$. of rs still live among us. The we
OF dressed men and women, whose line
= of life had so evidently fallen /
is pleasant places" were strong COZ
ne trast to the scenes of poverty an
# denial we had passed.
ed Christ church, with its burden {
eli, more than two hundred years, pu
II, many a Younger church to shame b
tn its fine state of preservation, but
~ still retains its old time features, /
in large, old-lashoned pews, its hie
tn windows. with their deep seats ar
'is many panes, its galleries that near
nd encircle the church, its seats for slave
eu it's quaint organ case, its old cha
,re deliers TOR candle light its "Nineg
he Bible" and old communion service.
I'm On Patriots Day the church w
six made beautiful with approprla
OF decorations, palms and other pott
49, plants on its deep window sea-
mt little flags in the chandelier, alo
vas the gallery. and in some of the PEI
emf marking off the reserved seats; lars
will flags for drapery in other places,
TO hind Houdon's bust of WashingtC
a much-prized treasure of the chul
and likeness considered truthful
his friend Lafayette, around the p
'r'u estal on which a fine bust of Pi
'''e Revere rested, in the front of
church,
81 Among the flags used were
ars treasured old colonial flags broui
dies down by the sexton for the occasi
old English flags, one marked w
uta- the inscription &c and r, and ma
10Th small flags used before the day
SIX the stars and stripes,
The day was the second annivers
>" - of the Paul Revere Chapter of
Daughters of the American Rev
an
,a.. ton, and the services Commemors
Paul Revere's ride. The chime!
esti- the church, which in the old d
1907 pealed forth the glory of God
ty the honor of King George, on
occasion sounded forth the matte