The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-07
The Notable
Event
IN SHREWSBURYS
History Covering a Century
and Three-Quarters.

shrewsbury, Dec. 6.-The services
commemorative of the 175th anniver-
sary Of the First Church of Shrewsbury
were brought to a fitting close today.
This afternoon a social was held IN the
vestry of the church, at the conclusion
of which the roll call of the members,
both past and present, of the church
was read. To this a large number of
those who have beene members Of the
church in the past responded, some of
them coming many miles to do so.
The services Of the evening were held
in the church and were attended by one
of the largest audiences that have as
sembled in Shrewsbury for many years.
The feature of the service was an adj
dress by Rev. Scudder of Jersey City,
n. j., who was a former pastor of the
Shrewsbury church and is one of the
most famous diVines of his section of
the country.
Preceding the exercises of the even
ing a banquet was held in the town
hall. at which about 200 persons were
seated. The committee in charge Of
the affair provided SO generously that
tomorrow an auction will be held to
dispose Of the remaining provander. AS
the pastor, Mr. Lathrop, put il: There
are more than twelve basketfuls Of
fragments remaining from this feat"
The exercises of the afternoon were
OF an interesting nature from the fact
that the occasion was a reunion of
many of those who have been residents
of the town in past years and whose
return to the scenes Of their early life
was for the first time in a long period.
The roll call was an interesting cere-
mony. The clerk of the society Rad
the names of the members of the
church who were supposed to be living
at this time, no matter in what portion
OF the country they might be Those
who were present responded with brief
ana appropriate remarks, while in many
cases letters and other messages were
read and delivered from those who
We're unable to attend. During the So
clal hour much interest was displayed
In the examination Of the collection of
the relics of the church and society,
which were exhibited in an ante-room.
The collection included a number of
articles that were worthy of notice, as
they dated from the earliest history of
the town and Of the church.
The banquet in the town hall was an
elaborate affair served by the follow
Ing committee from the church: Mr..
and Mrs. George A. Newton, Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Howe, Mr.. and Mrs.
Sanford Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Bugby,
Mrs. Cutler and Miss Anna Howe. The
entertainment was decided success
and reflected great credit in it's carry
ing out on the members of the commit
tee There were no post-prandial ex-
ercises
The services Of the evening took
place in the audience room of the
church and were attended by a large
crowd, which included many people
from this town and other cities as well
as representatives of all religious de-
nominations of this town. The services
were conducted by the pastor of the
church, Rev. p. A. Lathrop. The open
ing services consisted of special music
by the choir and exercises of a devo-
tional nature. The music was rend-
cred by the regular choir of the
church. Greetings were extended to
the church by the pastor Of the local
Methodist church, Rev. e. e. Ayre,
and by the pastor of the BOyIston Con
Gregational Church, Rev. S. e. Cooper.
Rev. S. B. Cooper of the Boylston
Church spoke in somewhat humorous
vein as the representative of the daugh-
ter church of the Shrewsbury parish.
He said in the more serious portion of
his address, that the town of Shrews-
bury had furnished to the great cities
of the country some of the best of their
blood and life. He said that it seemed
as though the First Church had been a
training school for ministers who had
afterwards become famous i'm broader
fields. He cited the case of Rev. Mr..
Scudder as a shining example of this,
and mentioned several others who had
passed their first pastorate in Shrews-
bury who afterwards attained a ma
tional fame in their lines of work. He
discussed with considerable vigor the
question of the migration Of young peo-
pie from the country districts to the
cities. For many years the best element
of the young people of the country
towns have been going away to the
cities to make their fortunes, and the
interests of the country have suffered
in consequence. Now. however. there is
a distinct reaction setting in, and with
the opening up of the country sections
by means of great arteries of traffic
like the electric road that has recently
reached Shrewsbury, the tide of life is
beginning to set away from the cities
back to the country homes. He hoped
that Shrewsbury would have a great
flow of progressive life into it in the
near future. and prophecied that what
the town / 5 in the past given to the
cities would in the next few years be
repaid many fold
Rev John L. Scudder of the Jersey
City Tabernacle was introduced as the
principal speaker of the evening, but he
declined the title, and stated that he
felt that he was at home again at last
and would not deliver any formal ad-
dress, but would just talk about old
times with his old friends He kept his
word and talked for over an hour in a
most interesting style of the events
that he recalled to mind concerning the
years of his pastorate in Shrewsbury.
From this he turned to the work he is
doing at present and treated the audi
ence to a thorough exposition of the
work of the institutional church which
is at the present time a theme of much
discussion in religious circles all over