The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-09-02

they were fully eight miles from any
meeting house and their wives and chill
dren had to tarry at home from the wor-
ship OF God for about half of the year,
they were allowed to get their own
nreachinR for six months in the winter
and not required to pay taxes to build a
schoolhouse in Woodbury. Center. In
l74l committee was appointed wht fix
ed certain bounds and the General AS
sembly incorporated this people rs the
,Judean Society. This was upon the pc
ition OF 26 settlers who the next year
appeared and represented that they had
"LJnamymously and Lovingly Agreed
upon A Place for to Set Meeting
House." and were granted a right to
build meeting house, which eight of
the proprietors proceeded to do that
year.
The church edifce itself, is the third
one erected here, and is the result Of ev-
olution. The first one built, in 1742, waa
small affair, somewhat larger than Jo-
seph Hurlbut's bed room, and it lasted
till l751, when more commodiOus one
was erected for Parson Brinsmade to
preach in. But that had no steeple. so
in 1886, when Rev Noah MerwiD, who
had to leave Torrington because they
were too poor to support him, came to
assist Mr. Brinsmade, they celebrated the
event by putting on steeple and buy
| ing a bell. Then crazy man took hold
of the matter and to celebrate Indepen-
dence Day at the beginning of the GEN.
| fury, he set the building on tire,-but
the fire works did not develop we'll and
were put out. In April, 1901, he tried it
again with better success, and the Rev
Ebenezer Porter, who, after the death OF
Rev Noah Merwin, was ordained over
| this people, had the pleasurelof preach
ing the next Thanksgiving IN the present
edifice, which was not, however, entire
ly finished then. This building had Or
iginally regular standard Presbyterian
spire, but as the strong doctrine in later
years wavered, 80 this tall spire weaken
ed, and sound timbers decayed and final
ly it fell over, and the present beautiful
Washingtonian design replacedit. Then
an organ room was added in the rear, d
porch in front, and this unique combina-
ton is the pride and glory of all the
country round about.
FORTUNATE AS JUDEA HAS BEEN WITH
ITS CHURCHES,
it has been more so with its ministers,
yet it is difficult to tell whether the su-
periority was not largely the effect OF
associating with such peot lie. One of
these divines, the Rev DR. Ebenezsr Por-
ter, was ordained over this people in
1896, and for fifteen years ministered
unto them, when he was called to the
theological seminary at Andover, where
his labors achieved the highest place in
the rank of scholars and he was presi-
dent of that institution several years
After him Rev Stephen Mason was the
pastor for ten years. Then in 1928, the
Rev Gordon Hayes was installed and re-
NAMED with the church nearly quarter
of q century. During his labors the
great excitement OF anti.Mae oary and
Abolitionism destT Dyed the usefulness of
church work. 1t can hardly be con-
ceived by us now, the terrible storms of
passion that ragged and the bitter life
long enmities that resulted. The Ma
sonic Society went down and Masons
were prescribed elass-'Son of Bel
ial, but the Abolitionists conquered.
The history of the anti-slavery quarrel
reads to-day like the feuds OF wild clans
OF old. About 1887, John Gum eldest
brother Of Frederick W., Danial G.
Platt, father Of Hon O. FL. Platt, and
Lewis Garfield, with their wives went to
Hartford to an anti-slavery meeting, and
during their three days stay, became
thoroughly converted. After coming
home, they started the anti.slavery move
ment. Paraon Hayes fought them from
the pulpit, preaching that the Bible
sanctioned human slavery. The excite
ment became intense-and pro- slavery
Calvinists would NOT speak to the aboli-
ZIONIST inffdsls.
G. A. Hickox, distinguished son of
Washington, in an article on Golden
Times in Judea,n says: ssFor eighty
years the Congregational church, it's
pastors and its leading men, had govern
cd the Judean society. For 40 years
they had governed the town Of WASH
lngtOn. Judge Brinsmade having
exercised, through most Of that time, .