St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-10-08

Henry +. GrsW0ld, with Mrs. II. /
Griswold as org1nist sang the dedica
c ton anthem Arse, 0 Lord, into TIL
e Rest ami II was glad'wheu They sal
unto Me" Prayer was offered by Rev
Z. NJ Chapman, of the North church, St
lohnsbury, and the speakers were Mr.
Chapman and R.v. Joshua M Frost O
. Grace Methodist church. ST. JOhnsbury
The former spoke on TIE Church i'll Vii
lage Lie and the latter on The Churcl
in tie Spiritual Life" Both addresses
were torcible and eloquent and wert
closely listened TO by the large audience
present. An interesting feature of tht
afternoon was the historical paper pre-
pared and read by Rev. Mr.. Grant, the
maj part of which Is given below:
Mr. Grants Historical Paper.
There are available to us three sources
from which we may draw our intOrma
ton concerning the past of this church
First, there is the tradition; second, the
history written by Mrs. Nathaniel Lee,
one OF the charter members; third, the
records Of the church and society.
Previous to 1910 the Methodist people
held meetings in this village portion OF
the time. They were supplied by their con-
ference, but this amounted to little more
| than an occasional preaching service.
| The Methodist organization continued
until about twenty-five years ago.
| Besides the services held by the Metho-
dists, the pastors OF the First church
and OF the Second church, now the Center
church and the North church, held alter
nate Sunday evening services Mrs. Lee
mentions the fact that in those DAYS they
had preaching at hali-nast ten in the
morning, Sunday school following the
morning service; then sermon in the
afternoon and a lecture in the evening at
5 o'clock, The custom Of holding tore
noon and afternoon services was con.
tinued until during the pastorate OF the
Rev. ]. P. Humphrey. A descendant Of
one of the original members told ME
that she remembers what Mr.. Humph-
rey said with reference to the discontinue
ing the afternoon service. He said that
of course it would make it easier for him
but he teIt that it would be detrimental
to the morals OF the people, for what
would the people do with their time.
And she remarked to me that she had
often thought OF his words when she saw
so many Sunday excursions and so much
Sunday riding. MIS-, Lee also says that
as she was not resident OF the place at
the time, groups of them would walk
three miles to hear these men preach and
returning home express themselves we'll
paid. The six miles walk would be too
difficult feat for the modern damsel.
The frequent Interruptions in the SER
vices led to the discuss on OF the s1tua-
ton, and the question was raised as to
the ACCESSIBILITY OF building a meeting
house. Meetings were called from time
to time and finally decision was reached
that they would build Congregational
meeting house. Tie house was built On
the site where it now stands. Alpheus
Wright was the master workman and
Nathaniel Lee his helper. The church
was bniIt during the summer of 1910
and was completed in the autumn. A few
years later the church was raised and a
vestry put under it. The vestry was
int ended for school room and Rev. Mr.
Quincy kept a select school. Just what
ear this was done have not been able
to learn; but | infer that it was about
twelveyears later; for July2, 1852, there
is an entry on the records that d meeting
OF the church was called in the vestry. |
Previous to that date whenever a meet
ing was called, if the name of the place |
is mentioned at all, it is the meeting |
house. Tradition places it about the
same time. No more extensive work |
was done on the church until during the
year 1870, March 25, 1870, a meeting |
was called at O'Clock to see what meas.
ures would be taken towards repairing |
the meeting house. A committee APP
pointed to look into the matter of the |
expense reported that it would cost $500 |
to repair the foundation all around, and |
the other repairs would cost $500. The |
society voted to make said repairs to not |
exceed 81 600. At meeting warned to |
meet February /, 1871, report of the |
repair committee was given; and it was
reported that the whole cost of the |
repairs had amounted to $1.59791, |
leaving the society $4,000 in debt.
This extra cost came, partially, at least, |
because OF an accident A staging had |
been put up i'll this room tor some pur-
pose and because of some detect in the
building of it the scatfold came down
during The night and crushed the seats
under 1t; thus the society was compelled
to secure new pews, Those pews were
the ones that we took out this summer
Some thought that one of the workmen
purpoSely so constructed the staging
that The scaliold would fall. No more
J., 1
taken untll this present summer.
work may be seen and so not necessary
to he talked about
Mrs. Lee, in her history of the
church, speaking of the dedication
says that those exercises were solemn
and impressive. The pulpit, the pcws.
the singing, the gallery, the walls, were
soemny dedicated to the worship of
pure ana holy God" This took place No
yember n, 1910. The house was rcdedi
Gated again after the repairs Of 1871.
And we have come together for the SAME
purpose today. With the new meeting
house must come also the church organi-
cation. Accordingly letters missve were
sent out dated October %, 1910, which
were as follows. "The undersigned and
Others being members OF different Con
gregatjonal churches and residing in
and near the East Village in St. Johns
bury respectfully represent that there is
no Congregational church in this village,
and that 1t has been deemed best by
ourselves and by other Christian friends
whose council we have sought, greatly
to be desired for the cause OF true rcig-
ion that such a church should be estab.
Ished here, and the public worship OF
God and the ordinances of the house OF
Christ maintained The uncnrsiured