Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-10-24
HISTORICAL ADDRESS
BY HON. F. D. HALE.

BY HON. F. D. HALE.
Mr. Hale saying that the labor of the
during time of research productive of much pleasure
the completed work fails meet the expectation of those
who product of his toll and named the essential
elements his address He then painted picture of this REGION
when "the forest pmeva evewhere when nature in its
beautiful solitude alone in possession Next he spoke OF the
the and who permitted neither danger
deprivation bar their into the depths of the forest to
establish this spirit they who early into
this section, blazing trail through the timber OF these hills and
valleys lie then gave little of the early history of the town. how
chartered 10y Bennng Wentworth in 1903 to David Page aud
under the of Lunnbourg, how the first settlement in
1864 supposed to be made in unenbug subsequently found to
be Guild Hail. and that the first settlement within the present
limits Of the lGS The organized September
H. lSl He quoted the for the first town meeting which
held in the dwelling house of Mr. Reuben Howe For several
years the town meetings thus held then in the school house IN
district building of the meeting house in 1900
lie told how the land owned by the society decided December
~ 1899 by Zerubbabel Eager committee Tor the
Incorporated Society Christians called and known by the
of Congregatonas and their forever At the annual
March meeting following the voted raise sl to be paid
shngs per bushe hire preaching He
the dates of the first BIRTH marriage and death in town. and said
awe hardly imagine sickness and death and burial under the
of those days No meeting house with its bell to
toll upon the air the of the Departed large
gathering of relations and neghbo the and
speak sympathy the bereaved established place of burial
protected from the beasts of the forest nothing but the log cabin
which had been the home of love and burden bearing and the little
outside; above the silent 1orm hymn
sung in the midst of the shadows preached and
prayer except language of the broken and lonely
hearts, think that the birds among the branches
sang and the whispered prayers"
fully described the old meeting house, with its high
pulpit sounding board lofty galleries. and its our-sded
pews hung hinges and its foot lie gave
picture of the aged deacon catching nap between "fy and
sxteenhy and said that when the first stove put in the pipes
out through the window.
The church organized December ~ 1902 with 6 MEMBERS
Pav tho
pastor salary $780, be increased from year year,
with the increase of the grand list Twohds of this to be paid
good merchanabe wheat dollar per bushe Mr.. Willard
pastor of the church for twenty years Mr. Hale spoke of the
character this leader Of the people religious thought and life
lie then quoted of the odd letters of withdrawal from the
society because of difference in belief He said The Articles of
Faith and the Covenant agreed to by these first members of the
church brief but strong and pointed with possible qubbng
in the expression of thoughts He spoke of the
many difficulties by which the infant church surrounded
being evidences of human Weakness calling
active interference of the church, demanding public confession
communication. He told of brother who fell from grace by
dancing and made confess that he sorry He afterwards
said he sorry he danced only sorry got found The
other pastors of the first fifty years Rev Arson Hubbard Rev.
jeremiah Gnes and Rev. Josiah NJ Searn Of Rev. and Mrs.
Gnes who remembered by of people, he spoke
with praise and honor He wildly portrayed with illustrations the
bitter anmosy and the strife between the people of different
beliefs and drew striking comparison between those days and the
present In 1912 the old meeting house sold for s5l,
taken down and another erected the site This latter
destroyed July 49, S49 in the great and in 1850 the present
edfce built He gave very vivid pen picture of this
destruction the church by fire which his hearers will
forget He also referred to the long two each Sunday
comparing these with the minute by Ebn Judd
The other pastors who have abored here Mr. Hale gave
A. o. Howard J. Esey VIM. Sewa Henry NJ Holiness James r.
Bourne, L. W. Harris b. F. Grant q. A. Perkins, David L. Kebbe
Geo. w. Anderson John Haley F. Backmer and Rev. Noble
o. Bowlby this day be ordained Mr. Hale spoke with
feeling of the influence of all these god in the community
and bare record of their great worth in sterling Christian character
and example He closed his address in these beautiful
There have passed before into the cloud which always hangs
just above shutting from view the beauty and the joy
peace and the glory the life that cloud which hides
mystery trying understands that cloud which
when the mortal takes the robe of Immortality One hundred
years life among all has spanned lives who
the dawn; all gone And yet today perhaps before they
all live in mind and heart the richest inspiration of this
would that in this record could place all the of
have drank the fountain of life within these haowed walls the
of those whose words of sympathy have helped lift
which moment held
unspoken all lips; those which the
Lambs Book Of Life May this record very incomplete bid your
memory sweep backward the horizon
the contamination of GoD great plan when the uness time
shall have been accomplished and shall all hear the
is finished"