The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-17
IN THE OLD CHURCH DAYS.
How People Who Didn't Go to Church
 Pared in Berkshire County.

How People Who Didn't Go to Church | Pared in Berkshire County.
 Among the first settlers of the town
 of Great Harrington, Mass, number
 of whom were English Presbyterians,
 were also few Dutch families con- lnected with the Reformed church. These
 had come from Kinderhook, N. T., and
 formed well-to-do part of the com
 munity. All of them agreed to help in building a house of worship and set | ting a minister. The land was given 1 by David Ingersoll, an Episcopalian, and what was known as the old Pres 1 byterian meeting house was erected. A
 minister was settled December 2S 1743, the Dutch bearing their part of the ex- pense. Four hundred acres of land were 1 given him as fee at the time of his settlement. The number of families in the town was then little over thirty. The Dutch people, naturally, found 1t difficult to understand preaching in
 English. They were anxious to hear
 now and then, the Gospel in their own language. So they asked the minister to allow them, at their own expense,
 the use of the meeting house for ser- vice in Dutch, at such times as it was not otherwise occupied, perhaps three or four times a year, and on week days.
 The request was peremptorily refused with the reply: What, Dutch preach ing in the meeting house? No, that
 shall never be-" The Dutch resented
 this rebuff an stayed at home from church.
 One Sunday the minister, thus de- serted by part of his congregation, chal- lenged the tithing men and asked them: What are you doing with your oaths?
 Where are those delinquents? Unless you complain of them, will complain of you" Accordingly these men had the Dutchmen summoned before the Magistrate to show cause why they did not attend the preaching as often as the required. One of these was Isaac Van Deusen. who is described as "a de- vout man, of unblemished character. of the strictest integrity and universally respected for all his benevolence and hospitality. He lived beloved and died lamented on the 14th day of January, 1s6, in the ninety-third year of his age and in full communion with the Protes- tant Episcopal church." Among them were also three brothers, Peter, John and Garret Burghardt. As they had no defence to make. the Magistrate was obliged to fine them on to condemn them to the stocks, according to the statute. At their request he merciful1y granted them a few days delay.
 Then Mr. Van Deusen, with one or two others went to consult Judge Woodbridge of stockbridge. The judge advised them to submit, but not to pay the fine, saying: For 1t is your money they want, nothing else; and if they find they cannot get your money, the business will cease, otherwise there will be. no end to it while you have farth- ing left" When they objected to the disgrace of suffering in the stocks and to the abuse to which they would be subjected, the judge promised to be on the ground himself to protect them against all indignities.
 There being no stocks II the town at the time, the punishment was put off until some had been erected near the meeting house at Sheffield On the day set, Judge Woodbridge was early on the spot to cheer the criminals and shame their prosecutors, while Hendrick Burg hardt, the eldest brother of the three mentioned, accompanied the offenders armed with his gun, and when they were put into the stocks he solemnly declared that he would shoot the first man that insulted them.
 For time after their punishment they attended the preaching as often as the law required. But one Sunday the minister, in the course of his sermon, turned upon MT. Van Deusen, who was occupying his pew near the pulpit and said to him: Every Sunday you are not here you are in he'll" This was too much to bear Long provked the Dutch people set about seeking relief. They sent to Duanesburgh, N. Y. CD, for a. Dutch dominic the Rev. stoffel Bark mire, to preach to them on every fourth Sunday. On the expiration of his term, ! they engaged the Rev. Knoll of Kinder hook. to supply them. As they needed