Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-02-12
OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL.
"Reminiscences by a Chelsea Boy
Concerning the West Hill Church.

senger. and was read at the dedication oil
the new Chelsea West Hill church, Sept.
90. 1902. It is published by request as be-
ing of interest to all, both near and far,
who were acquainted with Mr.. Hemen-
way or the old church.
West Hill, mean, and so it was called
in the yernacular "West Hill Meetin'
House, II was a union church, such
one as a good old Episcopal minister,
knew Of. used to call Pantheon-that rs,
place where all the godsare worshipped.
But this was by no means true OF this dear
old church. Many indeed, and various,
were the Hperformances" of which 1t was
the scene and witness, striking every
chord OF human experience from pathos
to bathos. Funerals, weddings, sermons,
lectures on temperance, lectures on phre-
nology, lectures on mesmerism, magic
lantern exhibitions, school exhibitions,
revivals, prayer meetings, Sunday schools,
singing schools and lyceum "debates"
have all presented themselves in turn in
this community kaleidoscope. Methodists,
Congregationalists Uniyersalists, Advent
lists, Baptists, Freewill and Calvinistie,
and Christians with the first / long,
held places in the ecclesiastical procession.
And yet the difference was mainly In the
minister and the name; the congregation,
the choir the hymn books and the order
of service were for the most part the same.
This can also be said Of the subiect-mat-
ter Of the preaching, If one or two Of the
denominations be excepted. And il is
my belief that Notwithstanding the vari-
GUS names and creeds represented in the
services, the worship in that humble
country church, as constantly and truly
as in any church / have ever attended, was
paid to the living and true God.
IL had just fifty-two pews, divided
among fifty-two owners, Except that one
man with very large family went 70 the
extravaganza OF owning two), one for each
Sunday in the year. A most fortunate
Circumstance was this, for it furnished a
ready and perfect solution OF the problem
Of occupancy At the beginning Of the
year subscription papers were circulated
among the pew-owncrs, and they, accord
ing to their UNCONVENTIONAL preferences,
signed their Sundays TO Baptists, Metho-
dists. etc, the numb Der Of names on each
paper indicating the number of Sundays
that denomination might control the
house that year. Generally, as already in
timated, the same congregation would be
present whoever preached, though as il
must be confessed when the Universalists
occupied the congregations were "pretty
SLIM
Few spots on this green earth are to me
as this old church. | have sat on its hard
benches for never were seats constructed
with a more sublime unconsciousness of
the anatomy of the human framel for
many dismal hours, and Outlines with a
burning indignation against the minister
for his bad faith in that he had finally
come to say "once more.n and then, after
thus raising my hopes, had rudely dashed
them again by keeping on. as / thought,
good many times more. My most sacred
and most cherished memories centre here.
Here / first became accustomed to the SER
vices OF religion. for the voice OF prayer
and praise was not wont to be heard in
my childhood home. Here ! recited my
first Sunday school lesson, here / first
knelt as a ''seeker" at the ''anxious seat, "
here ] stammered out my first words OF
Christian testimony, here l was baptized
and licensed to exhort, here / spoke my
first words as a Christian minister, and
here too / was married. Here with an in
effable sense OF desolation, pitiable boy
Of nine, ! last looked on the dear face OF
my mother, and fifteen years later, In the
very same place, the words OF religion were
spoken at the funeral Of my father. In the
old burying ground in the rear sleep my
parents, my wife's parents, a sister OF
each OF us, together with many friend
and playmate OF our childhood years
Various indeed have been the "giftsn
which have been exercised in that pulpit.
Sermons OF the vealy type, sermons Of the
hard shell variety, and sermons
as keen and resistless as one ever hears
would follow each other in close order.
The holy tones of the "Free-willer,n the
''roarationsn OF the Campaigners, and
the Alterations OF the college-bre1 minis
tiers were all familiar to the people who
there. The singing ranged
from such minor fugues as Complaint,
Russia and New Durham, either of which
was doleful enough to start the tears from
anybody who had tears to shed, to "The
Old Granite State which was made TO
carry such choice devotional lines as:
You will see your Lord a coming
You will see the dead arising,
Wen march up into the city
While a band Of music
While band Of music
While a band Of music
Will be sounding through the air.
BY way OF awful warning to all choris-
tiers and choirs | must relate what once
hhpptHtu because OF IuEue tune there. IL
was on bright afternoon in midsummer
that the minister, from his tubshaped
pulpit which was just little lower than
the singers gallery, gave out that most
hymn OF Joseph Hart,
'oh, for a glance Of heavenly day.
The faithful chorister had all ready be-
fore him his list of tunes, and the moment
the minister said ''long metre" set to work
looking up the tune. His choice was tele-
graphed to the various sections Of the
choir and the singing began. The hymn /
was solemn, and the tune in keeping with
i, while fugue arrangement OF the last
line added to its expressiveness. But alas.
little did we suspect what was before us.
for when we came to the third verse h 4
came upon us in this fearful fashion:
"rhy judgments too which devils fear
Amazing thought unmoved I hear.
Goodness and wrath In vain combin,
Bass-ro stir this stu
Tenur-rO stir this stu
Alto-ro stir this stu
Alto stir this stupid heart OF mine
But after all, my main interest. as | look
back TO that old church, centres in fine
people who used to worship there. AZ
.hink Of one after another who used To
read these aisles and sit in those news
what an interesting and ofttimes GRO,