The Press., 1903-12-31

In June, 1873, much needed and | long talked of Sabbath school was or ganized at the Peck school house, then standing about one hundred yards south of my old home, known as the Gurley farm.
 MT. Mansfield, who was supplying the pulpit on the Hill, canvassed the district to see if there were any who wished to establish school and were willing to engage in the work. He found few with willing hearts and ready hands, and so on the second Sunday in June, 1873, the South Will lington Union Sunday school was or ganized. Legrand Johnson was chos- en superintendent; Gardiner Hall, ST., assistant superintendent, also sec retary and treasurer. The school started with four teachers. We used Lesson Leaves from the Baptist Publication society. The pastors of both churches on the Hill were to preach once month. The hour for Sunday school was four o'clock; preaching service at five o'clock. Both of the churches on the Hill very kindly contributed books from their libraries. We did not have very convenient place to keep the books. The school house was old fashioned, the desks running round the sides, with shelves underneath. The books were kept on the shelves underneath the desks during the week, and on I Sunday they were placed on the teach ers' desk for the children to make selection. One of the ministers com | ing in, before the books had been gathered up and placed under the desks, remarked to the superintendent, "If this is the way you use our books, I think we had better take them Ihome.''
 The superintendent replied that the children had just finished making |selection, and he had not had time to put them up. The assistant super lintendent heard the conversation, and not long after made the proposition that we have some books of our own.
 The school unanimously fell ill with
 this idea. Then the question came lup, "Where shall we keep the books?" Our assistant superintendent, equal to every emergency, produced a wooden trunk, painted red, to keep the books
 in. If he had given us 8 nice book lease, as Mrs. Orline Hall Champlin Idid later on, we could not have used
 it, for we could not have carried it back and forth from my home to the school house every Sunday, as we did the trunk. As time went on we thought we should like musical in- strument to help the singing along.
 We had all organist, but no organ. Our assistant superintendent wife, whose heart was in the work, loaned us a melodeon. Then came the ques- tion, "Where shall we keep it?' If she had given us nice organ, as she did later on, we could not have used it, for we could not have carried it back and forth from my home to the school house every Sunday, as we did the melodeon. In the spring of 1874 MT. Johnson removed to Wethersfield, and MT. Hall was chosen superintend- ent. We remained at the school house until the winter of 1876 The hall was then completed so the Sabbath school and meetings were held there
 The minister preached the "word" from a platform made from thread cases. The audience sat on seats made from boards, the ends laid on thread cases. We had one conven- fence then that we do not have now we did not have to turn the seats for the classes; as there were no backs to the seats, we could sit on either side. We very soon had an organ place to keep it, but the red trunk served as bookcase for some time. At one of our Christmas entertain ments we were all surprised and de- lighted when the beautiful book ease, which had been raised from the out side through the door, was presented to the Sabbath school, a present from Mrs. Champlin. The library had out-grown the red trunk, and Mrs. Champlin's thoughtfulness and kind ness was very much appreciated. We have made additions to our library from time to time. Mrs. Gardiner Hall, ST., presented the school with books in memory of her son, W. H. Hall, who was killed in the civil war, which were great help to us and much appreciated. Wm. Carroll served as superintend- ent in 1880. MT. Johnson in the meantime had returned from Weth- ersfield, and was again chosen super intendent. In 1888 Stephen Slingsby was chosen and served us faithfully | until 1892. w. Bracket served us ! with equal faithfulness from 1894 un- til 1902, when he resigned, and Wal ter Allen was chosen in his place. ! MT. Allen, our present superintend- | ent, has served us very acceptably for two years. When the school was first organized the population then, as now, was floating, and some of our | best teachers drifted away. Miss | Sarah Davis, who was one of our best | helpers, was a devoted Christian wom- an and interested in every good work. She died in Stafford June 3, 1899 | Miss Anna Draper, now of Cambridge, l Mass. was one of the first teachers. | Mrs. Eliza Kent Fuller, now living in Scotland, Conn.,, was teacher and organist. Later on Mrs. Albert Hall, now of Idaho Springs, Col, Mrs. John Graham, now of Florida, Mrs. | Ellen Hall, Mrs. Vim. Brownlee, and others we might mention if time