Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-09-16

s@-~~~s ORLEANS IOIAI1-m JAllUH.
Nathan S. Benham, whose memory
is cherished By this church and COM
munity. i shall read that paper again
this afternoon substantially as it WAS
read five years ago, for could not
improve Ii or make it more complete
If tried.
There was no public worship IN this
town for several years after the
earliest settlersthad made their homes
in the primeval forest In the year
1893 Hon. Timothy Human held pub
lie religious services in his house,
which for many years was the only
store al tavern for miles around. For
several years, until church was or
gained, he read two sermons every
Sunday, and as the congregation in
creased during the summer months
the meetings we're held il the barn
which stood on the place now owned
by Mr.. George Roberts. The country
was then a wilderness, the people
coming through the woods for long
distance to attend the services.
Truly ''the word of the Lord was pre-
cious in those days" The Lords day
was strictly observed, beginning Sat-
urday at shutdown and ending at SUM
down on the Sabbath, when it was
considered right to work as occasion
required. e5 tsf 1aa '31.al A
August 9, 1907, few Christian men
and women living in Derby met in a
log house standing on the old Moran
farm, and a church was organized by
the Rev. Elijah Lyman, missionary
/ from Brookheld, Vermont. Sixteen
persons united with the church, nine
of whom lived in Derby, two in
Stanstead, three in Newport and two
in Morgan. They worshipped for
several years in barn and later in
schoolhouse near the center of the
town, until the first union m eeting
house was built in 1920 at cost Of
$3.50. This was the first frame house
raised in Orleans county for the wor-
hip of God and stood few rods
south and west of the side of the
schoolhouse in district NJ. 4. Fathe
Sutherland, noted clergymen of his
time, preached the dedicatory sermon.
1t was built in the style of that day
with galleries on three sides, with
seats in front and a row of square
pews on each side. The singers
gallery was on the end between the
other two fronting the pulpit, wher
the old tunes, "China, y ''Sherburne,n
"Northfeld,' "Invitation'' and ssSt.
Martins were sung in natural,
hearty manner, being "raised." as it
was called in those days, by the
leader with his steel tuning fork.
The pulpit was high, being on level
with the singers, and the minister
could literally look down on the au-
dience. In those days there vas a
"tithing man." whose mission it was
to keep watchful eye on the con-
gregation, and woe to the tboughtless
or irreverent youth or maid, boy or
girl, who forgot they were in Gods
house and presence, and INDUCED in
laughing and whispering. To hear a
loud rap on the pew and ones name
called out in loud tone, while the
preacher stopped his sermon, and the
congregation looked at the Thought
less offender, was usually enough to
prevent repetition of the offence.
A bell of $50 pounds weight was
bought by subscription and placed in
/ the belfry of the house in 1888. The
cost of the house was divided into So
[ shares, giving each shareholder a
right to the pulpit for one Sunday
in the year. The shares were mostly
owned by the Congregational and
Baptist societies. In 1888 the Con-.
gregational society bought the right
to the pulpit owned by the Baptists
and this first Westinghouse was used
as house of worship until 1s49, when
the house now owned and occupied
by the church was built. Fa .s
The following were the ministers
who occupied the pulpit Of the old
| church. Rev. Luther Leland was act
ing pastor from 1909 to 1910, was or.
dained and installed in the latter
year and served the church faithfully
to the time of his death in 1922. The
house and land owned by Jason. Will
son were given to him as the first