St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-06-24
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Vermont Appreciated.

The following letter appeared in
recent issue of the Chelsea, Mass,
Gazette, and we copy it for the benefit of
our readers who know the charms of
some of the country towns, and also for
the enlightenment of those who have
never visited them:
EDITOR CHELSEA GAZETTE;
Dear Sir,-Driven from Chelsea by the
fire to the Green Mountain State on a
Sunday morning in May, my thoughts
unused. as the poet has penned it.
"The spring buds all around me are
swelling
A sense of delight in each bosom is dwelling
AS float the pure daybeams DER mountain
and vale;
The verdure is fresh upon every tree:
OF Natures revival the charm and token
oflove,
o thou spirit of beauty to thee!"
South Ryegate, Vt, where | am max
ing my home with my son, Rev. William
Seward Wallace, lies like basin be-
tween and surrounded by hills of beauty
and at this time of the year, especially
full of life and tinted with all the shades
of green that trees are capable of dis
playing and the grass waving beautifully
in the sweet scented breeze Stiffness
prevails excepting the ripping and
splashing of the brook within so feet OF
the house; birds make melody because
God is good and careth for the sparrow
Church-time comes and hear the sweet,
welcoming tones of the two Presbyterian
bells in the village. The people are
Scotch and John Calvin's preaching and
admonitions are pretty generally needed
and the farmers come in from several
miles about to worship God and keep
the Sabbath day holy. The pastors are
both young men well grounded in the
faith and are the peers of the average
city-groomed preacher and the gospel is
preached in its simplicity and power.
The people, while dressed nicely and in
good taste, do not come to church with
the prevailing style of the city, yet these
Scotch people are thrifty and have good
sized bank accounts and have handsome
dairy farms dotted among the hills and
valleys, and horses andIcows of the best
stock.
The old ways prevail in the churches
to some extent. AS you enter the church
the men go to side room and hang up
their hats while the women go to the
other side and take off any outer gar
ment that they do not need when in
church. The Reformed church, Rev. w.
NJ Pollock, pastor on one side OF the
street, holds to the Covenanter style
h. I,a ANtth tbaf
exception they differ very little from the
Presbyterian church on the opposite side
of the street where my son is pastor
where good tunes are sung and, with the
help of quartet, there is fine music at
every service After the church service
the Sunday school is we'll attended by
old and young. There is Bible class
for young men with an attendance of
from Is to 20, and a class of elderly
men with an attendance of II to 10,
ranging from so to so years in age.
| There are similar classes of women
and younger persons and a good attend
| ance generally.
The two churches, in a happy rivalry,
have baseball club. The Covenanters
call their club Baraca and the Presby-
terrain, Barean, and some fine playing
will be shown there this summer when
the pastors and their elders along with
the youthful rooters will be present.
When man has passed the seventy
second milestone of life the change from
the noisy man.made city to the quiet
God-made country seems restful and
joyous.
| THOMAS WALLACE.