St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-09-08

| DuTy. his thanksgiving Day sermon
given in this church in'1S1S is the first
historic document in print relating to the
town. Some years later he was elected
to Congress where he served one term.
His nephew, Milo P. Jewett, son of DR..
Calvin Jewett, baptized here November,
1916, became preacher, an eminent
educator, first president of Vassar Col
lege.
] In accordance with usages of the time,
discipline and confession were promin-
ent feature OF church life; indeed it could
not be otherwise if the church would
meet the dominant spirit of worldliness
and hostility to spiritual religion.
Nearly half the pages of the early records
are filed with matter relating to indiv-
duals. Now and then case of grave i'm
port called for plain words, but most of
the troubles were treated with great for
bearance and brotherly love. Personal
conduct was made matter of minute
DETAIL as appears in the lists of items
brought up for church action. Sept. 10,
1922, young member was on trial for
Sabbath-breaking by travelling and Wis
iting, for disrespect and disobedence of
his parents, for conformity to the world
in conduct, conversation and dancing, for
unreasonably correcting lad who lived
at his fathers house, and for challenging
Mr.. Sargent to fight" Other occasions
for discipline were, betting, gambling,
violation of the truth, unkindness,
erroneous ideas in regard to balls, TAX
ing unlawful interest extortion in deal,
attempt to pass counterfeit money,
charging unreasonably for board. This
little church was at that time facing the
popular irreligion which for years had
gone on without restraint. The men,
bers felt that their faith, opinions, prac-
tees, must stand out distinct and clear
before the world. And they did. Take
the matter of the Sabbath. For 25 or
more years there had been no Sabbath in
this town for anything but visiting,
travelling, idling, drinking, horse-racing,
except as individuals in some quiet way
kept the Sabbath worshipfully. Now at
last the church set itself to have Sabbath
of the Lord their God, and went so far
as to lay down rules after the old
Hebrew type, which condemned travel
ing, going visiting and even worldly con-
versation, but ''if travelling without
baggage, and public worship may be
attended by pursuing our journey a few
Understanding like FIVE or six, then,
if our reckoning be settled on Saturday
evening it shall be justi6able for US to 60
on for the sake of joining a worshiping
assembly" Cases like the following
frequently occurred: april %, Bro.
w. came before the church and acknowl-
edged that he had travelled part of
Sabbath last winter. After undergoing
examination as to his penitence ard
sorrow it was voted to restore him to
full fellowship upon his making con-
tession before the congregation" 1t was
not long before the new Sabbath in this
town began to be recognized. A little
incident illustrates this: Susanna Mans
| field, afterward Mrs. John Lowell Ayers,
mistook Sunday one time for Saturday,
and wove all day at her loom. She
wondered what was going on as she
saw people passing toward the center of
the town. Next morning when Mrs.
Higgins called she was sitting quietly
reading her Bible--her work all put
away. 20 dear!" she SAID on learning
her mistake, what will people think of
me! they must have seen me at my loom
yesterday, breaking the Sabbath day."
None who knew Susanna Mansfield,
however, would question her sincerity.
1t was at her house that the few chris
tan women of the neighborhood used to
was Celia H., mother of eleven children.
She did her best to bring them up re-
ligiously. Her husband was. at that
time, opposed to this. He took occasion
to hide her Bible.
One night on coming home he saw
light in the childrens room, and hastily
concluded that she had found it, and
was reading from it to the children. He
tore into the room, pulled the children
out of bed and made a great fuss. She
however, kept quietly on her way and by
her gentleness and tact finally won him
to better mind.
Neighborhood meetings were held in
barn in the north west part of the town.
A pulpit was built up with boxes on the
barn floor. Mrs. Frinda Graves, we'll
remembered by some of you. said she
learned to sing two hymns in that barn,
viz: first, Come Holy Spirit heavenly
Dove" second, "Hark from the tombs a
doleful sound" Just what cheer and
inspiration this last was intended to
communicate in the old barn she did not
say, but she spoke of the delight she
used to have in riding to the big church
on the hill, behind her mother, on the
saddle, her Sunday dress being carefully
tucked up so as not to be soiled or
crumpled. Other girls who had to walk,
would go barefooted till near the church,
and then get into their shoes.
On the road, lived Bethiah Shorey, who
had scripture texts carefully written out
and pinned up on the walls of her house
When a young fellow, who had fought
in the revolutionary war was sick and
dying, Bethiah Shorey was the one he
sent for to come to read and pray with |
him.
Most interesting as illustrating con-
scientious attitude, are the records OF |
confession which abound. Notice parti- |
cularly the regard for each others feel |
ings" Feb. 16, 1919, "To my brethren and |
sisters of the Church: AS my going to |
the ball room where there was ball and |
stopping there few minutes. has been
by some supposed to have tendency to
encourage such transactions, thing. l |
by no means wish to do, and has been |
wounding to the feelings Of many OF you
Il assure you that, tho my opinion is
that it was not wrong in itself, yet l
cannot but regret that went, because
it hurt your feelings. And it is my