St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-09-08
One Hundred Years Old.
CONTINUED from 1st Page.]

.
The crowning event of the occasion as
reported to me 40 years ago by man,
then ninety years old, was the standing
ofZibe loot on,his head on the end of
the ridge pole, emptying his flask Unto
himselD and descending head down
wards to the ground. This, we are to
remember, was according to approved
usage of that period; probably in the
mind of Mr.. loot the building was Just
a Town House, not yet given over to the
purposes of religion. Presently, however,
the floor of the house was divided into
81 square pews and the galleries into %.
These 76 pews BECAME private property,
bought at vendue of which this paper
in my hand is the original draft. The
first choice, pew number 35, was struck
off by Gen. Joel Roberts, our first town
representative, at $685. the second at
Sf32 went to Lieut.. Thomas Pierce; the
third to Capt. William c. Arnold at
SIPS, and SO on, till Is pews were bid
off, netting 1868.
Denominations had no exclusive con-
troll the largest number of pew owners
were Universalists, including most of the
There was no bell tower, no bell, no
chimneys; the idea of warming a meeting
house had not yet been born.
Women, however, brought their foot
stoves that were replenished by fresh
Goals from Lieut.. Pierces big roaring fire
logs in his kitchen.
Cleanliness was not out of mind, for
Capt. John Barney had the contract for
giving the floor two sweepings year.
The pulpit was high up on the east wall;
held in high respect; no person allowed
to 90 into it on town meeting days
unless speshely Directed by the town."
powerful dog committee of FIVE men,
headed by three military officers, Gen.
Joel Roberts. Capt. John Barney, Gen.
r. W. Fenton, were. empowered to
"expel dogs from the Westinghouse on
Sundays" and if they got into trouble
the town stood ready to indemnify them.
There is no record, as far as know, of
services of worship prior to the torma-
ton of this church, though undoubtedly
there were such. No religious meetings
we're held in it during the year imme-
dately preceding its removal to this
foundation. At the harvesting the
square pews used then to be filled with
shocks of corn which fitted in very nicely,
and the huskers comfortably fitted them
selves in the seats OF former worshipers.
In the summer of 1916 the building
was taken down and regretted where it
now stands. By an arrangement with
the town this upper floor became the
property of the church; the entire lower
floor continued to be used for town
meetings until the erection of the present
Town Hall in 1855.
Into the vast emptiness of this build
ing as it then was, of bare boards un-
painted, uncarpeted, uncushioned, un-
warmed, on it's wind-swept site under
the bleak skies of late November-have
come these six men and 10 women desir.
ing to be united together as Church of
Christ-few in number, with no exhilira-
ting outlook, but with firm intelligent
purpose. PROFESSIONALLY true to the
spirit of the occasion is the often quoted
story that has come down to us, viz;
that the council finding what feeble
flock they were questioned the wisdom of
organizing. But" said one of the six
men, "We are too poor to live without
the ordinances of the gospel" Such a
declaration, whether on the records or
among the cherished traditions, is a
precious heritage for this church. 1t
puts in graphic statement the sense of
need that should be deepest in any com.
munity. That little company were hun
cry Tor the ordinances well they might
be: there was no minister, no Sabbath
no visible sign of any sort of religion.
Brought up as we have been, it is not
easy to realize what life in St. Johnsbury
was under those conditions.
But here is an illustrative case
good woman, mother of family lived in
a small house nearly opposite where the
South church now stands on the Plain.
think it was the little old Aunt Polly
Ferguson house." that some of us we'll
remember Many anxious thoughts
came to her about herself and her child
rem. One morning while at the house.
hold work, her feelings swelledso strong
ly that she broke away from her task.
saddled the family horse and rode out
some distance beyond Arnold's Mills,
now Paddock Village, to the home of
Mary Bissell. The two passed that en-
tire day reading the Bible, talking, pray
ing together. Some three years later
when ID women were standing together
in the covenant of the church, these two
were among the number and their names
are recorded side by side on the first page
OF the old church record book. 1t was
the few women and fewer men of this
sort who thought they could not affordto
live without the ordinances OF the church,
and who covenanted Nov. 81, 1909 to
&c their part in maintaining them. l
think of them, coming up on foot or on
horseback from their scattered farms
that day, 10 only out of 500 population,
hungering tor something which nothing
put fellowship in the church of the living
God could supply.
Hubbard Lawrence was chosen moder-
a;tor, and David Stowell, clerk, two men
mighty respected in the town, and later
they were made deacons. Stowell was
tall, thin, grey and wore a queue; Law
renee was husband of the womanI spoke
OF Just now. tanner, his watts were on
the grounds that 80 years later were
bought and beautifed by Horace Fair
banks, known to us of these days as
Plnehurst.
Now at last there was really church
an this town; two-thirds of the members
mad united on confession of their faith,
al were deeply in earnest. From the
hlrst, the children of the church were
lovingly brought under its watch and
care. On the 10Th day, viz. Dec. 3, nine