The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-12-22

~. rerguSOn, M u, and cousin oil
our member Hon. William 9. Fer.
guson, was one of their later and
most successful pastors. The
last to officlate IN the old church
is the present pastor of the Unit
ed Presbyterian branch of that
old congregation, Rev. J. L. Grove,
whose pastorate covers twenty.
five years.
FORM OF WORSHIP.
Their form of worship was
simple, but direct. No anthems
nor instrumental music, or, as
our Judge Campbell's grand.
uncle expressed it, "do dom fud-
dien'." A psalm was read, ex-
planned, lined out, and sung; a
prayer offered, all standing like
soldiers at attention, eyes and
ears open. land no loahn around
the throne" as John Hay put it;
chapter read; another prayer
and psalm; and sermons, two of a
kind, both long, with but short
intermlssion; and home by sun
down.
But of all services, those con.
nected with the observance of the
Lords Supper were the most i'm
pressive. Preceded by fast on
the Friday before the commun-
ION, it was followed by the Mon.
day after communion as a day Of
thanksgiving. All ordinary work
ceased on that Friday, which was
kept as carefully as the Sabbath
itself, and attendance on divine
service was imperative. On that
day the leaden tokens, commem-
oratlve of the days when Claver-
houses followers spled out the
meeting places of their fathers
on the "hethered hills, were dis.
trlbuted to the intended commu-
nicants as a pledge of their &C.
ceptance and right to the com
munion table on the coming Sab
bath when the elders carefully
received them back from every
COMMUNICATE. The elements
were served at a long table in
front of the pulpit or extending
down the alsles, and the embers
rose from their pews. coming for
ward singing psalm until seat.
ed in their places at the table,
and after participating, they re-
turned to their pews singing an.
other verse or two of the same
psalm. and often to the same
tune. On these occasions, the
men Of the congregation came N
"their blacks" and the women
In their best new gowns. There
was dignity and reverence at.
tached to this solemn service that
in itself forbade inditferencs or
carelessness in approaching the
table of the Lord. They looked
upon 1T as His table, not theirs,
and have often been severely cen.
sured for their vigilance and care
IN guarding it from the impure
and the protane, but none can
gainsay or deny the honesty of
their purpose in so doing.
MILITARY AND CIVIL SERVICE.
In military and civil life they
were active and efficient. From
Valley Forge and the Brandywine
to the Philippines William Pat
terson, Revolutionary War;. Eu-
sign, 9th Pa. Battalion, Co. z,
July 31st, 1878; Ralph B. Patter
son, (Spanish-American War;,
36th N. G. VOL, died at Manila,
March 10th, 190o] that old con-
gregatlon was represented, and
from the same township of Ayr
a great.grandfather, grandfather
and grandson represented that |
community in the Legislature, |
and the great-granduncle of one
Of them, Benjamin Elliott, repre-
seuted the old county of Bedford,
in the State constitutional con-
vention that sat in Philadelphia,
July 10th, 1776. But their SER
wees we're not limited to the mar
row field Of their own settlement.
There is something IN the atmos.
phere and companionship of the
mountains that lnvigorate and IN.
spire for higher things. AS
Clvases said of his nativa Ithaca