The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-07-07
COngregationalCh Church Cen
tennial Begins Aus
piciously
ABOUT 1000 AT
PAGEANT ON COMMON
Church Crowded in Evening at Free
Concert at Which Mrs. Mary Howe
Burton and Brother, Lucien Howe,
Were Among the Artists.

Centennial exercises commemorating
the organization Of the Centre Congre-
gational church were begun yesterday
afternoon under auspicious cireum-
stances. The committee on program
for the unveiling and dedication of a
granite boWlder and bronze tablet on
the village common, marking the site
of the church building before if was
located on its present site, labored
Wednesday under considerable stress of
mind because of the uncertainty of the
weather that day, and finally postponed
the program from Wednesday to YES
terday. Ideal weather yesterday proved
the wisdom of the decision, and about
1000 persons enjoyed the exercises
which had been prepared for the exact
Tooth anniversary of the organization
of the church, July ), 1916 The ecclesi-
astical society was formed and the
meeting-house built few months be
fore the church was organized but the
building was not dedicated until 1916,
so the centennial exercises really are
of a three-fold significance, commemo-
rating the beginning of the church. the
society and the building.
\ Sunday school pageant, The Sab
bath School of Yesterday and Today.
i'll four episodes was one of the con-
| spicuous features of the afternoon. Civ
en- in front of the band stand, the
church choir and Leitsinger 3 orchestra
| assisting in the music and rendering
some of the tunes of long ago.
The pageant depicted the growth of
the Sunday school, and those prominent
in the establishment of the work in the
early days were impersonated by mem
| bers of the parish today in costumes
appropriate to those early times These
costumes were picturesque and wonder
full to behold, and when Miss Mary R.
! Cabot took her place at table IN front
of settees which represented an audi
ence room III the first scene of the first
episode, followed by young women in
costume, they were greeted with APP
plause which was the initial demonstra-
tion IN long series of similar out
bursts. Miss Cabot depicted Miss Han
nah Wells, charter member of the
church. conducting her Bible class,
which she formed in May. 1915. Sew
eral III this class were descendants of
early members of the church The
ladies praying circle was represented
IN the next scene, when several were
) appointed to take charge of the pupils
!
c. Crosby and Charles r. Dunklee
represented two men who came with II
ladies from the West Brattleboro
, church on July ;, 1916, and opened a
school III the schoolhouse on the com
mon. Mrs. Charles Prentiss and Miss
Susie Clark came in a chaise at least
5 l25 years old, fixed up by w. +. Mix
er. The young men classes were
taught by Deacon Arson Barber &C. B.
Crowell), Al c. Putnam John Dunton,
ir.), and Joseph Steen (Raymond
! Brown).
The organization of the Sunday
/, school, was featured in the second epi
: sode, Fred G. Brown i1npersonatins
the first superintendent, Deacon Davi6
a Wood, who served from 1922 to 1928
n The catechism which he used wa
5 from a book used in the church ol
the common. The catechism was re
e tcited by Elizabeth Skies kLeli,
s Thompson) and Keziah Diekermal
n (Meverette A. Hanliltonl, and ths
9 choir sang New Jerusalem from OH
n hymn books which have been STORED
e for years in the church attic
Il Sunday school concerts were begu
It lin 1925, and in the third episode
$. lpart of typical concert was pivef
Henry I. Jordan acting as superii
}. tendent. Marguerite Nixon. Mau
Brown, Clyde Horton and Eunic
Ciapp had individual parts and sth