Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-07-04

fame thereof spread abroad, and 8
prominent lady" asked to have her
children admitted to the Sunday eve
ming privileges of this cody family.
Soon others, and still others, came
and begged the same favor, until IN
1914 Deacon Washburn was compelled
by the large increase in his Sunday
school to hold its sessions in the
schoolhouse.
We do not know that Deacon
Washburn had, even at this time,
known Of the organization of Sun
day school anywhere; indeed, IN 1858
he declared at a session of the Or
leans conference of Congregational
churches that for several years after
he began his home class he had new
er heard of a Sunday school.
Tt must not be supposed that he
met no opposition in his laudable I'M
dertaking. Christian prejudices were
strong in those days against any in
novations, and the irreligious might
easily scotland not even all of the
prominent citizens were religious.
Nevertheless, in the schoolhouse
sessions it soon became necessary to
have help; and we find that the school
had a superintendent and five teach
ers, one of whom was Esquire Asahel
Hale, who was not professed Chris
tian.
In 1915 Esquire Hale was made su-
perintendent of the original school,
while Deacon Washburn was made
general superintendent" for from
that school at least five other schools
were organized In various parts of
the town, and the movement had
spead into neighboring towns.
The following year, 1916, "The
Moral Society of Greensboro, Crafts
bury and Hardwick' was formed, hav-
ing as its very laudable object, ito
counterfeit the sins of intemperance,
profaneness, misunderstanding and
gambling" Two significant facts
are to be noted in connection with this
very significant organization: First
Esquire Hale was chosen it's preSi-
dent. 1t is to be borne in mind that
this society embraced the men of
strong moral character in the three
towns which afterwards united to
form the Sabbath School Union," in
whose early action we are especially
interested today. Esquire Hale, not
yet professed Christian, was made
the head of this movement, thereby
being able to judge closely of the con-
dition which seemed to make such a
society necessary. He was also su-
perintendent and teacher in the orig
inal Sabbath school, whose work had
SO fully commended itself to him.
Second, in 1877, this "Moral Socie-
ty" voted .tthat Deacon Washburn
has found the best way to promote
public morals" and decided to sup
port his Sunday schools. Those stur-
dy old fathers, whose methods we
are wont to scorn, even while we re-
we're their memory, certainly had the
grace of sanctified common sense far
surprising much of the boosted in
they concluded that the relation of
the Sunday school to public morals
was that of cause and effect.
In the year 1917 Sabbath School
Union" was formed between the eight
towns into which the influence of
Deacon Washburn's little school had
spread. The object of this union was
to stimulate the interests of these
Sunday schools and to improve their
work. Here was evidently the fore
runner of the Vermont Sunday School
association; and, indeed, so far as
this present writer knows, no similar
organization existed anywhere in
the world.
One of the methods for promoting
the object of the union was the hold
ing of examinations. These were to
be competitive. All the schools were
to meet in some designated place, and
there the pupils were to be exam
ined on the scripture they had
learned, and on the catechism; and
contests in speaking and singing
were to be marked features of these
mass gatherings of Sunday schools.
In addition addresses were to be CIV
en- by leading pastors of these and
nearby towns.
These old-fashioned folk had prob
ably never heard of a convention, ex-
cept political one. They called these
gatherings exhibitions.
The first of them was to be held in
Greensboro. No church or school
building was large enough to hold the
crowd likely to gather, and Esquire
Hale offered his new barn for that
purpose.
We have not at hand a list of the
towns represented in this first con-
vention but it is certain that besides
Greensboro, Hardwick, Craftsbury
and Concord, Montpelier had repre-
sentatives, for Rev. Mr.. Wright, pas
tor of what is now the Bethany Con-
gregational church of Montpelier, and
Rev Samuel Goddard of Concord,
who supplied the Greensboro church
for some time, were among those
present.
We assume that several hundred
men and women, besides more than
400 youths and children came to this
unique gathering, and the Sunday
school gained new and deserved
distinction. We also assume that
the barn was not large enough
to hold all the people at one time
And we have record that it did hold
one boy who was not on the program
for the day.
Col. Levi Stevens, awe1l-known citi-
zen of the town, had no use for this
new-fangled foolishness of Deacon
Washburn and Squire Hale and would
not allow his son, Josiah, to attend
the exhibition" To make sure that
the bow would not 90 SQUIRE Stevens