Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-20
LECTURES ON HISTORY OF
 CHURcH IN CoI,ONTAT. nav


 Rev. c. W. Hanna, pastor of the Boz rah Congregational church. was the speaker Thursday night before a meeting of the Mems club of Trinity Episcopal church, presenting an informing lecture upon The Church in Early Colonial Days, to which the men listened with much in- tereSt, passing vote of thanks to Rev MT. Hanna at the close of the meeting.
 A. F. Williams. president of the club, conducted a short business meeting at the opening of the evening and introduced Rev. MT. Hapna. who spoke in part as follows
 The church in early colonial days takes us back to the infancy of our grea na- ton. We can start with the Pilgrims at Plymouth or the Puritans at Salem and we< shall learn a variety of interesting things. The first house built in New England was begun on Christmas day nine. days after the Mayfiower moored in Plymouth harbor. The following Sunday the first religious services on shore were held in the partly finished building, 20 feet square, made of hewn logs with matched roof This was known as the Common house." where all lived and worshipped until their own houses and a place of worship could be built The fort on Burial Hill was their place of worship for 18 years. when in 1898 their first house of worship was erected, which they called meeting house. The assembling for Sunday services was quaint picture of old colonial days. The procession marched three abreast to the beating of drums, each man with his musket and 1 firelock, led by a sergeant. Behind them came the governor in a long robe, beside | him on the right hand the preacher with his long coat on, and on the left hand Myles Standish with his sidearms and a small cane in. his hand. This is the first Sabbath in the Plymouth settlement. In 1875. it was enacted that every town \ in the colony should erect a meeting house if the people failed the magis- | trates were empowered to build it and l charge the cost to the town. A law oi l the colonies was that their new homes should be built within a half mile of the meeting house; also that attendance or ! religious worship should be compulsory 4 upon all. The first meeting houses wert I often built in the meadow land, for thu dwelling houses must cluster around l them. Soon the homes became too close iy. crowded for convenient farming al I pasturage for cattle had to be obtained a, I too great distance from the farmhouse | firewood had to be brought from the dis
 
 be considered The Indians were not s
 deeply dreaded so that the newcomer i built on outlying or. remote land iron the meeting house.
 As the settlements scattered out int
 new regions hilltop became favore'
 location for their meeting houses, whici
 thus could also be a watch house iron which to keep a vigilant lookout for an possible approach of hostile, sneaking In
 dians; also the meeting house became landmark, its steeple pointing to heave was likewise a guide on earth for tn travellers journeying through wood or-i
 the marrow. tree obscured bridlepath' { which were then the only roads. Ele l. vated clearings could be better protecte
 by the stockade and guard the houses
 The Indians path was in the valley an not likely to go over the hills.
 | Their first places of worship after tn | fort were uncouth structures made out ( hewn logs with matched roofs supporte !. within by rough pine columns fresh froi the forest Historians speak of these fir. l meeting houses as a rude wooden Do : building. 20 feet square, seated with rud } slab benches.
 [ The second type of their meeting hous
 was an improvement on the first It va
 far more pretentious and assuming b,
 not more beautiful. It was also woode ! building. high rectangular, unpaintt i, structure with a pyramidal roof, cappe r | by a belfry, reminding one of the steepl' q crowned hat of the Pllritans. They no q have glass in them for their windows b, : not placed in sash, but in round or squal . forms The ceilings and rafters were
 open that they hung from above the rs