Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-05-15
BOyhOOd ReCOllGCtiOnS
OF
The Five Churches OF POCOIIOkG
City
By EBEN HEARNE
No. II
By EBEN HEARNE
No. y
Conclusion

A modern writer has recently pen
ned the following:
"The Christian Church is an insti
tuition altogether unique and peculiar
among men. Unlike industrial or
CARNATIONS and banking systems and
mercantile establishments, it does not
deal in tangible assets, but with the
intangibles of life.
The church first came together,
when little group of people with one
accord gathered to talk about great
spiritual experience through which
they had passed"
My object in writing an account Of
my boyhood recollections of the five
churches of Newtown in the eleven
preceding chapters has been to do
honor to the churches and to keep
alive the memory of the men and
women who years ago laid the founda-
lions on which future generations
would better be able to build sub
stantial and lasting ecclesiastical IN
situations. The present generation
will never know how much they owe
to their honored and self-sacrificing
forefathers and foremothers for their
work of faith and labor of love IN
purchasing land and cooperating with
the pioneer preachers in establishing
the five houses of worship in the
early life of the little village of New
town.
Tt is interesting to study the evolu-
ton that has taken place in the style
of architecture and the change in the
materials used in the construction of
meeting houses.
1t is a matter of history that the
first Methodist Church in America,
the John Street Church of New York
City, had a fireplace and chimney to
circumvent the law prohibiting dis
senters from erecting regular
churches"
The earliest churches of this town
were small sized one room frame
furnished with plain board seats with
out backs, and were not heated and
were lighted by candles. It was the
duty of the janitor CD to snuff the
candles at proper intervals; that is to
cut off the charred part of the candle
wicks so as to insure better IL
Illuminating flame.
Contrast the discomfort of the un-
heated churches of those distant days
with the comfort of the past fifty
years on to the present time from the
evenly distributed heat furnished by
hot air, steam, oil, gas or electricity,
and consider also the improvement
made in lighting by the use of gas and
electricity, showing their superiority
over candles and kerosene lamps
After the advent of the 18th CEN
fury frame churches were constructed
and these in later years have been
succeeded by new buildings of brick
and stone. During the latter part of
that century, this town having in
creased in size and in the number of
its inhabitants, more spacious build
ings were needed, and it was found
that the churches were entirely I'M
equal to the religious educational pro-
gram and this fact was the leading
consideration in bringing about a
changed attitude toward the houses
of worship. The old one room build
ing offered no convenient room for
the Sunday School, the social and
recreational facilities of the COM
munity. Hence, the churches in or
der to carry on the work required
were compelled to branch out and it
can be said to the credit of the
churches of this town, that they have
erected or incorporated in their build
ings additional rooms to carry on
their work in the three above named
departments. The churches now have
Sunday School class rooms with
pianos, and have long since adopted