USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 23
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As has been recorded in a previous chapter, the Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts were first used in the public worship of the sanctuary Dec. 2, 1777, and for almost half a century the hearts and tongues of the people had been enlivened by the elegant strains of that truly
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accomplished and classical poet. But as many of his pieces contained passages that were exceptionable, both in sentiment and doctrine, to a more advanced and liberalized Christian age, it was deemed advisable to suspend their use in public worship, and substitute what was called the 'Cambridge Collection." This change was made in the autumn of the year 1821, and the meeting-house was supplied with books at the expense of Thomas Whitney, Esq., David Livermore, Charles Whitney, and Rev. Robert F. Walcott, who was then the provisional minister of the parish.
In 1834 the excellent and truly popular compilation of Rev. Dr. Greenwood had been published, and wherever recent changes had been made in the churches of liberal congregationalism this collection had been usually adopted. Mr. George A. Whitney of Boston, a native of Shirley, who always sustained a lively interest in the well-being of the town that gave him birth, proposed to the First Parish to adopt this collection of Psalms and Hymns to be used in their public worship ; and if they should decide to do this, he would gratuitously furnish as many copies as would be needed for this purpose. This friendly offer was readily accepted by a vote of the parish, and the pews, pulpit and singers' gallery were amply supplied by the generous donor, who, on three different occasions, contributed one hundred and sixty copies.
From the settlement of the town until the year 1834 no arrangements had ever been made for warming the meeting-houses on the sabbath. In winter the worshippers had been compelled to remain during the long services, shivering under the effect of cold,-a custom which generally prevailed throughout New England during the first century of its history. But when, at the above-named period, the interests of the parish had revived by the establishment of a stated ministry, it was deemed essential to have the meeting-house supplied with fires. Accord- ingly, two large stoves were procured by subscription and placed in the body of the church, and their pipes were so
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disposed as to throw a gentle warmth through every part of the house, to the great comfort of the worshipping assembly.
The bell which had been presented to the town by Wallis Little, Esq., in 1808, was one which had previously belonged to the proprietors of the new North Church in Boston, and had been removed from that church to give place to one larger and better. It had occupied its po- sition in the tower of the First Parish meeting-house in Shirley until the year 1835. , Always too small to be heard in the remote parts of the town, it had for several years been rendered almost useless on account of a crack, which had caused it to send forth harsh and discordant sounds.
In the summer of the year just named, the following communication was laid before the town, at a legal meet- ing called for the transaction of business :
" As a token of respect for our native town, and a sincere regard for its character and the well-being of its inhabitants, we the undersigned propose to present to the town a bell.
"It is our wish and intention that the same should be kept on the meeting-house of the First Parish; that it should be used for all the necessary and proper purposes of the town; that the religious societies should also have the privilege of its use ; and unless the town shall provide for ringing the same, at the usual time, and in the usual manner, for the religious services in the forenoon and afternoon of the Sabbath-day, the First Parish may have the privilege of causing it to be so rung for such services. And in case the First Parish shall fail to cause it to be so rung on the Sabbath, any other parish, then having regu- lar services, and not being supplied with a bell, may have the same privilege.
"Should the proposal be acceptable to the town, it would be agreeable to us that the selectmen, or a com- mittee, should be authorized to confer with us as to the
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size of the bell, and to take other proper measures in regard to the subject.
"We have the honor to subscribe ourselves your respectful fellow-citizens,
"LEONARD M. PARKER, "THOMAS WHITNEY.
"Shirley, May 27, 1835."
The town voted to accept the bell, and also to repair the tower for its reception. On the Fourth of July the people assembled in large numbers, and the bell was ele- vated to its place amid their joyful acclamations.
This bell was broken while ringing a fire-alarm, and its place was supplied by another from Holbrook's foundry, which after a year's trial was declared unsat- isfactory, and was exchanged by the founder for the one now in use.
The communion vessels, which had been in use since the settlement of the first minister, had become old and defaced; and though not unfit for service, were not so convenient as those of modern construction. They were accordingly laid aside in the summer of 1836. Hon. James P. Whitney proposed to the church to furnish a new and complete set for their acceptance. Whereupon it was unanimously voted by the church to accept the donation of Mr. Whitney, and a cordial vote of thanks was passed to the donor for his generosity.
A short time previous to the engagement of Mr. Chandler as minister of the parish, a Sunday-school was organized, principally through the influence of a few devoted women. This school has been continued, with varied success, to the present time. It has maintained an interesting position with the religious institutions of our community, and now numbers among its efficient teachers some who were among the smaller pupils of the school at its organization.
Simultaneously with the formation of the Sunday- school, a charitable society was organized by the ladies of the parish, to give pecuniary aid and otherwise assist in
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the efforts that were making for the religious instruction of the rising generation.
This society has purchased all the books belonging to the juvenile library-which now numbers nearly a thou- sand volumes,-a large portion of the text-books used in the Sunday-school, has clothed and otherwise assisted several indigent children, and supplied the furniture for the church vestry or Sunday-school room. In 1847 this society furnished the aisles and pulpit of the meeting- house with new and elegant carpets ; and has, for several years, met nearly all of the incidental expenses of the parish. The members of this association have semi- monthly meetings during the summer months, for mutual improvement and labor, and their plans of action have been concerted and executed in a spirit of harmony and good faith which comports with the benevolent objects of the institution. Such workers cannot fail of a reward.
It should here be recorded that this society has not confined its labors to the daily passing wants, but has kept an eye open to the future. A fund has been accu- mulated, amounting to about $1,500, the income of which sustains nearly all the contingent expenses of the parish.
As has been recorded in a previous chapter, the meeting-house now owned by the First Parish had been erected at the expense of the town in 1773. It had been enlarged, by the addition of porches and a tower, in 1804. For thirty-five years it had served the wants of the people without any other change than an occasional out- side dressing of paint. Its interior needed great improve- ments in order to satisfy the tastes of an advanced age. The people had become tired of its deep and sombre galleries, its quadrangular areas-which were divided into quadrangular pews-and its elevated pulpit; and were unanimous in the desire that it be thoroughly revised according to 'the rules of modern architecture.
The project was formally brought before the parish at its annual meeting in March, 1839. After some discus- sion as to the best method of operation, it was voted that
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the meeting-house be altered, and that the expense be divided into shares, to be assumed by proprietors, who should seek a remuneration of their subscriptions by the sale of pews, after the work should be completed. A committee was accordingly raised, consisting of Joshua B. Fowle, Leonard M. Parker and James P. Whitney, to obtain subscribers to the stock and to arrange all necessary preliminaries with the town in relation to the proposed alteration.
At a subsequent meeting a committee of five was appointed to take the general charge of the work of remodelling and repairing the meeting-house. This com- mittee were Hon. L. M. Parker, Hon. James P. Whitney, Joshua B. Fowle, Almond Morse, and Nathaniel Hol- den, Jr. It was also voted that the assistance of three commissioners from other towns be solicited to appraise the pews in the meeting-house as they then existed ;- and Zachariah Sheldon of Fitchburg, Abel Jewett of Pep- perell, and Henry Woods of Groton were appointed to this service. They subsequently reported the present worth of the pews to be $189.50.
The building committee made contracts for the work of alteration and repairs without any unnecessary delay. The most of the work was undertaken by Mr. Wilder Dodge, a member of the parish; and it was chiefly exe- cuted by artisans of the town. According to the journal of proceedings kept by the building committee, the work was completed "to their entire satisfaction, in a faithful and substantial manner." "It is," as the journal adds, "a goodly work, and has not been undertaken in vain. Heaven seems to have smiled upon it and crowned our labors with success. In all this the society has abundant cause to be thankful and take courage."
Owing to the original construction of the meeting- house, its alteration could not be effected, with a proper regard to proportions, without giving larger internal space than was required to comfortably accommodate its wor- shippers on ordinary occasions. This, however, has been
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a minor consideration, and has never been a cause of serious regret.
The expense of alterations, repairs and furnishings, . amounted to $2,307.61. Of this sum, sixty dollars were paid by ten individuals, for veneering the pulpit with ma- hogany ; and sixty-seven dollars were subscribed by the ladies of the parish, to furnish the singers' gallery with upholstery, and the communion altar with table and chairs. This reduced the stockholders' amount of liability to $2,180.61.
The last sermon that was preached in the meeting- house, previous to its alteration, was in the afternoon of July. 14th, 1839. It was from the text recorded in Haggai ii, 3 : "Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory ?"
On the 27th day of the succeeding . October it was re-opened for public worship with the following religious services : Introductory prayer and the reading of select portions of Scripture, by Rev. Mr. Wilson of Westford ; dedicatory prayer by Rev. Mr. Babbidge of Pepperell ; sermon by the pastor, from Psalms xx, 1, 2: "The Lord -send the help from the sanctuary." In the afternoon of the same day Mr. Babbidge preached a sermon from Gen- esis xxviii, 17: "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
The pews in the lower part of the house were appraised and sold for a sum sufficient to meet all the expense that had been incurred by the alteration. This left the parish without the burden of a church debt,-"that root of bitterness," which is often allowed to spring up and retard the growth of an otherwise prosperous religious community. The reconstruction of its place of worship has ever been regarded as vitally important to the perma- nent well-being of the parish.
Within' about a year of the re-opening of the meeting- house after its improvements, it was furnished with six large solar lamps ; two were placed in the choir, and the remaining four were suspended in the body of the house.
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These were purchased by the young men of the parish. Two of the same kind of lamps, with elegant stands, were placed upon the pulpit. These were purchased by the young ladies of the parish. Through the aid of these fixtures the church could be finely illuminated whenever needed for evening lectures or social worship; and they surely reflected credit on the liberality of the' individuals by whom they were furnished.
Thomas Whitney, Esq.,-who had been an efficient patron of the First Parish from the period of its organiza- tion, and who had maintained a firm attachment to the order of Congregationalism during all the ecclesiastical changes in the town,-departed this life January 14, 1844, much lamented by his family and a large circle of friends. The following is a copy of a codicil to his will, in which a legacy is bequeathed to the parish :
"I give and bequeath unto the First Parish, in said town of Shirley, of which I have been a member from my youth, the sum of five hundred dollars; and it is my intention that the same shall be safely and permanently invested, on interest, and the income thereon be annually appropriated toward the payment of the salary of a good and faithful Unitarian minister of the gospel in said parish. And it is my earnest wish and hope that the parish may at all times be supplied with the services of such a minister ; and, in making the bequest, I take satisfaction in the indulgence of a hope that it may have a lasting influence in securing to the parish an object so essential to the hap- piness and well-being of society. And I indulge the further hope that the sum hereby bequeathed may lay the foundation of a fund, which, at no distant period, by the munificence of others, will become of such magnitude that the income thereof will annually pay the salary of a minister, in said parish, of the character and denomination above mentioned.
"And it is my further will and intention, that in case the said parish shall fail during the period of twenty years
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after my decease, and for the space of six months in suc- cession, to be supplied with a minister of the character and denomination aforementioned, who shall be regularly settled as their pastor, or be engaged by the year, then the said sum of five hundred dollars, bequeathed as afore- said, shall revert and descend to my heirs-at-law.
"And I further give and bequeath to the said Parish, the sum of twenty dollars, annually, for the term of five years, after my decease, to be appropriated towards the payment of the salary of a minister, in said parish, of the character and denomination aforementioned ; but one-half of said annual sum, may be applied to the support of the singing in said parish, if the parish shall so decide.
"But if the said parish shall fail, during the said term of five years, to be regularly supplied with a minister of the character and denomination aforesaid, then the said annual bequest of twenty dollars shall cease."
The parish voted to accept this legacy and bequest of Thomas Whitney, Esq., upon the conditions specified ; they also expressed their acknowledgments and gratitude, by a vote of thanks, a copy of which was entered upon the records of the parish, and another forwarded to the widow and family of the deceased.
On the fourteenth day of January, 1847, just three years after the death of Thomas Whitney, Esq., his son, Hon. James P. Whitney, was called to follow. In his death the First Parish lost another active member and efficient supporter. In all things, especially, that related to its prudential affairs, the hand and heart of Mr. Whit- ney were engaged, and the sanctuary found him a constant and attentive worshipper. In his last will he bequeathed to the parish fund, established by his father, the additional sum of two hundred and fifty dollars.
But the, most generous gift yet remains to be noticed. Although the religious services of the Sabbath had never failed to be enlivened by good instrumental and vocal music, it was generally thought that this part of worship might be greatly improved by the aid of an organ that
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would compare in volume with the area to be filled. Whereupon, Madam Henrietta Whitney, widow of the late Thomas Whitney, Esq., entered into the plan with a zeal worthy the greatness of the enterprise. At her indi- vidual expense an instrument of rare excellence was manufactured by Mr. George Stevens of East Cambridge, and placed in the orchestra of the church. Its use has justified the most sanguine hopes of those who realize the value of sacred music as a part of divine worship. . The cost of the organ was one thousand and three hundred dollars.
It is but a short time that the aged donor* of this valuable instrument, or the generation of worshippers whose ears were enlivened by its first sounds, can be bene- fitted by earthly music; can be hailed by its pleasant tones as they enter and leave the place of their solemni- ties ; yet, for many generations to come, it may remain to lead in an essential part of public devotion .. And when the curious amateur or antiquarian shall, in distant years, come to examine its keys and prove their power, his eye will readily catch the name of one whose generous devo- tion to the wants of her time hath made her a benefactress to generations of worshippers in the temple of the Most High.
Whoever may read these pages of church history will at once perceive that the descendants of the first minister have been among the most efficient supporters of those . Christian institutions which he labored to establish. And, if he is permitted to look from his high abode upon the present dwellers in the Lord's house, he must rejoice at these tokens of his children's fidelity to the sacred altars which had been sanctified by his own prayers and bene- dictions. And as a record of these acts of liberality shall transmit to coming times the beneficence of some of the present generation, may it stimulate the devout to go and do likewise.
*Mrs. Whitney departed this life Nov. 6, 1864.
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At the time the meeting-house of the First Parish underwent its revision, some efforts were made to have it removed a few rods east of its existing location, and placed upon that part of the public common called the "training-field." But as the project did not accord with the views of a majority of the society at that time, it was deferred for a season. Upon the erection of the town- house, however, the awkward position of the meeting- house became fully apparent ; it was accordingly resolved by the parish to carry out their original plan, and remove the meeting-house, as above stated.
The following approval on the part of the town has been extracted from the records of a meeting holden July 14th, 1851 :
" Voted, that the town give their consent that the First Parish may remove their meeting-house to and upon the ground called the "training-field,"-the same to be carried and placed so far east that the west end of the meeting- house shall be on a line with the east side of the town- house, and the south side of said meeting-house to be as near the present travelled road as conveniently may be. The said parish to have the right, if need be, to rebuild upon the same ground. And this consent is hereby given on the following conditions, to wit :
"I. That the owner of the land adjoining the north- erly and easterly lines of said "training-field" give his consent thereto, in writing, under seal and acknowledg- ment. 2. That the said parish shall agree to lay open all their grounds, where the meeting-house now stands, and around the same, as a public common ; and so to continue unencumbered, so long as the said meeting-house, or any new one which may be built in place of the present, shall remain upon the said "training-field."
"And, for the security of both of the said parties, this further condition or stipulation is also hereby made-that either party, for good cause, shall have the right to cause the said meeting-house, or any one built in its place, to be removed to the spot where it now stands, or to such other,
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near thereto, as the parish may fix upon. The sufficiency of the cause and the terms of the removal to be mutually agreed upon by the said parties ; and in case they cannot agree the same shall be submitted to the judgment of three disinterested and judicious men to be mutually agreed on, whose decision shall be final, both in regard to the sufficiency of the cause, and the terms of removal. And the agreement of said parish, to the foregoing con- ยท ditions and stipulations, at a meeting duly called for the purpose, is hereby required :- a copy whereof, duly cer- tified by the clerk of said parish, shall be filed with the town clerk before the removal of said meeting-house."
To these conditions the parish assented, and the fol- lowing year the meeting-house was removed, without any injury to the building or any of its fixtures, and without accident to any of the workmen.
By the removal of the church, room has been fur- nished for a hall in the basement, which might, without great expense, be fitted for a vestry, lecture, or Sunday- school room. The meeting-house was newly painted, externally and internally, and otherwise repaired, at the time of its removal. These changes greatly improved the prospect of the common, as well as adding to the conven- ience and appearance of the temple of worship. The expense incurred on account of the changes amounted to nearly $1,000.
On the second Sabbath in October the church was reopened for divine service, and the pastor preached on the importance of public worship, from Psalms cxxii, I : "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."
From the erection of this house in 1773, through all of its various changes and modifications, it retained its original windows, without amendment or alteration. They had, however, assumed such an antique appearance as to be a subject of special remark. Whereupon a pro- posal was made by John K. Going, Esq., a member of the parish, to completely re-glaze the meeting-house at
Autoglyph Print, W. P. ALLEN, Gardner, Mass.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
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his private expense. This gratuity of Mr. Going was gratefully accepted by the parish, and the work was com- pleted August 16th, 1857. Mr. Going died December 21, 1866. By his last will and testament he left, to be added to the permanent funds of the parish, the sum of five hundred dollars, which was accepted with the usual reso- lutions of thanks.
At the annual parish meeting in 1867, Mr. Henry B. Going proposed to make some essential alterations in the meeting-house, at his personal cost, provided his proposal should be agreeable to the members of the parish. It was received in the same spirit in which it was propounded, and the work was at once entered upon with alacrity. It was completed by the middle of October, and the house as renovated presents a most attractive appearance. It is warmed by a furnace and has all the conveniences that belong to the more modern and improved methods of church architecture. This was the third considerable change that had been wrought in the church of the First Parish since 1834, and during the pastorate of the incum- bent inducted into office in the June of that year. This last change was noticed in a sermon delivered on the re-opening of the house, from the text in Hag. i, 4: "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste ?"
The cost of the repairs made by Mr. Going was six thousand dollars.
At a succeeding parish-meeting an acknowledgment of the donation of Mr. Going was adopted. It reads as follows: "Whereas, during the past year our old church edifice has been materially altered, repaired and improved, chiefly at the expense and by the liberality of Mrs. Harriet B. Going and her son Henry B. Going,-there- fore, we, the members of the First Parish in Shirley, desirous of expressing our appreciation of their gene- rosity, do hereby tender to Mrs. Going and her son our sincere thanks, with the hope that their lives may be long spared for usefulness and enjoyment. And should it be
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their pleasure to again reside in town, and weekly meet with us around the same old altar where they were wont to come in early life, we assure them they will receive a cordial welcome."
In 1864 Madam Henrietta Whitney died, and left in her will a legacy for the First Parish in Shirley. The following extract from her will explains the terms on which it was bequeathed :
"I give and bequeath to the First Parish in Shirley, the sum of five hundred dollars ($500), which is to be appropriated in the same manner and held on the same terms and conditions as are specified by my late husband, Thomas Whitney, Esq., in bequeathing a like sum to said parish, all of which will fully appear by the codicil of his last will and testament; and it is my intention that the period of twenty years, mentioned in said codicil, during which a forfeiture may be incurred by said parish, shall terminate at the same time in reference to my bequest that it will in reference to the bequest of my late husband."
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