USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Haverhill > The story of a New England town; a record of the commemoration, July second and third, 1890 on the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Haverhill, Massachusetts > Part 4
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lost. while the best singers died, and none to take their places could be found.
Singing correctly, or by note, became a "lost art," and the few psahn tunes learned from hearing others sing became greatly altered. So great was the declension, that in some places not more than three or four tones were ever attempted, and these were drawled out, without tune or har- mony, by the few who attempted to sing.
It was during this time of declension that the custom of " lining out" the psalms was introduced. The minister, or some one appointed by him, deacon or clerk, read one or two lines of the hynm ; after these were sung, he read one or two more, and so on through the psalm. When it is remembered that some of the psalms contained forty-nine stanzas, more or less and that it was the custom to sing the whole, we can readily imagine that it may have become a litde tedious to the young folks at least The practice of " lining at " began about 1675, and lasted fully a hundred years. It became fashionalle. Those who had always been accustomed to it supposed it was the only right and proper way. It was the way their fathers sang, and of course it was right. It was given up only after a long struggle between the friends of the " good old way " and the advocates of " new- fangled notions."
An carnest effort at reform in church musie was made early in the eighteenth century, about 1714. The Rev. Thomas Symes, pastor of the church at Bradford, was one of the heroes of the war that followed.
Res. John 'Tufts of Newburyport published a book that. contained twenty-eight tunes, and one of the objections to the "new way " of singing " by rule " was that there were " so many times" they " never could learn them." Mr. Tufts' book was the first tune-book published in America. A few singing schools were formed, and a partial reform accomplished. In some places, churches were split by the moveraent. In other places, a compromise was made In singing alt thatth, by the old method and the new, " by rote," and " by rale "
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In some places singers held private rehearsals and learned to sing with some degree of skill and confidence.
Mr. Nathaniel D. Gould, of the once famous book firm of - Gould & Lincoln," a teacher of vocal music, and the author of several singing books, describes the old-time singing as he heard it in his boyhood, near the close of the period we have been describing. He says: " Memory carries us back to the days of genuine old-style singing, the days when old ' St. Ann's" and . St. Martin's' and a few similar tunes were the only ones sung, and when singing schools and singing books were almost unknown. In imagination we recall the
sound as it impressed ns in the days of childhood, and we wish that terms were in existence to convey an idea of the tone and manner. Their voices were tremendous in power, issuing from ample chests and lings, invigorated by hard labor and simple food. and unrestrained by dress. They commenced a note in a candous and proper manner, quefully swelling it, and with the swell shaking not and word to atoms; and so on from note to note, or word to word. It was no insignificant, tremulons voice, but grand, majestic and weurt-stirring; and, when applied to such tunes as . Old Hundred,' . Mear,' and . Canterbury,' everything around seemed to tremble."
About the time of the Revolution an entirely new method of singing was inaugurated by William Billings of Boston. This man was the first American who wrote music. Ile introduced what has been known as fugue music, - such as . Majesty,' ' Russia,' . Exhortation,' and . Turner.' The movement was rapid. The time had to be correct, as the parts came in one after another, - the bass singing one line, the tenor another, and the soprano still another; but all coming out, in some wonderful way, all right. The story of the Billings period is very interesting, but it is too long to be told here. Some people now living can sing . Come Holy Spirit, heavenly dove," to the tune of . Turner,' or " On Jor- dan's banks, I stand," to the tune et . Eshoraign ' and enjoy it. The fashion of fugue music last. 4 nearly fifty 3. 1 , and
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carried away forever the drawling of the Puritans and the "lining out" of their successors. Stringed instruments were introduced during this period, and another controversy followed ; but we cannot even enter upon this chapter of church music in America.
In the nineteenth century, new methods and new music have taken the place of those of former periods. New singers also sing the new music, for those who sang the old psalms and the old joyous fugues now sing " the new song" in Heaven. May we, of this and of coming generations, "make melody in our hearts unto the Lord," so that, at length, we too may join the " choir invisible."
Edward Perronet's beautiful hymn, " All hail the power of Jesus' name," written in 1780, was then sung to its own tune, - . Coronation.'
The last address was by Rev. Edwin C. holman on " The Religion of the Future."
THE RELIGION OF THE FUTURE.
Ladies and Gentlemen, - We have li toned with pro- found interest to the eloquence and wit that has served to point the scholarship of the gentlemen who preceded me. The days gone by are a prophecy of the days to come. It is appropri- ate that at the beginning of this week, which ushers in the two- hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Haverhill, we should turn our attention not only to the toils, the striv- ing, and aspirations of our fathers, but that we should ask what heritage we should render in our turn to coming gen- ertions.
A, one that studies the days of old in connection with the present, in order that he may learn therefrom what coming days will be, I predict first that the a ligion of the future will fy: Christianity - and by this I ment Christianity av dis- tinguished from Sectarianism. The old controvers which
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disturbed the religious world two and a half centuries ago, to us are meaningless. Many words that once possessed a vital significance, we have dropped from the vocabulary of our faith. The strife that these words engendered no longer agitates the church. The noise of controversy has died away. We no longer sconrge the Quakers, whip the Baptists, or mob the Methodists. We are learning to place the name of Jesus Christ above the names of Calvin, Arminins, and Wes- ley. The rivalry of seet has largely disappeared. Men that were arrayed against each other. and separated by lines of Sectarianism, are beghming to understand that their aims are one, and that their connnon work involves mutual labor.
Christianity is of God; denominations are of men. I have such faith in God and in the church that lle has ordained for the redemption of humanity, I place so l'ttle confidence in the schemes of mon, that Iventure to assert that, while the church will increase in purity and mfluence, denominations will ultimately disappear. Visu nary as the prophecy may seem, I place the first emphasis upon the unity of the church of Christ, as distinguished from the divisive and disturbing influence of denominations. My authority lies in the Bible, and is inherent in the thought of an overrul- ing God, when I predict "one Lord, one faith, one bap- tism."
I predict, still further, that the religion of the future will be a faith in which the thought of righteousness shall have large place. The religion of our fathers exerted a prac- tical influence. It made men righteous in private life and the administration of public trusts.
We have fallen upon strange times. Not long ago, two men, one of them an administrator, gained control of an estate. The assets consisted in part of $18.000, the property of a widow and of an orphan family. This they employed for the purpose of forming a company which has since been known to the public as a great land company. The stock capitalized at $10 sold at first at $5 per share. Its value increased so rapidly that many small myoto- risked their
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savings. Being listed in the market, it was " boomed " by brokers to a figure exceeding thirty-five. At last, it tumbled, antal those who had invested their little all discovered, only when too late, that they had been deceived by fictitious values.
Meanwhile this precious pair, who had misappropriated a trust fund, had been indifferent to the appeals of the widow and the orphans to whom the original property belonged. They refused to refund the money which had served as a un- clens for their own enrichment and the defianding of the pub- lic. It was only when a lawyer, whose name and fame are world wide, said, with emphasis : " Gentlemen, you shall make restitution ! " that they consented to disgorge.
Is it true, as has been asserted by the press, that there is no corporation that has greater influence with our Sonate and our House of Representatives than the West End Railroad Company ? is it true that one of the projectors of this corporation is the sand man who was connectel with the West End Land Company of Boston ? And can it be that Very many poor people lost their money by investing in what they were led to believe was a safe investment ? He pro- Fesses to be disinterested, but is it not a fact that when stocks sold on the street at figures ranging from eighty to ninety-six, he, with others, voted themselves twenty-nine thou- sand odd shares at $50 per share, and that, by this tran- saction they would clear over a million dollars ?
I make no mention of the expensive banquets at the Algonquin Club, which cost $3.50 per plate, exclusive of the digans with which our honorable legislators regaled them- selves, and exclusive of the wines with which they were befuddled. It is not my purpose to take you behind the seepes. This I could do, and perhaps will do at another time. But confining myself to facts that are familiar, I would point out the circumstance that a retaining fee of five thousand dollars paid to a lawyer of medivere ability, for the sake of what political influence he an esat, may be a step removed from bribery, as legally definit - - it went
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come within the bounds of the law, -but it is in no de- gree distinguished from moral bribery.
A former president of the Massachusetts Senate received five thousand dollars for services rendered or to be rendered.
To another, a member of the bar. there was paid a retainer of $250, and it happens that he is the chairman of the Republican State Central Committee. According to his own representation he has rendered no legal service for this consideration; he has appeared before no commit- tee, and has argued no case in court.
They go to the western part of the State, and whom do they hire ? None other than a prominent member of the Young Men's Democratie Club, a society organized - Heaven save the mark ! - in the interests of reform. He renders no legal service, according to his own testimony.
A prominent candidate For Congress sevises 2500, cash in hand, prior to the election, for the purpose of electing members favorable to the interests of the West End Rail- road Company. They agreed to pay him $10,000, but he has cons mentions seruples; he strains at a gnat, and swallows $7,500. You may call these enormous sams retaining fees. I call them bribes.
Is it true that there are three or foar rooms reserved at Young's and Parker's for purposes of lobbying? What are the names of the ten Senators whose votes were to be de- livered to the People's Elevated Railroad in consideration of $100,000 ? Has it been a poor year for lobbyists because members of the House and Senate could be 'approached lireetly ? Are not our Senate and our Legislature worse than all the monopolies combined if they permit themselves to be bribed ? Is the Massachusetts government a cesspool of corruption and a sink of iniquity? If so, it is high time that the church should preach a religion of righteousness.
I observe, still further, that the religion of the future will bring men nearer God. Progress is the watchword of the day. It is written upon the Landets of the century. Place a finger upon the pulse of the av ra, mint, on. l joo
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may count more beats than in the days of our fathers. We live more in ten years than our ancestors in twenty years. We boast achievements in the real of matter. We have explored the secrets of nature. The scalpel of the physi- cian has almost touched the springs of life Mountains have been levelled at our bidding ; forests have bowed before our coming. Our sails whiten every sea. We beckon to the thunderbolt, and imprison its subtle energy within the con- lines of glass jars. Along the boulevard of the ocean, the Atlantic Cable has been laid, and our thoughts course to and fro, like racers on the track.
We have explored the hidden places of the earth ; we have traversed continents; we have fathomed ocean depths; we have discovered the secrets of the heavens, and impressed them to our service. The wand of progress smites the rock, tri living streams gush forth to queuch our thirst for seien- tilie knowledge. Literature, art, and music minister to our needs. In an age wondrous in itself, inventions and dis- coveries that not long since would have revolutionized the world, cease to be wonderful. Panse for a moment and listen to the voice of one who advocates the progress that St. Paul represents, while he asks are we pressing Godward? Have our achievements brought us nearer God? If not, what is the meaning of it all? How shall we interpret the voices of the world? Answer, Rome, what tumult do I hear? And what is the purpose of the strife ? But Rome gives no reply, for the voice of her rulers, her soldiery, her people, is silent in the dust. Speak, () Greece, and reveal to my listening cars the meaning of it all! But Greece, devotee of enlture and art, presses a lily finger to silent lips. And thon, Egypt, prond queen of ancient lineage, upon whose swarthy brow glitters the diadem of the orient, hast thou no answer? Answer! Unwind the coremems of the embalmer, and tell me, can a mummy reply ? I search the territory of a former world, I sit amid the desolation of an ancient city, and I read the open pages of a book : " Is next this great Babylon, which I have builded for the house of the king
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dom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty ?"
I ask, thus seated amidst the ruins of the past, if this is the result of human strivings, if the mighty energies with which men are endowed are for naught, if the ex- pansion of our vast capacities is only that they may at last collapse ? I enquire what is the true goal of human progress, what lesson the past carries to the present? 1 listen, and a voice which survives the silence of desolation, whose melody mingled with the waves of Galilee, floats down the centuries, saying " Come anto Me." The lesson that the past carries to the present is that God, the Father, as re- veiled in Jesus Christ, the Son, is the goal of human progress.
What the future holds in store, I know not. There will be strivings, many and many toils ; weariness and laughter ; sobbings and joy , the wall of the new born infunt, the murmurings of love, the gasps of the dying, the shouts of victory, and the curses of disappointment and defeat. All these the future holds in store. It is enough to know that I chad meet God somewhat further on. Guided by the light of this star, Thy hand grasps the tiller of my bank. Underneath the heavens luminous with this hope, I sail on. This thought is the measure of our progress in the Christian life. With the Apostle, I count not myself to have appre- hended. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 1 press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jests.
The concluding prayer was made by the Rev. Welcome E. Bates.
() God, our Father, and our fathers God, gratitude is in our hearts and praise on our Longues, as a- come here
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to-day. Receive our thanks for all the way Thou hast led us; for all the good that has come to us, and no less for the evil that has been kept from us ; for all the temporal prosperity we have enjoyed, and much more for the moral and spiritual blessings that have been ours.
We thank Thee that our fathers were and for the kind of men that they were, -solid, patriotic, pious. We thank Thee for what they did for temperance, truth, and righteous- ness. For our schools and our churches, we give thanks through them to Thee.
As Thou hast blest us in the past, so, and much more, bless us in coming days. Give us business men of clean record. Give us rulers and leaders who shall feel not above asking advice of Thee. Keep our schools free in the broad- est and best sense. May our churches be blessings to the city. May no plague or disaster come upon us.
la all our services of e lebration, of which this is the mitial, be pleased to grant that no serious president may happen. So preside over all these days, so load and guide us and ultimately may we dwell with Thee in "the City that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is thod."
In Jesus' name we ask this. Amen.
The Doxology " Old Hundred " was sung, and Rev. Leonard A. Freeman pronounced the Benediction : ---
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of tiod, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The music of this occasion was under the management of Mr. Nelson M. Goldthwait, while Mess Maud Godtthanit
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presided at the piano. The singing was entirely congrega- tional.
Sermons commemorative of the anniversary were also preached by the Rev. T. E. St. John, pastor of the First Parish (Unitarian) Church, and by Res. Dr. J. C. Snow, pastor of the Universalist Church, in their respective churches, on the morning of the same day.
HISTORY OF THE FIRST Push, HAVERHILL.
| Memorial Sermon, preached by Rev. T. E ft Jony, at First Parish Church. ] Taxi . "Enquie, I pay thee, of the former Ja " Jos sifi. S.
There is one feature of the early history of this Com- monwealth that is worth remembering. They made the church and the school component parts of the town life. When a number of families joined their forces in the frontier settle- ment, one of the first considerations was to procure some worthy man to be teacher and pastor, for frequently these luties were united in one person. It was so undoubtedly in Haverhill. Their numbers were few, their means were small, and economy was of necessity the law of the land.
Although the first settlers came to this vicinity in 1640, there is no record of religious services until 1611, and even that date is vague and conjectural. In the beginning all things were in a chaotic condition, and it is quite probable that the actors in that early history had little conception of what they were actually doing.
For the first eighty-eight years, the affairs of this parish were conducted in town meeting and are a part of the town's history. From 1729, the records of the parish are distinct from those of the town, and are aos held is a good state of preservation by this parish. Thus while our city is tagaged
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in celebrating its 250th Anniversary, this parish, as a dis- tinet organization, must be content to call its age one huu- dred and sixty-one.
In the early part of the century, owing to the difficulty attendant upon getting to church, the people in the north part of the town petitioned to be allowed to hold service at a more convenient place, and, after several ineffectnal attempts, were finally set off as a distinct parish in 1728.
The records of the church, however, have an earlier date than this. In 1711 Rev. Joshua Gardner, who was ordained the preceding year, makes this entry in the record book of the charel : " A hist of the names of persons admitted to putako of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper with the Church of Christ in Haverhill, since the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Rolfe's death. (It was the eighth of April in the above- motion I year before any were allahued. the church not having been long settled.)" The first name's i vouled, on that page, are Jonn Johnson, Martha Marnaan, and Elizabeth Bradley. Then, under successive dates, until July 31. 1715, there are sixty-three names recorded. A few pages funla on in the same book there is an entry of the names of those who " owned the Covenant," covering about the same precios, from April 8, 1710, to March 1, 1713.
On a preceding page is an entry of a later date, stat- ing that it is " The account of such as wen admitted to the Lord's Table in Haverhill before the Rev. Mr. Gardner's ministry, 1st, under the first minister, the Res. Mr. Ward, and after him, the Rev. Mr. Rolle, being either never set down or else the account lost. Such of them as were alive and in the town April, 1723, were desired to give in their names to the pastor"-giving a list of forty-three, twelve men and thirty-one women. Then our record book goes on to give a list of all persons baptized, those admitted to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and those married from 1711 to 1796.
In the last third of this old peroid 6 an arrow of the vous of the church, setting forth the difficulties with whatel.
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they had to contend and the hopes they cherished for the future. From these we gain a knowledge of the inner life of that ancient time, and discover that after all they were men and women like ourselves, who found life at times joyous and glad, and then again a very serious matter, that de- manded all the charity and all the forbearance and all the faith that were in their hearts to keep comage up to the working standard.
The first minister, Rev. John Ward, was a very prominent figure in the town's history. Cotton Mather says of him : " ll, was a person of a quick apprehension, a clear under- studling, a strong memory, a facetious conversation : he was an exact grammarian, an expert physician, and, which was the top of all, a thorough divine; but, which rarely happens, these endowments of his mind were accompanied by a most Healthy, hardy, and agile constitution of body which enabled him to make nothing of walking on foot a journey so long as thirty miles together." A record on the first page of the church journal adds : -- " About a month before his death, on entering his eighty-eighth year, he preached an excel- lent simon, but was shortly after strack with paralysis."
His salary was forty pounds a year, to be paid in silver, os in ise and corn and good hard wood Mr. Rolle, his successor, had fifty pounds ; and subsequently, in the days of greater prosperity, the minister's salary came up to $150 sterling. In addition to this, the minister always had the use of the parsonage and parsonage lands free.
During the later part of the ministry of Me. John Brown, the fourth in the list, who was ordained in 1719, there was a considerable discussion in the parish meetings about the inade- quacy of this pay ; one record asserting that " because of the "iremmustances, he having a very chargeall. family, he be allowed gratis the sum of (30." At a subsequent meeting this extra payment was made .C100, - providing he supply the additional preachers without further charge to the parish." On one occasion when this mation of extra pay vas under consideration, it is recorded that sconsidental. dien sis.
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was indulged in and in the debate in the meeting concerning things, some hard words passed, and without waiting for any vote to be recorded the moderator dismissed the meet- ing." So you see, it was not all sunshine even in the good old days.
This matter was finally settled by allowing the people in the west precinct, and those who lived in the castern part of the town, to have a church by themselves. This occurred in 1733, und the next year the General Court create I the West Parish. The East Parish, however, did not become a separate organization uma 1743. In the meantime the First Paris, continued to supply a preader for that part of the town, during the winter months at least. When Rev. Edward Barnard was called to succeed Mr. Brown, it was voted to give him a salary of .060, but in his letter of acceptance he made the request that "in the payment thereof, the bills of exchange be more, or less, in accordance with the price of silver at that particular time." Besides the use of the parsonage lands, each minister aa, granted a number of acres in his own right.
About this time, trouble began to aring in regard to the payment of the parish rates. There being but one recognized parish or denomination, it was the enstom to require payment from all the inhabitants for the support of that church. But early in the history of the colonies heresies began to creep in, and men and women dissenting from the orthodox doctrine did not like to be taxed for the support of its preaching.
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