USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Peterborough > Historical sketches of Peterborough, New Hampshire : portraying events and data contributing to the history of the town > Part 26
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[ From page 205 to here was published in the Peterborough TRANSCRIPT, April 15, 22, 29, 1915.]
ANNALS OF PETERBOROUGH
BY JONATHAN SMITH.
The Ministry of Abiel Abbot, D. D.
Under the Toleration Act of 1819, many people withdrew from the town church and were thus exemptcd from taxation for its support. In 1822, the Presbyterians formed a new society, and about the same time the Metho- dists and Baptists residing in Peter- borough and Sharon also withdrew and organized separate churches. Of those who still remained with the town church one hundred and forty formed themselves into a Congre- gational Society in 1826. It was this organization which called and settled Dr. Abiel Abbot.
Dr. Abbot was born in Wilton, December 14, 1765. He fitted for college at Phillips Academy, Andover, and entering Harvard, graduated with distinction in 1787, in the same class with John Quincy Adams. The following two years he was teacher in Phillips Academy, at the end of which time he entered upon the study of theology under the direction of Rev. Mr. French of Andover, with whom he remained for a year, and in 1790, was licensed to preach by the Andover Association of Ministers. For a year or two he suplicd pulpits in Kensington, N. H., and Gardner, Mass., and for six months was mis- sionary to the churches in Maine. Afterwards, he preached in Nelson and Greenfield, and in 1792, preached as a candidate in Peterborough. It was shortly after the dismission of Mr. Annan, when the church was not in a mood to settle anybody. In 1794, he was for a year a tutor in Greek at Harvard College, acting occasionally as pulpit supply. The next ycar, he received a call to the church in Cov-
entry, Connecticut, and accepting, he ministered to the society for fifteen ycars. In August, 1811, he resigned on account of his theological opinions. The differences, however, which led to his retirement were more with the ministers of the vicinage than with his own people; by them he was uni- versally beloved.
The succeeding seven and one-half years he was principal of Dummer Academy. In 1819, he was again in North Andover, engaged in farm- ing. He removed thence to Chelms- ford, where he and his daughter had a private school, all the while preach- ing as pulpit supply in these and near- by towns but not seeking a settle- ment. In 1827, he went to his farm in Wilton. He preached here as a candidate in March, 1827; in the following May the Congregational Society gave him a call, and on the 27th of June, he was formally in- stalled as its minister. He died in West Cambridge, January 31, 1859, aged ninety-three years.
At the time of his settlement in Peterborough, Dr. Abbot was sixty- one years old, "but his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated," and he entered upon his work with all the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Rarely did one ever come to a parish with a better equipment for the duties of a country minister. First of all he was a reverent man, filled with the religious spirit, and profoundly in earnest for his Master's cause. He was both a theological and classical scholar and a deep student of both sciences down to his last days; an experienced teacher and successful parish minister for fifteen years. He was also a farmer,
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fully abreast with the best knowledge of the day in all that related to the cultivation of the soil. Outside of the pulpit he could meet his people, chiefly farmers, on their own ground and instruet and direct them in their chosen vocations. With all, he was broad minded and filled with that eivie spirit which seeks to make of the sacred calling an instrument for the uplift and improvement of the whole community. He understood human nature, knew men and how to reach and influence them, and while pointing out the better way, he led them into it, and was followed as a minister has seldom been followed by the people in his charge.
The relation of the church to the social and economic conditions of the time was as vital a question then as now, and no one saw it with a elearer vision than Dr. Abbot. His ideas expressed in words are not on record, but his views are plainly revealed in his course as preacher and both as pastor and citizen. There was no element of the pessimist in him, and because the church had failed to eure all the ills of society he wasted no words in declaring that Christianity was a failure. To him the church was the teacher of moral and religious truth as found in the Old and New Testaments, and not an agent to exploit all the fads and isms of the social reformer; not an institution to expound and preserve certain theories about God, the Bible and Destiny, but a power which was to work through all the varied forms of the social machinery for spirtual ends. Setting before his people from Sunday to Sunday the plain and simple verities of the gospels and their bearing on the problems of daily. living, on the other six days of the week and re- gardless of denominational lines, he · led and inspired the whole people to
make practical application of his Sabbath teachings by the organization and conduct of many enterprises which helped to the social and moral uplift of the community.
"His preaching, always scholarly," said one who sat under it, "was the natural fruit of careful reading, earn- est thought and 'holy living." His sermons were simple in style, elcar and concise in statement, devoid of all appeals to the emotions, instruc- tive, and penetrated by his own serene and Christian spirit; they were addressed to the understanding and hearts of his hearers. In the pulpit his manner was serious and dignified. He read his discourses, following his manuscript closely, with "the very perfection of accent and emphasis." His reading was conversational in tone so far as the subject matter would allow, and while he had an impediment in his speech quite notic- able in social intercourse, it was hardly observed in his publie utter- ances.
The society in its first years labored under many difficulties. The people had belonged to the town church and their taxes for its support had been fixed and collected by law. They had nothing to say of how much they would give or when they would pay. The amount individuals contributed under the old system seems now to be amusingly small. For instance, in 1823, Samuel Smith, then owner of nearly half in amount of the tax- able property in the village, was assessed a minister tax of $12.81. The next highest tax was that of Deacon Nathaniel Holmes, of $9.26. There were perhaps half a dozen who paid $6, and the rest varied from 20e up to $4 and $5. For some years after its organization, the society taxed its members the same that they had contributed under the old system,
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namely :- 52c on each dollar of their invoices of the following April, but the payment was voluntary and the amount actually collected fell far short of the requirements. In 1834, it brought into the treasury only $370. For the first eight ycars the average deficit was $125, and in 1836, the amount of salary in arrears due Dr. Abbot was $876.64; when he retired in 1839, the society was owing him over $1200 besides interest.
The voluntary support of public worship was a new cxperience. There was a lack of that loyalty to religious opinion and an absence of willingness to work and sacrifice for its support which had been exhibited by those who had withdrawn from the parent body and formed independent or- ganizations. They had not formed the habit of giving to such purposes, and relieved of a compulsory burden, the sense of duty was too weak on the part of many and their theology too hazy and indefinite to lead them to contribute with any libcrality to the new church. As a result, many satisfied their consciences with a contribution of one dollar a year and others with fifty cents, cven looking upon that as a mere gratuity. Dr. Abbot's salary was fixed at $450 per annum, but it was never paid in full save for a single year. In 1836, he did intimate to the society that he was in need of money, and the parish madc strong effort to remedy the evil; at the same time, it passed a vote expressing its confidence in him and its hearty approval of his work and service.
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But there were other causes which made the society weak. Some of the 140 signers were Universalists and would only give to a Universalist preacher. The church being Uni- tarian, many left it, doubting if that were the true faith; and when the-
ological lincs became sharply drawn and its followers denied the Christian name and werc debarred from Chris- tian fellowship, many left and united with other societics. Amid such dis- couragements, many ministers would have resigned, but that was not Dr. Abbot's way. Still he must have felt these obstacles keenly though he labored on.
When he retired he left the society strong and united for its work. His first enterprise was to establish a Sunday School in connection with this church. This he organized in 1827, the very year of his settlement. It was not the first school of its kind in town, for in 1816 and 1817 Fanny Smith, a Presbyterian, had taught one in the house owned by Mr. How- den, situated not far from where William Moore now lives. Later, she conducted one in the village. Fanny Smith was then living in Rindge and was accustomed to walk from Rindge to Peterborough to teach it. Where the school met and when located in the village there is no information. Dr. Smith has said that the one founded by Dr. Abbot was the first to be organized in town. So far as he meant that it was the first to be organized as a part of and in connection with any religious society he probably was correct. He was then living in town and is good authority. It was a daring innova- tion upon the religious work of the church, though now it seems natural and necessary, and it is not surprising that Dr. Abbot mct with strong opposition from the elders of his con- gregation, and for a long time they stood aloof. "A Sunday School," they said, "was well enough for small children, but was of little use to the society." It was with the greatest difficulty that he could find adults enough to take the classes as he
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formed them. Deeply impressed with its importance, however, hc persc- vered. It was not long before he had the school on a firm footing and those who "came to seoff remained to pray" for its prosperity. Dr Abbot saw, what his parishioners failed to see, that there was wrapped up in it the future of the church and the perpetui- ty of the institution itself. By taet and perseveranec, he won the elders over, and it was but a few years before he had a flourishing school of 150 scholars, besides a large and popular Bible class of grown pcople taught by himself.
He foundcd the Sunday School library largcly at his own cxpense. Just when it was established is· un- known, but probably it was about 1833. Previously to this there had becn a juvenile library in town, part of the books being kept in Dr. Abbot's house and part at the residence of Solomon Holt. A writer in the TRANSCRIPT just after his death said of this library and its work, and the extract lets a flood of light upon Dr. Abbot's influence and methods of activity :-
"Behind the door of the sitting room which led into the hall were shelves of juvenile books, the first library I remember and the largest I had then ever seen. This was in 1830 or thereabouts. How precious thosc books were to my childish heart! How I revelled in the possession of onc for a weck and when it was read and pcr- haps rcread how I hungered and thirsted for more! And how often the good minister himself aided and guided us in our selections, asking questions concerning what we had read, making suggestions of other books, and of other things, thus interesting and awakening our minds, and little by little enlarging our boundaries. I owe him a debt of
gratitudc and love which can never be estimated, and I am glad to have lived in his day, to have felt his kindly and genial influenec about me, and to have been taught reverence for the minister and the church."
In 1833, the books were transferred to the town library, and it was then most likely that the Sunday School library was definitely established. Dr. Abbot had a leading part in the foundation of the public library. Soon after he came to town, probably in 1828 or 1829, he organized the Peterborough Library Company, the admission fce of which was fifty cents. It served down to 1853 when its books were transferred to the Ministerial Library. The seheme of a free publie library, open to all and supported by publie taxation, also originated with him without doubt, and such is the opinion of all those who have written about it. Dr. N. H. Morison, one of the very best informed scholars on all points relating to Peterborough his- tory, in a letter to the Christian Regis- ter some years ago, said :-
"I am anxious to give the eredit of this enterprise (the founding of the publie library) to the person to whom it properly belongs, the beloved and revered pastor of my youth, Rev. Abiel Abbot, D. D. Dr. Smith, author of the history of Peterborough, was not living in town at the time (he was then practising medieine in Lcominster, Mass.) the library was established, and seems to have been less well informed than usual on this subject. I was there and well remen- ber the earnest efforts of Dr. Abbot to carry his design into cxccution. He was the head and front of the whole movement, without him noth- ing would have been done."
This testimony is conelusive. The enterprise was just like him and was directly in linc with what he had been
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doing, in founding the Sunday School library and the Peterborough Library Company. Its first catalogue, copics of which are still extant, is in his hand writing and he was constant and unwearied in promoting its interests so long as he lived.
In this movement he was far in advance of his time. With prophetic vision, he saw the possibilities of the library as a factor in public education and in the spread of knowledge and virtue among his people. It remained for him to give practical expression to an idea hardly second in importance to the public school itself and to lead in a plan hitherto untried which to many must have seemed wild and chimerical in the extreme. The wonder is that he could have per- suaded the conservative, hard headed men of his parish, John H. Steele, James Wałker, Timothy K. Ames, William Scott, Henry F. Coggswell and others to follow him. That he could do so speaks stronger than can any words of his persuasive leadership and their perfect confidence in his wisdom and judgment.
In addition to these he founded the Ministerial Library in 1835, naming as trustees Abiel Abbot, Thomas Payson, John Smith, Elijah Dunbar and William Moore. It was incor- porated in 1838 and had a continued existence down to 1865, when its books and collections were transferred to the society, and are now kept at the parsonage. It never had funds nor were any books ever purchased for it except such as were bought by Dr. Abbot from his private purse. He also established a Ministerial Library in connection with the society in Wilton, giving to each generous dona- tions of books and $100 in money. He transferred to the one here his own private library and worked for it with his accustomed diligence and zeal
until in 1852 it had 703 volumes, 86 volumes of pamphlets and 401 single tracts. It has many valuable books, some of them hard to be found else- where, containing a complete his- torical account of the development of theological thought down to 1850. It is a valuable store house of learning to the studious minister.
There seemed to be no limit to his activities. Quick to fanthom the merits of a plan he had the rare gift of translating ideas into action. His part .in organizing and maintaining the old Peterborough Lyceum has already been described. He brought to this work the gifts of the scholar and practical reformer. Wisely he directed its activities into the local field and made of it a school of in- struction for the people in their voca- tions. In whatever he did, he left the trail of the historian behind him, for he insisted that all papers and reports should be filed with the society for future reference. Hence it is that so many are still in existence. Dr. Smith drew largely from them in writing his history of the town. The themes treated and the subjects investigated show how full was the attention given to local, practical questions, which aimed to make of its members better farmers and me- chanics and better citizens.
In 1829, he was chosen by the town one of the superintending school committee. How long he continued in the office there is no record, nor is there any record extant giving the names of his associates, except for the year 1829. He was probably re- appointed for many successive years; but whether that be true or otherwise, his diligence was the same and it made little difference that he was or was not officially connected with the schools in his activities or interests. Next to his pastoral duties the cause
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of education was the leading object of his care. At that period the schools of Peterborough were in poor condi- tion. In the report for 1826 the school committee said:
"They found the schools in a low state and as they anticipated a list- lessness and carelessness among the scholars consistent with the inatten- tion which has of late been paid by the town to free schools. Instructors have been hired and paid from your money and whether they taught well or ill, or whether they were incom- petent to teach seemed to be nobody's business.
"The system of instruction seems to be stationery. Children are now taught as their fathers were. They read and spell, write and commit lessons to memory as it has been done from time immemorial. They learn to read without understanding, to spell without knowing how to write the words correctly, to write ill, to know the lessons by rote, to appear as mechanical as an artist constructs a piece of machinery. It will re- quire time and much trouble to put the schools in the most eligible situa- tion for improvement, etc." There are also further evils pointed out in equally reproachful language. The school houses were in harmony with this report as will presently appear from Dr. Abbot's own words.
Such was the situation to which Dr. Abbot addressed himself. No other man in town had such qualifi- cations for the office or was so well fitted to bring about reform. In addition to his official labors he pre- pared and read papers before the Lyceum on practical school topics, such as increasing the school tax, reading and the conduct of school examinations; he advocated com- petitive examinations by the best scholars of the different districts; and called attention to the writings of
Horace Mann on education and urged upon the teachers to study them. The evils were deep seated and the work of correction slow, but he kept the needs of the cause constantly before the public and it is safe to say that the improvement wrought in the schools between 1829 and 1845 was due to the labors of Dr. Abbot more than to any other person.
He was one of the original sub- scribers to the stock of the old Peter- borough Academy, and was active in its management for some years after he had retired from the ministry. Whether the establishment of the Academy was first suggested by him cannot be affirmatively stated. As in the case of the library, however, it would have been just like him to do so, for in things educational he was far in advance of the people. Certain it is, he was the first chairman of the standing committee, a place he filled through several successive elections. The duty of selecting teachers largely fell upon him and as long as health and strength permitted, he was active in its interest and gave to it his active support.
In 1840, he signed the call for a meeting of those in the county in- terested in the common schools to · meet at Milford and form an asso- ciation. At the meeting an organiza- tion was perfected called the "Hills- boro County Common School Asso- ciation." Dr. Abbot drafted its constitution, was chosen its first president, and wrote its first report. In that report he deplores the gen- erally poor condition of the schools, laying the evils to the small appro- priations made by the towns for their support, the short terms, the long vacations, the alternation of male and female teachers and the irregularity of attendance. Speaking of the schools of Peterborough, he gives the wages paid to female teachers in
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summer as $5.50 per month and in winter $8.50. Male teachers aver- aged $17.50 per month. His criticisms of the school houses are sharp: "Many of them," he says, "are but poorly adapted for the purposes for which they are used; they are more deserv- ing the name of prisons than school houses; for more uncomfortable in- convenient places could never be devised. They are in fact, places of torture to many a helpless child. Such inconvenience would not be tolerated a moment in our own houses or even in our barns." There are no records to disclose how long this association lived nor of Dr. Abbot's further labors in it. The next year there was submitted to it reports on the conditions of the schools in all the towns of the county save one.
But Dr. Abbot was a practical farmer as well as preacher and teacher. He could discuss and advise with his people in relation to their industrial affairs and the best ways and latest ideas in cultivating the soil and rais- ing crops. In these things also he was both teacher and leader, for he was abreast of the best thought of the time. He was constantly suggesting new methods of cultivating and preparing the soil for crops, urging to new experiments and ever keeping before them the dignity and supreme importance of their calling. His words carried weight, for the people knew whereof he spoke and that he had practical knowledge of the indus- try. As a boy I heard many tradi- tions of his labor and influence in this direction, and was witness to the respect in which his opinions upon agriculture were held by a large por- tion of his people. Sometimes his ideas did not work out well in their application. He believed that the silk industry could be established in town and persuaded some of his parishioners to try the experiment.
How many did so cannot be stated but one of them, Deacon Jonathan Smith, gave it a trial .. He sets out some 50 or 75 mulberry trees and procured some of the eggs of the silk worm. A single season's work dem- onstrated that it was a failure, and the effort was abandoned with con- siderable financial loss. In speaking of it in after years, Jonathan Smith's son, Deacon John, who probably did the work of planting and tending the trees, said the experiment could not but fail. "And yet," said he, "so wise and practical a man as Dr. Abbot believed that it could succeed. I cannot understand how he had so much faith in it."
He loved flowers and his garden was a place of visitation from far and near. There was nöne other like it in town. . It contained all the latest and best varieties of plants, of which he gave with liberal hand to all who asked. He did the work himself, encouraged his people to cultivate them and was never happier than when showing and talking about them to his young people. His ministry through his flower garden was not the- least of his services to the people. - The writer in the Transcript before quoted, gives this testimony:
"How many times I have gone into his garden where he was at work along his borders among the beautiful flowers which he so dearly loved. He would talk with me, always giving me information and help. That garden was to me holy ground wherein I sat at his feet and learned more than in any school. Dear blessed man! I often wonder if he knows the good he did to us all!"
He never lost his fondness for the soil and when he was upward ninety years of age while living with his grandson in West Cambridge, he still cultivated and gathered the produc- tions of the garden.
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A man of limited means, he gave generously to every worthy cause. His connection with the many social and educational enterprises in town and elsewhere was a constant drain upon his purse, but he never held baek and was as ready with his money as with his time or his hands to aid to the extent of his power. His contri- butions to the tree society and to the ministerial library are examples of his generosity. How many and how frequent were his gifts to charity none but he ever knew. Dr. Morison says of him that when over eighty years of age he gave time, labor and money to the establishment of a Normal School. To his society and denomination, he was equally open handed. A contri- bution was once taken in his church for some religious purpose. In the collection was found a ten dollar bill. One of the deacons who passed the box said of him, "No one but Dr. Abbot would ever have given so much as that." And I often heard my father speak of his liberal giving in other connections.
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