USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. II > Part 24
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This second creed is doctrinally so like the old one that one wonders at first why it was thought to be called for. On closer examination, however, evidences of theological advance appear. There is now inserted (Art. 2) a statement that the Scriptures were "given by inspiration of God," but as the old creed evi-
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dently postulates this, and as the new one does not contain the doctrine of Scriptural inerrancy, of late so much in controversy, in which doubtless the author believed, it is not probable that any special advance in thought is here registered. It is otherwise with the fourth article, which is also new. This affirms the law of love, and with strong approval, but with the old-time sanction conservatively added, " on pain of everlasting punishment." Even more significant is the statement in the article on redemption that it was the love of God that brought Christ to carth. Evi- dently some wave or ripple of new theology was making its way up this valley in 1840. Another new article, which witnesses to the same progressive influence, is the eighth, in which salvation is offered to all men on the simple conditions of true repentance and true faith. Somewhat strangely the only remaining new statement shows movement not toward modern ideas, but away from them. In the original creed five articles are more or less dominated by the doctrine of foreordination, largely on the philo- sophical side. In the new this subject is confined to one arti- cle, the tenthi, but in the form of particular election which it there assumes, it has more of the bite of ruthless fate in it than in the whole five articles of the older statement. Yet the election doctrine is stated in the mildest language admis- sible, its dire logical corollaries being unmentioned. One doctrine of the original creed, the perseverance of the saints, is omitted in the second. One does not know whether the old doctrine was less generally held, or whether the church was then having less trouble with members who had lapsed from faith and duty.
The substance of the remainder of the creed of 1840 agrees with the teaching of the old, though in most cases the doc- trines are more sharply defined. In general the theology is more developed after its kind, which perhaps is evidence of more theological reading and discussion in 1840 than in 1820. The article on the Trinity, in its insistence that trinitarian distinc- tions in the Godhead do not impair the divine unity, seems to witness to contemporary Unitarian controversies. The style of this creed is less attractive than that of the old. The introduction lays stress upon solemnity, but as a whole it is less solemn and impressive than its predecessor, perhaps because it is more scho- lastic, perhaps because it is couched in plain speech and uses the wording of the Bible but little.
The creed of 1840, slightly modified as to wording in 1873, re- mained the authorized expression of the church's faith until 1889, when, during the pastorate and under the influence of the Rev.
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F. G. Chutter, the present Confession of Faith was adopted. This is printed in full in the manual. It is the resultant of more or less contrary forces. On the one hand, there was dissatisfac- tion with the scholasticism and frank Calvinism of the creed of 1840 ; on the other, distrust of the so-called " Commission Creed," a denominational statement prepared by a committee of the National Council and published in 1883. That was thought to be tinctured with the new theology. Therefore Mr. Chutter, who together with Deacons C. D. Tarbell and C. L. Clay and Mrs. A. J. Church constituted the committee, and upon whom chiefly the work of framing a new statement devolved, secured a copy of the creed of the Pilgrim Church of Worcester, Mass., - a creed which he had heard strongly commended, - and modified it to suit the needs of this church. This, as reported by the committee, was unanimously adopted by the church on October 15, 1889. Rhe- torically and vitally it is a great improvement on the one it dis- placed. It is couched in the language of joyous avowal rather than cautious philosophy, colored not a little by the phraseology of Scripture and the creeds of the past. As to form it follows the Apostles' creed quite closely, its principal divisions being determined by the names of the Trinity. Five doctrines of its predecessor it omits, - those of the fall, total depravity, human inability, election, and the universal offer of salvation. On the other hand, it contains one doctrine not found in either of the earlier credal expressions, a doctrine of which the Puritan forefathers were shy, - the doctrine of the Church universal, " on earth and in heaven." Its chief doctrinal stress is on the Trinity, and especially the deity of Christ, - beliefs which it emphasizes far beyond either of its predecessors. In the main, however, it is not doctrinal, but, after the example of the Apostles' creed, is occupied with what Christians consider to be facts rather than doctrines.
Mr. Cooley might well have spoken of the earliest creed with more positiveness. That the church organized in 1803 had a creed, and that it was mainly the production of the Rev. David Goodall, there can be little doubt. The fact is established by the direct statement of Solomon Whiting, and an incident related by him in regard to the action of Elizabeth, widow of Elder James Rankin, who when requested refused to subscribe to the creed at the time of organization. That it was the same as the creed adopted by the church at Waterford in 1802 cannot be stated with equal positiveness, though it is probable. The same authority states that "Goodall and Carpenter fixed up the doctrine for both
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churches. That at West Waterford was started first, and its phraseology did not quite suit Priest Goodall and he coaxed Carpenter to change it. When that was done, both churches were alike." The inquiry addressed to Mr. Whiting had reference to the creed of the Littleton Church, which he was told had been lost, and his answer was undoubtedly intended as a response to that question. Unless Mr. Whiting was entirely mistaken, the creed of the church at Littleton and the second creed adopted by the church at Waterford differed in no important particulars, and the last named may be accepted as like unto that to which the ten original members of the first church in this town subscribed their names.1
1 Believing the creed approved by the church at Waterford, Vt., September 30, 1802, to be the joint production of the Rev. Asa Carpenter and the Rev. David Goodall, it is here printed, together with the original creed of 1798. The reader curious in theological matters will here undoubtedly find a counterpart of the creed adopted by the First Congregational Churchi in this town March 3, 1803.
WATERFORD, May 30th, 1798.
You now being sensible of your lost estate in yourselves, and that all your right- eousness is as filthy rags ; and being Sensible of the free and ricli offer of Salvation through Christ to such guilty beings as you, do, in the presence of God and before present witnesses, Angels and men, give up yourselves to God and take upon you the bonds of his covenant. You do avouch God the Father to be your God; God the Son to be your Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King; and God the Holy Ghost to be your Sanctifier, Guide, and Comforter ; promising, by the assistance of divine Grace, to take God's word for the only rule of your faith and practice; and to make it your constant care to walk before him in holiness and righteousness all the days of your lives.
And you do, moreover, give up yourselves to one another in church relation, to be governed according to the laws of Christ, promising that you will walk orderly in attending to all the ordinances of his house; faithfully maintaining the worship of God in public, and in your families (so far as it may depend on you). You engage to seek the best interest of this church and of all your Sister-churches ; and to submit yourselves to that watch and discipline which the word of God enjoins; in doing which you mutually engage to assist each other ; holding this as the object of your discipline, viz. to recover the wandering to the path of duty; and to advance the church in holiness, by utterly disapproving in each other what the word of God dis- approves ; and by requiring in each other what the word of God requires; and this without any respect of persons ; that you as a church of Christ may shine as a light in the world.
CHURCH COVENANT OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1802.
We now being sensible of our lost estate in ourselves and that all our righteous- ness is as filthy rags; and being sensible of the free and rich offer of Salvation through Christ to such guilty beings as we, do in the presence of God and before present witnesses, Angels and men, give up ourselves to God and take upon us the bonds of this covenant.
We do avouch God the Father to be our God; God the Son to be our Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King ; and God the Holy Ghost to be our Sanctifier, Guide, and Comforter ; promising, by the assistance of divine grace, to take God's word for the only rule of our faith and practice, and to make it our constant care to walk before him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.
We do moreover give up ourselves to one another in church relation, to be VOL. II. - 15
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History of Littleton.
The first Sunday-school in this town 1 of which anything is known was organized in the year 1816 in a log house near the present home of Frank I. Parker on the Meadows, where a licensed preacher lived by the name of Nathaniel K. Hardy. Mrs. Hardy gathered eight or ten of the children about her on Sunday after- noons, and they learned verses from the Bible.
The chaise and four-wheeled carriage were not in use here, and the children rode to and from the school on horseback; where there were two persons from the same house they went on the same horse. One of the pupils, Julia A. Allen,2 now deceased, who attended this school, remembered riding to it from their farm on Mann's Hill, behind her brother on horseback. The late John Farr, another of the older residents of Littleton, was a mem- ber of this Sunday-school.
Mrs. Hardy and her daughters kept the school for two or three
governed according to the laws of Christ, promising that we will walk orderly in attending to all the ordinances of his house - that we will keep a faithful watch over each other - and that we will walk together in the exercise of that brotherly love which the Gospel requires. We promise that as kind and faithful brethren, we will constantly stand by each other in all our trials -that we will endeavor to encourage each other's hearts in all our troubles and afflictions - that we will extend the kind hand of charity to help and relieve each other under all our wants and distresses. We promise to use our influence to promote the welfare of each other's immortal souls - that we will endeavor to instruct and help each other on in the ways of true religion. We promise to constantly attend the public worship of God on the Sabbath - that we will attend all church meetings, preparatory lectures, and all other proper religious meetings, so long as God shall give us suitable health and opportunity to do the same. We promise to attend upon the ordinances of the gospel, viz. baptism and the Lord's Supper. We promise that we will daily read and study the Sacred Scriptures and will endeavor according to the best of our understanding to comply with all the commands of God contained therein, depend- ing entirely upon his grace to enable us to do the same. We promise constantly to maintain and keep up the worship of God in our families so far as may depend upon us - that we will not allow of any dancing, gaming, carousing, or of excessive drinking in our houses. We promise that we will not join with the wicked in any of their amusements, or do anything which shall appear to be an approbation of their conduct. We promise that we will use all our influence to restrain our own children and all under our care from all bad company and from every wicked course -- that we will endeavor to train them up in the ways of true religion. We engage to use our influence in opposing vice, and to bear testimony against every corrupt doctrine and all vicious practice. We engage to seek the best interest of this church and of all our sister churchies and to submit ourselves to that discipline wliich the word of God enjoins, in doing which we mutually engage to assist each other, holding this as the object of our discipline, viz. to recover the wandering to the path of duty and advance the church in holiness, by disapproving in each other what the word of God disapproves, and by requiring in each other what the word of God requires ; and this without respect of persons ; that we as a church, as such, may shine as a light in the world.
1 This account of the Sunday-school of the Congregational Church is written by John Franklin Tilton.
2 She died April 15, 1897.
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Ecclesiastical History.
years, until after the death of Mr. Hardy, when the family moved away and the school was given up.
There seems to have been no other Sunday-school for the next six or eight years, when one was started at the old meeting-house on the hill ; but very little can be learned about this school. The only thing we are able to obtain in regard to it is from a letter received from Mr. Albee C. Allen, of New York. Mr. Allen says : "Rev. Mr. Fairbank, our good old minister, brought a number of Testaments and proposed to the young people that they should spend a part of the intermission between the services in studying the Bible; this proposition was mostly accepted by the young ladies." Mr. Allen, then one of the boys, like many a foolish one in these days, thought himself too old to go to Sunday-school.
While the men gathered around the open fire in the office of the tavern or went into the side room for refreshments, the school was held in the parlor ; when a stove was put in the meeting- house, the school was held there, and about the time the minister should finish his morning sermon a good fire was started, though often Priest Fairbank preached so long that the fire would have to be rekindled. They gathered around the stove for the Bible class.
In 1834 this school was united with one that had but recently been organized and held meetings in the village school-house on Pleasant Street, and the school thus formed held its sessions in the new church.
We now revert to the Sunday-school that had been started in the village about the year 1826.
Some of the good people, feeling that the children ought to study the Bible, gathered about twenty of the boys and girls on Sunday afternoons, and these spent the time in learning verses which some one would explain.
Among those attending this school were four children of Mr. Simeon Dodge, who was the first superintendent, - or president, as he was called thien, - three children of Abijah Allen, and others from the families of John Gile and John Bowman.
The first place of meeting was in an old school-house; this building was burned after a few years, and the school moved to an empty building which stood next west of where Green & Co.'s drug store now stands ; seats were put in, and during the warm weather school was held there. We might remark in passing that the man who began building this house did not heed the words of the good book "to sit down and count the cost," for we
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History of Littleton.
find that after it was up and boarded it was left unfinished. The land was of more value than the building and was soon wanted for other and more desirable structures, so the old house took its journey across the street to the land of Warren Hale, now C. F. Eastman's, where it stood for several years. Being in the way there, it made another journey to the corner of Main and Maple Streets, where it was used as a storehouse by the woollen factory. It was a great place for the boys to play " hide and seek " among the sacks of wool. The fall freshets coming down from the hill flooded the cellar, the water would freeze, and many a lad learned to skate there. The building was afterwards changed into a stable and served that purpose two years, when it was remodelled, and occupied by Sinclair & Merrill (C. A. Sinclair and George Merrill) as a grain and provision store. It was recently occupied by Bellows & Son.1
There used to be quite a rivalry among the scholars of this school as to who would learn the most verses; at a session one scholar repeated two chapters in Jolin, receiving the praise of the superintendent, Henry A. Bellows.
There were four or five teachers at first, among them being Henry A. Bellows, Eliza Bellows, and Kate Sumner.2
When the Unitarians occupied the church for half the time in 1836 or 1837, the Congregationalists held their services in Brackett's Hall and the Sunday-school was also held in that hall during this period.
This arrangement lasted about two years, when the Congre- gationalists made arrangements by which the two divisions were united and Congregational preaching began again each Sabbath.
To make committing verses to memory from the Bible more in- teresting to the pupils, merits for each perfect lesson, consisting of blue tickets, were issued. When one had received ten of these, they were exchanged for a red one. At the end of the year the scholar who could bring the most red tickets received a prize.
Question books were introduced in 1840, which were graded for the different classes, the pastor's class continuing to take some portion of the Bible for study. These books were changed for the International Lessons about 1872. For many years the school had the Portland, Me., edition of the Lessons, which were given up for Peloubet's. The 1st of January, 1898, the Blakeslee series was introduced.
1 The building thus removed was destroyed by fire in 1853, and a new one erected soon after. - ED.
2 Sister of James B. Sumner, of Dalton.
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Ecclesiastical History.
The church at the village as originally built had a gallery on the north side and an entry underneath, where the social meetings were held, and often in the winter the Sunday-school met there ; the room was only eight or ten feet wide, and when all were talking at the same time, there was some confusion. In 1856 there were about fifteen classes ; among the teachers were Deacon John Merrill, Julia A. Allen, Josiah Kilburn, Mrs. John W. Balch, Rev. E. I. Carpenter, the pastor at that time, William Bailey, Martha Hale, Alvan Griggs, and others.
The order of exercises was much the same as at present. When Deacon Merrill was superintendent, he used to read a story to the children, which was much enjoyed.
Alvan Griggs was one of the teachers in the time of the war of 1861. Feeling that it was his duty to go into the army, he bade his class farewell and went to Concord. He did not pass the ex- amination at first and tried four or five times before he was ac- cepted. He served his country for several months.
Simeon D. Dodge was the first superintendent 1 and librarian, holding the office several years, and until he left the village, when Henry A. Bellows succeeded him. After his resignation Edmund Carleton served for a year or more. Rev. Evarts Worcester came next. During his term of service missionary concerts were in- troduced. These were held in the old school-house on Pleasant Street, on the first Monday afternoon of each month. After a few years the time of meeting was changed to the first Sunday evening of the month. A collection was taken at the concerts and during the pastorate of Rev. E. I. Carpenter, and at his suggestion in the expectation that more money would be given, these col- lections were taken at the morning service; this custom has continued to the present time.
Mr. Worcester's brother, Isaac R. Worcester, followed him, and then Dr. Ezra C. Worcester became superintendent. Deacon John Merrill succeeded, and held the office for twelve years, resigning in 1865. About this time a constitution was adopted which for brevity surpasses most such documents. It is all contained in eight lines ; and if some of the words had been abbreviated it could have been expressed in six lines. It is as follows : -
" Constitution of the First Congregational Sunday School Society of Littleton, N. H. The officers of the society shall consist of Superin- tendent, Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian. The annual meeting for
1 We have been unable to give the time of service of the superintendents in many instances.
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History of Littleton.
the choice of officers shall be the first Sabbath of June.1 The officers chosen at the organization of the society to hold their office until the first Sunday in June or until their successors are chosen."
The school was organized under the above constitution, and the following officers were elected: Superintendent, Franklin Tilton ; secretary and treasurer, M. L. Goold ; librarian, Noah Farr. The number of teachers was 22, and there were 120 scholars.
The secretary records that Bibles were offered by Franklin Tilton, Charles W. Brackett, and Alvan Griggs to those who would get in the most permanent scholars. Some twenty mem- bers were added to the school. Julia A. Allen brought the largest number, but declined the Bible on the ground that she had already been well paid, her hopes being more than realized. The first Bible went to Elizabeth M. Rowell, the second to Laura Isabella Tilton, and the third to Marion L. Goold.
During the week after the distribution of the Bibles the super- intendent learned that one of the boys went home crying because he did not receive a Bible, though he had secured nearly as many as the others.
The highest record for the next week, says Milo Bean, entitled the one making it to a Bible, and Josiah Kilburn and Nelson C. Farr each offered a Bible in the same way for the most pupils secured during the next four weeks. One copy went to Emily Witherell for four, and a month afterwards Emily Adaline Kilburn received the other for twelve. Doxy Wilkins received one offered by Elizabeth M. Kilburn for eight scholars.
The first annual report shows a total attendance of 6,240; weekly average of 120; number of classes, 22; largest attend- ance, July 15, 1866, 160; the smallest, June 8, 80; number added to the school, 40. Concerts were held each month, and each class paid the contribution received to the treasurer.
June 3, 1860, Franklin Tilton was re-elected Superintendent by one hundred and eighteen votes ; M. L. Goold, secretary and treasurer ; A. R. Burton, librarian, and Rev. C. E. Milliken, chorister.
March 27, 1867, there is this record : " Had no school, our Supt. is dead. Mr. Tilton died the 22nd. Ten concerts held during the year. Total attendance 5,003 ; average per Sunday, 96; largest number present, 124, June 23; smallest, May 26, 50, owing to the rain. Received during the year $20.10; paid out $20.00; cash on hand, $0.10."
1 Afterwards changed to the second Sunday in May.
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Ecclesiastical History.
At the annual election in June, 1867, Nelson C. Farr was elected superintendent, M. L. Goold secretary and treasurer. The secretary reports " 160 members, and 18 classes, 6 male, 16 female teachers, 100 of the members adults, and 70 heads of families. Average number for the year 90, 300 volumes in the Library."
There is no report of proceedings in 1868. May 22, 1869, N. C. Farr was re-elected superintendent, M. L. Goold secretary and treasurer, Noah Farr librarian. Each class chose its teacher.
The report for 1870 was much the same. There was paid out for books for library, $18.38.
In 1871 John J. Ladd, principal of the high school, was elected superintendent, M. L. Goold secretary and treasurer, and Noah Farr librarian. In 1875 Nelson C. Farr was again elected superintendent. The other officers were the same as the two years previous. In 1876 and 1877 the only changes were C. A. Farr, elected librarian in 1876, and John F. Tilton in 1877; cash on hand, $41.40. In the choice of superintendent for 1878 the con- test was quite earnest, some favoring Mr. Farr and others Mr. Thomas Carleton; the latter gentleman was elected. Cash on hand at the end of the year, $57.22.
At the next election, May 26, 1879, there was quite a change in the officers. S. C. Sawyer became superintendent, Mrs. A. J. Church assistant, M. L. Goold secretary and treasurer, Thomas Carleton librarian. Sixteen dollars was paid for singing-books. Cash on hand, $90.73. Seventy-five dollars' worth of books was added to the library.
In 1880 and 1881 S. C. Sawyer was re-elected superintendent, Mrs. A. J. Church first assistant, Mary B. Tilton second assist- ant, Mrs. B. F. Robinson committee on music, and Oscar C. Hatch secretary and treasurer. Cash on hand at the end of the year, $78.32. Paid for library books in 1880, $75.
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