d meeting-house!
It was an old-fashioned, square building, without portico, or
steeple, or belfry. The winter's hail and summer's rain had beaten
against it for half a century. Its numerous small windows, without
curtain or blind, let in floods of light. Its small pulpit,
perched high upon one side, and close to the wall, concealed the
preacher's body, while the heads of the congregation were just
seen rising above the square high-backed pews. Hardly a cushion
was to be seen; and the interior furnishing was of the simplest
and plainest character. I have said that it had associations of
great interest. It is now more than an hundred years since a small
band of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians settled in that valley. Though
but few in number, and braving the elements and the savages, they
determined to carry with them into the wilderness not only the
Christian's hope, but the Christian's ordinances. A small building
of logs arose soon after the settlement, in which for many years
an educated and regularly-ordained minister preached the gospel to
a little flock. The inquiry had already commenced; 'The prophets,
where are they?' The larger part of the pioneers had sunk into
peaceful graves, when the war of the revolution commenced. It was
still a frontier hamlet, and was soon swallowed up and lost in
that terrible whirlwind of death which year after year swept over
the settlements of Central New-York. When peace was restored, the
remnant of the inhabitants whom war and disease had spared,
returned to their former homes. But though war and disease had
impoverished them, they had not forgotten the GOD of their
fathers. Having no house for assembling together, the inhabitants
met in what they termed 'the meeting-house yard;' and there
organized anew that church which has continued thence to this day,
and determined upon the erection of the old meeting-house of which
I have spoken. Under the open heavens, with their feet upon their
fathers' graves, they dedicated themselves anew to the service of
HIM who was LORD overall, and whom they acknowledged as their only
Sovereign. I have looked over the records of that meeting with
emotions never to be forgotten. The gray-haired patriarch, loaning
on his staff with one hand, and with the other guiding our
youthful footsteps to the house of prayer on e