''SERMONS TN"^ANTS. 838 



nient," as is the goodly fashion ot our rural parts, 

 without respect of religious preference. Even the 

 Friends, who had held their morning worship in the old 

 Springfield Meeting-house, sent a fair delegation, al- 

 though some were still of too tender conscience to wait 

 upon the preaching of a "hireling minister." Among 

 these was Aunt Hannah ; but it cost the good woman 

 a sore struggle to stay at home, be it said to her credit. 

 Penn Townes, however, was not prevented by such 

 scruples from stopping his smart open buggy at the old 

 farm-gate and driving Abby Bradford to the meeting. 



The regular attendants at the Blue Church were the 

 teachers and the children of the Sunday-school. The 

 latter were gathered chiefly from the families of the oper- 

 atives in a woolen-mill that stood in an adjacent valley, 

 and a fine paper-mill that occupies a romantic site on 

 the banks of Crum Creek. A few kind and Christian 

 hearts had been moved with pity over these scattered 

 sheep of the Good Shepherd, and had organized for 

 them a Sabbath-school, which has been maintained, 

 often under sore difficulties, for a number of years. A 

 part of the good Doctor's missionary work was to look 

 after this school, which, however, was strictly a 

 "Union" school, without any denominational bias or 

 connection wliatever. 



The building in which this assemblage was held is 

 worthy of brief notice. It was erected by one of the 

 numerous descendants of Jane Townes, and set apart for- 

 ever to the worship of the Almighty without cost or let 

 to any of whatever denomination, with one important 



