Meeting House Rules––

Sleepers Wake! Or Beware The Tithing Man

By Dottie Evans

“Back in the day” when families spent their entire Sunday in church praying and listening to the preacher, young and old alike had to sit up straight and pay attention.

As Newtown Meeting House administrator Sherry Paisley said last week, while speaking to several groups of Sandy Hook Second Graders from inside the historic Eighteenth Century building, “Nobody was passing out crayons or coloring books or anything like that.”

In 1790, nothing was allowed in church that might distract the congregation from its Sunday duty, which was worship and the observation of community fellowship between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, when everyone could finally go home.

“So, how do you think children like you were expected to act in a place like this?” Ms Paisley asked.

The youngsters in the front pews squirmed in their seats at the mere idea, but one little girl volunteered an answer.

“We would have to be quiet and respectful. And we would behave ourselves.”

“Good for you! That’s exactly right,” answered Ms Paisley.

She explained that any child who fussed or made a “ruckus” during the long sermons was consigned to the backwards-facing pew at the rear of the church with its uncomfortable roll bar digging into the child’s back.

Animals attending church services were not tolerated, she added. If, perchance, the family dog found its way inside or was heard barking on the other side of the meetinghouse door, its owner had to escort it home and then return for punishment. In some cases, the entire family suffered since an extra contribution to the church pantry or monetary donation to church coffers might have been required.

Finally, if any member of the congregation dared actually fall asleep during the sermon, the tithing man would walk down the aisle and tickle the person’s forehead with a feather at the end of a long pole. A repeat offender was dealt a sharp poke in the stomach with the pole’s blunt end.

“It was the tithing man’s job every Sunday to be sure nobody nodded off,” Ms Paisley said.

Tom Paisley provided visual backup as he strolled down the middle aisle and waved a long stick in front of the Sandy Hook children, brushing their noses with its dangling feather.

Learning Local History, Then And Now

The youngsters had come to the Meeting House as part of their classroom study of local history and historic town buildings. They were scheduled to continue their tour down Newtown’s historic Main Street, stopping by Edmond Town Hall to visit with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, then visiting the Matthew Curtiss House and the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

“The other 16 or so second grade classes will come in the spring, but last year Sandy Hook got rained out so they decided to do it in the fall instead. Now they will be studying these buildings all year,” Ms Paisley explained.

She added one more important detail about the tithing man’s pole and its feather.

“The feather was donated by my neighbor, Mary K. Blawie, who is a Hawley School third grader. She offered it to us after taking the tour last year,” she said.

The most priceless comment came at the end of the session, Ms Paisley said, as she told about one very small, very serious little boy who had listened intently while she described the way it was, going to church in bygone days.

As he exited the building with his class, the little boy turned to her and offered his opinion about what he had learned during his morning at the Newtown Meeting House.

“You’re right,” he said. “It really was boring!”