. The history of Springfield in Massachusetts, for the young; being also in some part the history of other towns and cities in the county of Hampden. d in Spring-field; but not so much as in some other places. Age was alsoregarded. As much as the forefathers loved freedom and asmuch as they, in their sturdy principles, have done to promoteequal rights for all, they were not yet free from many oldworld notions about rank and the importance of property ingiving a standing in society. Outside the church these thingsare very liable to be wrongly estimated, but inside it mightbe supposed that those
. The history of Springfield in Massachusetts, for the young; being also in some part the history of other towns and cities in the county of Hampden. d in Spring-field; but not so much as in some other places. Age was alsoregarded. As much as the forefathers loved freedom and asmuch as they, in their sturdy principles, have done to promoteequal rights for all, they were not yet free from many oldworld notions about rank and the importance of property ingiving a standing in society. Outside the church these thingsare very liable to be wrongly estimated, but inside it mightbe supposed that those who studied the Bible would rememberwhat is there said: The rich and the poor meet together;the Lord is the maker of them all. Yet even as late as theearly part of the last century, in the old white church of WestSpringfield, an all-compelling custom did not admit of a young 36 HISTORY OF SPRINGFIELD woman taking a front seat in the gallery where the unmarriedwomen sat, unless she wore a silk gown, and of course somecould never afford it. Thus sometimes do men forget thatGod is no respecter of persons and only a pure heart countsin his First Meeting-House in West Springfield. Soon the minister enters. He wears a black gown and whiteneck band. As he approaches the pulpit stairs, the boys whoare sitting there give way and he mounts to his high prays and reads from the big Bible and then begins hissermon. There is no clock; but by him stands the hour glass,and, if the sermon is very long, he has to turn the glass and THE SETTLEMENT 37
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