Dulcibel | Page 8

for the fact that these
were more apt to be weak of sight and infirm of hearing, necessitated
this. Then came the elders and deacons of the church; then the
wealthier citizens of the parish; then the younger people and the
children.
The Puritan fathers had their faults; but they never would have tolerated

the fashionable custom of these days, whereby the wealthy, without
regard to their age, occupy the front pews; and the poorer members, no
matter how aged, or infirm of sight or hearing are often forced back
where they can neither see the minister nor hear the sermon. And one
can imagine in what forcible terms they would have denounced some
city meeting-houses of the present era where the church is regarded
somewhat in the light of an opera house, and the doors of the pews kept
locked and closed until those who have purchased the right to reserved
seats shall have had the first chance to enter.
The Reverend Master Lawson, a visiting elder, was the officiating
minister on the Sunday to which we have referred. The psalm had been
sung after the opening prayer and the minister was about to come
forward to give his sermon, when, before he could rise from his seat,
Abigail Williams, the niece of the Reverend Master Parris, only twelve
years old, and one of the "circle" cried out loudly:--"Now stand up and
name your text!"
When he had read the text, she exclaimed insolently, "It's a long text."
And then when he was referring to his doctrine, she said:--"I know no
doctrine you mentioned. If you named any, I have forgotten it."
And then when he had concluded, she cried out, "Look! there sits
Goody Osburn upon the beam, suckling her yellow-bird betwixt her
fingers."
Then Ann Putnam, that other child of twelve, joined in; "There flies the
yellow-bird to the minister's hat, hanging on the pin in the pulpit."
Of course such disorderly proceedings produced a great excitement in
the congregation; but the two children do not appear to have been
rebuked by either of the ministers, or by any of the officers of the
church; it seeming to have been the general conclusion that they were
not responsible for what they said, but were constrained by an
irresistible and diabolical influence. In truth, the children were regarded
with awe and pity instead of reproof and blame, and therefore naturally
felt encouraged to further efforts in the same direction.

I have said that this was the general feeling, but that feeling was not
universal. Several of the members, notably young Joseph Putnam,
Francis Nurse and Peter Cloyse were very much displeased at the
toleration shown to such disorderly doings, and began to absent
themselves from public worship, with the result of incurring the anger
of the children, who were rapidly assuming the role of destroying
angels to the people of Salem village and its vicinity.
As fasting and prayer were the usual resources of our Puritan fathers in
difficulties, these were naturally resorted to at once upon this occasion.
The families to which the "afflicted children" belonged assembled the
neighbors--who had also fasted--and, under the guidance of the
Reverend Master Parris, besought the Lord to deliver them from the
power of the Evil One. These were exciting occasions, for, whenever
there was a pause in the proceedings, such of the "afflicted" as were
present would break out into demoniac howlings, followed by
contortions and rigid trances, which, in the words of our manuscript,
were "enough to make the devil himself weep."
These village prayers, however, seeming to be insufficient, Master
Parris called a meeting of the neighboring ministers; but the prayers of
these also had no effect. The "children" even surpassed themselves on
this occasion. The ministers could not doubt the evidence of their own
reverend eyes and ears, and united in the declaration of their belief that
Satan had been let loose in this little Massachusetts village, to confound
and annoy the godly, to a greater extent than they had ever before
known or heard of. And now that the ministers had spoken, it was
almost irreligious and atheistical for others to express any doubt. For if
the ministers could not speak with authority in a case of this kind,
which seemed to be within their peculiar field and province, what was
their judgment worth upon any matter?
CHAPTER VII.
A Conversation with Dulcibel.
As Dulcibel sat in the little room which she had furnished in a pretty

but simple way for a parlor, some days after the meeting of the
ministers, her thoughts naturally dwelt upon all these exciting events
which were occurring around her. It was an April day, and the snow
had melted earlier than usual, and it seemed as if the spring might be an
exceptionally