USA > Connecticut > Windham County > A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I > Part 61
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An especially valuable achievement of Cooke's brief pastorate was the establishment of the summer camps at Crystal Lake, Eastford, for the young people of the Willimantic church. Mr. Cooke not only planned the work and raised the funds, but actually, with the help of several men of the parish, did a large share of the construction work, putting in many days of hard labor at the camp.
When I think of Cooke's outspoken attack upon civic indifference and moral laxity in the public service of this city, I am reminded of a Civil war story, an authentic instance of a certain brave color sergeant who in the enthusiasm of battle advance carried the standard too far forward, where it was in danger of capture. "Bring those colors back to the line!" was the message sent to him by his captain. But the intrepid color bearer sent back the reply, "Bring your line up to the colors!"-and it was done and a memorable victory won. A splendid achievement and true for that emergency; but as a rule the colors cannot be sustained beyond where the line can steadily advance. Cooke did not understand Willimantic, and he planned too far ahead of the line; but the fact remains that the civic work he outlined ought to have been done long before -and it has not been done yet ! (1920). I am not advocating the active partici- pation of any church in politics-it is always unwise. Doctor Dinsmore main- tained that it is the function of the preacher to give such spiritual inspiration to the members of his flock as will effectually permeate their civic as well as their church activities with fearless moral conviction and power. Dinsmore himself once preached a vigorous no-license sermon and put straight to some of his church members their responsibility for the liquor traffic when they voted for license. The sermon created considerable consternation, but Dinsmore told me afterwards that I was the only man in the congregation who congratulated him on that sermon! Another instance of taking the colors too far ahead of the Vol. I-32
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line. The town went no license that year, but public sentiment was not suffi- ciently well grounded to hold it.
A considerable interval of supply followed the departure of Mr. Cooke, but the fall of 1918 a call was extended to the present incumbent, Rev. Harry S. McCready; he began his pastorate October 1, and he was installed June 17, 1919. He has already demonstrated that he is a worthy successor in this long line of unusually successful pastorates. He is a native of Pawtucket, R. I., attended public schools in Providence, trained at Brown University, and at Newton Theological Seminary; graduated at the latter institution in 1905. He entered the Baptist ministry and was ordained at First Baptist Church at Wallingford, Vt., August 22, 1905. He has held Baptist pastorates at Man- chester Center, Vt .; Roger Williams Church at Providence, R. I .; First Bap- tist at Livermore Falls, Me. From the last named place he was called to the First Congregational Church at York, Me., and thence to the First Congrega- tional Church at Willimantic. His pastoral work has developed along lines of broad social service in the essentials of religious faith, without denominational emphasis. Special features of his work at Willimantic are the Men's Forum at the Sunday noon hour, where current problems are discussed; a weekly play and picture night for the children of the community during the winter months ; a Sunday evening church school session, with educational classes for young men and women, also for mothers, and a class in pageantry or dramatics for the young people; in brief, something of an institution for Christian culture and the development of wholesome social life. The educational classes are fol- lowed by a social hour.
During the first year of his pastorate 141 members were received, making the total membership now 547 (June, 1920).
Under Mr. McCready's lead also a plan has developed to place portraits of former pastors on the walls of the parish house, beginning with that of Mr. Willard, presented by his daughter, Mrs. Mary Willard Cragin. The portrait of Mr. Free was given by Mr. and Mrs. Homer E. Remington; that of Doctor Dinsmore by Samuel Chesbro; of Mr. George by Austin D. Boss and Helen Boss Cummings ; of Mr. Beard by George S. Elliott and Mary Elliott Collyer,. and up to date assurances have been received of portraits of Mr. Winslow and Mr. Leavitt to be placed later.
Plans are on foot for the re-decoration of the church interior, and of certain new furnishings. A memorial pulpit and chairs will be given by Mrs. Jane Porteous Murray in memory of her late husband, Hugh C. Murray; a set of communion chairs in harmony with the Murray unit will be placed on the lower platform, the central chair given by Rev. Wm. S. Beard in memory of his father, and the donors of the remaining six chairs are, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Gager, in memory of their son, Harold; Louis Arnold, in memory of his wife; Mr. and Mrs. William A. Buck, in memory of their son, Philip; Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Risedorf, in memory of their daughter, Ethel; and by his sons and daughters in memory of their father, Deacon Benajah E. Smith.
ALBERT COLGROVE'S REMINISCENCES
Albert N. Colgrove, son of the late Dr. Charles H. Colgrove, and Lelia Moulton Colgrove, was born in Willimantic in 1876, and for many years local editor of the Chronicle, member of the town school board, active in local poli- tics and withal a young man of fine influence in the community. Ten years
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ago he was called to Waterbury to become city editor of The American and has made a record in that city highly creditable. He was actively identified with the Congregational Church and the editor of this volume made special request that he write his recollections of the church life, with special reference to the ministry of Edward A. George. Mr. Colgrove has responded with the following article.
The first "church experience" which I can remember was in connection with the Rev. Horace Winslow. My mother had taken me with her to the church to attend an afternoon meeting, probably a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society. During the afternoon I wandered away from the "apron-strings" and found myself in a terribly long and terribly dark passageway. Seeking to escape from the awesome place, I pushed open a door that happened to be ajar and toddled into a room which I came to know later as the pastor's study. And there was the pastor himself-the dignified, scholarly Horace Winslow. That dignified, scholarly man took me on his knee; told stories to me; showed me his watch! And after all these years I still carry with me as my only mind picture of that splendid man the impression then indelibly imprinted-digni- fied and studious, but kindly, willing, nay glad, to let a little troubled child break in on his "quiet hour" long enough to receive comfort and go away happy-carrying with him the inspiration that comes from contact, even so brief as that with a man who was truly good. That is Horace Winslow as I recall him.
I remember, also, how I used to tease my mother to take me to the church socials and suppers. I always hoped there would be music at these affairs, for music meant the late William C. Jillson playing his well-remembered flute. I knew if Mr. Jillson was there, playing in the church orchestra, he would skip a note occasionally, to smile at the children. For when he was around, making sweet music, the sun always shone merrily for the church and Sunday school youngsters. In my own little category of saints and near-saints Santa Claus came first and W. C. Jillson second.
Another man who radiated happiness and gladness wherever he went was Fayette Safford who also was one of the saints of my childhood, and Fayette Safford continued to be a saint to me, albeit a very human one, through all the many later years that I knew him. Gentle, humble, patient, always sweet- tempered, he seemed to have almost a monopoly of those qualities which, in a superlative degree, I imagined every saint must have.
The Rev. Samuel R. Free both loved the children of the Willimantic church and was loved by them. I remember, in a vague, indefinite way, that Mr. Free's preaching wasn't quite orthodox enough to suit some of the elders. I heard the grown-ups arguing about it from time to time and I sensed that Mr. Free was the center of a controversy of some sort; but in the details of that controversy I was not interested. I knew that Mr. Free was good to me, and that he was good to the boys and girls with whom I played and went to school ; therefore he must be a good and upright man. Those who said or thought otherwise must be all wrong. That was the way it struck me, a boy in grammar school then; and if memory served me right, such came to be the judgment of the community almost as a whole-perhaps not all at once, but surely in later years.
Passing now to the pastorate of the Rev. Charles A. Dinsmore-now Doctor Dinsmore-when his sermons, as delivered from the Willimantic pulpit, first
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began to attract wide attention as the products of an unusually scholarly and brilliant mind, I had begun to reach "years of understanding," and as boy and young man I shared, more or less, in the "feast of good things," intel- lectual and spiritual, which this brainy young preacher spread weekly before large congregations. Mr. Dinsmore was not only a fine preacher but a good organizer-"executive," I believe is the proper word to use now. The Young Men's Sunday Evening Club, with the many splendid musical services that it provided, was the result of his work. I had my first military drilling and discipline as a member of the company of boys' brigade that he and Mr. Fred- erick A. Verplanck organized, receiving such good instruction under the drill- master, Capt. Herbert R. Chappell, that when I joined the State Guard, in recent years, I had no hesitation in saying "Yes" when asked by the recruiting officers if I could lay claim to previous military training.
It is for his sermons though that I remember Doctor Dinsmore in his Willi- mantic pastorate best, and I think all who recall his preaching will agree with me that the outstanding feature of his ministry there was the strong appeal that his sermons made, especially to the men of the church and community, leaving upon them a marked impress, which still endures.
The Willimantic Congregational Church, both as an institution and through its members, has held a leading place not only in the religious life of the town, but in social and educational activities as well. And if, as has sometimes been charged, the "brick church" has taken active part in the politics of the town, also then it has always stood for the right and for what was for the good of all the townspeople. It has had for its pastors, in most instances, men who by both inclination and training were well fitted to lead, and men who could not only give the message of better citizenship from the pulpit on Sundays, but knew how to put it into practice on week-days.
When the Rev. Edward A. George came to Willimantic to be pastor of its Congregational Church he brought with him qualities of leadership along "somewhat different" lines. He, too, was a thoughtful man and a studious man, but he laid more emphasis than had any of his predecessors, perhaps, on the fact that the religion of Jesus Christ is essentially a cheerful religion. He was glad of what the old New England fathers had done for us, and was willing to give them due credit for building the foundations and building them strong and well; but he had no tolerance for long-faced Christianity of the old-fash- ioned kind. He was once heard to remark, after listening to a twenty-minute prayer, as delivered by one of the deacons in the Sunday school, that he believed the Lord appreciated quality (rather than quantity) in prayers as well as in men.
From the very start of Mr. George's pastorate it was generally realized that everything that savored too much of sanctimoniousness would have to go. Those who were quick to appreciate the change that he desired to bring about in the general atmosphere of the church joined with him in finding the spots to which he might apply his gospel of cheerfulness. The Y. P. S. C. E., for one thing, ceased to function, and in its place came the Young People's Society and its "Pleasant Sunday Evenings"-as the Sunday evening services held under the auspices of this new church organization came to be known.
The "Pleasant Sunday Evenings" were unique for that church and city. The services were held in the church parlors, with no pulpit in sight and no high-back pews, nor low-back pews, either. Piano lamps and easy chairs were
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brought in from nearby homes; cozy corners were created and the general effect was that of a large but extremely home-like drawing room. For the first half-hour there was an informal sing, with only the "cheerfulest" tunes in the hymn-book permitted. Then Mr. George would give a talk, possibly on some especially inspiring or unusually beautiful chapter of the Bible, or a brief review of some discussion of some religious question or topic, with every one free to "speak right out in meeting" and tell what he really felt.
One memorable night there was a "question-box," with every person attend- ing the meeting asked to write down on a slip of paper what he held to be, first, his greatest doubt (with regard to the Christian religion) and second, his deepest conviction. Mr. George took the slips from the box, one after another, and read what he found written thereon, answering from his own rich knowl- edge and experience such questions as called for answer. I think no one who was present and took part in that service will ever forget what a helpful occasion it was.
I remember also the Sunday night, at one of those meetings that Mr. George broached the subject of church membership. There was nothing spectacular or dramatic about the presentation. There was no "mourners' bench" or "conviction corner" and no""hitting the trail." It was simply the straight- forward question-did these young people believe in Jesus Christ and his church? Did they believe with him, their pastor, that the church stood for the highest life of both the individual and the community? Would they not, then, give expression to that belief by becoming members of the church- this church, their church? That was all there was to it as far as words were concerned, but possibly a service more truly religious had never been held in that room before. And with no other appeal than that, numbers of young people did become members of the church during the succeeding Sundays.
The Young People's Society also sponsored socials, concerts and lecture courses, held in the church, and all of them conducted on a high plane. Vari- ous young men, prominent in the community but taking no particular interest in the church or its affairs, consented to serve on the society's "business com- mittees" and in this way were brought into touch with church activities. It was all quite a departure from the "old-time religion" and some of the sister Congregational churches of the county seemed to question if it was religion of any kind.
The writer happened to be serving as president of the organization at the time of a county conference of Congregationalists, held at Thompson. Present at the conference as a delegate, I was unexpectedly called upon to tell what "the new Young People's Society of the Willimantic church" was all about. I was put "under fire" in a kindly but determined manner, by some of the ministers. It was all very interesting as an experiment, what I had told them, they said, but what of the Christian Endeavor Society and other soul-winning agencies-agencies that had long been tested and not found wanting? Why consign them to oblivion ?
I believe my answer was that we had no desire to consign anything or any- one to oblivion. The simple fact of the situation was that in our Willimantic church we had sensed a peculiar need which the prayer meeting and the Chris- tian Endeavor did not seem to be supplying. The church had not been reach- ing nearly as many of the young people as it ought to reach. If the new Young People's Society was to be viewed in the light of an experiment, so be it. We
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believed that considered from the results already obtained, we could truth- fully say it was a successful experiment.
Mr. George and Mrs. George were persons of unusual culture. An eve- ning at their charming home (now the residence, on Windham Street, of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher C. Case) was sure to be one of rare delight. As minister and man Mr. George carried the gospel of good cheer wherever he went. He combined, with his ministerial duties, such things as an occasional boxing match, with some athletically-inclined parishioner, or a frequent game of golf. In fact, he devoted so much of his spare time to initiating certain of youth of the town into the mysteries of the latter form of sport that he was criticised therefore by people who had no use for "such foolishness" in a minister. But if he did play golf, he played it well, and made of it a game worth playing, just as he made of a sermon something more than just a discourse-rather an appeal to his hearers to play the game of life, not only fairly and squarely, but in a big, broad, noble way.
Mr. George, while courteous and considerate in his dealings with all, espe- cially delighted in the fellowship of men. He delighted to meet with them, delighted to chat with them, and, yes, delighted to smoke with them-provided the cigars were worth the smoking! He was "a man among men" and seldom preached to or "lectured" his social or business acquaintances, in fact never without he gave them fair warning. When the subject of religion and church membership happened to come up in conversation, if his views were sought, he always said to mature men and women what he had already said to the young people-that the church was a very vital part of the life of nation, state and town; an institution without which no community could claim to be a Christian community, and as much entitled to the active and enthusiastic sup- port of every public-spirited citizen as any other institution founded and main- tained for the benefit of the people as a whole; indeed much more so than many.
One well-known Willimantic business man, affiliated with a church of an- other denomination, once said of Mr. George, "For an aristocrat he's the most democratic man I ever knew." His daily association with men and his frank, common-sense speech with them concerning religion won to the Willimantic church, as members, a fine group of young business and professional men, many of whom have continued active in its affairs ever since and are now among those to whom the church organization looks (and never in vain) for strong and helpful leadership, wise counsel and generous support.
REV. HORACE WINSLOW By Mary Winslow
"Who is that coming up the street ?"
"That is the new pastor, soon to be, of our church."
"Indeed ! He walks like a soldier."
"He is-or rather was-a soldier, a chaplain in the Civil war."
"That perhaps accounts for his military bearing."
Such comments might have been heard as the Rev. Horace Winslow, com- ing from the railroad station in Willimantic one day in the winter of 1868-69, turned into Main Street on the way to consult with members of his future parish, that of the First Congregational Church. He received his call from that church in December, 1868, while acting pastor of the First Congregational
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Church of Woodbury, Conn. He entered upon his duties the following March and was installed April 28, 1869.
Not only were the people now to have a new pastor, after an interval of several months since the resignation of the Rev. Mr. Willard, but they were also minded to have a new church edifice. The one then in use, erected in 1828 and enlarged by an addition of fifteen feet in 1843, was in 1869 entirely in- adequate for the needs of the congregation. Efforts had been made to build anew but the plans did not materialize, and the time had not seemed ripe for the attempt.
Now, however, it was decided to build and Mr. Winslow, having already had much experience in such matters, was looked to for pushing the enterprise to completion. In a historical address delivered by him in the "new church" on July 9, 1876, he describes the situation as he found it on coming to the growing parish. He says: "At this time the long-contemplated work of erect- ing a new church edifice was entered upon with energy. As in all former periods, the needs of the people seemed to be beyond their means. * * It was with considerable effort that the Ecclesiastical Society could meet its annual expenses. This obstacle was still in the way. The church was not rich and but few men of independent means were connected with the society. It appeared like a desperate undertaking, to build and pay for such a house as would meet the wants of the congregation. A subscription was started and resulted in raising $10,800. By the sale of the old church and grounds the amount was raised to $19,578. With these funds in hand the society resolved to begin the work."
The building committee appointed by the society consisted of Messrs. John Tracy, Allen Lincoln, William C. Jillson and the pastor. Mr. Winslow's as- sociates were men of the highest business standing, a liberality and sound judg- ment. The committee were limited to an expenditure of $30,000 but found it impossible to secure a contract at that sum for such a church as was needed. So that it was decided to omit the chapel, the interior decoration, and the windows, and a contract was made with Messrs. Chappell and Potter of Willi- mantic, for a little over $26,000, above the under-pinning.
The Ladies' Society provided carpets, cushions and pulpit furniture at a cost of $2,600. The organ was paid for separately, at $2,000, and the interior painting at an expense of $1,500, was mostly provided for by separate sub- scription.
When Mr. Winslow suggested that the windows be left out, Mr. Tracy asked, "What will you do without windows?" Mr. Winslow replied, "I will have them given." Mr. Tracy said, "You can't get one!" However, Mr. Winslow thought differently and it afterward transpired that Mr. Tracy himself was the first individual to offer the gift of a window, though the Sunday school had started the campaign "by a cordial vote to raise $100 for a children's window." The entire number, those in the vestibule, the church proper, also in the lecture- room and parlors, were secured by Mr. Winslow as he had planned. All were gifts and a number were memorials. He engaged a leading firm to furnish the windows and went himself to New York City to select the designs.
The rose window in the vestibule, over the central door, was given by Mr. Harry Boss, father of E. S. and Charles L. Boss, and Deacon J. E. Cushman, in memory of Mr. Calvin Robinson, uncle of James G. Robinson, who joined the church in 1829, the year following its organization, and met sudden
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death in 1870 by being thrown from his carriage. The monogram C. R. is in the center, while the Scripture legend, "A good man and a just," tells in brief the story of his life and character. Upon the death, later, of the donors, this window became a memorial of all three men.
The two small windows in the vestibule were the gift of Mrs. Eunice Rich- mond Kellogg, who afterward became Mrs. George P. Heap, in memory of her granddaughter, Marion P. Lord.
On entering the audience room, one notices the beautiful children's win- dow, at the pulpit end, the first one on the east side. The superintendent of the Sunday school at that time and for several years afterward was Deacon Nathan A. Stearns, a man of quiet manner and lovable qualities. The writer, who was among the little ones at the time of the dedication, can see him plainly -always greeting us with a smile and often a pleasant word. His son, Charles A. Stearns, now resides in Willimantic.
The next window on the east was Mr. John Tracy's gift, in memory of his two daughters, Olivia and Cora, who had died in early life. Mr. Tracy, a member of the building committee, was a leading man of the society and the town, always ready to help in any way and a liberal giver toward the expenses of the church. His death in the early '70s was a great blow to his pastor.
The third window was given by Mr. William C. Jillson as a memorial to his father and mother. Mr. Jillson, also of the committee, was one of Mr. Wins- low's most valued friends and ever an active worker and firm supporter of the society. He gave largely toward the building of the church and the payment of the debt, his name appearing with a substantial figure attached, upon nearly every subscription paper circulated during those years. Many of his acts of friendliness and neighborly kindness are remembered by the recipients.
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