USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > Christ church parish and cathedral, 1762-1942 : an historical sketch > Part 5
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Besides his manifold duties as dean and pastor, Doctor Colladay was active in diocesan affairs, and held many positions of honor - and work. For some years he was a member of the Standing Committee, and he served on several lesser diocesan committees. He was a deputy
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to five successive General Conventions, and a member of the scholars' committee of the Society for the Increase of the Ministry. The Church Missions Publishing Company claimed his active interest and attention, and he served as treasurer of Saint Paul's Italian Mission.
His most memorable aspect was that of a pastor, as observed by one who knew him well: "It is as the shepherd of his flock that most of us know and love Dean Colladay ... Hundreds who know the privilege and blessing of his pastoral ministrations understand how fully and perfectly his work among them reflects a life of uncompromising loyalty to his Master and his calling . . . It is one thing to build up a parish in a rapidly growing residential community, and, although hardly more praiseworthy than that, it is a far more difficult and important office to keep intact a downtown parish which finds itself isolated by a radical change in its surroundings. Dean Colladay has done more than that. Under his direction, Christ Church is carrying on one of the most important inter- and extra-parochial works of any church of any denomi- nation in the state. Its thronging congregations, consisting of the most lowly and the most distinguished of our citizens, testify to the vitality of his message and his appeal for all classes." Such was the tribute which the first Dean of Christ Church Cathedral had earned, when he retired.
The second Dean, the Reverend Walter Henry Gray, brought his experience as dean of the cathedral in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and a knowledge of the character and problems of Hartford, gained as assist- ant at Saint John's. He, also, knew the problems of cathedral and parish, and handled them in the tradition bequeathed to him. People noted his continuing concern to serve the diocese, of which the clergy became aware through the Cathedral Clergy Conferences. They furnished an occasion for fellowship and intellectual stimulation, hardly possible in the more formal gatherings of archdeaconry and diocese.
Dean Gray inspired a renewed determination to create a sense of mission to the unchurched and to newcomers. He looked upon the cathedral as a means of introducing them to the church and later trans- ferring them to local parishes. During his administration over seven hundred baptized members joined the congregation. Within two years the confirmations totalled two hundred and fifty-eight, including a large number of adults. Those new members were not merely fed into an ecclesiastical machine. The spiritual tone was elevated by frequent celebrations of the Holy Communion, and emphasis upon the observance of Lent, Holy Week and saints' days. The congregation felt a personal note in worship, through the institution of praying for people by name at the early service.
The same personal interest reached the Church's missions in the
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city. There was a marked increase of work among those of recent foreign origin, and the Dean became treasurer of Saint Paul's Italian Church. The Dean, by request, served as counsellor of Saint Monica's Mission. Always interested in work among Negroes, he was elected as a member of the Community Chest Committee on Negro Problems.
Parochial and diocesan groups were urged to look upon the cathedral as their home. In spite of unfavorable financial conditions, a determined effort was made to make the fabric worthy of the ideal, by redecoration and painting of the interior, new floor covering, cushions and kneelers, gallery windows of cathedral glass, entrance and gallery lanterns, and re-equipment of the sacristy.
There was incessant effort to educate the younger generation to appreciate the inward and spiritual meaning of the outward and visible fabric. The Church School doubled under the Dean's personal oversight and meetings for teacher-training. The Young People's Fellowship flourished, and a Cathedral Boys' Club sprang up. A Cathedral Forum met the often unrecognized need for adult instruction, which was fur- thered also by an increased use of literature and enlarging the library.
It was a many-sided work which Dean Gray left - and yet did not leave - when he was consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Connec- ticut, at a great service in the cathedral on November 12, 1940. He is the sixth clergyman in charge of Christ Church, raised to the episcopate. Not many parishes can show such a record.
The third Dean, the Reverend Arthur F. McKenny, was installed on January 5, 1941. It has been his lot to guide the cathedral in a great crisis of human affairs. He has seen the humane services expand through aid to war sufferers, incessant prayers for peace, and for men and women serving in the armed forces, and special Red Cross classes for nursing and sewing. The Cathedral House has become available as an air raid shelter, and a report center for Air Raid Protection is provided with quarters in it. A Cathedral Defense Council organized in January, 1942; and the Dean is a member of the State Defense Council's Committee on Unity and Amity. By May, 1942, fifty-one of the congregation were in the armed forces, and being kept in touch with the Church by cor- respondence and special gifts. The Young People's Fellowship is acting as host at recreational gatherings for Service men and war workers in or near Hartford. The passing of uniformed figures through the build- ings reminds the congregation of many far away, whose names stand on the honor roll, designed by one of the members and dedicated at a Service of Recognition. Missionary giving has felt the touch of the world crisis, for much of it has gone to the aid of British missions.
Beneath the excitement of the national emergency, the cathedral's
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ordinary work goes quietly onward. The new office of Comptroller filled by Mr. George E. Bulkley, is easing the approach in financial problems, while the Forward in Service program, through visiting and committees, has stimulated religious education and social service. More than ever, the cathedral is a preaching center, for in 1941 seventy-two clergymen outside the staff were heard within its walls. As a missionary center it welcomed the conference on town and country work in April, 1942. Now it is under the solemn spell left by the passing from time to eternity of Bishop Brewster, who saw the cathedral in a vision. Plans are forming for a worthy memorial to him who with peculiar joy would have read the closing words of the Dean's last report to the Chapter:
"There are many deeply gratifying indications of what the varied ministries of the Cathedral mean to the morale of the countless people who are reached by the public services or who come for private prayer and meditation into that beautiful sanctuary which stands 'where cross the crowded ways of life'."
VI. THE INNER LIFE MUSIC
What is religion without praise, and a church without music? Even the Puritan meetings were used to singing - or droning - the psalms. They were "lined out" in metre, and the congregation achieved a rough approximation to the pitch given by a pipe or tuning fork, Some churches had orchestras, but often there was only a base viol or a primitive organ.
The records fail to say whether Christ Church had music previous to 1801, and thereafter give only an occasional hint. At the consecration "The music was well performed, with the assistance of the organ." It was considered the wonder of Hartford, although only five or six feet wide. Built at a shop on the road to Windsor, it is said to have been the first church organ in this part of the state. The wonderful instrument probably stood in a gallery over the entrance.
In 1802 there was a "singing school," a venerable instution con- sidered as a recruiting station for the choir. Ten years later the parish bought a new organ, and in 1817 cheerfully bore the expense of enlarging it. In 1820 Christ Church took a daring plunge that must have splashed the timid community. There was an orchestra, and a "Hartford Episco- pal Musical Society," to improve the music in church. Matters could not get out of hand, as the rector selected the music and kept an eye on the orchestra. Seven years later the Vestry appointed a committee to employ a music teacher and find out whether the parish would support a singing class.
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When the second church was built, the cost of an organ appeared as a matter of course in the estimated expense. But for many years the singing was little like the present customs, and one organist said it bore slight resemblance to music. It depended on a quartette or a mixed choir. Anyone who knows parish life from the inside, is aware that a church with a mixed choir is likely to have an efficient war department.
In 1848 the parish determined to improve the music, by repairing the organ and reviewing the expense for the organist and singing. There was much difference of opinion, between the older and younger members, and now and then a bit of fur crops up in the records. A committee finally recommended repair and enlargement of the organ, and stressed congregational singing. Old ways lingered, however, and the quar- tette and volunteer choir reached their height under the skill of Henry Wilson, a famous organist and choir director, who served from 1855 to 1877. He had great personal charm and talent, and made the music known all over New England.
Early expenses for music now seem slight: in 1836 only one hundred and fifty dollars for the choir leader and singing school. The depression of the 1870's was an utter calamity for the music, as the appropriation dwindled from two thousand dollars to only four hundred. A renewed interest sprang from the energy of William Ford Nichols, and the revival of ritual inspired by the Oxford Movement of 1833 and the study of English cathedrals. There was a longing for the "full-voiced choir" of men and boys, which thrilled even John Milton, the greatest of Puritans. In 1884 the Vestry permitted arrangements for such a choir at the after- noon and evening services, without extra expense to the parish. About two years later they voted to introduce a vested choir, which appeared in 1887. Some extreme conservatives grumbled, but the majority wanted it, and before long it appeared also at morning service.
The novelty was an instant success, and the throngs at services suggested the further innovation of free seats, and a more worthy organ, which came in 1889. Next year the old appropriation of two thousand dollars a year was restored.
A new era began in 1901, when Mr. Arthur Priest took charge of the organ and choir. He considered the time-honored rear gallery as a totally unsuitable place for a choir, and in 1909 suggested the chancel, with a tile floor to preserve the tone. Two years later the parish raised five hundred dollars to enlarge and strengthen the choir. Early in 1912 came the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the choir. It was an astonishing success, and revealed that hundreds of boys had come to the Church through the choir. The natural result was a Christ Church Choir Alumni Association, to preserve fellowship and encourage boys. to
THE RIGHT REVEREND WALTER HENRY GRAY, D.D. SECOND DEAN OF THE CATHEDRAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOP OF CONNECTICUT
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enter the ranks.
Far from discouraging musical progress, the war years from 1914 to 1918 witnessed many forward steps. In 1916 the parish provided a more convenient place for rehearsals, by making the old chapel into a choir room. Two years later began the custom of sending the choir boys every summer to Camp Washington near Bantam Lake, through the Choir Boys' Outing Fund. The parish makes a special effort to display its appreciation of their loyalty and interest, and the boys respond with a real and lasting affection for their work.
When the church became a cathedral, increased emphasis on en- riched services suggested a full-time direction of music, which Mr. Priest undertook in 1924. Soon the parish initiated plans to enlarge the organ, and in October, 1926 the present great organ was installed. The richly- toned and varied instrument was blessed at a special service on October 10, and four days later was formally opened with a recital by the great organist and composer, Doctor T. Tertius Noble of Saint Thomas's, New York.
On the evening of Ascension Day, 1932, the cathedral inaugurated the annual choir festivals for neighboring churches. Bishop Chauncey B. Brewster gave an address on the place of music in worship, and Mr. Priest directed the program, which inspired such enthusiasm that the festivals have continued. On May 21, 1939 came a great hymn festival, under the auspices of the Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The church was crowded to its utmost capacity, as choirs from churches of several communions poured through the aisles singing :
Crown Him the Lord of love: Behold His hands and side, Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified : No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his burning eye At mysteries so bright.
Mr. Priest's long service reaped its full recognition. In June, 1922, he was admitted as a fellow of the American Guild of Organists; and at the commencement of Trinity College he received the degree of Bachelor of Music. On All Saints' Day, 1922, the parish celebrated his twentieth anniversary. Under his direction the choir became so unusually fine that visitors frequently voiced their admiration, and many invita- tions came from neighboring parishes. He retired in 1939, and was succeeded by the present organist, Frederick Chapman, B. A., M. S. M.
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EDUCATION
Sunday Schools, as we know them, were unknown in the American Episcopal Church until about 1815. Their original intention was to instruct poor working children who could not attend school during the week. The Sunday School taught not only religion, but also reading, writing and other elementary subjects. As public schools spread over the land, it became strictly religious.
The movement penetrated Hartford in 1818, and Doctor Wain- wright took a keen personal interest in it. At first it was interdenomina- tional, under the auspices of the Hartford Sunday School Society, and there were four schools which met every Sunday at nine and half-past one, from April until October. Imagine Church School meeting twice on a scorching Sunday in August! The school at Christ Church prospered, and after about three years the interdenominational arrangement dis- solved and each church ran its own school. From that time the parish always had one, with teachers recruited from the congregation and in- cluding more men than today. There was a Sunday School library, stocked with good religious literature.
In early years the school closely followed the original English plan, with special provision for the poor. In 1819 there was a committee "to bring forward such poor and neglected children as are fit objects for the Sunday Charity School." The parish always tried to provide accom- modations and to cooperate with the rector in maintaining interest and support. Doctor Wheaton, an educator of high reputation, took a special interest in the school's welfare, and in 1828 was delighted to report that it was flourishing. The teachers used literature from the Sunday School Union, but stressed the Prayer Book and taught the children to take a prominent part in the service. The rector fondly believed that no school in the whole Church was "better organized, or conducted with more efficiency." But there was a most embarrassing lack of suitable books for higher classes, and the Sunday School Union was expected to provide them forthwith.
Doctor Burgess was not convinced that the school supplied all religious education. About 1835 he gave well attended Bible lectures throughout the year. Another of his ventures was the monthly mission- ary service. Growth of the school and other educational activities com- pelled the erection of a chapel. Doctor Burgess himself gave instruction in the catechism, and started a Sunday evening Bible class for young men, and a lecture at evening prayer on Wednesday. The youngsters turned out in droves, as he had a rare appeal to them.
As he left the school, so it remained through most of the century,
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with a tendency to decrease as the center of town became more and more devoted to business. A general feeling that the school was "slipping" aroused determination to regain lost ground through better organiza- tion, modern studies and methods, and trained teachers. That attitude made the school more prominent in the parish records, and when the Evangel appeared in 1905, its account of the school revealed strikingly modern features. Division into separate departments, with superin- tendents and other officers, was far advanced. Excepting the rector, who taught the Bible class, all the teachers were women. It was difficult to get men - and that also was modern. One recognizes many familiar customs: the carol service on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, the Christmas Festival on the evening of Holy Innocents' Day, and the special services at Easter. As the trolley car still flourished, the Sunday School Picnic was in glorious bloom. It has withered with the trolley's passing and the longing of the young for spicier recreation.
Teaching still was comparatively simple, based on the catechism as in Doctor Burgess's day. Modernism had not reached the point where parents would object to the catechism or the Ten Commandments as "indoctrination."* Improved methods were coming, fostered by the Teachers' Guild, which used to meet regularly for study and send dele- gates to the Diocesan Sunday School Convention. Modern emphasis upon worship, as part of the child's training, was much in evidence.
The pre-war years witnessed a steady and accelerating trend towards modernity, in establishment of the Home Department and Cradle Roll, graded Bible lessons, and a graded system of marking and rewards. In 1909 the Teachers' Guild joined the new Church Sunday School Teachers' Union of the Hartford Archdeaconry - forerunner of the Archdeaconry Division of Religious Education and its autumn teachers' institutes. Plays and pageants began to take an important and much enjoyed role in teaching. Conservatives gasped when it was decided to stage them in church, but most of the parish loved it and thronged to see the children perform.
A still greater innovation resounded in 1916, when the school hour was shifted from 12:30 P. M. to 9:30 A. M. There were forebodings of an immense drop in attendance, and at first there was a considerable one, followed by a gradual recovery as parents began to realize the advantage of sending children in the fresh hours of the day. The school made a greater effort to win parental interest, and the new parish house provided an attraction. It certainly increased efficiency, as classes could be con- centrated for worship and study.
The war and post-war era brought swift changes and much new
*This has been known to happen in a Hartford Church School.
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work. In 1918 came promotion of classes, teachers staying with the same grade year after year. This system and the normal classes greatly in- creased efficiency of instruction and made it easier to introduce the Christian Nurture Series, which with some modifications has been used ever since.
More than ever, the school strove to make children aware of their obligation to missions. In 1919 the pupils organized the Junior Auxiliary and prepared missionary boxes. Since that time boxes and other offer- ings have gone all over the world. An event of steadily growing im- portance was the annual mite-box presentation service at Ascension-tide. For some years delegations came from parishes throughout the diocese, and the great church was so thronged that a mere adult couldn't even get in. Later attendance was limited to the Hartford and Middlesex Archdeaconries.
The shift in emphasis from purely verbal to "active" learning brought a natural desire to emphasize the part of worship in teaching. One of the earliest steps, in 1920, was the girls' Sunday School Choir. The Woman's Guild made vestments, and on February 21 the girls appeared in church. It was an unqualified success, and next fall school began at a brief service in church, with singing led by the new choir. Soon parents were urged to attend the opening service with their child- ren and stay for an adult class in the Dean's office.
The Junior Choir started other new trains of thought, such as going to the Hartford Hospital to sing carols at Christmas. Another was the change of name to "Church School" in 1922, on the sound assumption that it is better to tie the school to the Church rather than to a day. The same tendency suggested a corporate Communion of confirmed pupils. The Junior Communicants' League soon became a permanent fixture, and the communion breakfasts a source of fellowship.
Efforts to increase attendance brought the Church School bus, making its rounds in the "North End." Many parents cheerfully sub- scribed for running expenses, as they became more aware of the school's influence upon their children's lives. A closer tie between school and parents was a keynote of the new era. The Little Helpers for under-age children brought mothers into fellowship, and parent-teacher meetings flourished after 1923. About that time began kindergarten sessions during the late service, to enable fathers and mothers of small children to attend church. The duplex envelope system not only trained pupils in regular giving, but made the home aware of missions. In 1925 visitors began to trace absentees, and from 1926 quarterly report cards went to parents. Two years later came the kindergarten parent-teacher meetings. By all these means the parish offset the decline due to removal of families
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to the suburbs and establishment of community schools. Most encourag- ing of all was the coming of many children who never had attended any church school.
So many changes made it difficult to recruit and train enough teachers. One way to impress the importance of a calling is to invest it with dignity, which the "green" teacher found in the solemn service of admission. A new plan in 1929 required larger classes, conducted by fewer but well trained teachers. The Christian Nurture Series continued, but with increased stress upon "teaching by doing," particularly in the primary grades and kindergarten, and the nursery group begun about 1935. The short play and pageant came in handy for older children, and the Church Missions Publishing Company helped by issuing many play- lets illustrating special seasons or aspects of Church life.
Increased emphasis on "active" instruction suggested the vacation school, begun in 1927. The teaching, informal and unsectarian, was given by volunteer workers in worship, stories, games, songs, drama and handi- craft. The school became so popular that later it met on five days a week for six weeks. It always has emphasized creative work in home econ- omics and handicraft. It is but one phase of a school which has become , more flexible and diversified, as intelligent and socially-conscious direction has seen the opportunities of a big parish house.
A startling development has been the attention to very young children, who formerly were regarded as almost hopeless. In 1927 began the "kindergarten-church," and in 1928 the southwest corner of the parish house lobby became a miniature chapel for the first three grades. A "Children's Corner" in the baptistery, furnished by donations and labor of Church School pupils and parishioners, became a vital part of church, with books, pictures, and simple Lenten services with music, prayers and story-telling. Children and their mothers soon fell into the habit of using the corner during the day, for reading and prayers.
The school also sought to prevent "leakage" of youth in the upper grades and the first year after confirmation - the dangerous age in religious life. In 1929 the parish organized a young people's Bible-study group, which helped the study program of the Young People's Fellow- ship in keeping youth from indifference. That year witnessed the appear- ance of a paper, the Church School Tower, written largely by pupils from news supplied by class reporters.
The elaborated program of the 1920's has gone through years of depression and war to the present day. Probably the greatest triumphs have been not the large enrollment and attendance, but the awakening of parental interest and the successful effort to revive family worship. Parents have learned the dangers of a life without religious direction.
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