USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Fiftieth anniversary service, First Friends Church : June 4, 1905 > Part 2
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the fact that there must come men and women who are still called of the Lord to answer His summons in every detail of life. Shall we forecast the future now? In the age of criticism which is to come, the remodeling of the institutions which are being built, the forcing upon hu- man society great hearts and great intellects which shall demand recognition in that reconstruction period, will there come from your families and from mine a single voice ? If one comes, it will be because we, too, have heard the Lord's call, and we have opened before the minds of the children the significance and the importance of stand- ing before Him as an exponent of salvation to men. My hope will be great if I find over this country that we turn back once more to the old Scotch idea, that upon our knees with one child we shall set him aside for the min- istry. It is the one great hope for us, and while I do not yet see them coming as I should love to, the beginning is with us who have children to rear. The foundations of this next half century are to be laid now by us who see with the curtain thrown back the need of the next generation.
I believe that the moral issues of the next fifty years will have more depth and power to them than those of the fifty years that have passed. Slavery was a cloud that overshadowed the whole nation, it is true, but I wonder if it was ever so serious after all, being sectional, as some of the questions which confront us. The question of morality in the great municipal governments of our coun- try, the questions of intemperance and vice and crime which flow out of these reckless institutions which are being builded, the great industrial war which is upon us, are graver and more ethical in their nature. He who is to be raised up as a prophet to see over these difficulties will be like one of the men of old. There must come to us vet a man with the searching, keen vision of Amos, who shall be a student of human affairs, and who shall have a voice that will pierce to the very heart of man. Along with him must come one whose spirit shall be as gentle as that of a mother, who will weep with his people, who will crush and yet love and sympathize like Hosea. Then, after all, must come one who shall have great con-
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stitutional vision, like that of Isaiah, who shall forecast the generations of the world. If God was able to raise up such men in the times which are past, do we believe that His arm is shortened and that He is unable to raise up men for the future? In that period of Hosea and Amos, city life had come for the first time upon the Jews, and in it were some of the identical elements that are in our problems to-day. The classes were warring, but not to the extent we are. Immorality and intemperance were rife, but not so extensive, after all, as in our own period. There are rising here and there to-day men who are prophets. The reconstructive period is beginning in moral and spiritual things, and out of it I believe will come a finer temper of spiritual life and social adjustment than has ever been seen in the human race. My faith is that He who watches over the destinies of the people is still with them marching toward victory. But, my friends, I believe that the same Redeemer whom we found at an humble altar, to whom we confessed our sins and acknowl- edged Him as Lord, will be the power which shall save us yet in the future. All the tide of life must be poured into the individual until he is redeemed, and the reflex current which flows out from these lives will be the salvation of society.
Let me counsel with you, that your ideals, though they be larger than those of our fathers; that your thoughts, though they be vastly greater than those of a generation ago, shall yet enshrine Him as Lord. There have come no others in two thousand years who can cancel sin and let a man go free. Of all the prophets and all the philos- ophies that have come, outside of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, none has ever taken away a single iota of sin or guilt; but from heaven above He has come, and He is mighty to save. I believe that as our Christianity en- larges and we see things differently than our fathers, yet we shall see Him standing above all the storms of the ages calling us to come. I must not fail to counsel you, my friends, for I feel it my privilege, that the sacred altar fires of the spiritual life must never be allowed to die upon your family altars. May the flame burn there as it did upon the old Roman citadel, that every man
Rev. LEVI REES.
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who comes by shall know that this is a house dedicated to the Lord. Here lies the hope of the future, the salva- tion of man and the triumph of the church.
But, in conclusion, let me say, though our fathers are gone and the prophets do not live forever, yet I think they stand this morning upon the battlements of heaven asking you and me to stand with them, that we in this day shall triumph as they did in theirs. With the splen- did heritage which they have left, we would be cowards if we did not rise in the power of His might and strike off the shackles of sin and evil that are everywhere. Though it costs much, let us be true to Him. Though men turn from us and refuse to give us the honor we de- serve, let us tell that simple message, that the men and women of the future shall know that the Redeemer still lives. I believe that if America is to be saved, it shall be saved through the spirit of Jesus Christ, as you and I have been saved, and if once there shall come the social ad- justments which we so much need, they will come because we are clear-minded and sane enough to see that the hour which demands our services will be given power from Him who rules over us. If one voice comes out of the past more than another, it is that voice which says, "I, if I be lifted up, shall draw all men unto me."
You are aware of your own personal triumphs, and how, as you have trusted Him and been true to the narrow way in which He leads you, you have been led out into paths of usefulness and power. Just as you and I have denied ourselves, and have chosen to walk the hard way in the beginning, so He has walked with us on the path- We way of life He has stood by us in every conflict. would not expect to conquer for righteousness without the expenditure of some energy. We would not hope to be triumphant in the future unless our lives were crowded full of perplexing problems. That man who is of value to your church and community and city to-day is the man who has emerged out of enumerable difficulties and stands master over them all with a clear conception that Jesus is still able to lead in this age. He who could give counsel to the disciples who were with Him cen- turies ago ; He can speak to you and me now, and lift us
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up until we shall see that in the new age that shall be we shall stand with the men and women who have conquered. Let it cost what it will.
"Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide." And you and I will be brave enough this morn- ing, we will be heroic enough, to say that "Righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters do the sea," by what we may do for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
It is with much hope and with some fears that I look out over the future of Quakerism. I know what has been accomplished, and that it was accomplished because the Redeemer was so profoundly enshrined in the hearts of men that their lives were His life and their thoughts be- came His thoughts and their social movements in the world were the social movements of God. If such shall be the hope and thought and aspiration of the future, our future is as clear as the light of morning. But if, my friends, we have come to the stage where sacrifice is too great, to that moment where endeavor seems to call for too much, if there are not some men and women who will follow the call to stand in the humble places and yet speak for Him, our future is not secure. We know that great spiritual peoples of the past have lost their mes- sage and no more do they speak to the world. I believe they lost it because they forgot God. We may need some one to rise and write for us, "lest we forget," that Jesus yet is Lord.
My friends, I hope to see in the twenty or thirty years that will be allotted to the most of us the most splendid triumphs of spiritual life that this great country has known, and I hope to see standing beside the other insti- tutions of religous life the Friends Church. Oh, I should love to see it foremost, even. I should love to see it strik- ing into the roots of human society as it has done in the past, and out of it all coming that emancipation spirit which shall free us from the sins of individual and social life.
Lastly, may this church, dear to me, glorious in its manifestation in the few years which I was with you, strong and vigorous for Him, be more so in the years that
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are to come. If we were permitted under His care to rise just a little toward the glory of the coming Kingdom, may you in the years to come be swept up by the great current of His power close to His bosom. These memories must linger here until we have been laid in the grave. These forces have entered into all of our lives, and they must tell their story over and over for a hundred years.
Chorus, "Hymn of Gratitude."
"We will wait just a moment before our service closes, if any one feels that he has a remark or a word of prayer."
Prayer, Emaline Tuttle.
"We thank Thee, our Father, for the message that Thou hast given to the church in the past. We thank Thee for those who have gone on before and are sitting in the King- dom of Heaven with our Lord. We thank Thee for all they did for the church; but we desire, dear Father, not to worship them, but to worship Thee and Thy dear Son, our Christ. We ask, oh Lord, that Thou wilt pour in upon us light, understanding and wisdom, that we may do our duty as well as they did it in the past, and may we always know the message that Thou art giving and hast given to the church, and may we never lose it. We realize that it is through unfaithfulness that any church or any individual loses the message. Dear Father, may the young people and the middle aged people of this time, and all of them, know what the present message is, and may we be able to tell it in the years that are to come with greater power and greater earnestness and clearer vision than it has ever been told before. We ask espe- cially that Thy presence, Thy power and Thy glory may be manifested in Indianapolis, that it may shine out to oth- ers, and that they may be able to walk with the Lord be- cause of the light which comes from this church. Oh Lord, may we sink out of self and into Christ. May we know no will but Thine. May we all be able and willing to suffer just as thou shalt lead us, and, oh Lord, we pray that Thou wilt reveal to the young people the beauty and the grandure and the glory there is in sacrifice for the building up of Thy Kingdom and the redemption of
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men and women in the earth. It is a beautiful work, and we thank Thee and praise Thy ever-blessed name that Thou art always, and always hast been, the leader of Thy people. We pray that this church may put its hand in Thy hand and be led by Thee, and that Thou wilt call out the young men and the young women and anoint them afresh, that they may see clearly the way that Thou wouldst have them go, and that they may become stronger and stronger in the Lord.
"Let Thy blessing rest upon every branch of the church. We pray special blessing may rest with those ministers that are before Thee to-day. Oh Lord, anoint their heads afresh, we pray Thee, but grant to all that power and unction to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now, dear Father, bless each one of us, we ask, in Jesus' name. Amen."
Hymn, "Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name, We Raise with One Accord Our Hearty Hymn of Praise."
Prayer, Thomas Brown.
"We thank Thee for the witness of Thy presence this hour, for the touch of Thy Holy Spirit. We thank Thee for the inspiration that has come to us through this serv- ice. Now, as we separate, may this same sweetness abide on our hearts.
"Dismiss us with Thy benediction, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen."
EVENING SERVICE, 7:45.
Vountary.
Hymn, "Come Sound His Praises."
Scripture reading, forty-sixth Pslam.
Anthem, "How Amiable are Thy Dwellings."
Prayer, Albert J. Brown.
"Great God, our Father, who hast been our dwelling place in all generations, let us approach Thee this evening in the attitude of prayer and worship. Unto Thee, our
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God, we ascribe praise and glory, for out of the bounty of Thy store-house there has come to our hearts the food which has helped us. Lord God of all generations, Thou whose battleline has been flung out far over the nations of the earth, hear us as we pray to Thee for grace and mercy. Thou hast builded beside all waters, and hast laid founda- tions deep in the hearts of men. May we not share of that spirit to-night in the outlook for another half century of power through the name of the Lord? To those who are here to-night, and to those who share the burden of re- sponsibility, grant that Thy mercy and Thy leadership shall be clear. The fathers and the mothers who have born sons and daughters here in this household of faith, may they not be forgotten, our Father ; and those who are here and have been with us from the beginning of this church's history, God grant that their last days shall be full of glory, and when the end comes may it be light in the evening. They have stood through many a conflict and though few indeed, yet their voices ring out with the same inspiration of years ago, and they say, may the Lord bless us yet. For the children whose lives are to be builded into this institution, we pray that great wisdom and an abundant outflow of Thy life into their hearts. May they be strong and stalwart, having as many eyes to see as there are hopes and ambitions in life, to conquer through the name of Jesus Christ. God grant that over all of our lives Thou shalt keep watch, night and day, un- til the journey is over, and, when once it has been finished, oh permit us to sit down with Thee in Thy throne to dwell there forever, by the grace of our Savior. Amen."
Trio, "I Have Surely Built Thee an House."
(Remarks by the pastor.)
"One of the very interesting exercises for this anni- versary service is the reading of the historical review of the organization, growth and development of this church. This 'Historical Review' will be read to us by Elizabeth Cox."
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HISTORICAL REVIEW.
ELIZABETH HARVEY COX.
To those who have been members of this meeting only a few years this celebration is one of pleasure only. To the few who are left of the old-time members of Delaware Street Meeting it is an occasion filled with sadness, more than joy. Many of those whom we revered, whose as- sistance seemed so necessary, and to whom the church owes its very existence, have gone to their eternal home. To many of you the names of the former members, even of some who have been gone but a few years, are strange. In giving this history as accurately as I have been able to gather it, I have tried to omit names of all who are living, except of those who were here during the earliest period-that included in the first twenty-five years' his- tory. The next historian may name those of this day, who prove worthy, in the next quarter of a century.
Though we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of Friends Meeting in Indianapolis, we must go back at least seventy years to give a complete his- tory.
In 1834, when the first Friends, Jacob S. Willets and Robert R. Underhill, with their families, moved here from New York, our city was a village of about 1,200 people- not many more than the present membership of our monthly meeting. Even twenty years later, Plainfield, which grew to be such a strong Quaker settlement, had no Friends meeting, and the present location of our church seemed far in the country forty years later.
These Friends were soon followed by Hugh and Sarah Smith from Cincinnati; Mary White, Sarah Weaver and their families, John Reeve and family, from New Jersey. These, with a few others, requested Fairfield Monthly Meeting to grant an indulged meeting, to be held in In- dianapolis, which was done on September 15th, 1836. This meeting, under the care of a committee from the Monthly Meeting which granted it, was held in a small frame house just north of the Second Presbyterian Church. As some of the Friends moved away, and other discouragements
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came, this meeting was discontinued after an existence of two and one-half years. The few Friends left still con- tinued to meet in each others homes; one of these homes, that of Robert R. Underhill, stood on the site of the pres- ent Shortridge High School, and was a large brick resi- dence, afterward a part of the high school building, where many of us attended school.
William Hadley, to whom we are indebted for a short written history of the first twenty-five years of our Meet- ing, and his wife Hannah, began attending these Meetings in 1853, when there were only five or six in attendance, and continued until death called them. As a rule, there was no preaching, silent meetings lasting an hour, a quiet hand-shaking and parting.
In 1854, Robert Underhill left for a long visit to his old New York home, and the meetings were held with William and Hannah Hadley, on North Pennsylvania street. At this time there were several valued accessions, amongst them John and Mary Carter. Of all the charter members, Mary Carter is the only one still with us, Horace Hadley, one of the charter members, having died a few weeks ago. Alfred Johnson, of Richmond, another charter member, is with us to-night.
Soon the members increased beyond the capacity of the Hadley home, and a building at 426 North Pennsylvania street, occupied as a church by the English Lutherans, was rented. There was no minister amongst them, but frequently ministers from other meetings visited them. About this time Thomas and Hannah Pearson, the latter a minister, from Lockport, New York, came into the meet- ing and added greatly to its life.
In May, 1855, a request was made of Fairfield Monthly Meeting that Indianapolis have an established meeting. This was granted in September, 1855. It is the golden anniversary of this established meeting which we are cele- brating this year. As the city grew and the business in- terests increased, Friends became more numerous, and it was dsirable to have a permanent home for worship. There were no wealthy members; in fact, most of them were comparatively poor. With the courage born of their feeling that they were in the right, these few people com-
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bined their business and executive ability, and giving the Lord credit for helping them devise plans, they began to seek a location for the church.
The sentiment at that time was that the churches should be around the Circle, or at least no farther north than University Square, but after carefully canvassing the sit- uation, Friends decided to break away from this idea and finally bought the triangle of ground between Delaware and St. Clair streets and. Fort Wayne avenue, paying for it $2,800.00. The Friends interested agreed to divide this land, reserving the best lot, 100 feet square, on the corner of St. Clair and Delaware streets, for the church, sell the remainder to the different members for homes at sufficient profit to pay for the church lot and leave a few hundred dollars as a nucleus for the building fund. Lacking about $3,000.00 necessary to carry out their plans for a house suitable for public meetings and large enough to accom- modate the growing congregation for years to come, Jon- athan Owens, William Hadley and perhaps others were sent to ask aid of the neighboring Quarterly Meetings. The usual plan of Friends Meeting houses was a low, one-story building, twice as long as wide, with a movable partition in the middle to separate the men and women during business meetings. Therefore, while they met with a de- gree of success in some meetings, others sharply censured them for attempting to erect a two-story building fur- nished with seats with closed backs and ends-pews, as some called them. It looked too pretentious to accord with some Friends' ideas, and yet twenty-five years later appeared very plain, and the seats so straight and uncomfortable, became the source of much complaint.
Let me quote in regard to asking this aid from William Hadley. He said :
"I remember of having presented the subject to a very large Quarterly Meeting, as I thought, in a very impres- sive manner, and the subscription was being entered into freely and liberally, when, suddenly, the good work was stopped by a Friend who wanted to ask a few questions about the kind of house we were proposing to build. I answered as best I could, but failed to convince his judg- ment of the necessity of such a house, the like of which
Rev. THOMAS C. BROWN.
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was unknown anywhere amongst the Society of Friends. I went away from that meeting meditating upon the folly of our undertaking, half inclined to go home and change the plan so as to conform to the common custom. Find- ing a change would unsettle the minds of our Friends at home, we were the more determined to adhere to it. Some of the Friends increased their subscriptions, and some ad- ditional funds were obtained from other sources, and, fin- ally, the requisite amount was reached and the contract let."
The building being promptly finished, the first service was held in December, 1856, conducted by Eleazer Bales, a noted minister of Plainfield, who dedicated the build- ing to the Lord, free from incumbrance. Glad were those Friends, who now had a building which would serve not only for their own use, but for public meetings of the traveling Friends, who were numerous. Before this it had been necessary, either to ask for the use of some other church, or to fail in providing a place for the meetings of the traveling ministers, and the embarrssment was deeply felt in either case.
The growth of the church has been gradual. In 1859, when the Indianapolis meeting was made a part of Bridge- port Monthly Meeting, the membership was fifty-seven. In 1865, when Indianapolis was granted its own monthly meeting, the enrollment was 150. Twenty years later it was about 500, and when the old house was given up the membership was 600. The number in the Monthly Meet- ing when the last record was made in July, 1904, was 991. The accessions since bring the total to about 1,050.
Following the efficient labors of Hannah Pearson in the ministry, came David and Hannah Tatum, who were here most of the time from 1858 to 1866. James Trueblood. came here with his family in 1862, and from this time, his wife, Jane Trueblood, an English woman, was one of the most faithful ministers of the meeting, as well as one of the greatest charity workers, for at least thirty years.
In those days, ministers of the Gospel were not so hard to secure as at present; at least, our meeting at times had several able ones at the same time. In 1864 came James and Sarah Smith, the latter also an English wom-
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an, very gifted as a minister as well as in many other ways. Two years later, in 1866, Enos G. Pray and his family took up their residence here. He had been recog- nized as an eloquent speaker at Indiana Yearly Meeting, on public days, and drew many of our citizens to hear him. Others, who have lived here and taken part as min- isters in the regular meetings before a pastor was regu- larly employed, were Barnabas C. Hobbs, who lived here several years; Calvin W. Pritchard, Drusilla Wilson, Wil- liam S. Wooten, Anna Mills, John Stanton, James Adams and J. J. Mills. Seven ministers have been recorded as such by our meeting.
Seldom since the very early days, when the meetings were held in the houses, has there been a silent meeting. If no preaching, there was prayer or singing. Sometimes we had but one minister, but oftener a half dozen. The day of the great revivalist and the traveling minister and Friends seems to have passed away.
Until the year 1888, we had no regularly employed pas- tor. In that year, Levi Rees came in response to a call of our meeting, and was with us between four and five years. It was during his services, and much to his ef- forts, that the Young Peoples Christian Endeavor was formed. Following him, Thomas Brown was called. He also was with us about five years, the last pastor of the old church and the first of the new. Following him came Albert J. Brown, in 1897. He was our pastor for five years, being here during the sessions of the Five Years' Congress of Friends, both that of 1897 and also that of 1902. Morton C. Pearson, the present pastor, began his services in 1903.
It has always been true that wherever Friends settled they immediately established schools. In this city, prev- ious to about 1867, the public schools were inferior, so that Friends preferred private schools. For a time Han- nah Hadley taught her own children and others at her home. Sarah Smith, one of our charter members, main- tained a private school in her own home, corner of Mar- ket and Alabama streets, during the '50s, '60s and '70s, which was well patronized by the best citizens. There was also a private academy conducted by Thomas Charles and
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