USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > All Saints church, Worcester, Massachusetts ; a centennial history, 1835-1935 > Part 9
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On All Saints Day, 1914, Miss Elizabeth Hamilton Coe was set apart as deaconess, presently joining the Church staff, on which she served, with certain intermissions, with devotion and efficiency until nearly the close of 1933.
In the spring of 1914 the bishop wrote to Mr. Washburn, junior warden, that he personally believed in giving women the right or privilege of voting at parish meetings. Shortly thereafter the clerk of the Parish received a latter from Mrs. Samuel H. Colton enclosing a petition signed by eighteen women of the Parish, comprising virtually a plea for ecclesi- astical woman-suffrage. This agitation came at a fortunate
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time for the "suffragists," as a committee of five had been instructed, at the annual Parish meeting of 1914, to revise the by-laws of the Parish. By the simple omission of one word of four letters, the women of All Saints received the right to vote at Parish meetings, as the Parish adopted a wholly new set of by-laws at a special meeting on February 3, 1915. This new instrument included the committee's recommendations, which began the phrasing of Article II. Membership: "Any person of the age of twenty-one" etc., in place of "Any male person," in the previous wording. One hundred and three affirmative and no negative votes were recorded on a written ballot.
On Easter Day, 1914, 715 partook of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the largest number in our Parish history.
On March 5, Reverend Mr. Short resigned as assistant minister, to the universal regret of the Parish. His un- failing courtesy and patient devotion had endeared him deeply to us all. As a token of their high appreciation, his many friends reluctantly speeded his parting with a gift of $500.
The Wednesday Club celebrated its Fortieth Anniversary on March 8, 1916, having been founded in the year of our national centennial. Forty-six members were present at a reunion supper meeting in Sherer's restaurant, where letters were read from Bishop Davies, and Reverend Messrs. Short and Lauderburn. Up to 1913, the club had published a Lenten calendar, the issue of 1910 being a memorial to Dr. Huntington, and that of the year following to Bishop Vinton. At this "long" anniversary a memorial history was pre- pared, and a contribution made to the Worcester Window of the Huntington Memorial Chapel in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Early in 1917 petitions to the vestry were received from the Wednesday Club, the Fine Needlework Department, the Women's Missionary Society, and the Church Musical Club, suggesting that the new Parish House be dedicated as a memorial to Dr. Vinton, who had this enterprise particularly at heart, and used every effort to energize the
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LEWIS G. MORRIS Rector 1912-1920
Parish in this direction. At the annual Parish meeting it was voted that the auditorium on the second floor be designated as Vinton Memorial Hall.
In October an anonymous and unrestricted gift of $3,000 was voted by the vestry to be added to the Endowment Fund. Acting on the appeal of Bishop Perry, as an essential piece of war service, the women of the Parish contributed fifteen sets of linen to supply the portable altars provided for the field chaplains at the several army cantonments.
To the enthusiasm and perseverance of Dr. Morris, alone, is due the introduction of the free pew system, which today is taken for granted, but in 1918 was a lively and con- troversial issue. In a conservative old Parish like ours, it was difficult for the vestry or the Parish at large to take the rector's point of view: that all seats in God's house should be absolutely free, and that the idea of renting out sittings in His Holy Temple was unchristian and mercenary. And yet All Saints Parish had lived under this plan during seventy years, and it will be remembered that the premiums at the original sale of pews in the fabric of 1846 were a great factor in making the Pearl Street building possible. The two sides represented an honest difference of opinion on an essential question of church policy; no wonder that it was hard for the vestry to acquiesce. The campaign was opened by the rector in a long circular, sent to five hundred members of the Parish, to which he received only five replies. He pointed out with perfect justice that something must be done to correct the present system, which assumed that a current annual deficit, often reaching $3,000, was an unavoidable necessity. Eighty-seven per cent of our Episcopal churches, throughout the country, he claimed, had already adopted the free pew plan, and presently a big gun from Springfield boomed across the state in his favor, when it was announced, in a letter to a number of the vestry, that the leading parish of Christ Church had recently adopted free pews on trial and was delighted with the experiment. The result was that the vestry adopted the plan, effective for January 1, 1919, after ratification by the Parish at the annual meeting of
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1918. Today it is probable that nobody would vote to return to the old way.
The last year of the Great War witnessed the death of one of our stanchest and most devoted churchmen, Charles M. Bent, who departed from this life on May 17, at the age of eighty-two. His service of sixty-nine years is unparalleled in our history. A resolution from the vestry states, "He was a true Christian, a strong Churchman, a thorough gentle- man, and a faithful friend." As previously stated, we are particularly in his debt for his lucid and circumstantial narrative of the fire of Easter Tuesday, 1874, and the erection of the second All Saints; which invaluable contribution to our Parish records we have ventured to quote in extenso for this history.
Fittingly on All Saints Day a special commemoration ser- vice for Reverend Walton S. Danker, the first American chaplain to fall in the Great War, was held in All Saints Church. Addresses were delivered by Reverend Vincent E. Tomlinson, minister of the First Universalist Church, and a fellow townsman of Mr. Danker at Watertown, New York, and by Reverend Howard K. Bartow, volunteer chaplain at Fort Devens, and a fellow classmate at the Seminary.
Next year the Parish lost another loyal vestryman, Mr. William E. Rice, at the ripe age of eighty-six. "Senior member of this vestry, his term of office dated from 1870, when he occupied a pew in the old All Saints Church on Pearl Street. A personal friend of Dr. Huntington's and his loyal supporter, a member of the Building Committee when the new Church was erected, 1874-77, he contributed gener- ously toward that building, and likewise toward the recently added Parish House. . His sound judgment was valued by the Vestry upon many occasions. . . His standards were high and he loved the best things in life, in harmony with Christian ideals. He gave of his large means in aid of many good causes. Especially will he be remembered by All Saints Parish for his long continued interest in its behalf."
In memory of Dr. Vinton, the Wednesday Club made a notable gift to the Parish of five hundred hymnals, contain-
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ing a handsomely engraved bookplate designed by Miss Camilla G. Whitcomb, long a member of the club.
Reverend Edmund J. Lee was this year appointed to the staff of All Saints as our special missionary in China, at a salary of $2,000. He is stationed at Anking, a city of 100,000 some 600 miles up the Yangtze River. Mr. Lee had al- ready been attached to the China Mission for seventeen years.
"Archdeacon John H. Greig, of Worcester, England, con- ducted a Quiet Day (for the deaf and dumb) in All Saints, Worcester, Massachusetts. His sermon dealt with 'Condi- tions in England During the War, and the Effect of Such Conditions on the Church of Today and the Future.' "
While at All Saints, Archdeacon Greig said that an ex- change of amenities had been carried on for about eighty years between the two cities.
Built into the interior wall of our lower porch is an archi- tectural fragment taken from the Lady Chapel of the ancient Cathedral, the pride of Worcester, England, with an inscrip- tion to the effect that it was the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral, as a token of brotherly love and church unity.
This Lady Chapel, of which these bits of medieval orna- ment were a part, was built with the offerings of Pilgrims to the sepulchre of the saintly Bishop Wulfstan, who died in 1095. On completion of the great cathedral and its dedica- tion in 1218 his body was placed there in a Shrine.
The new decade of 1920 ushered in a communicant roll of 1,195, with 1,268 confirmed persons recorded, 84 baptisms, 72 confirmations, 32 marriages and 47 burials. Two hundred and twenty-two pupils and 26 teachers were enrolled in the Church School. The rector's salary was fixed at $5,500, with the rectory rent-free. The high (record) total of 783 persons communicated on Easter Day. The Annual Bazaar, held November 17 and 18, netted $1,311, to be applied to the debt on the Parish House.
On October 10, the rector accepted a call to Christ Church, Rochester. In addition to the following resolutions, a purse
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of $1,000 was presented to Dr. and Mrs. Morris "on behalf of every member of the Parish":
"In accepting Dr. Morris' resignation the Wardens and Vestry desire to extend every good wish for his success and happiness.
They desire to record their appreciation of his unselfish and untiring devotion to his work during the eight years of his service while Rector of this Parish.
"During his Rectorate the Parish House, a Fund for which was begun by Bishop Vinton, was erected and is proving a blessing to this large Parish, now numbering 3,000, with 1,300 Communicants; a Free Pew system was estab- lished.
"The Parish has shown a gratifying growth, the Services are well attended, and the departments of the Parish are left well organized-a tribute to his work among us."
During the summer of 1921, Reverend Henry Wise Hob- son, assistant minister of St. John's Church, Waterbury, Connecticut, accepted a call to succeed Dr. Morris as rector of All Saints, preaching his first sermon on September 3. Born in Denver May 16, 1891, he remained there till his father's death in 1898, after which he spent three years abroad with his family, living in Dresden during the winter, and traveling in summer. On their return to America, they moved to Colorado Springs, where they became affiliated with St. Stephen's Parish, from which young Henry became a postulant for holy orders.
At Yale, from which he graduated in 1914, he was a mem- ber of Psi Upsilon and Skull and Bones; he also was manager of the varsity crew. In the fall of 1916 he entered the Theo- logical Seminary in Cambridge, but left in March, 1917, before our actual entry into the Great War, to enlist in the army. The very first of the R. O. T. C. was his objective, and in August he was commissioned captain, serving first at Camp Funston, Kansas. Sent overseas in June of 1918, he was attached to the Toul Sector from August 4 to September 12, and was twice wounded at St. Mihiel; on October 8 he was gassed at Thiaucourt. Ten days after the Armistice he was invalided home, spending several weeks in various hos-
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pitals. "For extraordinary heroism in action near St. Mihiel" the Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to Major Hobson. Within ten minutes after the order to advance at 5 A.M. he was wounded in the shoulder and also in the leg. "Being in command of the assault, he continued to accompany and direct his command throughout the day, notwithstanding his wounds, which caused him great pain and difficulty of movement. At halts he had to be assisted to lie down and get up by his adjutant; nevertheless he remained on duty until 5 P.M., when the fighting for the day was over."
On May 4, 1918, Major Hobson was married to Edmonia Taylor Bryan, of St. Louis; their four children were born between December, 1919 and May, 1926.
In the Parish leaflet Mr. Hobson pays tribute to Mr. Short, who had again stepped into the breach and carried the Parish along in the recent interregnum: "He has been a true friend to all, thinking always of others and never of himself, and in his spirit of helpfulness ever following the example of our Master."
The wardens and vestry adopted a minute in regard to Mr. Short's service to the Parish :
"Once again the wardens and vestry desire to record their profound indebtedness to Reverend Charles L. Short, and the deep appreciation of All Saints Parish to him as Minister in Charge for the last eight months following Dr. Morris' resignation. Mr. Short served the Parish as Curate during a part of the Rectorship of the late Bishop Vinton, Bishop Davies and Dr. Morris. The Parish was most fortu- nate in having his services again from January I to Sep- tember I of this year.
"His untiring devotion to the interests of the Parish, his friendly sympathy, his forgetfulness of self, his thoughtful- ness of others, and his sweetness of spirit, have won for him a never to be forgotten place in the affections of the Parish, and have made it impossible to speak of the history of All Saints without thinking of him."
At the opening of Mr. Hobson's rectorship, the number of communicants was listed at 1,209; baptized persons, 2,153;
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confirmed persons, 1,323; 73 baptisms, 22 marriages, and 22 burials; 288 pupils and 38 teachers in the Church School. This latter organization the ambitious new rector evidently considered too small, compared with the number of com- municants; at any rate a vigorous campaign for new members was inaugurated under the competent direction of Rev. Charles C. Jatho (assistant minister, and the rector's Semi- nary classmate). In a few years the enrollment of the Church School was more than doubled.
At the annual All Saints Day Festival Service, Bishop Davies' decennial anniversary was celebrated by a gift of $1,500 from the Parish, and by the rendition, by the united choirs, of the familiar stately and impressive anthem "Souls of the Righteous," by T. Tertius Noble.
On December 4 died Henry Pratt Murray, parish clerk 1881-1904, and vestryman 1888-1921. "His was a highly useful life, typical of all that is best in New England char- acter. By those of us who met him daily, by those of us who saw him regularly at church, by those of us who met him intimately at vestry meetings, and enjoyed his friendship, he will be sadly missed. He was faithful in the performance of his duties. He became 'a pillar of the Church.' "
In 1922 the following women's organizations were listed: Parish Guild (a general steering committee) with 16 mem- bers, comprising chairmen of the several societies; Wednes- day Club, with 135; St. Barnabas Guild, with 74; Missionary Society, with 240; Fine Needlework Department, with 20; The Womens' Meetings, 44; Girls' Friendly Society, 125; Young Peoples' Society, 47; Hospitality Department, 115; Altar Society, 23; Church Musical Club, 130; Girl Scouts, 35; Church Periodicals Club, 80; Depository (later called Christian Social Service Work) 26 members. There were 18 Boy Scouts, and 42 members of the Sir Galahad Club.
At the annual Parish meeting in January, 1922, Mr. Frederick S. Pratt resigned as senior warden after twenty years' service in that capacity, to be succeeded by Mr. Charles G. Washburn. His place as junior warden was taken by Dr. Charles Lemuel Nichols. Miss Emma A. Pratt
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HENRY W. HOBSON Rector 1921-1930
(sister of Frederick S. Pratt), who died in the early spring of this year after a long life of devoted service to our Parish, left in her will a legacy of $5,000 to be added to the Church Endowment Fund, and to the reduction of the Parish House debt. So determined was the new rector to free the Church from financial obligations that he stimulated the first Easter offering of his rectorship to the remarkable sum of $30,210.
In November, 1923, the permanent endowment funds were thus itemized:
Harriet E. Bradley $5,000 Parish House Expenses
John R. Greene
1,000
Sunday School
General Endowment Funds 1,260
7,288
Holt Fund
300
Parish Library
Dewey Charity Fund
2,000
Poor of Parish
Theresa Huntington
1,000
Abbie C. Pratt
300
Children's Charity Foun- dation
1,509
Anonymous funds
3,000
Martha Hobbs
200
Maintaining Parish
House
Priscilla Hitchcock
1,000
Endowment
Emma S. Pratt
2,500
George S. Barton
2,000
Charlotte A. Fairman
1,000
Between the old Worcester and the new many friendly amenities have been exchanged, both religious and secular, during the past sixty years. On the occasion of the break- down of the organ in the Cathedral of Worcester, England, about this time, Mr. Hobson announced that $150 had been contributed by our citizens for its repair. In his acknowledg- ment, Reverend W. Moore Ede wrote in this wise from the English Deanery: "What we value even more than the money is the knowledge that the people of Worcester, Massachusetts, take an interest in Worcester, England, and that Church people in your Worcester recognize that there
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is a spiritual bond which binds them to the old Cathedral as a Mother Church."
At the annual Parish meeting this most welcome letter was read :
"February 7, 1923
" To the Wardens and Vestry of All Saints Church
"GENTLEMEN:
"As a Memorial to the late William Ellis Rice, his widow, his children and grandchildren, desire to present a new Organ to All Saints Church, and in their behalf I hereby make the offer of same, for your consideration and acceptance,
Very sincerely yours, LUCY D. RICE"
All members of the Parish present received this offer enthusiastically, gave a rising vote of thanks, and adopted the following minute: "It is with feelings of the deepest gratitude that the Parishioners of All Saints Church accept the generous offer of the wife, the children, and the grand- children of the late William Ellis Rice, for so many years a member of the vestry and a generous supporter of All Saints Church, beginning with the rectorship of William Reed Huntington."
The treasurer reported that the Parish had no bills, and a balance of $1,000 in the treasury.
John William Young died April 29, 1923, at the age of eighty. "One of the oldest and most faithful members of All Saints, he served many years as Lay Reader, Head Usher, and was in charge of the publication of The Parish when it was printed as a monthly. He was secretary of the Worcester Convocation for many years, and was constantly helping someone, listening without fail to the appeals of those in need or in trouble. Those who knew him are grateful for his life, and he will remain in the memories of his many friends as one who served our Master faithfully."
Appropriately on Armistice Day, 1923, were dedicated the four memorial tablets to the heroes from All Saints: Lieu- tenant Brayton Nichols, Sergeant Robert H. Hogg, Corporal Philip T. Whittle, and Gunner Theodore A. Southwick.
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On December 27 was presented a Christmas mystery play, under the direction of Mrs. Oscar P. Tabor, Jr. The rector assumed the part of the narrator, and Mrs. Katherine Pratt Shapleigh personated the "Spirit of Christianity."
The Church School Lenten services at 4:30 on Wednesdays developed as an essential feature of the observance of the penitential season. Great ingenuity and pains were be- stowed by the rector and Mr. Jatho on the central motive of these services (in 1923 the Mountain of the Law). A perfect replica of Mt. Sinai was made and placed in the chancel with incense smoke, realistic tablets of stone, golden calf, and every other detail carefully and beautifully worked out by Mr. Jatho; the attendance prizes were actual tablets of stone.
On May 5, 1924, the Parish was called upon to mourn the decease of Frederick Sumner Pratt, aged seventy-eight years. A Parish officer during a full half-century, he served as treasurer, 1868-1876; vestryman, 1883-1903; senior warden, 1903-1922. An accomplished artist, and a thoroughgoing Christian gentleman of modest and unassuming manners, he filled many important positions of trust and respon- sibility in business and social life. This simple tribute to one who loved simplicity is extracted from the Parish records: "The rare qualities of heart and mind which he manifested were without doubt an inheritance from his New England ancestry, and they are qualities which go far in these days of unrest. A man whose quiet influence for everything good impresses those who knew him more and more. He was always possessed with a fine firm and unswerving conviction, and a strong faith in the principles of the Church he served so well."
A beautifully carved oak chair was given, in memory of Henry Pratt Murray, by his wife and his sister, Mrs. Walter E. Bigelow. In the center of the back a replica of the Parish Record Book is placed, which was used for so many years by Mr. Murray as clerk of the Parish. On this book the following inscription is carved: "In memory of Henry Pratt Murray who for forty years, 1881-1921, served this
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Parish faithfully as clerk, vestryman, and trustee of the charity funds."
Two other Sanctuary Chairs, gifts of George Sumner Barton, and carved in richly storied symbolism related to the Cathedral Church of the old Worcester (England), were also dedicated on May 18, Bishop Davies officiating, together with the Memorial Organ, a tribute to the late William Ellis Rice, by members of his family.
The annual bazaar for 1924, under the general chairman- ship of Mrs. Leonard P. Kinnicutt, netted upwards of $2,000, with three hundred and ninety attending the chicken pie supper. A midnight celebration of the Holy Communion was held at II:30 P. M. on Christmas Eve.
Early in 1925, the Young People's Fellowship was organ- ized“ to promote fellowship, to make better Christians, and to be of service at all times." Hector B. Maclaren was chosen the first president, and Miss Irene M. Scudds, secretary.
The Silent Mission for the deaf and dumb had, for upwards of a generation, been an important adjunct of worship at All Saints Church, bringing untold blessing to many who would otherwise have been deprived of the comforting ministrations of public worship. In May, 1925, this depart- ment of service suffered a grievous loss in the death of Rever- end George H. Hefflon, who himself had lost his hearing early in life, but had devoted himself yet more assiduously to the Master's service by preparing himself for this special work. "Mr. Hefflon followed in the footsteps of Our Blessed Lord as a true Disciple, and faithfully followed His example in a tender and comforting ministry. Hundreds miss his ministrations, and are finding it hard to acquire a successor to carry on his work in the world of silence.
"It was an inspiration and an example to any Minister to see him conducting a Service for his silent congregation through the sign language. He was an expert in lip reading, and an outstanding leader in all matters pertaining to the Deaf. He devoted his whole life to his comrades."
At Christmastide the annual Chancel Mystery Play was presented, as usual under the expert and enthusiastic direc-
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tion of Mrs. Oscar P. Tabor, Jr. The regular recurrence of this reverent and inspiring spectacle, over a period of years, representing the Blessed Virgin, Joseph, the angels, the magi, shepherds and women of Bethlehem, has been a wellspring of spiritual comfort both for the congregations and the participants.
The year 1925 ended with 592 officers, teachers and pupils in the Church School. The Parish budget had now gradually risen to $51,319; $13,000 being needed for the general church program of the National Council (chiefly for missions, foreign and domestic).
A Memorial Sacristy for the use of the Altar Guild in All Saints, with a new steel safe adequately to store the Com- munion vessels, a large compartment for the hangings, and extensive drawer space for altar linens, etc., and elaborate sink and water facilities for Altar Guild work, have been given by Miss Eugenia Tiffany, in loving memory of Hannah Kerr Tiffany, Caroline Barnard Tiffany Smith, Susan Preston Player, and Hannah Tiffany Player.
The Wednesday Club celebrated its Golden Jubilee on March 8, 1926, having been founded in the fourteenth year of Dr. Huntington's rectorship. At the reception held during the evening, one of the founders of the club, Mrs. Charles Sumner Bird, of Walpole, was present, and also nine ex- presidents. On April 28 a reunion banquet was held in Vin- ton Hall, with Miss Sarah B. Hopkins as toastmistress, Mrs. Edwin M. Roberts chairman of the Banquet Committee, and Mrs. Arthur W. Richardson president of the club. Addresses were delivered by Bishop Davies and by the rector; Club History, Miss Camilla G. Whitcomb; The Exhibition, Miss Catherine M. Bent; Reminiscences, Mrs. Grace Whiting Myers; Prophecy, Mrs. Edwin M. Roberts. "Rus- sian Rambles" by the veteran scholar and translator, Miss Isabel F. Hapgood, concluded the evening. Among the recent activities of this much alive and useful body of churchwomen had been the purchase and distribution, among the Parish shut-ins, of the Life of Dr. Huntington.
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