USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Essex > Congregational Church and Parish, Essex, Massachusetts : two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, 1683-1933 > Part 2
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It is indeed notable that seven men from this God fearing church were preaching at the same time in their own parishes in this last half century. They were Thomas Sewall, Michael Burnham, D.D., David Otis Mears, D.D., author of "The Deathless Book," Washing- ton Choate, D.D., Warren F. Low, Edward Norton, and David Elmer Burnham. It was a vital church life that produced such a result amongst its young men.
We are glad to count today Mrs. David O. Mears as one of us. Always appreciative of her beloved husband's spiritual home, she has helped generously with this celebration.
This church has been blessed with the service of noble deacons, real deacons in spirit and in truth. It often occurs to the speaker that a deacon has a more difficult office to sustain in a community than any other officer of the church. Certainly, the deacon's office is honorable in its opportunity of witnessing to the faith. In 1888, there were Deacons Caleb Cogswell and Caleb S. Gage, Francis Goodhue and David L. Haskell. Leonard Burnham removed to Glou- cester where he was for fifty years honored deacon in Trinity Con- gregational Church of that city. Since 1888, there have been Gardner
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Burnham, Reuben Morris, D. Choate Cogswell, and our present board: Caleb M. Cogswell, Lyman D. Low, Benjamin Frank Ray- mond, Leonard A. Story. In these last fifty years there have been but three church treasurers: Mrs. Mary C. Osgood, Alice P. Burn- ham, John F. Barr; and but two clerks: Rufus Choate and Leonard A. Story.
Our two hundredth anniversary was observed with scholarly epoch marking speeches which, happily, were preserved in print. This volume, which is accessible to all who wish a copy, is well worth the careful study of every one, especially of the younger folk. This two hundredth anniversary book gives the best possible idea of the work and ideals to which we are privileged to have fallen heir. We shall not try to cover its ground today. That would be superfluous. It records the illuminating prayer of Professor E. A. Park, D.D., of Andover, the scholarly addresses of Professor E. P. Crowell, Ph.D., of Amherst College, son of Dr. Robert Crowell, sixth pastor of this church. It contains Rev. Dr. H. M. Dexter's discerning sketch of John Wise. Dr. Dexter was the acknowledged historian for the denomination at that time. Therein is the anniversary sermon by Rev. Dr. Frank H. Palmer, together with letters and copies of im- portant historical compacts and covenants.
It is a great privilege to have at this day's two hundred and fiftieth celebration one of the members of the committee that planned that notable celebration fifty years ago; namely, Mrs. William Choate.
The "History of Essex" written by Dr. Robert Crowell, and well known to the adult members of the church, is also valuable for the light which it throws upon the influence of this church in town, state, and nation through the lives of those who found their Christian instruction, inspiration, and principles here. Brain and culture and Christian influence has gone out from this town and this church into many walks of life. Dr. Crowell says that eight states of the union sent men to Congress, whose origin was in Essex. The name of Rufus Choate, born here in 1819, is still nationally known as that of a master of jurisprudence. It is to be noted that the members of this church have the thorough respect of the town and have often been called upon to hold town offices. Deacon Caleb M. Cogswell, for instance, is just completing seven terms as assessor, a period of twenty one years.
We have now to tell the interesting story of another half hun- dred years. It will be different than that of the first two centuries for the times were different though the spirit of devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ was the same. Let it be the story of the church's activity as it is found for the most part in the official church records.
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They are significant of continued fine and faithful service for the Kingdom of God in our community and in the denomination both at home and abroad.
This loyal-hearted people has done its part well, generation by generation. The children of the fathers have continued to carry on their trust with gladness and devotion.
It is interesting to find that the membership of the church has remained fairly even. In 1889 there were 137 members; 37 men, 100 women; and today there are 134 members; 46 men, 88 women. This is really remarkable when we remember that the trend through these years has been intensely cityward. Sons and daughters of this church are found in other churches far and wide, and where they are found, they are active in church support. Dr. Francis E. Clark, founder of the Y. P. S. C. E., often referred to the great help Choate Burnham had been to him as one of the deacons in his church in South Boston, Massachusetts. Deacon Burnham was the son of Dea- con Samuel Burnham, and joined the church in 1839.
The path of this last half century runs through the time of the so-called "Andover Controversy," a theological discussion that shook the churches of America and sharply divided all ministers. It runs through the years of complacent serenity just before the World War. It goes through the excited and anxious times of that great war with their emergency measures, particularly the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment, that great national measure of moral and industrial safety for the working man of America. The path follows through the days of reconstruction, the period of great wealth and business inflations, and on into the reactions and difficulties of this present day. This church has played its part faithfully and efficiently throughout this time, adapting itself well to its call to serve, under all of these varying and trying conditions.
It is very interesting to make a summary of its activities here at home and in the fellowship of the churches.
Those, who were baptized in the first half of this fifty-year period, are now efficient helpers in the church and parish today. Many of those who were received into membership as young people a quarter of a century ago are the mainstays of our church life here in 1933.
Deacon Story well says, "The Christian Endeavor Society, formed in 1884, has furnished the training for the efficient workers in the church today and for the last twenty years."
In the year 1888 this church shared in the ordination of Sherrod Soule at the Dane Street Church, Beverly. He is now the beloved
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Home Missionary Superintendent for the State of Connecticut, and is a figure well known to almost all Congregationalists.
The examining committee, originated in this year, consisted of Gardiner Burnham, Caleb Low, Jr., D. B. Burnham, Mrs. Temple Cutler, Mrs. Hervey Burnham. This committee confers with those who wish to unite with the church, and makes the recommendation for their admission to membership.
The method used for missionary support in 1888 was to select four benevolence objects and contribute to each one on a special Sunday. The objects that year were The American Board, The Home Missionary Society, The American Missionary Association, and a fourth society which was "left to the discretion of the pastor."
The first Sunday in May 1889 brought a change in the time of the morning service to 10:30. The two o'clock afternoon service was put in "the early evening at such an hour as the pastor shall appoint." This year too repairs were made on the church property, which is always carefully kept in condition.
It was voted to observe the week of prayer as usual in 1890. and to get new hymn books "suitable for Congregational singing," with responsive readings included. Rufus Choate, the pastor, and William C. Choate were the committee who chose the book; i.e., "Christian Praise." The pastor was also authorized to arrange with an evangelist, Mr. Underwood, for meetings in December. This year of 1890 saw no deaths among the members of the church.
A supper was arranged for the first time in 1891 for the annual church meeting. The adult members only were invited and one hundred and twelve attended, nearly seventy five per cent of the total membership.
A January Thursday in 1893 was spent as a day of humiliation and prayer with public religious services forenoon and afternoon. This year a resolution was passed against the opening of the doors of the Chicago Exposition on Sunday and was sent to William Cogs- well, representative in Congress from this district. Caleb M. Cogs- well was elected deacon.
Upon October 8 the one hundredth anniversary of the dedica- tion of the church building was celebrated. The sermon preached by Rev. John Cleaveland at that time was preached again with great interest at this rededication. This sermon is kept at the Essex Institute in Salem. There was an historical address in the afternoon of the day by Rufus Choate, another by Rev. Mr. Cutler, and tunes of the olden time were sung under the leadership of Mr. Sanger. They were "sung with great spirit by a large choir."
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The hour for the communion service was changed to 2.30 P. M. in 1894, and on March 4 a remarkably large number of persons united with the church on confession of their faith: Maidee P. Pol- leys, Josephine G. Story, Abbie F. Low, Addie B. Hobbs, Winifred Burnham, Ruby M. Adams, Lillian E. Story, Annie F. Cogswell, Mary E. Story, Florence J. Owens, Mattie C. Low, Annie S. Mears, Leonard A. Story, Francelia Story. This ingathering was the result of marked religious interest during the summer and early fall, es- pecially in the Y. P. S. C. E. These persons are today among the mainstays of the church. The church this year also took part in the ordination of Warren F. Low at Holbrook, Massachusetts.
The Y. P. S. C. E. was asked in 1895 to report, for the first time, at the annual church meeting, and the clerk of the church was added to the membership of the examining committee. A purse of $90 was given to Rev. Temple Cutler, as a token of esteem, upon his retirement from the pastorate. A resolution was passed rejecting "The Andover Theology," and it was also voted to choose only a "pastor who is in sympathy with our theological and religious belief." The church purchased the "Blakesley Lessons" for the Sunday School and the "Congregational Hand Book" for use in the prayer meeting.
There was special religious interest again during October 1897. J. P. Hainer, evangelist from Boston, and the pastor were busy hold- ing special meetings. It was in this year that the whole congregation was invited to meet with the church at its annual supper. A new auditor, Deacon David L. Haskell, was chosen, and it was voted to have the organ played at the communion service.
Six collections for benevolence objects were voted in 1900. It was also provided that the collections for these missionary societies should be taken after the sermon, the usual offering to be made at the regular time in the morning service. A new committee, a mis- sionary committee, was created. It was in this year that the church was called upon to mourn the sudden death of its new pastor, Lyman H. Blake. Rev. E. H. Byington asked this church to share in his installation at Dane Street Church, Beverly. Dr. Byington is now professor of homiletics at Gordon College, Boston.
The church contributed $5 in 1902, in co-operation with other Congregational Churches of America, toward making the church at Gainesboro, England, a memorial church to John Robinson. It also gave a like sum the next year to the Church of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts, as a memorial to the Pilgrim Fathers.
Individual communion cups were adopted on May 31, 1903. The pastor, Deacon Cogswell, and Mrs. Caleb Low were the com- mittee for this important change. Seven years later, the old fine silver communion service was loaned to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and is here in the church today. This service consists of two
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two-handled silver cups inscribed, "Ipswich Second Church 1732"; a chalice inscribed, "C. C. 1712"; a silver can inscribed, "Legacy of Mr. William Cogswell to the Fourth Church in Ipswich"; and two pewter flagons inscribed respectively, "Given by Miriam Choate 1842," "Given by Abigail Cogswell 1842." Permission has recently been granted to have one of these cups photographed for illustration in a monograph on the work of Jeremiah Dummer.
The church petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature in 1894 to pass an order against licensing entertainments on the Lord's Day.
The Women's Missionary Society, Mrs. Gardner Burnham, President, was formed in this year, and has kept alive the missionary zeal of the church ever since by its fine methods of obtaining mis- sionary information, and by providing speakers upon missionary topics. The uniform success of the Every Member Canvass, year by year, is one of the fruits of the valuable service of this organiza- tion.
The church building was rededicated October 25, 1905 after extensive repairs including repainting and frescoing. The financial statement at this time was made by Herbert P. Andrews. He reported the cost of the work to have been $1800. Upon November 13 a union Thanksgiving service was held.
Two years later, the Seamen's Friend Society was included in the list of the church benevolence. In 1909, $50 was given to a member "in the hour of bereavement as a token of sympathy." It received the gift of alms basins from Mary A. Cogswell April 13 in memory of her father, Caleb S. Gage.
Legacies received from time to time show the deep love of our people for their church. These have been kept as special funds. There is the Abigail Dodge Fund, on record before 1880. Five hun- dred dollars of this was used on October 23, 1883 for printing the memorial volume of the exercises of the two hundredth anniversary. There is also the Adoniram Story Fund, a legacy in 1890 of $500; the Francis Burnham Fund, now of $500; the David Choate Fund, a legacy of $500 received on July 5, 1916, whose interest only is to be used. This legacy was transmitted to the church by Miss Susan E. Choate and Mr. William Chapple, executors. The Caroline Burnham Fund is a legacy of $100 received in 1905. There was the gift of $100 in Liberty Bonds received in 1917 from Mrs. William H. Andrews. This has been used. The Sophronia M. Low Fund of $1000 was given in memory of Mathilda B. Low and her grand- daughter, Mrs. Hannah Choate Marshall. One half of this fund has been used as a memorial, in the present redecoration of our audi- torium. There is also a legacy of $500 received in 1925 from Charles A. Choate.
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The parish also has three funds; i.e., the Hope Fund of $500; the Burnham Fund of $500; the Cogswell Gage Fund of $250. The Sunday School, too, has one of $100.
It is interesting to see the movement toward the weekly en- velope system for regular church and misisonary support begin in 1909. It was voted then to purchase envelopes "for such as desire to use them in the taking of the collection in the church."
There were one hundred and forty at the roll call supper in 1910, and $25 was given to celebrate the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Dr. Cutler. Ten dollars was given to help the expenses of the meeting of our own benevolence societies in Boston in October of that year. Evidence of church fraternizing is seen in the gift of $35 to the Methodist Church to assist it in remodelling its place of wor- ship.
The apportionment plan, as proposed by the denomination, was adopted in 1911 with a promise to endeavor to raise $200. It was in this year that Mr. Cutler gave his valuable library as a nucleus for a larger church library. The three hundredth anniversary of the printing of the King James version of the Bible was observed this year.
The year of 1912 found the church taking part, by delegates, in the ordination of five young men to the foreign missionary field at the Tabernacle Church in Salem. Fifty dollars was given to the pastor's wife "in sympathy for her in her illness," and hearty thanks was voted to Rufus Choate for his fine service through thirty-eight years as clerk of the church. Leonard A. Story was chosen in his place.
There are echoes of the great Salem fire in 1914 in the gift from the church of $50, on the nineteenth of July, "for the fire suf- ferers in Salem." And this year we supported the Anti-Saloon League in its campaign for national prohibition with a special meet- ing on the twenty-second of September at Gloucester.
It was voted in 1914 to vary the observation of the week of prayer by meeting Tuesday in the small vestry and Wednesday and Thursday in houses in the town. More than usual interest resulted.
The Pastor's Cabinet was formed in 1915. There were in it representatives of the parish, the church, and each church organiza- tion. This year the church gave $100 to the parish for its use, a service which has been rendered in various amounts from time to time.
Loving expression of sympathy was sent to Mrs. Mary C. Os- good, who had been our faithful church treasurer for forty years, in 1916, as an expression of sympathy for her sickness. Ten dollars
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was given to the American Commission on Armenian and Syrian Relief.
On the twenty-fifth of April 1916 the communion service was held in connection with the morning service, and this practice was made permanent after July 29 of the next year.
A gift of $25 was made to Mrs. Osgood in 1917 as a token of appreciation of her services as church treasurer, and $50 was sent as a mark of sympathy to Deacon Haskell in the illness of his wife.
Upon July the third a vote was sent to the Senate of the United States through Senator Henry Cabot Lodge endorsing the act to con- serve food products as a war time measure and in support of the resolution for national prohibition. Twenty-five dollars was given also to the work for soldiers done through the Y. M. C. A.
Further local church fraternization was evinced by the invitation of the Universalist Church to worship with it during the cold weather. This was accepted in December, and the next year the church wor- shipped with that church during March.
Twenty five dollars was given to the work of the Red Cross in 1918, and an Essex soldier, Wilbur L. Watson, was received into membership "in absentia" on the basis of a soldier's card filed in Syracuse, New York, and forwarded to this church by the present pastor, who was then pastor of Plymouth Church in that city. This card read: "I hereby pledge my allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and King, and by God's help will fight His battles for the victory of His Kingdom."
The church helped in the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town in 1919 and paid for advertising space in its official program. On November 30 it pledged $918 to the Pilgrim Memorial Fund, the fund devised to benefit the old age of such Congregational ministers as would bear their part in the payment of its annual premiums throughout thirty years of their active ministry. The plan provided that each church should share in the payment of these annual premiums.
During the Interchurch Movement of 1920 our church raised $531.75 on May 9 as its share in that missionary enterprise.
The next year, November twentieth, it endorsed the efforts of the International Disarmament Conference at Washington in a memorial to Senator Lodge supporting limitation of arms.
It was in this year too that a committee for visiting the sick was appointed.
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The year 1922 found the method of weekly Sunday offerings in envelopes formally adopted. The endeavor was also made to reach a new missionary apportionment of $844. The church voted, however, "to ask Dr. Leete to explain why the apportionment was increased." An electric blower for the organ was purchased and installed from funds in the bank.
On the twelfth of February a petition was sent to the State Legislature urging that "the State Laws be changed to comply with the Federal Laws in regard to prohibition enforcement," and a rep- resentative was sent to a hearing on the matter five days later in Boston. A letter was also sent to the Senator from Massachusetts at Washington, in March, urging support for the treaty concerning the promotion of world peace, then before the Senate.
This year a church historian was elected in the person of Miss Winifred Burnham, who has given valuable, careful, and faithful service in that important work which covers a broader field of activi- ties than that which falls to the lot of the church clerk.
On the fifteenth of June the auditorium was reopened after the placing of a new ceiling and the installation of a fine new organ. The writer was not privileged to be at this rededication service nor to know in detail the very interesting story of the acquiring of this instrument but Mrs. Julia S. Mears, honored and beloved by us all, has very kindly furnished this information for this printed record. I quote her words. "After having done service for three quarters of a century, most any piece of mechanism will show signs of deteriora- tion, to say the least. This applies to pipe organs as well as to any other device of human construction.
"For a number of years, Mrs. Frank A. Goodhue", who has just completed twenty five years of faithful service as choir director, "had been organist and been able to get excellent music from the old organ which was installed in the auditorium seventy five years ago (1847-1922). But to make the instrument sound right caused her many hours of persuasive labor.
"Finally Mrs. Goodhue decided that a new organ must be pur- chased, and after much thought, decided that financing such a project would not be an impossibility, and set out with a will to accomplish this end. She enlisted the aid of Mrs. Kate G. Hope of Washington, D. C., a former resident of this town and one always interested in this, her home church. Mrs. Hope agreed to contribute about one half the cost of the new organ, if the members of the society would finance the rest.
"This promise inspired Mrs. Goodhue with new energy, and in
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less than a year she secured pledges of a hundred persons interested, with the result that in the spring of 1923 a fine organ was put in place.
"The new organ is a George Hutchins two manual instrument with full pedal base, and is an ornament to the church auditorium, and a notable achievement on the part of Mrs. Goodhue and of all who helped in the success of the undertaking."
The committee for the service of rededication at this time was Mrs. Julia S. Mears, Mrs. Florence S. Goodhue, Deacon Lyman D. Lowe, Deacon B. F. Raymond, Mrs. Gardner Burnham, Miss Alice P. Burnham, and Mrs. Helen E. Andrews. The David Choate and the Dodge Funds were used to help at this time.
Mrs. Julia S. Mears has further, generously added valuable and interesting items about the important work of the Ladies' Home Circle, which has played such an exceedingly important and indispensable part in the social and financial life of our church during the last fifty years and more. As this should undoubtedly be made a part of the resume of this period we quote her words again.
"One organization which has been like a right hand in helping the church through fifty five years of service is the Ladies' Home Circle. This society was organized May 26, 1879 by nineteen mem- bers with the name 'Young Peoples' Association', and its object, according to the preamble of its constitution, was: 1st. For the pro- motion of general sociability and mutual intercourse. 2nd, For the purpose of providing at suitable times such fairs and entertainments as we shall see fit. 3rd, For the purpose of contributing pecuniary aid to the Parish and Society and to other causes charitable and benevolent, which shall in our discretion become necessary and proper.
"In accordance with this object, the Association has entertained the people of this Congregational Church for nearly fifty five years with fairs, entertainments and socials, and, doing all these things with financial success, enabled us to beautify the church and parsonage in many ways.
"In 1894, as many of the members thought they could no longer be called young people, the name was changed to the 'Ladies' Home Circle' which name the organization now bears.
"The first President, Mrs. Abby P. Sinclair is still of our num- ber, as are also three others of the charter members, each of whom is active in the society.
"In the first year of its work, the Society paid $100 toward a Church debt, and a little later $100 more for the same purpose. It has twice or three times carpeted the Church, the stairs and the
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speaker's platform in the vestry, and later built a hard wood speaker's platform for the vestry. It bought cushions for the pews, inside blinds, chandeliers, a piano for the vestry, put electric lights in the Church and vestry, made repairs on the parsonage and vestry, helped in the payment of taxes, of coal bills, repairs on the furnace at dif- ferent times, in deficit of the minister's salary, and painting the outside of the Church, deficit on carpenters' bills, and helped in any way that it could. During the past year, it has fitted one of the small rooms in the vestry for a very convenient and up-to-date kitchen, thus filling a need felt for a long time in the preparation of suppers and other social affairs.
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