USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Historical discourse at Worcester, in the Old south meeting house, September 22, 1863; the hundredth anniversary of its erectiion > Part 8
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A copy of the record,-
Attest,-SAMUEL SMITH, City Clerk.
14. The Rev. Aretius B. Hull .- There has probably been no clergyman of the Old South Church, that is remembered with more affectionate respect than the Rev. Mr. Hull. And the pres- ence of his two sons, the Rev. Joseph D. Hull of Hartford, and Aurelius B. Hull, Esq., of Brooklyn, N. Y., was amongst the pleas- ant incidents of our anniversary occasion. Their father died at
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Worcester while they were children, after a very happy adminis- tration of five years. He was, at first, buried in the Mechanic street burying ground, but bis remains were afterwards removed to the Worcester Rural Cemetery, and interred in the lot of Dr. John Green, on the east side of the " South Avenue." Dr. Green, with his accustomed liberality, not only gave the site for the pious use, but co-operated with the parishioners of Mr. Hull, in erecting over his grave a substantial marble monument.
On the morning of the anniversary, before the exercises in the Church commenced, the two sons, with very becoming filial devo- tion, in company with a friend, visited the grave of their father, with the assurance that upon their return home, they should pay like respect at the grave of their mother in New Haven.
But the principal object in introducing this note is, to place on record, the epitaph on Mr. Hull's monument, which, we believe, has never been printed. The Worcester Rural Cemetery was incorporated in 1838. But we are not aware that the inscriptions upon the monuments and headstones in that beautiful cemetery have ever been published. The epitaph on the monument of Mr. Hull, was dictated by his friend and parishioner, the late Samuel Jennison, Esq. It is remarkable for what does not always char- acterize the literature of epitaphs, truth and good taste.
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED TO COMMEMORATE THE FAITHFUL SERVICES, AND THE VIRTUOUS EXAMPLE OF THE REV. ARETIUS BEVIL HULL, MINISTER OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY IN WORCESTER. HE WAS BORN AT WOODBRIDGE, CONN. OCT. 12, 1788; GRADUATED AT YALE COLLEGE IN 1807, WHERE NIE WAS SIX YEARS A TUTOR ; AND VAS ORDAINED IN WORCESTER, MAY 22, 1821. HE DIED MAY 17, 1826, AGED 38.
He endeared himself to the people of his charge by his affectionate and assiduous devotion to his ministerial and pastoral duties ; while the suavity of bis manners, the purity of his life, and the sincerity and earnestness of his
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efforts in advancing the cause of education, and in the promotion of the gen- eral interests of the community, commanded its respect and gratitude.
He was a scholar of refined taste and the style of his discourses was unusu- ally chaste and perspicuous, earnest and direct, harmonizing with the tenor of his life, and rendered yet more impressive, during the greater part of his ministry, by his conscious and evident nearness to the grave.
Accustomed to the best forms of polished life, he was dignified without dis- play, and courteous without dissimulation ; constantly manifesting in his private intercourse and his public labours, that for himself and others, he sought first the Kingdom of Heaven.
" Cautious himself, he others ne'er deceived, Lived as he taught, and as he taught, believed." .
15. Settlement and Support of the Ministry .- In both the Colo- nial and Provincial grants of land for plantations and towns, it was customary to insert an express condition, to insure the set- tlement of a " learned and orthodox minister." But in the case of Worcester, the grant of about eight miles square, was placed in the hands of a prudential committee, who were enjoined to take due care that " a good minister of God's word be placed there, as soon as may be; that such people as may be there planted may not live like lambs in a large place."
In the case of Worcester, therefore, a trust was substituted for a condition. The original committee appointed in 1668, were Capt. (afterwards General) Daniel Gookin, Capt. Thomas Prentice, Mr. David Henchman and Lieut. Richard Beers, or three of them, of whom Capt. Gookin should be one. At the subsequent efforts to settle the town, committees were appointed under a similar trust, which proved equally effective as a condition.
Upon the attempt to re-settle the plantation in 1684, the Com- mittee, of whom Major Gookin was still Chairman, enjoined the proposed proprietors, " to take care to provide a minister with all convenient speed ; and a schoolmaster in due season ; and in the interim, that the Lord's day be sanctified by the inhabitants meeting together thereon, to worship God as they shall be [able]." Upon the final and effectual organization of the Committee in 1713, under the administration of Governor Dudley, the same providence was manifested for the ministry and schools.
But before that time, in 1692, the Provincial Legislature took those subjects in hand, and, by " An Act for the settlement and support of Ministers and Schoolmasters," established the law in relation to the support of ministers, substantially as it remained
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for more than a hundred years. And as that time embraced both the period of the erection of the Old South Church in 1763, and of the incorporation of the second parish in 1787, it becomes materi- al to the proper understanding of both those events in our eccle- siastical history.
The following is the Act referred to, it being the 4. Gul. et Mar. 1692.
"Sect. 1. Be it ordained and enacted by the Governor, Coun- cil and Representatives, convened in General Court or Assembly, and by the authority of the same, that the inhabitants of each town within this province shall take due care, from time to time, to be constantly provided of an able, learned, orthodox minister or ministers of good conversation, to dispense the Word of God to them, which minister or ministers shall be suitably encouraged and sufficiently supported and maintained by the inhabitants of such town. * * And where there is no contract and agree- ment in any town respecting the support and maintenance of the ministry, or when the same happens to be expired, and the inhabi- tants of such town shall neglect to make suitable provision there- in, upon complaint thereof made unto the quarter sessions of the peace for the County where such town lies; the said Court of quar- ter sessions shall, and hereby are empowered to order a competent allowance unto such minister, according to the estate and ability of such town, the same to be assessed upon the inhabitants by warrant from the court, directed to the selectmen, who are there- upon to proceed to make and proportion such assessment in man- ner as is directed for other public charges, and to cause the same to be levied by the constables of such town, by warrant under the hands of the selectmen, or of the town clerk by their order."
" Sect. 2. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that when any town shall be destitute of a minister qualified as afore- said, and shall so continue by the space of six months, not having taken due care for the procuring, settling and encouragement of such minister, the same being made to appear upon complaint unto their majesties' justices at the general sessions of the peace for the county, the said court of quarter sessions shall, and hereby are empowered to make an order upon every such defective town, specdily to provide themselves of such ministers as aforesaid, by the next sessions at the farthest; and in case such order be not
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complied with, then the the said Court shall take effectual care to procure and settle a minister qualified as aforesaid, and order the charge thereof, and of such minister's maintenance, to be levied upon the inhabitants of such town."
Under this law the Church of the first parish, or rather of the town was erected, at the common charge of the inhabitants, with- out any respect to their different religious opinions, if such existed. The legislation proceeded, upon the principle always recognized by the colonists, that the civil power might enforce the perform- ance of a religious duty. The support of the ministry and of schoolmasters, was placed upon the same ground and by the same legislative act.
By the Constitution of the Commonwealth adopted in 1780, it is a remarkable fact, that while provisions for the support of pub- lic schools were left to the discretion of the legislature, it was pro- vided in the third article of the Bill of Rights, that " the legisla- ture shall, from time to time authorize and require the several towns, parishes, precinets, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God, and for the support and maintenance of public protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made vol- untarily."
The principles of the provincial act of 1692, so far as the same related to the support of the ministry, were thus incorporated into the constitution of 1780. In view of such a state of the law, we shall cease to be surprised at the tenacity with which a majority of the town in 1787, held upon their brethren who were incorporated as a second parish. The new parish embraced a respectable portion of the tax payers of the town; and we can account for the resistance to their secession, without imputing to the majority any unusual perverseness. By incorporating the second parish, the legislature, no doubt, acted like wise and just arbiters between the parties. They proved that they were wiser than the laws under which they acted. As said by the learned author of the Discourse, it was an early step in the progress of reform towards religious freedom ; but it was not the consumma- tion of it.
By acts passed in the years 1800 and 1811, provision was made
THE NEWBERRY
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for exemption from taxation for parish purposes by a town or senior parish, by filing a certificate of the tax payer's membership in some other religious society. This was all the legislature could do, under the requirement of the third article of the Bill of Rights. But still the requirement of such certificates of mem- bership, to exempt from taxation, was a perpetual source of irrita- tion between different religious societies as well as individuals. In 1833, an amendment of the constitution was adopted relieving the legislature from the obligation of requiring towns, &c., to provide' for the support of the ministry, and at the first session of the legislature, after the adoption of that amendment, the final act of religious freedom was passed, which placed the support of religious worship upon a purely voluntary basis, a provision that is now incorporated with the general laws of the commonwealth.
The effect of this change in the policy of the laws for the sup- port of public worship, is such as the promoters of it anticipated. Some unfortunate individuals escape from the performance of the moral duty of supporting public worship. But society has been compensated tenfold, by the greater harmony and prosperity that has been superinduced by the voluntary system of support ; and few, if any, desire a return to the compulsory .*
16. The Common-now Central Park .- As the First Parish have such an interest in the Common, or Central Park, as is necessary for the enjoyment of their Meeting house, some notice of the his- tory of that ground seems to be appropriate.
. The first allusion to the reservation of such a ground, is found in the doings of the committee having in charge the settlement of " a new plantation about fourteen miles westward from Marl- borough, near Quinsigamond pond, at a meeting in Cambridge, July 6th, 1669." Present, Daniel Gookin, Esq., Capt. Thomas Prentice, Mr. Daniel Henchman.
Mr. Lincoln, in his history, states that the record of the doings of the committee, at the commencement of our proprietary book, is in the hand writing of the " venerable Gookin." The 12th
* It is proper to state, that the Chairman of the committee of publication is responsible for this note. As a member of the committee on the judiciary in the Senate of 1831, he reported the bill referred to, entitled, " An Act relating to Parishes and Religious Freedom," and the same may be found in his hand writing, on the files of the General Court for that year."
,
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article of their doings, is as follows. "That there bee a plaso reserued in comon neare the center of the towne convenient for that purpose, about twenty acres for a trayning plase and to set a scoole house upon : as neare as may bee where the meeting house shall be plased."
No survey of this reservation appears, but there is no doubt it embraced not only the present Park, but the ground to the north of it, extending over Mechanic street, to the meadow on Mill brook. It was, indeed, neare the site of the first meeting house, which was situated contiguous to the present residence of' George A. Trumbull, Esq., on Green street.
The subsequent records recognise the existence of the Common -- the appropriation of a small portion of the east side of it as a burial ground, and, in 1719, the erection of a meeting house on the west side of it, upon the site of the present house.
In 1732, the proprietors appointed a committee to make a sur- vey of the common land by the meeting house, and in 1734, the committee made return as by a copy of the subjoined record ap- pears.
[Extract from the Proprietors' Records.]
Pursuant to a vote of the Proprietors of the Comon and undivided land in the south part of Worcester, May the 17th. 1:32, appointing us a Commit- tee to return a plat of the Comon Land by the Meeting House in Worcester, having surveyed the same find eleven acres and one hundred and forty rod in- cluding the Burial place and the road thro' the said Comon is Bounded as de- scribed in this platt herewith returned & survey by Benj'a. Flagg.
All of which is submitted to the Proprietors by us.
MOSES RICE, -
Worcester, Nov. 3d, 1734.
THOS. STEARNS, BENJA. FLAGG, Ju'r.
.
A copy of the record,
Attest,-SAMUEL SMITH, City Clerk.
Worcester, Nov. 30, 1863.
It will be seen that the dimensions of the common as thus ascer- tained, are not nearly so large as those originally contemplated by the committee of the proprictors, for a training field and school house. A reference to the plan returned by the committee in 1734, indicates that the western boundary of the Common was just as it is now, by the " country road," or Main street, and the boundaries upon the south and east do not appear to have been much different from what they are now, by Park and Salem streets. But upon the north line of the Common, as found in
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1734, a great change in the boundary has been made. At that time, judging from the platt returned by the committee, the north boundary of the public Common and school land, coincided nearly with the present line of Mechanie street. Since 1734, the north line of the common has been made to coincide with the south line of Front street ; and it is not probable that any further cur- tailment of it will ever be suffered.
By a proximate survey of the Common, or " Central Park," as recently christened by the city government, made by Gill Valen- tine, Esq., it is now found to contain seven acres.
In 1834, the town voted " that the public common be enclosed and ornamented ;" and the same, including the burying ground, was enclosed by a substantial fence, as we now find it. About the same time, the ground was graded ; (particularly the " gravelly knoll" referred to in note 3, upon the east side of the Norwich and Worcester railway, near Park street,) enriched with a coat of loam and dirt from the streets; and set out with a variety of na- tive forest trees. Such was the transition from the Common to the Park ; saving upon both, the north and south sides of it, am- ple space for military and firemen's evolutions. For this great improvement of the grounds in the centre of the town, the public were much indebted to the late Col. John W. Lincoln, who was, at the time, Chairman of the Selectmen.
17. Note to our descendants and successors of 1963 .- When you receive this note, you will, no doubt, have read with indignation and amazement, the history of the " Great Rebellion " which at present afflicts our otherwise happy country. And perhaps you will stop and ask, how we could turn aside from the great duties of patriotism at such a crisis, to attend to the minor social duties indicated by these proceedings? You will find a satisfactory answer, we trust, in our compliance with the divine precept, " these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others un- done."
As the minor services rendered by these historical notes were designed more for you than for the present generation, we would gladly have postponed their preparation till a more convenient season ; we might thus have done the work relieved from distract- ing cares, and given to it greater completeness. But we could not block the progress of the rolling spheres. At the appointed
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time, they brought around the Centennial of our venerable Church, adn the duties connected with its appropriate commemoration must be performed then or never. And we know that you will make every proper allowance on account of the circumstances under which we have attempted to discharge those duties.
Before closing this note, you may desire to be informed to whom you are indebted for whatever of pleasure or edification you may derive from these proceedings. You will receive them at the same time you receive this note, and you will hence learn that they were institued under the auspices of the mother of us all, the First parish of Worcester. But corporations, at the pres- ent day, do not work without the aid of material hands and thinking heads. And such aid has been given us, from sources both within and without the Parish, in instances quite too numer- ous to be particularized in this note.
Of the pecuniary aid rendered, we can speak more definitely. In order fully to secure the beneficial objects of our commemora- tion, it was found that a fund of about seven hundred dollars would be necessary. That amount was contributed with much liberality, in sums ranging from two to fifty dollars. And we can- not more appropriately conclude our services as the Committee of Publication, than by reporting to you the names of the donors, and hereto subjoining the same. We say their names, because, long before you receive this note, nothing else, of earth, will remain of them. In the list, you will find many ancient names, signalized in the carly history of the town and parish-while there are many new ones to be honorably distinguished, we trust, by the virtues and services of descendants.
In full faith and hope, that amidst all our impending national trials, if we do our duty, God will favor us and our children, as He favored our fathers, we remain
Yours, in the bonds of Christian charity,
IRA MOORE BARTON, ALLEN HARRIS, CALEB DANA.
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DONORS TO THE CENTENNIAL FUND.
Allen Harris, James Estabrook, Aury G. Coes, Ira M. Barton,
George A. Chamberlain, Calvin Taft,
John Boyden, Daniel Ward,
Samuel A. Porter,
Lyman Taft, John Q. Hill,
Ambrose Lincoln, Benaiah Fitts,
Charles A. Lincoln,
Wm. D. Holbrook,
Samuel Eddy,
George S. Marshal,
Franklin Whipple,
Mrs. Mary Sutton,
Wm. T. Barber,
Dexter H. Perry,
Luke B. Witherby,
Caleb Dana,
Alfred Parker,
James H. Bancroft, John Jones, Jonathan Fawcett,
Waterman A. Fisher,
Rodney A. M. Johnson,
Isaac R. Joslin,
Simeon Clapp,
Charles H. Stearns,
Stephen Taft,
Francis Kendall,
Ephraim W. Bartlett,
Wm. L. Clark,
Jonathan B. Sibley,
Patrick H. Carpenter,
Luther Stone,
Otis E. Putnam,
John C. White,
Nathan B. Ellis, Asa H. Hayden, Wm. G. Moore, Ashley Moore,
Osgood Bradley,
Elijah Hammond,
Eph'm F. Chamberlain,
Dr .. J. E. Linnell, Hamilton B. Fay, Ebenezer Dana,
Henry Heywood, Baylies Upham, IIenry L. Stowe, Charles H. Ballard,
Ira McFarland,
Sumner Cook.
Samuel Foster,
Palmer Harback, Henry W. Eddy, Aaron M. Howe, John R. Fay, Stephen Harrington, George Hobbs, 2d., Wm. Sibley, Henry Grimshaw,
Charles G. Livermore, Samuel W. Kent,
Dana H. Fitch,
John D. Lovell,
Cyrus K. Hubbard,
Henry Goulding, Daniel Tainter, Samuel Bigelow,
Samuel Parker, Walter R. Bigelow, Daniel Brown,
Augustus N. Currier, Erastus Fisher, Richard Ball,
Charles Richardson, Silas Barber,
FINIS.
Corrections.
Page 29, line 29, for " of enginery," read and enginery. « 37, " 8, " "Vallomorosa," read Vallombrosa.
52, " 27, " " festal," read festival.
59, 4, " " on invitation," read of invitation.
62, " 25, " "award," read accord. " 72, 2, " " 1864," read 1854. 86, 3. " " 1768," read 1758. 87, " 11, " " principal," read principle.
88, " 24, " " exbibits," read exhibits. 95, " 35, " " 1851," read 1844. " 96,
106,
" 11, " "Heidelburg," read Heidelberg. " 3, " " Samuel Bigelow," read Samuel T. Bigelow. " 9, " "Lyman Taft," read Lyman J. Taft.
" 21, " "Asa H. Hayden," read Asa Hayden.
" 3, " " Aaron M. Howe," read Archelaus M. Howe.
D284495
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