USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lowell > Historical sketch of Saint Anne's Church, Lowell, Mass > Part 8
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Theodore Edson
CHAPTER IX.
ACTIVITIES AND LAST DAYS OF DR. EDSON
After Dr. Edson's return from Europe and the purchase of the Parsonage, he gave himself with renewed energy to his work, especially the Sunday schools and the care of the needy. He never forgot his diaconal vow "to search for and relieve the poor." This work began when St. Anne's was the only church in Lowell, and the distribution of alms was continued almost wholly with- out religious distinction. He was always grateful to those who served. He once presented a watch to William McArthur, the faithful sexton.
Some years he had prayer meetings at St. Anne's Sunday mornings at six o'clock and again in the evening at a quarter before six. He had religious meetings for his colored people and gatherings for prayer in the "Scotch block." For a time there were daily services at St. Anne's, a Bible class which met on Thursdays, and a preparatory lecture on the first Friday in the month. Every morning he read a chapter or two in the Greek Testament.
He was a prominent member of the Old Residents' Historical Association, and made contributions to their publications.
He was President of the Lowell Institution for Savings from 1835 until his death.
Dr. Edson was chaplain of the Sixth Regiment, and on muster days officiated at the head of the regiment.
He was called upon to make a prayer at the opening of the Court, and to say Grace when he dined with the Judges. At the inauguration of new city governments he acted as chaplain, and when the pupils of the High School planted a tree, he made a prayer. In 1835 he made the prayer at the opening of Me- chanics' Hall, and was a member of the Association.
Dr. Edson wrote in his diary: "Monday, June 19, 1843. We went off before ten o'clock to see the reception of the President (Tyler).
"I went to see the pupils parade in Middlesex St. and saw the President as he passed in his barouche. I then joined Mrs. E. and Miss Lizzie at Mr. Smith's office, where were Mrs. Smith
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and Mrs. Butler and some other ladies. We had a fair oppor- tunity to see the procession. At the Merrimack House I was introduced to the Governor and Lieut. Governor, to Spencer, Porter and Usher, of the Cabinet, and to the President, by Dr. Huntington. At the table I officiated. Mr. Samuel Lawrence took me in to the dinner. I sat at the left of the chairman, Dr. H., and opposite the President; Gov. Morton on my left. I had a very pleasant interview with Governor Hill of New Hampshire, and was introduced to the Governor of New York. But two toasts at the dinner. First, by the chairman: 'The Guest'; second, by the President: 'Lowell; In the neatness of its appear- ance rivalled only by the hospitality of its men and the beauty of its women.' '
Dr. Edson was interested in the Church at Chelmsford. He held the first service there in 1860. Apparently it appealed more strongly to him than any other enterprise outside his own parish. He has always been considered the founder of All Saints' Church, which was consecrated December 20, 1882.
From Bishop Paddock's Convention Address, 1890: "I do not like to overlook the erection of the stone tower, in memory of dear old Doctor Edson, Priest and Saint, at All Saints' Church, Chelmsford. This completes the simple but most picturesque pile of field-stones in which our little flock in that hamlet worship."
The House of Prayer in the Highlands was opened for worship in 1876, and Dr. Edson did what he could for its success. He was interested in St. Paul's Mission at Phoenix in the town of Tewksbury.
In 1840 the North and South Commons were laid out. Dr. Edson was instrumental in bringing this about.
He performed a good work in collecting and printing the Journals of the early Conventions of the Diocese of Massachu- setts.
He was the first Dean of the Eastern Convocation and held that position for twenty-five years and at the time of his death. He served on the Standing Committee and numerous other committees, especially those relating to the missionary work of the Church.
He received hundreds of letters from Bishops and others, sometimes asking his advice in perplexing circumstances. Bishop Philander Chase, whom he knew, wrote from Jubilee College in
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THE REV WILSON WATERS
SOUTH EAST VIEW OF ALL SAINTS', CHELMSFORD
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THE REV. ASA EATON FIRST CITY MISSIONARY
Illinois, saying that he has purchased five hundred sheep for the college, and asked whether he could sell the clip of wool in Lowell.
St. Anne's was always a generous giver, and Lowell was a Mecca for clergymen from the West seeking financial aid, and many parishes in this diocese were materially assisted in their feeble beginnings.
This Parish, throughout its history, has been frequently rep- resented in the State Legislature and the halls of Congress, and has furnished a Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It has been the spiritual home of many able men and women.
Bishop Griswold and his wife were very friendly with Dr. and Mrs. Edson, and these ladies would sometimes accompany their husbands when visits were made at Lowell or Salem where the Bishop served St. Peter's Church after he came from Rhode Island in 1830. He depended much upon Dr. Edson's advice in matters of importance, and more than once, when the latter was called to parishes outside the diocese, urged the necessity of his remaining at St. Anne's for the good of the parish and be- cause of his personal regard for Dr. Edson. He asked and valued Dr. Edson's assistance in preparing his widely used book of prayers for special occasions.
Doctor and Mrs. Edson entertained many bishops and other clergy at the Parsonage; and wherever he went he was a welcome guest. The Dean of the General Seminary wrote him: "The pleasantest feature of the Commencement season is your presence and sojourn with us. We all look forward to your coming with delightful anticipations." He was a favorite with the students and young clergymen. Another clerical friend wrote: "my wife speaks of angels entertained unawares, and the boys were pleased to find a companion in a venerable sage."
Wherever he went he met a cordial reception. He passed several weeks preaching in Maine, the friend and guest of Bishop Burgess. He made a tour of the White Mountains and met Priest Fowle, the interesting clergyman at Holderness. When he visited in the Diocese of Frederickton as the guest of the Bishop, the Cathedral bells rang out a welcome, and there he first read publicly the Liturgy of the Church of England.
Dr. Edson was in advance of his time in the development of the Sunday School, for when he came to East Chelmsford such schools had hardly been tried. At Christ Church, Boston, Dr. Asa Eaton began the first one in this region in 1815. Dr. Eaton
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was a close friend of Dr. Edson, and the latter before his ordin- ation had been asked to take charge of this school.
On the death of Dr. Eaton in 1858 Dr. Edson preached a commemorative sermon in the Church of the Advent, Boston, which contains considerable interesting information concerning the Church in Boston in the early days, and, as some have noticed, his description of Dr. Eaton is applicable to himself. It was printed at the request of the Wardens and Vestry. He says: "I shall be sufficiently understood in describing his churchman- ship to be that of 'evangelical truth and apostolical order'. This he derived from the Scriptures, and the comparative study of the history and standards of the Church. His judgment was sound and clear. He knew his ability of appreciating evidence, and enjoyed the exercise thereof. He was slow and cautious in making up his mind; but when made up, he knew so well the grounds of his opinion, that he was satisfied with his conclusion; and in view of what it cost, he grasped and held it with a firmness which your easy, slippery, accommodating minds could scarcely understand. He was laborious as well in pastoral duty as in study. He was ready to work for his Master and Lord in season, out of season. Not only to his principles, but to his course, he held with characteristic firmness, and a determination at that time as needful as it was remarkable." "He was a lover of strict constructions, both of principles and practice; deeming them safer to follow, after all, than the devices and desires of our own hearts."
In his efforts to increase the excellence of the musical parts of the service, chanting the Psalms, intoning the Litany, in- troducing the surpliced choir, adorning the altar, and by other means, Dr. Edson was fully abreast with the times. Today the things he began to do are commonplace in many of our par- ishes.
The "institutional" activities which he inaugurated, with all the various societies, give evidence of a diligent and intelligent forwardness which was only manifest in many parishes years later.
The Sunday School houses and then the new chapel and school rooms supplied the place of a parish house.
Among the organizations which furthered the activities of the parish were the Sponsors' Association, whose object was to secure efficient sponsors for children who were likely to be neglected.
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PRESENT CHANCEL OF ST. ANNE'S CHURCH
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The Boys' Improvement Society.
The Guild of St. Thomas.
The Female Auxiliary Missionary Society.
The Young Ladies' Society, which raised $50 in 1852, which paid for the Font procured from England by the Bishop of Fred- ericton.
The Rector's Aid Society, to look up Church people.
The Sewing Society.
The Education Society formed to aid candidates for Holy Orders in St. Anne's especially.
The Beneficial Society.
The Girls' Friendly Society.
The Co-workers Society.
The printed Parish Register shows that during the rectorate of Dr. Edson there were 4,164 baptisms, 1,951 persons con- firmed, 1,402 marriages and 2,220 burials.
Besides many photographs there are these portraits of Dr. Edson :
1839. Portrait in oil by Alexander.
1850. Portrait in oil by Lawson.
1865. Cameo, cut by Mr. King of Boston.
1868. Andrews, the self-taught artist, made a medallion.
1874. Bust made by Henchen.
Portrait in oil in Masonic Temple.
Dr. Edson attributed his generally robust health to the con- stant use of his voice in the Church services and his daily walks about Lowell in all kinds of weather making parochial visits. His habits were regular, his hours of devotion and study thor- oughly systematized, and in consequence of this, and notwith- standing that he was frail in general appearance, he lived until he became like a sheaf fully ripened for the garner.
Almost the last time he was out of doors, he visited the City Government building on a deed of charity, to solicit the over- scers of the poor to contribute toward the support of a needy and worthy woman, he agreeing to give an equal sum from his own purse, saying that his carthly race was drawing to a close, and he desired to do what he could during the remainder of his days, in assisting the poor.
"His last illness began with a sudden and alarming attack of difficulty of breathing on the night of May 24. This was so
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great that death seemed imminent. He, in a measure, recovered, so that the next day he was abroad, and the following Sunday assisted at Morning and Evening Prayer, as usual of late, and in the afternoon baptized a child. This was his last public service. On Monday he remained at home. Tuesday, May 29th, at his request, he was driven by a kind neighbor and made a visit to a sick friend on Hale street. This was the last time he was out. His mind throughout has been clear, with the sweetest subm s- sion, patience and calmest resignation, having a lanquid smile full of gratitude for every attention, and the recognition of the few friends whom he felt able to see.
"The most hearty tokens of respect and affection to the aged patriarch were manifested from far and near, and his eyes filled with tears at this recognition when he could scarce articulate.
"On Sunday, June 10, when shown the basket of flowers sent from the Unitarian Church, he whispered, "It is very kind." On the 11th of June he asked that the Sacrament be no longer delayed. It was administered and taken with every manifesta- tion of devoutest gratitude and the greatest refreshment and satisfaction. His "Amen" to daily prayers was audible almost to the last day, The only reply to the anxiety of the public has been that he was daily and hourly failing. He breathed his last Monday morning, June 25, 1883, aged 89 years and 10 months. His great strength was exhausted. Enfeebled nature yielded slowly but surely, and he sank serenely and gently in the posses- sion of his mental powers till almost the last, and with cheerful submission of his soul to God.
The great bell at St. Anne's tolled his age - 89.
Bishop Clark said of Dr. Edson: "The sun has not been more regular in his rising and setting than he has been in his round of duties.
No storm has ever raged which he would not cheerfully face when the call of the sufferer summoned him; no Sunday has ever dawned when the doors of St. Anne's have not been opened to the worshipper; no heavy-laden sinner ever asked his counsel and was sent uncomforted away."
From Dr. Edson's Diary, Jan. 1, 1879. "Standing as I do on the verge of a new year, at the age of eighty-five and a half, it becomes me to be girding for the last conflict. It is my wish that my child, Elizabeth Mason Edson, be heir to whatever I leave. I have so arranged. I desire that my body may be dis-
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posed of much after the manner of the funeral of my dear wife - taken to the church with an early celebration of the Blessed Sacrament, and that my friend, the Rev. Dr. Hoppin, if his services can be had, be the celebrant; that the body may re- main in the church through the day to be seen by any and all my friends who may desire to look thereon; that at twelve o'clock noon, the Burial Office may be said by the Rev. Dr. Hoppin, to be joined by all such as may resort to the church for that pur- pose; that as near the close of the day as may be convenient the body may be taken quietly as may be to the Edson cemetery, so called, to the plot where lies the body of my dear wife, to be laid by her side, said plot having been blessed by the prayers of Dr. Hoppin when Mrs. Edson was laid therein "looking for the general resurrection at the last day and the life of the world to come."
The remains lay in state at the church from 7.30 till noon, when the funeral services took place. The arrangements to the minutest detail as directed by Dr. Edson, were faithfully followed.
He was buried on June 28 at the side of his wife, who died in 1876, and where his daughter was later laid to rest, in the lot given to him by the City when the Edson Cemetery was set apart and named for him. A large recumbent cross of stone marks the place. He said he wished to be buried there among his poor.
Dr. Manchester says: "But his grandest monument is not in any building or cemetery; but is invisible to the eye of sense. God sces it; for it rises massive into the eternal world of spirit, and it is made up of a multitude of human souls that have been brought into His Heavenly Light by the devoted life-work of Theodore Edson."
Dr. John O. Green, who often assisted Dr. Edson as lay-reader, was his warm friend during all his long rectorate, and after his death said of him:
"In spite of bent shoulders and silvered head, the dew of his youth was never dried up. He began and ended with intense energy, with perfect fearlessness and fresh heart, with no thought of policy, or expediency, or the favor of man, with the endurance of strong faith and great hope. His deep sense of the responsibility of his office gave him a strong sense of its authority. The consis- tency which magnified his office was the complement of the hu- mility that made little of the man. We gratefully call to mind his wisdom and firmness. Unimpassioned in controversy, yet so firm
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in his principles coupled by calm and gentle words, of clear and sound judgment, and eminently useful and practical in coun- sel. Those who only saw the habitual smoothness and serenity of his spirit could have little idea of what rich treasures of energy and living force were wrapped up in him. He had a high-toned self-respect, a sensitiveness to clerical propriety in the smallest things, yet softened by Christian urbanity, always gentle but never weak, faithful to his life's end.
"His churchmanship was of the noblest pattern, a churchman of the Bible and Prayer Book. The services of the Church, as they were the choice and glory of his manhood, so they were the re- freshment of his old age and the solace of his death. He was filled full of the spirit of his master, which won for him the strongest affection of those who knew him best, the respect of the distant and the love of the near, his crown of faith and prayer and piety, a true servant and soldier of the Cross through every change of labor and trial."
The various organizations with which he was connected adopted resolutions on his death. On the octave of All Saints, 1883, memorial services were held in St. Anne's. There was a large con- course of mourners representing all classes of people. The Bishop and thirty-seven other clergymen were present, most all of them in their vestments. His old friend, Dr. Bolles, preached the sermon. Among those who attended the funeral was Mr. Eli Cooper of Woburn who heard Dr. Edson preach his first sermon in Merrimack School-house in 1824.
Enge, sprue bone et fidelis.
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CHAPTER X.
THE SCHOOLS. THE GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY. THE ORPHANAGE. MASONIC.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
Dr. Edson loved and cared for the children. "He was fond of saying that our Lord said to St. Peter, 'Feed my sheep ! Feed my sheep ! Feed my lambs !' and from that inferred that he must devote one-third of his time and energy to children." Beside . his two Sunday Schools, "The Little and the Big," both holding two sessions a day, he was faithful and energetic in looking up children for baptism and confirmation. His classes were always large. With untiring step he would go day after day, from house to house, making no short call, but a real visitation, where prayers were offered, appropriate passages of scripture read or quoted, and then would follow that fire-side preaching to which he at- tributed the large confirmation classes.
The Sunday School building, finished in 1830, at a cost of $600, on the Merrimack Company's land, was perhaps the first in this country erected for such a purpose. In 1839 the second school house was erected. A visitor at the school says: "On Sunday morning Dr. Edson invited me to visit his Sunday School; and I have never forgotten the opening service conducted by him. After a hymn and prayers, the rector, officers, teachers and scholars to the number of 500 recited the Catechism in concert. The re- citation (questions and answers) occupied ten minutes. The object the good Doctor had in view was that every child should know the text of the Catechism. All learned it by reciting in. concert. Even the smaller children fell in and in a few weeks knew the whole."
Originally the school, the only one in the village, included children from families of various religious bodies.
Denominational jealousy among the people of various dif- fering faiths made the number of pupils small during the first year; the average was twelve. Scripture Lessons, Cumming's Questions, and the Catechism were used. Next year there were 25 girls and 22 boys.
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The first session of the Sunday School was held on Sunday morning, June 6, 1824, in the Merrimack Company's school- room. There were from ten to fifteen pupils. Besides Dr. Edson there was one teacher, a woman, and others occasionally. The greater number of children connected with the corporations attended more or less. During the latter part of the year the school closed, and did not reopen until May, 1825, and continued until November with two sessions a Sunday, studying Scripture lessons and the Catechism. The full list of pupils numbered 61. There were ten classes. Books were given as rewards of merit. After November and during the winter the pupils were taught the Catechism in the church at the close of the afternoon ser- vice. In 1826 the school proceeded about the same with a slight increase. This year the Baptists withdrew their children and formed a separate school. In 1827 the largest number of child- ren was 138. During Lent Dr. Edson catechized the children Saturday afternoons. Organized so early as 1826, the Congre- gationalists, three years later, started a separate school, which reduced the number of pupils to 109, and near the close of the season the Unitarians separated from St. Anne's, but the next year the number increased to 130.
For six years the Sunday School met in the Merrimack school- house.
The discomfort of going twice a Sunday to this schoolhouse in its untidy condition, it being used as a weekday school, and the fact that it was used by the Congregationalists on Sundays as a place of worship, as well as the inconvenience of using the church for sessions of the Sunday school, led to the building of a separate house ("The Big Sunday School") in 1830 on the Merrimack Company's land, free of rent, near where Mr. French's house (afterwards the Orphanage) was built, necessitating its removal to the Church Lot. The school house cost $568.84, raised mostly by subscription (the first names on the list were Kirk Boott, Paul Moody and Warren Colburn), and the school continued through the year 1830 with two sessions a Sunday, as from the beginning, and the distribution of books as rewards gave place to the Library system. By 1837 the number of pupils increased to 335, and the house was enlarged. Two years later the number rose to 556 and a second school house was built. The largest number was 694. In 1842 there were 599 pupils and St. Luke's had 95. The next year St. Anne's had 565 and St. Luke's 200.
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After this the number declined to 250. In 1836 the school-house was moved onto the Church Lot, and services held there at the same hours as in the church, to accommodate the overflow. These services were sustained by Mr. Cook and others.
The Methodists were organized in 1826, and the Universalists in 1827. Other places of worship were built within the next few years, and this probably accounts, partly, for the reduced number in St. Anne's Sunday School. The large number of Irish Roman Catholics, who replaced the American operatives, reduced the source of supply.
A large committee was elected annually by the congregation, with the Rector as chairman, to have supervision and direction of the school. Sub-committees were appointed. Members of the committee and parents made their appearance at almost all sessions of the school. The school hours were from 9 o'clock on Sunday morning until the second bell for Church at 10.15. In the afternoon the school began immediately after church and continued about an hour and a half. In the morning the school began with portions of the service and a hymn. The Scripture lesson was explained by the clergyman, commenting on each verse, and the teachers took their classes. In the afternoon the pupils singly recited from memory the Scripture lesson of the morning and were examined on its meaning. The school closed with other portions of the service. Teachers' meetings were held weekly. There was a library of over 1,265 books.
Joel Lewis, who came here in 1829, and was employed as a teacher in the district school, was superintendent of the Sunday school. He was employed by Dr. Edson in the double capacity for seven days in the week. He became a churchman. In 1831 he was succeeded by Reuben Hills, teacher in a district school, afterwards in a grammar school,
A scale of merits was adopted which created much enthusiasm . and wholesome rivalry. In one month twelve thousand verses of Scripture were recited, an average of sixty a Sunday by each pupil. The number of verses required each Sunday was after- wards reduced to twelve.
The next Superintendent was Calvin Cook, overseer in the Middlesex Mill, who did much to build-up the school and for ten years, until 1845, acted as lay-reader. Instead of a sermon he sometimes read a chapter from an entertaining and profitable book. He also kept a singing school on Sunday and other evenings.
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Mr. Cook was followed by William Schouler, who became Adjutant General of Massachusetts. He was editor and pro- prietor of the Lowell Courier. In April, 1847, Charles Hovey became superintendent, and his work was characterized by faith- fulness and efficiency. A book, "Christian Nurture and Ad- monition," by Dr. Edson, was introduced.
There were three divisions of the school: the infant depart- ment, one for those of medium age, and one for older pupils. The superintendents of the infant school from its beginning in 1839 were Stephen R. Hanscom, Nathaniel Wilson, Luther Puffer, Moses Branch, Lloyd W. Hixon, Oliver E. Cushing, Henry Hopes, John McDonald, Levi Sparague, Levi Woodbridge and James S. Russell.
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