USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > One hundred years of Mount Vernon Church, 1842-1942 > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
" Whereas, every member ou entering into covenant with the Church, solemnly engages, if removed from one branch of it, to become connected with another as soon as he may he able ;- aud,
" Whereas, neglect of acknowledged religious duties and breach of express covenaot vows are censurable offences, which, if persisted in, require the discipline of the Church ;- therefore,
" Resolved, that if members neglect to change their Church relation within a year after ceasing to worship statedly with this Church, and persist in such neglect for two years beyond the time allowed, without assigning satisfactory reasons, they shall, on complnim, he cited to answer; and if they neglect to answer when so cited,-or if they have failed to notify the Church of their place of residence, so that they cannot be ched, -- they shall be suspended from regular standing, till such time as final action can be had in their cuse."
ECCLESIASTICAL PRINCIPLES AND RULES
WHEREAS at e meeting of the Mount Vernon Congregational Society duly called for the purpose, held February 23, 1004. it was unanimously voted that Article 4 of the Plan of Organization of the Church and Society. be amended by striking out the words ""i"In members" and inserting the words "all members". so that
the same shall read as follo"a: "Article 4. By the word Church hereinbefore used, is meant all members of the church of the age of twenty-one years and arrards. "
NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the premises, we. the members of said Mount Vernon Congregational Society and the proprietors of vers in the Mount Vernon Congregational Meeting Touse, hereby assent to said amendment and soverally agree with Reverol said Society and with each other, that we, and our executors. as- ministrators and assigns. will hold our several peme subject to said amendment.
IN WITHESE WHIPE.F ve hereunto set our hands and a common seal this first day of March. A. D. 1904.
Frankly Wiggin Elizabeth & Partes Annie & Norde Robert & Fitch David P. Pracy. c)autor de Heich Auraitle-
Henry amellan
Has A Jorgen. Chas. Elaine George No. Traceford
Edward O. Olis. W.W. Hodges Cornelia Warzen Katharine Stevens Podepale B. Cele
lluquesta Y3. Brown. Retti C. Kig ine Quality andthe will of 2 R Gogine Walter A. Mixaletou
AMENDMENT IN 1904 TO INCLUDE WOMEN AS LEGAL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH
97
DISCIPLINE AND PUNISHMENT
With these things in my mind I have been led to a change of views with regard to Baptism, and am convinced that for me, there is but one right thing to do, to begin all over again. . . .
Another rule adopted in 1842 was the requirement that all applicants for admission should be examined by the Church Committee. Classes of instruction were arranged for these applicants. Careful and detailed rec- ords of these interviews, with questions and answers, have been kept by the clerks. Many of the applicants in the middle nineteenth century and later, still believing in Calvin's doctrine of total depravity, were very conscious of their sins. The testimonials of these "sinners" are rich in human interest.
One candidate in 1880, who, after graduation from Yale in 1833, had studied theology at Cincinnati with Dr. Lyman Beecher, stated that he believed in the doctrine of total depravity and "Christ was the only hope of a sinner." This candidate had been a Presbyterian minister during most of his forty years of ministry.
"Christ will forgive my sins but I am not quite sure that He has for- given them," wrote a sister who before 1881 had been a Methodist. She said she was "by nature a sinner, & that Christ offered himself a sacrifice for sin."
A Chinese applicant, who had been a Christian for four years, stated in 1881 that the Christian religion was "better than any other twice over." He said that Jesus died for us because we had sinned, and the "Holy Spirit washes sins away."
In 1882 a Japanese applicant, a son of Buddhist parents, said that he first heard of Christ in attending a Protestant service in Tokio. After coming to this country he "learned enough to want Christ to forgive my sins." He was engaged in the tea business, but planned to go to Andover to study the manufacture of hemp and then return to his country to es- tablish a hemp factory.
A blind man in 1885, having lost his sight in the Civil War, stated that he had recently become "awakened to the consciousness of sin & the heedlessness of my past life." He felt that he would rather be blind than to have his sight and "be still leading the life I led previous to my afflic- tion."
A sermon "about sinning against the Holy Ghost" was the turning point in the life of a candidate in 1888. He confessed that he had at- tended the theatre some but not any more, having "adopted new methods for improving the mind."
A few candidates were refused admission to the church, as was the case of a poor soul in 1882 who applied for admission after she had been
98
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
excommunicated from the Chambers Street Church several years before. Her case was dismissed when "it was known that she was a confirmed Inebriate."
Some candidates were not accepted at first, but the Church Committee decided "to wait & see, keeping watch and interest in them for the pres- ent." The most famous case is that of Dwight L. Moody, whose first ap- plication for membership was temporarily refused, because of his ignor- ance of "theology and the Bible." He was finally accepted in 1856, after a requirement of concentrated study. In later years Mr. Moody testified that the delay of the Church Committee and their insistence that he seek more instruction before appearing again before them was one of the best experiences in his life. How true it is that temporary discouragements and failures are often blessings in disguise!
From these few representative documents-chosen from a whole trunk full of old letters-one can picture the vital part discipline played in the early life of Mount Vernon Church. These early members, many of whom were accustomed to Calvinist sternness in their own homes, would think that today, with its increased tolerance and more sympathetic understanding, the church was shirking its Christian responsibilities. Some critics of the twentieth century policy of more freedom and less discipline in the church and home assert that the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction.
11 Church Government and Support
He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. -SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, XXIII : 3
F OR THE FIRST seventy-seven years of Mount Vernon Church, from 1842 to 1919, in accordance with old Congregational precedent, there were two distinct governmental bodies: the "Mount Vernon Congrega- tional Church" and the "Mount Vernon Congregational Society." The "male members of the church of the age of twenty-one years and up- wards" constituted the Church, and the pew proprietors-a secular body of "males admitted by vote, whether members of the church or not"-con- stituted the Society.
The Society, which had its own officers1 and a salaried treasurer, owned the church property, received the pew rents, held the deeds, and was re- sponsible for the raising of money for salaries, upkeep of property, and running expenses. The members of the Society, who regularly contrib- uted towards its support, also had control of the prudential affairs. The Records of the Prudential Committee of the Mount Vernon Congrega- tional Society, 1842-1919, are extant and give a vivid picture of the life of the old church. Fortunately the book was kept at the church, and did not meet the fate of the other records which burned in the clerk's office in the Federal Street fire of 1879. In those days there were serious prob- lems to be solved, one of the most provoking of which was "removing the pigeons from the roof." At times this seemed to absorb more time and energy than the eternal problem of raising or lowering the pew taxes in order to balance the budget.
There is humor, too, in the old records. In 1861, Dr. Kirk offered to pay the Society $500 "towards the payment of the debt of the Society," so that the Society in turn could pay his salary and other expenses. How- ever, the Society declined "this generous offer." When the pigeons did not overshadow more weighty concerns, the Committee spent hours dis- cussing what to do with the water on the roof. The clerk recorded with amusing ambiguity: "A communication was read from Mr. C. Bradbury, in reference to the use of the water from the roof of the church, which after some discussion, was laid upon the table."
The treasurer of the Church, who kept his own books, received con- tributions for benevolences, the monthly Communion collections for "the
1 See Appendix R for a list of the officers of the Church and Society.
99
100 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
poor of the parish," the Thanksgiving collections, special offerings, and the income from legacies, bequeathed specifically for the work of the church, Sunday School, and charities supported by the church. He paid the annual contribution to the American Board and other missionary societies, charitable organizations, the expenses of the Sunday School, the yearly assessment to the Suffolk North Association,2 special donations to the "poor of the parish," the expenses of printing and stenographic work, and the Communion service expenses of bread and "John Gilbert, Jr. and Company's best wine."
The legal beginnings of the Society and Church are interesting. On September 7, 1843, the stockholders met "pursuant to a warrant duly issued by a justice of the peace," and were organized into a Corporation according to law, "by the passage of the necessary votes, and the appoint- ment of Standing Committees." Four articles were adopted as the basis of union between the Church and Society.
Article I provided that "whenever the church and society shall be des- titute of a settled pastor," a joint committee of nine-five representing the church and four, the Society-should supply the pulpit. Temporary supplies of the pulpit, during "the absence or sickness of the pastor," were to be provided by the pastor and deacons of the Church, and the bills were to be "submitted to the Standing or Prudential Committee," and, when approved, to be paid by the treasurer.
Article II and III determined the right of the Church "to select the pastor or colleague pastor . . . to be proposed to the Society for their concurrence." If this selection was "approved by the Society," a joint call should be extended, but "in case of non-concurrence, the Church shall select until the Society concur The amount of salary was "to be fixed by the Society."
Article IV defined the word Church, as "male members of the Church of the age of twenty-one years and upwards." Of course women joined the Church as members, but they were not considered legal members un- til the amendment in 1904, when twenty-eight members of the Society signed their willingness to amend the article by striking out the words "male members" and substituting the words "all members." It would be interesting to know how long the loyal "female members" had been fighting for their rights. Probably it only occurred to a few to change the status quo. After all, it was not until 1920 that the Nineteenth Amend- ment enfranchising women was passed by the Congress of the United States.
In 1887, the Massachusetts law relating to Church Organizations was
2 The church moved to Beacon Street in 1892, but did not transfer to the Suffolk West Association until 1907.
101
CHURCH GOVERNMENT AND SUPPORT
passed, by which a Church could be incorporated as a single body. It was not until 1919 that Mount Vernon Church abolished the Society and be- came a single body, legally organized as Mount Vernon Church Incor- porated. As early as 1908, by invitation of the Mount Vernon Church Committee, the Reverend Edward M. Noyes of the First Congregational Church in Newton Centre attended a meeting at Mount Vernon Church, and "described the method of Church Government by Church members inaugurated by his Church in 1894." A special committee was appointed by the Mount Vernon Church Committee, after this address, to "consider the Church government and report in one year hence." It was eleven "years hence," not until 1919, that the church finally abolished the So- ciety and became incorporated.
The next year, on April 29, 1920, the Church Council of seven mem- bers was established. The Council was composed of persons represent- ing the diaconate, the standing committee, and the five major organiza- tions of the church. This body proved to be a "very helpful clearing house for the consolidation of the plans of the organizations and an in- valuable aid to the minister and the church visitor."
It is interesting to trace the development of governmental bodies in the church during the one hundred years of its existence. In 1842, the officers of the church were: one pastor, four deacons, a treasurer, a clerk, the prudential committee of eight members, and an examining commit- tee, consisting of "the pastor, the deacons, and five brethren." This was an amazing ratio to the total membership of the church, then only forty- seven members. The sexton of the church was also "the collector of the pew taxes," a very responsible and often trying position.
Today, with a membership between four and five hundred, the offi- cers of the church are: a minister, an assistant minister, a moderator, a treasurer, a clerk, a sexton, the Church School superintendent, a diaco- nate3 of ten members, a Standing Committee of twelve members, a Mis- sionary Committee, a Music Committee, a Committee on Religious Ed- ucation, the House Committee, a large Centenary Committee, the ushers, and last-but by no means least-the invaluable church secretary, Miss Dorothy A. Hickie, and her assistant.
3 See Appendix R for a list of the deacons.
12 Church Music
Music is the child of prayer, the companion of religion.
-CHATEAUBRIAND
A HISTORY OF Mount Vernon Church would be incomplete with- out an appreciation of the church music, and an acknowledgement of the loyal and valuable services of the organists, choir leaders, soloists, members of the choir, and members of the music committee.
The organ in the Ashburton Place Church was of the "largest class, containing 1,550 pipes, with three banks of keys, arranged for the choir, swell, and great organ and full pedal base," and was in some of its com- binations "unsurpassed by any instrument of the kind in the city." A young man was paid $25 a year for "blowing the organ bellows."
Thomas Appleton, the builder of the organ, received $3300 for "con- structing the church organ including all materials." He apparently felt that more payment was due him, and accordingly requested that the Pru- dential Committee convey to him a deed to one of the pews as "addi- tional compensation." This request was granted.
The organ in the present church was built in 1892 by the George S. Hutchings Organ Company at a cost of $6325. In 1917 the organ was entirely renovated by the James Cole Organ Company; modern electric action, electric blowing apparatus, and a new organ console were in- stalled.
The first organist in the old church was Mr. S. A. Bancroft,1 who first received $100 for four months' service, from January to May, 1844. His salary was gradually increased, reaching the maximum of $1200 a year in 1861. With Mr. Bancroft, for a short period, worked the eminent Boston musician, Lowell Mason, who on January 9, 1845, was thanked by the Prudential Committee for his "generous and efficient aid in sus- taining the musical services in the Society, during the past year."
It was Lowell Mason who in 1838 introduced music into the public schools of Massachusetts. By means of classes, schools, lectures, and col- lections of music for family and Sunday use, he had awakened a prac- tical interest in music. His Handel and Haydn Collection of Church Music and his Manual of Instruction were accepted as texts by many singing school masters.
1 There are no extant records of the Music Committee of the old church. The names of the organists have been compiled from the Records of the Treasurer. Mr. S. A. Bancroft is undoubtedly Mr. Silas A. Bancroft who joined the church in 1846.
102
103
CHURCH MUSIC
Mr. S. A. Bancroft continued as organist and director of music until 1861.2 Under his leadership, the Association of Young Men established a "singing school" in 1853. The terms were "$2.00 for Gentlemen and $1.00 for Ladies" for a term of twelve lessons. The work studied was Carmina Sacra.
The Reverend Edward N. Kirk was intensely interested in music, and especially in the establishment of singing schools where old and young shared in the training. A musician himself-he often entertained in- formally at the parsonage at 5 Staniford Street by playing on his musical glasses-he was determined that the music at Mount Vernon Church should be of the highest order. Different musical organizations sought his advice, and on various occasions, he addressed the Academy of Sacred Music and the Music Teachers Institute. He wrote several articles on church music, choirs, and "the perversion of music."
The music at Mount Vernon Church won recognition by contempo- rary critics. Writing in 1854, John Ross Dix3 recorded:
As we enter, a hymn is being very finely sung, one rich female voice in par- ticular filling the building with its delicious harmony, and yet blending har- moniously with the tones from other lips, distinct above, but not overpowering them. The organ, that prince of instruments, is beautifully played, and taken altogether, we have seldom heard finer choir singing than that at Mount Vernon.
The "rich female voice" mentioned above may have been that of Miss Hartwell, who in 1847 was paid $50 semi-annually for her services as "one of the choir." There is no record how long she continued in the choir.
The soloists in the Ashburton Place Church who supplemented the choir from 1847 to 1872 were Miss Hartwell, William H. Beckett, H. W. Barry, Miss Allen, Emma E. Donham, Annie M. Granger, Kate C. Broad, S. W. Langmaid, Mr. Tucker, John H. Stickney, Reuben Ring, Henry Stone, Andrew P. Perry, Miss M. J. Bernton, Miss Annie J. Morse, George C. Folsom, Miss C. A. Powers, Mr. Ora Pearson, A. A. Foster, Miss Swift, George R. Titus, Mrs. Ellen G. Fowle, Mrs. Sarah Shattuck, Mr. W. W. Davis, Mrs. T. Drake, G. W. Dudley, Miss S. F. Holmes, H. M. Mead, M. Lewis, Mrs. C. E. Whiting, George L. Hyde, Jennie How- arth, and Mrs. Wall.
In 1876 the Association of Young Men-to reduce "the expenses of
2 The organists in the old church who succeeded Mr. Bancroft after 1861 were: George E. Whiting, J. W. Tufts, J. A. Broad, George H. Powers,, Carl H. F. Proeschold, C. H. Smith, J. P. Cobb, B. F. Gilbert, C. K. Ford, C. K. Hawes, John C. Warren, George H. Ryder, Mr. Ackers, H. E. Parkhurst, Charles N. Harris, and Miss Fannie C. Berry.
John Ross Dix, Pulpit Portraits, p. 239.
104 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
the Society"-offered to furnish a voluntary choir for the year. The As- sociation at this time had over two hundred members, many of whom were good singers. The Prudential Committee voted that the young men could engage "Mr. Ackers for organist at $300 a year, and Mr. Leland for conductor at $200 a year." This voluntary choir, supplemented with paid soloists whenever the finances warranted, continued until 1892. Mr. David R. Craig was director of the choir, working with the organist, from 1886 to 1892. Mr. J. P. Tippett assisted the organist in the new church from 1892 to 1896, as director of the quartette.
On May 9, 1892, the Prudential Committee voted not to continue the chorus choir, but "to adopt a quartette as the basis for the musical serv- ices in the new church." This quartette-which sang from the organ bal- cony-continued until the present chorus choir was established in 1923. The regular soloists4 from 1892 to 1923 were Miss Rose Stewart,5 Miss Minnie Hayden, Mr. C. E. Burnham, Mr. J. E. Tippett, Mr. Daniels, Mr. George J. Parker, Mr. L. Willard Flint, Miss Ella M. Raymond, Mr. Oscar L. Huntting, Mrs. Lillian Hamilton Thornquist, Mrs. Estelle Pat- terson Chapman, Mr. George E. Hills, Miss Rosetta Key, Miss Minerva Allen, Miss Jean Macdonald, and Mr. Clarence Durland.
The quartette for many years gave annual concerts, and also sang at the pastor's New Year reception. The first concert in the new church was given on May 3, 1893. At many of these concerts the audience was requested to join the soloists in the singing of Miss Alice M. Hawes' original hymn, Mount Vernon, 'tis of thee, which she wrote for the fif- tieth anniversary exercises on June 1, 1892. This custom of writing original hymns began in the old church, when each year some member submitted a hymn to be sung at the New Year reception. A hymn, writ- ten by Mr. Julius A. Palmer, the father of Professor George H. Palmer, is extant. Many years later, in 1914, Mr. Albert Murdoch and Mr. A. Vere Shaw wrote respectively the words and the music to Mount Vernon Fair.
The quartette not only sang at the morning services, but also at many of the evening services which were held until 1921. From 1916 to 1920, a volunteer vested choir led the evening hymn singing assisted by one of the soloists. In 1920 and 1921 elaborate evening musical services were held, at which several members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra played. At about this same time, in the fall of 1920, a children's choir was established under the leadership of Miss Marion L. Chapin. This
4 This list does not contain the names of those who sang for only short periods.
" Miss Rose Stewart, who was called "die kleine Patti" by the composer, Franz Liszt, thrilled the congregation for nineteen years with her soprano voice. She is a member of the centenary music committee.
TAKE WARNING! All ye Good People of thys Towne.
This is writ to let ye People know that ye Old Folkes of ye Ancient Towne of Boston, on Mafsachusetts Bay, will holde
A GREATE SINGING MEETYNG,
at Parson Herrick hys Meetyng-House,
- Wh is on ye Place ycleped Ashburton, near ye Bigge Government House with ye high yellow roof, on
Monday ye 23 day of February, 1885, [N. S.]
Ye Sexton will open ye doors at early candle light & ye Soundynge of ye Mufiek shall begin at a quarter to eight of ye Clock, & no more,
Y. Fee to come in and hear yª Musick and get Some Supper will be Three Shillynge.
Divers well favored younge men before appointed will tell ye people where to sit, & ye men & wimmen folke can sit together if soe minded.
PROGRAM OF THE THIRTY FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF ASSOCIATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE
Musicale
BY THE CHOIR OF
Mount Vernon Church,
MISS ROSE STEWART, SOPRANO, MISS MINNIE HAYDEN, ALTO,
.
MR. GEO. J. PARKER, TENOR, MR. L. WILLARD FLINT, BASS.
MR. ARTHUR M. RAYMOND, ACCOMPANIST,
ASSISTED BY MRS. GRACE THOMAS FLOOD, PIANIST.
Tuesday Eve., March 17th, 1903
r
MISS ROSE STEWART Soprano soloist from 1892-1912
MUSICALE BY THE CHOIR IN 1903
THE CHILDREN'S CHOIR UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MISS MARION L. CHAPIN Organized in 1920
Photo by Bachrach
KENNETH SHAW USHER, ORGANIST FROM 1909-1941
105
CHURCH MUSIC
children's choir, which continued until 1923, occasionally sang in the auditorium.
In the summer of 1923, the present choir stalls were built and the organ console was removed from the balcony to its present location at the front of the church adjacent to the choir stalls. Among the regular soloists connected with the chorus choir6 since the fall of 1923 have been Mrs. Laura Thompson, Miss Hope James, Mr. Robert B. Boyd, Mr. Russell P. Wentworth, and Mr. Robert P. Bullard. Until the fall of 1941, the quartette, which supplemented the choir for some ten years, were Miss Mae Taylor, Mrs. Madeline Conant, Mr. Arthur O. Wellcome, and Mr. J. Edmond Boucher.
Last but by no means least, we come to the appreciation of the or- ganists in the new church. In the last fifty years, there have been only three organists: Mr. Arthur M. Raymond, who served for sixteen years from 1893 to 1909; Mr. Kenneth Shaw Usher, who served for thirty- two years from April, 1909, to June, 1941; and the present organist, Mr. Melville Smith, who commenced in the fall of 1941.
Mr. Arthur M. Raymond, before coming to Mount Vernon Church, had been organist at the First Unitarian Church in Hingham, the Pope Memorial Church in Cohasset, and the Methodist Episcopal Church of East Weymouth. At the Saint Louis Exposition he was engaged to play the big organ.
Mr. Kenneth Shaw Usher, before his appointment in 1909, had been organist at the First Universalist Church of West Somerville, the Third Universalist Church of North Cambridge, and the North Avenue Con- gregational Church of North Cambridge.
As a young man Mr. Usher studied piano for many years under Frank Lynes. He first studied organ under Fay Simmons Davis, and in 1903 and 1904 he took private lessons under Wallace Goodrich, now the Dean of the New England Conservatory of Music and for many years the organist of Trinity Church. At Harvard College, from which Mr. Usher was graduated in 1908, he studied organ under Professor Walter R. Spaulding, and took the major musical courses under Dr. J. K. Paine and Professor Converse. He studied in Paris in 1908 under Charles Marie Widor, the organist of Saint Sulpice, and during this year he had close musical association with Camille Saint-Saëns. While in Paris, Mr. Usher often played the organ at the American Church. In the summer of 191 I he studied under Dr. T. Tertius Noble at York Minster Cathedral, in York, England. On many trips abroad, Mr. Usher has played in many
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.