USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Sketch of the history of the Parish of the Advent in the city of Boston 1844-1894 > Part 3
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* Memoir of Mr. Croswell, p. 475.
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" Determined are the days that fly Successive o'er thy head, The numbered hour is on the wing That lays thee with the dead."
He then almost tottered to the altar rail; and, after re- peating the collect "Direct us, O Lord," he pronounced the lesser benediction on his knees, and remained kneeling, the congregation now taking the alarm, and hastening to his assistance. He was led from the church, and taken imme- diately in a carriage to his residence which was near, and soon after became unconscious. In an hour his spirit had departed.
One can scarcely conceive of the shock that followed the startling news of his death, especially to those who had been present at the last service. Not only within the parish, but throughout the community, this event cast a deep gloom ; for Dr. Croswell had become well known as a devout and holy man, and the controversy forced upon him by his bishop had brought him prominently before a public which had already begun to sympathize with him in his trials and in the wrongs he had been called upon to endure. The suddenness of his departure also made a deep impression. All bitterness was for the time laid aside by those who had been so harsh in their judgments, and they united in their testimony to the rare spiritual gifts of this saintly man.
On the following morning, immediately after matins, at which the Rev. Thomas R. Lambert officiated, a meeting of the congregation was held in the sacristy of the church, at which appropriate words were said, and the general arrange- ments made for the obsequies of the late rector. The fu- neral ceremonies were solemnized on the following Wednes- day at the Church of the Advent in Green Street, the
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newly consecrated bishop of Connecticut conducting the services. The pall-bearers were the Rev. Dr. Edson of Lowell, Rev. Dr. Burroughs of Portsmouth, Rev. Drs. Vin- ton and Wells, and the Rev. Messrs. Greenleaf, Mason, Clinch, and Lambert. Assisting Bishop Williams were the Rev. Dr. Wainwright, of New York, the Rev. Dr. Eaton and the Rev. Dr. Strong, of Greenfield .* "The church was crowded," says one who was present, "with a most solemn assembly; and all the services of the mourn- ful occasion were deeply impressive." After the services the body was taken to New Haven, accompanied by a com- mittee of gentlemen of the parish, t and there on the follow- ing morning was committed to the ground by the side of his elder brother.
On the Sunday following that on which the sad event oc- curred a sermon, commemorative of the late rector, was preached by his old friend, the Rev. Titus Strong, of Green- field. The Rev. Dr. Haight, of New York, officiated on the succeeding Sunday ; and on the second Sunday in Advent the Right Rev. Dr. Doane, the bishop of New Jersey, be- tween whom and the late Dr. Croswell there had existed the closest ties of friendship for many years, preached an im- pressive and eloquent discourse, in which the character of Dr. Croswell was most touchingly portrayed. A few words from this beautiful tribute to his memory will not be out of place. In allusion to those qualities of heart and mind that especially distinguished him he says: " His kindness was as considerate and delicate in all its details as it was boundless
* The bishop of the diocese was present at the service in his robes, but at the especial request of Dr. Croswell's father, the Rev. Harry Croswell, took no part in the funeral ceremonies.
t This committee consisted of John P. Tarbell, Frederic H. Stimpson, Charles C. Grafton, Theodore Metcalf, N. Austin Parks, and F. E. Oliver.
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in its comprehension. He knew the very thing to do, the very word to say, the very time and place to do it and to say it .... Then he was wonderful in his humility. He esteemed every other better than himself. He cared not what the service was, so he could do it; or for whom it was, so it would be received. And from his humility there sprang a beautiful simplicity, which was a letter of universal commendation.
" He was a gentleman not only, but the gentlest man. No man ever was more acceptable to the refined and intellect- ual. No man had ever easier access to the poor, the igno- rant, the vicious, the degraded. He won their confidence at once ; and, the more they saw of him, the more they trusted. He was so considerate of their feelings; he was so charitable to their infirmities ; he was so constant in his assiduity ; he knew the strings in every broken heart, and had from God the medicine to heal their hurts. ... But especially he was so unreserved in his self-sacrifice. One says of him : 'Dr. Croswell was instant in season and out of season. He never was known to refuse any call for ser- vice or duty.' . .. The distance was never too great for him to go to do good for Christ's sake. The storm was never too severe for him to find his way through it to relieve a tossed and beaten sufferer. The night was never too late nor too dark for him to find his way to bear the Cross, with its consolations, to the bed of death. How plainly I can see him now, with his old cloak wrapped about him, which he would have gladly given to the next poor man, if he had thought it good enough for him; and with his huge over- shoes, which, when he put them on so deliberately, would always bring to mind what the apostle said, about having the 'feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.'
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As he set out upon his ministry of mercy, you might think him very slow, and doubt if he would find his way, and won- der when he would get back, or if he ever would. But, ere he slept, he would have threaded every darkest and most doleful lane, in the most destitute quarter of the city, dived into cellars and climbed garrets, comforted a lonely widow, prayed by a dying sailor, administered the Holy Communion to an old bed-ridden woman, carried some bread to a family of half-starved children, engaged a mother to be sure and send her youngest daughter to an infant school, and 'made a sunshine' in the shadiest places of human suffering and sorrow. And, when all this was done, if he had time for it, he would charm the most refined and intellectual with his delightful conversation and his pure and lambent playful- ness. . . . ' He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one.' I may add as justly, 'exceeding wise, fair-spoken, and per- suading.' . .. His habits were simple almost to severity. ' Having food and raiment,' he was 'therewith content.""
1851-1858
1851-1858.
The peculiar relations between the parish and the dio- cesan authorities, and the possible difficulty of finding one to succeed the late rector, rendered it of the first impor- tance to take immediate steps towards filling the vacancy now existing ; and almost immediately a committee was ap- pointed to consider the matter. In the mean time the daily services were conducted by the Rev. Thomas R. Lambert, of the United States Navy, a committee of the vestry pro- viding for the services on Sundays.
On the fourth Sunday in Advent, the 21st of December, the sermon was preached by the Right Rev. Horatio South- gate, formerly bishop of Constantinople. The impression made by this sermon, which was appropriate to the season, was such that his name at once suggested itself to many as one to be considered in connection with the rectorship. . few days later the committee placed themselves in commu- nication with him, and soon after recommended him as the successor to the late lamented rector ; and on the 31st of December, 1851, Dr. Southgate was unanimously elected to the rectorship of the parish. In a letter dated the ed of February, 1852, he accepted the position to which he had been called, his duties to commence on the following Faster Day.
Having been so long deprived of the presence of a bishop in the chancel, except on the occasion of the visit of the lord bishop of Fredericton, it was especially gratifying to the parish that one of the episcopal order should now be-
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come its rector,-a man, too, of decided ability, and a de- fender of the principles on which the parish had rested from the first.
During the interim the services had been for the most part under the supervision of Rev. Dr. Eaton, always a firm friend of the parish; and the records show that a testi- monial was voted of approbation and reverence, as well as "gratitude for his countenance and unwavering support from the formation of the parish until the present time, together with the prayer that his presence and assistance may long continue."
With the incoming of the new rector, one of the questions that suggested itself was in connection with the music of the church. The choir that had thus far been a voluntary one, consisting of a quartette in the western gallery, could not be depended on for a permanency; and there was a growing taste for a larger choir and a more churchly ar- rangement.
The rector, after consultation with one or two members of the vestry, decided that a change was necessary, involving the removal of the organ to the north aisle of the chancel, and, if possible, two choirs of men and boys, one on either side. Although there was, perhaps naturally, not a little opposition to the plan, the corporation at length, at the urgent desire of the rector, reluctantly consented to the change. It was a fortunate circumstance that at this time Dr. Henry S. Cutler, an organist who had studied abroad and was somewhat familiar with the training of boy choirs, had had for some time past such a choir under his care, hoping that it might be acceptable to the parish of Grace Church, whose rector, Dr. Charles Mason, was decidedly favorable to its use. But there seemed to be so much opposition
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to the plan on the part of the wardens and vestry of that church that it was finally abandoned, and Dr. Cutler was appointed organist at the Church of the Advent. Having accepted the position, he brought his six boys with him ; and they sang for the first time on Sunday, the 18th of July, 1852, the old quartette sitting on the cantoris side. The performance of the two choirs was necessarily for a time somewhat crude; but a step had been taken which was to lead not many years afterward to a double choir of men and boys, properly vested. It was on the 17th of June, 1855, that the two choirs were regularly installed.
The unfortunate conflict that had been left by the late rector as a sort of legacy to his successor was still destined to disturb the peace, although not the prosperity of the parish, and to be a source of trouble and vexation. In October, about six months after his coming among us, the rector wrote to the bishop of the diocese, asking him to visit the parish to administer the rite of confirmation. This request was promptly declined. Bishop Southgate. however, after protesting against the wrong again done to the parish by so arbitrary a proceeding, declared it to be a violation of the letter and spirit of the canon on episcopal visitation, and declined to take his candidates to any other church, throwing upon the diocesan the re- sponsibility and consequences of his non-compliance with what was clearly an arbitrary and uncanonical act. No further correspondence now took place, persons desiring confirmation seeking it in other dioceses. The subject was, however, alluded to in a sermon preached by the rector on the Sunday before Advent, in which the position of the parish, as well as his own position, in relation to
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the bishop of the diocese, was clearly set forth. This sermon was afterward published by request.
In the spring of 1853 the Rev. Moses B. Stickney, for some time rector of St. Peter's Church, Cambridgeport, was appointed one of the assistants by the rector, to aid him in his parochial charge and duties.
In August of this year an event occurred of much interest to the parish. The cathedral at Fredericton, N.B., which had been in process of building for some years, was now completed ; and the respect for the bishop of that diocese, who was remembered as a visitor to the parish two years before, and who had always been most friendly to the Church of the Advent, led the corporation to address his lordship, and to send a delegation, consisting of the rector, wardens, and clerk, to represent the parish on the occasion of its consecration. As the wardens were unable to accompany the rector, who had been appointed to preach the conse- cration sermon, one of the vestry took their place, and together with several of the clergy from New York and Con- necticut, and the architect, Mr. Frank Wills, proceeded to Fredericton. Among the distinguished guests on the occa- sion were the bishops of Toronto and Quebec, who took part in the ceremonies, and many persons from Canada and the other Provinces. All were hospitably entertained by the ladies and gentlemen of Fredericton, and the occasion was a memorable one. The address from the Parish of the Advent was presented before the consecration in the library of the cathedral by Bishop Southgate, and was replied to by the bishop of Fredericton in a few most appropriate words, and later by a letter of thankful acknowledgment to the parish.
In the autumn of 1853, at a meeting of the parish, the
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rector suggested the importance of again attempting to bring the unpleasant controversy with the bishop of the diocese to a close, and proposed a hearing before the House of Bishops, Bishop Eastburn to speak for himself, and Bishop Southgate for the parish. A tie vote defeated this proposition ; but it was afterward voted, however, " That the rector be requested, if, in his judgment, it be expedient, to propose to the bishop of the diocese to refer to the decision of the House of Bishops the question of the rights of this parish to episco- pal visitation under the canon." But, notwithstanding these various efforts on the part of the parish, no satisfactory ter- mination to the conflict seemed to result. It was not until nearly three years later, on the eve of the meeting of the General Convention, that the matter was again agitated. At a meeting of the parish, held in May, 1856, a series of letters, which had passed between the rector and the dio- cesan on the subject of confirmation, were read. The rec- tor's course was unanimously approved, and it was voted to send a copy of the correspondence between the bishop and the two rectors of the parish to every bishop of the Church. with the suggestion that the parish considers the course pursued by the bishop of this diocese to be a plain viola- tion of the canon relating to episcopal visitations, " and that it therefore deems it its duty to lay the correspondence before the bishops, leaving it to them, if their judgment in the mat- ter coincides with the opinion of this parish, to apply the remedy which the laws of the Church in such case provide." A copy of the correspondence was sent to every clerical and lay delegate to the next General Convention, accompanied by a memorial to that body, setting forth the necessity of fur- ther legislation on the subject of episcopal visitations, and praying that such a general canon be enacted as might inci-
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dentally afford relief to the parish from the position in which it was placed.
The General Convention met in October; and the appeal of the parish, warmly seconded by the rector, who remained in Philadelphia during almost its entire session, was favor- ably received. The passage of a canon was secured, which required the visitation by a bishop of every parish within his jurisdiction at least once in three years. No conditions were attached, and but one legitimate course seemed open to the bishop of Massachusetts; and this he wisely and promptly decided to take.
It was but a few days after the adjournment of the con- vention that the rector announced to the corporation that the bishop had informed him of his intention to visit the Church of the Advent on the coming third Sunday in Ad- vent to administer the rite of confirmation, thus setting an example of willing obedience to authority well worthy of imitation. On this result being made known to the parish, a vote of thanks to the rector was passed for his earnest and unceasing labors in its behalf, containing also an ex- pression of its indebtedness to him, under the good provi- dence of God, for much of its present prosperity.
In March, 1858, the parish met with a sad loss in the death of the Rev. Dr. Eaton, who had been from the first one of its warmest friends and supporters. On almost every occasion, during the last years of his life, he had assisted at its services, being rarely, if ever, absent from morning or evening prayer. Dr. Eaton took cold at New Haven while attending the funeral of the Rev. Dr. Harry Croswell, and soon after his return was taken with a chill, which resulted in pneumonia, of which he died on the 24th of March. A meeting of the wardens and vestry was at once called; and
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appropriate resolutions were passed, lamenting with the diocese the loss of one whose life had been' contemporane- ous with almost its entire history, whose counsels had been so valuable, and whose friendship had been so cherished by successive generations of its clergy, recalling also in him the friend and supporter of the early and weaker days of our enterprise, "the deep interest he felt in its system of daily service, free sittings, frequent sacraments, and syste- matic sympathetic charities ; and, also, his faithful friend- ship to our deceased rector, who often needed the sanction of his co-operation and presence, the encouragement of his advice, and the solace of his personal friendship." At the funeral, which took place on the 27th, the church was ap- propriately draped; and a large number of the clergy, in- cluding the bishop of the diocese, escorted the body to its burial-place at King's Chapel.
Two months later the parish met with a further loss in the sudden death of the senior warden, Mr. William Foster Otis. Mr. Otis had been warmly interested in the parish from the first, and the vacancy caused by his decease was one not easily filled. A Churchman of the best type, a gentleman by birth, and a man of the keenest sense of honor, his loss was an irreparable one. He died at Ver- sailles, Paris, where he had gone for his health, on the 29th of May. His funeral took place in June, 1858, at the Church of the Advent.
In the summer of 1858 it became necessary to suspend the daily and Sunday services for a time to allow the proper cleansing and repairing of the church, and an informal sug- gestion was made by one of the wardens of this parish to the wardens and vestry of King's Chapel that the Parish of the Advent be allowed for a few Sundays to occupy that
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venerable building, originally set apart for the rites and worship of the Church of England. As the chapel was closed during the summer months, the wardens and vestry very courteously granted its use to the Parish of the Ad- vent for three Sundays in July, the 11th, 18th, and 25th, the latter being St. James's Day. No public service on a Sunday had been held in King's Chapel, according to the rites of the Church, since the evacuation of Boston by the royal army in 1776. The services were choral, and many of the clergy of Boston and vicinity took part .* The ser- mon on the first Sunday was by Bishop Southgate ; and the old fane, arrayed once more in her goodly attire, was crowded to its utmost capacity .ยก The choirs occupied the galleries on either side near the organ, and for the first time since the revolution were heard there the chants and hymns of the Anglican Church.
At a meeting of the corporation in August a communi- cation was received from the rector, resigning the rector- ship of the parish. The immediate cause of this step, as sudden as it was unexpected, was not apparent. How far he was influenced by a vote passed not very long before, re- ducing the amount which had been placed in his hands for clerical services, it is impossible to say, as a reduction was at the same time made in the appropriation for the music of the church. It is by no means improbable, however, that this may have led him to suppose that his rectorship was
* Among the clergy were the rector, the Rev. M. P. Stickney, the Rev. Charles Burroughs, the Rev. E. M. P. Wells, the Rev. Nicholas Hoppin, the Rev. Edward J. Stearns, the Rev. John P. Robinson, the Rev. Charles W. Homer, and the Rev. Isaac G. Hubbard.
t A gentleman who belonged to King's Chapel told the writer that he was so much pleased with the services that he bought a Prayer-book, supposing the arrangement to be a permanent one.
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no longer acceptable. The parish had grown and pros- pered under his guidance and direction, and there seemed to be nothing to interrupt the harmony that hitherto existed between priest and people ; and yet there may have been an element of discord in the parish which decided him to seek another field of labor.
In accepting his resignation, the corporation expressed upon its records the strong personal respect and affection which was felt for the rector, the deep sense of his laborious and self-denying devotion to the interests of the parish, the appreciation of the value of his services, and the reluctance with which the parish was obliged to yield to his judgment in the matter. It would appear from the letter of resigna- tion that his main object in accepting the rectorship was to terminate, if possible, the conflict between the diocesan and the parish. Having accomplished this, he felt his mission was ended.
His letter of resignation is interesting, as a contemporary record of the position of the parish at the time it was written. It is as follows : -
BOSTON, Aug. 20, 1858.
Gentlemen : -
I hereby resign the rectorship of the Church of the Advent, and beg to lay before you a summary of the reasons which lead me to this act.
When I took charge of the parish six and a half years ago, I framed for myself a plan which I have since regarded as the chief object of my mission here. It was to relieve the parish from the disadvantageous position in which it was then placed, and to bring it into a normal condition, in which it could act freely for the great ends that are the design of the Church of Christ on earth. I gave myself to this work with an entire surrender, purposing, if need be, to spend my life for its accomplishment. You remember the
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former days of trouble, anxiety, and reproach. You know, too, the wonderful way in which we have been led, step by step, out of all danger and difficulty, until we were brought at length into a large and safe place. Every embarrass- ment has been removed, the obstacles to a free and success- ful progress are taken out of our path, the good name of the parish has been amply vindicated, and at this moment it stands with a fair, unclouded reputation, and with cheer- ing prospects before the Church and before the world.
Since the last confirmation in December, 1857, the ques- tion has often occurred to me whether I ought not to regard the great object for which I took charge of the parish as accomplished, and whether, therefore, I might not properly retire from the work.
To this thought has been added the consideration that I have devoted six years to parochial labor almost without intermission. I have seldom been absent from my post, winter or summer, for a single day, excepting on official duty. When here, I have labored day and night incessantly. The work has, almost unconsciously to myself, so grown under my hand that Sunday, ordinarily regarded .as the clergyman's time of trial, has come to be to me compara- tively a day of rest. This cannot always continue ; while I feel that in this field I could never labor less. I have been deprived (by my own choice, indeed, in accumulating work) of almost all opportunity for study, so that, for the last four years at least, I have seldom had one free uninterrupted hour for this purpose ; and yet I could not bear to study with such peculiar incentives to active labor constantly press- ing upon me.
I have also thought of the possibility of your reducing the cost of supporting the clergy, in case I should retire ; and the deep and abiding interest which I feel in the parish would lead me to do all in my power to relieve you from some portion of the heavy burden of expense which you now bear.
These reasons (combined with the fact that the parish is in a state of health and strength in which I can leave it with
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the prospect of the least possible detriment to itself) are the leading ones which have guided me to my present conclusion.
To give the parish time to arrange for the future, as well as for my own convenience in removing, I make my resigna- nation to take effect on the last day of October next.
I cannot close this communication without the pleasing reflection that I have never before had occasion to address you with regret. There has never risen between us a momentary variance. You have strengthened my hands with a fidelity and truth which have redeemed the pledge implied in calling me to be your rector. You have uniformly received my suggestions and counsel with deference and attention. You have bestowed upon me many marks of kindness and confidence. I part from you, gentlemen, with unfeigned reluctance. I look back upon my association with you with respect and love for you, and with gratitude to the Divine Master, who has granted to me in that asso- ciation so much of strength, of comfort, and of happiness.
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