USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The parish of the Advent in the city of Boston, a history of one hundred years, 1844-1944 > Part 4
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"He was a gentleman not only, but the gentlest man. No man ever was more acceptable to the refined and intellectual. No man had ever easier access to the poor, the ignorant, 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 in-
* The committee consisted of John P. Tarbell, Frederick H. Stimp- son, Charles C. Grafton, Theodore Metcalf, N. Austin Parks, and F. E. Oliver.
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THE YEARS 1844-1851
firmities ; he was so constant in his assiduity; he knew the strings in every broken heart, and had from God the medi- cine to heal their hurts. . . . But especially he was so un- reserved 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 service or duty.' . . . The dis- tance 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 suf- ferer. 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 overshoes, 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.' As he set out upon his ministry of mercy, you might think him very slow, and doubt if he would find his way, and wonder 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 in- tellectual with his delightful conversation and his pure and lambent playfulness. . . . 'He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one.' I may add as justly, 'exceeding wise, fair- spoken, and persuading.' . . His habits were simple almost to severity. 'Having food and raiment,' he was 'therewith content.' "
1851-1858
T HE peculiar relations between the parish and the di- ocesan 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.16 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. A few days later the committee placed themselves in com- munication 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 2d of February, 1852, he accepted the position to which he had been called, his duties to commence on the following Easter Day.
16 [Dr. Southgate was consecrated first Missionary Bishop of Con- stantinople Oct. 26, 1844. He resigned in 1850. In the same year he was elected Bishop of California, but declined the election. "While visiting in the home of his childhood, in Portland, Maine, and possibly waiting for an appropriate parochial appointment, he directed his tremendous energy to the formation of St. Luke's parish, now the Cathedral of the Diocese, and became, for a brief period only, its first clergyman." ("The Manuscripts of Horatio Southgate-a Dis- covery," an article in the American Church Monthly, Oct. 1937, by the Rev. Kenneth W. Cameron, p. 162.) ]
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THE YEARS 1851-1858
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
BISHOP SOUTHGATE
parish that one of the episcopal order should now become its rector,-a man, too, of decided ability, and a defender 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
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THE PARISH OF THE ADVENT
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 grow- ing taste for a larger choir and a more churchly arrange- ment.
The rector, after consultation with one or two members of the vestry, decided that a change was necessary, involv- ing 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 some- what 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 to the plan on the part of the wardens and vestry of that church that it was finally abandoned, and Dr. Cutler was appointed organ- ist at the Church of the Advent. Having accepted the posi- tion, 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
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THE YEARS 1851-1858
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 responsibility and consequences of his non-compliance with what was clearly an arbitrary and un- canonical 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 the bishop of the diocese, was clearly set forth. This sermon was afterward published by request.
In the spring of 1853 the Rev. Moses P. 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 the autumn of 1853, at a meeting of the parish, the 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 re-
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THE PARISH OF THE ADVENT
quested, 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 episcopal visitation under the canon." But, notwithstanding these various efforts on the part of the parish, no satisfactory termination to the conflict seemed to result. It was not until
J ave maria gratia plena dominus lecum
HAR ..... ₦
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 diocesan on the subject of confirmation, were read. The rector'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 violation of the canon
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THE YEARS 1851-1858
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 matter 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 me- morial 17 to that body, setting forth the necessity of further legislation on the subject of episcopal visitations, and pray- ing that such a general canon be enacted as might inci- 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
17 [The following is the text of the memorial, which was presented to both houses of General Convention through the rector :
"To the Right Reverend the Bishops, and to the Reverend the Clerical Deputies, together with the Lay Deputies, of the Protestant Episcopal Church in General Convention assembled :
"Respectfully represents: The Parish of the Advent, one of the Parishes of said Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts, and in the City of Boston, that there is occasion for further legislation on the subject of Episcopal Visitation.
"As an illustration of the necessity for such legislation the said Parish ask leave to submit herewith to the Convention certain cor- respondence between the Rectors of the Parish of the Advent and the Bishop of Massachusetts.
"And therefore the said Parish prays that such a general Canon upon the subject of Episcopal Visitation may be enacted by the Gen- eral Convention as shall seem meet and proper to you, and as may incidentally afford relief to this Parish from the position, in which as appears by that correspondence, it is now placed. And they ask an opportunity to lay other facts before the General Convention, if any shall be deemed necessary to be investigated in connection with such correspondence."]
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THE PARISH OF THE ADVENT
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.1
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
18 [ The vote of thanks referred to was in the form of the follow- ing resolution : "Resolved, That the Right Reverend Horatio South- gate, D.D., Rector of the Parish, for his earnest and unceasing labors in our behalf before the late General Convention, which has resulted in the restoration of this Parish to its proper position in the Diocese, deserves our cordial thanks; and that he has thus added new demon- stration of that zeal in action and firmness in faith, to which, under the good providence of God, this Parish is indebted for much of its present prosperity."
Prior to the adoption of the foregoing resolution, another resolu- tion, proposed by Dr. Coale, had been unanimously adopted at the same meeting : "Resolved, That in the relief this Parish has obtained from the affliction which has rested upon it during the last eleven years, we have a signal cause for devout gratitude to Almighty God by whose governance all things are ordered, and we deem it becoming to place upon record our recognition of the great mercy thus shown us, that those who come after us may have it ever in mind, and so their trust in Him be confirmed."]
·
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THE YEARS 1851-1858
meeting of the wardens and vestry was at once called; and appropriate resolutions were passed, lamenting with the diocese the loss of one whose life had been contemporaneous 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 systematic sympathetic charities; and, also, his faithful friendship 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 appropriately draped; and a large number of the clergy, including 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 gentle- man by birth, and a man of the keenest sense of honor, his loss was an irreparable one. He died at Versailles, France, 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 vener- able building, originally set apart for the rites and worship of the Church of England. As the chapel was closed during
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THE PARISH OF THE ADVENT
the summer months, the wardens and vestry very courteously granted its use to the Parish of the Advent for three Sun- days 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 sermon on the first Sunday was by Bishop Southgate; and the old fane, arrayed once more in her goodly attire, was crowded to its utmost ca- pacity .; 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 rectorship 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, reducing 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 no longer acceptable. The parish had grown and prospered under his guidance and direction, and there seemed to be nothing to interrupt the harmony that hitherto existed be- tween priest and people; and yet there may have been an
* 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.
{ 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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THE YEARS 1851-1858
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 resignation 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.19
19 [Bishop Southgate's letter concluded with the following para- graph : "I cannot close this communication without the pleasing re- flection that I have never before had occasion to address you with re- gret. There has never risen between us a momentary variance. You have strengthened my hands with a fidelity and truth which have re- deemed the pledge implied in calling me to be your rector. You have uniformly received my suggestions and counsel with deference and at- tention. 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 association so much of strength, of comfort, and of happi- ness."]
.. 1.
THE HIGH ALTAR
1858-1869
W ITH the close of Bishop Southgate's rectorship the parish ceased for a time to take any active part in forming the history of the Church in this country. It existed, as most parishes exist, doing its own work and exert- ing considerable local influence, but making no apparent im- pression on the Church at large. It was a free church, and, as such, still an experiment, the success of which had not been proved; but, on the whole, its condition gave great en- couragement to believers in the movement, and its course was therefore watched with great interest.
On the resignation of Bishop Southgate, the assistant, the Rev. Mr. Stickney, was asked to take charge of the work temporarily ; and shortly the Rev. W. H. Odenheimer, D.D., of Philadelphia, was unanimously elected rector. After con- sidering the matter, however, Dr. Odenheimer felt obliged to decline the election; and it was not until May 10, 1859, that the parish elected its next rector, the Rev. James A. Bolles, D.D., of Cleveland, Ohio.
In many respects Dr. Bolles was an obvious candidate. A good Churchman, very popular with his people in the west, an exceedingly genial and hospitable man, he was also much interested in the free-church movement, and was willing to take a financial risk which seemed very great to those having the charge of parishes where the policy of pew- renting insured a certain income.
While the Parish of the Advent made appropriations each year based upon the income of the preceding year, and the members of its corporation felt a moral responsibility to see that the contracted payments were always made, there could be no guarantee that the members of the congregation would do their share, nor could they be compelled to con-
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THE PARISH OF THE ADVENT
tribute to the general fund. The principle of giving for its own sake had been inculcated; and fairs, concerts, and other like forms of extortion, were never even considered as a means by which to make up any possible deficit. The offer-
DOCTOR BOLLES
ings of the congregation were taken at each service, and formally presented upon the altar as an act of worship, praise and thanksgiving; and then, and then only, were they devoted to the support of the work. Moreover, the act of first offering upon the altar those sums of money which members of the congregation were to give to the various
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THE YEARS 1858-1869
charitable enterprises in the city was encouraged, both as a means of bringing a blessing upon the work for which they were set apart, and thus, as it were, doubling the value of the gift, and also as a constant recognition on the part of the giver of that Power whose goodness had made the gift possible.
It was the recognition of the principle that the act of giving to Christ and his Church was a distinct act of wor- ship, and that it was the duty of each member of the con- gregation to place upon the altar from week to week a portion of those things with the use of which he had been intrusted, which gave to the members of the parish faith in their system," and to their new rector courage to run the risk (from the worldly point of view) of leaving his Cleveland home and accepting this call. He entered upon his new duties full of zeal and enterprise in mapping out the details of the work, and his enthusiasm served as a great incentive to those whom he had come to lead.
The parish was still occupying the chapel on Green Street, but question of building was under consideration. In 1858 a lot of land on Tremont Street, between Worcester and Concord Streets, had been offered as a gift, if the parish would build upon it; 21 and later, in 1860, the purchase of a
20 [As early as 1856 the introduction of the pledge system had been suggested, and referred to a committee. A few years later it was voted to inquire of the worshippers what each would undertake to give regularly ; but the actual adoption of the pledge system appears to have been deferred until 1877, when it was voted that the envelope system be adopted "as soon as it can be arranged."]
21 [This offer was made by a committee of St. Mark's Church ; the offer was regretfully declined a few weeks later. In 1856 the follow- ing resolution had been adopted, which may have had a bearing upon the decision: "Resolved, That this Parish having been organized for the expressed purpose of affording the ministration of the Church to the inhabitants of the Northeastern section of this city, is bound in selecting a location for its permanent place of worship, to keep this purpose in view, and to fix upon a spot where this purpose may, all things considered, be most conveniently carried out."
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