USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Gardiner > Christ Church, Gardiner, Maine : antecedents and history > Part 14
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"-the spacious, handsomely furnished club room which is formed by the basement of the building. The room is perfectly warmed and lighted, equipped with every sort of gymnastic ap- paratus, billiard tables, facilities for writing, books and period- icals, and a new piano .. everything that can be thought of to make an attractive, free and happy place for boys and young men to gather."
In 1908, I note on the third Sunday after Epiphany, the regular corporate communion of men, at 7:30 A.M. Twenty-five attended, and afterwards seventy-eight men sat down to break- fast. There were speeches by Judge Spear, and Prof. Johnson of Bowdoin.
In April of 1909 was celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of Mr. Plant's coming to the Parish. On this occasion R. H. Gardiner, the Junior Warden, spoke eloquently in the Rector's praise. His speech concluded thus:
"The fifteen years of Mr. Plant's Rectorship make a notable record in the long history of Christ Church. A great advance
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has been made toward recovering the position occupied in the time of the great first Bishop of Maine, when Christ Church stood, as every church should stand, as the strongest force of the com- munity for righteousness, and brotherhood and spiritual progress."
The warden also spoke of the anonymous gift to the Parish of the present rectory. It is now fitting to mention the principal donor, Mrs. H. G. White, of whom I shall speak later at greater length.
And so the Parish continues, under its brave, hard working Rector. By 1914 he had done too much and suffered a break- down, taking a much needed long vacation from the first of the year until April. In addition to his parish labors, with the neighboring missionary work, he had been managing the House of the Good Shepherd and writing the page on General Missions, a regular feature of the North East. The editor of the magazine said at that time, "He is without question one of the most efficient and useful priests in the Diocese. We hope he may soon return and entirely recover his health." He returned, apparently in full vigor, for the Holy Week services. During Lent the church had been in charge of the Rev. Thomas Burgess, a nephew of the Bis- hop, and remembered for his fine work in Saco.
The year before, 1913, Ammi Davenport, for thirty-five years a vestryman and warden for thirty-two years, had died, and R. H. Gardiner then became Senior Warden. Mr. Davenport had been a devoted and efficient warden. I remember well his stately presence as he helped to take the offering for so many years. He was truly a doorkeeper in the House of our God. The fund which bears his name attests his generosity to his church. The present pulpit, designed by Henry Richards, was given in his memory by the Parish.
In 1914 the Parish suffered another loss in the death of Wil- liam G. Ellis. He was not only treasurer of the Parish, but for twenty years he had served the Diocese both as its treasurer and likewise as treasurer of its Board of Missions. For years our mis- sionary clergy received their monthly stipends from Mr. Ellis. To quote Bishop Codman, "On his deathbed, almost his last thought was the desire that the clergy be paid their stipends be- fore he died."
In 1915 came a loss to the town and the Diocese when the House of the Good Shepherd was burned and practically de-
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stroyed. I have not used the word tragedy, because in this de- struction there was so much to be thankful for. The quick fire was detected just as the children had finished breakfast, and thanks to the coolness and leadership of Sister Margaret Mary, all seventeen of them were safe outside in two minutes. They were taken in by neighbors. In the meantime, Canon Plant acted so energetically that within three hours of the calamity he had secured a large, vacant house just ready for occupancy, had coal in it, the furnace started, the gas turned on, and a telephone con- nected. Everyone helped. The fire occurred on Sunday morning ; Monday night the children slept in their own beds.
In this same year Bishop Codman died. There were several articles in eulogy of this devoted leader, in the North East. I quote the final paragraph of R. H. Gardiner's contribution, en- titled New England Heritage, as it speaks so eloquently of the three Bishops who had served our State:
"And so we of the older generation enshrine in our hearts the memory of a third Bishop of Maine who walked with God, as did his predecessors-Burgess, saintly, learned, stately, a poet and a prophet-Neely, manly, democratic, energetic, full of the missionary zeal of an apostle. God grant that as we learned their lessons from them, so we may learn from Codman the stern sense of duty, the intense devotion to the Faith, the all- embracing love, which made him so loyal a servant of Christ and His Church."
Soon a special convention was called to elect a new Bishop. I speak of this convention, as our Rector and Senior Warden were such important figures in it. The principal candidates were the Rev. William Greenough Thayer of Southboro, Mass., and the Very Rev. Frank L. Vernon, Dean of St. Luke's Cathedral; the former proposed by R. H. Gardiner and seconded by Canon Plant. On these two able clergymen, to the exclusion of all others proposed, the convention was deadlocked and adjourned after five ballots. A month later the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Brewster, Bishop of the Missionary District of Western Colorado, was elected Bishop of Maine. The earlier convention had been a case of Christ Church, Gardiner, against St. Luke's Cathedral, Portland, an honorable drawn battle between high-minded opponents.
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Let me here make a break in our story of the old church by inserting a particularly lovely sonnet by Miss Caroline D. Swan, which appeared on the cover of the North East for October, 1917. Miss Swan was a faithful parishioner who lived to a great age. A brilliant woman, she had much to do with the training in verse forms of our famous Gardiner poet, Edwin Arlington Robinson. Here is Miss Swan's poem:
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TO ONE FALLEN ASLEEP.
Late evening hush is over all the land; The stars ablaze in black-blue deeps of space Obey some vast processional of grace, Some organ-peal unheard on this low strand. Yet beauteous, too, our silence, as we stand In pale submission, trying to embrace The wondrous thought of God's own dwelling place, Still nestling in the hollow of His hand!
O my beloved-in that strange profound Where angel wings and starry circles go Still flying, rolling, flashing evermore, Thy living place must be! Where all around Is Life ;- no death, no part of earthly woe Can dim His Presence whom we both adore.
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These were the years of our part in the First World War, and we find in 1918 the dedication of an American flag, given by R. P. Hazzard, and a service flag bearing twenty stars, pre- sented by Sister Margaret Mary and Miss Julie Raeuber. I quote from the parish letter to the North East: "It is interesting to note that the old flag was the first to be flung from a church tower in New England and, it is reported, in the United States. It has now been hung over the altar in the chapel."
Again I quote, this time from an article by R. H. Gardiner in the July-August number of the same magazine, in which he urges those not in service to attend a meeting of the Brother- hood of St. Andrew-his words are so beautiful:
"Out of the war must come a new order of the world, dif- ferent from any that has ever been. Rich and poor, employer and employed, old men and maidens, young men and children, are learning the supreme lesson of self-sacrifice for an ideal . .
". . It will be an old man's convention. Come and grow young again as you catch the vision of what you may do for the spread of the kingdom."
In 1919 came a combined celebration, on Sunday and Mon- day, Feb. 2 and 3, of Canon Plant's twenty-five years as Rector, and the one hundredth anniversary of the laying of the corner stone of Christ Church. The Rt. Rev. Paul Jones preached on Sunday morning; the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Brewster at the evening service. On Monday evening the Wardens and Vestry gave a reception in the Parish House for the Rev. and Mrs. Plant. R. H. Gardiner presided over the meeting, where glowing tributes were paid, and a substantial purse presented to the Rector. My dear mother, Mrs. Laura E. Richards, read some verses that made one laugh and cry, entitled:
The Elder Who's Good to the Poor,
a title she had adopted from a word casually spoken by a citizen not of our fold. I give the last stanza:
"And I think when the circle has rounded its full, On the far-distant day that must come, When the kind eyes shall close on the home that he chose, And the eloquent speaking is dumb,
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I think that when Peter his golden key turns, And opens his narrow white door,
His voice will ring clear down the Heavens, "Send here That Elder that's good to the poor."
With the 1919 anniversaries at the church so successfully observed, Christ Church still was in the mood for celebration. Moreover there was a good excuse, for though the cornerstone had been laid in 1819, the building had been consecrated in 1820. So we come to the important events of 1920. That was a great year for our church, and may be taken as the climax of Canon Plant's work here, as his health, alas, was to break in a few years. This year marked the centennial of the Diocese as well as of the consecration of Christ Church, so it was most fitting for the Rector to invite the Diocesan Convention to meet in Gardiner, where Bishop Burgess had begun his episcopate, and where he con- tinued as Rector and as Bishop for eighteen years, until his early death. The invitation was accepted.
In preparation for two great anniversaries, the old Parish bestirred itself in further beautifying the church, to the glory of God and of His Son our Lord. At this time the Stevens family gave the present altar and reredos in memory of Mrs. Julia Stevens, daughter of the Rev. Joel Clapp, as well as the window in her name; a new center panel was set in the Clapp window. Miss Henrietta Gardiner likewise gave a window in memory of her father and mother, the Rev. Dr. Frederic Gardiner and Caro- line Vaughan Gardiner; also at this time the 1894 altar was cut down a little and moved to the west side of the organ where, with the beautiful dorsal given by Mrs. William G. Ellis, it forms the sanctuary of an open chapel. But the crowning gift was that of the great chancel window. Many of the Parish gave to this according to their means, but the window was for the most part the gift of R. H. Gardiner III, the Senior Warden, who charac- teristically said nothing about his gifts, though he bore also the burden of repairs to the chancel, the new lighting and the re- building of the organ. This window, designed by Charles J. Con- nick of Boston, is such an important feature-one might call it the glory of our church building-that it seems good to insert a full description :
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"The window is designed according to an ancient method to have silvery white with contrasted jewel-like colors. It is de- signed to embody the spirit of thanksgiving for victory and to celebrate noble saintly men and women who were leaders in war as well as in peace.
"At the lower right and left corners of the window are small angels with trumpets. The other figures are as follows: beginning with the extreme left lancet at the bottom, Gideon of Israel and King David of Israel, supported at the extreme right by Judas Maccabeus and Joshua of Israel. The next lancet on the left contains at the bottom St. Paul, and above him the Chevalier Bayard, and St. Theodore of France. Supporting these figures, in the right lancet, are St. James Major, Richard the Lionhearted, and St. George of Cappadocia. The two center lan- cets contain companion figures as follows-King Alfred of Eng- land, St. Edward of England, King Arthur of Britain, and St. Alban of Verulam; St. Genevieve of Paris and St. Joan of Arc; St. Martin of Tours and St. Louis of France.
"In general, the figures have been chosen to represent first of all types of character and achievement, and no chronological order has been attempted. The thought is that the spirits of these men and women are associated in our minds with various noble traits, regardless of the differences in time which they his- torically represent.
"The window is in brilliant true color, contrasted with silvery white, and the names of the various personages appear in white letters within the circle of blue above their heads, while the following comprehensive verse runs across all the bases of the larger lancets:
'They Loved not their Lives Unto the Death.'
"This window is recognized as a memorial of all the men and women of this community who offered themselves in response to the call of the nation to join with the allies in the defense of world-wide liberty, during the great war against Germany in 1914-1918."
The centennial celebrations of the consecration of Christ Church seem to have gone as planned, on Sunday and Monday, May 30 and 31. The sermon on Sunday morning was preached by the Rt. Rev. Daniel S. Tuttle, Presiding Bishop of our church.
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At a reception Monday evening, there were addresses by Josiah S. Maxcy and R. H. Gardiner. A centenary book had been published.
Tuesday, June 1, the Centennial of the Diocese was cele- brated, the annual convention being held in Gardiner. There was an eloquent sermon by the Rev. Charles L. Slattery, Rector of Grace Church, New York, and later to become Bishop of Massachusetts. This convention, to quote the Diocesan Journal, occurred in Gardiner "because for a number of years, after the setting apart of Maine as a separate Diocese, Gardiner served as the see-city, and the first Bishop of Maine as the Rector of this Parish." The beautifying of our old church was highly spoken of at the convention. Through these days, notable hospitality was generously furnished by Messrs. J. S. Maxcy, R. H. Gardiner, and R. P. Hazzard. The whole spirit of the convention was en- thusiastic and progressive.
Later in the summer came a cablegram from R. H. Gardiner, from the preliminary meeting of the World Conference on Chris- tian Faith and Order, as that meeting ended. This should be quoted to show what Christendom aimed at then and still aims at today:
"It represented eighty churches and forty nations. A con- tinuation committee was appointed of Anglicans, Armenians, Bap- tists, Congregationalists, Disciples of Christ, Eastern Orthodox, German Evangelicals, Lutherans, Methodists, Old Catholics, Pres- byterians, Quakers, and Reformed."
In our neighborly and Christian concerns, let us never forget that Christ Church has been a world power in spreading the Kingdom of Christ through the vision of our great warden, R. H. Gardiner III.
1920 had been a notable year for our parish. Canon Plant had been, since his coming to Maine, a great force in the Diocese, serving on the Standing Committee for years, and on many other important ones. More than any other man, he was responsible for the success of the House of the Good Shepherd, having almost single-handed moved this work from Rockland to Gardiner, and endowed it with new spirit. He had likewise been a hard-working, successful, and beloved parish priest. The years of constant toil had been too much for the body. In the summer of 1922 he was given his first vacation in eight years. In September of the fol-
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lowing year he was in an automobile accident at Seal Harbor, from which the nervous shock both to him and Mrs. Plant was severe. He was granted prolonged leave of absence. Feb. 11, 1923, is the last dated Vestry meeting with Canon Plant presid- ing. He seems to have had a severe nervous breakdown.
In the autumn of 1923 we find the Rev. Edward C. Mc- Allister in charge of the Parish. The Parish held a delightful reception in his honor on October 31, where there were short addresses by the acting Rector, the Senior Warden, and the Bis- hop. Keith Ryan sang, and Raymond Monaghan played the violin.
From Paris, in June, 1924, came Canon Plant's beautiful letter of resignation, from which I quote:
"My very dear people:
.. . "I need not tell you what this step means to me. The best years of my life have been spent among you all. In spite of many mistakes and failures, my one aim has been the upbuilding of the kingdom of God in your midst. I only think now of your splendid cooperation and ever kind consideration in the midst of much that was lacking.
"It is hard to take this momentous step which means the breaking away from the dearest ties any man can make in life. Only my deep interest in the welfare of the Parish compels me to do it.
"I feel sure you will see the situation from my point of view. In the not too distant future I hope it may be my privilege to see you all again. Meantime with affectionate greetings and con- stant prayers for you and the welfare of the Parish,
Believe me, as ever, Sincerely yours, R. W. Plant."
There follows the resolution of the Vestry committee on their Rector's resignation:
"The Rectorship of Robert Wetmore Plant over Christ Church Parish has been notable in many ways. His duration in office has been without equal in the history of the Parish. The material and spiritual prosperity of the Parish has been greatly advanced. The transition from the quiet ways of an old time parish to an active spiritual and social force in our modern life
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has been wisely guided under his careful leadership. His con- stant aim has been to emphasize the true mission of the Church and to secure this end by deepening the spiritual life of each communicant. His heart has been ever responsive and his hands active in relieving distress, and bearing the sorrows of his people. He established the House of the Good Shepherd in our midst, one of the finest charities in the entire Church. Coupled with all this has been an active interest in the Diocese and the Church at large, as well as service in many local organizations seeking the advancement of Christ's kingdom.
"As a parish we feel that at this time, when such a relation- ship is regretfully severed, fitting notice should be taken and recorded, though the true depth of our appreciation and the full measure of our loss cannot be fully expressed.
"It is therefore with deep regret that we acknowledge the necessity of the severing of the relationship of priest and peo- ple, and accept what must be for the best good, trusting that God's guidance may be made manifest both to the Parish and to him who served it so efficiently, so faithfully, and for so many years.
"We trust and pray that his health may be so fully restored as to enable him for many years to come, to go forward in the work that has been his joy and his life's object.
E. L. Goodspeed E. Lucas J. M. L. Bates"
Canon Plant was sixty-nine when he resigned. He finally recovered his health in good part, and was chosen Rector of St. Mary's Parish in Falmouth Foreside, then a much less exacting work than that he had undertaken in Gardiner. Before begin- ning his new work, he was voted Rector Emeritus of Christ Church, and a pew had been provided for the future use of him and of his family.
Robert W. Plant's Rectorate at Christ Church was a long and distinguished one. During his term the interior of the church, particularly the chancel, was brought to the great beauty which it holds for us today. As has been mentioned before, he moved the House of the Good Shepherd to Gardiner and was its chief backer and its inspiration, under God. He also developed St.
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Andrew's mission in a then abandoned meeting house in Pittston. He introduced the envelope system, and the beautiful midnight service on Christmas Eve. Several times the parish house, built in 1841, was repaired and remodeled.
Canon Plant was a benevolent autocrat, a man of force and vision. He presided at all meetings of the Woman's Auxiliary, and under his guidance the younger women who then formed St. Margaret's Guild and its successor, St. Anne's Guild, were care- fully chosen. The "kidnapping" of the House of the Good Shep- herd was a work of genius, and all the rest of his life he lived with it, loved it, and fought for funds which the hard-pressed Diocese somewhat reluctantly produced.
Though a vigorous speaker, he was not an outstanding preacher, liking an informal style of speaking with no notes, or with few, which led him into bypaths-the danger of an address not too well prepared. At the same time, his whole air when speaking was so loving, his presence so benevolent, that his figure is most happily recalled. His Christmas sermon, "Peace on earth to men of goodwill," I remember as a lovely word.
Canon Plant had an eye to young delinquents, attending the municipal court, and often helping with his friendship those who needed guidance. I have been told that when young students were leaving for college or preparatory school, he was apt to appear on the station platform to say goodbye. Somehow on New Year's Day he managed to call on all his parish.
CHAPTER II MORE OF CANON PLANT THE WORK OF R. H. GARDINER III
Two PICTURES OF CANON PLANT-STORY OF THE HOUSE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD-WORLD MISSION OF R. H. GARDINER III-THE REV. E. C. MCALLISTER-A FINE REC- TORATE CUT SHORT-THE REV. NELSON W. BRYANT PICKS UP THE PIECES-HIS WORK FOR YOUTH-HIS RESIGNA- TION.
I have two mental pictures of Canon Plant, one of my own, one given me by my sister. For the first, I see him now, stand- ing by the communion table on Easter, holding up the Bread of Life in its silver paten, and with the loveliest of smiles saying: "Everyone in this church is welcome at the Lord's table today." My sister's picture is of the terrible night when the Congre- gational Church, a wooden building that stood on the present site of the Church of the Nazarene, burned to the ground. The Rector was standing in front of Christ Church with his arms outspread as if to protect the building, his face in agony. One may be sure that his prayers to the Most High were both for the burning church and for the threatened one.
The wonderful modern movement of the Every Member Can- vass came into the picture of our church during Canon Plant's Rectorate, but toward its conclusion. It was never developed as it has been in recent years. "Other times, other ways." During the greater part of his stewardship it was customary to depend on great givers. Several of these should be mentioned.
Mrs. Alice Bradstreet White (Mrs. H. G.) was a remarkable woman, who faced tragedy unflinchingly. Her brilliant husband developed mania in early life, and was confined in a mental in-
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stitution until his death. The two children of the marriage developed the same terrible affliction; the son, Percy Gardner White, one of the loveliest of characters, taking his own life, and the daughter developing insane hatreds. Save for her aged parents, Mrs. White had no near relatives. Under these terrible conditions, which are mentioned as a tribute to the strong heart of this strick- en woman, Canon Plant was everything to her that a priest should be-brother, father, physician. Her greatest comfort was in giving, and he advised and directed her constant gifts to the needy. She helped the Parish buy the present rectory, paid for its repair and, when the previous rectory on Dennis Street was moved to Danforth Street and made into two houses, gave one of them to Sister Margaret Mary, which Sister still owns and oc- cupies. In her will she left substantial endowments for the up- keep of the church and the rectory, and to the Diocese for two scholarships. At the same time, she made one of the largest gifts in establishing the Gardiner General Hospital. She also pro- vided Canon Plant with the good horse, Kim, and the buggy or sleigh with which he made his more distant rounds. When Sis- ter Margaret Mary spoke feelingly to Mrs. White of all the good she did, the latter answered: "If I didn't, I hope the Lord would take my money away."
Throughout these recent pages there have been references to the House of the Good Shepherd, more especially a fine comment from Bishop Codman, and an account of the fire in 1915. Here, when I have just spoken of Mrs. White and Sister Margaret Mary, it is appropriate to devote a page to that lovely work.
As I have said before, the House of the Good Shepherd had been brought to Gardiner from Rockland, with the cooperation of Bishop Neely, who had died the year before, by Canon Plant in 1900. In Rockland, where it had been incorporated in 1889, the Home had been too ambitious in the numbers it cared for, and there had been financial troubles. Mr. Plant reduced the number from forty to fifteen. Later the Home operated with an average of twenty-two children. Sometimes as many as fifty applications had to be turned away. Mrs. William F. Cochrane of Yonkers, N. Y., more than anyone else, made it financially possible to move the House of the Good Shepherd to Gardiner.
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