USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The semi-centennial anniversary of the Free Street Baptist Church, Portland, Me. September 26-27, 1886 > Part 2
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During these changes of fifty years the office of deacon has been no sinecure, and those who have been chosen to this office have proved themselves worthy and efficient. Some have served for a long term of years, and all have made a most commendable record. Connected with this office are found the names of Byron Green-
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ough, John Pearson, Lewis J. Sturtevant, Henry B. Hart, Alfred Haskell, Joseph L. Kelley, Jesse Redlon, Nehemiah D. Curtis, and the members of the present board who have been faithfully at their post for more than twenty years, John C. Phenix, Charles A. B. Morse and Thomas Lynch. These brethren have gained to themselves " a good standing," having served well as deacons.
Among the " features " which mark this history is the evident missionary spirit. Since the earliest record there has ever been manifest a care for others. The various benevolent enterprises and channels for Christian benefaction have not been overlooked. Both money and men have been followed by earnest prayer as they have gone forth to enrich the world. The hearts of niany are today wedded to the fields which stretch out beyond, because in their fields are trophies of your gifts and prayers. Not alone of money has this church made her gifts; but, better far, of consecrated lives, -of men who have heard the divine call and have gone forth to proclaim the glad message. We have today Webster in Burma, Elder and King in New York, Curtis, Palmer and Hart in Maine, Eveleth in New Hampshire, and Lynch in Virginia - all men in the active work of the minis- try, and doing a work of which we may well be pleased, if not proud. Others too have been of this class, but have retired.
In the work of the Sunday-school the church has found its opportunity for instructing and training the young. Hundreds have found this weekly service the entrance to a life of consecra- tion and activity. From the first days of the church this depart- ment has been esteemed essential to the highest interest and truest efficiency.
The members of this church have ever felt an interest in the affairs of civil and political life; and among the names of those who have been leaders in the affairs of the city, State and nation do we find those of this people. In halls of legislation, in munici- pal service and at the ballot box men have been intelligently true; and when the cry "To arms!" reached the hills of Maine, our
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brethren were not slow to catch the call, and many of them went forth - some never to return.
The dark days of our civil conflict cast their shadows over many of our homes; but perhaps none was more dense than that which enshrouded the home of the honored pastor of this church. A young man, the pastor's first-born, was baptized July 4, 1858, and five years later laid his life at his country's altar; and today an honorable body of veterans of this city honors itself as well as others by taking to itself the name of Bosworth Post, G. A. R.
Our record is not long, compared with many others; but it is the only record of church life that some have ever seen. There may not be found in it much of dazzling brilliancy, as men make esti- mate, but there is ever to be seen a clear, fixed and steady light which has proved the beacon of hope to many a storm-tossed mariner.
During this brief half-century, there have been one thousand one hundred and ninety-five persons connected with the church, more than one-half of whom have here accepted the truth and entered the new life. We have today a total membership of four hundred and six, most of which number are in active service.
With gratitude to God for what he has wrought for the church and by the church; with hearts inspired by sacred memories, and fresh recitals; with desires quickened by the present joy and strengthened by hope for the future, we give ourselves anew to the work at hand, assured that we must honor the past by making most honorable the present. With our faces to the front, our feet in the path of duty, our hearts open to the divine call, we will follow our Master and ascribe to Him the praise-saying from our hearts, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy and Thy truth's sake."
PRAYER -by Rev. J. C. STOCKBRIDGE, D.D.
HYMN - by the Choir and Congregation.
BENEDICTION - by the Pastor.
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At the close of the service many lingered to take by the hand the ex-pastors of the church who were present, and also to greet former members of the church who had returned to revive precious memories of days gone by.
In the Sunday-school the usual exercises were omitted, and instead, after the opening services, there were short addresses by former superintendents ; viz., Hanson M. Hart, Lewis B. Smith, Thomas Lynch, George F. Emery, J. C. Phenix, and H. S. Melcher. Dr. Bosworth reported for his son, George M. Bosworth, a former superintend- ent, who was not able to be present. Each recalled many interesting incidents in connection with the school, and expressed a deep and abiding interest in it.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
The communion services were largely attended, and among those present were Mrs. Sarah H. Hart and Mrs. Elizabeth S. Kelley, of the original members, of whom they were the only survivors, except Mrs. Mary M. (Col- cord) Shirley, and Mrs. Catharine Greenough. Drs. Bosworth and Stockbridge participated in the devotional exercises, and the occasion was one of unusual interest and impressiveness, but of a nature incapable of being reported. The closing hymn was " Blest be the tie," etc.
SUNDAY EVENING.
A crowded house at an early hour attested the interest centering in the Sunday-school, to whose anniversary the evening was devoted. To previous adornments was added on the wall behind the pulpit the Prize Flag from Chicago, whose history is told in the paper by Mr. True.
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ORDER OF EXERCISES.
ORGAN VOLUNTARY.
SINGING.
INVOCATION,
Rev. A. T. Dunn, Pastor.
RESPONSIVE READING.
Supt .- Come hither and hear the words of the Lord your God.
School .- More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.
Supt .- And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim lib- erty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
School .- A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you.
Supt .- Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God:
School .- Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judg- ments, and do them.
Supt .- Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
School .- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.
Supt .- I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord, accord- ing to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us;
School .- And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies.
Supt .- Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.
School .- The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting.
Supt .- Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
School .- Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.
Supt .- The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them;
School .- And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.
Supt .- He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
School .- He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.
2
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Supt .- What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me.
School .- I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
Supt .- Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.
School .- Glory and honor are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Supt .- To obey is better than sacrifice.
School .- And to hearken than the fat of rams.
Supt .- Blessed are the pure in heart;
School .- For they shall see God.
Supt .- Blessed are the peacemakers;
School .- For they shall be called the children of God.
Supt .- In my Father's house are many mansions.
School .- I go to prepare a place for you.
Supt .- Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. School .- Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Supt .- And the peace of God which passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
School .- God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us.
Supt .- Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. School .- His countenance shall behold the upright.
Supt .- Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
School .- Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
CHILDREN'S CHORUS, " Come Children, lift your voices."
PRAYER,
Rev. A. K. P. Small, D.D.
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ANNIVERSARY HYMN. BY MISS ELLEN TRUE. Tune - HARWELL. (Baptist Hymnal, page 79.) I Raise the voice in notes of gladness, For the heart is filled with praise, As we pause now in the cycle, Looking back on many days. Then with joyful intonation, Let our lips our thoughts express, And this song shall echo grandly Sounding forth our thankfulness.
II
God's own hand our school has planted, And the years so quickly flown Oft have shown in tender fruitage That the seed is still His own. Strengthen us, Almighty Maker, Twine us closer to the Vine, Train the new-grown branches upward, Make our nature more like Thine.
III
Welcome all, on this fair Sabbath; May rich blessings of the past And this hour anon returning, Give us courage that shall last. God of Love, renewed aid proffer, For we see the whitened field; Thrilled with hope we reach the sickle, Sure thou wilt the increase yield.
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The history of the Sunday-school was divided into two epochs, of twenty-five years each. That for the first, an abstract of which follows, was prepared by
LEWIS B. SMITH.
At a meeting held by the Free Street Baptist Society, August 23, 1836, it was voted to form a Sunday-school society, to be called the Free Street Sunday-school Society. At that meeting Byron Greenough, Charles Kent, and Henry B. Hart, were appointed a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws for the regulation of the society. The constitution consisted of five articles, and by-laws eight. Having adopted these " Articles of law and regu- lation," they proceeded to the election of officers, teachers, and committee. At the first session of the school there were present seventeen teachers and seventy scholars. The first year closed with twenty-nine teachers and one hundred and sixty pupils -a per cent of increase that justified the exultant declaration appear- ing in the secretary's report, that the school was " progressing in an onward march, outdone by no school in the city." During the first year sixteen members of the school were received into the church. In the line of succession the presidents of the school have been: -
Byron Greenough, from 1836 to 1837.
Rev. Thos. O. Lincoln, from 1837 to 1842.
Rev. Lewis Colby, from 1842 to 1844.
Rev. J. S. Eaton, from 1844 to 1854. Byron Greenough, from 1854 to 1855.
Rev. Geo. W. Bosworth, from 1855 to 1861.
And continuing for the same period, superintendents have occu- pied the office: -
Henry B. Hart, from 1836 to 1844.
Francis Edmund, from 1844 to 1846.
Jonas W. Clark, from 1846 to 1850.
Hanson M. Hart, from 1850 to 1853.
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Mr. Hart was unanimously re-elected for another term, but declined to serve, and at the annual meeting Eben Seavy was elected superintendent. He served until March 23, 1854, when he resigned on account of moving to Boston. His resignation was not accepted, and he held the office until his term expired. In the meantime the place was supplied by creating a new office, that of assistant superintendent, Lewis B. Smith being elected to fill it, and at the annual meeting, August 28, 1854, he was elected superintendent, and remained in that office until August, 1857. Then follows Joshua Waterhouse, from 1847 to 1858; Thomas Lynch, from 1858 to 1859; George F. Emery, from 1859 to 1861.
Three of the presidents and four of the superintendents have died, two of the former and five of the latter remain, and recall in memory's sweet encore the deeds of those, whose mission filled, borne on the wings of an abiding faith, have reached the goal of an eternal rest. There is a tradition that connects the name of C. W. Austin with the office of superintendent, for a short time, the reason for the brevity of it being " ill health," and his occu- pation a "physician," and I fail to find among our people a memory active enough to recall the time or presence of such a person. The exact date when the infant department of the school was established is not definitely known. The first missionary work entered upon by the church was inaugurated by its Sunday- school.
In September, 1831, a Sunday-school was opened, under the management of the officers and teachers of this school, on Brack- ett street. Its sessions were held in a ward room of the city, and was known as the " Brackett Street Sunday-school." Its schol- ars were mainly from families who were not attending any church.
This school was the first religious organization in Portland for the people living west of State street and south of Congress.
The school continued until 1843, when the field was surrendered to the members of the Pine Street Methodist church. The super- intendents of the Brackett street school were Henry Ilsley jr.,
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and Jonas W. Clark. The "Sunday-school concert " was a meeting of prayer, held on the second Monday evening of each month; once in three months a "union Sunday-school concert " was held by all the schools in the city.
To make this narrative more complete it is possible I should make reference to the service of individuals, on whom the " bur- dens " of the early days were laid, but I might not be just. " Their praise is hymned by loftier harps than mine." It was by the hands of all the garden was planted that has supplied the feast, of which we who abide freely partake.
Mr. Smith, in closing, paid a touching tribute to his mother, under whose influence he was induced to join the Sunday-school, reflecting honor on her memory, and emi- nently suggestive to all parental hearts.
After singing, the history of the last twenty-five years, an abstract of which follows, was read by
CHARLES A. TRUE.
At the annual meeting held October 16, 1861, W. H. S. Clar- idge was elected superintendent, and Mrs. Eaton, the wife of the pastor, assistant superintendent. A visiting committee was also appointed, consisting of Byron Greenough, H. M. Hart, and Phineas Barnes. A committee was also raised to look after the wants of destitute children, with authority to draw on the Treas- urer, F. W. McKenney, to meet the same.
Mrs. Eaton was chosen assistant superintendent in the follow- ing year, but forewarned by her former refusal to serve, the super- intendent and president were empowered to fill any vacancy that might occur. Mr. Claridge served as superintendent for two years.
At the election for 1863-64, Enoch Egginton was chosen super- intendent, Lewis B. Smith, superintendent of the infant depart-
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ment, and F. W. McKenney secretary and treasurer. The piano, now in use, was purchased shortly before this. Monthly teachers' meetings were provided for, and held for several months. At one of these, N. D. Curtis, E. Egginton, and Prentice C. Man- ning, were appointed a committee to procure new settees for the vestry, resulting in providing those now in use.
A noteworthy event in this school year was the reception of the blue silk banner, which has ornamented our vestry wall since that time. It was the gift of a Mr. Bartree, of Chicago, through the North Star Mission of that city, and was the prize won by the school for securing more scholars within a certain time than any other school in the city. When the count was made our school had gained one hundred and nine new scholars, while no other school had more than twenty-five. A general good time in March of 1864 was held in the vestry, with exhibitions of fancy glass- blowing and refreshments for the children. The banner was pre- sented by Supt. Egginton, and received by Dr. Bosworth. Geo. F. Emery, Esq., offered a set of resolutions, which were adopted, and a copy of them and of the proceedings of the meeting sent to the donor. The sequel to this incident occurred in the sun- mer of 1885, when Rev. Mr. Wren, of Cambridgeport, supplied the pulpit one Sunday. On entering the vestry he saw the ball- ner, and in a short speech to the school told the scholars that he was in charge of the North Star Mission of Chicago in 1864, when this banner was presented to the school.
Very interesting also is the record of this year on the matter of a Sunday-school picnic, and judging from the time spent upon it and the space devoted to it in the records, it must have been a decidedly elaborate affair. A committee of ten was first chosen to have charge of the matter, with power to increase their num- ber at discretion. Two sub-committees were selected, one to determine the advantages of land, the other those of water. The record goes on to state, "after much debate the question of the expediency of a general table was laid over until the next meet- ing. It states further, "The remainder of the evening was
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spent in conversation and planning, and many wise suggestions were elicited." Naturally enough, the trip by water was pre- ferred, and it was voted " to go to the Islands," and that " Pleas- ant Cove shall be the landing place," and that " we have a gen- eral table," and " that the day be Tuesday, July 28," and " that we start at eight o'clock in the morning," and " that the tickets be, for children, twenty-five cents, and for adults, forty cents," and " that the table committee consist of all the teachers, with Mrs. H. M. Hart, Mrs. Lewis B. Smith, Mrs. Morse, Mrs. Eggin- ton, and Mrs. Eaton, added."
At the annual meeting held September 19, 1864, the same officers, the assistant superintendent excepted, were elected. Mr. W. H. Howard was chosen for this position. The superintendent, owing to poor health and business engagements, declined to accept the position, but as no record appears of the choice of any person in his place, it is supposed he afterward reconsidered the matter. The library was a matter much considered in these days, and those who had it in charge were very much in earnest in the work. Mr. P. C. Manning had control of it for six years, from 1859 to 1865. At a meeting held February 13, 1865, one hundred dollars was appropriated for this purpose. In May of 1865 a com- mittee was appointed to consider the best time for holding con- certs, who reported a month later that the afternoon was the best time therefor, and for several years they were so held.
At the annual meeting of August 14, 1865, Dr. Bosworth was chosen president, H. M. Hart superintendent, and Geo. M. Bos- worth secretary and treasurer. Mr. Hart declined. Deacon J. C. Phenix was unanimously chosen in his stead. A change of clergymen took place after the annual election, and Dr. Stock- bridge was chosen president December 11, 1865. The same meet- ing decided to hold a levee in the vestry Christmas night, and to decorate the room with evergreens; the whole matter was referred to a committee of twenty-one, who were empowered to increase their number. March 25, 1866, Mr. Bosworth resigned as sec- retary and treasurer, and Mr. Wilfred Barnes was chosen in his stead.
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A new branch of work was developed during this year in the establishment of a mission school on Vaughan street. The mem- orandum made by the secretary states it thus: " At a meeting of several of the members of Free Street Church, held in the vestry Monday evening, June 25, 1866, it was decided that a mission school be started as a branch of the Free Street Sunday-school, in the school-house on Vaughan street, near Brackett, provided the schoolroom could be obtained, and a sufficient number of schol- ars be induced to come. On the following Sunday this mission school was adopted by the Free Street school as a branch, and Bro. Curtis was chosen president pro tem. On the afternoon of the same day the school was opened at the school-house, and forty- seven scholars were present, beside a large number of friends who had come in by invitation. This was the first session of the mission school." H. M. Maling was elected superintendent, D. P. H. Lockhart assistant superintendent, and W. Barnes secre- tary and treasurer. The attendance at the mission school for the next year averaged about ninety, forty-seven scholars, and the remainder from the parent school. The same officers- save Geo. M. Bosworth, who was elected to succeed Mr. Lockhart - had charge of the mission until October, 1867, when Mr. Elias Chase was chosen superintendent. In the late fall of 1868, owing to the lack of interest felt in the enterprise, and the difficulty experi- enced in making arrangements with the city about the room, the mission was discontinued.
A meeting of the teachers was held August 13, 1866, when the committee chosen at the meeting of December 11, 1865, was dis- missed, and Messrs. Geo. F. Emery, H. S. Melcher, and W. H. Iloward, were selected to revise the constitution and by-laws, and report at the next meeting. At the annual meeting, August 27, 1866, they reported a new constitution and by-laws, which were adopted, and under them the school has acted ever since. The year thus entered upon was a successful one, and at the annual meeting, September 30, 1867, Dea. N. D. Curtis was chosen super- intendent, and J. A. King, assistant. No change was made in the
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office of secretary, and M. M. Duroy Jr., was chosen librarian. Among the records of the meeting occurs the sentence: "Mrs. Douglas was appointed to look after the poor of the Sunday- school." For years the task thus laid upon her has been faith- fully met, and constant and unwearied has been the performance of her duties.
The next record which attracts our notice is the annual meet- ing of 1868. J. A. King was made superintendent, but declined to accept, and Dea. N. D. Curtis was chosen; Geo. F. Emery was chosen assistant superintendent. Wilfred Barnes gave up the secretary's position, and Charles Eveleth was elected in his place. There are no school records from this date to 1869, accounted for by the change of officers, and the fact that for part of the time there was no settled minister. When the fall meeting in 1869 was held, Dr. Small was chosen superintendent, and H. S. Melcher assistant superintendent, with Chas. G. Lynch for secretary and treasurer. Dr. Small did not care to serve as superintendent, and by common consent Geo. F. Emery conducted the affairs of the school for the year. In consequence of changes of officers occur- ring this year also, the records were imperfectly kept, but this is the first year since 1860 which supplies us with any statistics, and from them we find the school then had two hundred scholars, divided into twenty-four classes, and an average attendance of one hundred and seventy. The anniversary exercises of the year 1870 made a lasting impression on many of the younger members of the school. Each class selected a flower for its name. An original song set to the tune of "the Battle Cry of Freedom," entitled the " Floral Welcome," was sung, each class being introduced by its appropriate name, and singing an appro- priate line, and all uniting in the chorus. Six verses of eight lines each were required to get in the classes, and the chorus was sung at the end of each verse. It might have been tiresome for the pianist, but the boys liked it, and when the last two lines of the eighth verse sounded out with
" Here the Laurel crowns the whole, and unites with all the school To swell the chorus full of joyful welcome,"
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the chorus swelled as loudly as the younger portion of the school could make it. The exercise was in the afternoon, and the chil- dren were wide awake, and able to enjoy it. At the close of the exercises in the evening a gold-headed cane was presented to the acting superintendent, and he has carried it ever since.
A new list of officers was chosen at the annual meeting, Sep- tember 28, 1870. H. S. Melcher was made superintendent, F. W. McKenney assistant, Geo. H. Curtis secretary and treasurer, and Charles Eveleth librarian. The school increased in numbers dur- ing the year. The secretary's record for that year gave two hundred and ninety-nine belonging to the school, with an aver- age attendance of one hundred and seventy-nine, and eight from the school had united with the church. Shortly after this the young people connected with the church formed a society known as the Young People's Literary Society of Free Street. This society met regularly in the vestry, and its meetings were devoted to essays, debates, papers, etc. The body flourished for some lit- tle time, and the mottoes which hang on the walls of the vestry and the picture behind the superintendent's desk, were presented by it to the school. At the annual meeting, held September 25, 1871, A. W. Small - now professor of History at Colby Univer- sity - was chosen librarian, and the remaining officers were re-elected. Delegates were also chosen to attend the Cumberland County Sunday-school Association held at Little Falls, Windham. Mr. M. L. Williams served the school as secretary and treasurer for part of the year, though there is no record of his election, but under date of July 28, 1872, occurs his resignation, and Mr. L. D. Austin was chosen to fill the vacancy. Mr. Austin held the position for five years, four successively, and the other after an interim of one year. This was a prosperous year, shown by increased attendance, and by the nineteen who united with the church from the school. There were three hundred and twen- ty-six enrolled, and the attendance averaged one hundred and seventy-four. The same officers administered its affairs for the next year, and Geo. A. Deering was chosen librarian. Dur-
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