USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, Volume II > Part 36
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The club opened its thirty-ninth year on November 1, 1915, with a review of current events. In the meetings which followed general subjects were treated, the choice of topics being left to individual members. This plan has been successfully followed for some years, and, while the subjects chosen have no correlation, the papers are generally very thorough and compre- hensive, as members choose subjects with which they are familiar, or at least, which appeal strongly to them. . As a result the papers are highly interesting and instructive, and are enthusiastically received by all the mem- bers. Some of the subjects chosen this year were: China and Japan, Cavour, World Troubles of 1915, A Vacation in Alberta, Phil \. Sheridan, Literature of the War, The Criminal from a Medical Standpoint, The Isle of Fire ( Ice- land ). William Morris and Prohibition of the Liquor Traffic. The officers of the club for the present year are: Julian A. Keeler. president : Mrs. William Glover Gage, vice-president : Mrs. William L. Whitney. secretary ; Robert 11. Cook, treasurer.
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OUR EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Saginaw Reading Club
Organized in 1885 with forty-six members. the Saginaw Reading Club, meeting on the West Side, has contributed very largely to the literary culture of the city. Pursuing a very active and progressive policy it was incor- porated in 1894, admitted as a member of the General Federation in 1893, and of the State Federation in 1895. It began its thirty-first year of study in the Fall of 1915, under the direction of the following officers: Mrs. Carrie Goff, president : Mrs. Maude Grigg, vice-president ; Mrs. Jessie Johnston, secretary ; Mrs. Augusta Tubbs, treasurer, and Mrs. Harriette Robertson, librarian. The current subjects of study were: Social Progress of the Pres- ent Age, Literature, Art, Music and the Drama. The club holds weekly meetings on Mondays at three-thirty. from the middle of September to the first of May, at St. John's Church Parish House. Its present membership comprises fifty-six active members, fifty-three associate members, and five honorary.
The club collect - "Keep us, O God, from pettiness ; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with fault finding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face without self-pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
"Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straight forward and unafraid. Let us take time for all things; make us grow calm, serene and gentle. Grant that we may realize that it is the little things that create differences : that in the big things of life we are as one. And may we strive to touch and to know the great common woman's heart of us all, and O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind."
The Saginaw Woman's Club
Another of the leading clubs, and the largest in point of membership, is the Saginaw Woman's Club. This club was organized in 1892, federated in 1895. and incorporated in 1914. It has an active membership of seventy-five. an associate membership of the same number, and an honorary list of four. The subjects of study for its twenty-fourth year, which commenced on Octo- ber 15, 1915, were: French Art, Modern American Literature, Music and Drama, Sociology and Political Science, Minor Nations in the War Zone. The work of the club is directed by the following officers: Mrs. Fanny Croley, president : Mrs. Mark S. Brown, vice-president : Mrs. John Langdon, recording secretary: Mrs. Walter E. Moore, corresponding secretary, and Mrs. Albert Bumgarner, treasurer. Club meetings are held Tuesdays at two- thirty, from the middle of October to the first of May.
The Research Club
Although of limited membership the Research Club, organized in 1894. has always occupied a prominent place in literary circles of the city, and accomplishes a good work. It was admitted to City Federation in 1900 and to State Federation in 1'01. The club flower is the scarlet carnation, and the club motto is "Qui non proficit, deficit." Meetings are held on Tues- days at two- thirty. between October and May. The club study for its twenty-second year, which began on October 5, 1915, was miscellaneous subjects. The membership of the club comprises twenty-five active, twelve associate, and seven honorary members ; and the work is directed by the fol- lowing officers: Mrs. A. H. Minard, president ; Mrs. David Nichol, vice- president : Miss Edith Markey, secretary ; and Mrs. William 11. Granville, treasurer.
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
The Edelweiss Club
Of later organization the Edelweiss Club, which came into existence in 1899, is also deserving of honorable mention. This club entered the City Federation in 1908 and the State Federation the following year. Its colors are brown and gold, and its motto is "He who does not progress, fails." Club meetings are held on Tuesdays at two-thirty. Beginning its seventeenth year in October, 1915, its work was directed by Mrs. George Hanks, presi- dent : Mrs. William Hoyt, vice-president ; Mrs. Noel Laing, secretary ; Mrs. Harry Tyler, assistant secretary ; and Mrs. Charles Robbins, treasurer. The club numbers seventeen active, five social, and four honorary members.
The Art Club
Thirty years ago several young women of Saginaw City, desiring to delve into foreign art and to cultivate their taste for the beautiful, met together at their homes for studies in art. They were the pupils of John P. Wicker, a successful teacher of drawing and painting, who aroused in many of his students a fine sense of artistic values. Their studies eventually took them through realms little dreamed of in their school work. No very formal organization was affected at that time, but those most prominent in the affairs of the society, to which they gave the name "Art Club," were: Misses Winnifred Smith, Lucy Burrows, Ida Rust, Harriet Wood, Maude Penoyer, Louise Grout and Mrs. Edwin P. Stone.
As the work of the club expanded and the interest increased, other young women with artistic tastes were admitted to membership, and the club became a recognized factor in the intellectual life of the city. In 1896 the club was Federated. and in the following year it was duly incorporated with twenty- nine charter members. The first officers were: Winnifred Smith, presi- dent : Harriett Powell, vice-president ; Carolyn Robinson, secretary : Henri- etta Schemm, treasurer, and May Joslin, librarian, who also comprised the board of directors. In 1898-99 there were twenty-eight active and ninety- seven associate members, and in 1913-14, the last year of regular program work, there were twenty-three active and ninety-three associate members.
The papers given at the meetings of the club were prepared with unusual care and thoroughness, and were rendered even more interesting by the exhibition of art pictures and lantern slide views, bearing directly on the subjects treated. With the passing years the collection of lantern slides has grown to considerable value, as has also the club library of art books. photogravures, and photographs of works of general interest to art. With a fine appreciation of their value as a factor in education, the club in recent years has placed its library, lantern and slides at the disposal of the schools, for lectures and exhibitions, and thus greatly increased the scope of its work and usefulness.
Of late years the Art Club has discontinued the preparation of individual papers, and adopted a schedule of prescribed readings for members at home from art books and journals. This work is supplemented by lectures given from time to time by prominent artists and others; and the club gives art exhibitions each year which, open to the public free of charge, have been productive of awakening a general interest in art. The club owns a number of fine paintings of considerable value, which are loaned to one or another of the public libraries for more extended exhibition. The officers of the club for the ensuing year were: Miss Winnifred Smith, president ; Mrs. William L. Whitney, vice-president ; Mrs. William Glover Gage, secretary ; Mrs. Julian Keeler, treasurer ; and Mrs. George B. Brooks, librarian.
CHAPTER XV RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE
Early Missionaries - Organization of the First Church -St. John's Episcopal Church - The Methodists of Saginaw City - German Lutheran Church - The Liberal Christians - First Baptists - St. Andrew's R. C. Church - SS. Peter and Paul Church- Other West Side Churches - The First Church at East Saginaw - St. Paul's Episcopa! Church - The Congregationalists - The First Baptist Church - Warren Avenue Pres- byterian - St. Mary's R. C. Church-St. Joseph's R. C. Church - Church of the Sacred lleart - St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church -St. Mary's Hospital - St. Vincent's Orphan Home - Saginaw General Hospital - The Woman's Hospital - Ilome for the Friendless - The Young Women's Christian Association - The Young Men's Christian Association - The Germania Society - The Arbeiter Society - Teutonia Society - The East Saginaw Club - Country Club - The Canoe Club - The Elks - Masonic Orders - Other Fraternal Societies.
T HIE religious history of Saginaw Valley began with the brief, but heroic labors of several ardent missionaries who came among the sturdy pioneers to this wilderness. As early as 1832 the Methodist confer- ence sent out the Reverend Bradford Frazee to establish a mission among the Indians. The white fur traders, who because of their friendly relations with the savages exercised a certain influence over them, were opposed to the conversion of the Indians from their primitive and simple belief in the Great Spirit, and the efforts of the missionary were of little avail. In 1835 and 1836 the Reverend William H. Brockway spent some time at Saginaw and vicinity, his labors being among the white settlers, by whom he was well received. After Mr. Brockway came the Reverend F. O. North and also a Methodist minister named Babcock, but they did not do much towards building up the church. In 1838 the Reverend Hudson, an earnest and faithful minister of the gospel, took up his labors here and was instru- mental in placing Methodism on a solid footing in this valley.
Organization of the First Church
Swept along by the incoming tide of emigration of 1836 was the Reverend Hiram L. Miller and his wife, Adaline, a daughter of Doctor Charles Little. In early days he had enjoyed the ministrations of Albert Barnes, whose lectures under the title of "Barnes Notes on the Gospels," made his name familiar over the whole protestant world; and his theological instructor was Doctor James Richard, of Auburn Theological Seminary, whom he greatly revered and loved. These were the two men who moulded his spiritual life and gave shape to his theological views. His first pastorate was at Trumans- burgh. New York.
Soon after his arrival at Saginaw, filled with the zeal of a true missionary and actuated by the devotion to his faith, he set about to form a church society of the Presbyterian creed. This was the first church organized in Saginaw Valley. The organization was effected on March 1, 1838, in a car- penter shop which stood on the southwest corner of Washington ( Michigan) and Madison Streets: and the little society numbered but twelve members who were: Norman Little, Jane A. Little, Elizabeth Rice. Thomas Smith. William Heartwell, Mrs. Harvey Williams. T. L. Howe, Mrs. T. L. Howe, Hinds Smith, Mrs. Julia Smith, Mabel Terrill and Mrs. Hiram L. Miller.
This devoted servant of God first preached in the carpenter shop, then in the office of Norman Little and in Mechanics Hall on Washington Street. and at times in the homes of church members. Afterward the little band of Christians met in the first public building erected in the valley, serving as
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT SAGINAW CITY
school house, town hall and court room, which stood in the rear of the old court house. In December. 1838, a series of revival meetings were held by the Reverend O. Parker, with marked success, during which Albert Miller. one of the most public-spirited of the early pioneers, with others, joined the church. The pastorate of Mr. Miller continued for two years, and a notice- able improvement was made in the religions and social status of the inhabitants.
The Reverend Harry Hyde supplied the church in 1842 and 1843. He was a strong Congregationalist, and prevailed upon the younger members of the church to change its government and connection to that of the Con- gregational body. Hiram L. Miller, who was present when the vote was taken, refused to unite with the new society, and stated that he felt that it would be his duty to organize a Presbyterian church as soon as one could be sustained. A new church was never organized. The old society, unable to maintain distinctive service, later merged itself into a miscellaneous congre- gation, uniting in the support of any minister of any denomination who proved himself acceptable.
It was just at the revival of commercial activity in 1851 that the Rev- erend David M. Cooper visited Saginaw. On the evening of his licensure at Detroit the Reverend Calvin Clark asked him if he had ever thought of becoming a foreign missionary. He replied that he had often discussed the matter with his chum at Princeton, who had decided to go to India. "Well." said the reverend gentleman. "I have found you a field. I want you to go right up among the heathen at Saginaw."
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RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE
Closely following upon this he received earnest letters from Saginaw inviting him to visit the place, and especially one from Charles D). Little. which he preserved with care. These invitations he persistently declined. feeling unfit for the work, and being desirous of continuing his studies under the direction of the Reverend George Duffield. But finding himself shortly after supplying the pulpit at Flint, he conchided to visit Saginaw and see for himself what manner of heathen these people were, what kind of clothes they wore, and what gods they worshipped. So he pushed on through sloughs of mud. the wearisome journey being alleviated by the company of Albert Miller, then of Lower Saginaw.
"It was a little handful of people -ten resident members, of which number only three were men," said Mr. Cooper, "who had extended to me the invitation to visit them. A subscription for the erection of a church edifice was already in existence amounting to twelve hundred dollars, with the promise from the citizens of a bell in case theirs was the first church edifice erected in the place. They seemed importunate to have me remain with them. I considered. The subscription, unless speedily secured, would vanish away. They promised to put up the building themselves without burdening me with any of the responsibility. There was no church of our denomination nearer than Flint. It seemed impossible to find another man and so I consented to stand in the breach.
"As I look back it seems presumptuous for me so young and inexpe- rienced, and in every way so poorly equipped, to have undertaken the pas- torate of a church upon the outskirts of civilization as Saginaw was at that day. That Sunday, April 6, 1851. when I entered upon my labors, I can never forget. No preacher ever stood up in a modern Gothic cathedral with its groined arches and stained glass windows and elaborate architecture, with as much pride as I stood up in that little school house, thirty by forty feet in size, its seats, after the old fashion, ranged on the sides, and preached Christ. My soul bubbled with joy to think that } was deemed worthy to preach the gospel, and that even a score of persons were willing to listen to my poor stammering. The walls of the room had been neatly white- washed and festooned with flowers, and Welcome! seemed to shine on every face. My text was 1 Tim. 4:8, 'Godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of life that now is and of that which is to come.'
"My first lodgement when I arrived at Saginaw." continued Mr. Cooper. "was at the renovated Webster House, but I soon found myself settled for housekeeping in a small one-and-a-half-story dwelling on Washington Street. An ingrain carpet for the parlor, a deal table: for curtains, cotton sheets suspended on forks; a kitchen stove, a barrel of flour, a cord of maple wood. an axe, a saw and sawbuck to exercise the wood with, Mrs. Miller to supply us with doughnuts and jumbles for dessert, a stock of four sermons and the prospect of four hundred dollars salary per year, comprised my total belong- ings and my equipment. But I entered upon my work with elasticity and joy. Like Mark Tapley, I was soon 'floored' by ague that never wholly remitted its attacks during my sojourn in the valley, and yet, like Mark also, I managed also to continue 'jolly.'"
The promise made to erect a church edifice on condition of Mr. Cooper remaining with them was speedily fulfilled, mainly through the untiring energies of Mr. and Mrs. Miller. The former not only superintended its erection, but day by day might have been seen adjusting timbers, carrying stone, digging in the cellar, sometimes mounting on the roof - anything to hasten completion, while the latter, in the quiet of her home, was writing letters of appeal to old friends. As a result of her efforts a thousand dollars came from outside, another thousand was received from her personal solici- tation in the village, and her own gift of a thousand more made a total of
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
three thousand dollars, which was a large proportion of the cost of the build- ing. It was a handsome, commodious structure of architecture peculiar to the time, and was dedicated December 15, 1852.
The most prominent feature of the new church was the pulpit, covering nearly one-third of the area and reaching up toward the ceiling, capacious enough, it was said, to accommodate a meeting of the presbytery. On either side of it was a winding stair, which required unusual exertion to surmount, so that by the time the pastor reached the top he was compelled to rest on a sliding hair-cloth sofa, and regain his breath before proceeding with his sermon. On the desk was a large cushion for the Bible, and the top was covered with cloth that hung in folds half-way to the floor, and was orna- mented with cords and fringes and tassels, which were twisted and woven in the parsonage with a skill quite equal to that of Aholiab, the noted em- broiderer, in blue, scarlet and purple, a combination of colors which ily comported with the sombre hue of the coverings. The material was of olive- colored broadcloth, which answered fairly well in daylight, but at night, in candlelight. it assumed the semblance of mourning and appeared more like a catafalque than a sacred rostrum. Afterward, in the interest of good taste, the pulpit of wonderful proportions was removed, and a low platform put in its stead.
Until some time after the dedication of the new church Mr. Cooper acted as stated supply, but on March 3, 1853, he was duly ordained to the gospel ministry, the sermon being preached by Reverend R. R. Kellogg, and the charge to the pastor was given by Reverend Noah Wells. On March 20th he preached his first pastoral sermon, the text being, 2 Tim. 4:5, "Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." At this time the church membership numbered eighteen, four men and fourteen women, and the average Sunday congregation was from eighty to one hundred.
In 1859, having planted the Presbyterian faith over this extreme north- ern outpost. Mr. Cooper was compelled by failing health to relinquish his charge; and was succeeded by the Reverend David H. Taylor. The Rev- erend Jesse Ilough was called to the pastorate in 1865, and in the following year the edifice was enlarged, refurnished and rededicated. The small and old-fashioned pews raised above the level of the aisles, and the high and box- like pulpit, still remained, and something of the spirit of the founders of the church lingered to give inspiration to their faithful followers. Of this re- markable old church Mr. Hough long afterward wrote: "A precious build- ing was that old church. representing an amount of faith and patience and loving sacrifice such as no other church that will ever adorn the valley. how- ever costly and splendid, will represent."
In 1883, when the church had entirely outgrown the accommodations of the primitive edifice, the present brick structure was begun on the site of the old, and finished in the following year. It was enlarged in 1902, during the pastorate of Dr. W. C. Covert. To keep pace with the demands of the time, in 1914 the basement was entirely remodeled, and another addition made, thus enlarging the stately building to its present proportions.
Since the coming of Reverend David M. Cooper the First Presbyterian Church has been served by a long line of able and consecrated ministers. among whom were: Reverened O. S. Taylor, 1868-69: Reverend George Duffield, D. D., 1869-73; Reverend R. P. Shaw, 1873-78: Reverend A. F. Bruske. D. D., 1878-92; Reverend Charles E. Bronson, D. D., 1892-1900 : Reverend William C. Covert. D. D., 1900-05: Reverend Frederick W. Lewis, 1905-09; and Reverend Harry Rogers Stark, D. D., 1910. Under the leader- ship of these earnest preachers of the gospel, the church has grown to be one of the strongest and most influential of the Presbyterian faith in our State.
RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE
317
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
St. John's Episcopal Church
As far back as 1836 there were in Saginaw Valley only three commun- icants of the Episcopal Church, and in them -- Mr. and Mrs. James Busby and Mrs. Amanda L. Richman - was the nucleus of the present St. John's. They looked and labored for the time when the services of the Church might be established in Saginaw City, and in 1841 occasional services were held by the Reverend Daniel E. Brown, of Flint. After he had ministered to the little company of devoted church people for several years, the Reverend Mr. Rieghley, also of Flint, held frequent services in Saginaw. It is therefore to St. Paul's Parish of Flint that St. John's, the mother parish of the Episcopal churches in Saginaw Valley, owes a debt of gratitude for inspiration and encouragement to establish a congregation which was to take a prominent part in the religious and social development of the community.
3IS
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
St. John's Church was organized in 1851, and was the third church society formed in Saginaw Valley. The first settled clergyman was the Reverend Joseph AAdderly, who, after a service of one year, was followed by the Reverend D. B. Lyon, of Grand Rapids, who also remained for a year. In 1853 the Reverend Voltaire Spalding came to St. John's as its rector at the munificent salary of three hundred dollars a year. Ser- vices were then held in the old school house at Court and Fayette Streets, and also in the old Court House. The number of com- municants at this time was eleven, who were: Mrs. Eliza H. Williams, Mrs. A. M. Richman, Mrs. Lucy Spalding, Mrs. S. E. Westervelt, Mrs. Maria Warren, William Spalding, Richard Sibley, Mrs. Mary Sibley, Miss Caroline Wickham, William Hutton and Mrs. A. A. Hayden. Mrs. Ann Fitz- hugh, of Lower Saginaw ( Bay City), was also a communicant and attended services whenever it was possible to travel the fif- teen miles from and to her home.
OLD ST. JOHN'S, ERECTED 1853 On April 11, 1853, the corner stone of the first church edifice of St. John's was laid by Bishop MeCoskry, but, owing to lack of funds the construction of the building did not progress very satisfactorily. In 1856 the need for a church home becoming more and more pressing, the Reverend V. Spalding went East and collected the sum of five hundred dollars from devoted churchmen, towards the building fund. Later, by the advice and consent of the Bishop, Charles L. Richman supplemented the efforts of the rector by visiting some of the large eastern cities, and succeeded in raising six hundred dollars more. There were also presented to St. John's a baptismal bowl and a communion set by Mrs. Ebenezer Hale, of Canandaigua, New York. The church edifice was at length completed, and on October 11, 1857, the first services were held in it. The Reverend Mr. Spalding resigned the rectorship May 2, 1858, the number of communicants at that time being twenty-four.
Occasional services were held that year by the Reverend Mr. Swan, of Flint, and the Reverend O. 11. Staples, of Grand Rapids, but on March 17. 1859, the Reverend Edward Magee, of the Diocese of Ohio, became rector. On May 9, 1860, the church was consecrated by Bishop McCoskry, a debt of four hundred dollars having been assumed by members of the vestry, who were Newell Barnard, William Binder, Myron Butman. N. D. Lee, David H. Jerome, L. Webster, George L. Williams, William 11. Sweet, John Parish and Stewart B. Williams, the last two being the wardens. The Reverend Mr. Magee served as rector for two years, and at the time of his resignation the number of communicants was twenty-seven.
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