USA > New Jersey > Scheyichbi and the strand : or, early days along the Delaware ; with an account of recent events at Sea Grove ; containing sketches of the romantic adventures of the pioneer colonists ; the wonderful origin of American society and civilization > Part 10
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From 1721 to 1751 the Cold Spring Church had no settled minister ; Messrs. Beatty, Dean, Davenport, and others, were a temporary supply. The Rev. Daniel Lawrence was at last installed, June 20th, 1754. Of his ministry little is known, except that in addition to his labors at Cape May he was often at the Forks of Brandywine, and, in 1755, went to preach at "New England over the mountains." Mr. Law- rence ministered to the Cold Spring Church twelve years ; he died in 1766; his grave is at Cold Spring. After the decease of Mr. Law- rence, the Rev. John Brainerd supplied the Cold Spring pulpit in 1769 and 1770, and there is a report that a Mr. Schenck, a progenitor of the Hon. Robert Schenck, preached at Cape May, probably about this time.
Mr. James Watt was the next minister ; the tombstone records his death November 19th, 1789, aged 46 years. Mr. Watts is said to have been a man remarkable for disinterested kindness, integrity, and ability ; he was of the First Presbytery of Philadelphia, and represented that body in the General Assembly of 1789.
The sombre manners of some of the stern New England forefathers gave reason for an accusation trite as untrue, that Presbyterians were
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always an austere, sour, morose set of ascetics ; the biographical anec- dotes of the Rev. Mr. Watt might be quoted in refutal. Like the apostle Peter, Mr. Watt was much inclined to "go a-fishing," and of all fish the devil-fish was the one he most delighted to pursue. "The devil" is often a large, powerful fish, its capture rough sport. On one occasion, while accompanied by two other clergymen, Mr. Watt har- pooned a devil-fish in Delaware Bay, so large and strong that it rapidly drew the boat toward the sea. Amid the apprehension felt by all, but especially by his guests, Dr. Watt, as he was familiarly called, broke out in hearty laughter. He assured his companions that he could not conceal his amusement at the idea of three clergymen of the orthodox Church being run away with by the Devil !
Mr. Watt was succeeded by the Rev. Abijah Davis, of whom there is no record. The Rev. David Edwards followed him, dying in 1813. After 1808, the church-record has been preserved. The Rev. Isaac A. Ogden was installed 1817; he resigned and went West in 1825. His successor was the Rev. Alvin H. Parker, installed June 19th, 1825, on the occasion of the first meeting of the Presbytery at Cold Spring. The elders composing the session were Matthew Whillden (Whilldin), John Stites, Jacob Foster, Jesse Hughes, and Jacob R. Hughes. Moses Williamson was ordained and installed at Cold Spring in 1831 ; he founded a successful academy there. Under his ministry the church prospered; he resigned in 1872, being now an honored resident of Cape May City.
The pastor at Cold Spring is the Rev. Thomas S. Dewing, to whom, with the Rev. Dr. Alfred E. Nevins, thanks are due for items of this history. Mr. Dewing began his labors October Ist, 1873, and was installed May 6th, 1874. The Cold Spring Church has two hundred members; the Sabbath-school two hundred and fifty scholars ; a chapel has been built near the Cape, and the church improved, the means tberefor being derived from a legacy by Hon. Matthew Marcy.
The Presbyterian church at Cape Island was erected in 1845, as " the visitors' church ;" there the Rev. Mr. Williamson, before men- tioned, preached on Sabbath and Tuesday evenings, until 1851, when the Cape Island Presbyterian Church was organized. The Rev. E. P. Shields is now in charge, and under his "diligent culture" and "judicious oversight," says Dr. Nevins, the society is prosperous. There is also an Episcopal, a Methodist, and a Baptist church at Cape May City.
In the Cold Spring church-yard, and in another burying-place near the bay, above the steamboat landing, are entombed the ashes of many of the pioneers of Cape May, and of the generations which followed them. The tombstone is the only record of some who, once active and conspicuous, are now no more regarded ; their names, their memory, obsolete, except among the venerable few.
ALEXANDER WHILLDIN, FOUNDER OF SEA GROVE.
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THE SAFE BASIS OF PROGRESS.
But an enlightened faith dwells not in tombs, and recognizes death only as an incident of life; they whose bodies went down into the grave at Cape May came to their earthly consummation in a land where the hope of a happy immortality was part of the common creed. Strong in religious faith, upheld by a consciousness of spiritual things, the hour of their departure was to many of them an hour of triumph. One and all, they lived-they died; their example still remains: in high or low degree they filled the sphere they found, " whereunto they were appointed." The soul scorns the history that ends at the grave; as we stand amid the trampled dust of by-gone myriads, it lifts its voice within, to assert the presence of the angelic hosts and pro- claim over all the just and loving providence of God.
Considering thus briefly the history of the churches of Cape May, regarding especially the Presbyterian organization, it is noticeable that while Calvinism has been influential, it has by no means been the sole creed of the people ; the author follows the record of Presbyterianism at greatest length, because the past history of that church and the recent action of Presbyterians at Sea Grove are strikingly pertinent to his argument, that freedom and equality are the safe basis of ma- terial and spiritual progress.
Society, as some imagine, depends upon despotism, and religion they think a tender plant, thriving best in the shadow of a throne, hedged by bayonets ; grafted, at least, upon some constitution, and guarded by facile courts. The Presbyterian Church is a free, a self-governing republican church. New Jersey has been democratic in the extreme, and absolutely tolerant. At Cape May Presbyterianism has had free- dom, continuity, scope, and time, without isolation ; it is fair to accept the outgrowth as a test of democratic republicanism and of the ten- dency of Calvinism in the United States. To learn this requires, in addition to a survey of the past, an observation of the novel yet characteristic developments of the present.
§ In passing from that which has become historical in relation to the Presbyterians of Cape May to an observation of the present, one thing may be remarked of peculiar interest and significance : the faith of the forefathers has, as it were, become hereditary; the names of prominent Presbyterians to-day are those found in the old church chronicles and traditions. Thus, Joseph Weldon (Whilldon, Whillden, or Whilldin) was one of the original trustees of Cold Spring Church. Matthew Whillden (Whilldin), with John Stites and Jesse and Jacob R. Hughes, were elders of the session in 1825, and to-day Alexander Whilldin, after serving his church for a full generation as an elder, is now President of the Sea Grove Association. Of the above officers of the church, Mr. John Stites and Matthew Whilldon each held the position of " active and ruling elders" for fifty years or more; they were contem- poraries, and their terms of office were nearly coincident.
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SCHEYICHBI AND THE STRAND.
The organization over which Mr. Alexander Whilldin presides, having both secular and religious purposes, is Presbyterian in its antecedents and affiliations, though not exclusively sectarian in its constituency and designs, yet its work has been one of the most striking manifestations of character and tendency given by Presby- terians for many years; and hence the value of the history of the Association, and its force as evidence in establishing the assumptions which are embodied in the first paragraphs of this work, and which are the conclusion of its argument.
Following the course of our narrative and the discussion together, the history of Sea Grove becomes repuisite, and immediately in order. No account of the Sea Grove Association, its origin and operations, can be at all complete without some sketch, more or less circumstantial, of the gentleman who presides over the business of that corporation ; hence the necessity of reference to him in the succeeding paragraphs.
The founder of Sea Grove is a native of Philadelphia, having been born in that city in 1808; his father was a sea-captain, and a native of New Jersey. In 1812, leaving France on a return voyage to this country, he never reached our shores, no tidings of his fate ever coming to relieve the suspense of the bereaved family. This sad event left Alexander Whilldin an orphan at the early age of four years. The widow with her son and two daughters left Philadelphia, and went to reside at the old homestead in Cape May County.
There, on the old farm near the Court-House, Alexander lived for twelve years, receiving only the meagre education that the country school-house of that day could give. In his sixteenth year he returned to Philadelphia and entered a store, where, without grumbling, he performed the duties of youngest clerk, including making the fires, sweeping the store, running of errands, and other things too often counted as drudgery nowadays. He was not too proud to work, and he worked earnestly, industriously, faithfully. He remained here as clerk eight years, rising from one position to another, gaining the confidence of his employer and of all about him. In 1832 he started business for himself, as a commission merchant in cotton and wool, the first year with a partner who brought in needed capital, and after- wards alone.
His career as a business man now began in earnest. He soon de- veloped those traits which mark the solid man of business wherever you find him. He was prudent, sound in judgment, courteous, self- reliant, industrious, and of indomitable energy and persistence. He at once gave proof of great executive ability, and of capacity to direct extensive and complicated affairs. 'With such a power at the helm, his business rapidly grew to large proportions ; and although at one time embarrassment surrounded him, his native resources of energy, sagacity, and superior judgment enabled him finally to extricate him-
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AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
self honorably, to meet every obligation he had assumed, and to build himself up on the experience of his trials upon a broader and surer basis than ever.
The peculiar talents of such a merchant could not of course remain the exclusive possession of his own large business. Mr. Whilldin was sought in commercial and financial circles, and was for many years President of the American Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia, and prominently interested in the management of other pecuniary trusts. His philanthropic sympathies, known generosity, and the personal interest he has always taken in educational, benevolent, and religious enterprises have made him prominent also in many noble public charities of Philadelphia ; his upright character, and wisdom in counsel, making him invaluable as a leader in his own church denomi- nation, and very efficient as a manager in the American Sunday-school Union, Presbyterian Hospital, and other worthy educational and phil- anthropic institutions.
A truthful likeness of Mr. Whilldin is included in the illustrations of this work. Although nearing his seventieth year after a laborious life, he enjoys the reward of ever temperate habits in an eye as clear, a step as elastic, and a mind as vigorous as most men of fifty. He is still actively at the head of his extended business, which is conducted in company with his three sons, and remains, as he has been for a full half-century, a respected and useful citizen of the great city where he was born. Though so long a resident .of Philadelphia, the experienced merchant has never outworn his fondness for the scenes of his boy- hood, or failed to appreciate the advantages of an annual sojourn at the old familiar sea-side places. It has been for many years his delight to escape from the cares of business, and seek beside the waters of Cape May the recreation which nowhere else seemed as grateful and complete. For half a century, except one season in Europe, he has been there every summer.
Not only as a visitor to Cape May, but as the holder of considerable real estate there, Mr. Whilldin has watched with interest the growth and peculiar prosperity of the county ; desirous, as a philanthropist, that all should enjoy and be benefited by the natural peculiarities of the place, he has seen, with regret, the increase of a bad fashion which renders the season for rest and health-giving resort to nature but a wearying round of dissipation. "More than twenty years ago," says the founder of Sea Grove, "I had this subject under consideration." Many beside Mr. Whilldin had long deplored watering-place extrava- gance, and several denominations had established quiet places of con- genial resort for their members, but none existed among Presbyterians. Providentially, as some of his friends declare, Mr. Whilldin was in possession of a most convenient location, whose great but long-reserved natural advantages invited occupation; besides, he had the courage,
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the means, and the influence, to make successful whatever he con- sidered it his duty to undertake.
The site of Sea Grove was purchased of "The West New Jersey Society in England," by Jonathan Pyne the elder, through Jeremiah Basse as agent; being inherited by Jonathan Pyne (2d) and Abigail Pyne, it was deeded by them and Robert Courtney, Abigail Pyne's husband, to Henry Stites, in 1712. The property remained in the Stites family until the marriage of Jane G. Stites with Alexander Whill- din, in 1836, and was by them conveyed to the Sea Grove Association, March 15th, 1875, having been in Presbyterian hands one hundred and sixty-three years.
"I have come," said Mr. Whilldin, "to consider it the providence of God that we have been led to retain this Presbyterian ground all these years, to become a subject of special consecration at last." To him it seemed little less than desecration to appropriate the place he loved to the use for which nature had pre-eminently fitted it-that of a superior sea-side resort-if it must be done in the ordinary manner. Yet it seemed a pity so fine a place as Sea Grove should benefit so few, es- pecially when scores of thousands in the great cities not far away needed every summer the comfort and help of the ocean air, and yet found themselves repelled and excluded from most popular resorts by the crowding, the confusion, the mad revelry, and recklessness which more and more characterized them.
Under the circumstances, Mr. Whilldin took counsel in the first place, as has been stated, of his own thoughts and inspirations, for some time considering the matter; then, like a wise and practical man, he conferred with his wife. "We," said he, " laid the matter before God;" and then, feeling as if Heaven intended to bless the work, the Presby- terian man of business conferred with his brethren. His suggestions were generally approved, and it was decided to utilize the choice loca- tion at the point of Cape May, and " furnish a Moral and Religious Sea- side Home for the glory of God and the welfare of Man, where he may be refreshed and invigorated body and soul, and better fitted for the highest and noblest duties of life."
In furtherance of this object an organization was effected the 18th of February, 1875, which was chartered, with liberal franchises, by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey the same year.
This corporation was styled the "Sea Grove Association," and its Board of Directors was made to consist of Alexander Whilldin, Dr. V. M. D. Marcy, Downs Edmunds, J. Newton Walker, and John Wana- maker.
Section 6th of the charter vests the Board of Directors with the power of regulation and control in the following terms :
"6. And be it enacted, That a majority of the directors for the time
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LAW AND ORDER AT SEA GROVE.
being shall form a board for the transaction of the business of said corporation, and shall have power to make such by-laws, ordinances, and regulations as shall seem necessary and convenient for the man- agement and disposition of the stock, effects, and concerns of the said corporation, and for the purpose of restricting nuisances and of compel- ling a uniform system of improvements; the said company are hereby authorized and invested with power to incorporate into any deed or conveyance made by them, whether in fee simple or otherwise, a clause or condition forbidding the sale upon the premises of any spirituous or intoxicating liquors, and to require of any grantee of said company to make and maintain such style and character of improvement on said lots so conveyed, or on the streets fronting thereon, as to the said com- pany may seem best for securing a uniform system of development and improvement throughout the said settlement ; and the board of directors of said company shall have the power to appoint such peace officers as they may deem necessary for the purpose of keeping order on the premises, which officers shall be paid by the said company, but shall have when on duty the same power and authority and immunities which constables and other peace officers under the laws of this State possess or enjoy when on duty as such, and they shall have the same power to enforce obedience to any rule and regulation of said corporation for the preservation of quiet and good order on the premises of said corporation and their grantees; provided, that such by-laws or regulations are not contrary to the laws or constitution of the United States or of this State."
Subsequently the officers of the Association were elected, with Alex- ander Whilldin, President and Treasurer, 20 South Front Street, Phila- delphia ; J. C. Sidney, Secretary, 204 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia ; Downs Edmunds, Assistant Secretary, Cape May Point.
The Directors of the Sea Grove Association adopted a series of by- laws and regulations which provided for the systematic and business- like conduct of its affairs, according to the terms of its charter. Of these regulations the 12th, 13th, and 15th are special and significant in character, and by their nature or general interest, and are therefore here inserted :
" 12. All buildings and other improvements will be subject to the approval of the directors or to an agent appointed for that purpose by them.
" 13. All deeds will contain a clause for the purpose of restricting nuisances and of compelling a uniform system of improvement, forbid- ding the sale or keeping for sale any spirituous or intoxicating liquors, and generally providing for the submission to such rules and regulations as the Board may from time to time direct. Neither the holder of a lot, stockholder, or other person shall permit any amusement or act incon- sistent with the character of the place and the objects of the Association, as set forth in the charter.
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"15. The Pavilion is intended for religious or other meetings. Parties desiring to occupy it will not be permitted to do so without the authority in writing of the President, or in his absence of the majority of the Board, who shall first ascertain the character of the intended meeting, refusing the use thereof to all such as are not compatible with the objects and purposes of the Association."
· The stock of the company being taken up at once, operations began, and were pushed with great energy. After the manner of the Calvinist Puritans of New England long ago, the first structure in the new settle- ment was an edifice for the purposes of education and religion. "The Pavilion," though vastly different from the comfortless churches in which the Pilgrims delighted, was yet the creation of the same spirit, though working under vastly different circumstances. As a building, it is well adapted to the purpose for which it has been constructed. In whatever respect it may fall short of the too great splendor of some city sanctuaries, it has one excellence in which many costly churches are deficient : as seen by the view on another page, it admits of perfeet ventilation.
Completed late in the spring of 1875, the history of the Sea Grove Pavilion is evidently brief; still, as the centre of Sea Grove enterprise, it has already attracted much attention, and been the scene of several memorable gatherings. For the ensuing record and description of the first season of Pavilion meetings the author is indebted to the Rev. Alfred E. Nevins, D.D., the superintendent and friendly manager of the services. Though a distinguished array of clerical talent of various denominations was always available through the season, yet to the supervision and care of Dr. Nevins was due much of the regularity and success of those assemblies. In connection with the regular Pavilion services on Sunday, a Sabbath-school was organized, and conducted with decided success by Mr. S. E. Hughes, a member of the Methodist church.
Recounting the already stated objects of the Sea Grove Association, Dr. Nevins proceeds to remark: " During the season of 1875, it was truly gratifying to see how this ' object' was kept in view, appreciated, and carried out. Early in July, in the attractive structure set apart for Divine service, and standing where but a few months before were seen the dense and dark forest, hundreds of visitors were summoned from the commodious hotel and handsome cottages by the clear and sweet tones of the bell, ringing through the grove and along the beach, to engage in the worship of their common Creator and Redeemer. And on every succeeding Sabbath was the same invitation given and accepted. A pleasing spectacle it was, on such occasions, to behold those who, though differing in some points of faith, yet agreed in the essential elements of our holy religion, the veteran and the child, the stranger and the familiar friend, all mingling their voices and uniting their hearts in praise and prayer to the God and Father of our Lord
SEA GRAVE
HOUSE
dilea
SEA GROVE HOUSE' ENLARGED. 1876.
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RELIGIOUS SERVICES IN THE PAVILION.
Jesus Christ, and listening with eager ear and ardent interest to the exposition of His most excellent Word. Still more pleasant, if possi- ble, was it to see several hundreds of representative ministers and lay- men of the various evangelical denominations, who had been invited to convene for the consideration of great moral and religious subjects, on the 25th of August, engage for several days in the noble Pavilion in earnest devotions and discussions, and then on the holy Sabbath unite in celebrating the love of Him who 'died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,' who prays that His followers 'all may be one,' and who has gone to prepare for them a place where they shall dwell together in blissful fellowship through an endless existence. There is some- thing in the magnitude and grandeur of the ocean, as it is gazed upon, a great symbol of eternity, to overwhelm the mind, and cast minor matters into the shade. The very sight of it, in this view, tends to magnify the essentials of Christianity and to minify its circumstantials. And this effect was evidently realized in no small degree by the visit- ors at Sea Grove. May the flame that was kindled on the 'shore' -- a spot which, in another land, Jesus so much delighted to frequent- send its light and heat throughout the country and the world !
" ' One sole baptismal sign, One Lord, below, above. Zion, one faith is thine, One only watchword-Love. From different temples though it rise, One song ascendeth to the skies.
"' Oh, why should they who love One Gospel to unfold, Who seek one home above, On earth be strange and cold ? Why, subjects of the Prince of Peace, In strife abide, and bitterness ?
""' Head of the church beneath, The catholic-the true- On all her members breathe- Her broken frame renew ! Then shall Thy perfect will be done, When Christians love and live as one.'"
While the Pavilion was going up, a heavy force of men were grading the streets, avenues, and boulevards of Sea Grove. In the " Bird's-eye View of Sea Grove" which illustrates this book, the plan appears as laid out by Mr. Sidney, the architect. At the same time, the founda- tions of the "Sea Grove House" were laid, and the building pushed with great energy, being ready for use and thronged with hundreds of guests the same season. Simultaneously, many cottages arose here and there, all neat and attractive, and some ornately elegant ; notably that of the Whilldin family, illustrated, with the original Sea Grove House, in the view of " Atlantic Beach," from a photograph taken upon the
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SCHEYICHBI AND THE STRAND.
completion of the first buildings of Sea Grove. Besides, as early ex- amples of fitness and characteristic good taste, might be mentioned the cottage of John Wanamaker; one for Mr. Stockton, an Episco- palian divine; several built on account of J. Newton Walker, M.D .; those constructed by Mr. Hughes, etc., as shown in the bird's-eye view.
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