USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > The North Reformed Church, Newark, New Jersey : the addresses delivered in connection with the observance of the fiftieth anniversary, Dec. 10-17, 1906 > Part 2
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
fort was made to raise funds, that a mortgage of $1,200, was authorized and further appeals were made.
The name of Peter S. Duryee appears fre- quently on the Building Committee work, but he does not appear as an officer until Dec., 1859, and he continued to hold office until his death in 1877. Every stone in the edifice as well as every soul in the church was as dear to him as the apple of his eye.
The Rev. Hasbrouck DuBois became our pas- tor in June, 1859, a long and trying interval hav- ing elapsed since the death of Dr. Polhemus. Mr. DuBois served the church as pastor until November, 1861, when his request to have his pastoral relations with the church dissolved was acceded to with appropriate resolution of the Consistory.
At about this time Mr. John Duncan was elected to the officiary of the church and served with great regularity in the church services, the prayer meetings, the Sunday School, and the Consistory, until his death which occurred in November, 1892.
Possibly of interest is a summary I find dated May 2, 1864: 125 families, 7 people received on confession, 12 by certificate, 209 in communion, 340 average attendance of Sunday School.
$1,24I collected for benevolent purposes. $2,650 for congregational purposes.
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THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
$6,000 subscribed 1864 for church debt.
So although small in numbers they did great things. In July, 1863, the Rev. James Demarest, Jr., was called to our pastorate and served with great acceptability until January, 1866. Among other matters of interest in the resolutions com- mendatory of his services, is noted the fact that "a debt of $14,000 has been easily paid," another evidence of the devotion of the people.
In May, 1866, the Rev. Charles E. Hart was called to the pastorate, and served until March, 1880, when owing to impaired health he re- signed to accept a lighter task as Professor of English Language at Rutgers College. During his pastorate the benefactions of the church were greatly increased, the congregational expenses being $6,533 and benevolences $8,805. He was beloved by the people and he exerted by his con- sistent walk and conversation a most blessed spiritual influence upon his people.
In 1867 as the church approached its tenth an- niversary, the completion of the building in the erection of the stone spire was assumed and con- summated. The same men who had so liberally contributed to the building of the church con- tributed $10,000 for the spire. Mr. George Brown had charge of the work having just en- tered the Consistory. Mr. Brown continued a devoted and liberal patron of the church from
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
that date until his death which occurred in 1904 in this city.
Mr. Peter Vanderhoof one of the original members of the church was actively engaged in the mason work of the original building and with his own hands formed the space in the corner- stone for the box containing rolls of members and other church data, which stone is in the second buttress on the north side of the church and was laid by Tunis Waldron, President, April, 1857. Therein repose names of godly men and women whose names now are also written in Heaven.
In May, 1872, Mr. Woodruff requested to be relieved of the duties of Secretary and Treas- urer which he had performed since 1857 and Mr. C. B. Smith was elected Secretary and Mr. Cal- vin H. Merry, Treasurer. Mr. Smith served as Secretary until 1877 when Mr. Woodruff re- sumed the office of Secretary. On Dec. 4, 1863, Calvin H. Merry and his family had joined our church, and a great blessing came to the church on that event. He was an intelligent, godly, lovely man, zealous in all good works and worship. For years he exercised an influence for good in the church which was continued through his de- voted and devout daughters for many years and down to the present by those of them who have not been called away.
Dr. Arthur Ward came to this church, in its
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FREDERICK T. FRELINGHUYSEN, Elder in First Consistory.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
early life from the church in Belleville. Born of a religious lineage, he and his wife served our church with great zeal and devotion until their death in 1903, when they went to their reward within a short time of each other.
Dr. Ward practiced medicine for the good he could do rather than for the good he could get. He ministered to the poor and needy without any hope of earthly reward and his ministrations were both of a professional and a spiritual na- ture. He was constant in his attendance on Di- vine service on Sundays and on week days. He had a record of every text with the name of the preacher for every service during his long mem- bership with this church.
He served as Superintendent of the Sunday School and as Elder in the church for many years, and the ministering of his gracious kind- ness to the suffering and the sorrowing will be long remembered in this community. He left his modest estate to the assistance of three charitable institutions for which in life he had labored with unremitting and unselfish devotion.
During Dr. Hart's pastorate the church en- joyed a deep spiritual life, and had among its members Hon. Joseph P. Bradley, until he was called to sit in the Supreme Court of the United States ; Hon. Abram V. Van Fleet, a Vice Chan- cellor of the State of New Jersey: and Hon. David A. Depue, Justice and Chief Justice of
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
the State of New Jersey, whose daughter Miss Eliza S. Depue has always rendered most devout service to every interest of the church and Sun- day School.
In July, 1881, after a vacancy in the pastorate since March, 1880 (when Dr. Hart resigned), the church called Rev. David L. Waters to the church. He was a fluent, extempore, forceful speaker with great executive ability; he served the church and the various churchboards with zeal and ability until July, 1893, when after a service of twelve years he resigned, owing to im- paired health. During his pastorate the Sunday Schools attained the greatest proficiency they had yet attained, and the benevolences of the church were very zealously nurtured and devel- oped, and the fruits of the Crane fund were most fully realized. During his pastorate the beautiful Sunday School and Lecture room were added out of the Crane fund.
It was not until November, 1894, a year and three months after Dr. Waters' resignation, that the church came into the new conditions which arose in the call of Rev. Dr. Donald Sage Mackay. Hitherto while the Sunday School had prospered the church had never been crowded, but with his advent came a full and overflowing church, old members returned to the church and a lively church life was realized. Dr. Mackay though frequently invited to accept other charges
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remained with us until January, 1899, when he resigned, having finally accepted the pastorate of the Fifth Avenue Collegiate Church, New York, where he still enjoys remarkable success as a pastor.
It is but proper to recognize in this sketch the fact that Mr. Joseph Hart, one of our faithful treasurers and deacons, was led by Providence when on a tour of observation of other possible candidates to visit St. Albans and hear Dr. Mackay, though no one of us had ever heard of him. Thus Mr. Hart rendered a service, among many he rendered the church, of peculiar value. . It was under Dr. Mackay's pastorate that the East Newark Mission building was erected, and the benevolences of the church placed on a larger scale than ever before, although the $10,000 in- come from the Crane fund had disappeared. He said he was almost ashamed to ask his people for money for they always gave what he asked and more.
In November, 1900, another proof of the bless- ing of Heaven on our beloved Zion was realized. On that date our own Dr. Vance came to us. Our church was in a peculiar condition. We had lost Dr. Mackay in January, 1899, a year and nine months before; all sorts of preachers had been considered, but the church board, meeting almost weekly to consider filling the pastorate, co-oper- ated with such consideration and forbearance
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
that not one word of unpleasant difference was ever expressed. We had a difficult task, we did not mean to, and we did not, recede from the high plane we had reached. Dr. Mackay had won and held the hearts of every man, woman and child in the church. He was the personal friend of everybody, of strong personal magnetism ; his successor had to be a great and good man. While we waited and considered, our good people prayed and the Lord heard us. Though we had heard little of Dr. Vance, we were directed to him, and God blessed our mission. We went, we saw, we conquered. He came, he saw, and he stayed. Strong, devout, sincere, four-square, ringing true, dividing the Word in reverence and honesty, working hard, always prepared, inter- ested in the humblest of our people as well as in the more influential, sympathetic, encouraging, he has wound himself about our hearts as strong- ly as any man ever did. He has filled the church to overflowing, he has refused far better calls and we pray he may always remain our pastor, and that we may all be conscious of the fact that to whom the Lord has given much, of them he will require much.
A comparative table of the church's finances for 1866 when Dr. Hart came, 1881 when he left, 1894 Mackay's first year, 1899 when he left and 1905 may be of interest :
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THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
1866
1881
1894
Sabbath
Collections. . . $373
$3288.29
Donations, by founders, 2005
I400.00
Pews
2520
3492.00
$4898
$5215
$8180.29
Benevolences
2900
9757
9400.00
1899
1905
Sabbath Collections ..
$7368.56
$8442.46
Donations, by founders
557.95
875.00
Pews
4677.66
7477.25
$12604.17 $16794.71
Benevolences
. 12319.72 12331.00
The services of Sunday are Sunday School at 9:30; Church at 10:30; Sunday School at 2:30; Church at 7:30. In addition the Christian En- deavor Society meets at 6:45 P. M. This Society for 15 years has been kept in a lively state of consecrated work, tending to develop Christian workers in the Church and Sunday School and producing men and women of initiative in thought and work.
I might cite, if time allowed, the Men's Club and the Young Women's Guild, the Boy's Club, the Ladies' Benevolent and Missionary Society and various other enterprises. For the full frui- tion of the work of all these, our church-house
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
is longingly looked for. It is important and it is probable, but the time or means seem hardly pre- pared. Mr. Ballantine's generosity appears in his gift of a lot on Bridge Street, adjoining, for the site of the church-house and funds are ac- cumulating, and ere long we hope to have with our church an institution where young men and women may find not only their spiritual home but their social and charitable and literary centre.
It is not proper to close this sketch without recognizing some of the names hitherto unmen- tioned who have done so much in our church and schools and missions. I would mention Samuel Sloan, John Monteith, J. Henry Lindeburg, John Allison, J. Wilbur Smith, Charles B. Smith, Frank R. Van Nest, the Misses Duryee, the Misses Abeel, the Misses Leverich, Miss Dun- can, the Misses Merry, Miss Hanson, not to name all those who now are actively engaged in this consecrated self-sacrificing work.
In January, 1899, when the church was de- pressed and dispirited at the loss of Dr. Mackay, came our generous benefactor the late Robert F. Ballantine, and, in his characteristic modesty in doing great things, presented to the church the parsonage located corner of James and Washing- ton Streets, saying he would like to prevent un- due publicity. That was always his wish in the many many instances of his very great generos- ity which came to my knowledge. A property
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THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
worth between $25,000 and $30,000 was thus do- nated to the church in this unostentatious way.
To those who years ago worshipped here one name seems proper to recall. During the vacan- cies which seemed to come so often to our pulpit, Rev. Dr. Campbell, President of Rutgers Col- lege, took this church under his special care, and long after his physical condition seemed to for- bid, he preached to us, quoting chapter and verse in any part of the Scriptures, for he was blind for years. So too, the Rev. Dr. Gustavus Abeel, rendered valued services in the inauguration of the movement and its subsequent early history, and in 1865 he and his family connected them- selves with this church.
And now as we see what blessing has come to us through the self sacrifice and devotion of the founders of this church and what blessings to them in seeing their children in the fold working for the Kingdom still, shall we not practice more self sacrifice and devotion, more consecration, that the Kingdom may come more and more ?
It is impossible to write the history of a Sun- day School without that of the church, for they are interlaced. We the children of a larger growth were the Sunday School, so you children of to-day have to look forward when this church will be your charge and care.
We have just repaired and redecorated the church so dear to us all, at an expense of $10,000
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
raised by subscription among our members; a goodly, generous act. And yet when we look back at that little band which founded the church and find they gave
For the land. $20000
For the church building and furniture .. 45810
Extra land. 5570
A total of. $71380
we must feel that ours is a rich heritage, that we have a responsibility calling for generous self sacrificing support and for a deeper consecration to the work.
These hurried observations made up more from memory than from records, may be of less interest to you than to one who has stood, if you please, between; who has seen the founders of this church, who has seen mature men of affairs come on to the stage, assume the burdens and re- sponsibilities from a sternsense of their obligation to God and to mankind, who has seen them pass to their rewards, and has seen others take up the glorious work.
Rest assured however that the burdens and re- sponsibilities are as real and certain to-day, and it is for you, for "the boy is father to the man". to assume. On your courage, your liberality, your consecration depends the future of this
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:
JOSEPH P. BRADLEY, Elder in First Consistory.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS
church we all so dearly love and which to-day you feel is your guardian and mother. As the mother rears the child so the children care for her in later years. God grant that the future supporters of this church may be men and women of the same deep spiritual life which characterized our forbears !
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REMINISCENCES
ADDRESS
BY
THE REV'D ISAAC HEYER POLHEMUS
OME months ago, three persons might have been seen standing before an old farm house.
One was young, and looked around with curi- ous eyes; while the other two, much older, stood apart and gazed with deepest interest on every object in view.
In low tones they spoke to each other, quite unmindful of the lack of interest of their young friend. As they entered the house and passed from room to room, they seemed to be strangely moved ; for it had been many a year since they had looked upon those walls, and they seemed to stand in some mysterious presence.
Leaving the house, they called to their young friend, "Come to the spring! There is no such water in all the State."
At the spring they drank. The older ones with relish and keen delight. The younger,-although thinking it quite ordinary, yet for their sakes he praised it, and they were satisfied.
What made the difference in their interest?
Oh! the older ones were drinking from the golden cup of memory !
From such a cup some of us are drinking to-
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
night. Many here may wonder at our interest in things that, to them, are quite ordinary: and some of our reminiscences may be so personal that they may seem egotistic; but we count on your respect and sympathetic interest, as we speak of years gone by, and voices that now are still.
I hold in my hand a note book of my father, in which are some items, which may be of interest at this time to others as they were to me.
"The first foundation stone of the North Re- formed Dutch Church of Newark, was laid July 29th, 1857, at 9 A. M., by Rev. A. Polhemus and John A. Miller". (The corner stone was laid Sept. 14, 1857).
Next follows a list of the families, May Ist, 1857, and those received in June, the only com- munion service administered by my father.
Of his first two weeks of service, he has left a record of the Texts of his sermons, size of congregation, and these interesting facts :
"Thurs Apr. 23d Prayer meeting at the house of John A. Miller. J. P. Bradley, J. C. Woodruff and Pastor-elect led in prayer.
Thurs. Apr. 30th Prayer meeting at F. T. Fre- linghuysen's. David Woodruff, John A. Miller and Pastor-elect led in prayer.
"May 3d Installation, Ist Refd D. Church. And a last item :
"First Picnic. S School N. R. D. Ch Newark
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REMINISCENCES
July 10. 1857. About 125 scholars. Whole com- pany 250 to 300. Held in Llewellen Park Orange. School rode up in Omnibuses."
That picnic I cannot remember, but I do re- member when there was not even a horse car in this city, and Morgan's stage ran down town from Bridge Street.
I remember the first Sabbath I saw a horse car going down Broad Street and felt that the Sab- bath was desecrated, for it was then a holy day. The deep toned bell of the Second Presbyterian Church called all in this neighborhood to prepare for Divine Worship.
In those days it was the custom in the families of this church on Sabbath mornings and after- noons, when not attending service, to learn the Shorter Catechism, verses of Scripture, or the standard hymns.
It was a time when families went to church to- gether.
As we crossed the Park we could see coming up Broad Street, the Bradleys, Frelinghuysens, Duryees, Steds, Millers, Waldrons, Ballantines, Woodruffs and many others. From the opposite direction, the Demarests, Vanderhoofs, Hollo- ways, Pienovies, Robinsons and others.
There was no great crowd in church and friends nodded to each other across the church, or spoke to those in neighboring pews; for we all knew each other. Old Peter walked up and
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
down the aisles, with smiling face and air of per- sonal ownership. He was a notable character in those days; known by everybody and respected too. For over thirty years he had sole charge of this church.
In the choir, I remember Miss Brainerd; the Northrops and later the Ward brothers ; while Mr. Sam Ward was the organist.
Of the ministers, I have no reminiscences ; but a faint memory of the impressiveness of Mr. Du- Bois; the dignity of Mr. Demarest, and the em- phatic style of Mr. Hart.
Mr. Bradley well says in his Tenth Anniver- sarsary Address : "One of the striking features of this church, and probably one of the strongest elements of its success from the beginning has been its Sunday School and Mission School. Without them, we could not count on any per- manent and stable progress."
It is a sweet recollection that we have of that Sunday School. As a child it must hold the dear- est place in memory. We entered the room by the south door. The Infant Class (as then called) was in the alcove off the Lecture room. And there two of the loveliest women welcomed and taught us children. No one who ever met Miss Browning and Miss Violet Robinson could ever forget them. They won the affection and atten- tion of every boy and girl. And as we sat on
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PETER DEMAREST, Elder in First Consistory.
REMINISCENCES
those bare, circular seats, rising tier on tier in that little room, we learned to sing
"Jesus loves me, this I know For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, They are weak but He is strong."
There also we learned
"Who made us ?" "And of what we were made?"
When promoted to the upper room we found all the girls on the north end of the room, and the boys at the south, with the platform in the center.
Mr. Vanderhoof's class was next to the plat- form : and from him I learned "What is the chief end of man," and many a Gospel story ; but be- yond all that, I learned to honor a man who loved Jesus Christ, and whose whole heart's de- sire was to lead others to Him. Dear, dear man ! He is not seen here to-night; but if he sees and hears, I want him to know that one of his schol- ars stands here to thank God for his loving inter- est, which, given in that class, never failed that boy through all these years.
So near the platform, his class was indelibly impressed by one who frequently sat there and addressed the school.
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
Senator Frelinghuysen's reverence for God and His Word, (making and marking his own dignity) made an impression never to be forgot- ten by any one who heard him.
I must also speak of another who visited the school in its earliest days ; your apostolic mission- ary Jacob Chamberlain of India.
On November 6th, 1859, he spoke to the school and every heart was stirred. In closing he asked every scholar to write in a book, "Mr. Chamber- lain asked me to be a missionary."
One boy at least heeded the request, and in this book in his sister's handwriting I read : "Newark, Sabbath day Nov. 6th '59 Mr. Cham- berlain asked me to be a missionary"
I. Heyer Polhemus
That request, with the influence of The Hay- stack Monument at Williams College, with the spirit of God made me a missionary.
That Sunday School room has gone, but the words spoken there are still bearing fruit; and the children of the past are now the Superintend- ents and teachers of your present school.
ยท Another great interest of this church was the Belleville Avenue Mission.
I regret that I have not better, fuller informa- tion or data; but I know that there was carried on by the ladies of this church a sewing school, for girls, especially for those working in Clark's Mills.
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1
REMINISCENCES
What devoted women were in the church at that time, filled with a missionary spirit, I leave to be told by more eloquent lips than mine.
If there were strong men here, there were also noble women, who with unselfish and Christlike service kept alive the devotion of the whole church.
At that Mission, on Sunday nights, Gospel meetings were held. There many of us learned to speak and pray in public. There Dr. Steele, Mr. Vanderhoof, Mr. Layton and Miss Ketch- am, the Bible Reader, were most helpful.
There I first met Sam Sloan and his sister, and John Monteith, who have been such faithful helpers in this Church all these years. In this Jubilee, thanksgiving and praise to God will arise from many, in the family on earth and in heaven, because of blessings received at the Belleville Avenue Mission.
This Church early gave two of its sons to the Gospel ministry.
Twenty-seven years ago, the honored and be- loved Joseph R. Duryee and the speaker, stood together before this pulpit and were ordained to the sacred office of the ministry. One to enter upon a work in New York City in which he has continued to be a blessing all these years; the other to go to the mission field; not to India to join Dr. Chamberlain, as he offered to do, but could not be sent for lack of funds in the treas-
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
ury, but to old Mexico under the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.
I recollect with emotion the evening of Oct. 14, 1879, when this Church gave a farewell re- ception to the outgoing missionaries; at which many tender words were spoken by Dr. Hart, Dr. Fewsmith of the 2d Pres. Church, and Sena- tor Frelinghuysen as the Godspeed was given.
And now my last word must be a still more personal testimony of my love for this Church. Here thirty-nine years ago I gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ. Never can I forget the solemn Communion Days, when the separation was made, and I left my mother's side and crossed the aisle to watch and think of all it meant.
I saw my mother's lips moving in prayer for me. I saw the sacred emblems passed after the holy words "Do this in remembrance of Me." I lifted my eyes to that Tablet and read "Here souls shall be converted, and I will rejoice over them in heaven;" and the Spirit of God came upon me and I was drawn by love unspeakable.
Oh! may not souls be converted, turned to Jesus, here to-night ?
Then there will be joy on earth, and rejoicing in heaven, making this indeed a real, Pentecostal Jubilee.
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ADDRESS
BY THE REV'D JOSEPH RANKIN DURYEE, D. D. The Men Who Founded the North Church, Newark.
KNOW of no more inspiring picture than that we recall to-night: the founding and upbuilding of this Church. The thirty-five men and women who gathered about Dr. Scott, the minister of the First Dutch Church, at the home of Mr. Bradley, on December 17th, 1856, were representative of the best traditions and noblest aspirations of a great community. They knew that a church was needed here in order that the moral and social health of their city might be preserved and developed. They loved the historic Communion in which they and their fathers had lived. They believed that in her confession of faith, her form of government, her spirit of brotherhood toward Christians of every name, the Reformed Dutch Church was apostolic. And they dearly loved their pastor and the associations of their old home Church. The ties that bound them to her were as strong as this earth knows. Nevertheless, these people felt that the time had come for a new association.
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