USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 4 > Part 11
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On the 15th October, the Standing Committee made the following report :
" The Standing Committee to whom was referred, to consider and report what further provision ought to be made for the widow and family of the late Rector-Report; that having duly considered the
' Records, Liber iii., folio 50.
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subject referred to them, they recommend to the Vestry the adoption of the following preamble and resolutions, viz .:-
" It appearing by the report of the Standing Committee, that the family of the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart, deceased, late Bishop of the Diocese of New-York, and Rector of this Parish, are, by his sudden death, left without any adequate provision for their future mainte- nance ;- and this Vestry being sensible that the unceasing labours and exertions of this ever active and faithful servant of the Redeemer, in the discharge of the arduous duties incident to the various stations he has so long occupied in the Protestant Episcopal Church, whilst greatly contributing, under the blessing of Heaven, to the extension and prosperity of that Church, and eminently useful to the cause of sound religion and morals, have necessarily led to the neglect of his private concerns, and to the sacrifice of his private interests ; Therefore,
"I. Resolved, That there be paid to the widow of the late Rector, for the support of herself and family, an annuity of two thousand dollars during her life, to commence from the first day of March next, when the temporary provision made by the resolution of the Vestry of the fourth instant, will cease.
" 2. Resolved, That the sum of three hundred dollars per annum, be appropriated to the education and support of John Henry Hobart, the youngest son of the late Rector, until he shall attain the age of twenty-one years.
" In behalf of the Standing Committee
"WM. JOHNSON, Comptroller. "October 15, 1830." 1
A communication from the family of the late Rector, in the following words, was read and ordered to be en- tered on the minutes :
"The family of the late Rt. Rev. Bishop Hobart, having received from the Clerk of the Vestry of Trinity Church, a copy of a resolution passed at a late meeting of that body, whereby it appears that a very liberal and ample provision has been made for their future support, would beg leave most respectfully to express to the Wardens and Vestrymen their sincere and grateful acknowledgments.
" The afflicting dispensation of Providence, which deprived the
'Records, Liber iii., folio 55.
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Monument to Bishop Hobart
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family of their head and protector, had thrown them on the generosity of the representatives of that Church, in whose service he had spent the spring-time of his life, and to whose bountiful liberality he had often been indebted for so much of his worldly comfort and happiness.
"With what kind and with what generous feelings they were re- garded by the Vestry, the late act of that Board abundantly testifies, and while it may be considered as an evidence of their grateful recol- lection of the faithful labours of him to whom they had so long stood in the near and endearing relations of Vestry and Rector, it is no less a proof of their lively and delicate sensibility to the necessities, and natural expectations of those whom he has left dependent.
" While the family of the late Bishop Hobart would endeavour thus feebly to express to the Vestry of Trinity Church their grateful sense of the timely and munificent provision made for their support, they do not fail to recognize in it, the hand of that kind Providence, who has thus disposed the hearts of his creatures, and who has promised to be the 'support of the widow and the father of the fatherless.'
" NEW YORK, Nov. 1830.1
The monument for the erection of which the Vestry had taken order may now be seen in the room at the end of the south aisle, commonly known as "the Bishop's room." Two designs were offered for inspection, one of which, being that of Mr. Ball Hughes, was selected and approved. It was decided that the monument should be placed in the centre of the large western window in the chancel beneath which the body was buried, and that some alterations should be made in the arrangement of the chancel, in order to give it that position. When the Church was rebuilt, some years later, the monument was removed and set up in the place in one of the sacristies which it now occupies. It is a large and ambitious work in Italian marble, representing the Bishop seated in an un- comfortable chair, and apparently moribund ; beside him stands a draped figure of a woman, representing faith or
1 Records, Liber iii., folio 57.
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religion, and pointing to a cross above. Up to that date no piece of portrait sculpture so elaborate had been erected in this country.
An interesting incident on the occasion of the funeral is thus noticed in the Evening Post of September 17, 1830:
" The funeral of the Right Rev. John Henry Hobart, bishop of the diocese of New York, took place yesterday afternoon. The procession was formed at his house in Varrick-street, at a little before five o'clock. It was exceedingly numerous, and consisted not only of the members of the Episcopal Church, but of respectable indi- viduals of every other denomination, who came to pay their last token of respect to the remains of this eminent divine. Nearly eighty clergy- men, it is said, were in the procession, which included also about 700 persons belonging to different institutions and societies, and extended to the distance of a mile. As it proceeded through Broadway, some independent companies, which had been called out that day for mili- tary exercise, halted and divided to allow it a passage. The men were ordered to place their arms in the usual position for doing military honours, and stood with their faces bowed over their pieces in a natural and expressive attitude of respect and sorrow. The company by whom this striking and most fit tribute of the soldiers of earth to the remains of the higher soldier of the cross was rendered, was the corps of Scott's Cadets, commanded by Capt. Jackson."
The local bards of the period did not fail to make their contributions to the common sorrow. We find in a publi- cation of the period these " Lines Suggested by the Burial of Bishop Hobart":
" Hark! from yon consecrated tower, At twilight's dim and cheerless hour, With mournful tone, the muffled bell Slowly tolls his solemn knell.
With measured step and streaming eye, And hearts which heave affection's sigh, Drooping and sad, the mourning throng In pensive silence move along.
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Bishop White on Bishop Hobart
Their feet ascend the house of prayer, And Zion's sons assemble there, With budding youth and withering age In holy rites their souls engage.
The sacred preacher's voice is heard Breathing the solace of the word; Praying for hope's celestial power To cheer them in affliction's hour.
Alas! their tears do faster flow- Loud moans attest their heartfelt woe: Their burning and their shining light
They feel, hath set in death's dark night.
But weep not, soldier of the cross-
Thine, not thy captain's is the loss: Clothed in the armour of the Son, He fought the fight-the conquest won!
And with triumphant hosts on high, Now reaps the fruits of victory: His life approved-his labours done- Salvation crowns her faithful son.
" C." 1
Bishop White, immediately on learning of the death of the Bishop of New York, wrote to the clergyman who had communicated the news to him in the following terms :
"During my long life, Sir, I have not known any work of death, exterior to the circle of my own family, so afflictive to me as the pres- . ent. I have known, and have had occasion to remark, the character of my now deceased friend, from his very early boyhood; and I can truly say, that I have never known any man on whose integrity and conscientiousness of conduct I have had more full reliance than on his. In contemplating what must be the brevity of my stay in this valley of tears, it has been a gratification to me to expect that I should leave behind me a brother, whose past zeal and labours were a pledge that he would not cease to be efficient in extending our Church and in the
1 The New- York American, September 22, 1830.
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preservation of her integrity. But a higher disposal has forbidden the accomplishment of my wishes; much, as I verily believe, to his gain, although greatly to our loss, and to that of the Church."
On the Sunday following the funeral, Dr. Berrian preached a sermon in Trinity Church, from which we take the following :
" The powers of his mind, though very advantageously displayed in the public exercises of his ministry, appeared still more remark- able in his intercourse with mankind, and in the practical business of his office, and of life in general. Here his habit of acting on gen- eral principles, and of carrying them out to their true and legitimate consequences, his keen and ready detection of any departure from these principles, the happy illustration of his arguments, the fertility of his invention, the abundance of his resources, gave him an immense superiority over men of loose reasoning and unsettled minds. The soundness of his thoughts, whether in public debate or private conver- sation, was aided by the ease and fluency of his expression, and no one lost any of the force of his arguments by the want of clearness and precision in his language. And the very occasions which would have confounded ordinary men and embarrassed their efforts, seemed always to rouse his energies to a higher pitch, and to make him rise above himself.
" This fitness for the practical business of life, which his en- larged intercourse with the world, from the duties of his Episcopal office and his connexion with many literary and religious institutions, rendered every day more striking, increased his ascendency over the minds of men. We should not notice this influence, except that it was all exerted for the interests of true religion and virtue, and for the promotion of sound learning in connexion with faith and piety.
" And here let me remark, that he was thought by many to be an ambitious man, who mingled too much of human pride with the high and holy duties of his calling. He was ambitious, but his ambi- tion was the noble and insatiable desire of doing good. In the pursuit of this object he set no limit to his plans; in defending and propagating the truth he cared not whose path he crossed; in guarding the Church against its outward enemies and secret foes, he was thankful for any superiority which God had given him, as he devoutly believed it redounded to his glory.
" But for his own sake, whether for present reputation or post-
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Sermons on Bishop Hobart
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humous fame, as unconnected with the promotion of the temporal and eternal happiness of men, he was not ambitious. He stooped to the humblest duties of his calling with as much pleasure as he engaged in the most exalted. One of the latest and most admirable of the works upon which he bestowed the attention of his powerful mind, was a simple Catechism for children, and it was compiled with so much judgment, arranged with so much order, expressed with so much clearness, and made so agreeable in every part to scriptural truth, that I never teach the young out of it, without feeling instructed myself. He composed one book, which, without adding to his literary reputa- tion, will ever be the commendation of his piety, that has furnished thousands with holy thoughts and devout ejaculations at the altar, and that will continue perhaps to excite the fervour of Christian souls, when works of more ambitious pretensions are forgotten. The Festi- vals and Fasts, that excellent expositor of the institutions of the Church and summary of Christian doctrine, the Christian's Manual, the Clergyman's Companion, the Commentary on the Bible, were all prepared with much labour and care, and without any view to the reputation of authorship or pecuniary reward. In the revision, im- provement, and enlargement of these works, he kept a single eye to the welfare of the Church, the promotion of piety, and the advance- ment of sound doctrine among men. The only original work of any ex- tent in which he was ever engaged, his " Apology for Primitive Order," together with all his other controversial pieces, were written with a simple view of defending the truth against the misrepresentations of error. If the time which he spent in these unostentatious but useful labours had been employed with more selfish and ambitious ends, it might have gained for him an enviable pre-eminence among literary men. What a striking proof of his humility and faith." 1
Many other notable sermons were preached of which the subject was the deceased prelate, and the language that of enthusiastic eulogy : those of Dr. Schroeder and Dr. Wainwright deserve a passing mention. But we re- frain from adding excerpts from obituary discourses to those already before the eye of the reader. There is a certain monotony in the praises of the dead, as heard in the pulpit, which blends them confusedly together in the 1 Berrian's Recollections of Departed Friends, pp. 43, 47, and Schroeder's Memoir,
. p. 26 et seq.
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perspective of the past. We find, however, among the records of that day some which have an interest as graphic personal descriptions. Thus, for example, Dr. Matthews, the Chancellor of the recently formed University of New York, contributed, in 1852, his recollections of Bishop Hobart to the well-known Annals of which Dr. Sprague was the editor.
" Bishop Hobart had one characteristic that may be said to have pervaded the whole man-physical, intellectual and moral-I mean great quickness and energy; and it was this, more than anything else; that made him what he was.
" He was of not quite the ordinary height, with rather a broad face, a clear, piercing eye, and a highly intellectual expression. Though there was nothing in his countenance that betokened an unamiable spirit, I never thought that his face indicated anything like the amount of benevolence which he possessed. His eye, his countenance, his whole frame seemed never at rest. His manners were dignified and courtly, though without any great artificial polish. He walked with so much rapidity that you might have supposed he was walking for a wager. And the movements of his mind and his tongue were as rapid as those of his limbs. He talked on every subject with great earnest- ness, and sometimes made mistakes in his statements; but it never seemed to cost him the least effort to correct them when they were made known to him. Though he talked a great deal in every company into which he was thrown, yet I believe nobody ever felt that he was assuming, or manifested any disposition to monopolize the conversa- tion. He had great general intelligence, and was instructive as well as agreeable in his social intercourse." 1
Governor John A. King, in the course of an apprecia- tion of his old friend, written in 1857 for the same volume, says :
"I think I may say with great confidence that Bishop Hobart's whole character bore the stamp of greatness. His mind was at once quick in its movements, and powerful in its grasp. He took an intense view of every subject to which his thoughts were directed, and he had the power of presenting it with equal intensity to other minds. His faculties were highly cultivated, and his large stores of knowledge
1 Sprague's Annals, vol. v., p. 450.
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Bishop Coxe on Bishop Hobart
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were fully at his command. You could not place him in any circum- stances but that he would display a master mind. What he was as the Rector of a Church, or the Bishop of a Diocese, or I had almost said, in a casual meeting that you might have with him in the street, would satisfy you that if Providence had placed him at the head of an army, or even the head of a nation, he had qualities which would not have dis- honoured the position. I well remember to have heard my father speak of him as possessing powers of debate which were almost un- rivalled. In the discharge of his official duties, he was just what you would expect from the qualities which I have attributed to him. He was one of the high Churchmen of his day, and admitted no compromise in regard to the opinions he held as an Episcopalian; but he was still in the most agreeable relations with many clergymen of other communions. As a preacher, he was natural, earnest, bold, effective, and you seemed not only to feel the glow, but see the flash, of the inward fire. His appearance in the pulpit was dignified and commanding. His sermons were written with conciseness and point, as well as great vigour, and were designed to find their way to the life rather through the under- standing than the passions. As the Head of the Diocese, you could hardly fix a limit to his influence-there were those indeed who dis- sented from his views and policy on some points, but it was not at the option of any body whether or not to respect him; and with the great mass of the Clergy it is not too much to say that his will was law. He thought, felt, spoke, acted, in this as in every other relation, as one having authority."1
To these reminiscences, we add some interesting pas- sages from the Recollections of that accomplished scholar and poet, Arthur Cleveland Coxe, one of the grandest gentlemen and most earnest Christians of his day, himself also some time a Bishop in the Church. His admiration for Bishop Hobart partook of the nature of veneration, and the following recollections deserve to be kept in re- membrance as those of one of the warm admirers and lovers of our great father in God.
" Bishop Hobart died in the Autumn of 1830. The last time I ever saw him was in Easter Week of that year. It was the custom, in · his time, for all the Sunday Schools to assemble, once a year, for a
' Sprague's Annals, vol. v., p. 452.
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Service and a Sermon to the children. This was originally designed for 'Innocents' Day,' as a fitting celebration of that festival; but the bad weather generally prevalent at that season, to say nothing of the too prevalent consequences among children of Christmas enjoyments of another sort during the holidays, created a change to the glad season of the Resurrection. I remember well the appearance of the Bishop, as he presided for the last time at that festival of the children, in St. John's Chapel, New York. Many of the city Clergy were with him, and I recollect that the preacher began with an expression of self- distrust, as a proper preacher for children. A young Seminary student, who stood by me, said something to another, which caught my ear. It is true, I fear, that 'to preach so as to interest children, is a gift very few can lay claim to.' The student, I think, was in after life the Rev. Dr. Van Ingen, of my own diocese.
" I can see him now-the Bishop, I mean-as he knelt at the altar, offered concluding prayers, and gave us his blessing. Little did I then suppose I should never hear that voice again. I never had seen any other bishop, and though I knew many others by their engraved portraits, which adorned the window of Stanford & Swords' Church Book Warehouse, nobody looked just like a bishop to my eyes, save only that energetic prelate, with his quick, earnest utterance and his commanding appearance in the pulpit. I say 'in the pulpit,' particu- larly, for he was little of stature, like Zacchæus, and did not look so grand when he stood in the chancel. Yet, nobody but a mere boy would probably have thought of this. There was somewhat about his bearing, and almost military look of command, that made all men feel his apostolic dignity, his conscious call to preside among men, as an ambassador for Christ.
"In 1831, I again attended the festival in St. John's Chapel. Bishop Onderdonk had succeeded my venerated paragon of apostolic merit, and I had to learn new ideas of a bishop's presence and per- sonal bearing. The change was at first distasteful, but the successor of Hobart had qualities which soon endeared him, also, to the Church. And now for what happened in 1831 ; my experience may be inter- esting to children. It was the custom as the children passed out of the Church, on these occasions, to give each of them a little book and a New Year's cake. The New Year's cake or ' cookey ' of New York was inherited from the original Dutch settlers of Manhattan Island. Imitations abound; but even in New York I know of only one baker who can produce the genuine article at the present day. The cookey was generally stamped with Christmas devices, and was not much in
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Portrait of Bishop Hobart
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vogue after Septuagesima. I never saw one at Easter, except at these festivals, and the custom of giving New Year's cakes at this time was a survival from the earlier use of Innocents' Day, or Childermas, for this celebration. Under the great tower-door of St. John's were two enormous baker's baskets, filled with the crisp and fragrant cakes. A kinsman of mine was one of the Sunday School authorities who pre- sided over the distribution, and as I passed out with the rest, he ac- costed me with a smile: ' Here, Cleve, is your cake, but be sure to read the book.' And I did read the book. It was embellished with the picture of a clergyman, in 'gown and bands'; the dignified costume which Bishop Hobart always wore in the pulpit, except when he was officiating in some Episcopal duty, such as Confirmation, or conse- crating a Church. I saw him often in this attire, in different churches, and as often, perhaps, when he wore his rochet and lawn sleeves.1
" I did 'read the book.' It told how Bishop Hobart had been with us and helped the children the year before, and then added the story of his decease, at Auburn, in the month of September. It said :- ' He died like an apostle.' We must recollect that, after Bishop Seabury, no man did so much to settle the American Church on sure foundations of 'Evangelical Truth and Apostolic order,' as this truly great man. For two years or more he was Seabury's successor in Connecticut as 'Provisional Bishop,' and Connecticut should not forget it.
1 " Of the portrait, which forms the frontispiece of this sketch, I tell the story as it was told to me. When Bishop Hobart was consecrated, in 1811, he was only 35 years old, and a mere youth in appearance. Hair-powder was then in vogue, and I remember some who used it in the thirties. As Bishop Provoost always wore a wig, like those of the English Bishops (only recently disused), and as Bishop Moore was a venerable man, with long white locks, a youthful Bishop was something very distaste- ful to the old people of that Diocese, especially in Trinity parish, New York, of which he was minister. In deference to them he therefore slightly sprinkled his locks; but when he hecame grey-headed enough to do so, without notable change of appearance, he discontinued a very useless and annoying fashion of the day. His portrait had been painted, however, with the youthful features and a prematurely grey head. He therefore disliked it, but as it was valuable (I never found out who painted it), he gave it to Mrs. Murray, a dear friend of his whole family. It was inherited by the Rev. John Murray Guion, former rector of the Church at Seneca Falls, from whom I tried to purchase it for Hobart College. He was attached to it, however, as a family in- heritance, and wished to bequeath it to a beloved daughter. She has allowed it to be copied by Kent, photographic artist, in Rochester, N. Y., and anybody who wishes to own a fine work of art, which preserves a likeness of the great Bishop in his prime, would do well to order it, through J. Pott & Co., 114 Fifth Avenue, New York. A. C. C.
"There is a copy of the portrait, painted in oils, at Trinity College, Hartford."
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"It was my happy lot, during my College days, to become very intimate with Mrs. Hobart and her family, visiting them often at 'the Hills,' in New Jersey (near the present village of Summit), where the Bishop used to spend his summers, at his pleasant country seat, very modest and unpretending, but affording him rest and quiet, and the enjoyments of a garden, which he dearly loved. Concerning his last days at this retreat, I have to tell an anecdote, which Mrs. Hobart herself told me, with tender emotions. But first let me say, that, as he went upon the journey from which he never returned, my own dear father was on the steamboat with him, and had a very animated con- versation with him, as they admired together the charming scenery of the Hudson. My father landed at Newburgh, and said, 'I preach next Sunday, for the Presbyterian bishop of Canterbury.' 'Oh ! call him " Archbishop,"' was the merry rejoinder-'why not ?' 'I was not arch enough for that,' replied my father, and with these pleasantries they parted. Only a few weeks after, my father opened the morning newspaper, and said, with feeling, 'My son, Bishop Hobart is dead !' He then began our family prayers, and prayed for the Bishop's afflicted widow and her children. When I told Mrs. Hobart of this she said: 'It was very kind in your father and I am happy to know it. He saw him later than I did; my husband had just parted with me for the last time.'
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