USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 4 > Part 15
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There is no contemporary evidence to show whether this suggestion was followed in Trinity Parish.
1 The Pastoral Letter and Prayers are in The New- York Spectator, Friday, June 22, 1832.
2 The New- York Spectator, June 29, 1832.
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History of Trinity Church
[1832
In the Diary of the accomplished Philip Hone, sometime Mayor of New York, and for many years a Vestryman of this Parish, there is this entry :
.
"Wednesday July 4. It is a lovely day but very different from all previous anniversaries of independence. The alarm about the cholera has prevented all the usual jollification under the public authority. There are no booths in Broadway, the parade which was ordered has been countermanded, no corporation dinner and no ringing of bells. Most of the stores are closed and there is a pretty smart canonade of crackers by the boys : but this is not a regular Fourth of July." 1
Three hundred well-known citizens presented on the 28th of July a memorial to the Common Council in which they speak of being "deeply impressed with the melan- choly visitation under which our city is placed by the con- tinued prevalence of pestilence among us." They "feel the obligation to acknowledge the Divine-Hand which hitherto hath greatly prospered us and now is afflicting us." They are convinced that "the efforts of our Common Council are directed to the best good of the suffering " and that a recommendation from it "of a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer," would be "in unison with the best feelings of the inhabitants at home and abroad of our favoured city." They "therefore unite in asking for the appointment of a day not far distant for our citizens to unite in their supplications to Almighty GoD that He will be pleased to remove from them this heavy judgment and to save our country at large from all similar visitations." The memorial was considered by the aldermen and the assistant aldermen and a resolution was unanimously adopted, designating Friday, August 3d, as the day.
On Monday, July 30th, the Mayor issued a Proclama- tion recommending to all inhabitants of the city "a due
1 Diary of Philip Hone, i., 58.
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Day of Humiliation
1832]
observance of the day so designated as a day of supplica- tion to Almighty GOD that He will of His infinite mercy be pleased to remove from us this frightful sickness and speedily deliver our country from similar calamities." 1
As the Bishop was absent from the city, no special order could be set forth for the service and each Rector was at liberty to arrange the service, as he thought best. The Rector of Trinity sent to Mr. Schroeder and Dr. Anthon this note :
" REV. AND DEAR SIR :
" Both Boards of Aldermen and the Mayor having concurred in recommending Friday next, August 3rd, as a day of humiliation and prayer, I conclude that it would be in agreement with the wishes of the Bishop had we an opportunity of consulting him, that we should ob- serve the day-Our three Churches will, therefore, be opened in the morning for divine service and a sermon. It will, of course, be neces- sary that each one of us should be prepared with an appropriate discourse.
"Yours truly,
"WM. BERRIAN.
"Tuesday Evening, July 31st."
The note enclosed a " special routine "2 which assigned Mr. Schroeder to Trinity Church, Dr. Anthon to St. John's Chapel, and Dr. Berrian to St. Paul's Chapel.3
The day was generally observed. It is said "there was a manifest exhibition of sobriety and solemnity of demeanour in the people, and the churches were well attended considering the number who are absent,
' For the proceedings of the Board of Aldermen and the Mayor's Proclamation see The Evening Post, Aug. 1, 1832.
" The " routine " is in this form :
Friday, Aug. 3, 1832
S. . . .T. B. .P. A. . J.
8 Schroeder MSS. Mrs. Wright, New Milford, Conn.
HEJT
17
T.
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History of Trinity Church
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constituting a decided majority of the Church-going community."1
In some of the churches offerings were received for the benefit " of those who are constrained to look for the support of existence at this junction to the benevolence of their fellow citizens."
The dreary summer finally ended after much extra work and many sad scenes for the clergy who remained in the city, as the larger number did; and many stories of brave and humane deeds by clergymen and others were, long traditional though few of them have appeared in print.
Dr. Berrian's Diary shows his frequent attendance upon the sufferers from the pestilence. In a letter to Mr. William Johnson, the Comptroller, September 8, 1832, he says :
"The constant pressure of parochial engagements for some time past has greatly interfered with all my other duties. I have been almost daily among the tombs and very much among the sick and dying. I have, happily, however, suffered neither in body nor mind, though I have been occasionally exhausted, and in some degree en- feebled from uninterrupted confinement to the city through the whole summer. But in regard to the clergy it was so plain a duty to remain, and the discharge of it has in every way been attended with so many advantages, that had the fatigues and dangers been greater than they were, yet on any future occasion I think I should pursue the same course."?
On Wednesday, Oct. 17, 1832, the General Conven- tion assembled in St. John's Chapel. It was a memorable session, particularly in its closing scenes ; it marked an epoch in the history of the Church in the United States. Among the subjects under consideration were the condi- tion of the scattered congregations in the Southwest, the missions in the West, the Indian work at Green Bay, and the work commenced by Drs. Robertson and Hill in 1 The New- York Spectator, Monday, Aug. 6, 1832. 2 No. 131, Berrian MSS.
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The "Ohio Case"
1832]
Greece. The sermon at the opening of the session was . preached by the Right Rev. Henry U. Onderdonk, D.D., Assistant Bishop of Pennsylvania, and the celebrant at the Holy Communion was the venerable and revered " patriarch of the American Church," the Right Rev. William White, D.D.
Much time was spent over what was known as the "Ohio case." The Right Rev. Philander Chase, one of the most remarkable figures in our Episcopal line, had resigned his office the preceding year, Sept. 9, 1831. For fourteen years he had toiled as a missionary in the wilds of "far Ohio," as it was then called; he had organized many a mission and parish ; had raised funds in England for the establishment of a theological seminary and college which he put into successful operation, and had been for twelve years Bishop of Ohio. Nevertheless, on account of differences with his fellow trustees of Kenyon College and the Gambier Theological Seminary, he had, to use his own words, resigned "the Episcopate of the Diocese, and with it, what I consider constitutionally identified, the Presidency of the Theological Seminary of the Diocese of Ohio.".1
The Convention of Ohio acted at once upon his resig- nation, and elected to the Episcopate of Ohio the Rev. Dr. Charles P. McIlvaine, of St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn. Some doubt having arisen as to the legality of this action, no measures for the consecration of the Bishop-elect were then taken. At the Diocesan Convention of 1832, Dr. McIlvaine was again elected, and all the papers bearing on the case were presented by the Ohio delegation to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies for confirmation or rejection.
1 Extract from "Form of Resignation " sent to the Convention of the Diocese of Ohio by Bishop Chase. Bishop Chase's Reminiscences.
الغسالة وسعال
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History of Trinity Church
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The debate in the House of Deputies was long and brilliant. The learned canonist, Dr. De Lancey of St. Peter's, Philadelphia, Dr. Jonathan M. Wainwright, Pres. Wm. A. Duer, Mr. William Meredith, Mr. Samuel J. Donaldson, Peter A. Jay, and many others took part in it.
In the House of Bishops the subject was earnestly discussed.
Finally a compromise substitute for one of the many series of resolutions which had been offered and rejected was adopted and approved by the Bishops, who sent down a canon of Episcopal Resignations which was duly passed. The whole Church breathed more freely when the question was settled.1
Bishop Chase, after his resignation, withdrew from the State of Ohio, and, in the heart of a virgin forest in the rich lands along the St. Joseph River in Branch Co., Michigan, near the Indiana line, formed a new home for himself and his family, which he named "Gilead."
But by far the most interesting and important event was that which occurred Oct. 31st, 1832. On that aus- picious day, four Bishops-elect were consecrated together in St. Paul's Chapel ; Drs. John Henry Hopkins, Bishop-elect of Vermont ; Benjamin Bosworth Smith, Bishop-elect of Kentucky ; Charles Pettit McIlvaine, Bishop-elect of Ohio; and George Washington Doane, Bishop-elect of New Jersey. A sight so impressive had never been pre- sented before in our Communion.2
1 A portion of the debate of the House of Deputies will be found in the Newe York Gazette during October, 1832, also in the New York Commercial Advertiser. Of the proceedings in the House of Bishops, nothing but the final action was made known, as they sat with closed doors.
? The only other instance of the consecration of four Bishops on the same day was during the General Convention of 1859, in Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday, October 13, 1859 : Dr. Gregg for Texas, in the Monumental Church ; Dr. Odenheimer for New Jersey, and Dr. Bedell, as Assistant Bishop of Ohio, in St. Paul's Church ; and Dr. Whipple for Minnesota, in St. James's Church.
1
I53
Consecration in St. Paul's Chapel
1832]
The service was held in St. Paul's Chapel, beginning at 10.30 o'clock, A.M. Morning Prayer was said by the Rev. Dr. Wyatt, President of the House of Deputies and Rector of St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Bird Wilson, Secretary of the House of Bishops, and Professor in the General Theological Seminary. The Tenth Selection was used instead of the Psalms for the day. The Presiding Bishop commenced the Communion Office, Bishop Bowen of South Carolina being Epistoler, and Bishop Griswold of the Eastern Diocese, Gospeller. The sermon was preached by Dr. Onderdonk, Assistant Bishop of Pennsylvania, from Isaiah lxvi., 31, who dwelt upon the necessity for a ministry, and answered many of the arguments then current against Episcopacy. Immedi- ately after the sermon an anthem from the Messiah, "Comfort ye my people," was sung. This was severely criticised by some as an innovation in the services. A writer in " The Banner of the Church" says : "We thought it seasonably introduced and fitted to add to their interest and solemnity, and peculiarly so as regards the minds of the Candidates."
The four Bishops elected were then presented to the Presiding Bishop, each in order of seniority of election. The Presiding Bishop was the consecrator ; for Dr. Hop- kins the co-consecrators were Bishop Griswold and Bishop Bowen ; for Dr. Smith, Bishop Brownell and Bishop H. U. Onderdonk ; for Dr. McIlvaine, Bishop Griswold and Bishop Meade ; for Dr. Doane, Bishop B. T. Onderdonk and Bishop Ives. The newly consecrated Bishops were received within the sanctuary, and the Presiding Bishop proceeded to the celebration of the Holy Communion, assisted in the administration by his colleagues.
The consecration of the four Bishops in St. Paul's Chapel was an event of the utmost importance in the
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History of Trinity Church
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history of our branch of the Church in this country; the signal for an advance along the whole line, and the expression of a resolve to extend far and wide the know- ledge of the Gospel as we have received the same. It closed a period of uncertainty and hesitation, and inau- gurated an era of earnest missionary work, east and west ; it was the outcome, under God's Providence, of the work of the great Bishop Hobart, in asserting the cause of the Church, repelling the assaults of her jealous adversaries and rivals, and proclaiming her principles fearlessly and without reserve. The service would probably have been held in Trinity Church, had not some alterations been going on at the time, caused by the setting up of Bishop Hobart's monument in the chancel of the edifice. The solemn function to which we are referring is commemo- rated by a panel in one of the bronze doors presented to Trinity Church by the Hon. William Waldorf Astor, in the year 1890.
Referring to the monument in memory of Bishop Hobart, of which mention has already been made in a preceding chapter of this work, we learn from the Diary of Mr. Hone, that it was completed and ready for erection in October.1 He also mentions a commission given to Mr. Hughes for the construction of a "beautiful altar-table of white Italian Marble," and adds " I think the effect of the whole will be much finer than anything of the sort in this country." 2
A description of the interior of the church before the enlargement says that "the Communion table was placed against the western wall and the desk and pulpit were directly in front of it, without the chancel rail." When
1 For certain criticisms on this monument see Appendix.
' P. 651, Diary of Philip Hone. The date when the chancel was enlarged and the recess made for the monument is fixed by an entry in the Diary, October 22, 1832: We are preparing to alter the pulpit and desk to suit it."
ـشار ؟
155
The Organ in Trinity Church
1832]
the improvements were finished a "recess was built in the rear of the Church, the great altar window, whose mag- nificent proportions were so justly admired, being removed for that purpose." 1
The alterations in the church and the use of the former vestry room for the Sunday-school made it neces- sary that the portraits of the former Rectors, that of the Rev. Dr. Ogilvie and several rare engravings, then hang- ing in that room should be removed to the vestry office, and on December 10th, 1832, it was so ordered.2 A monograph upon the present collection of portraits be- longing to the Corporation will be found in the Year- Book for the year 1900.
The growth of the city above Hudson Square toward Greenwich village made it expedient to consider the building of a church between St. John's Chapel and St. Luke's church in upper Hudson Street, which last was considered the parish church of Greenwich. The Rev. Prof. McVickar, of Columbia College, was an earnest and enthusiastic advocate of free churches in the days when they were hardly thought of by any American Churchman.3 In a communication to the Vestry he suggested that such a church be built by the Corporation near the Hudson Street cemetery. After considering the subject the Vestry referred it on February 11, 1833, to the Standing Committee to report at a future date.
The organ in Trinity Church was made in London, by H. Holland in 1791. It is described as "a large but
1 This window was the largest in the United States, and " contained altogether in its three compartments, one thousand and thirty-nine panes of glass." See Onder- donk's History of the Churches in New York City, Part I.
2 Records, liber iii., folios 82, 83.
3 St. Mark's Church, Lewiston, Pennsylvania, of which the Rev. Robert Piggott was Rector, organized in 1833, claims the honor of being the first entirely free church.
7
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History of Trinity Church
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inferior toned instrument."1 It had become very much out of order, and needed extensive repairs ; the superintend- ent of repairs was ordered to have the work done " with all practical despatch." But this action was reconsidered on February 11, 1833, when the Rector, Mr. Ogden, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Jones were appointed a committee together with the superintendent of repairs, "to con- sider and report upon the expediency of procuring a new organ for Trinity Church instead of repairing the old one." 2
As early as 1813 a few individuals, desiring to add to the value of their property west of Lumber Street, con- ceived a plan of putting a street through the northern portion of Trinity churchyard. Favorable action on their selfish scheme was taken by the Common Council, and nothing but a thorough and vigorous protest from the au- thorities of this Parish and many influential citizens pre- vented the desecration of ground which for nearly one hundred and fifty years had been used as a burial-place. The part of the churchyard which it was proposed thus sacrilegiously to invade, was that in which many of the soldiers and officers of the American Army, victims of cruel treatment and disease, who had been prisoners in the old Sugar House in Liberty Street during the British occupation of New York City, were buried. Every patri- otic instinct, every tender regard for men who had suffered intensely, every feeling of respect for those who had passed beyond the grave, revolted at the proposition.
In 1832 the project was renewed. Though meeting with approval from a portion of the daily press, it was re- sented by the more thoughtful as an indignity and a mis- use of private property.3
1 Onderdonk's History of the Churches in New York City.
2 Records, liber iii., folio 83 iii., December 10, 1833, and February 11, 1834.
3 Mr. Grant Thorburn in his Reminiscences of New York ; or, Leaves from the
157
Albany Street Extension
1832]
As soon as the Vestry was informed of this proposal, September 25, 1832, a resolution was adopted disapprov- ing of " the opening of any street through the said Ceme- tery." The Comptroller 1 and Clerk 2 with Messrs. Brown, Hone, and Graham, "were appointed a Committee to re- monstrate against the opening of said street, and to pursue such course as they may deem expedient to prevent the same." 3
An editorial in the New York Mirror, written in vigorous indignation, thus commences :
"It is not easy to say whether the project of extending Albany street through Trinity Churchyard is regarded by the disinterested portion of our fellow citizens with more of surprise or indignation. Beyond doubt the City Corporation betray on this, as they have betrayed on many other occasions, a most reprehensible disregard of Moral right, and of the true meaning of the laws, and a deliberate intention to make the best use of their time for the accomplishment of local and private interests and enterprises." 4
After negotiations and hearings before the Supreme Court, extending over nearly two years, the advocates of the invasion of the sacred precincts were finally baffled and defeated in their selfish purpose.
Garden of Laurie Todd (New York, D. Fanshaw, 1845, 16mo, pp. 288) gives a vivid picture of the horrors of the prison life of the American soldiers and sailors. See especially pp. 166-178.
1 Mr. William Johnson.
2 Mr. Thomas L. Ogden.
3 Records, liber iii., folio 78.
4 P. 253. The New York Mirror, vol. x., No. 32, Saturday, February 9, 1833. In the following number is " A Protest," by " An old man of four-score," pp. 262-263. February 16, 1833.
CHAPTER VI.
THE SYSTEM OF THE PARISH AND ITS DIFFICULTIES.
Remarks on the System of the Parish-Formation of the Education Society of the Parish of Trinity Church-Its Organization-Memorial from St. John's Sunday-school -Reply of the Rector-Assignment of the Assistant Ministers over Different Sun- day-schools-Dr. Schroeder's Scheme of Lessons-Committee Appointed to Consider the State of the Church in Trinity Parish-Relation of the Parish to the Episcopate- Action of the Vestry toward the Endowment of the Episcopal Fund-Petition from St. Jude's Church, Peoria-Aid to Geneva College-Dr. Anthon Offers his Resignation- Memorials from Pew-holders of St. Paul's and St. John's Chapels-Report of the Com- mittee on the State of the Church-The Bishop Relieved from all Parochial Duties- Assignment of Assistant Ministers to Separate Chapels-Standing Resolution as to Manner of Electing Assistant Ministers-Election of Dr. Wainwright-Assignment of the Different Assistants to the Several Chapels-Order of Precedence among Assistant Ministers Defined-Duties of the Rector-Objections of Dr. Anthon to New Regula- tions-The Rector's Report on them-Declination of Dr. Wainwright-Election of the Rev. Edward Young Higbee as Assistant Minister-Collection of Materials for the History of the Church in America-Grant to Dr. Hawks as Historiographer.
T HE history of Trinity Parish must of course be made up, in great part, from the Minutes of the Cor- poration. Those records show, at this period, the presence of disintegrating tendencies which required close watching and discreet handling, to prevent them from working seri- ous mischief. The unity of the Parish was threatened from two sides : by discontented congregations and by ministers jealous of their rights and prerogatives. As individualism is the bane of civic life, congregationalism is the disease of ecclesiastical existence. Where there is but one parish church, with one clergyman, and one company of attend- ants, the circumstances are favorable to placid and contented repose ; but under a collegiate system, where
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The Collegiate System
1833]
several churches are included in one organization, and a number of clergy labor together, danger is always at hand. The Parish of Trinity Church was growing rapidly : already it had three churches, and three congregations ; its Rector and Assistant Ministers formed a considerable body of able and distinguished men ; additions to the cleri- cal staff must soon be made. It is no wonder that, from time to time, the wish for independence should manifest itself among groups of the people, under a sense of the superior importance of their own portion of the Parish, or under the impression that their local interests were not sufficiently studied, nor yet, that among the clergy some should be found nursing imaginary grievances or brood- ing over matters which appeared to them derogatory to their dignity. Neither was it surprising, but inevitable, that the people should have their favorites, to whom they became so strongly attached, as to be willing, if necessary, to follow them out of the Parish, should they feel in- clined to set up independent organizations. To meet the tendencies inherent in the collegiate system, to preserve the peace of the Parish and maintain its unity, two things were needed : first, a central government, too strong to be shaken by discontented and factious persons, steady in its policy and firm in its management of the trust committed to it ; and secondly, an honest and conscientious purpose to do justice to all; to administer the Parish wisely and impartially ; and to allow to each congregation the fullest measure of liberty and freedom consistent with the integ- rity and safety of the system of which it formed a part.
We have already noted instances of this tendency towards parochial disintegration, and of the mode in which it was dealt with by the Corporation ; other in- stances will appear as we proceed.
In January, 1833, an Educational and Missionary Soci-
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History of Trinity Church
[1833
ety was formed within the Parish. On the request of a committee of the Vestry consisting of Messrs. Thomas L. Ogden, William Johnson, Philip Hone, and Benjamin M. Brown, the Rector called the several congregations together to consider the subject. The Society was to be an auxiliary to the Educational and Missionary Society of the Diocese, and to assist divinity students in their pre- paration for the Ministry.1 As finally organized Decem- ber 1, 1833, it consisted of a Board of Managers, of which the Rector was ex officio president, and the Assistant Ministers vice-presidents. Each congregation was repre- sented by what was called a "delegation," consisting of four members : these delegations were to raise funds and nominate beneficiaries. The Society appears to have been a useful adjunct to the Church in the Diocese. There have recently been discovered A Statement and Appeal of the St. John's "delegation," signed by the Rev. Henry Anthon, and a similar document emanating from St. Paul's Chapel, and written by Dr. Schroeder.2
The formation of that Society, with its provision for "delegations" from each church and special duties of the Assistant Ministers as heads of such delegations, probably gave an additional impetus, in some quarters, to the ten- dency to congregational independence. And now the inter- minable Sunday-school question came up once more, to add material to the agitation. In June, 1833, we find the " Directors" of the Sunday-school of St. John's Chapel coming to the Vestry with a Memorial, alleging that, in
1 No. 132, Berrian MSS.
9 "' Education Society of the Parish of Trinity Church, New York.' New York Protestant Episcopal Press Print, 1834, 16mo., pp. 8," on front cover. Education So- ciety of the Parish of Trinity Church, St. John's Chapel.
That for St. Paul's is similar with the title on the front cover substituting for "St. John's Chapel " "St. Paul's Chapel," and the date on the title page ' MDCCCXXXV."
Both are in the collection of the late Rev. Dr. Schroeder.
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