USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 4 > Part 25
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1 " Hodges in E." For Miss Hodges' estimate of her father's Consecration music, see " Notices of the Consecration," Appendix.
9 " 2. I'll wash my hands in innocence, And round thine altar go ; Pour the glad hymn of triumph thence, And thence thy wonders show.
3. My thanks I 'll publish there, and tell How thy renown excels ; That seat affords me most delight, In which thine honour dwells."
The rubric in the Consecration office required the singing of " Psalm xxvi., verses 6, 7, 8, with the Gloria Patri." When the " Selection of Psalms " was finally adopted in 1832, a resolution of the General Convention of 1832 declared that this rubric "will hereafter be duly complied with by singing verses 2 and 3 in the selection from the 26th Psalm included in the Psalms in Metre " ( Journal, p. 77).
The rubric was stricken out by the General Convention of 1883 and ratified in 1886. (Journal, 1883, pp. 343-389 ; Journal, 1886, pp. 457-510.)
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The Communion Service was begun by the Rev. Dr. Lyell, Rector of Christ Church, the Epistle was read by the Rev. Dr. Berrian, Rector of the Parish, and the Gospel by Rev. Henry J. Whitehouse, Rector of St. Thomas' Church. The Kyrie Eleison and Gloria Tibi were from Dr. Hodges' Consecration service in E.
A contemporary account says :
" Thus far the services were performed in their distinctive places, viz .:- the Morning Prayer from the reading desk on the right and in advance of the altar in a line with the centre of the middle range of pews and outside of the chancel. The lessons from a bronze lecturn- a fac-simile of an ancient lecturn in the parish church of Lynn in England. It is made in the form of a spread eagle mounted on a globe which revolves on its axis, and is placed immediately in front of the centre aisle at the foot of the first flight of steps leading into the chancel." 1
The seventy-ninth selection was then sung to the tune of Old Hundreth by the choir and congregation.2
During the singing of this selection the Bishop of Michigan ascended the pulpit, "which is attached to the second column on the north side and ranges diagonally with the south entrance of the church,"3 and delivered his sermon from the text : "Reverence my sanctuary : I am the LORD"-Leviticus xix., 30.
1 Gen. George P. Morris in The National Press, as quoted in The Churchman for May 28, 1846.
2 This is Hymn 469 in the present Hymnal.
" I. With one consent let all the earth To GOD their cheerful voices raise, Glad homage pay with awful mirth, And sing before him songs of praise," etc.
The rubric in the Consecration office requiring this selection was with three others following abolished by the General Convention of 1889, ratified in 1892, and a new rubric inserted (Journal, 1889, pp. 189, 453-454 ; 1892, pp. 16, 233).
3 Gen. George P. Morris in The National Press, as quoted in The Churchman, May 28, 1846.
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Interior of Trinity Church.
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Consecration of New Church
1846]
At the conclusion of the sermon Dr. Boyce's anthem was sung : "I have surely built Thee a house." Among those who performed the vocal parts were : Mrs. Loder, Mrs. Botswick, Mrs. Bourne, Miss Sinclair, Miss Hodges, Messrs. Manett, Maynard, Clark, Demarest, Leach, Kyle, Watson, Crabb, Gilliand, Loomis, George Loder, and others well known in the musical world of New York at that time.
The alms of the people then received were gathered in the ancient alms basons, the gifts of various English sov- ereigns, by members of the Building Committee. They were solemnly presented and placed by the consecrating Bishop upon the Holy Table. " This offering was appro- priated to the use of the Missionary Committee of the Di- ocese, and the hope is reasonably indulged that in grateful acknowledgement of the many privileges which we enjoy, of which this occasion must strongly remind us, our liberal- ity will show to our less favored brethren of the household of faith that they are here remembered in love."
After the prayer for Christ's Church militant a volun- tary upon the organ was performed by Dr. Hodges.
The music for the remainder of the Communion office was simple and well known, but rendered with much power and effect. The hymn after the Consecration was No. 95 in the hymnal bound up with the Prayer Book and set forth by the General Convention in 1826.
The Bishop proceeded to the celebration, and was as- sisted in the administration by Rev. Drs. Lyell, Creighton, Burroughs, Wainwright, Whitehouse, and Higbee. There were said to be between four and five hundred communi- cants. The Bishop closed the service and pronounced the Benediction.
The Bishop and clergy re-formed, while the chimes in the tower rang a merry peal as the clergy and others
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returned to the Mansion House. The Committee of Ar- rangements presented their report May 25, 1846, accom- panied with the printed forms of invitation, and of the tickets issued, and list of the clergy and some of the laymen who were in the procession on the occasion. The programmes of the Service and the Music are copied into the Minutes.1
The thanks of the Vestry were presented to the com- mittee, for the very satisfactory manner in which their arrangements were made and carried out, and the Comp- troller was ordered to pay the expenses incurred by the said committee. The thanks of the Vestry were also given to Mr. William J. Bunker, proprietor of the Man- sion House, for its use as the place of meeting. To Bishop McCoskry, in addition to thanks for his services, a request was made that he furnish a copy of his sermon for publication.
1 Records, liber iii., folios 397, 399-400. Also Dr. Berrian's Sketch, p. 350. The Sentence of Consecration is copied in the Records, liber iii., folios 399-400, and a framed copy of the order of Music in the Office in Fulton Street: The report is printed in Dr. Berrian's Sketch, pp. 349-351.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE EVER-WIDENING INFLUENCE OF TRINITY PARISH.
Daily Services in the New Church-The Question of the Utility of Deacons Raised by the Assistant Clergy-The Rector's Reply-Appointment of the Rev. Francis J. Clerc as Deacon-Missionary Committee Authorized to Rent Tea Auction Rooms as a Mission Chapel-Return by Christ Church of old Communion Plate loaned by Trinity Church Vestry - Lease Granted to New York Fire Department - Repairs and Improvements on St. Paul's Chapel-Request from Columbia College for use of St. John's Chapel for College Commencement Refused - Alms Boxes Ordered to be Placed in each Chapel-William Dunlap Appointed Keeper of Trinity Cemetery- Monument to Captain Lawrence Ordered to be Repaired-Monument Changed from its Former Site-Design of Monument-Rev. Martin P. Parks Elected an Assistant Minister-His Acceptance-Report of Committee on the Erection of the New Church Presented-Leave of Absence Granted to Dr. Higbee-Fresh Agitation for Repeal of Act of 1814-Action of Vestry-Memorial Against Repeal by Vestry-Remonstrance and Memorial Presented to Assembly-Summary of Memorial-Assembly Rejects the Petition of the Remonstrants-Request of St. Andrew's Church, Harlem, for Erection of a Chapel in connection with it-Report of Committee on Church Exten- sion-Application of the New York Protestant Episcopal School-Reservation of Lots near Hudson Street for Chapel and Cemetery-Calvary Church-Altar Presented to it by Vestry-Death of Mrs. Hobart-Annuity Continued to Her Daughter- Publication of Dr. Berrian's Sketch-Its Purpose.
T HE new Trinity Church was opened for divine service on Trinity Sunday, June 7th, 1846. The congregation filled every part of the building. The music was rendered by Dr. Hodges and his admirable choir. The sermon was preached by Dr. Berrian ; it does not appear to have contained any special allusion to the occasion; but in the opening of his Historical Sketch, of which an account will be given hereafter, he thus describes his emotions at this service : " In rising for the first time to address the vast multitude, with which this solemn and stately temple was thronged, I was
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History of Trinity Church
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affected with feelings which I could not express. That I had been spared to see that day, I regarded as a special reason for thankfulness to God ; for how many who desired it had looked forward impatiently for the completion of the work, but died before it ! This spot was to me, as to them, endeared by the holiest and tenderest recollections." Of few sacred edifices can it be said, as of Trinity, that from that pleasant Sunday morning in June more than fifty-nine years ago, its doors have not been closed by day, nor has daily prayer ceased to be offered.
The first ordination in the new Parish Church was held by the Bishop of Western New York, the Rt. Rev. Dr. William Heathcote De Lancey. Many of his ancestors had worshipped in the parish, and some had served upon the Vestry. It was fitting that, in the inability of the Bishop of New York, Bishop De Lancey should be the first Bishop to admit young men into the ministry in the splendid edifice, which was then practically the Cathedral of the Metropolitan Diocese. The ordination was held on the 3d Sunday after Trinity, June 28, 1846, when John Creighton Brown, William Alfred Jenks, William Long, Charles Reynolds, and Washington Rodman were made Deacons. They were all graduates of the General Theological Seminary in the class of 1846. Each did good work for the Master during the years of his active ministry, and one of them, Mr. Rodman, still lives in a green old age.
Mention has been made of the proposal to employ young men in Deacon's Orders in the Parish, in view of the expected increase in the number of services, conse- quent on the establishment of daily morning and evening prayer and the extension of the work in other ways. A difference of opinion on this subject invites a passing notice; there is an element of the humorous in it; and
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Assistance of Deacons
1846]
as it became the occasion of discussion in the Vestry, a few words may be said about it. The Rev. Drs. Higbee and Wainwright filed objections to the plan. To judge from their correspondence with the Rector, which is pre- served among the Berrian papers, they seem to have had no strong admiration of Deacons as officiants. Services conducted in whole by men of that Order would, they thought, lack dignity, while the people would lose the benefit of Absolution. If the Reverend gentlemen should be in the chancel with Deacons, they would insist on taking the whole service themselves, leaving the inferior clergy nothing to do. Therefore they requested that the idea of employing Deacons should be abandoned, and offered to take all the services themselves. " For ourselves we must say, that whenever we shall be present in our surplices, it will be our desire to perform the entire service," Deacons or no Deacons. They add that they did not intend to dis- parage the Office of Deacon, but considered it the duty of such persons to search for the sick, sorrowful, and poor, and administer relief to their bodies and souls, the Priests meanwhile performing divine service in the churches of the Parish.
To the communication addressed to him on the sub- ject, the Rector made a long reply.1 Eventually, the mat- ter came before the Vestry, in a second communication from the Assistant Ministers relating to the appointment of a second Deacon, and the Daily Service at Trinity. The whole subject was laid on the table, and it was re- solved to " proceed to the appointment of the remaining young man in Deacon's Orders," one having already been appointed, "in pursuance of the resolution heretofore adopted by the Vestry," ? and so the matter came to an end.
' For the correspondence see No. 444, Berrian MSS.
: Records, liber iii., folio 416.
WET
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The Rev. Francis J. Clerc, of Hartford, Connecticut, was the clergyman so appointed. He was a young man of great promise, a son of the well-known educator Mr. Laurent Clerc, colleague of the Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Gal- laudet in his work at the American Asylum for Deaf Mutes in Hartford. In a letter to Mr. Clerc, Dr. Berrian ex- plains the motive for requesting the service of deacons.
" The objects for which the appointment of deacons is needed in our Parish, are to assist in the reading of Prayers at Trinity both on Sun- day and week days, to preach at a station, already selected and pre- pared, to the poor and needy, and to perform any other duties in the Parish, which the Rector under whose direction they are placed may see fit to assign them. It is thought it will be found a profitable school for them, giving them a right standing in the various functions of their office, and fitting them the better for the independent charge, which at a later date they are expected to take." "As the Deacons will in all probability preach alternately at the missionary station and be occa- sionally assisted by the elder clergy of the Parish, 'it will also be a great relief and advantage' in the preparation of sermons, as one a week will be the most that will be required of them, and sometimes not even that. As it was intended to have a succession of them upon their very entrance into the ministry when a permanent and comfortable settlement was scarcely to be looked for, it was thought unnecessary that the salary should exceed $600 per annum. This it was thought would be sufficient for a single man during his diaconate."
The plan of the services in the lower part of the city being under consideration, the Missionary Committee was authorized " to engage, for a term not exceeding one year at a rate not exceeding five hundred dollars per annum," the tea salesrooms of Mr. Mccullough on Maiden Lane. They were thought to be central, and to be in the vicinity of water-men, sailors, and others who would not enter a church, but might be induced to attend a plain service in a secular building. The experiment was the first made by any religious body to endeavor to secure the interest and
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Old Communion Plate
1846]
attention of the churchless and Godless poor and forlorn folk in that part of the city.
The Rector at this meeting told the Vestry that he had learned from the Rev. Dr. Lyell, of Christ Church, that there was in possession of that Parish some Com- munion plate of Trinity Church, which had been loaned to it many years before, in Bishop Moore's time. On inquiry they were found to consist of two large massive flagons weighing one hundred and twenty-five ounces, marked with the initials G. R., and the royal arms, which were gifts of the Crown to Trinity Church. The sugges- tion was made to Dr. Lyell that as Christ Church had no special associations with these holy vessels, their restora- tion to Trinity Church would be a graceful act, and that the Vestry would very cheerfully give them an equivalent in new vessels of the same weight and in such form as might be agreeable to them. Dr. Lyell received the pro- position with great cordiality, and the arrangement was made, as appears from a resolution, March 8, 1847, "that upon the return of the Communion Plate now in use in Christ Church, which formerly belonged to this Cor- poration, an equivalent in weight be given for it, and in such form as may be desired, and that an inscription be made on each vessel-' The gift of Trinity Church to Christ Church, New York, in the forty-second year of the Rectorship of the Rev. Thomas Lyell, D.D.'" 1
On the 9th of November, 1846, the Vestry made an arrangement with Mr. Cornelius V. Anderson, Chief En- gineer of the New York Fire Department, for a new lease
' The report in full is No. 452, Berrian MSS. It is summarized on folio 435, Records, liber iii. The gift of several pieces of Communion plate of excellent design and workmanship was made early in June, 1847, and the thanks of the Vestry of Christ Church returned for it. It is still in use in that Parish, as appears from a Report from Mr. William G. Davis, Historian of Christ Church and some time Senior Warden. VOL. IV .- 19.
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History of Trinity Church
[1846
of the lots on the corner of Vesey and Church Streets. Two rooms were to be used, one for the engine, the other for the accommodation of the men, and the remainder of the building erected on that site was to be at the disposal of the Corporation. The lease was to be for fifteen years, without rent. How imperfect were the methods of the Fire Department at that time is shown by the fact that the members of the third fire district made a request to be permitted to use the bell of Trinity Church as an alarm bell for fires.1 It was considered, at that day, that the establishment of an engine-house at the corner of St. Paul's churchyard was of great advantage in the protec- tion of the church property, and particularly of St. Paul's Chapel, and the firemen were welcomed as desirable neighbors.
That ancient edifice, St. Paul's Chapel, was greatly and justly venerated, not merely as the only surviving relic of the Colonial period, but also because it had served twice as the Parish Church ; first, during the period between 1776 and the evacuation of the city by the British forces at the conclusion of the Revolution, while Trinity Church was a mere pile of ruin, having been destroyed in the con- flagration in the former year; and, secondly, while the present church was in building, for several years prior to 1846. The condition of the edifice was satisfactory, and no extensive repairs had been needed ; but some improve- ments and alterations were now made, of which the more important were as follows : the pews were lowered about four inches, the Sunday-school gallery was set back, the organ was enlarged and improved, the walls were painted, the spire carefully examined, and the Altar window was filled with stained glass. The ancient chapel was closed during the summer, while these improvements were in
1Records, liber iii., folio 431.
4
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The Lawrence Monument
1846]
progress ; nothing was done to alter its general appear- ance or mar its classic beauty.1
Several minor matters may be noted here.
A letter from President Moore, of Columbia College, requesting on behalf of the Board of Trustees "the use of St. John's Chapel for the approaching commencement " was read, and carefully considered ; and it was resolved "that it is inexpedient to comply with the application."
In consequence of the complaints of the Assistant Ministers of their inability to relieve pressing cases of dis- tress, it was ordered that alms chests be placed in the Parish church and chapels, "to the intent that the par- ishioners may put into them their alms for their poor neighbours." The keys of these chests were to be kept by the Assistant Ministers, and to them was given the disbursement of the alms thus collected.2
On the 14th of September, 1846, William Dunlap was appointed " Keeper of Trinity Cemetery, and one of the sextons of this corporation." He was to be exempt from the ordinance of January 14, 1839, and its amendments of January 13, 1845, a special set of regulations for his duties was formulated, and he was in every particular to be sub- ject to the Committee on the Cemetery.3
The care bestowed upon the churchyard of Trinity, after the completion of the new church, made the ruinous state of the monument erected many years before to the memory of Captain James Lawrence more obvious by contrast. On motion of Mr. Hone it was determined to restore the monument, and regulate "the circumjacent grounds." 4
It was also determined that the name of Lieuten- ant Ludlow should be inscribed on the monument, and
1 Records, liber iii., folios 411, 412.
8 Ibid., folio 413.
2 Ibid., folio 412.
4 Ibid., folio 411.
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History of Trinity Church [1846
also "the birthplace of Captain Lawrence, and the inter- ment of his child,"1 and that its site should be changed from the one formerly occupied by it in the rear of the churchyard to a place near to and southeast of the porch of the new Trinity edifice.2 The monument is a prominent object of interest to all who enter the church, or pass by on Broadway. The eight cannon, which form the posts for the enclosure, were from the arms taken by the United States in the War of 1812. It is stated that each had an inscrip- tion noting the circumstances of its capture, and also, that, by order of the Vestry, "with a courtesy worthy the imita- tion of all Christian bodies," they were buried so deep that no evidence of triumph should be paraded before the public eye, so as to seem unfriendly to the stranger within our gates.3
The long existing vacancy in the corps of Assistant Ministers, since the resignation of Dr. Schroeder in 1839, had been the subject of much deliberation by a commit- tee, who, on September 14th, submitted for the consid- eration of the Vestry the names of the Rev. Francis Vinton, of Emmanuel Church, Brooklyn, the Rev. Martin P. Parks, Chaplain of the United States Military Acad- emy, and the Rev. Edward Ingersoll, of Trinity Church, Buffalo. All of these clergymen had eminent qualifica- tions and brilliant careers in the ministry. An election resulted in favor of the Rev. Martin P. Parks, of West Point. Mr. Parks was a native of North Carolina, and a graduate of West Point.4
Mr. Parks signified by letter his acceptance of the call tendered to him, and his willingness to be assigned at once to such duties as the Rector may desire, while
1 Records, liber iii., folio 414.
2 Ibid., folio 421.
8 P. 21, Felix Oldboy's (Colonel John Flavel Mines) Walks in Our Churchyard.
4 Records, liber iii., folio 419. For a sketch of Dr. Parks see Appendix.
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The Health of Dr. Higbee
1847]
his family is removing to the city. Five hundred dollars were granted him to cover the expenses of removal.
The Building Committee, which had in charge the construction of the new Church, presented their final re- port on the 11th of January, 1847, together with the book of their minutes. The report was accepted and approved, the Committee of Supplies and Repairs were authorized to discharge any outstanding liabilities of the Building Committee, and the Minute Book with a fair copy of the same was ordered to be deposited and preserved with the books and papers of the committee in the Comptrol- ler's office.1
The health of the Rev. Dr. Higbee, who had labored in the Parish for eleven years without any extended period of rest, caused much anxiety among his friends. On the Ist of February, 1847, the Rector presented a communica- tion on the subject from several Vestrymen, in which the necessity of a voyage to Europe was mentioned. The Vestry at once granted Dr. Higbee leave of absence for fifteen months, the continuance of his salary, and an allowance of two thousand dollars. The Rector was au- thorized to engage a clergyman to officiate in Dr. Higbee's place at a salary not to exceed fifteen hundred dollars per annum.2 Dr. Berrian, in a letter expressing gratification at the partial restoration of Dr. Higbee's health and hop- ing to see him at the end of his year of absence, says : " In the meantime it will be a gratification for you to know with certainty, what you were before persuaded of, that your place is well and acceptably supplied ; no one could be more faithful, laborious, and attentive to all his duties than Dr. Haight." 3
1 Records, liber iii., folio 428. The report was copied in full in the Records, liber iii., folios 425-428. It was also printed in Dr. Berrian's Sketch, pp. 343-349. 2 Ibid., folio 429.
.' 3 New York, August 14, 1847, No. 404, Berrian MSS.
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The attack on the Corporation, of which an account was given in Chapter XI., was soon renewed. The failure of the attempt to obtain, from the State Legislature, the repeal or modification of the Act of 1814, did not deter its promoters from one more effort to attain their end. Pub- lic notice of the intention to send another memorial to Albany was given early in December, 1846. The Vestry thus forewarned reappointed the special committee which had the matter in charge during the previous session, with power to conduct, in whatever way they might deem best, the opposition of the Corporation to the impending assault.1
The promoters of the scheme were much the same as before, and their new application was almost identical in phraseology with that made the previous year. It is un- necessary to repeat an old story. It was again asserted that the sole intention was to restore to all the " inhabitants of the City of New York in communion of the Protest- ant Episcopal Church" their rights taken away by the Act of 1814, and especially " the right of voting at the annual election of the trustees of the Common Property," thus insuring by its wise exercise " the most advantageous management of the trust property, and a faithful applica- tion of its income to its original and true objects." It was again said that no division of the property was contem- plated by any of those who had moved in this matter. This statement is signed by the members of the Com- mittee for the Petitioners, dated December 31, 1846.2
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