USA > New York > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and family history of New York, Volume III > Part 6
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That bridge, Mr. Chairman, was built to stand; and stand it will-so long that we may well call it immortal.
Mr. Stranahan's work in another regard largely brought about the union of Brooklyn and New York. Long before the consummation of the project, he was one of the strongest advo- cates; in fact, he was the first man to put forth the idea. He viewed the question from the standpoint of a statesman, and worked upon the subject with the ability and skill of a diplomat. He realized that the completion of the Brooklyn bridge was a step toward the ultimate success of this condition. He realized that the cost of maintaining one central city government would be much less than two, and the work in all the departments might be far more effective, and he lived to see the consumma- tion of his hopes.
Mr. Stranahan was twice married. In early manhood he wedded Marianne Fitch, who was born in Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York, and was a daughter of Ebenezer R. Fitch. For three years, from 1837 until 1840, they resided in Florence, New York, and during their four years' residence in Newark, New Jersey, their two children were born. Mrs. Stran- ahan died in Manchester, Vermont, in August, 1866, after twen- ty-two years' residence in Brooklyn. Mr. Stranahan afterward married Miss Clara C. Harrison, a native of Massachusetts. Before her marriage she was one of the leaders in educational circles in Brooklyn, and for a number of years was principal of a private seminary for the higher education of young ladies, which had an enrollment of two hundred pupils, and fourteen teachers and professors in its various departments. She is a graduate of Mrs. Emma Willard's far-famed seminary, of Troy, New York. She took a very active part in the great sanitary fair as a member of the committee on art, and of the committee
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on the postoffice and Drum Beat, the latter a paper issued daily during the continuance of the fair, and of which Dr. Storrs was editor. From the postoffice many hundred letters of greatly varied character were distributed. A volume of autograph letters, chiefly from statesmen conspicuous at that time, were collected and bound through her agency, and brought several hundred dollars into the treasury. Mrs. Stranahan has ever been an active promoter of educational interests. She is a "founder" and the Brooklyn trustee of Barnard College. She is also vice-president of the alumna association of her alma mater. She is an ardent advocate of the higher education of women, and in that direction is always ready to respond to the call for any aid which her influence, her presence or her pen can give. She has become widely known throughout the coun- try as one of the most prominent members of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Tracing her ancestry from those who fought for the liberty of the colonies, she became a mem- ber of the organization and was elected one of its vice-presi- dents-general. the highest tributes they have paid to her ability as a presiding officer and as a parliamentarian; but her promi- nence in these lines is not less pronounced than her fame in the field of literature. She has written much upon many articles of interest to the public at the time when her pen gave to the press the written documents, and her opinions have carried weight and influence. These, however, having served their pur- pose, have passed from the public mind, yet she has a master- piece of literature in her volume called "A History of French Painting." The fly-leaf of the work is inscribed as follows:
To My Husband J. S. T. STRANAHAN
This work is affectionately inscribed in recognition of the rare
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qualities of his service to others through his ready perception of the ties of kinship, citizenship, humanity.
The work received the highest praise in artistic and literary circles in this country and in Europe. The following extract from a review of the work by the able editor of the Eagle, Mr. MeKelway, is here produced :
MRS. STRANAHAN'S PEN.
Of the things which she might have done and still have had her book pass current as a history, Mrs. Stranahan did neither. She might have contented herself with the dates and names and general allusions, or she might have made a pleasant little trip along the path of French art development, picking up a few flowers here and there, tying them into chapters and calling them a history. There are few cases in all literature in which the application of the word history is not to a great ex- tent a sort of beneficent libel, but that of Mrs. Stranahan's pro- duction is a most notable exception. It needs the eye of no artist, either amateur or professional, to see at a glance what she had to do. There is not a page of the book that does not tell its own eloquent story of toil, which would have shaken the purposes of any but the most resolute of women. The work would have been arduous enough if all the materials which she has utilized had been, by some impossible literary legerdemain, placed at her disposal with due reference to chronology and sequence. What she would still have had to do, even under those conditions, would have been exacting enough to justify the highest praise, for the manner in which she has done it.
Those who know how busy a woman she is, in other than a literary sense, are at a loss to comprehend how she found time to search out what she wanted, to wander among the shadows of the centuries that are gone, and to give them a substance as tangible as if they belonged to yesterday. Tributes to her en- ergy and determination might be made as strong as words ean make them, but they are entitled to no precedence over other acknowledgments, upon which her elaim is just as clear: the intuitive perceptions of a woman have been reinforeed by a grasp and virility usually incident to a masculine intelligence. As a matter of fact, many have fallen into the error of suppos- ing that the name on the title page, C. H. Stranahan, belonged
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to one of the sterner sex. There is not the least sign of un- certainty about the tonch anywhere between the covers of the book. It is affirmative, vigorous and decisive, without a sng- gestion of dogmatism. If the material that is to be lifted into place is right, it is handled with a delicacy that is not effeminate ; if it is ponderous, there is always in reserve for it a surprising degree of strength.
In her sense of relative importance of things, the anthor is exceedingly fortunate. Liliputians are not exaggerated into Goliaths, and giants are not dwarfed into pigmies. It is im- possible not to admire the discrimination which has been shown throughout. Evidently Mrs. Stranahan's first care was to see that her own powers of assimilation were in excellent working order. While it is palpable that her appetite for relevant facts was perfectly omnivorons, it is equally manifest that nothing was hastily devonred. It is one thing to set a trap for the artistic honor of by-gone times in France; it is another thing to catch it. Then comes the exercise of the supreme faculty of portrayal, and it is here that Mrs. Stranahan gives a momentnm to her work which sends it with a sweep into the front rank. There is much in what she herself says about the trne art that is snggestive of her purpose and of the manner in which she fulfills them.
She was again before the public as a member of the Woman's Board, appointed by the New York state commissioners to carry on the work of the World's Columbian Exposition, and at once was assigned an active part in organizing the Woman's Board of Managers for the Empire state, and was chosen vice- president of the board, her brilliant intellect, broad knowledge of affairs and rare executive ability well qualifying her for that exalted position. She took a firm stand in opposition to the opening of the fair on Sundays, and was the only member of the board who voted in favor of closing the exposition on the Sab- bath. She was as resolute in her objections as she was enthusi- astic and helpful in her support of many lines of work which contributed to that triumph of American art, genius and intel- lect. Since her marriage she has given her influence in support
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of the the charities of the eity, and for a quarter of a century was president of the Kings County Visiting Committee of the State Charities Aid Association, and for twenty-seven years was corresponding secretary of the Society for the Aid of Friendless Women and Children. The labors of Mrs. Stran- alan rounded out and supplemented those of her honored hus- band, and no line of marked advancement in the city but felt the beneficence of their aid.
Private business investments and enterprises claimed the attention of Mr. Stranahan, and his operations along such lines were mammoth, vet he always found time and opportunity to devote to the public good. He realized as few men seem to do the great needs of humanity in the department of ma- terial, mental and moral advancement, and his labors were so far-reaching and of such varied nature that in almost every eon- nection Brooklyn ean truthfully acknowledge her debt of grati- tude to him. His position in the eity is indicated by the fact that through private subscriptions by his fellow citizens, a statue was erected to his honor in Prospect Park. The Rev. Richard Salter Storrs, D. D., led the movement in an address before a meeting of the Hamilton Club, called for that purpose, in which he gave a characterization remarkable in history. The site was certainly appropriately chosen-in this park made possible by the effort of Mr. Stranahan. This is well expressed by quoting as the inscription upon the monument, what is said of Sir Christopher Wren: "If you ask for a monument of what he has done, look around you." The idea of erecting the monument was heartily indorsed, and no one was permitted to subscribe more than a hundred dollars, but the necessary amount was soon collected, and the commission for the work given to Frederick MacMonnies, the famous Brooklyn celebrity now residing in Paris. He not only had marked ability, but also
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the very necessary civic pride which spurred his genius to its highest effort, and has produced a statue which, when it was seen in public, was voted by critics, among them - being St. Gaudens, and the press generally, to be one of the best examples of artistic sculpture in America. For many years prior to his death there was no living man in Brooklyn who had such a deep hold upon the hearts of the people, and when before was ever the statue of a private citizen erected in his home city during his own lifetime ?
He passed away in Saratoga, September 3, 1898, and his funeral cortege was the first that ever took its way to the ceme- tery through Prospect Park. On this occasion the workmen of long-time service stood in lines of honored respect. His remains were laid to rest in Greenwood, but the very wide circle of his influence is felt and will be felt throughout all time. A contemporary biographer has said of him: "To citizens throughout Brooklyn and the state who were acquainted with his character he stood for all that is desirable in a finely de- veloped manhood. If his word could be secured, it was as good as any bond that was ever. solemnized by signature or seal; if his friendship could be won-and true worth could always win it-it was as loyal as truth is to itself, and if social order or social advancement needed a support that never bent or weak- ened, it could find it in him." Through all his busy career he was the soul of honor, believing honesty and integrity the best capital that a man could possess. His one particular delight was on each Sunday-school anniversary to drive up before the reviewing stand in Prospect Park and watch the inspiring spectacle of thousands of little ones, attired in bright garments, with their banners waving in air under sunny skies, marching down the long meadow which was the creation of his genius. Shakespeare's words would be a fitting epitaph for him :
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"He was a man. Take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
THEODORE LEDYARD CUYLER, D. D. LL. D.
Emerson has written :
"Knowest thou what arguments thy life To thy neighbor's creed has lent?"
The influence of man is immeasurable by any of the known standards of the world, but its potency is no less marked, and the New England poet and philosopher, writing along the same line, has said again that every individual in greater or less degree, but always to some degree, leaves an impress upon the life of every one whom he meets. If this be true, and the great minds of all ages acknowledge that it is so, then the question propounded centuries ago, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is answered. It is this everlasting truth of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God that has led to the religious work of the world.
The stamp designating true nobility of character must ever find its ineffaceable tracery on the brow of one who sets himself apart from "the madding crowd's ignoble strife" and dedi- cates his life to the uplifting of his fellow men. A more than superficial investigation is demanded when one essays to de- termine the mental struggle and the spirit of unselfish devo- tion that must animate the man who gives all that he has and all that he hopes to be to service in the great vineyard of life, seeking reward only in that realm "where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal." Preparations for and labors in the priesthood are perforce ex- acting, demanding an ever ready sympathy, a broad intel- lectuality and unswerving fidelity. Scoffing cynicism and care- less irreverence would often be silenced if only the inner life
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of those who minister in holy places might be laid open for inspection. Honor is due and honor will be paid when once there comes a deeper understanding of the truth.
We are led to this train of thought through study of the life record of Dr. Cuyler, who from early manhood has devoted his labor, his thought and his energy to the uplifting of his fellow men, and whose name and work forms the most impor- tant chapter in the history of the Lafayette Avenue Presby- terian church of Brooklyn. He was born in Aurora, New York, January 10, 1822, and from Huguenots and Hollanders, who came to the shores of the new world at an early day, he traces his descent. Members of the family were particularly promi- nent at the bar. His grandfather practiced with success in Aurora for many years, and his father, B. Ledyard Cuyler, also attained to an eminent position in the legal profession, but he died at the early age of twenty-eight years. The care of the son fell to the mother, a lady of strong Christian character, who had marked influence upon the life of her son. She always cher- ished the hope that he might enter the ministry, and a little pocket Bible which she gave him he learned to read when four years of age. Other relatives of the family hoped that he would become a lawyer, believing that he could attain distinction in that profession, and, while he had the mental ability to become eminent therein, he determined to enter a calling that led him into close contact with his fellow men, his services proving of the greatest good to those with whom he was associated. At the age of sixteen he became a student in Princeton College and three years later was graduated with high honors. The following year was spent in Europe, where he formed the acquaintance of Thomas Carlyle, William Wordsworth and Charles Dickens, and his visits to those celebrated English writers are among the most pleasant memories of his life. Travel broadened his
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knowledge, and his mind was stored with many interesting reminiscences of the sights and scenes which he viewed when abroad. Upon his return his father's family again urged him to become a member of the bar, but his mother's influence and other agencies in his life were stronger. When a young man he was asked to address a meeting in a neighboring village. Several inquirers professed belief that evening, saying that the young man made the way so plain. This brought to him a recognition of his influence and power, and he resolved to de- vote his activities to the cause of the Master. His preparatory studies for the ministry were pursued in the Princeton Theo- logical Seminary, where, on the completion of a three-years' course, he was graduated, in May, 1846.
His first ministerial services after being licensed to preach was as supply in the church at Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he remained for six months. Not long afterward he accepted the charge of the Presbyterian church in Burlington, New Jer- sey, where his labors were so snecessful that it was felt he should be employed in a broader field. Accordingly he left Burlington to take pastoral charge of the newly organized Third Presby- terian church in Trenton, where he remained until the summer of 1853. In May of that year he received a call from the Shaw- mut Congregational church, in Boston, but declined it and ac- cepted a call from the Market Street Reformed Dutch church, in New York city, where he felt his field would he broader and more congenial by reason of the greater demands it would make upon him. His work there at once attracted public attention. His earnestness, his clear reasoning, his logical arguments and his brilliant gifts of oratory attracted large audiences, and his work among young men was particularly successful. For seven years he continued as pastor of that congregation, and in 1860 entered upon his important work in connection with the Lafay-
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ette Avenne Presbyterian church, of Brooklyn. The exodus from New York to Brooklyn was beginning to be felt about this time, and the need for better church accommodations in the latter city had long been so pressing as to engross the attention of many earnest Christians. A conference on the subject was held May 16, 1857. by a number of gentlemen connected with Dr. Spear's "South" church, and it was decided to form a "new- school" church. Soon after its organization Professor Roswell D. Hitchcock. of the Union Theological Seminary of New York, supplied the pulpit, and during his ministry there the church society, first numbering but forty-eight souls, increased so rap- idly that the little brick chapel was found inadequate to contain the audiences. It was a season of spiritual awakening all over the land,- the revival of 1858,-and Park church, for such was the name by which it was then known, shared in the general im- provement and met the demand upon its accommodations by building an addition. In January of the following year, 1859, Professor Hitchcock resigned and was succeeded as pulpit sup- ply by the Rev. Lyman Whiting, of Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire. Six months later he also resigned, and for an additional six months the congregation was without a regular minister.
About this time Dr. ('uyler was offered the pastorate, but the outlook of his own church was then so promising that he declined the call. Shortly afterward, however, the Dutch chur"" began to falter in its project of planting its new edifice in the new and growing part of the city. With keen foresight Dr. Cuyler anticipated the rapid change that was soon to transform unpopulated districts of Brooklyn, and believed that it would move a splendid field for Christian labor. It was then he took into consideration the offer of the pastorate of the Park church. He visited the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, and then in- formed the committee which waited on him that if their con- Vol. III- 6
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gregation would purchase the plot at the corner of Lafayette avenne and Oxford street and erect thereon a plain edifice large enough to accommodate about two thousand people he would accept the call. It seemed a great undertaking for the little congregation, with its membership of only one hundred and forty people, but the committee agreed to the proposition, and within ten days the purchase of the land was effected, at a cost of twelve thousand dollars. At an additional cost of forty- two thousand dollars there was erected a splendid stone struc- ture, modeled after Beecher's church and having also the same seating capacity. Work was commenced on the new edifice in the fall of 1860, and on March 12, 1862, the completed church was dedicated. This was practically the work of Dr. Cuyler, who, in April, 1860, was formally installed as pastor.
He entered upon his work with an enthusiasm born of strong determination, firm convictions and noble purpose. His brilliant oratory soon attracted the attention of Brooklyn citizens, and his forceful utterances, showing forth the divine purpose, ap- pealed to the understanding of all thinking people. The church grew with marvelous rapidity, and as rapidly as possible Dr. Cnyler extended the field of his labors. In 1866 there were more than three hundred additions, and he felt that its growing strength justified the establishment of a mission. Accordingly, in Warren street, the Memorial Mission School was organized, the direct ontcome of which is the Memorial Presbyterian church, now one of the strongest and most prosperous in that section of the city. The Fort Greene Presbyterian church also had its origin in one of Dr. Cuyler's mission schools, which was established in 1861, with a membership of one hundred and twelve. The Classon Avenne church is also another direct branch of the Lafayette Avenne Presbyterian church-and who can measure the influence of this work? In the twenty-five
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years following its incorporation Dr. Cuyler's congregation con- tributed seventy thousand dollars to city missions, and its gifts as reported for the year 1888 exceeded fifty-three thousand dollars. The Sunday school, the Young People's Association and the various charitable and benevolent organizations became important adjuncts of the church work. The church membership in 1890 was nearly twenty-four hundred and the Sunday school numbered sixteen hundred, ranking the third largest in the man. eral assembly.
With all these extensive and important undertakings under his supervision Dr. Cuyler also did the work of pastor as well as of teacher and leader, and perhaps no man in the Christian ministry has ever more endeared himself through the ties of friendship and love to his parishioners than he. One who knew him well said of him: "He mingles freely and happily with his people. His feelings are ardent and sympathetic, his conver- sation is fluent and interspersed with illustration, anecdote, lively metaphor and felicitous quotations,-so that ho united the gifts which elicit friendly feeling, promote freedom of social intercourse and bind a pastor to his people by the innumerable threads of friendly intercourse, rather than by one cable of profound and distant reverence. Hence, he combined in an unusual degree success in pastoral labor with success in preach- ing. He teaches his people quite as much out of the pulpit as in it. He seeks to make his church an organized band, 'who go about doing good,' in working sympathy with the poor and out- cast. He also diffuses a zeal, lengthening the cords and strength- ening the stakes of their own influence. Dr. Cuyler is accessible both in parlor and in the pulpit. One is sure of hospitality at church as well as at home."
For thirty years Dr. Cuyler remained as pastor of the La- fayette Avenue Presbyterian church and then voluntarily sev-
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ered his relations therewith. He addressed his people in the following words on Sunday, February 2, 1890: "Nearly thirty years have elapsed since I assumed the pastoral charge of the Lafayette Avenne church. In April, 1860, it was a small band of one hundred and forty members. By the continnal blessing of Heaven upon us, that little flock has grown into one of the largest and most useful and powerful churches in the Presby- terian denomination; it is the third in point of numbers in the United States. This church has now two thousand three hundred and thirty members. It maintains two mission chapels, has one thousand six hundred in its Sunday school, and is paying the salaries of three ministers in this city and of two missionaries in the south. For several years it has led all the churches of Brook- lyn in its contributions to foreign, home and city missions, and it is surpassed by none other in wide and varied Christian work. Every sitting in this spacious honse has its occupant. Onr morning audiences have never been larger than they have this winter. This church has always been to me like a beloved child. I have given to it thirty years of hard and happy labor, and it is my foremost desire that its harmony may remain undisturbed and its prosperity may remain unbroken. For a long time I have intended that my thirtieth anniversary should be the terminal point of my present pastorate. I shall then have served this beloved floek for an ordinary human generation, and the time has come for me to transfer this sacred trust to some one who, in God's good providence, may have thirty years of vigorous work before him and not behind him. If God spares my life to the first Sabbath of April it is my purpose to surrender this pulpit back into your hands, and I shall endeavor to co-operate with you in the search and selection of the right man to stand in it. I will not trust myself today to speak of the sharp pang it will cost me to sever a connection that has been to me one
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