USA > New York > Queens County > Flushing > History of St. George's Parish, Flushing, Long Island > Part 6
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Thus ends the story of the first church of St. George's
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
parish. The older members left it with some regret. It had long stood as the only house of worship, except the Friends' Meeting House, in the whole Town of Flushing. Tender memories clustered around it. Generations had worshipped there. Beneath its shadows rested their dead. Its bell had called the people to prayers, had rung out the merry marriage peal and had tolled the requiem of the departed.
The new building progressed rapidly. The late Mrs. Garretson said she well remembered when the men of the parish assembled to "raise" the framework, and afterward lunched on the grounds of her father, oppo- site the church. Mr. Thorne reported to the diocesan convention in October, 1820, that the new church would probably be ready for consecration during the coming May or June. Bishop Hobart, in his address to the con- vention, held in 1821, said : "The respectable congre- gation of St. George's Church, Flushing, L. I., one of the oldest in the state, having erected a new church edifice for worship, in a style of neatness and convenience that does them great credit, I consecrated it to the service of Almighty God according to the forms of our Church, on Friday, May 25th," (1821.)
The Christian Journal reported some particulars of the consecration : " Morning Prayer was conducted by the Rev. Thomas Brientnall, Rector of Zion Church, N. Y. The lessons were read by the Rev. H. U. Onderdonk, Rector of S. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, and an appropriate discourse was delivered by the bishop, who was attended in this interesting and impressive solemnity by a number of the clergy. St. George's Church is built near the site of an edifice of the same name, the decayed state of which rendered necessary the erection of the new edifice. For the accommodation of the increased and increasing num-
THE SECOND ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH, BUILT 1821, NOW USED BY THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
bers, the second edifice is of considerably larger dimen- sions than the former, and it is furnished in a much neater style. It is a neat and commodious building, very creditable to the taste and skill which planned and exe- cuted it."
It appears, then, that the new church was begun in August, 1820, and was completed and ready for consecra- tion in May, 1821. In 1839, to meet the demands of an increasing congregation, an addition of seventeen and a half feet was made, at a cost of about $1, 750. This sum was raised by subscription and by the sale of a few of the additional pews. Thus, under the energetic leader- ship of Mr. Thorne. a new church was built and a new era of Church life dawned on the parish.
Mr. Thorne came from a manly ancestry-a race un- daunted by difficulties, and self-assertive when rights were invaded. His inherited virtues would not be dwarfed by disuse in older Flushing. He was chairman of the building committee for the new church in fact, as well as ex officio. He made quite an innovation in the arrange- ment of the chancel and its furniture. In the rural churches of the day, the reading desk was placed within the sanc- tuary, and the holy table, or altar, was in front of the desk. The pulpit had its place above desk and altar. Mr. Thorne placed the reading desk outside the chancel rail, and the holy table conspicuously within, where it be- longed. This brought some censure, which he little re- garded. On his retirement, the first act of the vestry was to change this arrangement, and to restore the desk to its old place in the sanctuary.
In addition to the care of the parish and the building of a new church, Mr. Thorne built a mansion for himself, which has long stood among the more prominent dwellings in older Flushing. It is now the residence of Mrs. Joseph
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BUILDING A NEW CHURCH.
Fitch, near Main street, and between Amity and Locust streets. Mr. Thorne was evidently preparing for a long residence in Flushing.
But his rectorship was not a long one, and came to a close rather abruptly. We know something of the causes which led up to it. It seems that a spot near his resi- dence was used as a dumping ground. Expostulations and vigorous protests were unheeded until the extreme limit of his forbearance was passed. Meeting the authors of the intolerable nuisance on the town dock, he threat- ened then and there to quicken their sense of right and justice by a little muscular reasoning. The hasty parson may have spoken unadvisedly with his lips. The chal- lenged party chose the better part of valor, and made a charge to the vestry against the belligerent rector. A meeting was called, and it was resolved, that a com- munication, in writing, be sent to the Rev. Mr. Thorne, on "subjects" which have come to the knowledge of the
vestry. This letter was signed by each member of the vestry. The time for the Easter election drew near. Mr. Thorne's answer awaited the result. After an excited election, the retiring board was returned by the congre- gation. The rector called a meeting and asked leave of absence for two or three months. It was granted. He then "stated his intention of resigning at no distant period." On his return to Flushing, he called a vestry meeting, and stated his intention of resigning on that day. A large arrearage of salary was due. It was, therefore, resolved : "That the vestry settle the account, and pay in full for his services." "Mr. Thorne then handed in his resignation dated this day (July 1, 1826. ) It was moved that the resignation be accepted." " The Rev. Mr. Thorne having withdrawn, and all the wardens and ves- trymen being present, it was resolved : 'That a call be
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
presented to the Rev. Wm. A. Muhlenberg, of Pennsyl- vania, and that the clerk address him a letter to that effect.' Carried unanimously."
Mr. Thorne's ministry of six years was energetic and successful. He built a new church and aroused a slug- gish congregation into activity. His ploughshare may have been sharp, but he turned up an overrun and fallow field, and prepared it for his eminent successor. Only one side of the man has been seen in our sketch. There was another side-a genial and gentler side. The writer found some of his parishioners still surviving, when he entered the same field. They held their early pastor in affectionate regard, and recalled his memory with grate- ful respect.
Arrearage in pew rents was a very prominent subject of discussion in the vestry during Mr. Thorne's rector- ship. In 1825 a special committee on finance reported as due for pew rent, uncollected, $340. This was when the annual rental was $413.50. The pews ranged from $3 to $10 per year, with sixty-four persons leasing pews. There was also due on uncollected subscriptions for the new church, $563, most of which was subsequently paid. It was during that year, 1825, that a vote of thanks was given by the vestry "to Mrs. Effingham Lawrence and family, for the liberal donation of land adjoining the church-yard." Mrs. Lawrence was the mother of the late Hon. John W. Lawrence, long a church warden of St. George's Church.
CHAPTER XIII.
RECTORSHIP OF THE REV. WILLIAM A. MUHLENBERG -FOUNDING OF THE FLUSHING INSTITUTE. A. D. 1826-1829.
A S stated in the preceding chapter, the same meeting that accepted Mr. Thorne's resignation elected his successor-the Rev. William Augustus Muhlenberg. Mr. Muhlenberg was born in Philadelphia in 1796, and was baptized by Dr. Helmuth, a Lutheran divine. He was the great-grandson of the Rev. Henry M. Muhlenberg, the venerable founder and " Patriarch of the Lutheran Church" in this country, who came from Germany in 1742. His father's name was Peter M. Muhlenberg, who was also a Lutheran minister. While Peter M. Muhlenberg was set- tled at Blue Ridge, Va., as pastor of the Lutheran congre- gation, he, under the influence of his friends, Gen. Wash- ington and Patrick Henry, laid aside the ministry for the army. The last sermon he preached was on the duties men owe to their country. An immense congregation filled the church and church-yard. His closing words were : " There is a time for everything-a time to preach and a time to fight-and now is the time to fight." Suit- ing his action to his words, he threw off the clerical gown and stood before his congregation in full uniform as a warrior, and read his commission as a colonel in the Con- tinental army.
The Rev. William A. Muhlenberg-the son of this fight- ing Lutheran minister-took Orders in the Episcopal
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
Church, and was Rector of St. James's Church, Lancaster, Pa., for five years. He resigned his rectorship, that he might devote some time to the study of the schools of Europe. Leaving Lancaster, he came to New York for a brief visit before sailing for Europe. While in the study of his old friend, Dr. Milnor, a gentleman from Flushing
THE REV. WILLIAM A. MUHLENBERG, D. D.
came in. He was one of the vestry of St. George's Church, who had come to ask Dr. Milnor if he could recommend a clergyman for the vacant pulpit of St. George's, on the morrow. The Doctor, turning to Mr. Muhlenberg, said : "Could not you go?" He readily assented, little thinking that it would change all his plans
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THE REV. WILLIAM A. MUHLENBERG.
and open a path to the realization of what had become the leading idea of his life. He came as a temporary supply, without the remotest idea of taking a rural parish, much less of spending eighteen years of active life in Flushing. The rector, Mr. Thorne, returned from his vacation soon after, and resigned. Mr. Muhlenberg was immediately elected to the rectorship. After some hesitation, he ac- cepted and entered upon his duties in August, 1826.
It was during the first year of Mr. Muhlenberg's rector- ship, that the method of electing vestrymen was changed from a viva voce vote to the secret ballot. When he came to Flushing he established himself at the only village ho- tel, known as the " Pavilion." He brought with him two favorite boys who had been monitors under him in Lan- caster-one of them was James B. Kerfoot, afterward the Bishop of Pittsburg, the other was Libertus Van Bokke- len, who became a celebrated scholar and teacher. Both were long associated with him in educational work. Sit- ting one day with them in the public dining room, he overheard some gentlemen talking about building an academy in Flushing, as a family and boarding school
for boys. It struck the favorite subject of his thoughts
and life. He joined them and, without premeditation, offered himself to take the charge of such a school, if they would erect the building he desired. In the evening, to his surprise, they called at his rooms to say that they would accept his proposition. He promised to have plans drawn for the proposed building. It was to be erected and owned by an incorporated company, and to be called, " The Christian Institute of Flushing." But when the bill for its incorporation was brought to the Legislature, the gentlemen in charge feared that the title, "Christian," might prejudice some sensitive members against it, and asked permission to change the title to that of "The
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
Flushing Institute." Mr. Muhlenberg consented to the change.
The corner-stone of the Institute was laid August II, 1827. Among other objects put into the box, was a Greek Testament, inscribed with these words : "Believing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the best knowledge, the true wisdom, and the only foundation of moral virtue, we de- posit this New Testament in the original language, pray- ing that its faith may ever, be the corner-stone of educa- tion in this Institute." The prayer has been signally an- swered, for hardly a day has passed since it was built, that it has not been used as a Christian school, and the faith of the Gospel made the corner-stone of its educa- tion. It is so now, and so may it ever be !
Mr. Muhlenberg still retained his position as Rector of St. George's, though his duties at the Institute necessarily required much of his time. He signified his desire to re- sign as soon as a successor could be elected. At a meet- ing in December, 1828, the vestry made an attempt to choose a rector in his place. Their choice fell on the Rev. Mr. Dorr, of Lansingburg, but it was not unanimous. Understanding this, Mr. Dorr declined the call. Mr. Muh- lenberg agreed to remain until his successor could be chosen, if the vestry would relieve him on Sunday after- noons. This was done, and the Rev. Mr. S. Seabury took his place at Evening Prayer. Early in 1829 the Rev. William H. Lewis was called as rector. This released him from all pastoral duty and left him free to devote himself to his educational work. There had been some beginnings of Sunday School work before Mr. Muhlen- berg's day, but it was he who gave it definite form and life. The Sunday School first met in the building on Lincoln street, held in trust by the "Flushing Female Association."
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THE FLUSHING INSTITUTE.
The Institute was successful and soon paid expenses. Its reputation extended : pupils came from all parts of the land. But Mr. Muhlenberg soon evolved larger plans to carry out his ideal of higher, Christian education. He purchased a farm of 175 acres, at what is now College Point, where he designed to erect, at a cost of $50,000,
THE FLUSHING INSTITUTE, BUILT 1828.
a stone edifice for a college. The foundation was begun, and on October 15, 1836, the corner-stone was laid with jubilant services and enthusiastic anticipations. The goal of his life's ambition seemed in sight. But it was never reached. God had other purposes for him to fulfil. The building went no further than the foundation. The com- mercial upheaval of 1837 came on, and his financial sup-
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
porters were involved in the ruin. A wooden structure was built not far from the foundation of the college for a grammar school, the ruins of which are still known as the "College." The pupils af the Institute were removed to this building, and all connection with Flushing ceased.
Dr. Muhlenberg was intimately connected with many reforms and improvements in the Church. The first Church Hymnal largely owed its existence to his agita- tion and counsel. He was also the author of several well known hymns. His influence and example did much toward the revival, in this country, of the Apostolic cus- tom of weekly celebrations of the Holy Communion. He was the champion of the free-pew movement, and de- clined an urgent invitation of the vestry to preach the sermon at the consecration of the new church in his old parish of Flushing, because the auctioneer was to sell or lease its sittings to the highest bidder. Truly did the Bishop of Central New York say of him, at the time of his death : "With a force individual and single, and a self- forgetfulness that seemed absolute, he made a place for himself in the priesthood of this Church, and in the at- tachment of its members which was altogether character- istic, and it is left empty by his removal. Without being a theologian or statesman, he was greater than either, and while apparently wrong in some opinions, he compre- hended as few men living or dead have, what the wor- ship and work of this Church in America ought to be."
He died in 1877, and was buried at St. Johnland, where his remains lie in the midst of the graves of old pilgrims. and crippled children-former inmates of the home he had established as his last great work. His monument bears. his own chosen inscription : "I know Whom I have- believed."
CHAPTER XIV.
THE REV. WILLIAM H. LEWIS. A. D. 1829-1833.
A T a vestry meeting, held February 5, 1829, the Rev. W. H. Lewis was elected rector for one year, and the clerk was directed " to give notice to Mr. Lewis of his election, and to request him to take charge immedi- ately." The election was far from being unanimous. Two of the vestry present requested their protest to be recorded against the action ; and a third absented him- self, foreseeing what would be the result of the meeting. Mr. Lewis came to a divided congregation. There was no objection to him personally. At that time the Church in the United States was divided into two well defined parties. One party was called " High Church," and the other "Low Church." Mr. Lewis was considered a Low Churchman, and, for that reason, his election was op- posed by a part of the vestry. In both parties were men of unquestioned piety and loyalty.
At this time, there were but two religious organizations in Flushing-the Society of Friends and St. George's Church. Hence there was a large number of persons who claimed an interest in the Church, because they were not Quakers. Their influence was used to disturb, more fre_ quently than to assist, the Church. They claimed the ministrations of the rector, when needed ; and attempted to influence his action by their activity at the Easter elec- tion. They were not Churchmen by conviction, nor were they frequently seen at public worship.
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Mr. Lewis began his ministry with energy and zeal. He was known to be a Low Churchman, and was elected as such. His faithful appeals aroused, if they did not convict. He was young, he had zeal, and he soon adapted himself to his new field. The term of his call, as rector for one year, began to draw toward its close. Meanwhile, a vestry election had increased the majority friendly to him. At a vestry meeting in December, 1829, a tentative motion was made: "That at the next meeting of the vestry, they should take into consideration the permanent call of the Rev. Mr. Lewis, as rector of this church." After a warm debate, it was resolved : "That the vestry will attend to this motion at its next meeting." That next meeting was held on March 6, 1830, two days before the expiration of the rector's year-a delay of three months. At that meeting, " agreeably to a motion made at the last meeting for 'giving a permanent call to the Rev. W. H. Lewis as rector of this church,' the same was taken into consideration, and the vestry being informed that a part of the congregation was opposed to a permanent call, a motion was made and carried that Mr. Lewis be called as rector of this church for the term of eight years, from the eighth day of this month." The laurels of this victory were about equally divided. Mr. Lewis entered his new term of office with renewed energy. His native charac- teristic of patience and quiet firmness was proof against all opposition. He had long seen that the vice of intem- perance was the bane of Flushing. He invited Dr. Mc- Ilvaine, then Rector of St. Ann's, Brooklyn, and afterward Bishop of Ohio, to come to Flushing and deliver a lecture in St. George's Church, on the evils of intemperance. On a week-day evening, the eloquent preacher appeared. A great congregation filled the church. Among those present were many whose faces were more frequently seen in the
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THE REV. WILLIAM H. LEWIS.
bar-room than in God's sanctuary. They were not pleased with the lecture. In the common room of the village inn the subject was discussed, and it was decided to record this disapprobation at the next Easter election. This they did, and all the members of the vestry supposed to be friendly to the rector, were defeated. Among the newly
THE REV. WILLIAM H. LEWIS, D. D.
elected was "mine host" of the village hostelry, and another was the quiet counsellor in the conclave, who had proposed the coup-de-main, and who was chosen as clerk and treasurer of the vestry. The interests of the parish were handed over to new men, and the congregation was left to reap the good or the evils resulting from their over-
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
indulgence, or inattention to the affairs of their church. The relations between Mr. Lewis and his new vestry were peaceable, if not always harmonious. Acts of petty op- position occurred, but the young rector exercised the charity that "beareth all things." The work he had to do was too great for him to come down and chase to its death every phantom of idle gossip.
The parish embraced a wide territory. The outlying neighborhoods of the village, with the exception of some scattered Church families, were a sort of "in partibus in- fidelium," unvisited and neglected. Mr. Lewis felt that his ministry must include these also. He began a house to house visitation, much to the surprise of some, in whose humble homes a minister of the Gospel had never before been seen. Among the localities visited, one was then called "Cookie Hill." The name is now obsolete, having been changed, first, to Clintonville, and then, em- bracing a wider territory, to Whitestone. Mr. Lewis vis- ited the homes and proposed a weekly, or occasional, visitation, when in some house he could meet the assem- bled neighbors. Quite a number became interested in these meetings. The dormant conscience was awakened, and these outside services became the hopeful beginning of a better state of things. Households were baptized. Among the Church families that the writer found as wor- shipers in St. George's Church, not a few were the fruits of the work in these prayer meeting ministrations. From the seed thus sown in this neglected locality, a harvest was ultimately reaped in the establishment of the parish of Grace Church, Whitestone.
Two years passed, and at Easter, 1833, a change in the vestry was made. By an almost unanimous vote, the friends of Mr. Lewis were elected. During the pre- ceding year the cholera, in its first visitation (1832), had
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THE REV. WILLIAM H. LEWIS.
appeared in Flushing. Mr. Lewis had taken the lead in ministering to the stricken. Men's thoughts were directed to other and higher things than party strifes in the Church. Meanwhile a steady and visible change was taking place in the religious life of the congregation. Some acces- sions from abroad had introduced a more active and ag- gressive religious zeal. New communicants were added, the disaffected were won back, and a state of peace was promised.
In July, 1833, Mr. Lewis received a call to St. Mich- ael's Church, Marblehead, Mass., and tendered his resig- nation as Rector of St. George's parish. The vestry was unwilling to accept his resignation, and offered to make his rectorship unlimited ; but at his earnest request it yielded and released him. This was done at a meeting held August 3, 1833. Thus ended a troubled, but suc- cessful and fruitful rectorship of nearly five years.
CHAPTER XV.
THE REV. J. MURRAY FORBES -THE REV. SAMUEL R. JOHNSON. A. D. 1833-1835.
O N September 3, 1833, the Rev. J. Murray Forbes was elected to succeed Mr. Lewis. He accepted the call, and entered upon his duties the first of October. Although, on some subjects, he was supposed to hold opinions which differed from his predecessor's, still he guided his course with a wisdom and moderation which disappointed both parties. He would be of no party. He came to build up and to heal, not to divide. He car- ried on the work very much as his predecessor had left it. To a quiet personal dignity and social refinement he added courtesy and cordiality of manner, and soon gained the confidence and affectionate respect of his congrega- tion. Party spirit was allayed, and a united people were made ready to become co-workers with their rector. But his rectorship was a brief one : before the end of a year he accepted a call to St. Luke's Church, New York. Mr. Forbes afterward became unsettled, by the controversies of the time. On the death of his wife he decided to seek admission to the ministry of the Church of Rome. When St. Michael's (R. C.) Church, of this village, was dedi- cated, in 1856, Father Forbes was the preacher. Not many years after his departure from our branch of the Church, Dr. Forbes began to discover that distance had "lent enchantment to the view." Much had proved to
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THE REV. J. MURRAY FORBES.
be disappointing and illusive. He was led to reconsider the judgment upon which he had based his action ; and, in the autumn of 1859, he withdrew from obedience to the Papal See. On recantation and the renunciation of allegiance to Rome, Dr. Forbes was restored to the exer- cise of the ministry he had forsaken. He was appointed Dean of the General Theological Seminary, a newly es- tablished and responsible office, where he spent many years with zeal and fidelity.
A rule of the vestry, made during Mr. Forbes's rector- ship, explains itself. It was "that no nails be driven in the walls of the church, or anything be posted thereon only by the direction of the vestry." This was before the era of carpets in the aisles of St. George's. The bare floors often betrayed the state of the roads by the foot- marks, for Flushing streets were unpaved at that time. The pews were uncushioned, save at the provision of the occupants. Those thus furnished often presented many colors, and were generally well worn, as the cushions for pews were an hereditary family possession. Mr. Forbes had a high and almost fastidious sense of neatness and propriety. Aisles stained with mud, and often with of- fensive evidences of the use of tobacco, were intolerable. To abate the nuisance and to lessen the sound of heavy Sunday boots, he had the aisles thickly sprinkled with white beach sand, which was renewed as needed. Sand was widely used by neat housewives of that day on un- carpeted floors, and gave a neat appearance to unsightly boards.
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