USA > New York > Essex County > Bloomingdale > The New York of yesterday; a descriptive narrative of old Bloomingdale, its topographical features, its early families and their genealogies, its old homesteads and country-seats, the Bloomingdale Reformed church, organized in 1805 > Part 21
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
As a writer, Dr. Peters is terse, brilliant, and epigram- matic. He hits at sin and hits it hard, but yet he loves the sinner. When he sees a public wrong, he tackles it with ungloved hands; he has given crime in this city some telling blows. Personally, he is one of the most lovable and kindly of men; he has a magnetism about him that attracts, and he meets you with the
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genial smile and warm grasp of friendship; his great, big heart goes out to the poor and the suffering and the downtrodden of every class and creed, and the cry of the orphan and the sigh of the widow never appeal to him in vain. In a word, Dr. Peters spends his life doing all the good he can to the greatest number he can, in all the ways he can, and he is succeeding in his mission.
The Rev. William Walton Clark presided at a special meeting on February 18th, at which proceedings were taken to dissolve the pastoral relation. The Clerk was directed to inform the Classis of the passage of a resolution to that effect. The Manhattan Congrega- tional Church had been lately inaugurated, and some movement looking to a consolidation of the two churches agitated. For this reason, a committee, on which served Messrs Mastin, Pyatt, Dillenbeck, and Goulding, was appointed to confer with the Trustees of the former body. The Rev. Dr. Elmendorf of the Collegiate Church supplied the pulpit on March 4th and arrangements were made with other ministers for further needs. The advisability of union was referred to Classis and a meeting thereof was held at the Marble Collegiate Church on the morning of April 30th. The entire committee was present. Dr. A. G. Vermilye submitted the report, which decided against consolidation, and it was unanimously accepted as the sentiment of Classis. The following day this decision was forwarded to the Manhattan Church, in a com- munication which ended in these words:
While the negotiations for a merger, begun under such pleasant auspices, must under the circumstances be dis- continued, we cannot dismiss the subject without a thought of the pleasant and fraternal feelings which have been
Portrait and signature of Rev. William C. Stinson, D. D.
٠
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developed among the members of both churches and which we trust may be continued, notwithstanding a more intimate relationship be not established.
The Seventh Minister
The list of clergymen who supplied the pulpit during April included the Rev. Dr. William Charles Stinson of Chillicothe, Ohio, who preached on the 22d, and as a result the Consistory unanimously decided on May 3d to extend a call to him. Graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1889, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Monmouth, the same year. After filling several small pastorates with credit and ability, he was called in 1895 to the First Presbyterian Church of Chillicothe, Ohio, where he met with eminent and signal success. He left his work there for the broader fields and greater responsibilities of the metropolis, feeling that God had distinctly indicated to him that it was His will that he should do so; and, while not un- mindful of the great opportunities here to be met, he realized that patient effort and thorough devotion to the cause of Christ and the needs of mankind could alone crown his ministry with success. He came to Bloomingdale with strong and abundant testimonials, not only of his record as a sincere, earnest, and able minister of the Gospel, but with many tributes to his scholarly abilities and his kind and sympathetic character as a Christian gentleman.
The Rev. Henry Evertson Cobb presided at a special meeting of the Board of Officers which convened on Sunday morning, May 20th, immediately after service, at which time it was resolved that a formal call to Dr. Stinson be made. This was done the following day. The letter of acceptance of the call was as follows :
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CHILLICOTHE, OHIO, June Ist, 1900.
To J. Edward Mastin, President of the Consistory of the Bloomingdale Reformed Church, New York City.
MY DEAR SIR AND BROTHER:
I have in hand a formal call from the Bloomingdale Reformed Church, to become its pastor. Since the receipt of the call, my mind and heart have been in a condition of exceeding unrest, owing to the conflicting thoughts and motives produced by this invitation. The idea of leaving the delightful and prosperous pastorate with which God has honored me in this city brings so severe a wrench of the heart that I have been tempted to answer the call in the negative. The thought of entering upon a new and untried field in a city where many influences hinder the progress of Christ's Kingdom has placed a severe test upon me as to my fitness for a Metropolitan pastorate. I feel honored to think that you deem me qualified to take the place of leader and shepherd of the Bloomingdale Church. The most prayerful seriousness has characterized my reflections upon all the issues involved.
Allow me to be frank enough to say that I have inquired of many brethren of the New York ministry as to the future prospects of the Bloomingdale Church and in every instance I have been assured that the environment is most favorable for the building up of a strong, flourishing church of Jesus Christ. I am aware of the present weakened condition of the church, but from what I have both seen and heard of the church's possibilities, I am persuaded to believe that with sublime faith in the great Head of the Church, with prayerful, heroic, strenuous co-operation of pastor and people, a great work for God and humanity may yet be done by the Bloomingdale Church. Depending more upon the judgment and opinion of what judicious, far-seeing clergymen in New York tell me than my own observations, I see no reason why this church may not
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become one of the most influential and potent factors for righteousness in the Metropolis.
In view of these considerations I heartily accept the call tendered me. There are only two things that I ask of the Bloomingdale Church in this acceptance, viz. confidence and co-operation. Let me be assured of these relations, and with Christ to charge our hearts and lives with His divine spirit and energy, success shall crown our efforts in the salvation and sanctification of hundreds of human souls.
The work will be hard, but God has given me a passion for hard work, both in and out of the pulpit. As a minister of the Gospel, I know only two things, preaching and pas- toral visitations, and if I were asked which of these two functions is the more important, I would answer, each is more important than the other.
A sense of profound gratitude and joy possesses me, as I think how God has opened a door of opportunity and service before me in the city of my birth.
My earnest prayer is that when in the early autumn, by God's providence, we, as pastor and people, standing side by side, with our faces turned toward a future so full of promise, prayer, purpose, and persistence, may hear and obey the message of old : "Speak now unto thy people that they go forward." Let that be our watchword.
In the meanwhile permit me to urge upon every member and friend the heartiest loyalty to Bloomingdale Church. One evidence of friendship between members and friends is unfaltering devotion to the church in all its diversified interests and various activities. May the dear Lord graciously bless and keep you, your families, your loved ones, and in His appointed time bring us together in the fellowship of His love and in the joy of His service,
With "grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord," I am,
Sincerely yours in the bonds of the gospel,
WILLIAM C. STINSON.
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The letter was read to the people by Elder Mastin on June roth, and it was resolved to close the edifice until September 16th. During the interim, electric lighting was introduced, heating apparatus installed, organ repaired and electric motor added, and the au- ditorium and parsonage redecorated and recarpeted. Dr. Stinson was duly ordained at the opening service in the autumn and entered upon his labors with every indication of earnest endeavor for a successful ministry. Resolutions of regret were passed on November Ist at the death of Elder Daily, which occured on October 25th. He had acted as attorney for the Church Corporation for many years. On November 5th the following tribute from the Session of the church with which Dr. Stinson was formerly connected was pre- sented and read:
TO THE ELDERS AND DEACONS OF BLOOMINGDALE CHURCH, NEW YORK-GREETING.
DEAR BRETHREN:
The Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Chilli- cothe, Ohio, wishing to express their great appreciation of their late pastor, the Rev. Dr. William C. Stinson, and to congratulate you upon the possession of such a man for your pastor, adopted the following:
Whereas our pastor, William C. Stinson D.D. felt it his duty to ask for the dissolution of the pastoral relation existing between himself and the First Presbyterian Church, of Chillicothe, Ohio, and the Session and Congregation, with regret, joined in his request to the Presbytery, wanting to keep him, but unwilling to stand between him and what he regarded as a call of God; therefore,
Resolved: that Dr. Stinson did a great work for this church. By his devotion to the work committed to him and his excellent ability, through the favor of our Lord,
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he largely increased the number of our communicants, and this by constantly, with great industry and wisdom, looking after the wants of the church and faithfully preach- ing the gospel of the Kingdom.
2nd. His work was not confined to the church, but he interested himself in every good work in the community. He was a man of great public spirit and had boundless compassion for all the poor and unfortunate, added to his earnest desire for the advancement of the cause of God and the uplifting of his Church.
3rd. We do most heartily commend him to you, the Elders and Deacons of the Bloomingdale Church, and to all the members of your congregation, as a faithful pastor, an earnest preacher, a true friend and a manly and upright man, in whom you can put your trust, who will work for you and with you in every good word and work.
That the blessing of Almighty God may be upon him and you, building you up in faith and righteousness, adding to you all temporal and multiplying to you all spiritual gifts, is our prayer.
Session of the First Presbyterian
Church, Chillicothe, Ohio.
ALBERT E. CUTLER A. L. FULLERTON E. P. VAN METER THEODORE SPETNAGEL M. C. HOPEWELL
This letter was appropriately answered on the 7th.
From a sketch written by the Rev. W. H. Fishburn, D.D., Dr. Stinson's predecessor in the pastorate at Chillicothe, these additional data are taken:
Born in New York city in 1860 of Scotch-Irish parentage, Dr. Stinson is a type of the self-made man. He has labori- iously worked his own way up to the commanding position he now holds. His childhood was a childhood of much self-denial and hardship.
His father was a soldier in the Civil War and was disabled,
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so that the boy was compelled to get up in the world by struggling up. He accepted his destiny and faced the conditions. By persistent effort he worked his own way through University and Seminary, winning prizes in the classical tongues and in oratory from both Bucknell University and Princeton Theological Seminary, from which institutions he graduated respectively in 1886 and 1889. The University of Wooster conferred on him the Doctor's degree.
Dr. Stinson has made for himself in the ministry a record which any clergyman might envy. Whatever he has undertaken has been a conspicuous success. Endowed by nature with a strong body, an inflexible will, a keen intellect, a sympathetic heart, and rare administrative talent. he has been able to command the attention of thinking and progressive men.
Before going to Chillicothe he was pastor of a large and flourishing church in Providence, R. I. During his min- istry of five years as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Chillicothe, Ohio, he added above four hundred members to that church, paid off a church debt which went into five figures, and vitalized every department of ecclesiastical work. His church was thronged with wor- shippers and the whole city felt his influence for good. He preached and practised civic righteousness, and was able to correct evils and remedy abuses which had existed there for many years.
Dr. Stinson possesses a mind fully equipped by scho- lastic training to grapple with the burning problems of the day; his reading enables him to bring before his hearers the great truths and to deliver them with startling empha- sis. He is a preacher who believes in growth and ongoing and he thrills and interests all listeners, and leads them to a higher plane of thinking and living.
The following officers were the first elected (Jan. 9, 1901) under the new régime Messrs. Mastin, Pyatt, and
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Genl. Mindil, Elders, and Mersereau and Dillenbeck, Deacons. Deacon Wagner continued in office. In December, a committee was appointed to ascertain the value of the church property should it be deemed advisable to sell. Another year passed before action was taken looking to a change of location. Dr. Stinson, Elders Mastin and Pyatt were deputized to take it into consideration and on October 29, 1902, the West End Avenue site was suggested; and at a special meeting held November 6th the congregation unanimously voted to sell and the Consistory was authorized to reinvest the net proceeds at such time, on such terms, and in such way as their judgment might dictate. The financing of the operation was placed by vote in Treasurer Mastin's hands. The Sabbath- school continued in a very flourishing condition. A memorial service in commemoration of the late Charles Summer Lester was held on the 15th of November, 1903, and a testimonial to his memory was passed. Mr. Lester had served the Sabbath-school as Superin- tendent for several years and had faithfully fulfilled the duties with marked ability and discretion and al- ways with a high regard for the responsibilities of the position. A memorial tablet was authorized to be placed in the school chapel as a visible expression of the greater invisible work which he wrought in the lives of many who will rise up to call him blessed. This was dedicated at a service held by the school on March 26, 1904, and during the exercises a handsome brass lectern was presented to it by Mr. Lester's family, a legacy requested of them during his last mo- ments on earth.
Elder Pyatt offered a resolution on February 15, 1905, to sell the ecclesiastical property and to purchase
19
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a new site on West End Avenue at 106th Street, which was passed. Thus was closed a question which had been a bone of contention for some years and was the result of a conclusion that the neighborhood was "overchurched." Within a half mile there were three Episcopal, two Presbyterian, two Lutheran, one Re- formed, one Congregational, one Methodist, and one Christian Science church. The congregation had moved further up the island and in the irresistible upward movement of population, the church must follow. This decision was not reached without some opposition, and in deference to that sentiment it was determined to take down the edifice stone by stone and put it together again at the new location. It was with sincere regret and sorrow that the old site, and the edifice which was endeared by so many sacred associations, were abandoned.
Deacon Hawes announced at a special meeting of the Board April 24th that the negotiations for the sale had been completed at $260,000 and the committee had agreed to purchase lots at the above location for $160,000. Thereupon the Trustees authorized that application to the Supreme Court be made for per- mission to carry out the agreement. A letter from Senior Elder Mastin was read May 4th, in which he tendered his resignation, giving as a reason his opposi- tion to the contemplated removal. Spread on the minutes is to be found a statement of the deep pain experienced at the receipt of this letter and the regret that it was caused by a difference of opinion, and that the Elder's private and public insistence upon the acceptance of this resignation forced the alternative of conceding to his wishes. Resolutions were passed expressive of the sincere and hearty appreciation of
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his long, faithful, and efficient services in numerous capacities, and his deep solicitude in guarding and fostering the spiritual life of the church. It is recorded that "it is doubtful if ever any church has had so dutiful, so careful, so trustworthy a treasurer as this church has had in the person of Mr. Mastin." A copy of this unusual tribute was ordered to be forwarded to him and doubtless will prove a proud and lasting trea- sure to be left to his posterity. After the last prayer- meeting, which took place Wednesday evening May 3d, the minister and several members of the Consistory explained to the assemblage the reasons which had impelled the move. The last Sabbath service was held in the auditorium on May 28th, and the final function in the old building was a strawberry festival and en- tertainment in the Chapel by the Christian Endeavor Society on June Ist.
The title was finally passed at the office of the Title Guarantee & Trust Co., on May 19th, to the purchaser, Franklin Pettit. The beautiful marble structure with its graceful spire, which had dominated the region for over twenty years and was recognized as a centre of religious work and Christian influence, had been so far removed by October that on the fourth of that month permission was granted by the Health Depart- ment to remove the remains of the Bloomingdale members of the second House of Worship from the crypt. Quite a crowd was attracted to the spot by the mistaken rumor that relics, buried in the graves or vaults, might be found, and some arrests followed. During the months of June, August, and part of Sep- tember the congregation worshipped with that of the West End Collegiate Church at West End Avenue and 77th Street. Thereafter, services were held in
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Leslie Hall, southwest corner of Broadway and 83d Street, until the
Fifth house of Worship
was completed.
Plans for the new edifice were filed during July with the Building Superintendent. The firm of Ludlow & Valentine were the architects intrusted with the work, which progressed so slowly that it was not until Sunday, November 12th, that the corner-stone was laid. From the Christian Intelligencer we learn that the service was impressive in its orderly dignity and inspiring through the hearty participation of a large audience. The singing of hymns and anthems was led by a choir of men. Dr. Stinson presided with a reverent enthu- siasm that was an inspiration to the assisting clergy- men. The Scripture lesson was read by the Rev. Edgar Tilton, Jr., D.D., of the Second Collegiate Church of Harlem; the Rev. Edward B. Coe, D.D.,LL.D., Senior Minister of the Collegiate Church, led in prayer, and addresses were made by the Rev. Henry Evertson Cobb, D.D., of the West End Collegiate, the Rev. Joseph R. Duryee, D.D., of Grace Reformed, at Seventh Avenue and 54th Street, and the Rev. Abbott E. Kittredge, D.D., of the Madison Avenue Reformed, at 57th Street. Deacon Hawes read an historical statement that briefly and clearly set forth the story of one hundred years of corporate life. This paper, together with copies of the Bible, Church Liturgy, and journals of the day, was placed in the massive corner-stone. With solemn words of faith this was truly set in place by the pastor. The writer's mind reverts to old associa- tions in these well chosen words:
To one, at least, it seemed as though Dr. Livingston,
THE BLOOMINGDALE REFORMED CHURCH Fifth House of Worship. Bloomingdale Square
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who presided at the first organization, offered his bene- diction. He seemed to see the form of Dr. Gunn, its first pastor. It was his only charge and for a score of years he labored with an earnestness and hopefulness that made his name a power in the old city. Then God took him to the higher service. Dr. Kip appeared, not as an old bent man, but in the fresh beauty of his early ministry; and then he saw again dear old Dr. van Aken, who for fifty years, mostly full of trials and sorrows, kept alive the light of the Church.
While awaiting the completion of the edifice let us now revert to another feature of the work of con- struction. Mrs. George Henry Gilbert, the charming artist and Christian woman, who had been a member of the church for many years and who was always in her pew when the exigencies of her profession allowed of her being in the city, had passed from earth. A memorial in her honor was suggested and a committee from among her associates1 was formed, which met on Saturday, May 2d, in furtherance of the project. A commemorative window, to be erected in her church home, was agreed on and a performance to benefit the fund arranged for. This took place at the Knicker- bocker Theatre, under the management of Daniel Frohman, on Tuesday afternoon, April 17th, at 1.30, when a large audience assembled to be entertained by a number of noted actors and actresses, among whom Clara Morris, Hattie Williams, and Lawrence D'Or- say were conspicuous. A number of others gener- ously volunteered their services and an uncommonly
1 This committee was composed of Dr. Stinson, Charles Frohman, Daniel Frohman, Mrs. George J. Gould, who as Edith Kingdon had played with Mrs. Gilbert, Miss Maude Adams, Miss Annie Russell, Mrs. Charles F. Terhune, Mrs. Albert Warren Kelsey, Runyon Pyatt, and John Drew.
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attractive program was presented. A substantial amount was added thereby towards the testimonial.
At last, the building was so far finished that the Sabbath-school began its sessions there the first Sun- day in October, 1906. The formal opening of the auditorium was set for December 16th, and on that day, before a large congregation, dedicatory services were held in the morning. The sermon was preached by the minister, fine musical selections by the choir under the direction of Signor P. F. del Campiglio rendered, and Treasurer Pyatt read a statement showing that the ground and building represented an outlay of $250,000. Fifty per cent. of the material from the former church edifice had been used in the construction of the new. This, the first opportunity for an ex- amination of the structure, confirmed previous impres- sions that the Building Committee, composed of Dr. Stinson and Elders Pyatt and Hawes, with the ex- perienced assistance of the architects, had produced a result gratifying in all respects, and had shown com- mendable taste in the interior furnishings of golden oak and green. The building is in Gothic style, with a façade of limestone, and flying buttresses springing from the further sides. A large central main entrance and two smaller side entrances allow of access and the entire façade makes an imposing appearance. Taken as a whole, it forms one of the most beautiful of the many fine churches which adorn the west side. The interior is finished in stone, presenting the aspect of a cathedral, and contains a gallery and a three-story annex with Sunday-school rooms, chapel, and pastor's study. An avenue frontage of seventy-five feet and a depth of one hundred feet on a site redolent of Revolu- tionary memories give ample space for the present
NYON
PYAVT
THE PYATT MEMORIAL Designed by John La Farge, Esq.
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activities of the congregation; and the location at the junction of two thoroughfares, one the main artery of the city, and Bloomingdale Square, a breathing spot which is even now an oasis between the great Central and Riverside Parks, was a felicitous selection which will be more and more appreciated as the trees attain larger growth. The contracting builders were John B. Roberts & Co., the same firm which constructed the fourth House of Worship, and the large organ is the result of the combined experience of the houses of Jardine and Kimball. The dead of the parish, re- moved from Harsenville, lie in a receptacle built in the wall, and the memorial tablet to their memory has been re-erected above their remains.
The centenary of the incorporation was celebrated at II o'clock on the morning of Sunday, December 23d, at which a brief review of the past was pronounced by Dr. Stinson and the sermon was delivered by Dr. Coe. At the vesper service at 4 o'clock, words of greeting were spoken by the Rev. Drs. Cobb, Robert Mackenzie of Rutgers Presbyterian Church, and Tilton. The following Sunday, December 30th, witnessed the final exercises connected with the inauguration of the new enterprise, when at the morning service the Pyatt window, a beautiful memorial erected to the memory of the parents of Elder and Mrs. Runyon Pyatt, was unveiled.
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