USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > A centennial history of Christ Church, Cincinnati, 1817-1917 > Part 6
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be very loosely drawn; and only as we are com- pelled to do so by limitation of space, should we confine the membership in various organizations in the Parish House to the members of the Church."
Not only do the passages here freely quoted from the rector's letters addressed to his parish- ioners convey the essence of the history of Christ Church during a transitional and radically im- portant period of its development, but they ap- pear to be especially significant as forecasting the policy of his successor who was in perfect har- mony with his views. Whatever may be one's personal beliefs and sympathies, one can hardly read the unanticipated valedictory words of Mr. Stein to his devoted people without a feeling of admiration and a shock of painful emotion. "And now, my friends," he writes from Colorado Springs, on May 1, 1900: "This, the Second Year Book of Christ Church, which it has been my privilege to compile, must be my last. The progress of the trouble in my throat and lungs, which made it necessary for me to leave so sud- denly last February for this climate, has been such that I am advised by my physicians here and in Cincinnati that a return to Cincinnati would almost certainly bring on a recurrence of the trouble in a short time. After most earnest con- sideration, it seems that the only wise course for me to take is to put my resignation in the hands of the Vestry, which I have done."
Thus was the connection of Rev. Alexis Wil- liam Stein abruptly terminated after a service in Christ Church lasting only fourteen months. His after-career is briefly sketched by his near and
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dear friend and associate, Rev. Frank H. Nelson : "After two years in Colorado he recovered his health and ministered at Lake Placid; in St. George's Church, New York, as special preacher ; and at Christ Church, Fitchburg. He had just accepted the call to the chaplaincy of Columbia University when his health again failed, and after a brave fight to overcome the disease, peacefully ยท entered into his rest August 16, 1910."
It was said of Mr. Stein by one who was his intimate friend and associate: "He was a preacher of most unusual power, with a message he burned to give, and a vision of truth that made him a leader of men. He loved God and showed Him to men and led them to God."
It was the privilege of his congregation to hear Mr. Stein preach a sermon in which he gave his conception of the divine-human nature of Christ, and pictured beautifully what might have been the Savior's social demeanor and his recognition of the courtesies and deferences of life as he moved among men. The discourse was the ut- terance of a man of genius, a poet, an inspired interpreter of things sacrosanct. Three marvel- ously profound and subtile religious essays by him have been issued, bearing the impressive titles, "Tuberculosis and the Road to Eldorado," "The Conquest of Fate," and "An Insight." The last named of these intensely sincere and soul- searching inquiries into the mystery of life, death, and immortality closes with these comforting ad- monitions :
"Oh, fellow bearers of the load we did not choose, the load we fain would have some other
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carry if we could-remember this-the burden bearers help the world along.
"I know not how it is. I know not all the law. I am only sure of this-the fight that each man fights behind his chamber door for courage and for patience and for faith, he fights not for him- self alone, he fights for all mankind; he fights as one who is a helper of his kind, as a blood brother of that One who, in little Galilee, obscure, almost alone, was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and who, upon the cross, became the Burden Bearer of the human race."
On the resignation of Mr. Stein, May 1, 1900, Mr. Nelson, assistant minister, was immediately elected rector of Christ Church by a unanimous vote of the Vestry.
Rev. Frank H. Nelson was born at Hartford, Connecticut, September 6, 1869. He was edu- cated at St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hamp- shire, 1883-1886, and graduated at Hobart, with the degree of B. A., in 1890; ordained deacon, May 19, 1894, by Bishop Coxe; priest, 1897, by Bishop H. C. Potter; and was assistant minister in St. George's, New York, 1894-1899. On June 6, 1907, he was married, at Montclair, New Jer- sey, to Miss Mary Eaton.
On April 30, 1917, the degree of Master Ma- son was conferred upon Mr. Nelson, the cere- mony being conducted by ministers of various Protestant denominations, and a beautiful Ma- sonic emblem was presented to him by the Ma- sonic members of his congregation.
Having shared the Church work with Mr. Stein
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since May, 1899, and having discharged it all since February 1900, Mr. Nelson was, of course, familiar with the duties of the rectorship when he entered formally upon the responsibilities of that exacting office. Within the first year of his service, beginning in July 1900, the Vestry called to his assistance a most competent and judicious helper, the Rev. John Howard Melish, who re- mained with the Church four years and was then called to the rectorship of Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn.
The condition of Christ Church in 1900, when Mr. Nelson became its rector, was good, both spiritually and temporally; the number of com- municants had increased, the class prepared for confirmation was the largest that had appeared for many years, the organizations for special work were active and enthusiastic, several new clubs had been formed, the first annual report of the Girls' Friendly Society showed that society to have a large membership, and the Men's Club commanded an attendance of 7,000 during the year. Constantly every day and evening some class, league, or order was holding its meeting in the parish house, the committee in charge of which that year issued its first annual report. The keynote of the choral harmony of the "free" religion was service. The object of the down- town Church was declared to be "to leaven mod- ern society with the spirit of brotherhood." "The Church is not here for its own sake. It is to bear witness and to spread a spirit,"-so believed those who heard and heeded the call of a Gos- pel which transmuted contemplation into action. As the months flew on, the Sunday School
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REV. ROBT. A. GIBSON Rector 1887-1897
REV. ALEXIS W. STEIN Rector 1898-1900
REV. FRANK H: NELSON Rector 1 900-
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grew in numbers and efficiency, classes were or- ganized for the profounder study of the Bible, aided by an illuminating lecture by Dr. Moulton, of the University of Chicago, and, in general, the letter which killeth gave way to the spirit which maketh alive.
The annals of Christ Church, in 1902, record in terms of deep grief and affection the decease of three of the most prominent and valued mem- bers of the Society and of the Vestry. One of these, Samuel Perkins Bishop, died February I, 1902, at the advanced age of ninety-five, having been indefatigable in his services to the parish for more than sixty years. He acted as vestry- man, trustee of the Endowment Fund, and was treasurer for twenty years. The reverential es- teem in which he was held is indicated by the words inscribed upon the tablet dedicated to his memory: "A man in strength, a child in spirit, a saint in life, he walked before God in all his ways." "
Day Clifton Shears, an honored member of the Vestry for five years, and a man universally regarded as a model citizen and a consistent Christian gentleman, died suddenly on March 27, 1902.
Larz Anderson, born January 9, 1843, ves- tryman and senior warden in Christ Church for twenty-four years, was all his life a member of the Church. For a long period he was superin- tendent of the Sunday School and, according to the testimony of William Lytle Foster, he was devoted to children, and, in turn, was loved by them, as he was by all who knew him. His death occurred on June 26, 1902.
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"On the afternoon of Easter Sunday, 1902, a stained glass window of beautiful design was un- veiled in the church, having been presented by the children of the Sunday School and mothers in the parish, in memory of children nurtured in Christ Church who have passed away from this life."
In the same year the parochial work of the clergy was greatly assisted by the accession to their force of a deaconess and her associate, Miss Theodora L. Paine and Miss Margaret Lloyd. After three years of most efficient service, Miss Paine resigned her position in Christ Church, having accepted a mission in connection with the Episcopal work in the diocese of Shanghai, China. Her place was taken by Miss Margaretta S. Grider.
The Rev. Mr. Melish resigned as assistant minister in 1904 to accept a call to become rector of Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, New York, and he was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Clyman Campbell.
The firm and unvarying attitude held by the rector in regard to the fundamental principles of Christianity and the functions of the Church of which he was the pastor is clearly stated in his annual letter to the parishioners for the year 1905:
"We are here to help make this city a Chris- tian city, in reality as well as in name. In every way that the eye of faith can discern, it is our calling to make men Christian, whether by social service, by political activity, by self-consecration, by preaching, by worship. We must interpret life everywhere by the light of Jesus Christ. No life
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is true that cannot bear that light. That is our faith. The Church exists not for the salvation of its members, but to enable them to bring the salvation of God to all men, to all the activities and interests of men. Therefore, we can never rest content, never feel that we are doing all that can be expected of us, until that work is at least being consciously attempted. How pitifully weak we are as yet is witnessed by the very small in- fluence the Church exerts upon the actual stand- ards of men. The great work of the world goes forward with little or no regard to the voice of the Church. Why? Because we Christians do not dare to condemn manifest evils, do not dare to preach the righteousness of Christ; because we Christians are too busy quibbling over definitions to speak strongly and clearly to the insidious and demoralizing commercialism that is rotting char- acter and dividing man from man; because we Christians are fighting each other and neglect- ing the great battle of faith against unfaith, of righteousness against unrighteousness. When the Church shall learn to put away self-seeking, and work in singleness of heart for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, its word will have power among men.
"May God give us strength here in Christ Church to labor in this spirit, faith to speak bravely and truly, love to serve unselfishly and gladly, hoping for nothing in return for ourselves, except more strength, more faith, more love, to use our great opportunity worthily."
Commenting upon the invaluable assistance which the deaconesses rendered to the clergy, as an integral part of the parochial staff, the rector
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explains that "In every organization among girls and women, in Sunday School and Society and Va- cation House, they play a part, and do an un- ceasing work, sometimes as head, sometimes as fellow workers. And then, in addition, they call, call, call-on the poor, the sick, the weary, the distressed. Thousands of calls each year they make, going from house to house throughout the parish. And to them come those in need; they minister to the needy, with money a little, with care and sympathy and trained understanding a great deal. And in addition they give instruction to the girls and women who come to confirmation, helping them to know and love the Church. This is but a little of the work of their ministry, for a ministry it truly is, and one whose value none can estimate."
The clergy was increased in 1907 by the com- ing of the Rev. William Henry Poole. In the same year it was announced that a signal and most unexpected benefaction was to be bestowed upon the parish, and indirectly upon the city, by Mrs. T. j. Emery, who, in memory of her late hus- band, proposed that an entirely new parish house should be built at her expense.
Of such paramount importance in the carrying on of the purposes of the ever-multiplying organ- izations co-operating with and extending the serv- ices conducted within the Church proper is it, that a detailed account of the essential features of the parish house erected mainly in 1908, and com- pleted January 30, 1909, is here given. The original building, three stories in height, was dedi- cated in February, 1900, and torn down in May, 1907, and the new structure covers the old lot
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and twenty-seven feet seven inches more to the east. The building committee consisted of Rev. Frank H. Nelson, rector of Christ Church; Mr. John F. Winslow, and Mr. Charles J. Livingood. The architects were Elzner and Anderson, and the architect's superintendent, Newton Tebow.
By the courtesy of Mr. Livingood, we have freely made use of a paper entitled "The Build- ing of a Parish House," which he read before the "Literary Club of Cincinnati."
"We took our lesson," wrote Mr. Livingood, "from many living models. The original parish house, which had been torn down to make room for this, had stood but eight short years, during which it served the highest of all purposes, the justification of an idea, yet by the end of that time it had not only been outgrown, which was the real reason for the rebuilding, but it had actually been outworn. The practical lessons we learned from it were these: that buildings settle, joints shrink, soft wood mars easily, plaster cracks, brass tar- nishes, corners gather dirt, and that of all build- ings of a public character the parish house must be made to withstand the greatest amount of wear and tear.
"In rebuilding Christ Church Parish House, the first problem, after the architectural design which was suggested by the church adjoining and developed into the beautiful projection before you, with the tower binding church and parish house together, was the problem of all problems, the choice of proper materials. To * secure a building that should be absolutely fire- proof, free from settlement and from shrinkage, unaffected by the vibrations of passing trolley
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cars, and, chief reason of all, a construction that would protect the church in case of a devastating fire, reinforced concrete was agreed upon as the best material.
"The building is practically a monolith. Its foundations are buried deep in the bed of gravel that underlies this section of the city. * * The curtain-walls are of brick, and the concrete itself is sheathed on the exterior with brick. * * The choice of a brick for the face of this par- ticular building was no easy matter. Red pressed brick was used in the old parish house, and their smoothness and evenness made too strong a con- trast against the adjoining church walls, which have become pitted with age and decay, present- ing a texture very difficult to match. * * The brick selected is of the 'corduroy' or ribbed variety, a novelty in this city. It is an Ohio product, the ribbing being an invention of a pro- fessor in the Ohio State University. The dark- brown color was intended to match the traditional painting of the church front, and it was hoped that the varying shades would produce a texture in harmony with the older brick work. * * For the stone trim on the exteriors good granite was used, Missouri red syenite taken from a well- known quarry thirty miles southwest of St. Louis. * * The roofs of the building are primarily great slabs of reinforced concrete, strong enough to uphold the heaviest blanket of snow.
If ever our city is free from soot, we shall have a roof garden.
"The parish house of an institutional Church is not only a club, but a social center or settle- ment, conducted under the auspices of the Church.
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"It has its lounging rooms, libraries, gymna- sium, baths and locker rooms, bowling alleys, bil- liard room, and play rooms, all especially de- signed for the comfort, convenience, and enter- tainment of its members who come and go at will or attend regularly in groups. Provision must be made for the accommodation of the individual and large aggregations, for young and for old, for both sexes. In this particular case there is within the building not only an office, where the business of the parish is conducted, but also the living rooms of a rector and his assistants, who may be called upon to render service at all hours. In this case, too, the Church, Sunday School, and Bible Classes are held in the auditorium, which during the week is given over to theatricals, danc- ing, entertainments, and lectures.
"Some of the special activities which find ex- pression in Christ Church Parish House are these :
"A Men's Club, of some six hundred members, which has its own room and library, where young men congregate as at a club, to read, write, chat, and take their ease, to play games and to be en- tertained.
"A Boys' Club of about the same number, with their own room, in which special efforts are made to occupy the mind or fasten the attention on healthful amusements, useful occupation of time, or drills, exercises, etc. (Both have the use of the gymnasium, but in season the activities of these two groups are transferred in a measure to the football and baseball field, to track athletics in the open air, and to a camp on the Little Miami. )
"A Girls' Friendly Society which, with its
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branches, numbers over six hundred, in whose suite of rooms a girl may come for rest and quiet in the noon hour, for entertainment at night with her associates, for sewing, chorus and dramatic classes, to learn to cook, to dance, to teach.
"There is a Woman's Club, a Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a Vacation School, and Kindergar- ten, etc., etc.
"In the auditorium of Christ Church Parish House we have a unique assembly hall for this city, in that it is on a level with the street. Its seating capacity is about 500. There are five exits, two of them directly to the sidewalk of an alley, and in addition there are two exits from the stage. On the alley side there are store rooms where supplies may be received by the wagon- load, thus affording a distributing center, not too public, for food and clothing in the event of a flood or similar disaster calling for prompt as- sistance to the poor of the parish. *
"While it is self-evident that all these oppor- tunities for rest and recreation must be limited to the use of the various organizations which call the parish house their home, the location of the building within the tenement and factory district, yet close to the business center of the city, brings with it many duties and responsibilities to the gen- eral public. Christ Church long ago realized this obligation. Its parish house has already become a vital factor in the social life of the community."
The new parish house was dedicated January 30, 1909, Dr. Stanger and others delivering in- teresting addresses, reminiscential and prophet- ical. The reorganized Parish House Committee consisted of Mr. H. N. Bacon, Mr. W. L. Fos-
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ter, Mr. J. W. Herron, Jr., Mr. Charles D. Jones, Mr. C. J. Livingood, Rev. F. H. Nelson, Mrs. J. J. Faran, Mrs. J. F. Winslow, Miss Dick- son, Miss Goodall, Miss Gordon, and Miss Alice Simrall. In their first published report they say : "It may be of interest to know that an average of fourteen hundred people meet in the building each week regularly, and that fifteen hundred men, women, boys, and girls meet in forty-eight classes in the gymnasium every month."
The rector, congratulating his parishioners upon "the most important event of the year," said: "It presents to us a great opportunity and a challenge to render vital service to the com- munity. For this building is far from being for our selfish convenience and enjoyment, or even for the benefit of the Church. It stands for the desire of the Church to do all it can to strengthen the life of the city, by offering a center for social intercourse, and so for social uplift. It is only as we know one another, only as we realize our essential unity, that we come to a knowledge both of the strengths and the weaknesses of our mod- ern life. There is no inspiration so great for strong living as the intimate knowledge of the fine way our fellow men in every walk of life are do- ing their work, meeting their temptations, bravely facing their problems. To realize our own one- ness with them is a privilege; to share the com- mon life, to enter into the common struggle, to fight the common evils, is the Christian calling. That is the opportunity and the challenge the par- ish house gives us."
Mr. Howard N. Bacon, who as a lay worker had joined the staff in 1908, was made manager
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of the parish house, and put in general charge of the organization for boys and young men. The complete list of Church organizations at the time embraced The Benevolent Society, The Woman's Auxiliary, The Chancel Guild, The Co-operative Society, The St. Giles Guild, The Church Periodical Guild, The Mothers' Meeting, The Woman's Club, The Men's Club, The Boys' Clubs, The Girls' Friendly Society, The Brother- hood of St. Andrew, and The Camp. These or- ganizations were of definite and positive value.
Rev. W. H. Poole, assistant minister, resigned his position December 1, 1909, on being elected rector of St. Paul's Church, Jackson, Michigan, and Rev. H. Boyd Edwards, a graduate of the Episcopal General Theological Seminary, was chosen his successor. Miss Grider resigned her place as a member of the staff in June, 1910, to accept from the Board of Missions an appoint- ment at Nenana, in Bishop Rowe's diocese in Alaska. About this time Miss Georgia Wilkie and Miss Margaret McGuffey were added to the staff in the place of Miss Lloyd and Miss Grider.
In the Year Book for 1910 the rector declares that "Christ Church is part of the city life," that it "lives not for itself, or to itself, but to give its best influence to the spiritual consciousness of the city. That is the underlying purpose of all its works, the end to which every organization seeks to minister." Some of the expressions of the highest life of the community which may expect the sympathy of the Church are mentioned, viz. : The Anti-Tuberculosis League, The Juvenile Court, The Fresh Air Society, The Kindergarten
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Association, The Public Schools, The Play Grounds, and Tenement House Reform. To- day the list is even longer.
On the sixth of November, 1910, in his sixty- fourth year, died Nathaniel Pendleton Dan- dridge, the eminent Cincinnati physician and sur- geon, a life-long member of Christ Church and for twenty-one years one of its vestrymen. He was a grandson of Colonel Nathaniel Greene Pendle- ton, who himself had served the Church twenty- three years as vestryman, junior warden, and senior warden. In a beautiful memorial tribute to Dr. Dandridge, prepared by his fellow mem- bers of the Vestry, they say: "In a sense he was born within the fold of Christ Church, a fact that may in a measure account for his singular devo- tion to her interests. To her support he gave freely and unfailingly of his means. The aid of his good counsel and wise judgment was hers al- ways. His broad-minded Christianity was con- spicuous, and his charitable disposition was an in- spiration to good in others. His charming per- sonality and nobility of character attracted to him hosts of admirers, and enabled him to exercise a powerful influence for good, which he never failed to exert. Not only ourselves, but this Church and community have sustained an irrep- arable loss, and thousands honor his memory."
Within the same twelvemonth that calendared the passing of Dr. Dandridge, the parishioners of Christ Church mourned the death of two of the former rectors : the Rev. I. Newton Stanger, who died in Philadelphia, March 31, 1911, and Rev. Alexis W. Stein, who died August 16, 1910, at Saranac Lake, New York.
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Mrs. Aaron A. Ferris, for many years an ac- tive member of the Church, zealously devoted to its higher work, died on December 22, 191I. She was on the board of managers of the Help- ing Hand Society and was long the treasurer of the Ladies' Benevolent Society. In a memorial tribute recorded in the Year Book, the rector says: "For all the years of her connection with the parish, she gave it her best interest and serv- ice. Her strength of character, her whole-hearted Christian faith, her fine integrity, were charac- teristics that endeared her to all her friends."
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