USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > After eighty years of the organization of the First Presbyterian Church > Part 4
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"Old First Church" in Columbus.
A FORMER PASTOR'S GREETING.
BY REV. ROBERT J. LAIDLAW.
As I have been kindly introduced as a former pastor of the church, I will take the liberty of a friend, and speak freely and without premeditation. I feel a deep interest in the prosperity of this church, and in the best welfare of the city that has grown up around it. Nearly fifteen years ago I came to make this city my home. On the 22d of September, 1871, I was ordained to the office of the ministry by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery of Columbus in this sacred place-a place that will always be pe- culiarly dear to me. Just fourteen years ago to-day it was my happiness to lead my wife into this church, a young bride. We began our home life among you, and during the four years of our stay formed attach- ments so strong that our hearts still turn toward Columbus, Ohio, more fondly than toward any other place.
If I now speak in a paternal sort of way, and say any word that may seem like a word of needless ad- monition, you will kindly charge it to the account of the pastoral feeling I still cherish toward you. Fol-
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lowing in the line of the remarks just made by Dr. Smith, and knowing the earnest desire that is in the heart of every one of the Presbyterian pastors of the city, I would propose the question : Has the growth of Presbyterianism in Columbus during the past ten or fifteen years kept pace with the rapid growth of this flourishing city? Some twelve or thirteen years ago there were four Presbyterian churches here, with an aggregate membership of somewhat less than one thousand communicants. The whole population of the city was then not more than forty thousand. Now the city's population has grown to seventy or seventy-five thousand, and there are still the same four churches, with two missions recently begun, and with a total membership of a little more than one thousand. The pastors of these churches hope to see Presbyterianism making more rapid strides in the immediate future, and are extending their plans and church operations so as to have their hopes realized. But they cannot accomplish this work alone. The re- sult will depend upon the co-operation of the people of their respective charges. Let me provoke you to good works by speaking a little of my own city. For the past eight years I have been the pastor of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, in the city of Hamilton, Canada, a city which during these years has grown only from thirty-one thousand to forty thousand
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
inhabitants. During these eight years two new Pres- byterian churches have been organized, and the membership of one of the others has more than dou- bled. In that city of only forty thousand inhabitants there are seven Presbyterian churches, with an aggre- gate membership of two thousand eight hundred (2,800) communicants. There are, besides, eight Methodist churches, several of which are large ; seven Episcopal churches, of like size and strength ; one or two Baptist churches, with two or three missions; a Congregational church, with one mission ; two large Roman Catholic churches ; a Jewish synagogue-and, in short, all the religious denominations are fully represented. If you ask me how it is that there are so many flourishing churches in that city, I need only say it is because there are many. Religion is conta- gious. Churches are mutually helpful. Like trees in the forest, they draw each other heavenward. Plant one church in a city, and it will not have influence enough to advertise itself and its work so as to com- mand the support of the community. Plant another, and church life and work will be more spoken of, and, therefore, better advertised, to say nothing of more important spiritual results. But still there may be need for another, and another, and another, up to the limit that is reached when the whole population has been overtaken. Six Presbyterian churches in this
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city should flourish better than four, and perhaps eight better than six. There are beautiful new streets and avenues, with no Presbyterian church or Sunday school within easy reach. Already you have recog- nized the fact that this state of things must be rem- edied. I have said that this edifice is very sacred to me. Yet if it were necessary that this dear old church should be removed, to be within more convenient reach of the new homes of the great majority of its members, while I could not but regret to see it pass away, who would allow any sentiment of attachment to either the building or its site to stand in the way of the advancement of Christ's Kingdom ! But it may, perhaps, not be necessary to have this church re- moved. Let the congregation divide, amicably and on equitable terms, so that those going out would take with them the blessing of the mother church, and while the new organization would soon grow strong, sacred associations would help to gather new members to the old church to take the places of those who had gone. This we have seen take place elsewhere, and why not here? But I have confidence in your wisdom and zeal, and know that this question will receive the attention it demands, and will be answered in the way that will best serve the interests of Presby- terianism, and of religion in general in this large and prosperous city. Should we be permitted to meet
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"Old First Church" in Columbus.
again in coming years, I trust it may be to look back with devout gratitude to this memorial day, bearing our testimony that it was the day on which a fresh impulse was given to the progress of the Presbyterian cause in this city, resulting in the planting of new churches, or of old churches in new fields, where their growth will be vastly greater and more gratifying than could be possible under the continuance of pres- ent circumstances.
I have made these remarks unsolicited by any of my brethren, and without their knowledge of my in- tention to speak as I have spoken, for I have spoken without premeditation, using the liberty of a friend in remembrance of your kindness to me in the first years of my ministry, and the kindness of your pastor in urging me to come to rejoice with you on this inter- esting memorial occasion.
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MONDAY SERVICES.
Again Monday evening a goodly congregation joined in the commemoration services of the occasion.
The pastor spoke of the lessons of the hour, and the many reasons for thanksgiving and gratitude this congregation had; and especially that eighty years ago the Lord had His servant, James Hoge, to organ- ize a church in the wilderness, and plant the vine which had borne in the past, and was continuing to bear, such abundant fruit.
The following hymn, used in the service thirty years ago by the congregation which assembled to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the church, was read by the pastor, and sung :
[From Sternhold & Hopkins' Collection (1609). Tune : " Coronation."]
Attend ye people, heare and learne, E'en of our fathers old, And which for our instruction Our fathers have us told,
That they and their posteritie That were not sprung up tho' Should have the knowledge of the lawe, And teach their seede also --
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
That they may have the better hope In God that is above, And not forget to keep His lawes, And His precepts in love.
Friends and pastors of neighboring churches were present with their greetings. Rev. Drs. Trimble, Gladden, Mullenix, Craft, and Rev. Mr. Aylesworth and Laidlaw, took part in the service.
After prayer, and singing the hymn,
" Oh, God of Bethel, by whose hand Thy people still are led, Who through this weary pilgrimage Our fathers all were led,"
Rev. Joseph M. Trimble, D. D., the Nestor of Methodism among us, was introduced, and responded in these words :
My Dear Friends of the First Presbyterian Church : I am glad to be with you to-night to share with you the pleasure of your eightieth anniversary greet- ings. I have known something of your history, especially of the ministers who have served you in the Lord. It was my privilege to know the venera- ble Dr. James Hoge, the founder of the church, who served it so long and so well. I heard my Grandma Trimble speak of entertaining him in her log cabin before I was born. I met him first in Hillsborough, on a visit to his brother, the Rev. Samuel D. Hoge,
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the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that village. I met him afterward when a student in the Ohio University. He was a trustee of the University from 1823 to 1852.
I was stationed in Columbus for two years, from September, 1840, to 1842, where I was privileged to renew my acquaintance with the venerable Dr. Hoge, and share his friendship and fellowship. I returned to this city in September, 1860, and had the opportunity of renewing our adquaintanceship. He was a man I highly prized for his many virtues, his useful life and his moral influence upon society. The extent of his usefulness will not be known in this world. The future world will alone reveal it. I was privileged to attend the services held in this church, where his many friends and admirers were gathered to pay their last loving tribute to his worth, and to participate in the services. I have known all the minister save one (Rev. Hall), that have served you as pastors, and have been privileged on several occasions to fill your pulpit. Why may I not join you in the services of this interesting occasion, bringing to you the fraternal greetings of the church of my fellowship ?
May the Great Head of the Church grant you so abundantly of His grace that your future prosperity may be even more abundant than your past.
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
Dr. Gladden brought the greetings of the Congre- gational brethren.
Rev. N. A. Craft, D. D., spoke for Wesley Chapel in an eloquent and friendly speech.
The pastor contrasted the Ohio of 1806 and the Ohio of 1886 in the elements of civilization, the energy of modern thought, the progress of ideas, the wealth of invention. He gave reminiscences gleaned from Mrs. Isabella Hunter, the oldest living member of the church, and read the following letters and telegrams:
THE UNIVERSITY OF WOOSTER. WOOSTER, O., Feb. 4, 1886. To the Rev. Francis E. Marsten :
DEAR SIR AND BROTHER: Thank God that it was not written of the church: " And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away ;" but rather: "Thy days shall be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," and " thy sun shall never go down!" Thank God that the church by which the generations live in Christ, lives after them and for the "generations yet to come," to show unto them as they come, "the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that he hath done." Psalm lxxviii.
Allow me to congratulate the church not only
.
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upon the fulfillment of God's promises, but upon its own fulfillment of their conditions. Among these varied activities it is fitting that I should signalize the effective interest now being taken by the church in the completion of a memorial to its own venerable founder, in connection with an institution of which he may be called the father. I return to the assembled congregation the hearty acknowledgments of those specially charged with the duty of pressing that enterprise to a successful conclusion, and ven- ture to ask that somewhere among the sentiments which refer to the church he loved, and as indicat- ing its pride in his wisdom and foresight, one may be proposed signalizing his influence in planting the Synodical University he so faithfully cherished.
Sincerely yours, SYLVESTER F. SCOVEL.
RICHMOND, VA., Feb. 8, 1886.
Rev. Francis E. Marsten :
My heart is with you in this service. I wish I could be with you in person.
MOSES D. HOGE.
110 EAST NINETEENTH ST., NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 1886. 5
MY DEAR BRO. MARSTEN : I should like to be
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"Old First Church" in Columbus.
with you on Monday next and Tuesday, to join in your commemoration. May God abundantly bless the First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, and you, its pastor.
Yours very truly, HOWARD CROSBY.
FIRST CONG. CH. PARSONAGE, NORWALK, CONN, Feb. 5, 1886. 5
MY DEAR MARSTEN : I am just in receipt of your spiritually appetizing menu for the Sth inst. at the First Presbyterian Church, and would be glad to share in the feast of such fat things as I know you and your people will prepare. I am glad that "if by reason of strength you are fourscore years, your strength is not labor and sorrow," but that peace and prosperity attends the rejuvenation which you so richly have secured to the church.
I do not forget that I had a voice in the advent of the successful pastor, nor the many courtesies so ever received by me at your church ; so I do not cease to plead for you and your church the crowning blessing of our Lord in the great benediction.
Though I am speaking from a congregational par- . . sonage, yet I find that my heart reaches out to the Presbyterian Church, which I served, with such hap- piness to myself, with a warm and loyal affection, and
-
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no less because it numbers in its ministry so valued a friend and brother, my love for whom is so shared by the venerable church that now celebrates its eighth decade.
Hoping to see you again during this coming sum- mer, and with hearty love to the family, as ever, your sincere friend,
EDWARD ANDERSON.
CONGREGATIONAL HOUSE 1 SOMERSET ST., BOSTON, Feb. 5, 1886.
Rev. Francis E. Marsten, Columbus, Ohio :
DEAR BROTHER : I have this morning received a programme of the exercises connected with the eight- ieth anniversary of the organization of the First Pres- byterian Church, Columbus, Ohio. It would give me very great pleasure to attend that anniversary, in view of my interest in the pastor and his family. The exer- cises themselves will not be lacking in interest. But it is rather a long journey for one to take at this sea- son of the year, and this difficulty of locomotion, this confinement of our spirits in temples of clay that are not easily transferred from one point to another, stands in the way of many of our greatest enjoyments. Bye and bye we shall not be so hindered, and may have ample time and opportunity to consider at length
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
all such occasions and the great interests connected with them.
Grateful for your kindly remembrance, and with best wishes for the happiness of yourself and house- hold, and ever growing influences and power in your church,
Very sincerely yours, N. G. CLARK.
REMINISCENCES OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
BY MRS. REBECCA L. AWL.
My father, John Loughry, came to Ohio in 1816, with a view of locating in its capital. Finding a Pres- byterian Church organized in Franklinton, with a. pleasing young pastor, Mr. James Hoge, he concluded to make Columbus his home.
In the fall of 1817, he brought out his family from Indiana, Pa. I was then eight years of age. Our residence was on High street, between Friend and Mound streets. I remember, the following spring, I walked to Franklinton, a distance of a mile and a half, to attend "meeting" in a brick house built by Mr. Lucas Sullivant.
Our first church building on this side of the river was erected in 1818, on Front street. The entire:
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structure, support and furniture, were of walnut, the only timber to be obtained then in these parts. Father superintended the construction, and was one of the ten men who subscribed one hundred dollars each for that purpose, and it was a big sum for that period. Soon after its completion, my school teacher, Miss Reed, a New England lady, who taught us in an upper room of a relative's dwelling, on Friend street, suggested there should be a Sunday school connected with the church. She consulted with several ladies, my mother one of the number, and obtaining their hearty co-operation, she advised them to solicit dona- tions from the merchants and young men in business. Here we note the antiquity of the unwelcome mode of raising funds for the church and charitable objects, which everyone avoids. Money being scarce, a book- seller, Mr. Kilbourne, offered red-covered pocket Bibles in exchange for colored maps that were in demand in the State. Several of my companions and myself painted enough to become possessors of the whole Bible, the Sunday school affording only Testaments, and Bibles were considered great prizes. Small tracts were given us for learning verses for each Sunday. Mrs. Andrew Backus, mother of Mrs. McElvaine, of this church, was my first Sunday school teacher, and, as long as she lived was a faithful friend who never forgot her pupils.
MAUGHLIN
SECOND CHURCH ERECTED IN COLUMBUS, "OLD TRINITY IN UNITY."
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
I recall an event that caused great excitement in our little community about 1819 or 1820. A young man named Amos Rathbone was drowned in the Scioto river. His relatives were Methodists, and they had but a small house of worship. Our church- " three in one," as it was called, on account of the spacious audience room, under three pointed roofs- offered their building to them for the funeral services. The house and surrounding grounds were crowded with sympathizing friends and curious strangers.
I united with the Presbyterian Church in 1829, in Danville, Ky., while attending Dr. Birch's Female Seminary. Elizabeth Hoge, afterwards Mrs. Dr. Noll, of Mobile, Ala., united at the same time. Shortly after this I was married, and went to Somerset, Ohio. Remained there till 1833, when Dr. Awl concluded to move to Columbus. We brought our "letters " to the church of my girlhood. It had changed its loca- tion to the present site, and was increased in propor- tions and in membership. The walnut benches and pillars of the Front street building were transferred to the basement for the use of the Sunday school, and subsequently two of the posts were given to my hus- band, who used them to support a grape arbor, and they stand in that place yet, and bid fair to celebrate their centennial of durability.
Except one year's sojourn in Dayton, my connec-
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tion has been with this dear old church since 1833, and I rejoice to celebrate this eightieth anniversary with young and old, surprised to find I am the only surviving member of the congregation of 1817, and thank our Heavenly Father, who has blessed me in seeing its growth, prosperity and usefulness, and trust He will bless us and future generations as in years past, and many through it may find the way to ever- lasting peace and joy.
February 8, 1886.
REBECCA L. AWL.
HISTORY OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
BY MISS KATIE GARDNER.
It is greatly to be regretted that the records of the Sabbath school of this church have not been pre- served.
For this reason we can not vouch for the perfect correctness of dates and statistics. In the absence of these, we have been obliged to depend upon the mem- ory of a few of the elder members of the church.
About as early as the year 1810, Dr. Hoge gathered and taught the children of the vicinity in his own house, getting such assistance as he could. But with this effort his brethren found fault, because he per-
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
sisted in devoting a part of the time to teaching them to read and spell. There being no public schools at that time, and very few educational opportunities for the poor, the young pastor very wisely proposed to use a portion of the time to so doing. This his breth- ren thought too secular for the Lord's day, and his efforts were finally abandoned.
About the year 1818, the regular church school, which still exists, was formally organized, with a care- fully prepared constitution and by-laws, similar to the one still in use by the school. Its founder was a woman, Miss Sarah Reed, the teacher of the select day school of the then small town. It is very evident, from subsequent results, that the mantle of this hum- ble servant of the Lord fell upon her sisters in the church, for it is a significant fact that in all succeed- ing years this school has been faithfully served and nourished by earnest Christian women, and we think the record from that day to the present will show a predominance of them as workers there over those of their brethren.
A complete list of the Superintendents who were the successors of Miss Reed has not been kept, but we are able to recall the honored names of Mr. Henry Jewett, Mr. Peter Campbell, Mr. Ralph Osborne, Miss Richardson, Rev. Mr. Mccutcheon, Mr. Isaac Dalton, Mr. Moses Hoge, Mr. Abial Foster, Mr. Horace F.
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Huntington, Mr. William Blynn, and Mr. Thomas Moodie. Of these, none are working with us now.
In 1855, Mr. Alfred Thomas was the successor of Mr. Moodie, and continued to fill the place with great acceptance to the school for eighteen consecutive years. At the end of that time he gave up the posi- tion for that of teacher of a young men's Bible class, at which post he is still enabled to labor.
In 1874, Mr. C. A. Bowe, who was then Assistant Superintendent, succeeded Mr. Thomas, and held the office one year. He was not only faithful in his duties as Superintendent, and successful for one young and inexperienced, but added greatly to the prosperity and enjoyment of the school by training the voices of the children in hymns of praise, and by personal visits to the sick and the poor, and kindly sympathy with the little ones.
Mr. Henry C. Noble followed Mr. Bowe, in 1875, and continued to fill the place with great favor until October last, when he yielded to an urgent request to take charge of a Bible class, after a faithful service of ten years.
Upon his resignation, the school unanimously elected Col. Peabody, who, although a comparative stranger among us, is not a stranger to the interests of the Sabbath school, and has entered heartily into the work here.
1
ELDER ALFRED THOMAS.
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" Old First Church" in Columbus.
The school was first held in a frame house on the bank of the Scioto river, near the corner of Town and Front streets. Of those in the school at that time we find only the names of two scholars-Rebecca Loughery, now Mrs. Dr. Awl, still a serviceable and beloved member of the church, ever active and use- ful, and bearing fruit in old age, and Isabelle Dalzell, now Mrs. Joseph Hunter, who, though once an active Christian worker, has been called aside to the quiet of a sick chamber, where she has still glorified her Master by patient endurance and submissive waiting.
When our present church edifice was built, in 1830, the basement of the same, then about six feet below the street, was finished for the occupancy of the Sab- bath school, and, in contrast with former accommoda- tions, this new room was considered an excellent ex- change, although some present here to-night can well remember the brick floor and the little narrow win- dows, which admitted only a dim light upon the sun- niest day. The doors were painted a dark red, and the seats, which were like huge boxes, being of black walnut, gave the room a most gloomy appearance. Those rude benches, which were in striking contrast with the tasteful little settees of to-day, were the pews of the former church, and though only suitable for grown-up people, were removed to the new room for the use of the children. They were about eight feet long,
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with straight backs so high that the young heads could not be seen above them, and upon each seat was nailed a square piece of black tin, bearing in bright yellow figures the number of the class. At one end of the room were placed two large, close, sheet-iron stoves, which served the double purpose of warming the basement and the church above. A small cup- board, capable of holding two or three hundred vol- umes, contained the limited library, which consisted, not of pretty stories, with their attractive titles and bright bindings, but generally of exaggerated memoirs of pious children, who came to an early grave, or the lives of reformers and martyrs, and books of like char- acter, the reading of which could never interest or profit a child. These books were invariably bound in dark blue, black or marbled paper bindings, the sombre effect of which was in perfect keeping with the gloomy furniture of the room.
Next to the great improvement in Sunday school books stands the marked advance in Sunday school music. Although it was always the custom to open the school with singing, the sweet voices of the chil- dren were seldom heard, as both the time and words were far beyond their comprehension. Such a thing as a musical instrument never made its appearance in our school until the year 1859, and as our aspira- tions were not extravagant in those days, we were
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