USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > History of Cleveland Presbyterianism with directory of all the churches > Part 2
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4. All Meetings of the Union, and of the Trustees, shall be opened with prayer. The order of business for the regular meetings of the Union shall be as follows :
I. Reading minutes of previous meeting and of the Board of Trustees.
2. Reports of the President, for himself and the Board of Trustees, and of the Secretary and the Treasurer.
3. Election of Trustees and officers, or filling vacancies among the same.
4. Reports of committees.
5. Unfinished business.
6. New business.
5. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Union. In his absence the Vice-President shall preside. In case of the absence of both a chairman shall be chosen for the occasion.
ARTICLE IV. TRUSTEES.
I. The Board of Trustees shall consist of eight members, chosen from among the members of the Union, at least one-half of whom shall be laymen. The Trustees shall hold office until their successors are chosen. The President, in addition, shall be ex-officio, a member of the Board and Chairman thereof.
2. Five members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
3. The Board of Trustees shall exercise the powers entrusted to them by law, and shall also exercise a general supervision over the affairs of the Union, and shall see to it that the action of the Union, constitutionally ex- pressed, is in all cases faithfully carried out.
4. No debt shall be incurred in behalf of this Union, except upon the unanimous recommendation of the Board of Trustees and with the ap- proval of the President of the Union, and all claims shall be approved by the Board of Trustees before payment.
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THE PRESBYTERIAN UNION.
5. The Board of Trustees shall meet at such times as they may de- termine, and as often as the interests of the Union may require. A special meeting may be called by the President or any two members of the Board, by written notice to all the members at least two days before the date pro- posed for the same.
6. The Board shall keep a record of all its proceedings, which shall be presented at every regular meeting of the Union for approval.
ARTICLE V. OFFICERS.
I. The officers of the Union shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall perform their respective duties under the direction of the Board of Trustees.
2. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Union, and shall sign in his official capacity all agreements, bonds, deeds, or other instru- ments of writing authorized by the Union to be made, entered into, or exe- cuted. All orders drawn upon the Treasurer shall bear his official signa- ture, and he shall perform, generally, all acts incident to his office.
3. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in case of his absence or inability to act.
4. The Secretary shall keep the Books of Record, both of the Union and of the Board of Trustees. All orders upon the Treasurer shall be drawn and signed by him, to be signed by the President also. He shall have custody of the corporate seal, and attach the same to all instruments requiring a seal, with his attestation thereunto. He shall be the custodian of the bonds of indemnity filed with the Board of Trustees by officers of the Union, and, generally, shall perform such other duties as are incident to his office.
5. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all uninvested funds, and of all securities and other papers of pecuniary value belonging to the Union. He shall, if required by the Board of Trustees, file a bond of in- demnity, satisfactory to them. No moneys shall be paid out by him, or valuable papers or securities be disposed of by him, except upon the writ- ten order of the President and Secretary, pursuant to action of the Board of Trustees.
ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES.
The following Standing Committees shall be appointed annually by the Board of Trustees at their first meeting after the Annual Meeting of the Union, the same to be subject to the control of the Board and to con- tinue to serve until the succeeding committees are appointed :
I. A Finance Committee, which shall consist of seven laymen, and shall have charge of the financial affairs of the Union. It shall be the duty of this committee to devise ways and means for securing adequate funds for the work of the Union. They shall, previous to the Annual Meeting, prepare a detailed statement for presentation thereat, of the probable
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
needs of the Union for the work of the ensuing year, and of the probable resources for meeting the same, including such assessments upon the Churches of the Union as may be deemed necessary, with such recommend- ations as they may deem proper, and it shall also be the duty of this com- mittee to secure and maintain the full membership of the Union including the collection of the annual membership fees. The President and Treas- urer shall be ex-officio members of this committee in addition to the seven laymen.
2 A Real Estate and Building Committee. This committee shall consist of five members, two of whom shall be ministers, and shall have charge of all real estate, buildings or apartments owned or controlled by the Union. They shall be responsible for the care and proper preservation of the same, including insurance, and shall certify to the Board of Trustees all bills for expenditures therefor. They shall ascertain and report upon available sites for any new enterprises that may be projected by the Union, and shall be on the alert to report to the Board of Trustees at any and all times when such sites are available in localities having need of increased religious advantages.
ARTICLE VII. CORPORATE SEAL.
The Corporate Seal of the Union shall consist of the words, "THE PRESBYTERIAN UNION OF CLEVELAND," in circular form and en- closed in a circle and surrounding the word "Seal" in the center thereof.
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS.
Amendments may be proposed at any regular meeting of the Union, which shall become valid upon receiving an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at any subsequent regular meeting of the Union or special meeting called for the purpose.
During the years of the existence of this Union, it has given aid to the churches of the Presbytery as follows: North Church, $8,634 ; Case Avenue, $5,466 ; Willson Avenue, $2,350; Beth- any, besides the building fund of $9,400, $9,050, a total of $18,450; South Church, $8,924; Madison Avenue, $3,000; Glen- ville Church, $1,120; Windermere Chapel, $1,400. The total amount paid to churches by the Union, as such, is about $50,000. Besides these sums of money, used almost wholly for current expenses, the Union has authorized the circulation of subscrip- tions which brought to the Woodland Avenue, Case Avenue, North and Beckwith Churches, in all, over $50,000. For Cal- vary, Bolton and Madison Avenue Churches no subscription was
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THE PRESBYTERIAN UNION.
circulated outside of the First Church, with the exception that in the North Church some money was raised for Madison Ave- nue. The Union is aiming to extend its membership to include all members of the churches, nevertheless its meetings are attended, as in the earlier days, mainly by the officers of the churches, but the denomination has so grown, that these alone make large and interesting meetings. Under its present form of organization the future of the Union cannot but be one of great power in the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom, through the exten- sion of Presbyterian Churches in the city of Cleveland. The officers at present are as follows :
President, Mr. L. H. Severance ; President Emeritus, Hon. T. P. Handy ; Vice-President, Mr. S. P. Fenn ; Treasurer, Mr. C. J. Dockstader ; Secretary, Mr. William A. Galpin.
Trustees-Mr. J. A. Seaton, Mr. J. W. Walton, Mr. A. Richardson, Mr. F. C. Keith, Mr. H. C. Whittlesey, Mr. James Robinson, Mr. O. N. Ferry, Mr. William A. Galpin.
The Presbyterian Club of Cleveland.
By the Secretary, Rev. Arthur J. Waugh.
Rev. E. Bushnell, D.D.
T INFORTUNATELY some obscurity envelopes the early history of this organization. The proceedings of the meetings were recorded in three volumes of minutes, the first of which is lost, owing to the death of the original Secretary, Rev. Anson Smyth, D.D. The writer re- gards himself as one of the char- ter members of the Club, but it is impossible to give the exact date when the organization occurred. He remembers to have attended some of the early gatherings as long ago as the Spring of 1881.
The objects of the Club have been social, literary and spirit- ual. The several pastors living in or near the city felt the need of personal touch, each with the other, and in a less formal manner than at the occasional gatherings of the Presbytery. Nor did the meetings of the City Ministers' Union serve exactly the purposes contemplated. They desired to know one another intimately as brothers in a great denomination, to come together in one another's homes, to dine together, to discuss matters of common interest, and to gather inspiration in a common toil. It was early decided that, in order to avoid publicity and to enjoy the greatest freedom of opinion and of-debate, the almost omni- present reporter should be excluded from the Club meetings. At the date to which we refer, scarcely a single church had the same pastor that it has to-day, although the entire membership of the Club has not changed.
Dr. Smyth, whom we have mentioned, although well along in years, was supplying churches as occasion required. Dr.
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THE PRESBYTERIAN CLUB.
3
Eleroy Curtis was in the church at Newburgh, while Dr. Arthur Mitchell had just entered upon his pastorate at the Stone Church. Dr. McGiffert had even then been many years at Ashtabula, where he yet remains and occasionally attends the meetings of the Club. Rev. J. Lovejoy Robertson ministered to the Euclid Avenue Church, and Dr. Gaston had just entered upon his pastorate of the North Church. Dr. Pomeroy was in the Second Church, and was one of the most active at the beginning in pushing the organization. The Woodland Avenue Church had just called Dr. Spining, while Francis A. Horton was the zealous pastor of the young Case Avenue Church. From Hudson came Rev. T. V. Gardner, who has recently rejoined the Club as pastor of the Glenville Church. President Carroll Cutler, of Western Reserve University, was generally present with us, and enter- tained us at his home. The church in East Cleveland, then called Collamer, was ministered unto by the Rev. Robert D. Scott, while our good friend Rollo Ogden was conducting affairs at Calvary Chapel. A licentiate of the Presbytery, W. W. Gist, sometimes came from his charge at Wickliffe. Revs. Peter Kimball, Milton A. Sackett, Henry B. Eldred, Dr. J. G. Hall, J. B. Allen, and J. A. Seymour, were also early members, and two of these brethren are yet with us. Rev. John H. Jones, of the First Church of Akron, occasionally came to the meetings. These, besides the writer, composed the Club in those days.
At the meetings of the Club, it is the custom to have a paper read by one of the members, appointed a month in advance. This follows the regular routine business and devotional exer- cises, and is itself followed by a more or less spirited discussion, it being often difficult to limit the same to the five minutes allotted to each member. As the discussion moves slowly around the room, it seems only to gather in animation and interest ; but the dining hour is the end of the intellectual contest, 'and the brethren then gather about the tables. After dinner the members disperse, only anxious for Luna to roll the month around. The meetings from the beginning have been held on the first Monday of the month.
The entertainment has always been provided by each of the brethren in turn, the host of the day sending out the invitations and program a few days preceeding each gathering. In the
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
early days of the Club, the social features of the gathering were more prominent than of later years. The brother entertaining formerly invited the Club to his home. Thus we were accus- tomed to meet, with some degree of regularity, one another's wives; but the meetings increasing in size and proving more and more a burden to the good housewife, the entertainers have gradually settled into the custom of receiving the Club at the Forest City House.
Original Presbyterian Club.
In the early eighties, Dr. Pomeroy was an adept amateur photographer. At a meeting of the Club, held at the home of Rev. F. A. Horton on Sibley street, Dr. Pomeroy took the above picture of the Club, the members being grouped on the lawn at the northeast corner of the pastor's residence. Counting the Doctor himself, we made thirteen. Five of the group have already passed over the river, and there they form a saintly company
29
THE PRESBYTERIAN UNION.
In the picture six of the company stand in the rear. They are, from left to right: Smyth, Robertson, Horton, Seymour, Ogden, and Gaston. Seated in chairs in front of these are Jones, Mitchell, Hall, Eldred, and Curtis. The present Secre- tary has a lower seat in front of Dr. Hall.
The minutes of the first meeting in the second volume may be interesting. They are in the handwriting of our jolliest member, Dr. Smyth. They are as follows :
"PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS' MONTHLY MEETING.
January 3, 1887.
Met at Forest City House as guests of Bro. McGiffert. Present, alphabetically arranged, Bros. Bushnell, Chester, Curtis, Cutler, Eldred, Gaston, Hall, McGiffert, Pomeroy, Robertson, Seymour, Smith, Smyth. Opened with prayer by Bro. Chester. On motion of Bro. Smyth, Bro. Bushnell was chosen Moderator for the current year. It was decided to elect a Secretary, and, on motion of Bro. Chester, Bro. Smyth was chosen. Bro. Pom- eroy was appointed to select topics for discussion at our future meetings.
On request, Bro. Cutler gave an interesting account of the state of religion in the countries of Europe which he had recently visited. The subject of City Evangelization was presented by Bro. McGiffert, and it was briefly discussed by others. Bro. Nehmeyer, pastor of the Reformed Church in this city, being present, was proposed for membership, and the matter was post- poned to the next meeting. The subject of Interdenomina- tional Comity was selected for discussion at our next meeting, and Bro. Pomeroy was requested to introduce the subject. After lunch it was voted to accept Bro. Bushnell's invitation to hold the February meeting with him, the place to be designated in his card of invitation.
Closed with prayer by Brother Smith.
Attest: ANSON SMYTH, Secretary."
Dr. John G. Hall was made the Secretary at the May meeting of 1887, and he served until January, 1892, when the present Secretary was elected. Dr. Bushnell became the Moderator of
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
the Club in January, 1887, and has served since that time. At the opening of 1896, the Club has twenty-eight members, They are as follows, the names being given in the order in which they en- tertain, and about the order in which they have become members: Revs. D. L. Hickok, A. C. Ludlow, Dr. H. C. Haydn, J. A. Seymour, Dr. J. G. Hall, Dr. Wm. Gaston, A. J. Waugh, J. D. Williamson, Dr. S. P. Sprecher, G. H. Dunning, Dr. E. Bush- nell, W. R. Stearly, J. C. Glover, C. L. Chalfant, Prof. M. M. Curtis, J. L. Roemer, Dr. J. N. McGiffert, C. L. Zorbaugh, J. S. Zelie, W. V. Chapin, T. H. McMichael, J. N. Wilson, Dr. R. G. Hutchins, A. H. Elder, W. L. Swan, F. F. Kennedy, T. Y. Gardner, and Dr. Paul F. Sutphen.
The meetings at the present time are largely attended, and are exceedingly interesting.
Mrs. Mary H. Severance.
Mrs. E. H. Huntington.
Mrs. J. D. Chambers.
Mrs. A. H. Potter.
Miss Julia Haskell.
Woman's Presbyterial Foreign missionary Society.
By Mrs. E. H. Huntington.
T HIS Society was organized September 10, 1873, although in reality it is the outgrowth of a society organized a year earlier, and called " The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Churches of Cleveland." This latter organiza- tion was effected June 12, 1872, in the parlors of the Second Church on Superior Street. The meeting was called to order by Dr. Goodrich, pastor of the First Church, who explained its object, and gave a brief history of Woman's Foreign Missionary Society which had been in existence for forty years in Cleveland. This society was organized in the Old Stone Church in 1833, and deserves passing mention. It met first at the homes of its mem- bers, and from its ranks there went forth missionaries in the
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
early years of its existence. Rev. Samuel Hutchings, who sup- plied the First Church one year, and his young wife went to Ceylon. Miss Sarah Van Tine married Dr. Adams, and went to Natal, Africa. Miss Kate Jennings married Rev. Mr. Parsons, and went to Armenia.
As other churches were formed the meetings were continued, letters were read from the Foreign Field, and busy fingers prepared boxes of clothing for the missionaries "The memory of this Society is numbered among the most cherished recollec- tions of Cleveland's early history." Of those venerable women, the founders of this "Parlor Missionary Society," but few remain, but their names are cherished by those who have taken up their pioneer work. Among them were Mrs. Gaylord, Mrs. Lathrop, Mrs. Starkweather, Mrs. Weddell, Mrs. Kelsey, Mrs. Shepard, Mrs. Foot, Mrs. Benedict, and many others ; while of the living, Mrs. Severance, Mrs. Converse and many others, bear witness to the zeal and inspiration which that time-honored Foreign Missionary Society awakened in the women of Cleve- land forty years ago.
With some regret its members saw the dissolution of their old Society, but gave their cordial support to the new one, which the needs of the work, and the growing city required. Mrs. Mary H. Severance was elected President of the new Society ; Mrs. George H. Ely and Mrs. E. H. Huntington, Vice-Presi- dents ; Miss Anne Walworth, Treasurer, and Mrs. H. G. Ham- mond, Secretary. Upon the Executive Committee were Mrs. H. C. Haydn, Mrs. Samuel Williamson, Mrs. H. R. Hoisington, Miss Mary E. Ingersoll and Miss Julia Haskell.
At the first annual meeting of this Society, the First, Second, Euclid Avenue, Woodland Avenue and North Presbyterian Churches are reported among the contributors, while "The Little Rill Band " of the First Church, and the "Ladies' Parlor Missionary Society" are credited with contributions. The receipts for the first year were $1,033. Of this amount $500 was sent to aid in the purchase of a building in Woodstock, India, to be used for a school for the children of missionaries, and as a health resort for their parents ; $45 was sent to support a pupil in Sidon, Syria, and $300 was given to the general fund
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WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAL SOCIETIES.
of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church.
At this first annual meeting the Rev. J. A. Skinner, pastor of the Case Avenue Church, proposed a change of "name and scope " of the Society, which should make it strictly a Presby- terial organization, and more in harmony with the existing methods of the Board of Foreign Missions. It was decided to effect this change ; a constitution was adopted and a committee was appointed to nominate officers under its provisions. Mrs. Mary H. Severance, who had so acceptably filled the office of President of the existing Society, declined to continue in office, much to the regret of its members. The officers were as follows: President, Mrs. E. H. Huntington ; Vice-Presidents, Mrs. J. N. McGiffert and Mrs. Eleroy Curtis; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. H. G. Hammond ; Recording Secretary, Miss Mary Otis ; Treasurer, Mrs. A. H. Potter.
The Society's first work was the support of Miss Mary P. Dascomb, in Paulo, Brazil, and an appropriation of $500 for missionary work in Mexico City. It was also voted to assume the support of a missionary to Ningpo, China, whenever one should offer. During the first year Mrs. Hammond resigned her office as Corresponding Secretary, and Miss Julia Haskell was elected to the office, which position she has filled to the present time. Miss Otis was succeeded by Mrs. H. S. Adams, as Record- ing Secretary, which office she filled until 1883, when her re- moval from the city compelled her to resign.
During the earlier years of the Society, quarterly meetings were held in connection with the meetings of Presbytery. The first occurred December 10, 1873, in Elyria. The Elyria Con- gregational Church was then connected with the Cleveland Presbytery, and much strength was given to the mission work by such experienced workers as Mrs. E. DeWitt and Mrs. Heman Ely. In order to bring the fiscal year of the Society into harmony with that of the Board of Foreign Missions, it was decided to hold the first annual meeting in April, 1874, at the Westminster Church. Twenty-one societies reported at that meeting. The minutes record that Miss Closson of Turkey addressed the meeting ; that Mrs. S. L. Severance gave a paper on Brazil, and Miss Metcalf of Hudson, Mrs. McGiffert of Ashtabula, Mrs. DeWitt of Elyria,
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
and Mrs. Cutler of Hudson, followed with addresses. In the evening, at the popular meeting held in connection with the Presbytery, Mrs. Dr. Haydn gave a paper on Mexico, followed by one from Mrs. McGiffert on China.
In May of that year, Miss Sellers was accepted as the mis- sionary of the Cleveland Presbyterial Society, and her outfit pre- pared by the different auxiliaries. In the autumn she went to Ningpo, China, but only for a short time was she permitted to work. Her health failed, and in 1876 she returned to America. Miss Dascomb, too, was compelled to return home to care for her parents, who were in infirm health. Miss Belle Marsh offered herself about this time, and the Society gladly adopted her as its missionary in Yokohama, Japan. Three years later Miss Marsh became the wife of a Baptist missionary and withdrew from the Presbyterian Board in 1878. Miss Fullerton went to Wood- stock, India, as teacher of missionary children and those of Eurasian parentage. The Cleveland Presbyterial Society assumed her support, which was continued until her return home in 1888 to care for her aged mother. Miss Bessie Nelson, daughter of Dr. Nelson, editor of "Our Church at Home and Abroad," was adopted by the Society in 1880, and soon after going to Syria she became the wife of Rev. W. K. Eddy of Sidon, where she is still teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ through the influence of her home life, as wife and mother.
During this year four scholarships were assumed in Brazil, at $ 100 each, and Miss Annie Johnson of Cleveland was accepted by the Society as its missionary. She became the wife of Rev. J. H. Laughlin, and went to China, but her brief, beautiful life soon closed, and in October, 1884, she was called to her heavenly reward, leaving the Society with only Mrs. Eddy as its mission- ary for several years, while it continued to pay to the general fund of the Board the larger part of its receipts. School work in Canton, under Miss Hattie Noyes, has always been sustained, besides the support of Bible-readers, schools, teachers and scholarships, in almost every country where Presbyterian missions have been established.
The year 1880 will always be remembered for the grand thank-offering, with which the Cleveland Presbyterial Society went in its own chartered car to Cincinnati to the decennial
Mrs. E. Bushnell.
Mrs. J. Craft.
Mrs. Eleroy Curtis. .
Mrs. E. DeWitt.
Mrs. John Ewart.
Mrs. Wm. Gaston.
Mrs. D. L. Hickok.
Mrs. W. H. Hower.
Mrs. G. G. Johnson.
Mrs. J. N. McGiffert.
Mrs. D. O. Mears.
Mrs. A. C. Miller.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND PRESBYTERIANISM.
meeting of the parent Society, with $1,200 as its thank-offering, over and above its usual gifts, making the receipts for the year, $3,595.
For thirteen years meetings of the Society were held quarterly. In 1885 it was decided to hold annual and semi- annual meetings only : the annual meeting to be held in Cleveland in April of each year; the semi-annual meeting in October in different parts of the Presbytery, upon invitation of the various auxiliaries. During the autumn of 1893, Mrs. Mary Schauffler Labaree went from Cleveland, where her father, Dr. Schauffler, resides, to Oroomiah, Persia, and to the great joy of the Cleveland Presbyterial Society, Mrs. Labaree became its missionary. Her bright, interesting letters awaken much interest in her personally, and make her support a privilege to be coveted. Of the Mission Bands under the care of this Society, perhaps the oldest is the " Band of Youthful Helpers" in the North Church, organized by the venerable Mrs. Hoisington, even before this Presbyterial Society existed. The present number of Mission Bands is fourteen, but seventeen Christian Endeavor Societies give their missionary offerings through this Society. These societies, with a membership of over 900, have largely taken the place of the former Young Peoples' Societies and the Mission Bands. There are now twenty-eight auxiliary societies connected with this Presbyterial Society, and in the time of its existence this organization contributed more than $70,000 to the work of Foreign Missions.
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