USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > A history of the Harriet Hollond Memorial Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Pa. > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
On Sunday, June 15th, 1884, the importance of a new building was brought directly to the attention of the people, and in the giving that followed there were many touching evidences of the devotion of all to the work. Through subscriptions received that day from the church and the school, the fund was increased to $7.178.21. This sum, with $5,000 from the estate of the late Rev. Henry A. Boardman,
82
THE BUILDING FUND
D.D., was sufficient to pay for the land, with quite a little sum left over for the building. Soon after, the lot on the south-east corner of Broad and Federal streets was purchased-Mr. Amos Dotterer, a trustee, advancing $3,600, Mr. W. L. Cooke $1,400 and Miss L. S. Penrose $1,coo, until the subscriptions should be paid in. These subscriptions were nearly all paid before the close of the year.
The purchase of the lot was an important forward movement, and greatly increased the interest of the congregation in the work. The fund continued to grow. A "Garden Party" at Mr. William L. Cooke's was highly successful; the Mite Society, of which Miss Lydia S. Pen- rose was the president, was organized about this time and was of material help; a contri- bution was received through Mr. James Whyte, a valued teacher, from the Sunday-school of Ayr, Scotland; Chinamen in San Rafael, Cali- fornia, "out of their poverty found something to send as a kindly response to a gift pre- viously sent to them from Hollond; " the An- sonia Clock Company and the New Haven Clock Company sent contributions through Benjamin J. Cooke, a scholar in Professor Edward MacHarg's class; members of the Tenth Church made liberal subscriptions ; many friends manifested their interest by substantial donations; and, best of all, the
83
THE BUILDING FUND
people themselves, by far the larger number being poor or in moderate circumstances, made splendid sacrifices in order that the needed funds might be obtained.
We have spoken only of some of the begin- nings; it would be difficult to mention all the sources through which assistance came at various times. To those familiar with these anxious days of preparation it seems as if human love and self-denial were intertwined with every stone and added to the sacred- ness of every portion of the beautiful struc- ture which has since been erected to the glory of God and for the advancement of his kingdom here among men. It was almost a literal re- production of the golden time of Isaiah when, "They helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother, ' Be of good cour- age!' " Brave-hearted boys and girls, striving to make meager salaries meet life's necessities, denied themselves that the work might go on; toil-worn men and women, struggling with the grave problems of existence, forgot themselves and their needs in their devotion to the general good; followers of many creeds, with disinter- ested generosity, helped to make the burdens lighter; and natives of many lands, by their practical sympathy and aid, attested the brotherhood of man. Is it any wonder, then, that we now glory in the freedom of
84
THE BUILDING FUND
our pews, and welcome all visitors, without regard to race, creed, or social condition, to share with us in the privilege of worshipping God in our temple beautiful !
Among the friends of the church who gave $250.00 and over to the Building Fund and whose names do not appear on our list of members, are the following: Mrs. Gustavus Benson, $500.00; Col. R., Dale Benson, $500.00; John S. Bispham, $250.00; John H. Converse, $500.00; Robert Creswell, $500.00; Miss Cres- well, $300.00; A. Boyd Cummings, $5,000.00; Thomas Dolan, $500.00; William L. DuBois, $1,000.00; W. W. Frazier, $500.00; Mrs. Louis R. Fox, $1,000.00; B. W. Greer, $500.00; George Griffiths, $500.00; Mrs. Charles E. Morris, $4,000 ; Jonathan Ogden, $500.00 ; Mrs. Slaymaker, $500.00; Estate of Miss Mar- garet Smith, $500.00; James Spear, $500.00; Charles N. Thorpe, $500.00; R. S. Walton, $650.00 ; Thomas B. Wanamaker, $2,500 ; John Wanamaker, $5,000.00.
In his ninth anniversary sermon, delivered in the chapel on Sunday morning, October 2d, 1892, Dr. Paden thus spoke of some of the early plans for the new building:
"My best conceptions of the mission of this church have come out of the development of the church itself. When I came here nine years ago, I had no overmastering desire to
85
THE BUILDING FUND
enter upon the work of building a new church. I thought the chapel quite equal to the field; when I found out better, my first thought was to compromise with the Lord, and advocate the building of a little church against the chapel. It would cost less and save time, said Prudence. But the Lord checkmated that scheme by refusing to interfere with the blacksmith shop on an adjoining lot. He probably knew that it was a better place for a blacksmith shop than for a church. Then we said: It's expensive-too expensive; but per- haps we would better buy the Broad street property; there is nothing to hinder us from building an inexpensive church, even if we are obliged to build it on a costly lot. We set out to build a thirty-thousand dollar church. We soon found, however, that we could not build a church that would suit the field, even on paper, for thirty thousand dollars. We screwed our courage up to the thought of raising forty thousand dollars; and a committee was asked to look about for a church to suit the field and our faith. Meanwhile, our ideas were expand- ing, our hearts enlarging, and the resources and responsibilities of the young church be- coming more evident. As one of the conse- quences, the committee came back with some of the disillusionment a mother experiences when she goes to the store one of these autumn
86
THE BUILDING FUND
days with her strapping fifteen-year-old boy. She takes money to pay for a boy's suit, and finds out that nothing will suit him but men's styles and sizes. So our committee came back, saying: We cannot build a church of the size and sort we need for the Hollond force and field for forty or fifty thousand dollars. They thought it might be done for sixty-five or seventy thousand, without trimmings ; but, what was more to the point, they were ready, and they found the trustees ready, and the trustees found you ready, to undertake the building of the best church we could plan for the force and the field, whatever the cost. Ir
all this I believe the Lord has directed our steps. He has directed us in our delays. He has directed us in the development of our ideas; and if we have done wrong in going beyond the forty-thousand dollar limit, the Lord has already given us double for all such sins. He has given us eighty thousand dollars, and we have every sign of his continued favor."
The trustees, under the inspiring leadership of Mr. Ogden, and helped and encouraged always by the pastors, gave the most pains- taking and unwavering oversight to the many serious and perplexing problems which so con- stantly confronted them at this period. With a faithfulness worthy of the highest commen-
87
THE BUILDING FUND
dation, and with a devotion which should never be forgotten, they sought to the utmost of their ability to secure the plans of a build- ing which would combine beauty and comfort with churchly dignity and durability, and which would be in every way worthy of the commanding position it was to occupy. In this, as events proved, they were signally successful.
THE NEW BUILDING
The ground for the new building was broken by Mr. William L. Cooke, chairman of the building committee, at 5 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, October 23, 1889. Drs. Paden and Miller, Dr. William Brenton Greene, Jr., pastor of the old Tenth Church, and Mr. Robert C. Ogden, also took an active part in the service. Soon after, the cellar was dug and the heavy foundation walls placed in position.
On Saturday afternoon, May 31, 1890, the corner-stone was laid by Dr. J. R. Miller, with impressive ceremonies, in the
CORNER- presence of a large gathering of
STONE
LAYING happy people. Dr. Paden made a brief address of welcome, Dr. William Hutton offered a prayer, Dr. J. C. Thompson read the scriptures (I. Peter, 2 : 1-9), Mr. Robert C. Ogden made a "statement of progress," Dr. William Brenton Greene, Jr., delivered an address, Dr. Paden announced the contents of the box to be placed in the corner-stone, the stone was laid by Dr. Miller with prayer,
HOLLOND MEMORIAL CHURCH
89
THE NEW BUILDING
Dr. Charles A. Dickey made an address, and Dr. Willard M. Rice pronounced the benediction.
The following articles were placed in the box :
Bible; Confession of Faith and Shorter Cate- chism; Book of Worship of Hollond Sunday- school; programme of the ground breaking of the building; Memorial of Charles E. Morris; short history of the church ; programme of the laying of the corner-stone; Westminster Teacher ; "In His Steps," by Dr. Miller ; bronze medal of the Centennial General As- sembly; medal of the Centenary of Presby- terianism in the United States; rules of the Ministering Ten and of the King's Daughters, with the talent envelope used by Dr. Miller's Sunday-school class in collecting for the build- ing fund; description of work at Hollond, by Dr. W. M. Paden, as given at the Buffalo Con- vention; roll of officers and teachers of the Sunday-school; constitution and roll of officers of Young People's Association; roll of officers of missionary societies; roll of officers of the church; prayer-meeting topic card; brick book collection envelope; American flag; postal card and stamps; Presbyterian Journal; The Presby- terian; New York Observer; Sunday School Times; The Independent, four copies, contain- ing a full discussion of the Revision question;
90
THE NEW BUILDING
morning and afternoon papers, and the Ledger almanac.
Dr. Paden, in concluding the reading of the list, said, "Many of these are small things, but as the mark of the bird's wing in the sand- stone has made history so may some of these little things."
At a meeting of the congregation held on Monday evening, February 13, 1893, to pass upon the series of resolu- tions presented for consideration FREE PEWS relative to the system to be adopted in reference to sittings in the new church when it should be com- pleted, it was heartily and unanimously re- solved that all the seats should be absolutely free and unassigned. This had been the policy of the church from its organization.
The following article, from the pen of Dr. Miller, appeared in the New York Evangelist, on the 23d of the same month. It admirably presents the case in all its bearings :
"The subject of 'free pews' has excited considerable interest in this city as well as elsewhere during the past year. Reference has already been made in this correspondence to the Hollond Memorial Church, as being thoroughly committed to this plan of support and benevolence. During the twelve years of its history it has worked along this line with
91
THE NEW BUILDING
constantly improving results and with growing satisfaction among its people.
" Mr. Robert C. Ogden has been identified with this church from the beginning as super- intendent of the Sabbath-school, elder, and president of the board of trustees. Mr. Og- den's views on the subject of 'free pews' are well known, especially through his admirable address on the subject a year ago, which was published by the Fleming H. Revell Company, and has had a wide sale.
" The Hollond Church system is not only no pew rents, but no pledges of any sort. En- velopes are used, and each member contributes each Lord's day, as the Lord has prospered him and his own conscience dictates, he and the treasurer alone knowing how much he gives.
" The new church building of this congrega- tion is approaching completion, and the ques- tion has been under consideration, whether the pews shall be assigned to families and others, by lot or otherwise, or whether no assignment whatever shall be made. The subject has had patient and careful thought, and has been much discussed among the people. The decision has been reached that no assignment of any pews or sittings shall be made. The whole house will be free-as free to the stranger coming in any Sunday as to the member who has
92
THE NEW BUILDING
been longest in connection with the church.
"This is practically a new departure, at least for Philadelphia; indeed, it is doubtful whether any Presbyterian church in the coun- try has tried the experiment, and its working will be attentively watched by many people. The decision of the church on the matter at the congregational meeting held on the 13th inst. was unanimously made. The people them- selves settled it without any urging or per- suading by any advocate whatever. The feel- ing is that any assignment of pews, however qualified, would be an encroachment on the absolute freeness of the church, which must be maintained as a cardinal principle of its organ- ization and system. As a matter of fact, there is no doubt that most of the families and mem- bers will practically settle down in a little while into certain pews, where they will habit- ually sit. But as there has been no assignment of the pews, no one can assert a claim to any sitting, however long he may have occupied it. No person coming into the church at any time and having been shown into a pew, need fear that he is in any other person's place, for no- body will have a place which is his own. Re- spect will, of course, be paid by regular wor- shippers to the preferences and habits of fellow- worshippers. The ushers, too, will regard the desires of families and individuals as far as pos-
EAST ROSE WINDOW
93
THE NEW BUILDING
sible, not putting strangers into pews which they know to be ordinarily occupied by mem- bers, unless it be necessary to do so. Then it is to be hoped that the spirit of hospitality will be so thoroughly developed and so practically dominant that they will think always of others, not of themselves, taking the place of hosts in the house of God, not of guests, and giving to any one who enters the door a true welcome in the name of the Lord. For, after all, whatever the method of church support, and whatever the manner of distributing the worshippers in the pews, the members of the church are re- sponsible for the character of the welcome given to strangers. In a free pew, as well as in one rented at the highest price, an occupant can freeze a visitor by a look, if the inhospit- able spirit be in his heart. The only way to make a church with free pews and unassigned sittings, or any other church, a place where anybody will feel at home, is to have the spirit of love, the mind of Christ, ruling among the people."
Many causes combined to prevent the com- pletion of the building at as early a date as had been anticipated, and the trustees were often compelled to have re- DEDICATION course to " wise and masterly in- activity." The work, however, though slow at times and often delayed, was
94
THE NEW BUILDING
done thoroughly. At length, to the great joy of all, there came
" A day in golden letters to be set Among the high tides of the calendar,"
when the hopes of the building committee were to have glad fruition and the patience of the congregation was to be richly rewarded-the eventful day of occupancy, Monday, October 16, 1893!
On Sunday, October 15, the last preaching services were held in the chapel. Heaven never gave to earth a more beautiful day. The room was crowded. In the morning Dr. Miller preached from the texts: " Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20: 35; " Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope." Ps. II9: 49.
In speaking of those who once were with us, he said: "They labored, suffered and died before they saw the finished work. They did their part, and passed to their reward; the work has fallen to us. Their hands are folded now, but we must not fold our hands until our work is done."
In the evening Dr. Paden preached from Ezekiel 3: 12, " I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place." The sermon was
95
THE NEW BUILDING
largely made up of readings from reminiscent letters written by those who had long labored for the church. The benediction was pro- nounced at five minutes of nine o'clock, and at 9.23 the last lingering worshipper had de- parted, the lights were extinguished, and the building was left alone with its memories. It continues to be used for Sabbath-school and prayer-meeting purposes.
On the next evening, Monday, October 16th, the dedicatory services, which were delight- fully helpful and interesting, commenced in the new church and continued throughout the week. At his own request, the beautiful plants with which the building was decorated were contributed by a member of the Roman Catho- lic Church. The pulpit Bible also was pre sented by a friend of the Roman Catholic Church "as a mark of his appreciation of the kindness members of Hollond had shown to him and his family." The communion table was a gift from Mr. John D. McCord.
The first sermon was by Dr. Miller, and his text was from Heb. 13: 8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." " That name," said Dr. Miller, "is far above all others for salvation, for help, for comfort, for refuge. In the hour of tempta- tion it is a name of strength ; in the hour of trouble, of need, of pain, it is a name of hope.
96
THE NEW BUILDING
Compared to it all other names fade as the stars before the sun. Christ in his person is always the same. Before his incarnation, as now, he felt the same ardent love for sinners on earth. He is the same to the world ; no man spake as this man; His words are eternal. He is the same ; unchangeable ; in redemption the light of the cross shines down through all ages. Men may come and go, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day and forever."
Addresses were made by ex-Mayor Edwin S. Stuart and Mr. R. C. Ogden. Tuesday even- ing was devoted to the interests of the Chris- tian Endeavor Society. Addresses were made by Dr. William M. Paden, G. S. Benson, Esq., and the Rev. J. T. Beckley, D. D., pas- tor of the Beth-Eden Baptist Church. Mr. Charles A. Hoehling was installed as presi- dent of the Christian Endeavor Society. Wed- nesday evening, there were greetings by the Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D. D., pastor of Chambers Presbyterian Church, and a sermon by the Rev. John R. Paxton, D. D., of New York. The sermon on Thursday evening, was by the Rev. Dr. Charles Cuthbert Hall, of Brooklyn. Mr. Leonard E. Auty, the famous tenor soloist, sang. The benediction was pronounced by Dr. W. C. Cattell. Ad- dresses were made on Friday evening by the Rev. James D. Paxton, of the West Spruce
NORTH ROSE WINDOW
97
THE NEW BUILDING
Street Presbyterian Church, Rev. H. L. Duh- ring, of the Episcopal Church, and the Rev. S. W. Dana, D. D., of the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church. Mr. Murray Chism and his sister sang duets. The church was filled to overflowing at every service. The weather during the entire week was delightful.
The dedicatory sermon was preached on Sunday morning October 22d, by the Rev. Dr. Paden, from the text : " Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all are yours ; and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's." I Cor. 3 : 2I-23. Among other things he said : "Par- tisanship is carnality, not piety." "When will we learn that there is nothing essentially pious either in swearing by or swearing at Luther or Loyola, Calvin or Wesley, Spur- geon or Newman, or Martineau ? Christianity is not loyalty to human leadership, but loy- alty to Christ." "Thomas a Kempis, Bun- yan, Rutherford and Woolman, do not belong to the Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians or Quakers ; they belong to us all. All things are yours." " This is not the church of St. John, or St. Paul, or St. David, much less of St. Calvin, or St. Wesley ; it is the church of Christ."
98
THE NEW BUILDING
" A Protestant church ? Yes ; but Chris- tian first, Protestant second. A Presbyterian church? Yes; but Christian first, Protestant second, and Presbyterian with what is left over." "We have at one communion re- ceived members by letters from seven different denominations. Our enlistments by confession come from homes of almost every denomina- tional congregation. We receive all alike on the one condition : 'Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, manifest in Godly sorrow for sin, and in a Godly life.' Our question is not, Are you a Paulite, or a Methodist, or a Presbyte- rian, or a Baptist; but, Do you want to fall in with us in our following of Jesus Christ ? You can no more keep a man out of Christ's Church, for the cut of his theology, than you can for the cut of his coat."
" The Christian Church must be as broad as Christendom. Christian character must be as broad as life."
At 2.30 in the afternoon, 1300 out of 1500 scholars marched from the chapel into the new church. After the doxology, the first hymn sung was, "Come, Thou Almighty King." Addresses were made by Dr. Willard M. Rice, R. S. Walton, Esq., and the Hon. George S. Graham. Mr. Walton's helpful talk was on, " Mind the steps," his three stepping stones being, "Be true ; be trusty ; be noble."
NORTH ARCADE WINDOWS
99
THE NEW BUILDING
The closing services of the dedication were held in the evening, Dr. Miller presiding. The keys were delivered to Mr. Robert C. Ogden, chairman of the trustees, by Mr. Wm L. Cooke, chairman of the building committee. Addresses were made by the Rev. Louis R. Fox and the Hon. John Wanamaker. Madame Suelke sang, and a congratulatory letter was read from the Rev. Wm. Brenton Greene, Jr., D. D., who was unable to be present.
The day, which had been cloudy, ended with a down-pour of rain. The church, how- ever, was filled to its utmost capacity.
Mr. William L. Cooke wears on his watch chain a highly-prized gold dollar which was presented to him during dedication week by Dr. Paden. This dollar was given to Dr. Paden on the day the ground for the new building was broken and is marked with that date-" Hollond Memorial, October 23d, 1889."
The new church is of noble proportions, and is without doubt, the most imposing structure of its kind in South Philadelphia.
THE NEW The outer walls, which have
BUILDING a frontage on Broad street of ninety-four feet and a depth of one hundred and nine feet on Federal street, are constructed of Ohio buff Massilon stone, with trimmings of red sand-stone from the
100
THE NEW BUILDING
famous Ballochmyle quarries of Scotland, the two colors most happily blending. The two entrances on Broad street are through vesti- bules sixteen feet square, lighted by handsome memorial windows. There is also an entrance, through a vestibule, on Federal street. The roof, which is covered with Roman tiling of a bright rich color, forms a most harmonious contrast with the walls and is strikingly at- tractive.
A massive stone tower, 150 feet in height, adds greatly to the artistic appearance of the building, and is one of the most conspicuous land-marks on South Broad street. The church is cruciform in shape, and of the Ro- manesque order of architecture. In its interior construction the architect, Mr. David S. Gen- dell (assisted by Mr. Thomas Jamieson as supervising architect) while yielding to the modern demand for a square amphitheatre, happily retained all the desirable features of an ecclesiastical building, many of which are so conspicuously lacking in the churches of the present day.
The heavy oaken pews, beautifully uphol- stered, are arranged in semi-circular form, and give the church a seating capacity of 1, 200. The inner roof is of the open timber construc- tion, and is finished in oak, as are all of the interior decorations. Even the smallest details
IOI
THE NEW BUILDING
of the work bear evidence of beauty, strength, and durability. The building is heated by steam and lighted by both gas and electricity -the latter was used for the first time on Sunday evening, July 31st, 1898. The fix- tures were made by Cornelius & Rowland from specially prepared designs. A comfort- able, well-appointed study is at the left of the pulpit.
The following appeared in the Presbyterian Observer of February 7th, 1895 : "One of the best and latest works of modern architects is the Hollond Memorial Church. For harmon- ious proportions, intricately carved woodwork, rich and suggestive stained glass windows and appropriate furnishings, this building is not surpassed, and, so far as I know, is unequaled in Philadelphia."
The most earnest and painstaking attention was given by the trustees to the windows, which represent the supreme
THE efforts of the best stained-glass WINDOWS artists of Philadelphia and New York. Tiffany, Armstrong, and Godwin have here their finest conceptions crystalized in stone and glass. On every side are figures of saints and apostles, angels and arch-angels, produced in all the marvellous combinations of coloring which have made the works of the old masters the wonder
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.