USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > A history of the Harriet Hollond Memorial Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Pa. > Part 6
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of succeeding ages. The worshipper whose heart is open to the touch of the beautiful here gets soul-ennobling sermons other than those preached from the sacred desk, and he re- ceives benedictions as divine as those from the lips of the pastors. Hopeless, indeed, must be the lot of him who heedless of the teachings of Christ through his ministers, also feels no longings for better things when God speaks to his innermost being through these matchless creations of art.
In each of the four gables of the church is a large rose window, twenty-one feet in diameter.
THE
Perhaps the most beautiful of these is the one in the east gable,
EAST ROSE WINDOW directly back of the pulpit. It
is a masterpiece of decorative art, and cannot fail to excite the admiration of all beholders. Over the little oriental town of Bethlehem in the center shines out clear and bright the Star of the Nativity ; and although we cannot see the manger, nor hear the sing- ing, we instinctively feel, with Dr. J. G. Hol- land, that
There's a song in the air ! There's a star in the sky !
There's a mother's deep prayer And a baby's low cry ; And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king !
WEST ARCADE WINDOWS
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There's a tumult of joy O'er the wonderful birth, For the Virgin's sweet boy Is the Lord of the earth. Ay, the star rains its fire, and the beautiful sing, For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king !
In the light of that star Lie the ages impearled ; And that song from afar Has swept over the world : Every heart is aflame, and the beautiful sing, In the homes of the nations, that Jesus is king !
We rejoice in the light, And we echo the song That comes down through the night From the heavenly throng.
Ay, we shout to the lovely evangel they bring, And we greet in his cradle our Saviour and King !
In four of the sixteen segments which radiate from the center, are flame colors that represent, or rather suggest, the Cross, and in the inter- mediate segments are groups of happy cherubs flying toward the town. There are thirty-six of these beautiful figures, and they are so naturally and gracefully arranged as to relieve the work of all suggestion of stiffness. A wrapt expression of holy joy and adoration is on each face, and, as we look, our thoughts turn reverently to the deathless night of long ago when o'er the Judean plains was heard
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"the heavenly host praising God and saying, ' Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ' The artist has happily caught the inspiration of the hour and through his masterful skill the song still trembles on the air and falls as a benediction on all hearts that worship the Father in spirit and in truth in this his earthly temple.
Though immediately back of the pulpit the coloring is so skillfully modified that even in the brightest morning light the speaker is never thrown into shadow. The window was made by Alfred Godwin, after designs of Frederick Wilson. It is a memorial from the women of the church to Charles E. Morris, " whose faithful service and inspiring leader- ship in the past history of Hollond made the new church possible."
The rose window in the west gable was designed and executed by Maitland Armstrong, a master of color in glass. In
THE WEST ROSE WINDOW view of the intricate stone tracery, which is altogether different from that of the east window, it was necessary to follow purely decorative designs, with no attempt at illustration. The many colors, in which the pale warm reds predomi- nate, are artistically blended. The glow of the afternoon sunlight is needed to display its beauty to the best advantage.
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In this window an interesting effort has been made to illustrate the "fruits of the Holy Spirit." The central figure rep-
THE resents the ascending Christ, with NORTH ROSE WINDOW hands raised in benediction. Im- mediately above, is the descend- ing dove, indicating the coming of the Holy Spirit after the departure of Christ from the earth, as foretold in the fourteenth chapter of St. John. Angel ministrants surround the as- cending Lord, while in the larger circles beyond, the fruits of the Spirit-" Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance,"(Galatians, 5 : 22, 23)-are represented by figures of mor- tals. It was a brilliant conception which thus so successfully blended the divine, the angelic, and the human in this very intimate but dis- tinct relationship. This window also was made by Alfred Godwin from drawing by Frederick Wilson. It is a memorial to a sister of Mr. Robert C. Ogden, Mrs. Helen Ogden Wood.
The stone tracery of this window is exactly similar in design to the one in the north gable. At present it is filled with plain
THE glass painted to harmonize with SOUTH ROSE WINDOW its general setting. This paint- ing has been done so well as to make a surprisingly good appearance. It is hoped that this glass will, at no distant day, be
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removed and its place taken by a handsome memorial.
Under each of the four rose windows is a group of five arcade windows. Those in the north, south, and west walls are
THE about three feet wide and eight
EAST ARCADE
WINDOWS feet high. The windows in the east wall are somewhat smaller. This difference was made necessary by the location and design of the choir, which is between them and the pulpit. From the floor of the choir to the base line of the arcade win- dows the wall is covered by an oak wainscoting, and the diminution of the windows was com- pelled by this decoration, and by the necessity of keeping all exterior light above the pulpit and choir. The design used in these windows is, in the main, merely a decorative, geometri- cal pattern, and is alike in all, slight variations in the color of the several windows giving moderate contrasts. In the arch at the top of each window is a cherub's head, serving to associate the thought of the music below with that of the heavenly host represented in the great rose window just above.
These windows complete the memorial to Charles E. Morris, of which the east rose win- dow is, of course, the important part. Alfred Godwin was the maker.
Under the north gallery is a group of five
SOUTH ARCADE WINDOWS
...
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attractive windows. The figures, while not original in design, are of such
THE exquisite workmanship as to
NORTH ARCADE WINDOWS make one quite indifferent to the fact that they are copies -especially is this true when we learn that they were made from models, designed by the master hand of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, now in important English churches-the central one being from a church in Brighton, and the others from Salisbury Cathedral. The win- dows are of a highly decorative character, and are all idealized angelic figures of the type for which Sir Edward is distinguished. The rich and harmonious coloring was the work of Alfred Godwin, who followed the originals in design but adapted the color scheme to the location of the windows and to the general light of the church.
These windows are all memorials. The first on the left is to the memory of Elizabeth C. Williams (1860-1884) ; the second was pre- sented by the Thoughtful Circle of King's Daughters to the memory of Samuel M. Kennedy (1853-1893); the third was given by Miss Penrose's Sunday-school class to the memory of Dr. Paden's brother, Henry Armine Paden (1857-1892); and the fourth and fifth are memorials of Alice Slaymaker (1867-1896), and Bertha M. Slaymaker (1864-1877).
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A pathetic interest attaches to the Slaymaker sisters. They were not connected with Hollond. Dr. Miller was the friend of one of these ( Alice), and he visited her frequently during her long illness. She was a great sufferer but the peace of her heart was never shadowed. Her sister also lived a joyous Christian life, brief though it was. When both had gone home, there were some precious savings which were to be devo- ted to whatever sacred use the parents might designate. They were given to the new Hol- lond building, and being put at interest, the sum grew to five hundred dollars-the cost of the two memorials.
The five arcade windows in the west wall were the gift of the King's Daughters, and are no less beautiful illustrations of
THE the loving ministry of the donors
WEST ARCADE WINDOWS than they are of the perfection which may be attained in the art which gave them being. They vividly depict the different scenes described in Matthew 25: 35, 36: (1) "I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; " (2). "I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; " (3). "I was a stranger, and ye took me; " (4). "Naked, and ye clothed me;" (5). "I was sick, and ye visited me." The fidelity to detail is marked, and indicates close study on the part of Mr. Frederick Wilson, the designer. There is a delicacy of execution
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and a strength of expression rarely to be found in works of this character.
This group is under the south gallery and is considered by many to be the finest in the church. In the first is a figure
THE representing St. Matthew, and
SOUTH ARCADE
WINDOWS is a memorial to Benjamin John Cooke (1820-1873); the second is St. Mark, and is in memory of Mary Langley Cooke (1825-1882). Mr. and Mrs. Cooke were the parents of Mr. William L. Cooke, our church treasurer. The third represents St. John, the design being taken from Thor- valdsen's famous statue. It is a memorial to Mary Burnside Morris (1813-1891), the mother of Mr. Charles E. Morris. The fourth contains the figure of St. Luke, and the fifth, that of St. Paul. These last two are memor- ials to Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ogden, the parents of Mr. Robert C. Ogden.
After examining these windows carefully, a gentleman visiting the church said: "I have seen the leading cathedrals of Europe and have closely observed many of the windows, but I have nowhere found finer work in glass than is represented in these five figures of .the apos- tles." All, with the exception of the St. John window, are from originals by Frederick Wilson, and the entire five were executed by the Tiffany Decorative Company.
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This fine window is in the north vestibule and represents John the Baptist, with the in- scription, "Prepare ye the way JOHN THE BAPTIST WINDOW of the Lord." The figure of the Baptist has remarkable force and power, and the accessories are in entire accord with the historic surroundings of the subject. It was presented by the Minis- tering Circle of King's Daughters. A tablet to the memory of Miss Marie Meares, who died January 4, 1897, and who was one of the most faithful and devoted members of this active Circle, is placed on the window.
The windows under the east end of the south gallery were erected by Mr. and Mrs. James C. Taylor to the memory of their four children-Lizzie V., John OTHER WINDOWS C., Annie Morris, and Harriet Hollond. These windows were the work of Alfred Godwin, and have for their design lilies and passion flowers, surrounded by beautiful ornamental work.
In the lobby leading to the north gallery is an interesting group of four windows, repre- senting St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Uriel and St. Gabriel. Mr. Wilson, who designed them, and Mr. Godwin, who made them, have reason to be proud of their work. The St. Michael window perpetuates the memory of Mary Eliza- beth Blodget (1830-1888); the St. Raphael
PREPARE
KArot 11G
L.ORD
rdie Kines Damobters.
JOHN THE BAPTIST WINDOW
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window is a memorial to Emma M. Smith, who died October 3, 1883; the St. Uriel win- dow is in memory of dead members of the Armstrong Class; and the St. Gabriel window keeps alive the memory of Samuel B. Stewart, who was born May 9, 1865, and died Septem- ber 29, 1885. Young Stewart was a beloved and faithful worker in the church and school, and was preparing himself for the work of the gospel ministry, when the Father called him to a higher life and a nobler service.
Our church becomes nearer and dearer to us all as we see on every side these beautiful me- morials of a deathless love, through which the light of heaven falls as a benediction, and by which we catch faint suggestions of the bright- ness surrounding those who now walk in " the city that hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God doth lighten it."
The organ is one of the finest in the city and was made by Haskell, the famous builder, at a cost of $8,500. "It is divided
THE and stands on either side of the ORGAN chancel, with the key-box and choir-seats arranged between. The separate parts are connected by tubular pneumatic action. Particular attention has been paid to the acoustics of the building, and the position the organ occupies-the strength
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of the various qualities of tone being most admirably balanced. The instrument, as a whole, is a representative one of the perfection to which the art of organ-building has been advanced. It is in every way worthy of the edifice in which it stands.
"One of the important features of the instru- ment is the Haskell patent register keys. This device does away with all draw stop knobs, and, in connection with the Haskell patent combination and crescendo attachment, effects an entirely new and distinct method of registration. The register keys consist of a row of alternate sharps and naturals, of the same scale as the manual key-board ; they are situated just above the swell keys. The natural keys bring the stops on and the sharps take them off. By pushing down a natural the stop is drawn and remains down until released by the depression of its corresponding sharp. In this way the player can readily see what stops are on and what are not. The register keys are grouped together to avoid confusion, and each is engraved on the front with the name of the stop which it controls. They can be operated either singly or in com- bination as desired, as by a single motion of the hand one can be drawn and another pushed off, or a group of stops can be drawn by a single stroke.
NORTH GALLERY LOBBY
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" By the application of the patent combina- tion and crescendo attachment, the player ob- tains a control of the instrument which hereto- fore has not been attainable, being enabled thereby to bring on or take off any number of stops desired. It also acts as a crescendo, drawing one stop after another until all stops are drawn, and pushing them off in the same manner, without the lifting of a finger from the key-board to effect this orchestral crescendo and diminuendo ; thus effects in registration, which have heretofore been sacrificed for the sake of preserving the harmony of the composition, can be produced without loss of time and wholly without the aid of the hand. Although the resources of this pedal are almost unlimited, its operation is extremely simple.
" On each side of the pedal is a flange, situated in a convenient place to be operated by the toe of the shoe. These flanges bring the crescendo into action-by pressing the one to the left to bring the stops on, and the other to the right to take them off. Any number of stops can be brought on or taken off at once by placing the pedal in position before pressing the flange to the right or left.
"On the main board, over the keys, is an expression indicator which shows the exact position of the pedal, so that the player can tell at a glance how much of the organ would
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be brought on or taken off by the motion of the foot to the right or left.
" The bellows is fitted with large horizontal acting feeders, which are operated by an eight- inch Ross hydraulic motor, situated in the cel- lar, thus furnishing a full supply of wind at all times. In this organ each chest is provided with its reservoir, or regulator, giving to each part of the organ the proper pressure, and in- suring absolute steadiness in the wind. The scales and voicing of the pipes, on which mainly depend the success of the instrument, are of the highest order of excellence."
The organ has three manuals, thirty-eight speaking stops, with six couplers ; seven com- bination pedals, a complete pedal scale of thirty notes, and 2314 pipes, ranging in length from two inches to sixteen feet.
Mr. Russell King Miller, son of the Rev. Dr. J. R. Miller, was the organist from the dedication of the building to 1898, when he resigned to accept a similar position in the First Church, Germantown. His successor was Mr. D. E. Crozier, who was the organist of Princeton Chapel during the two years pre- ceding his graduation from the college in 1886. He studied in Chicago under W. S. B. Mathews, and in Paris under Guilmant. From 1886 to his coming to us in 1898, he was the organist of the Market Square Presbyterian Church,
D. E. CROZIER
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Harrisburg, Pa. He has exceptional taste and ability, and easily ranks among the foremost performers of the city.
The land (100 feet on Broad street and 200 feet on Federal street, including the entire distance from Broad to Juniper
TOTAL COST OF streets), which was secured at
BUILDING different times, cost $21,833.33 ; the building, including complete furnishings, approximates $120,000.00-mak- ing a total expenditure, in round numbers, of about $ 142,000.00. Property has greatly ap- preciated in value since the land was purchased. It is estimated that the entire plant, including the chapel property, is now worth nearly a quarter of a million of dollars. It is hoped at no distant day to erect a commodious building on the lot back of the church, which shall furnish ample accommodations for the manifold organizations now helping in carrying forward the work.
The following resolution was adopted at a congregational meeting of the Tenth Presby- terian Church, held May 24th,
TENTH CHURCH LEGACY
1893:
" Resolved, That when the
property at Twelfth and Walnut streets be sold, $75,000 of the money be appro- priated to the Hollond Presbyterian Church- $35,000 of the same to be applied to the pay- ment of the church indebtedness, and $40,000
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to be held as an endowment fund, protected by the language of the deed of the Tenth Presby- terian Church, which is as follows : 'Provided always that they shall adhere to and maintain the mode of faith and church discipline as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presby- terian Church in the United States of America.' "
At a congregational meeting of the Hollond Memorial Church, held on the 5th of June, the following action was taken on the resolution adopted by the Tenth Church :
"Resolved, That the Harriet Hollond Mem- orial Presbyterian Church accept the proposal of the Tenth Presbyterian Church to transfer to the use of the Harriet Hollond Memorial Church, from the proceeds of the sale of the property at the north-east corner of Twelfth and Walnut streets, the sum of $75.000, upon the conditions named in the communication containing the proposal, and subject to the language of the deed of the Tenth Presbyterian Church, as follows : 'Provided always that they shall adhere to and maintain the mode of faith and church discipline as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.'" It was further
" Resolved, That the thanks of the Hollond Church are due and are hereby tendered to the Tenth Church for the generous Christian spirit displayed in the liberal assistance in the work of the Hollond Church proposed by the Tenth Church in its recent action."
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The following extract, relative to the bequest of the Tenth Church, is from the annual report (January, 1896) of Mr. William L. Cooke, our treasurer :
"On April 8th, 1895, the board of trustees of the Hollond Memorial Church received through its treasurer, from the trustees of the Tenth Presbyterian Church, deeds for the chapel property at the corner of Federal and Clarion streets, free of all encumbrance ; a check for $35,000 ; mortgages to the value of $5,500, being the Boardman Trust-also check for $279.40, being the accrued interest on the same to date ; deed for ten burial lots in Wood- land Cemetery, and certificate of two shares of stock in the ' Woodland Cemetery Company.' At the same time, the Philadelphia Trust, Safe Deposit and Insurance Company, as trus- tees, received $40,000 as an endowment fund for the Hollond Church."
DEVELOPMENT
In his fourteenth anniversary sermon, deliv- ered on Sunday morning, October 3rd, 1897, Dr. Paden said :
" God has brought our church into a large place. Situated as we are in one of the world's great cities, and at one of the great life-centres of that city, we have a field which is exceeding broad. There are more immortal souls within a half hour's walk of this church than there are scattered over the whole area of a half dozen of our newer western states. Moreover, our force is phenomenally large ; there are as many members in Hollond as there are in the whole twenty-three Presbyterian churches of Utah. As for our church property, it is worth almost as much as all their church property combined. Few congregations in this great and wealthy city have finer accommodations for 'whosoever will,' and none have freer.
" Much of this enlargement has come to us during the last fourteen years. Fourteen years ago, this church did not own an inch of property ; it did not own the building in which it worshiped. The school was still almost en- tirely supported by the mother church ; some
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DEVELOPMENT
$1,300 had been raised toward a building fund; this was every dollar of assets the church had in hand ; but she had faith and hope, and the favor of God. This favor was manifested in innumerable ways, most notably in the end by his stirring the workers and the members of the church with the spirit of liberality and by his guidance of the mother church in the mak- ing of her last will and testament. Now, our church property and endowment represent capital to the amount of a quarter of a million dollars. We have enough members to fill the church and to carry on its work with notable efficiency, if our people will only rise to their privileges and their possible spiritual power."
The following figures, taken from the minutes of the General Assembly, show the membership of the church on the first of April of each year since its organization :
1882 .
259
1891 . 754
1883 .
310
1892 .
775
1884.
341
1893 825
1885 .
360
1894
1,005
1886
460
1895
1,090
1887 .
502
1896
. 1, 105
1888 .
562
1897 . 1,164
1889 .
660
1898
. 1, 170
1890 .
697
1899
ยท 1, 170
Although there has been a net gain of only 6 since the report of 1897, yet 125 persons-71 on profession of faith and 54 by letter-have
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DEVELOPMENT
united with the church since that time. The losses by deaths and removals have almost equalled the gain.
Our growth, when compared with that of other churches, has been gratifying. In 1882, when we had 259 members, there were 41 larger congregations of our Presbytery ; in 1883, 36 ; in 1884, 26 ; in 1885, 27 ; in 1886, 20; in 1887, 15; in 1888, 13; in 1889, 9; in 1890, 10; in 1891, 8 ; in 1892, 7; in 1893, 5 ; in 1894, 2; in 1895, 2; in 1896, 2; in 1897, 2; in 1898, 1; in 1899, I.
The following table gives the number of persons received to the church each year :
On Profession.
By Letter.
Total.
1882
79
19
98
1883
55
21
76
1884
45
18
63
1885
44
2I
65
1886
81
42
123
1887
59
31
90
1888
99
33
132
1889
88
43
131
1890
52
26
78
1891
47
36
83
1892
56
35
91
1893
60
15
75
1894
83
92
175
1895
75
49
124
1896
36
29
65
1897
76
43
119
1898
52
20
72
1899
19
34
53
Totals 1, 106
607
1,713
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DEVELOPMENT
It will thus be seen that 1, 106 persons have united with the church on profession of faith and 607 by letter, making a total of 1,713. If we add the original membership-229-we have a grand total of 1,942 persons whose names have appeared on our church rolls be- tween March, 1882, and April, 1899. The difference between 1,942, the total membership, and 1, 170, the present membership, is 772- the number of names which for various causes has been removed from the roll. In a floating congregation, such as ours, this number is not unduly large. It is pleasant to know that many of those who have removed from us are now giving helpful service to other churches.
203 adults and 571 children have been bap- tized. The Sunday-school reports this year (1899) a membership of 1, 176, making it, with one exception, the largest school of the Pres- bytery. The total congregational collections aggregate $215,co0.00.
These figures represent only the numerical growth, which, let it never be forgotten, should mean but little in any church when compared with the spiritual. The religious organiza- tions, however small in numbers, which laid the foundation of the world-wide usefulness of such men as Moffat and Livingstone, Duff and Brainerd, have been instrumental in rendering an infinitely nobler service to God and to
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