USA > Rhode Island > Newport County > Newport > Annals of Trinity church, Newport, Rhode Island, 1821-1892 > Part 14
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To the Corporation of Trinity Church :
The Rector of Trinity Church, seeking to promote the in- terests and peace of the Church, respectfully begs leave to offer, in brief, the following plan ;- premising that if this outline meets the wishes of the Corporation, there will be no difficulty in ad- justing any details afterwards.
Ist. He proposes that an efficient Assistant be appointed, whose duty it shall be to preach during the absence of the Rec- tor, and specially to aid him in the other duties of the Parish.
2nd. That two additional months of vacation be allowed the Rector during the Winter or early Spring.
3rd .. That the services of the Bishop of the Diocese, be solicited for two or three months of the Summer-to preach alternately with the Rector in the Church and Chapel.
4th. In order to carry out the above arrangement, the Rec- tor proposes to relinquish $1000 or $1200 of his salary, or any other sum necessary to carry out the design-though he believes $1200 to be ample.
THIS IS THE PLAN.
According to this plan, Gentlemen, the salary of the Rector will be, say $800 ;- he will have the general charge of the Parish at all times ;- he will preach unremittingly in the Church for nearly eight months of the year-while the times of his absence will be supplied (out of his present salary) by the presence of the Bishop and an effective Assistant: and so the Church will be maintained in such a character and with such an efficiency as has been unknown heretofore.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
Gentlemen, -I have for several months weighed this plan with scrupulous care-keeping in view first of all the interests of Trinity Church, and I give you my judgment under a full sense of responsibility, that in no other way can those interests be so well provided for.
I offer this plan from the earnest wish I have for the res- toration of universal kindness among us. Let us be united! If we charge each other with mistakes, or even wrong done in the time past, let that be forgotten! We must now take care of the future. We must now see to it that the divisions of one year be not made permanent, with all the disasters consequent upon them.
And now, Gentlemen, I leave the matter with you, with a single request, which I press affectionately and most earnestly upon you. It is this. Whatever your views may prove to be, examine and discuss this matter calmly and in a kind · spirit. For the decision before you must be so serious in its effects for good or evil on this Church and Community that it ought to be reached in no temper but that of honorable concern to find out what is best,-and with the fairest construction of each other's views.
If this proposition fails to produce harmony unaffected and cordial, it has according to my views failed utterly. And what I mean by harmony, is not merely a majority of the votes of the Church, or votes of all, but that I may have the united hearts of the people.
Signed :
A. G. MERCER, Rector.
Newport, March 19, 1860.
The motion of Thomas R. Hunter, that the question be put off until Easter, and that one hundred copies be printed and a copy sent to each corporator, was lost.
A motion was then made by Benjamin Finch that the com- munication be adopted.
Including proxy votes, aye 44, no 17.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
Voted: that the result be communicated to the Rector, and that a committee of four, Benjamin Finch, John H. Cozzens, R. R. Hazard and Henry Bull, confer with him in relation to the details of his communication.
April 9, 1860. Annual Meeting; twenty-seven corporators being present.
Henry Bull offered the following resolutions:
I. Resolved: that it is the paramount duty of every Chris- tian Church to discountenance all measures which tend to disturb the peace and harmony, or the unity of its members.
Passed unanimously.
2. Resolved: that in the opinion of this meeting the propo- sition of the Rector, which was submitted to and adopted by the Corporation at their last meeting, has failed to produce "harmony unaffected and cordial."
On motion of Samuel Engs the house was called, including proxies, aye 33, no 44.
3. Resolved: that we entertain feelings of the utmost kind- ness towards our Rector, and wish it to be distinctly understood, that in our action on his proposition we are actuated solely by a desire to promote the cause of Christianity and insure the permanent prosperity of Trinity Church.
Passed unanimously.
4. Resolved: that this Corporation recognizes no building or edifice for public worship as appertaining to Trinity Church, except the Church edifice, and the School House on Church street.
Passed unanimously.
5. Resolved: that the Senior Warden be requested to for- ward copies of these resolutions to the Rector of this Church, and to the Bishop of the Diocese.
Aye 32, no 44.
On motion of Thomas R. Hunter, to reconsider the vote of
-
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
the adoption of the resolution of the Rector, passed at the last meeting: aye 32, no 44.
On motion of Samuel Engs the meeting adjourned to the following Wednesday afternoon, to hear the report of the com- mittee on details.
April 11, 1860. Adjourned meeting of the Corporation. Pres- ent twenty corporators, holding 56 proxies.
At the reading of the minutes the Secretary, taking offence at the manner in which his record was called in question, abruptly resigned, and R. R. Hazard, Jr., was appointed Secretary pro tem. The President, Dr. David King, then resigned, and there being no one chosen in his place, the meeting dispersed.
April 19, 1860. Meeting of the Corporation.
On· motion of Charles Hunter, the following protest was read, received and ordered to be recorded :
We the undersigned, members of the Corporation of Trinity Church, solemnly protest against the adoption of the proposals of the Rector, lately submitted to the Corporation, for the fol- lowing reasons:
First. Because regarding the Church as a trust in the hands of the Corporation, as well as the Rector, for the accomplish- ment of certain great objects, we think that a plan involving in its execution a wide departure from old paths, or a marked deviation from the accustomed mode of procedure, should re- ceive before its adoption, not only the mature deliberation of the Rector, but also the mature deliberation of the Corporation. Our first objection, therefore, is founded on the fact that the Corporation have adopted this new plan without mature delibera- tion.
Second. Because in the adoption of these proposals, we believe that the Corporation have not made the distinction be- tween the intention and the wisdom of the plan; but have confounded both, and in giving the Rector their hearts, have incidentally and without reflection, compromised their judgment. Avowing, therefore, feelings of great kindness towards the Rector,
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and disclaiming all distrust in his intention; our second objection is, the want of practical wisdom in a plan, which in a degree separates the poor from the rich, excites an unhappy rivalry between a new private Chapel and the old established Church, which diverts, distracts and divides the attention of the Rector between two fields of ministerial labor, either of which is wide enough to demand the exclusive time, heart and devotion of any one man.
Third. Because the proposal connecting us with a private Chapel, and placing us under the care of two clergymen, can be considered in reference to our past history, only as an exper- imental plan, having in view high objects with regard to human- ity in general, but necessarily in the accomplishment of those objects, revolutionizing our old accustomed modes of procedure; placing, indeed, in the foreground the advancement of Episco- pacy by eloquent preaching, but rendering the particular interests of Trinity Church subsidiary to this principal design, and sub- jecting to the hazard of an uncertain, and what we believe a fatal experiment, its peace, harmony and permanent welfare.
Fourth. Because that part of the plan which designs the opening of a pewed and rented Chapel, for the accommodation of wealthy visitors, during the summer season, having already been tried without the consent of the Corporation, during the past year, has produced much dissatisfaction, and in various ways interrupted the prosperity and disturbed the harmony of the Church.
Fifth. Because the intimate connection of the Rector with a private pewed and rented Chapel, and his exclusive control and management of its revenues, together with his contemplated vacation of three months, at least, in the year, from his paro- chial duties, will obviously be attended by moral effects, adverse, and indeed, disastrous to the cause of religion and humanity in our neighborhood.
Sixth. Because the institution of a new Church will diminish the strength and impair the prosperity of the three existing Churches, which now furnish Episcopal accommodation amply sufficient for this community.
Seventh. Because the plan proposes the institution of a new
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Church, without having previously secured a proper acquiescence of the neighboring Churches: and because when a new Church is called for, it is in our opinion the province of the Bishop of the Diocese, rather than of a Presbyter of a single parish, to . determine and to pronounce upon what is demanded in that regard-for the best interests of the Church and humanity in our midst.
DAVID KING, for self, Anna Morris Stout and Sarah Gibbs,
R. S. CLARK,
GEORGE JONES,
EDWARD KING,
THOS. R. HUNTER,
W. C. GIBBS,
HENRY BULL, and for M. F. H. Bull,
JOHN D. OGDEN, and for C. C. Moore, H. C. DeRham, R. Morgan Gibbes, D. B. Fear- ing, J. J. Pringle, H. A. Wright and Hen- ry Tiffany.
On motion of Benjamin Finch, chairman of the committee, the letter of the Rector, withdrawing his plan, was ordered to be received, read and recorded, as follows, viz. :
Gentlemen:
I am deeply grieved to find that the plan I presented to the Corporation has failed to secure the harmony I hoped for. When I first matured the plan, I thought it would meet every wish, but it has not proved so; having failed to produce har- mony, it has failed of the purpose for which it was presented. I must, therefore, with great regret, decline entering upon it. Were I not to do so I would convert a plan intended for good into an instrument of discord.
Very respectfully, A. G. MERCER.
The Chairman of the Committee of the Corporation, will please to present the above.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
Charles Hunter offered the following resolution, which was seconded :
Resolved: that as the connection of the Rev. Dr. A. G. Mer- cer with Trinity Church has led to unhappy differences, and, we fear, incurable disturbance of that harmony which ought to mark the intercourse of members of all Christian churches, he be re- quested to withdraw from his connection therewith.
The house being called, the vote stood: aye 30, no 34.
The following officers then resigned:
John H. Cozzens, Senior Warden.
William G. Seabury, Junior Warden
Job T. Langley, Secretary and Treasurer.
Benjamin Finch, Samuel Engs, Job T. Langley, Jethro C. Carr, George C. Mason, John N. Potter, Vestrymen.
The resignations were accepted, and the places of the retiring members were filled as follows:
M. C. Slocum, Senior Warden.
Theodore R. Helme, Junior Warden.
John D. Ogden, Secretary.
Henry Bull, Treasurer.
R. R. Hazard, Jr., John D. Ogden, William E. Dennis, Henry Tiffany, William C. Gibbs, H. Allen Wright, Vestrymen.
April 26, 1860. Special meeting of the Corporation. The following communication was presented:
To the Clerk of the Corporation of Trinity Church;
Sir: I give you notice that my resignation of the Rector- ship of Trinity Church will be formally presented (thro' you) . on Thursday next. This notice should have been sent to you immediately, but I have been waiting for some official communi- cation of the proceedings of the last meeting.
I am very respectfully,
A. G. MERCER.
Saturday, April 21st, 1860.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
On the above there was endorsed the following: "The above note was written some time since, but I did not know to whom it could be properly addressed. Mr. Hazard's note is at this moment received (half past 4 p. m.) and from the contents I presume it proper to address it to him. The request of his note will complied with."
The following communication from the Rector was then pre- sented by Mr. Finch :
To the Corporation of Trinity Church, by the hand of Mr. Benj. Finch.
Newport, April 21st, 1860, Saturday morning.
Gentlemen :
I waited thro' yesterday and thro' the evening, expecting an official report of the proceedings of Thursday. But, as it has not come, I am unwilling to wait longer before sending you, as I now do, notice of my resignation of the Rectorship of Trinity Church. I regret that I was not able to do this before the motion of Mr. Charles Hunter was presented. It was my purpose after the formal withdrawal of my plan, and after an opportunity had been given for those opposed to it, to pre- sent or suggest their own terms of harmony, in case all these efforts should prove fruitless, to send in immediately my resig- nation of the Rectorship; as then every method of reconciliation would have been exhausted.
But to my surprise and sorrow I was informed (during the sitting of the Corporation) of Mr. Hunter's motion. To prevent the consideration of such a motion, I immediately wrote a letter of resignation, but from the time spent in endeavoring to get information (for I did not even know that the motion was sec- onded, much less that there was any disposition to entertain it) I was unable, unfortunately, tho' I eagerly used every effort, to get my letter before that body until the vote was taken. I have thus been forced, by means of unavoidable ignorance of the doings and intention of the Corporation, to suffer a wrong, which,
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
had I been present, or had I supposed such a thing possible, I could have prevented.
The state of the facts, then, Gentlemen, is this. At the first moment after I had tested the views of the Corporation as to my plan; tho' the vote stood 44 for it to 17 against, I saw as clearly and stated decisively as I now do, that the plan had failed entirely of its purpose.
It was due, however, to the friends of the plan to await the result of the Easter meeting. When the results of that meeting were known, I sought the earliest opportunity to withdraw the plan : and it was at the moment that I did this and at a mo- ment when one of my special friends in the Corporation was inviting new plans from those who opposed mine, and when he repeatedly, and in every way, assured the meeting that any plan which promised heartfelt harmony, would be gladly received by me; at that moment the motion of Mr. Charles Hunter was pre- sented and considered. Altho' that motion did not prevail, the fact of its being so offered and so entertained, without allowing me one moment to turn from my offer of peace to an honorable withdrawal from the Church. This gives me, I confess, great pain.
It is due to myself to make some such statement as I have now made; for I would have no one hereafter to believe that I knowingly allowed any part of my Church to attempt such extremes while I remained Rector of it.
And now, Gentlemen, I respectfully request you to accept this paper as my resignation of the Rectorship-a resignation to be regarded as peremptory and not to be re-considered, and I respectfully request that it be allowed to take effect at the earliest moment the interests of the Church will allow. It is my strong and urgent wish that it should take effect immediately ; but not if it will sacrifice any of the interests of the Church. In my judgment there will be no such sacrifice, and so I feel free to request an immediate withdrawal.
Gentlemen of the Corporation, I bid you farewell-with the best wishes for the real good of every one of you and of your families; and in the earnest hope that Peace and all the fruits
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
of Peace, may spring up among you. Permit me to offer thro' you a kind farewell to all my people and to the great body of them the expression of my special love and gratitude.
I am very respectfully,
A. G. MERCER.
This letter having been read, was on motion ordered to be recorded.
On motion of Mr. Finch, the resignation of the Rector was unanimously accepted.
The following resolution was then offered by Mr. Finch:
Resolved: that the Parish being without a Minister no person shall receive a call from this Corporation until due notice be given to the communicants of the Parish, and the assent of a majority of them be first had.
This motion was declared by the chair to be out of order, as conflicting with the Charter and the rights of the Corporation. An appeal to the house on this decision having been made by Mr. Samuel Engs, the chair was sustained by a vote of 42 to 26.
The following resolution was moved by William C. Gibbs:
Resolved: that the Treasurer be authorized to pay to the Rev. Dr. Mercer, his salary to June 4, 1860, the end of his official year. Passed unanimously.
Governor Gibbs also offered the following resolution :
Resolved: that we tender to John H. Cozzens, Esq., late Senior Warden, and William G. Seabury, Esq., late Junior Warden, and to Job T. Langley, Esq., late Secretary and Treas- urer of this Corporation, our thanks for the able and faithful manner in which they have performed the laborious duties of their several offices during the past ecclesiastical year, that we sincerely regret that an honest expression of the opinion of a minority of the Corporation should have induced them to resign.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
Resolved: that the Secretary be requested to forward a copy of these resolutions to the above named gentlemen.
Passed unanimously.
James Birckhead was elected eleventh Vestryman, in place of H. Allen Wright, declined.
Edward King was elected eighth Vestryman, in place of Henry Tiffany, declined.
Charles Hunter was elected Junior Warden, in place of Theo- dore R. Helme, declined.
[Zion Church, for some time opposed to the Chapel, and par- ticularly after it was removed to its new site, now became more aggressive under Rev. William Colvin Brown, the Rector, sec- onded by Rev. Mr. Wingate, who but recently ordained as Priest, was then Rector of Emmanuel Church, his first parish.]
[At a special meeting of the Vestry of Zion Church, April 7, 1860, the following preamble, resolutions and protests were unanimously passed:
"Whereas the Wardens and Vestry of Zion Church, having considered the matter of the opening of a Chapel on the Hill, in this city, within the limits of this Parish, by the Rev. Dr. Mercer, designated 'All Saints' Chapel,' which Chapel is repre- sented as belonging to Trinity Church, but which, on the con- trary, is well known to be the private property of Mr. Mercer, who caused the same to be erected and prepared as a place of public worship, without consulting, as in duty bound, the other settled Episcopal Ministers in the city, as to the necessity, or expediency of such a measure, and the use of such building being of course dependent upon the exclusive option of its owner, whose authority to occupy the same and hold service there, and to appropriate the income derived therefrom to his own benefit, is not recognized by the Canons of the Church, or compatible
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
with Episcopal usage- particularly when its occupancy is cal- culated to embarrass and impair the usefulness of the already established parishes in the aforesaid limits: therefore,
"Resolved, unanimously: that the Vestry of Zion Church feel compelled, under the circumstances, to consider the occupancy of the building or Chapel, inasmuch as it is unnecessary, and un- called for accommodations are thereby provided; in proof of which many pews in Zion Church are, and have been, since the erection of said Chapel, left unoccupied, and during the 'watering season' the pecuniary interest of the Corporation con- sequently injured, in comparison with former years, to the extent of nearly 20 per cent. of its income.
"Resolved, also: that we view with no less surprise than regret, the recent communication from the Rev. Dr. Mercer, of Trinity Church, in which it is proposed to invite the Bishop of Rhode Island, to participate in a policy so evidently detrimental to the growth and prosperity of at least one important Parish- especially when it is considered that, in the maintenance and exercise of the Bishop's high ministerial functions with every branch of his Diocese, he should be governed, as we cannot doubt he will be, by motives of the most equitable and affec- tionate character.
"This Vestry, therefore, feels constrained to protest, rightfully and earnestly, and with all due respect and consideration, against the opening of said Chapel, for regular Episcopal service, and recommend that the Rector of this Parish be requested to trans- mit to the Right Rev. Bishop Clark, a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions, with this remonstrance (duly attested), and take such measures to legally and harmoniously prevent the accomplishment of the plan proposed by Mr. Mercer, as he shall deem necessary."
A protest was accordingly sent to the Bishop of the Diocese,
.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
who cited the parties interested in the question involved, to appear before him, at a meeting he had called for the 27th of April, 1860. A room for the hearing was secured at the Aquid- neck House. ]
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
CHAPTER VII ..
1860-1861.
The meeting, composed of the Reverend Bishop, Rev. Dr. Mercer, Rev. Mr. Brown, Rector of Zion Church, Rev. Mr. Wingate, Rector of Emmanuel Church, and a number of mem- bers of the congregations of the above churches, was called to order by Bishop Clark, and George C. Mason was elected Sec- retary.
Bishop Clark then stated the object of the meeting, in writing, as follows:
A protest having been made by the Rector and Vestry of Zion Church, Newport, against the Rev. Dr. Mercer's officiating in the Chapel occupied by him during a portion of the past year, and the Rev. Dr. Mercer having declared to me officially that it is his purpose to open this Chapel as usual, and a fur- ther communication having been received, signed by 120 com- municants of Trinity Church, and 17 other persons, worshippers in said Church, asking for an investigation of the whole matter involved in the Protest of the Rector and Vestry of Zion Church; I have desired the Rev. Dr. Mercer, and the Rev. Mr. Brown, Rector of Zion Church, to appear before me, with such other persons as they may respectively see fit to invite, for a hearing of the points involved in the controversy.
THOMAS M. CLARK,
Bishop of Rhode Island.
Newport, April 27th, 1860.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
Rev. Dr. Mercer called for the protest from Zion Church, which was read by the Bishop, with the letter that accompanied it, from Rev. Mr. Brown.
Dr. Mercer asked if it was not in order for the parties pro- testing to substantiate their charges; to which Mr. Brown replied that all would be substantiated, and then went into some general statement that the Chapel during the time of its existence had been an injury to the prosperity of Zion and Emmanuel Churches.
Mr. Finch then had the floor, and called for a statement of the Annual Reports of the Treasurer of Zion Church, from the time the Chapel was built to the present day. To this the Treasurer, Mr. George Cozzens, replied that the accounts had been so kept that it would be difficult to produce them in a form that would bear on the present question.
Some objection having been made to the protest coming from the Vestry and not from the Rector of Zion Church, the Bishop stated that in accordance with the Canons of the Church, he could only recognize the protest of the Rector of Zion Church, and not that of the Vestry, and his decision would rest solely on the former. The letter from Mr. Brown and the protest of the Vestry of Zion Church, were accordingly withdrawn.
Rev. Mr. Brown then stated that he protested against the formation of a new church, as, in his opinion, there was already ample accommodation for all who desired to worship in the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Mercer replied that it was his intention to open the Chapel as such, and not as a parish church.
At this point there was a misunderstanding as to the grounds of the protest, and the Bishop called upon Mr. Brown to state in precise terms his objection to the opening of the Chapel.
Mr. Brown accordingly stated, that the Chapel being within the limits of Trinity and Zion Churches, the Rectors of these parishes should have been consulted by Dr. Mercer before open-
-
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
ing it, which he had failed to do; that there was sufficient accommodation for Church purposes in the city, and that the opening of the Chapel would be an injury to existing churches.
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