USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > Historical manual of the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I. 1852-1902 > Part 2
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" To Mr. Corliss this church owes a debt of gratitude which cannot be overestimated ; for in addition to the many and varied financial favors from his hands, the church has, since its organization in 1865 up to January, 1896 (over thirty years), received from Mr. Corliss, and, since his decease, from his estate, the sum of $365 annually."
This mission work, laborious and fatiguing as it was, seems to have received the approval of the Master.
Another missionary enterprise, in which the ladies of the church were principally interested, was the sewing-school. This was held weekly in the lecture room, on Saturdays, for five years. Two hundred little girls, gathered from the poorer quar- ters of the city, were taught the arts of needle work, together with sacred songs and helpful verses from the Bible.
The ladies also formed a society for aiding home mission- aries, their benefactions taking the form of boxes of clothing and other supplies, a number of which have been forwarded annually from that time to the present.
The first meeting called for women interested in foreign missions in the Congregational denomination in Rhode Island was in the vestry of the Central Church, in October, 1868.
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The interest was so great that in the following January (1869) an organization was formed of the seven city churches, known as The Providence Auxiliary, Mrs. King being president.
From the fact that the formation of the church brought together persons from various churches who had little pre- vious acquaintance, some measures were required to promote social freedom : and this led to a series of informal social meetings at the homes of various members, to which general invitations were given to all the congregation, and at whichi readings, music, and conversation promoted further acquaint- ance.
In those days it was the rather undignified custom of many congregations to rise during the singing and face the choir, turning their backs to the minister. October 5th, 1858, after a somewhat " protracted discussion, on motion of William J. King, it was voted that the church adopt congregational sing- ing, and that the congregation face the pulpit during that ex- ercise, provided that the society concur."
Another indication of a strong desire to promote decorum is afforded by the following extract from the records of the first church meeting following the dedication :
"WHEREAS, The solemnity of public worship requires silence, order, and reverence, therefore
" Resolved. That we will strive to enter and leave the House of God in silence, to keep our children under our particular care, and to pre- vent them, as far as it may be possible, from leaving the house during divine service : and to avoid leaving our pews, or to make preparation to leave them, until the benediction has been fully pronounced."
From what has been said it is evident that the church of those days owed much of its character and success to its lay- men and laywomen. Happy will it be if in its future years it shall be favored with a succession of equally devoted and self-denying members.
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Y'et, giving all credit to those to whom so much is due, it remains to be said that the supreme influence and forming power was, humanly speaking, that of the pastor, Rev. Leon- ard Swain, whose marked characteristics gave him a pre-emi- nence seldom attained. His was a rare order of mind, which never failed to impress his hearers with his superiority. A lofty imagination enriched his style, which yet was marked by the simplicity of a master. His audiences were often hushed in rapt attention, unconscious of passing time, or of anything but the absorbing presentation of the highest themes, and the moral urgency of his appeals. In his preaching his soul met the souls of his hearers, and the spirit of his pre- sentation of truth and duty was that of a prophet bearing the signet and authority of his divine Master. "He dreaded the' tendency to reduce the Christian religion to a mere system of morality." To him it was a life of unreserved consecration to the highest attainable spirituality. His prayers in public were sometimes wonderful, though unconscious, revelations of the man, evincing his capacity for the greatest exaltation of spirit, soaring until he seemed to stand, awed yet inspired, in the very brightness of the presence of Him who sits upon the throne. In this connection a circumstance that occurred during the war may be recalled. The First Rhode Island regi- ment was about to leave for the front, and was invited to at- tend service in our church. Dr. Swain preached. Afterwards one of the military officers approached him and requested the favor of a copy of his prayer, which was a very remarkable one. Dr. Swain replied that he had no copy of it. "Why !" said the other, " is that possible ! We thought that of course
it was prepared beforehand." "No," said Dr. Swain, "it vanished with the breath that uttered it, and it is impossible to recall it." Dr. Swain had no perceptible trace of vanity. Though his superior abilities gave him great prominence, he
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avoided mere notoriety. This led to his refusal of the request to permit the posthumous publication of his sermons, except- ing the late ones which he chose as his dying message; and those illustrate not his genius, but only his faithful earnest- ness and solicitude for the salvation of the souls for whom he felt a pastor's responsibility. His modesty is exhibited in his farewell letter to the church, in which he writes: "It is to their generous support of me with those strong resources of mind, and soul, and voice, and hand, that I owe it, under God, if my ministry here has not proved a failure."
With all this he was not devoid of humor, which, while never permitted to appear in the pulpit, frequently delighted his intimate friends by its quick and delicate flashes.
Some words which were written of Milton seem as truly to characterize Dr. Swain :
"As a Christian, humiliation before God was a duty the meaning of which he knew full well; but as a man moving among other men he possessed, in that moral seriousness and stoic scorn of temptation which characterized him, a spring of ever present pride, dignifying his whole bearing among his fellows, and at times arousing him to a kingly intolerance."
During the year 1867 it became apparent that Dr. Swain's health was seriously impaired. In November the society granted him leave of absence for six months. Relief was vainly sought in change of climate. On the last day of May, 1868, he wrote to the church a letter of the most affectionate nature, resigning his office and urging the church to procure a minister who could actively carry on the work. The church declined to accept the resignation. They would have as soon dismissed their own families. " While releasing him cheer- fully from all professional duty and responsibility," arrange- ments were made for supplying the pulpit, at the same time con- tinuing Dr. Swain's salary until his decease, which occurred
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July 12th, 1869, a little more than seventeen years from the beginning of his pastorate, his age being but forty-eight years. Few men have so well illustrated the ideals of the Christian ministry.
After his decease resolutions presented by Dr. Joshua B. Chapin were adopted by the church, one of which is the follow- ing, which gives the impression that language failed to express their admiration of the man :
" Resolved, That in his intellectual culture, in his moral sensibility, in his personal sense of religious obligation, in his clear perception of duty, seldom or never clouded by doubt, in his heroic discharge of such duty, in his quiet and responsive sympathy for the sick and afflicted, in his diligent and devout preparation for the fulfilling of his professional obligations, in his earnest and unreserved consecration to Christ and His service, in the constant faithfulness of his purpose, in a pervading spirit always yearning for the advancement of the glory of God and for the salvation of lost souls, and in the carefulness of a holy walk and conversation, he has left us the memory of a life almost faultless and worthy the imitation of every Christian minister and brother."
The death of Mrs. Swain preceded his own decease by a few years ; and the deprivation of her affection and sympathetic counsel was a loss from which he never could recover. No one who was privileged to know her will ever forget the lovely and lowly spirit that spoke from her eyes, or the affectionate smile that was wont to dwell upon her lips. Her saintly and devoted life cannot be separated from that of her husband in the memory of their friends.
With the greatly-lamented death of its first pastor, we are brought to the close of what may be considered the first volume of the church's history. The occasions upon which it will be reviewed will become more and more infrequent as the years go on and the surviving actors depart and fade from memory. Other eminent men have succeeded (and will suc- ceed) those who have been herein briefly mentioned, and their history is left for abler hands to trace.
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ADDRESS BY REV. GEORGE HARRIS, Pastor 1872-1883.
C N an historical occasion reminiscences are expected. Even for the younger generation, that has no personal recollec- tion of fifty or thirty years ago, there is an interest in the ear- lier conditions, in seeing the survivors of former days, ancient fossils, like the preceding speaker and myself. In the present condition of prosperity, in a well-appointed, beautiful build- ing, in the midst of luxury and ease, it is well to be reminded of the hardships, toils, and sacrifices of the pioneers.
When the church was twenty years old I became its minis- ter, having myself attained the ripened age of twenty-seven. Dr. Swain died three years before. During that period the church tried to secure an eminent man, and finally, not hav- ing succeeded, decided to take a young man without a reputa- tion. What did it was a sermon preached in the lecture room on a Sunday evening, December, 1871. In the morning I had read an essay, of which I now have no recollection, although it probably contained some truth. In the evening the text was "on the top of the pillars was lily work." The sermon took the fancy of Deacon King. Deacon Kingsbury said it "avoided extremes." Other good people thought it was, in a degree, original, and showed promise of better things. And so, after three years, being wearied with the greatness of the way, they decided to adopt the youth and make him their minister.
Professor Park, meeting me a few days later, said, “ I under- stand the Central Church, of Providence, has called you, al- though you preached there only one Sunday." I assured him that that was the fact, and doubtless, also, the reason.
GEORGE HARRIS.
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I had never heard nor seen Dr. Swain, but found he was held in almost idolized regard, especially by those who had known him through his entire ministry; that he was an able, intense, and at times an eloquent preacher, a man who had the courage of his convictions. It was said of him that he would have gone to the stake for his opinions, that he had the stuff martyrs were made of. I fancy that observation has not been made concerning the ministers that followed, cer- tainly not concerning his immediate successor. On a Thurs- day evening, a few weeks after I was installed, I said I should be greatly obliged if the people would not tell me of the vir- tues of my predecessor, because it was so discouraging. After that they were very considerate, and would often spare me a week or more.
In those days there were some excellent people in Central Church. I should know where to begin in characterizing some of them, but not where to end. Deacon Kingsbury, dig- nified, courteous, precise, kindly, a good adviser, always in his seat sometime before the service began. Deacon King, sagacious, shrewd, full of humor, exercising great influence over the young, always looking for a revival. Deacons Cross and Gay both belied their names. Deacon Cross was optimis- tic, Deacon Gay, pessimistic, yet a good, sincere Christian. Mr. William G. Weeden was an interesting speaker, of origi- nal thought and fine diction-every one was awake when he spoke in the prayer meeting. Doctor Joshua B. Chapin was a forcible speaker, and quite a theologian. He said to me once, "your prayer last Sunday was excogitated." When I had grasped the meaning of the word I said, " Yes, one who is to voice the devotions of a congregation should think be- forehand what he is to pray for, should pray with the under- standing as well as with the spirit." Another was that friend of children, George L. Claflin, who taught the infant depart-
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ment, a sympathetic, affectionate, large-hearted man. There were, besides, of the devout women not a few, leaders in active benevolence. There are others still living who were strong personal friends and earnest Christian workers. I tried to preach Christ and Christian service. Some thought it con- trary to previons preaching, but I think it was the same from a different point of view.
During Dr. Swain's pastorate there were three periods of revival or religious awakening, and during mine there were also three, when more than twelve persons made profession of faith. The largest number was in 1858, when 58 men- bers were received, and in 1877, when 70 were received. The average annual addition was 1412 during Dr. Swain's ministry, and 1512 during my ministry.
This has always been a quiet church, staid and steady, noted for its large donations to missions and charities. The weekly-offering system was introduced during my time, and doubled the gifts. After it had been in use a year or two I read a paper on it at a meeting of the American Missionary Association. The paper was printed, and the weekly pledge was known as the " Harris system," although I did not origi- nate it. A new organ was put in, the only thing brought over from the old church on Benefit street to the new church on Angell street.
An attempt was made to change some of the rules of the church, when it was found that there must be a three-quarters' vote of all the members. It was difficult to bring so many together, but it was done, and the first rule to be changed was that. There was a rule against theatre-going and dancing, which we did not succeed in changing. It was probably thought that so gay a church should not have too much free- dom. The members did as they thought best, however, following the dictates of their own consciences, as good Prot-
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estants should do. At the end of eleven years I went away, with a good degree of equanimity on the part of the congre- gation.
There are many churches of our order in this country which are much alike, having a common worship and a conimon faith. Yet every church has its own individual characteris- tics. This church has been distinguished for its benevolence, reaching out to all the world, to foreign and home missions, and to local charities. This church, for a longer time than any Congregational church I know, has been notable for the dignity, richness, and reverence of its worship. Nearly forty years ago English and choral music were introduced. Very much is due to Edward K. Glezen, who was organist for thirty years. When I came here he was teaching the music in Sunday-school. The " Aid to Praise " was compiled a year or two later, and the " Psalms and Hymns " for our own congre- gation. He was musical editor of "Hymns of the Faith," which you have used for several years. People are educated in religion by worship almost as much as by preaching and teaching.
This has not been a theological church. Some were inter- ested in theology, but the great majority cared little for it, and, if I may say so, knew less. This, however, is no reflec- tion on their intelligence. They were open-minded, and 1111- trammelled by any particular system of doctrine. The church was more religious than theological. While I was here Pro- fessor Huxley was lecturing in this country on the horse, saying that it was descended from an animal that had five toes. Many people were alarmed, asking what, then, is man descended from ? I advised you to wait, and not be disturbed, advice which you were entirely willing to take. At my exam- ination for installation a member of the counsel asked me con- cerning the fate of the heathen. I replied that I did not know.
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He was disappointed, I was told, because I did not amplify. At Andover I thought for a time that I did know, but now I should answer as I did at first, with a good deal more hope for the heathen.
I must stop somewhere. The continuity of the life of a church is what we think of to-night. There have been four pastorates in these fifty years, and you are very sorry that the fourth is about to terminate; but the church is one and the same, Paul having planted and Apollos watered. You are not in parties, one saying, I am of Dr. Swain; another, I am of Mr. Harris; another, I am of Mr. Huntington ; and another, I am of Mr. Moore. All are yours, all have rendered some ser- vice, all have, I am sure, a place in your affections ; all are yours, "and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's."
ADDRESS BY REV. CHAS. W. HUNTINGTON, Pastor 1884-1888.
M Y' pastorate began December 17, 1884, the date of the installing council, and ended February 7, 1888, when the dismissing council convened. The brevity of this period in itself precludes any extended historical statement. These three years covered a good part of the interval between a golden age of the past and that which was speedily to be ushered in. They may be likened, in the history of this church, to these closing weeks of winter, when the earth is cold, quiescent, its life largely latent, a period, however, that will soon pass into the flowering springtime and the produc- tive summer. I will refer to a few things that occur to me as most deserving notice, and my references must needs be, like the annals of the poor, " short and simple."
A
CHARLES WHITE HUNTINGTON.
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One of the first things undertaken after I came to Provi- dence was the rectification of the roll of church membership. There had accumulated a large number of names of absentees, about whom little or nothing was known. By diligent inquiry the addresses of these persons were ascertained, so far as pos- sible, and printed circulars were sent to them inviting them either to transfer their membership to the churches with which they worshipped, or to suggest the reasons for their wishing to continue their relation with the Central Church. In conse- quence of these endeavors a considerable number of names were removed from the list, names of persons who took letters to other churches, or who were found to be dead, or who, for sufficient cause, were dropped from the roll.
I think it was largely because of this purging of the mein- bership list that it was decided, at the close of the first year of my pastorate, to print a Hand-Book of the church, the promi- nent feature of which was a complete catalogue of the church members, resident and non-resident, with their addresses. This little book contained also a list of the officers and com- mittees of the church, the Sunday school, and all organiza- tions in the church, together with a full statement of the changes in the membership of the church during the year, and a report of the benevolent offerings. This Hand-Book was at once recognized as of great practical value, and the next year a similar book was printed bearing on its title page the words " Annual Hand-Book," instead of merely " Hand- Book," as in the first instance. This yearly publication has been continued, I think, ever since, and now appears in an ex- panded form, commensurate with the growth of the church and its activities.
On beginning my pastorate it seemed to me that the field most needing cultivation, as well as the one promising to yield the largest harvest, was the young people. At a social gatlier-
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ing of the young people held at my residence October 27, 1885, there was organized what was called "The Young People's Alliance," with forty-four active and five associate members. On October toth of the following year this organization voted to disband, for the purpose of forming a Christian Endeavor society. The latter society was organized October 17, 1886, with eighteen active and three associate members. Notwith- standing the questioning attitude of a good many of the people in the church, the society grew and flourished, and was a pro- nounced means of promoting the Christian character of its mem- bers. The early promise of the Christian Endeavor society does not appear to be realized in full in these later years. Com- plaints are numerous from pastors all over the land that the Christian Endeavor principle does not, in many cases, accom- plish all that was claimed for it. In the church of which I am now pastor it has been found necessary to give up the Christian Endeavor society, and to organize the young people on another basis. But in spite of all possible inadequacy, in some instances, of the Christian Endeavor principle, it remains true that the Endeavor society, in its early history in this church, was admirably effective as a means of vivifying for its members the Christian motive, deepening their devotion, and affording expression of their inner life. Some months before the organization of the Christian Endeavor society, I had for a number of weeks, at the close of the Sunday-school, a meeting of a semi-devotional kind with a group of boys about sixteen years of age, when I talked over with them familiarly various matters pertaining to their moral and relig- ious life. Six of these boys were soon received into the church on confession.
In January, 1887, I preached a sermon on the encourage- ment of child piety, and announced that I would form a class in Christian nurture, for all children between eleven and six-
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teen years of age who might wish to join it. So many came to the first meeting that it was necessary to divide the class into two sections, embracing the younger and the older ones respectively. These two classes met at my house on week- day afternoons for twelve weeks. I endeavored to teach the children each time some important truth relating to the gospel and the Christian life, having given them at the previous meeting, to commit to memory, certain scripture passages il- lustrating the truth in question. Ten members of the older class united with the church the following May.
The losses which the church suffered by death during my pastorate may be referred to, specially among the older meni- bers. Chief among these should be named two of the deacons, William J. Cross and William J. King, who died within four weeks of each other, in the summer of 1885. They had con- tributed in large measure to give tendency and quality to the life of the Central Church. No one who knew the gentle, un- assuming, earnest, forceful character of Deacon Cross, or the outspoken, strenuous personality of Deacon King, will soon forget them, Others who may be mentioned are Mrs. Will- iam J. King, who died six months before her husband, Mrs. Ann Phillips, Lorenzo B. Makepeace, Jacob Symonds, George · L. Claflin, Mrs. Ophelia N. Fisher. Two deacons were elected during the period under review : John W. Danielson, April 30, 1885, and Frederic H. Fuller, September 28, 1885. John Eddy was also chosen deacon at the same time with Mr. Ful- ler, but declined to serve.
Towards the close of my pastorate there was a scanty supply of material out of which to make Sunday school superintend- ents. The difficulty was met, temporarily at all events, by making the office of superintendent a salaried position, and securing Professor William E. Wilson of the Normal School to fill it.
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There was present in the constituency of the church, during the time I was pastor, the feeling, more or less positive, that a new house of worship should be built, farther to the east. This feeling had been gathering force during President Har- ris's term of service. The edifice on Benefit street was incon- veniently distant from the homes of many of the people, and in itself possessed obvious disadvantages. This accounted, in part at least, for the small attendance at the second Sunday preaching service and at the midweek prayer meeting. I find a memorandum stating that at the annual meeting of the church, September 27, 1886, it was voted, with one dissenting voice, to discontinue the Sunday evening service, unless, pos- sibly, a missionary concert should be held on one Sunday evening of the month.
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