USA > Vermont > Bennington County > Arlington > St. James' Episcopal Church, Arlington, Vermont : a sketch of the birth and growth of Saint James' Parish, the oldest parish in the diocese of Vermont, together with brief sketches of the lives of the bishops of the diocese and of the rectors of St. James' Parish > Part 6
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In the same year Bishop Hopkins refers to Manchester and Arling- in his address to the convention as follows:
Note .- One of the specific charges against Mr. Perkins was that he made changes me phrasing of the Absolution which altered the priestly character of the prayer.
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ST. JAMES' EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ARLINGTON
"Manchester and Arlington, both important parishes, but the latt namely Arlington, being certainly one of the best located for 1 zealous and devoted laborer; having a beautiful and costly church, w. all the appointments in the best style, and a people not to be surpas: in the substantial qualities which should make their pastor happy in th service."
The Rev. Anson B. Hard who became Rector of St. James' Chut in 1839, was a native of Arlington, the son of Noble Hard. He wal. graduate of Middlebury College in 1833 and of the Alexandria Th .. logical Seminary, and was a Vermont candidate for Holy Orders, al ordained by the Right Rev. Dr. Onderdonk in Trinity Church, Plat burgh, New York, July twenty-eighth, 1831, of which parish he vi the Rector. He began his ministry in Sheldon and Fairfield, Vermo, in July, 1829. From August, 1834 until September, 1839 he was R . tor at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. On July twenty-fourth, 1839, he beca : Rector of St. James' Church, Arlington.
It seems most unfortunate that so soon after the ecclesiastical tl of the Rev. William S. Perkins, which must inevitably have causer certain amount of disquietude in the parish, another episode of sim : 1 character should have occurred shortly after the coming of the R ... Mr. Hard as Rector. This episode reflected in no way against the ch -53 acter of Mr. Hard but had to do with certain infringements of je canons of the Church.
The facts in regard to the case of Mr. Hard do not appear in el official records of the diocese and there was no trial. It would e unjust to draw hard and fast conclusions since the only data availa en af are letters written by Bishop Hopkins and Mr. Harmon Canfield dur g cn the year 1840 in which the bishop charges that without the knowle ev or consent of the bishop the Rev. Mr. Hard had given notice o a lb "protracted meeting or association" to be held in the church at Arli - ch ton. Bishop Hopkins then made the following ruling in regard to e matter:
"I consider that the Days and Modes of all our public services fixed by the Church in the Book of Common Prayer, from which bishop can lawfully deviate himself, nor suffer his clergy to devi The extra zeal of our ministry must therefore be content to exh itself in the Private way, preaching the Gospel from house to house private social prayer and familiar instruction, and in honest and af tionate warnings addressed to individuals on all occasions, when 1 sit down and when they rise up, and when they walk in the way season and out of season.
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"All they can do to stir up the zeal of the people in these private methods, the Church has left to each man's individual discretion, but te has not left to any man's discretion the rules of public order, and terefore I shall consider it my duty to have any wilful deviation from tese rules inquired into forthwith according to the provisions of the ( nons and made the subject of ecclesiastical presentment without I pect of persons.
"It is not impossible that Rev. Mr. Hard may choose to take his own curse, on the ground that other bishops permit these things, and that Isne may even approve them. Be this as it may, it is no part either o'his duty or mine to make the allegation.
"If it be true that other bishops tolerate public and open departures 'fm the order of the Church, which they as well as myself have r semnly vowed to maintain, let them answer that to the great Head so the Church, who is God of unity and order.
"At present Rev. Mr. Hard is under my jurisdiction and if he un- d stands the alphabet of Episcopal government, he must be aware that a wile that continues the arguments derived from any other quarter can ahre no legal or regular application.
"I thank God that at present there is no irregularity, unless it be he irArlington.
ne "But Arlington is an influential spot, and may easily be made the ahedquarters of radicalism in the Church if this matter be not clearly ulerstood by your Vestry and the heads of the Congregation in season.
ri"They have the power, indeed, if they choose to exert it, of putting oulehnselves out of communion with the Episcopal Church in the diocese, avar of becoming a dissenting, independent set of Congregationalists, danchurch government, without a bishop, without Confirmation, and TV out a clergyman in regular standing.
tice "The order of the Episcopal Church is her glory, and if we are to be Airchmen, we must consent to be Churchmen together.
Ever Yr, faithful friend and servant,
John H. Hopkins."
rvice This letter in the bishop's own handwriting is to be found among which historical letters and papers collected by Dr. George A. Russell and o dennis possession.
to en There are no records in the minutes of the Vestry at this time which houtæe any mention of this letter, and there is no evidence of any letter and expression on the part of the Rev. Mr. Hard of his attitude on the when ffect of the Bishop's letter.
he wat may be assumed therefore that the Rector and the people of the uh acted in compliance with the letter.
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Whatever may have been planned in the way of "protracted me ings" this protest was undoubtedly effective.
The letter shows that Bishop Hopkins was masterly in his grasp the Church's canons and discipline, and though his words seem dras they gave not only to the parish but to the diocese a clear-cut rul: on the subject of irregularities in worship.
It may be, however, that some of us clergy who have used : Church for pageantry in recent years might have come under the c ... sure of the beloved bishop had we lived in the year 1840.
Notwithstanding this episode the rectorship of Rev. Mr. Hard see ; to have been a useful one. The "lean years" in the history of parish seem to have been from 1833, to 1840, and the closing years Mr. Hard's ministry indicate a return to prosperity.
In June, 1844, Mr. Hard took charge of parishes at Chester : Marcus Hook, where he stayed until his voice broke down so complet as to necessitate his retirement from the active ministry in 1848.
In 1844 the Rev. Frederick Augustus Wadleigh became Rector the parish, having been previously Rector of Christ Church, Guilf( Mr. Wadleigh was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, May twenty-fi 1814.
He was ordained Priest by Bishop Griswold in 1840 and recei from the diocese of Massachusetts in 1842.
The ministry of the Rev. Mr. Wadleigh in Arlington covere a period of twenty years, and therefore with the exception of the F. Abraham Bronson, his rectorship was the longest in the history of e parish.
It will be interesting to make note of some of the outstanding ev and activities that marked the progress of the parish during this ti:
In the Journal of 1848 it is recorded that a shed had been built.y the parish back of the church at an expense of $150. This shed sheds) remained there for over seventy-five years, and if it could ( have kept a diary of the happenings of those years in and about church it would have been most interesting reading, and the histori task would have been greatly simplified. The sheds were taken d in 1929.
In the Journal of 1849 it is recorded that twelve persons . confirmed and that everything indicated the best state of feeling mutual satisfaction between pastor and people.
In the Journal of 1851 Mr. Wadleigh lamented the death of I Martin C. Deming and Cyrus B. Hills, two tried and firm friends of Church. He also reported services in Sunderland on alternate Su evenings which were invariably well attended.
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A missionary, he says, would now find ample employment in West lington, Landgrove and Sunderland. The services of the Church vre once enjoyed at these stations.
The people, he adds, are too scattered to allow of their being ¿thered into a single congregation, and too poor to encourage the hope c being able to support a minister.
sed Sunday Schools were sustained a part of the year at three stations he ad more than eighty children were under the indirect influence of the Church.
Mr. Wadleigh reports in 1852 having held services in East Arlington ": cce in two weeks, in West Arlington once in two weeks, and in Sun- deland once in four weeks. d
He says, however, that the Home Missionary Society of the Congre- tag:ional Church will probably send a missionary to East Arlington novaich will seriously interfere with the prospects of the Church there.
8. In the Journal of 1858 Mr. Wadleigh reported that on alternate p.Sdays services are held at Sunderland with one hundred in regular a endance.
A Sunday School and Bible Class have been organized with forty nmbers. These were the only religious services held in Sunderland estept once a month when the Baptist minister of Factory Point held a sevice.
The Journal of 1845, the year following the beginning of Mr. Or Vidleigh's rectorship, records 82 communicants.
The following is a statement of the financial and temporal condi- Y tins of the parish at this time:
The parish owns, in addition to the church edifice a parsonage valued ng a1$800; one Glebe lot leased at $40 a year; one Glebe lot leased at $30 this a ear, and one Glebe lot leased at $10 a year.
b: Mr. Wadleigh was not only a successful parish priest, but a man of shescolarly and literary talents.
oula A valuable history of Arlington and of the Episcopal Church in aborA ington was his permanent contribution to the community. This histi ory is to be found in Hemenway's Historical Gazetteer, Volume One. The present historian is largely indebted to Mr. Wadleigh for the erds in this book dealing with the early history of the parish.
The Rev. Mr. Wadleigh was followed by the Rev. Charles Stuart pelinthe as Rector of the parish.
He was the only child of Dr. Josiah and Marcia (Tracy) Hale hoffe was born in Brandon, Vermont, April thirtieth, 1835; educated at undsindon Academy and Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut; studied re so the ministry with the Right Rev. John Henry Hopkins, D.D., by vom he was ordained Deacon and Priest.
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ST. JAMES' EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ARLINGTON
He was Chaplain of Fifth Vermont Volunteers 1862-64; Rector St. James' Church, Arlington 1865-68; Rector of Emmanuel Chur( Bellows Falls; St. Mary's-on-the-Hill, Buffalo; Assistant Rector of Paul's, Buffalo; Rector of Christ Church, New Bern, North Carolin and Rector of Trinity, Claremont, New Hampshire, 1881-85, his 1: parish.
In Claremont he financed the purchase of an organ and establish. the Boy Choir.
Some of the oldest of the members of St. James's, Mr. Charles Crofut and Mr. Edward C. Woodworth, remember well Mr. Hale a speak highly of him. He is said to have been gifted as a preacher good business man and successful as a pastor, a rare combination (1.5 might say in the light of many years' experience in the ministry.
Mr. Hale, while Rector at Arlington, was often called on minister in other towns. Mr. E. C. Woodworth says that his fath Mr. Joseph G. Woodworth, was at one time proprietor of the Arlir ton Hotel, now called the Arlington Inn.
He afterwards removed with his wife to Cambridge, New Yo where there was no Episcopal Church. He and his wife who kn Mr. Hale invited him to come to Cambridge and preach. He was first clergyman to hold Episcopal services in Cambridge, and he n be credited with having been instrumental in establishing the par there.
Mr. and Mrs. Woodworth later returned to Arlington, and th son Edward Canfield Woodworth was baptized and confirmed in James Church. He was, from early manhood, a worker in the chu and a vestryman for fifty years.
Mr. Hale married Louise Weed Stevens, July sixth, 1875. She c in 1880. In 1884 he married Clara Farwell Blodgett. They had f children, one of whom is the Rev. Charles Stuart Hale, who is R tor at Ashland, Kentucky.
We now come to the close of the Episcopate of Bishop Hopk The Rev. Dr. George Lynde Richardson, in his life of Bishop Hall, third Bishop of Vermont, has made a very excellent summary of outstanding labors of Bishop Hopkins. He writes:
"When in 1832 John Henry Hopkins, then an assistant Minister Trinity Church, Boston, was consecrated as its first Bishop, the Dio was too poor to support him, and he was obliged to serve as Rector St. Paul's Church, Burlington, and give only such fragments of time as could be spared from those duties to the care of the dioc The Church grew slowly, and if it had not been for the tireless ene of Bishop Hopkins and the devotion of his clergy, who were true 1 sally
ince when CI Ved h Ch a 18 and.
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snaries, in every sense of the word, there would have been no growth a all.
"It is sometimes said by people, who are more enthusiastic than well- iformed, that the Episcopal Church has given no attention to rural wrk until our own day, but anyone who knows the story of Vermont cı find in it some of the most signal examples of successful and self- sarificing labor in the rural field that are to be found anywhere in the Curch's history.
"Bishop Hopkins had an intense conviction of the importance of eucation and with incredible courage and perseverance he triumphed or obstacles that would have seemed insurmountable to most men, cail established on Rock Point, north of Burlington, two schools, one fc boys and one for girls.
"There also he made his home, and there it was he dreamed that "thre might be eventually a Theological Seminary for which he even Arseured one endowed professorship before his death in 1868."
7 The attitude of Bishop Hopkins toward the Civil War made him mopular at the time, for though he discussed no such subjects in the pipit, yet as a citizen he exercised his right of freedom of speech.
He firmly advocated the duty of loyalty to our government, but r cipating the emergency of national strife over the question of læery he had prepared and published a plan by which war could be divided.
By reason of the bitter feeling engendered during this period between h North and South, it was not possible to bring about the plan of ritration which was evidently the fundamental purpose of the Bishop's roosal.
In the light of today it is a matter for regret that such a course od not have been pursued, for it would have saved millions of lives n wholesale destruction of property as well as have avoided heart niks and bitter animosities.
Ho, The attitude of Bishop Hopkins of loyalty to the government but Haglance for the states that seceded contributed to his general useful- ry des when in 1865 he became in order of seniority the Presiding Bishop Ene Church.
finis. His unique position as friendly to both sections of the country he Dhaled him to be instrumental in bringing together the several dioceses Recthe Church with the least possible reawakenings of bitterness.
nts on 1867 occurred the first Pan Anglican Council at Lambeth, e din and.
less e All the bishops of the American Episcopal Church were invited, truepecially the Presiding Bishop.
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ST. JAMES' EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ARLINGTON
The diocese recognized the signal honor that had come to th bishop by resolution of congratulations and loyalty and also by provi ing for the expenses of the Bishop's journey to England.
His home coming from England was welcomed by a gathering most of the clergy of Vermont and a service of thanksgiving at Paul's Church, Burlington.
Bishop Hopkins, notwithstanding the infirmities of age, then beg a strenuous schedule of visitations throughout the diocese; sickn overcame him owing to exposures in his long drives through stori weather.
In the severity of his sickness he calmly expressed the convicti that his life's work was done. In resignation to his suffering and thanksgiving for all the mercies past and in hope of the future awaited the end. He died on January ninth, 1868.
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CHAPTER SEVEN
Outstanding Rectorships During the Episcopate of Bishop Bissell
A FTER the bereavement of the diocese by the death of Bishop Hopkins in January, 1868, a special convention was held on March eleventh, 1868 at St. Paul's Church in Burlington for the ection of his successor.
The convention met with eighteen clergymen and fifty-seven lay- ien representing twenty-five parishes. After an address by the Presi- (nt of the Standing Committee the Rev. Josiah Swett, D.D., of Fair- ix, the convention proceeded to consider the amount of salary of the iture bishop. It was voted to appropriate three thousand dollars for te bishop's salary.
The clergy nominated the Rev. William Henry Augustus Bissell, ID., rector of Trinity Church, Geneva, New York, a native of Ver- ont. This nomination was confirmed by more than two-thirds of the Ity, and he was therefore declared to be duly elected.
The Rev. Dr. Bissell accepted his election and was consecrated at Crist Church, Montpelier on June third, 1868, during the convention. / the consecration service the following Bishops officiated; the Right Fvs. Samuel A. McKosky, D.D., bishop of Michigan, chief consecrator; Jon Williams, D.D., bishop of Connecticut; Horatio Potter, bishop of New York; Henry A. Neely, D.D., bishop of Maine, and Arthur Cleve- lad Coxe, D.D., bishop of Western New York.
Bishop Bissell was born in Randolph, Vermont, November tenth, 114. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1836, was olained deacon in 1839 and priest in 1840. He was rector of Trinity Curch, Geneva, New York, for twenty years, and from there he was c led upon to preside over his native diocese.
In the first year of his episcopate Bishop Bissell made a survey of the conditions of the diocese by his visitations of all the parishes, some of wich he visited more than once during the year. The number of per- sos confirmed was larger than ever before.
As a result of the survey of the parishes of the diocese, the bishop irhis first address to the convention of 1869 spoke at length of the
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ills attending the increase of clerical changes. This habit had, he fe grown in part out of the misconception on the part of the laity th "the clergyman is held in his place by the year" and therefore the pari considers that it is at liberty to dispense with the services of the clerg man when the time is up. This idea was opposed to the whole syste of the church which regards the pastoral relations in its canons, und ordinary circumstances, a permanent one, intended to continue i definitely until some sufficient cause shall arise for its termination.
The Bishop also recommended that the convention address the leg: lature of the state a memorial and petition asking that the statutes the state respecting divorce may be so amended that they shall comp with the Divine law.
St. James parish was without a rector for several months followi: the departure of the Rev. Charles S. Hale. The vestry however w not idle during that time for the records show that calls were extend during the year 1868 to four clergymen who in turn declined to ser Finally on November thirtieth, 1868, a call was given to the Re Francis W. Smith of Brattleboro at a salary of twelve hundred doll: which was accepted and Mr. Smith became rector on the first Sund after Easter, April fifth, 1869.
The vestry at this time consisted of the following persons: Harm Canfield, A. Dow Canfield, Henry S. Hard, Fernando West, Samı Benedict, and Abner Davis. The number of communicants was o hundred and twenty-four.
The Rev. Francis W. Smith was a native of Vermont, born Eden; his early education was in Enosburgh, Bakersfield and St. Alba He graduated from the University of New York in 1851, and from t General Theological Seminary in 1855; was ordained deacon by Bish Horatio Potter in 1855 and priest in 1857; he served two years assistant in the church of the Holy Communion and the Church of t Ascension and two and a half years in Trinity Church, New York.
He officiated at Fairfield and Enosburgh, March, 1860 to 186 Fairfield and Fairfax 1865 to 1866; at Brattleboro 1867 to 1869; A lington, April first, 1869 to March, 1871; Georgia and Milton 1871 1875; Woodstock, November first, 1877 to 1890.
At the convention of 1871 Bishop Bissell reported that six parisl were vacant, among them St. James, Arlington, and that three missio were without ministrations.
The Bishop's lament over the frequent clerical changes referred two years before seems to have been amply justified. With the nota exceptions in Arlington of the rectorships of the Rev. Abraham Brc son (twenty-three years) and the Rev. Frederick A. Wadleigh (twer years), the average stay of the rectors at Arlington was three years a
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f half. This frequent fluctuation in leadership though not confined to arlington, must have been a discouraging factor in the efforts toward iritual as well as material progress, but there is evidence that the lay- men were, many of them zealous in their efforts to maintain the stan- erds initiated by their fathers.
On March first, 1872, after a vacancy in the rectorship of one year, ie Rev. Gemont Graves assumed the rectorship of St. James Church. e was instituted into the rectorship by Bishop Bissell on May twelfth.
During the rectorship of the Rev. Gemont Graves, a period of three aid one half years, the parish made marked progress. Mr. Graves re- prts that during his first year he made 3,606 pastoral calls; that he lld mission services in West Arlington, East Arlington and East Sand- ¿te.
A parish school was opened under the rector's charge with Miss erooster as principal.
The Journal reported (1873) that the expenses of the school for Rtro and a half year terms was $486.35 and that it was self-supporting. lolli the same year it was reported that all indebtedness had been removed unul: special subscriptions amounting to $734.45.
In 1874 the Rector reported that three services were held on Sun- andys, once on Holy Days, semi-weekly in Lent, and daily in Holy Week. The Holy Communion was administered monthly and on every festival as hving a Proper Preface. The third service on Sunday was at Ithesda Church, West Arlington (St. James' Parish), the old church ora tit was built in the time of the Rev. Abraham Bronson.
Bishop Bissell reported to the convention of 1874 that he had spent om sne time visiting the parish school and examining the pupils, and was Birich pleased with their proficiency. In 1875, the report from the ear Fish shows that the Rector had made over six thousand parochial of els during the year; that there were about one hundred and forty orkenmunicants; that the parish school was prosperous with expenses na ounting to $697.48, all paid.
19; The Rev. Gemont Graves was born in Ira, Vermont, November gehth, 1827, oldest son of George and Adeline (Collins) Graves. His her was for many years Senior Warden of Trinity Church, Rutland. Except for one term at North Granville (New York) Academy, he miss prepared for college by the Rev. Dr. Hicks who was for many years par Retor of Trinity Church, Rutland; who baptized him, presented him erred confirmation by Bishop Hopkins, who also ordained him both notacon and Priest in the same church in July, 1853, and September, n B464. In the same church he had been Sunday School pupil, teacher Itwatil Lay Reader. After his ordination he officiated for the first time in same church, assisting the Rector for several months. He spent two
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years of his college life at Middlebury and then went to Trinity Colleg Hartford, where he was graduated in 1849. He then went to t General Theological Seminary where he received the degree of M.A. 1853.
In 1858 Mr. Graves married Miss Maria Moulton. Their childr. were: Marie Moulton (deceased wife of the Rev. John Henry Hopkin D.D.), Ernest Collins (infant deceased), Lily Carol (Phelps-Carroll George, Harmon Sheldon, Charlotte Williams (Andrews), Audl Chase.
His ministry was spent chiefly in Vermont in the following Cure Guilford and Brattleboro 1853, Randolph Center and West Randol] 1854-1858; Hamilton, New York, 1858-1863; Northfield, Vermor Acting Rector, with Warren, Fayston and Waitsfield 1863-1864; Ma chester (both villages) 1869; Cambridge, New York, 1869-72; A lington, Vermont and West Arlington 1872-75; Essex Junction 187 76; from 1876 to 1901 he was Missionary successively in Winoosl Shelburne and East Shelburne, Jericho and Underhill, Georgia ar Milton, Fairfax and Cambridge. He also did a good deal of missiona work in other towns and villages, visiting individuals and families ai distributing church literature. In the summer and fall of 1854 duris his diaconate at Randolph Center, he inaugurated the "daily servic which he says in his diary he believes was the first instance of the kis in the history of Vermont parishes and missions.
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