[cover]
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MAY
Dedication
An
Account of its Dedication
Together
with a Brief Sketch of the Origin
And
Progress of the
Unitarian
Congregational Society of
[Web
Page Additions by Roger Hiemstra, MMUUS Archivist]
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MAY
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UNITARIANISM had believers
in Syracuse at a comparatively early day, but no measures for the dissemination
in a formal way of the liberal faith were adopted until about fifty years ago.
The new theology had then made little progress out of New England. A few
families residing here had been members of Unitarian congregations in the state
of Massachusetts, but they had not been able to secure the benefits of a stated
religious service. In 1836 or 1837 the Rev. Samuel Barrett of Boston and the
Rev. Mr. Green, a resident of that city or vicinity, preached (by invitation)
in the old Baptist church in West Genesee street, setting forth with clearness
and effect the distinctive theological views held by the Unitarians. Prior to
this time and afterwards other Unitarian ministers came and expounded the
Unitarian doctrine. Among them was the Rev. George Y. Hosmer of Buffalo, under
whose inspiration the "First Unitarian Congregational Society of
Syracuse" was formed. The meeting for this purpose was held in Dr. Mayo's
school house, in
[page 4]
in the Onondaga County Clerk's office
On
Immediately after the
organization of the society funds were raised by subscription for the building
of a chapel in
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portance. In August of that year Capt. Putnam, John Wilkinson,
William Malcolm. Parley Bassett and Thomas Spencer were, at a meeting of the
society, appointed a committee to select and purchase a lot “upon which to
erect a new house of worship." Beneath the roof of the small, rough
structure in
On the 27th of
December, 1842, a meeting of the society was held at which David Cogswell,
Horatio N. White and Parley Bassett, together with the trustees, were appointed
a committee to "furnish a plan for a new church or house of worship and to
provide means for its execution." A subscription paper was at once put in
circulation to which the signatures of Unitarians as well as various members of
other denominations were obtained. A plan of the proposed building, with
specifications, presented by Mr. White was adopted and on
On the 23rd day
of November, 1843, the church was dedicated. This occasion was noteworthy There
were. present and assist-
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6]
ing
at the ceremonies Rev George W. Hosmer, Rev. T. W. Holland of
Mr. Hosmer. The sermon by
the pastor was founded on 1st Peter, iii ch.
15th verse: 'Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you.' The
sermon was a defence of Christianity as a religion
which required investigation by reason, and the subject was treated with
thought and learning, with calmness though with great strength and with charitableness
unsurpassed." A dedicatory hymn, written by the venerable Ezekiel Bacon of
Utica, was sung by the choir. In the evening Mr. Hosmer preached "with his
usual ability of thought and clearness of expression."
Coming into the occupancy
of the new church with the society free from debt and increasing in membership,
and under a pastoral charge with which all were satisfied, there was everything
in the situation to encourage the friends of the liberal faith in Syracuse.
Soon, however, a drop of bitterness was found in their cup of joy. The duties
which Mr. Storer had so faithfully discharged had overtaxed a constitution
naturally frail, a mind always too active. This unremitting labor now began to
affect his health. Soon after the completion of the new church Mr. Storer felt
that he must have entire rest, and that it would be best for him to resign. But
to such a step the society would not yield consent, urging with all the feeling
of grateful, loving hearts that their pastor should accept a vacation. He at
length assented to the proposal, and arrangements were made for supplying the
pulpit during his absence, and the time of leaving was fixed for March 16th,
1844. The weather at that time proving unfavorable, he concluded to postpone
his journey to another day. During the night the death summons came. "How
or when no one can ever know; only from the peaceful expression of the dead
face, on which the rays of the morning Sun streamed, those who came to awaken
him felt that he had passed without a pang from earth to heaven."
[page 7]
Mr. Storer's death occurred
on Sunday morning, and as the intelligence of the event spread through the town
all hearts were saddened with grief. In all the pulpits of the city the
announcement was made with feelings of emotion. "All differences were
forgotten in the common sorrow." Everyone felt that a great public loss
had been sustained. Of Mr. Storer's work and character the late Dudley P.
Phelps said truthfully at the time: "Mr. Storer was an educated Christian
gentleman as well as a Christian minister. Earnest and zealous in the work to
which he felt himself called, in this, their missionary field, he strove by all
proper means, to make that work a success; but the disease of which he finally
died began to develop itself soon after he came to Syracuse. With the spirit
almost of a martyr for five years, and indeed as long as it was possible for
him so to do, he kept bravely to his work. When he died he left the impress of
his noble Christian character and example, his talents and teachings, upon a
community whose strong prejudices he had lived down and finally overcome –
overcome purely by his life faithfully and earnestly devoted to his Master's
service, from which he neither swerved nor faltered till the work was done."
During the year that
followed Mr. Storer's death the Unitarian Society maintained its regular
services, with such temporary and chance “supplies” as could be procured. Among
the number who in this way visited and ministered unto the little flock with
greater or less acceptance, were two particularly remembered, Rev. Henry Giles
and Joshua Leonard; the former talented, eloquent and eccentric; the latter
learned and patriarchal, who in his latter years had come to accept fully the
doctrinal views held by Unitarians, and who enjoyed and always availed himself
of opportunities to give his ideas of Christian doctrine and duty. During this
time, however, efforts were being made to discover a successor to Mr. Storer
who would be. fitted to carry on the work he had so successfully
begun. We find, therefore, that on the 16th of September, 1844 the Rev. Samuel J.
May, (who had been recently in charge of the State Normal School at
Lexington, Mass.,) was formally invited to visit the society, preach for and
examine its condition and
[page 8]
prospects with a view to
becoming its pastor, if such a relation should be decided to be mutually
agreeable. Mr. May had made a brief
visit in Syracuse the year before,
while on a journey to Niagara Falls, and had occupied Mr. Storer's
pulpit during two Sundays, making a few acquaintances and leaving a favorable
impression in the minds of all who heard him or met him socially. This
invitation was accepted and Mr. May came on and remained about two weeks.
During this time he gave as fully as he could, both in sermons, lectures and
social conversation, his theological views not only but also those which he
held upon the various reform movements with which he was connected or
interested. A somewhat lengthy correspondence was afterwards maintained between
the trustees of the society and Mr. May, which resulted in his acceptance of
the invitation on the 5th of February following to become their
pastor; but on certain conditions, which were acceded to by the society on the
11th of March after. The correspondence between Mr. May and the
trustees was of more than ordinary interest and no one could peruse the letters
written by Mr. May without being impressed with his rare candor and his
determination, (to use his own language when referring to the matter
afterwards,) "That they should understand who they were calling if they
called me." Through some negligence and informality in the election of trustees,
it was deemed advisable to have a reorganization of the society to perfect its
legal existence. To this end due notices were given and a meeting held on
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of April, 1845. These five
years passed with all their mingled joys and sorrows, but they bound the hearts
of pastor and people in yet closer bonds of affection, and at their termination
Mr. May was unanimously invited to continue his ministry in this church as long
as such mutual satisfaction and good feeling should exist. This second
invitation so cordial and earnest, was accepted. and the relation of pastor and
people remained unbroken either in outward form or in the mutually affectionate
regard that ever characterized it until 1867. At that time Mr. May felt obliged
to offer his resignation; his increasing feebleness warned him of the necessity
of entire freedom from the arduous duties of the ministry. The society felt
that such a step was unavoidable and, though with sincere regret, granted the
request of dismissal. Nine years before, December, 1858, Mr. May had taken a
vacation and visited Europe hoping to reestablish his health, seriously
affected by his unceasing and exciting labor. He was absent nearly a year,
returning in the following November, greatly improved in health, and meeting
here a public reception from the members of the Unitarian society which he
always regarded as one of the pleasantest events of his life. During his
absence the church was well cared for by the Rev. Joseph Angier, since
deceased.
Mr. May sent in his formal
resignation on the 23rd of September, 1867, and it was accepted by
the society on the 7th of October following, but was not put in
force until the March of 1868, Mr. May consenting to remain until spring. Then
was ended a ministry of twenty-three years, remarkable for its unusual length
but even more for the never failing love and reverence borne by the people
towards their pastor, and the unwavering zeal and faithful affection with which
he watched over them. In accepting: his resignation, suitable tributes to him
were paid by resolution, and placed in the church records and afterward
provision for a life annuity was pledged.
Immediately steps were
taken to supply the vacancy caused by Mr. May's resignation. A committee
appointed for the purpose of considering the subject submitted a report to a
full
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meeting of the society on the 20th
of March following. It was proposed by them that the Rev. Samuel R.
Calthrop of
Within a short period after
its erection the Church of the Messiah was found to be too small for the
accommodation of the increasing numbers of the society, and in the autumn of
1850 it was determined to lengthen the building twenty feet, and add twenty
eight pews to its seating capacity. A spire was also built as a continuation of
the original tower, the whole expense of these improvements being three
thousand dollars. Two years afterward a calamitous accident occurred. On Sunday
morning, February 29th, 1852, during a furious gale, the tower and
spire of the building fell upon the roof pressing out the side and rear walls,
and leaving the whole a mass of ruins. Many of the members of the congregation
first learned of this great misfortune as they arrived at the church to attend
the usual Sabbath services, and their consternation can be better imagined than
described. It was, indeed, a crushing blow, for the Society was still in debt
for the recent improvements, and they were obliged to do their work thrice
over. As many members of the society as could be notified assembled in the
afternoon of the same day, at the office of Dr. Clary, at which meeting a
committee, consisting of John Wilkinson, David Cogswell, James L. Bagg and
Charles B. Sedgwick was appointed to report upon the situation at an adjourned
meeting to be held the next evening. Subsequent action resulted in the adoption
of a plan, presented by H. N. White, for a new building to be erected mainly on
the old foundation walls which were uninjured. This edifice was completed at a
cost (including the new organ, valued at $1,100) of between ten and eleven
thousand dollars, of which amount two thousand dollars was
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contributed by friends in New and Old England,
The new
church was, on the 11th of April, 1853, dedicated "to the
worship of God, to the inculcation of Religious Truth and Christian Duty."
The services were of a pleasing character. The Rev. W. H. Channing, of Rochester, preached a sermon,
based on the text: St. John xvii ch., 21st,
22nd and 23rd verses. The following original hymn,
written for the occasion by Dudley P. Phelps, a member of the society, was
sung:
With hearts depressed, but not cast down,
When crushing tempests raged,
In earnest faith new hopes to crown
Our zealous hands engaged.
‘Til on those broken walls once more
A fairer temple stands;
Accept, O God, whom we adore,
The offering of our hands.
Around this altar which we raise
Let thy felt presence be;
Here may our prayers and songs of praise
Acceptance find with Thee.
Within these walls Thy love proclaim;
Here let Thy truth be heard;
Honored forever be thy name –
Jehovah, Father, God.
Oppressed by sorrow, sin and ill,
As to a Father’s Home,
In meek submission to Thy will
Here let Thy children come
And from the treasurers of the word
Wisdom and grace bestow –
Thy Way, the Truth, the Life, O Lord,
Which Jesus was – to know.
So may our lives here turned to Thee
In righteous deeds be given,
That his fair House shall prove to be
A very gate of heaven
The consecrating prayer was
by the Rev. John Pierpont, and
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dedication sermon by the
pastor, Mr. May. In the afternoon a collation was served in Empire Hall, and in
the evening appropriate services were held in the church.
The foregoing sketch brings
the history of the society down to the period when the question of building the
May Memorial Church was first considered. But the relation should not close
without further reference to the character and services of the man to whose
memory the new church is erected. This cannot be done better than by quoting from
a biographical sketch written at the time of Mr. May's
death by Mr. Charles E. Fitch. Mr. Fitch says:
"To write of Mr. May
as a citizen is a grateful task. He was a minister who came out of his pulpit
to mingle with his fellow men, bringing the meditations of the closet and the
soul of good will to bear upon the social problems which beset us all. He came
to us when we were a village; he lived among us, to see our population
quintupled, a fair and prosperous city. He was as public spirited as
philanthropic. No improvement but had his sanction, no charity but had his
encouragement. The Franklin Institute, the Historical Association, the Orphan
Asylum, the Home, the Hospital, all called him their friend. No differing creed
could deter him from giving his aid to a noble enterprise. * * * And now, as we
write our last words, we would, if possible, have our pen touched as by an
angel, to fitly note the gracious character itself, of which the record we have
sketched is but, the outward expression; but words are cold and speech is
lifeless here. There was no man of a nobler self-abandonment than he. His
charities were as countless as the dew drops glistening on the meadows of
morning; his sympathies as pervasive as the objects toward which they could be
directed. A zealot, he had none of the zealot's bitterness; a reformer, he had
not the reformer's caustic tongue; a theologian of pronounced views, he had
none of the theologian's regard for sect. True to his own flesh and blood, he
was yet everybody's friend. Simple in his habits, confiding in his nature,
sometimes imposed upon through the very excess
[page 13]
of his philanthropy, no man
but respected him for the possession of the most sterling qualities of head as
well as of heart.
"Now
that the asperities of the conflicts in which he was engaged are hushed in the
triumph of nearly all the principles for which he contended, we believe there
is no man living who will cherish an envious or a hostile feeling over this
new-made grave. Utterly free from envy himself, he paid most generous tribute
to the talents and the good works of his fellows,
"In
the fullness of years, with intellect unimpaired, with affections undiminished,
with a record lustrous for its accomplishment and beautiful in its spirit; with
the regard of all who had heard him, he has been gathered to his fathers and
taken his place among that goodly company who, ‘by pureness, by knowledge, by
long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word
of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand
and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report,' have
entered into the rest of the faithful.
"To use his own words,
he had learned life's lesson, and had gladly turned the page to see what there
was on the other side, Upon us his life falls like a benediction, gracious and
gentle, from the hands of the Father Supreme. May it be given us to live as in
its presence, and to assimilate in our characters something of its
essence."
The Church of the Messiah,
with the changes and improvements that from time to time had been made, had
served its purpose for forty years, when the invasion of the neighborhood by
the tracks of a railway, compelled the society to abandon the premises and seek
elsewhere for a place of worship. On the 13th of March, 1883, the
Board of Trustees, at a meeting held for the purpose, at which were present E.
B, Judson, W. Brown Smith, Martin A. Knapp, Charles W. Snow, James L.
Bagg and James Barnes, appointed E. B. Judson, Alfred Wilkinson, Horatio N.
White, James Barnes, Charles W. Snow, W. Brown Smith, Alexander H. Davis, James
L. Bagg, Martin A Knapp and Harvey Steward a committee "to inaugurate measures
looking toward
[page 14]
a new church," to be
styled "The May Memorial Church," and to be erected on a site to be
selected by the representatives of two-thirds of the sum of money subscribed for the purpose. This
being done, the form of a subscription was presented and approved. Another
meeting of the Board was held May 30th following, when George Barnes
was added to the committee.
At a meeting of the society
held October 25th, 1883, it was on motion resolved, as the sense of
the meeting; that "a new church should be built." On the 30th
of October following the Board of Trustees adopted a resolution offered by Mr.
Bagg, authorizing Mr. H. N. White to "receive proposals, by advertisement
or otherwise, for furnishing the society with a lot for its new church,"
and also to circulate such subscriptions as he may select, so that "all
members of the congregation may have the opportunity of subscribing to the
building fund." Another meeting of the society was held on November 22nd.following,
when resolutions were adopted declaring the progress made in obtaining
subscriptions to be “eminently satisfactory," and that the subscribers to
the building fund be called together at the church on the 30th of
November, "for the purpose of considering the selection of a site for the
new church edifice." A further resolution was adopted authorizing the
trustees to offer the old church building for sale. This meeting was held, but
adjourned without taking action on the question of a site. The adjourned
meeting was accordingly held, but without taking action adjourned, to meet at
the call of the president of the Board of Trustees. On the 16th day
of February, 1884, pursuant to the order of the previous meeting, and on notice
by the president of the Board of Trustees, the subscribers re-assembled at the
church parlors, for the purpose of determining the question of location. On a
vote being taken it was found that a majority had failed to designate either of
several locations desired, and the meeting adjourned, after passing a resolution
that "the whole matter be left with the trustees, with power to canvass
among the subscribers not present, and if sufficient votes were obtained, to
proceed with the purchase of the property voted
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for" The trustees acted promptly under this
resolution, and at a meeting of the Board held a short time afterwards found
that the required vote had been cast for the "Chase lot," situated in
At a meeting of the Board
of Trustees, held April 3, 1884, it was resolved that the Building Committee,
when appointed, be authorized and directed to procure at least three plans for the
proposed building and submit the same to the Board of Trustees, and that the
materia1 of the structure be "Onondaga lime stone, with the rough Ashler finish." The following-named committee on
"plans" was also appointed: Alexander H. Davis, Daniel J. Francis,
William H. Smith, A Clark Baum, George E. Dana, Mrs. George Barnes, Mrs. Alfred
Wilkinson, Mrs. Maria Church, Mrs. D. F. Gott, Mrs.
R. W. Pease, Mrs. H. W. Beardslee, Mrs. P. H. Agan, Mrs. S. R. Calthrop, Mrs. James L. Bagg, Mrs. E. S.
Jenney, Mrs. T. J. Leach, Mrs. A. C. Baum, Mrs. H. M. Rowling, Mrs. C. W. Snow,
Mrs. M. A. Knapp and Mrs. Alexander H. Davis. At the same time the
following-named persons were appointed the Building Committee: George Barnes,
Alfred Wilkinson, W. Brown Smith, Thomas J. Leach and Austin C. Wood. Mr.
Barnes having declined the service, James Barnes was selected to fill the
vacancy. At a meeting of the Board held April 15th, H. N. White was
selected as the architect, and requested to submit a plan. The Board met on the
15th of May and adopted the following report from the Committee on
Plans as follows:
1st That
the committee approve the design presented by Mr. White, as originally drawn
with spire.
2nd That
the committee recommend the addition of a suitable stone porch to the front of
the church, provided such addition
[page 16]
may be made without
exceeding the financial limit of our church fund.
While the committee has no
responsibility beyond the choice of design, they unanimously desire that the
present elevation of the church lot be maintained as nearly as may be,
conformably with the adopted design.
The report was accepted and
a resolution passed that the plan of Mr. White, as submitted by him and
approved by the Committee on Design, be adopted, and that the Building
Committee be authorized to make necessary contracts for the execution of the
work. Proposals were advertised for and received for the construction of the
building, and on the 21st of May It was determined by a unanimous
vote of the trustees to accept the bid of E. M. Allen. On June 7 the Building
Committee was authorized by the Board to enter into contract with Mr. Allen, at
the price of $29,800 for the building complete. Work on the foundations was
immediately begun and prosecuted with diligence, and had so far advanced as to
permit the laying of tile corner stone on the 11th of August
thereafter. This ceremony was performed by the pastor, in the presence of a
large concourse of people. His address was well suited to the occasion. In it
he rapidly sketched the history of the society, referring especially to the
origin and progress of the new church edifice and the encouraging signs of
religious progress to which the structure testified. In the corner stone were
deposited the following articles:
1. List of subscribers to May Memorial church.
2. List of subscribers
to the Church of the Messiah for the last five years, with schedule of
expenses.
3. List of trustees,
church officers and employees, and building committee.
4. Plan of the Church
of the Messiah, and list of pew-holders for 1884.
5. Photograph of the
Church of the Messiah, 1884,
6. Photograph of Rev.
S. R. Calthrop,
7. Life of the Rev;
Samuel J. May,
[page 17]
8. In Memoriam, Rev. J. May, 1871.
9. Mementos
contributed by C. F. Williston, trustee of the church, with Captain Hiram
Putnam and John Wilkinson, Esq., from 1839 to 1856, as follows:
a. Order
of exercises, consecration of the Church of the Messiah,
b. Order
of services at the dedication of the Church of the Messiah,
c. Hymns for the funeral of Miss Amelia Bradbury.
d. Poem by Dudley P. Phelps, Esq., on the
return from Europe of Samuel J. May.
10. Letter from Rev. Samuel J. May, introducing
Mr. and Mrs. John Wilkinson to Harriet Martineau.
11.
Common Council Manual, 1884.
12. Newspapers of the day: Daily Standard,
Daily Courier, Daily Journal, Evening Herald, Northern Christian Advocate,
Central Demokrat, Syracuse Union, Christian Register,
Gospel Messenger, Farmer and Dairyman, Syracusan,
University Herald.
13. Silver dollar coined in 1884.
The work
of construction progressed in a satisfactory manner, and on
[page 18]
Believing that the welfare
of the society would be promoted by the immediate extinguishment of this debt,
a resolution was adopted that it be met by additional subscriptions to the
building fund, and this was soon accomplished, leaving the society free from
debt and the church without incumbrance.
On the 5th of
October the Board adopted a resolution designating the 20th of
October. at
[page 19]
Order
of Exercises.
|
Opening Anthem, |
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Choir. |
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|
|
|
By
Rev. Samuel May, of |
|
Prayer, |
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By
Rev. F. Frothingham, of |
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Hymn 704, |
|
|
Choir. |
|
Sermon. |
|
|
By
Rev. Joseph May, of |
|
Dedication. |
|
|
By
Rev. S. R. Calthrop, Pastor, and the Congregation of the Church; All
Standing. |
|
Dedication Hymn, |
|
|
Written
by Samuel May, Jr. of |
|
Address, |
|
|
Mr.
Dupee, of |
|
Doxology. |
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“From
All That Dwell Below the Skies,” Choir and Congregation. |
|
Benediction, |
|
|
Pastor. |
[page 20]
O
HAPPY CHURCH.
A
Sermon preached at the Dedication of the
Text,
John xvi 131. “When he, the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all
truth.”
At
any epoch so interesting as is the present in the history of this society; in
the face of a change outwardly so considerable, and amid the fresh delight of
such beautiful condition, as are henceforth to surround its assemblings,
it is impossible for one who has long known and loved the church to subdue the
uprising of personal emotions. The past of every institution is a part of its
living reality, and our sense of this is inevitably and healthfully quickened
by circumstances such as the present. To those of you whose memory goes back
with mine to its very early, perhaps to its earliest days, the tenderness of
affectionate recollection gives to reminiscence a liveliness which almost
overbears the hope and gladness of today. A child of this church, as I have approached
this occasion such memories have welled up in my heart abundantly, and about
me, almost visibly, have moved that circle of kindly, earnest, closely united
men and women, in whose faith and devotion it sprang and lived, who stood by it
in its day of struggle, and whose dignity, sobriety, rectitude of life and
geniality of manners gave it a place so exceptional as that which it has
occupied in this community. I seem to see them as I look into your faces now.
They are here with us in the spirit, and
[page 21]
our
joy is theirs; it would be incomplete without their sympathy and blessing,
which I know we have today. Pastors and people of the past, they unite with us
in the praises of this hour.
This
church has had a happy history because it had a genuine origin. It was not the
child of conventionality or mere convenience. It grew up out of conscientious
principle and a real spiritual want. It cost somewhat too dear to have been
founded except upon earnest convictions. To dissent from prevailing views has
usually been trying; in those days it was a hardship, So uniform in this region
was the popular religious belief; so strongly entrenched and so stern was the
prevailing theology of fifty years ago; so little impression had divergent
views made upon it; that the opposition encountered by that first group of
Unitarians here was harsh and almost universal. There were some tokens of a
disposition to inquire into their views; small audiences gathered in some of
the neighboring villages, from time to time and heard the new gospel from the
lips of the first, and afterwards, occasionally, from those of the second
pastor. Instances of courtesy, too, were not wholly wanting; as when at the
installation of their first minister, a neighboring church was thrown open for
the sermon of Dr. Dewey, then at the zenith of his fame; but, for the most
part, the liberal religionists were pariahs. Open denunciation was hurled at
them from the pulpits. Their faith hurt them in popularity and in business. But
this cost they met, quietly it would seem, but firmly, proceeding to
consolidate the work they had in no light spirit begun. And through their
fidelity they prospered.
They
were marked men and women, always; independent, thoughtful, upright,
plain-spoken, public-spirited. They lived together in a social union which
almost renewed the facts of earliest Christian days. They were like a family,
intimate and free in all the relations of social and business life. They used
few titles, the Christian name was common among them. One, what a saint she
was! what a halo always played about her face! was widely called
"Mother" and more than one was known in every
[page
22]
home
as "Aunt." It would be a joy to utter all their names and associate
the syllables audibly with the echoes of these walls.
Let
us, on this day, recall those staunch friends of the cause, fitly commemorated
in one of these beautiful windows, that frank and cheery man, and his gifted,
thoughtful wife, long active in all the public interests of the town. to whose
hospitality the first meeting was indebted for its place at assembling.
One
woman I may mention, a very early though not one of the earliest members, if
only because her calling was so much respected as her friendship was valued, by
your former pastor; plain of person and grave in manner, but wise, kindly and
earnest, she not only rendered valuable service to our cause in this place but,
as a teacher, left her mark so distinctly on the characters of a long line of
pupils that it was said one could identify them among their contemporaries by
the traits of practical good sense, moral earnestness and high womanliness
which she impressed upon them.
Of
others, I think two personalities among the men of those days, will always, for
many of us, be peculiarly associated with all the interests and experiences of
the church; men of firm convictions and active thought, both genial but
positive, not indisposed to controversy, and often hotly but cordially
contesting the questions of the time. That frank, kindly ex-mariner, who had
found his Snug-Harbor in this inland community; a man most simple and
unassuming, but self respecting, dignified and firm in all his ways; and that
wise and beloved physician, whose cheerful voice and bright, kind eyes and
pleasant smile carried healing almost better than that of his medicine, where
it was needed, and everywhere spread gladness and good cheer.
I
am quite unable to speak, except most generally of him who became the first
pastor of the little flock. I know that his memory lingered as that of a
refined and courteous gentleman, a sincere and earnest Christian, consecrated
to his work, but of a physical delicacy which impaired his ability to cope with
the stern conditions of his life here and made the unsparing assaults
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upon
his cause, which did not fail from neighboring preachers, a heavy burden to
him. I am glad that another voice should speak of him today, as I cannot, and
that this building contains a fresh and beautiful memorial of him. During the
short term of his ministry here he endeared himself to his people, and if, as
was thought, the trials of his position even shortened his life, it is true of
him, as of his Master, that he gave himself that they might be saved.
Of
him who became Mr. Storer's successor what may I say? He is not to be passed
over from the accident which has chosen your present speaker, and we are all,
alas, far enough from him now for even one who bears his name to refer to him
freely. And yet I am able to do so chiefly because I feel that all that his
child could say of him would find an echo in the hearts of you who knew him.
I
think that to all of us he remains a sort of exception. Of all the men I
have met in life he seems to me to have been, as his friend President White
called him, the best. He was one of a very few to whom I would venture to apply
the epithet holy. He was without taint of guile; yet not through a mere
gentleness and unworldliness which might be called
feminine, but through a clear-sighted manly love of all that is right and pure.
He was, in fact, of a strongly marked masculinity of temperament, and his
gentleness was virile, not womanly. He was sympathetic with every sorrow, pain,
want, every hope and joy that made itself known to him; but his independence,
firmness, energy, resolution, courage, were unqualified. He was peculiarly
fixed in the positions he deliberately took, and if through Christian charity,
he conceded every intellectual right to those from whom he differed, he never
yielded a conscientious conviction of his own. He could dissent without
asperity, and even strenuously condemn with a manifest Christ-like love toward
the object of his censure. He had no dread of consequences, scorned expediency,
and trusted wholly in the ideal right. Of selfishness he had none. There is one
testimony which only a member of his family can
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bear—that
all that was ever seen as admirable in his public career was more than
paralleled in his private life. Genial, gracious, loving; interested in every small
concern of his smallest child; indulgent but never forgetting the right;
effacing himself so far as his own ease and comfort were concerned, yet
remaining the head of his family; he was in all things beautiful. Next, always,
to his family, was his church. Alive to every interest of humanity and of the
community where he lived, the ardent apostle of social reforms and of
education, he remained characteristically the minister of the congregation he
had undertaken to serve. That interest was always first, and its duties never
suffered from an absorption on his part into wider concerns. How untiring a
pastor he was many of you recall; intimate with every member of his flock,
concerned in all that affected the wellbeing or happiness of each, the frequent
guest and personal friend of all. Doubtless such pastoral activity is
impracticable to one more of the temperament of a student, and yet there was in
it a measure of scholarly self-denial. He often sighed over the little time he
left himself for books. But as a preacher he was always prepared with care and
punctual and fervid. Ethical in his religious emphasis, yet of a true and
tender piety, what he most longed for in his people was an earnest
religiousness. As life ebbed he said: "I may have hereafter a clearer
vision, I can hardly have a surer faith." His prayers were as earnest and
moving as his sermons and he poured himself into both. So genuine was each
exercise that both were truly spontaneous. He never addressed his people
without a profound sense of the importance of each occasion, but he wrote with
ease and rapidity and with little revision. As to style, he was of the older
school, and was careful that the form of his discourse should be balanced and
elegant, as in his delivery he was always dignified and grave. In all his
multifarious activities he was wonderfully supported by his perfect health.
Till the very latest years of his life, I never saw him resting or seeming more
than healthfully fatigued, although for many years he conducted his morning sermon
on
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Sunday,
then spent the afternoon in that almost unique weekly meeting fur discussion in
which, for so long, Christians of every sect, Protestant and Catholics, with
men of every shade of outside thought and vagary, so amicably united; and then
walked down yet a third time, from his somewhat distant home, to conduct the
evening service which to him was an indispensable duty of the day. Through the
week, every human interest engages him, as you well know—anti slavery,
temperance, peace, education, the welfare of the Indians, the canal boys, the
poor, the sick, the insane; and no applicant for his personal sympathy, advice
or aid, ever seemed to him an intruder. He was more shrewd in his judgment of
men than he was commonly thought, for even the professional vagabond or obvious
impostor was to him a brother whom he loved as a fellow-child of God. Like
Goldsmith's village preacher, "He chid their
wanderings, but relieved their pain."
It
may be permitted to me to sketch, thus hastily, the likeness of him you loved;
of the results of his incessant, fervid activities it is rather for others to
speak. That his loving spirit did not fail to touch the responsive chord in
other hearts, your remembrance of him, embodied in this monument, attests. At least,
I think there was a certain liberalized and humanized condition of thought and
sentiment in this community which he largely aided to give it. He made himself
here a centre and nucleus for all who loved humanity to gather about. And .if
his religion was largely the service of man, his service of man was always
religion through his child-like love of God, the universal Father.
I
turn with reluctance from these personal reminiscences. How many others, of
that earlier generation of the society, it would be a pleasing task to
delineate; but if you could recognize their portraits, it is because they live
also in your memories and stir there as living presences in the rejoicings of
this sacramental hour. In the quiet of our hearts let them enter here with us.
Each faithful servant of the church, throughout its fortunate and useful
history; each upright man, each earnest woman,
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who
went in and out those former doors, and stood for virtue, true religion, and
the service of human kind; each dear friend of our private hearts. These, and
not its walls and arches were our church. And it, with you, they still are and
shall be; still a broad portion of its strength, still a deep fountain of its
vitality. For their honorable lives, for their every act of fidelity and word
of kindness, for their faith in God and their love to each other and to us, let
us thank God today, and build in their pleasant, precious memories as living
stones, into that spiritual church which not the mere words of this hour, but
the same devotion to truth and duty, the same uprightness, the same kindliness
and union, the same reverence for God and concern for his children and his
kingdom, must consecrate.
Herein,
my friends, is an illustration of one of the strongest forces that have united
in the
And
in the affectionate impulse which gives to this new religious home of yours its
particular title, in this loving choice which associates the hallowed memory of
an individual with your bright new church, is a true example of that instinct
of canonization which, in Christianity, has "not willingly let die"
those who in every age, have shed upon the church the lustre
of consecrated lives.
It
is especially this sentiment of personal affection, this instinctive
appreciation of the traditional treasures of Christianity, which has held our
own body, protesting against much that has been preached in his name, to the
great Ideal Man of Christianity, in whose deep heart and exquisite mind the
fountain of our religious thought arose and flowed out over the world, and to
the true men
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who,
from the great Apostle to now, have spoken in his name and sought to speak his
truth. The opinions of every follower of Jesus have been largely the product of
his own time. Few, if any, of the first Christian generation could accept the
simple religious principles which the Master taught as sufficient for the
soul's life and health and growth. From almost its earliest organized days, the
Church, —moving, as a body, on a plane much below the level of that mount on
which Jesus preached the sermon which we know,—has invented or borrowed
elaborate theologies, strange and often antagonistic to his thought. But in
many an earnest, holy heart from the earliest days till now, there has lived
richly the spirit of Jesus, and it has often made the preacher of a horrible
creed a true saint in the spirit and issues of his life, and a safe and ample
vehicle to us of that divine fire which burnt in the breast of the Christ.
Even
from those near predecessors of ours, we find ourselves, in thought, departing
much. How different, doubtless, the views of many important questions which
prevail among you from those of the circle which built that first little chapel
or either of the churches we have known and loved! How changed the aspect and
emphasis, how mollified the spirit of the theology which prevails about us! So,
consciously or unconsciously, each generation inherits only to change it, the
thought of that which it succeeds. But a certain sacred spiritual reality, the
spirit of truth, the spirit of love to God and man, has come down the ages
making the Church still one.
This
spiritual essence has been the reality of Christianity. And rejoicing in this
spirit, desiring to share in it, loving the traditions of Christianity;
believing herself, indeed, to stand in religious thought even more closely than
others upon the express religious principles of Jesus, the Unitarian Church has
claimed for itself an integral place in the Church Universal. How earnestly
they felt in this respect, the title,* which your predecessors gave
to their former church edifice distinctly shows. And though you,
________________
*The Church of the Messiah.
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no doubt, with the most of this generation, have moved
upon a broader ground of thought than theirs, I am sure you continue to claim
your right in the Christian heritage.
Not
so much in any narrow self vindication, as in loyalty to the deepest meaning of
the Christian movement, you and I assert that there is room within that august
movement for unqualified intellectual freedom. The scope of true religion must
be coterminous with the whole absolute truth of God. It is impossible that
anything narrower should have been the aim of a soul like that of Jesus. The fourth
and most spiritual of the gospels, (which, if less authentic in form than the
others, represents profoundly the spirit of the early church, and which has
that word "Truth," almost as its key-note) makes Jesus say that it
was to the truth he came to bear witness, and that everyone that was of the
truth was his follower. By the spirit of truth—that truth which makes us
"free "—we are to be guided "into all truth."
In
the history of any such institution as this, if it has been alive, might be
read the history of its time. Nothing can disengage itself from its
environment. All contemporaneous events and conditions enter it as factors to
make it what it has been. Forty years ago this church was, in some sort, a
microcosm of its era, reflecting the general condition of men's minds then, as
modified by the special ideas, emotions and principles, which differentiated
this group of persons from their neighbors. Such it has been at each period of
its past and is today, its vitality being all along, so much of truth, and that
phase of truth, which has been especially influential in the thought and lives
of its members. The changes through which it has passed only answer to those
through which the whole community has been passing.
How
remarkable these have been! The last half century has been, at least in respect
to progress, one seldom paralleled in the experience of a people. The physical
and local changes have been great; the mental and spiritual changes have been
not less great.
When
that little company first gathered to organize the church,
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the population of the
country was less than twenty millions. Here, where there is now this large
city, was only a group of little villages, of which this, the largest, had less
than four thousand inhabitants. There was no telegraph, no power press, no
sewing machine; photography was just discovered; railroads even had feebly
begun their now gigantic development. When your second pastor removed hither,
he and his family spent two nights on the way from