:38S5 St. Mark's Sixtieth Anniversary 1850-1910 A Discourse delivered in Sunday, December 25th, 1910 at Evening Service by the Rector REV. SPENCER S. ROCHE. D.D. /o,/^,/. #^'^ PRINCETON, N. J. **« % Presented by&0(£/V^^ 3v~- O . Wo O V^ <£/ ^3) rX). &r/z>« ...'..0.0..^ o [* OCT 1 9 1911 ST. MARK'S SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY 1850-1910 A Discourse delivered in i>t. iiark s ([Il|urrl|, Irooklgn Sunday, December 25th, 1910 at Evening Service by the Rector REV. SPENCER S. ROCHE. D.D. PRESS OF HUNTER COLLINS, INC. 133 LIVINGSTON STREET BROOKLYN, N. Y. 1911 SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE CLERGY OF ST. MARK'S. BROOKLYN "Remember them that had the rule over you, which spake unto you the word of God : and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith." — Heb. 13:7. We should make a great mistake if on the Sixtieth Anni- versary of our parochial existence we should content our- selves with calling up a picture of the period of our begin- ning, in city and nation, in society and the Church. Nor is it enough to dwell sentimentally on our edifices; nor should we be satisfied with an ecstatic musical outburst of gratitude. We should by no means forget those messengers of God who have celebrated so many Communions at our altar, and who have taught so many from our pulpit. Now that the Parish has reached the very respectable longevity of three-score, it will surely be interesting to pause and send our thoughts backward to the men whom God has commissioned to speak His Word to us and to our parents and grandparents in these four edifices. Good men they were and true, in spite of many a discouragement. It is much to be feared that these devout and learned men, perhaps not without failings themselves, had much to endure from ill health, and from apathy on the part of the people. While God sent them, men did not always welcome them with sympathy and generosity. Let us render them a tardy tribute of veneration. Rev. Francis Peck, the first Rector, was born May 2, 181 1, at Bristol, Rhode Island. He graduated at Brown Uni- versity, in 1833, and studied for the ministry under Bishop Griswold, who ordained him deacon at Boston, September 15, 1833, and advanced him to the priesthood at Providence, Rhode Island, December 18, 1834. After officiating as a lay 3 reader at St. Michael's, Bristol, Rhode Island, Mr. Peck had a work in Baltimore. From this he was invited to St. An- drew's, Providence. From St. Andrew's he was called to take charge of the new venture at St. Mark's, Brooklyn. Here he remained till 1859. He made very careful annual statements regarding his work and these were published in the annual reports of the Benevolent Society of the Church of the Holy Trinity. Study of these records shows that Mr. Peck had far juster opinions of the needs and prospect than were held by others. The reports offered at the Sixth Anniversary of the Benev- olent Association, March 9, 1856, showed that the mortgage on St. Mark's, originally $1,200, had been reduced to $100, and also gave evidence of a widening breach between the Mission and its founders. The Rev. Dr. Lewis, Rector of Holy Trin- ity, speaking for the Benevolent Association in connection with St. Mark's, says: "An increased portion of the ex- penses has been borne by those who worship at St. Mark's and it is proposed to put upon them a yet larger share during the coming year, leaving us more in funds for various other objects. It must be gratifying to our friends and patrons in these days, when so much attention is awakened to City Mis- sions, to know that our own enterprise has been sustained with steady hand for six years, with ever-growing success and with the happiest results. We may challenge the history of such efforts in our own day and neighborhood, to show larger or better fruits from so small an outlay of expendi- ture." The Rev. Francis Peck, with his familiarity with the prac- tical work of the Mission, speaks in another strain. "Largely dependent as we are upon this Association, it is difficult for the people themselves to form a centre of opera- tions within themselves. And as engagement is the parent of interest, and interest the mother of self-denying exertion, it would be to expect offspring without parentage to hope for a spirit of ardent self-sacrificing charity, without connecting 4 the congregation as a body more directly with what is, under ordinary circumstances, felt to be their work. But further than this: it is not forgotten that the purpose for which St. Mark's was erected, was that it might forever remain a free church. The utmost publicity has been given to this fact. With the principle, itself, in its moral bearings, it is not my purpose to speak; but ample experience warrants me in say- ing, and justice to the Church which I represent demands that I should state, that, viewed in connection with pecuniary result, the whole working of a free church is utterly at war with such result. The theory is a beautiful one, but practi- cally it is, financially speaking, an error. ' It is more blessed to give than to receive.' We cannot teach the reverse of this lesson without its being easily seized upon by the selfishness of the avaricious, and its exerting a blighting upon the gen- erosity of the generous." The report of the Benevolent Association, March 4, 1857, says : "During our last year's troubles St. Ann's has kindly re- lieved us of the support of St. Mark's, so far as anything was needful beyond its own income. There is a general feeling among our people that St. Mark's must by all means be re- tained for the purposes for which it was originally erected and our first effort should be to stand in our former rela- tions to it. We can do this if nothing more be required of us than St. Ann's has been asked to furnish, viz. about $300." The individual report of Francis Peck shows that St. Mark's congregation had raised $1,266.93. The Ninth Anniversary of the Benevolent Association was held March 2, 1859. The report begins: — "After an interval of two years, during which no public or published statement of the affairs of the Benevolent Asso- ciation has been made, for the very good reason that during that time, thru the embarrassed state of our parish, it was judged best to undertake nothing in charitable operations — St. Mark's has been thrown on its own resources, as we were 5 unable to do more than to pay the insurance money on the building and to allow the use of it without rent. The Vestry of that church have found great difficulty in meeting its ex- penses and Mr. Peck has been compelled to resign. It will now be our duty in connection with the Vestry of St. Mark's, to take action as to the call of a new rector. It should be maintained, but we can do nothing towards sustaining it. We were wise to retain the property in our hands; for should the church fail, as many think it must, all that can be saved from it should of right come back to us. " After his resignation, Mr. Peck took charge of a mission work in New York, started by some of the parishioners of Grace Church, in an edifice on the present site of the Grand Opera House, at Eighth Avenue and Twenty-third Street. In the Journal of the Primary Convention of Long Island, held in November, 1868, he appears as rector of Calvary Church, in the Eastern District. It was about 1881 that he resigned this position, retiring to a dignified residence belonging to him in Dean Street. His death occurred June 14, 1888. In a sermon preached at St. Mark's at the Semi-Centennial Celebration in 1900, by the Rev. William Hooper, this tribute is paid Mr. Peck: "A more perfect specimen of a Christian gentleman and a Christian priest, I have seldom seen. Digni- fied in his bearing, yet affable and courteous to all, never sparing himself and never neglecting a single known duty." Bishop Littlejohn, in his address to the Convention of 1889, says of him: "A man of earnest purpose and affection- ate disposition, always true to his own ideals of a minister of Christ, he strove amid many trials and difficulties, and with such powers as God had given him, to make known among men the way of eternal life. His heart went out in tender sympathy to the sheep of his flock, and all who came under bis care felt the warmth and comfort of a true pastor's love." Rev. Edmund Embury was born in New York City, April 13, 1809, of a wealthy family. He graduated at Col- umbia College, School of Arts, in 1828, and at the General Theological Seminary in 1834. He was ordered deacon by Bishop Onderdonk in St. Thomas' Church, New York, the same year, spending his diaconate as Missionary at Turin, Lewis County, New York. His ordination to the priesthood took place in 1835, at the hands of Bishop Onderdonk, in Trinity Church, New York. In 1844 he was officiating as Missionary at East Bloomfield and parts adjacent in Ontario County. In 1847 the list in the General Convention Journal places him as rector of Em- manuel Church, New York. We find him next in 1850, min- ister at St. Thomas' Church, New Windsor, Orange County. He now resided for several years in New York and Brooklyn, performing services in Emmanuel Church, Brooklyn, and also in two parishes in the Eastern District of Brooklyn, — St. Paul's, which has since ceased to exist, and St. Mark's, Rev. Dr. Haskins, rector, which afterward removed to the Eastern Parkway. His work at our own St. Mark's fell in the summer of 1859. There were many encouraging facts. People had shown interest and self-sacrifice. Holy Trinity and St. Ann's would, if appealed to, certainly have continued at least some part of their aid. The Convocation for Church Extension would have helped. Bnt Mr. Embury at the lowest ebb- period of the year in our churches, just after the summer, re- signed on October 20. The record of the Vestry meeting held October 26, 1859, closes with the words: "It was moved that we continue services one week longer. Carried." A foot-note after the signature of the Clerk of the Vestry reads: "At this point all were discouraged and seriously con- templated disbanding." Mr. Embury recorded no baptism, funeral or marriage. Of Mr. Embury, Mr. Hooper says: "I remember Mr. Embury well, though he was but a short time with the parish. He was a quiet, scholarly man, very precise in his manner, yet of most kindly disposition, 7 He was a good preacher and a faithful pastor. His health, however, had always been delicate, and the work at St. Mark's, with a new church in prospect, combined with the ordinary parish work, and the always hard task of raising money for current expenses, soon proved too arduous for him." About 1865 Mr. Embury settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, occupying a large fine house and taking charge of Christ Church. In 1869, on land adjoining his residence, and out of his private fortune, he built a church for the Parish of the Holy Cross, the entire cost of church and land amounting to $17,000. This was in a short time freed from debt and con- secrated, and was by Mr. Embury deeded to the Vestry, on conditions that it should ever be a free church. On account of ill health, he seldom preached, btit em- ployed an assistant. He continued to live next door to the Church of the Holy Cross until his death, March 25, 1893, at the age of eighty-four. Rev. Thomas G. Carver, D.D., became rector December II, 1859. He was born in Wales about 1821, but was brought up and educated in England. About 1845 he became a Pres- byterian minister. In 1856 he came to this country, entering the New York Presbytery. Soon after he entered the Episco- pal Church, probably in the Diocese of Connecticut, for on his ordination as deacon, he was put in charge of St. Michael's, Naugatuck. Mr. E. E. Hotchkiss, Clerk of St. Michael's vestry, states that for more than two years he was their rector, his letter accepting the invitation being dated April 25, 1857, and his letter of resignation, December i, 1859. On his resignation, he at once took up work in St. Mark's, Brooklyn. He was called at a salary of $800, which the vestry hoped soon to make a thousand. His attractive qualities speedily enlarged the number of communicants and the removal of a the church to a better neighborhood was projected. Holy Trinity offered the Fleet Place edifice and grounds for $2,000, but the people were averse to this purchase. The building needed constant repair, while the surrounding community was declining in promise. In May, i860, the vestry ordered a plot of ground to be bought at DeKalb and Portland Avenues, 75 feet by 100 feet, facing the park and in the midst of an elegantly settled region. The price was $5,000, all of which remained on mortgage. After much discussion, it was concluded to put up a temporary edifice, at a cost not to exceed $3,000. The Brooklyn Eagle of December 22, i860, has notice of the approaching opening service of the DeKalb Avenue Church, which occurred Sunday, December 23. Mr. Carver was a man of fine presence, over six feet in height, erect, with clearly cut features and a mobile face. He was an admirable reader and as a preacher appealed suc- cessfully to popular emotions. He made friends every- where. In his memorial discourse Rev. William Hooper says: "Mr. Carver, as I remember him, was a man almost the exact opposite of Mr. Embury. Mr. Embury was very retir- ing in his manner, while Mr. Carver was very aggressive. He had been brought up outside of the Church, and had many of the ways of a sectarian minister. He was not a par- ticularly cultured man, not a very great scholar. On the other hand, he was a stirring preacher and a most vigorous worker. He was a man well adapted to take charge of the parish at this crisis. His attractive preaching and genial man- ner soon filled the church, keeping together the old congre- gation and continually adding new recruits. "He took a strong interest in the Sunday School, which prospered under his direction. He always made it a practice to speak individually to, and to shake hands with, every scholar present." Mr. Quennell says that Carver was a very brilliant 9 preacher, and tells one or two stories about him, locating quite accurately the time of his departure from the parish. In Mr. Quennell's words: "Good Friday, 1861, he called me into the vestry and said to me in a whisper: — ' Say nothing about it, but we are to have flowers on the altar on Easter. Some people would cer- tainly object if they knew.' Easter Day two flat little bou- quets in lace-paper were laid one each on the corners of the altar so that from the body of the church they could not be seen. This was the beginning of Easter flowers at St. Mark's. "On the Festival of St. Philip and St. James, May i, he was preaching on the day. I told him after the sermon that he had got hold of the wrong St. James. He answered, — 'Don't tell the people and they will never find out; besides, it is my last sermon to the parish.' " Not long after the completion of the DeKalb Avenue edi- fice, the war broke out, and in the spring of 186 1 Mr. Carver resigned St. Mark's and became Chaplain to the 17th Regi- ment New York State Volunteers, transferring his canonical residence back to Connecticut. He served as Chaplain thru the war and saw much service on the field. With the return of peace, he is found at Louisville, Kentucky. In 1866 he became rector of St. Paul's, New Albany, Indiana, where he remained till called to the rectorship of the Church of the Ascension in Chicago, January 5, 1868. He took rank promptly in the Diocese as a man of ability in affairs, and as a popular speaker. He preached the opening sermon before the Convention of the Diocese in September. He was active on committees and in demand as a preacher and speaker on special occasions. He resigned his ministry July i, 1869, re- moving to Danville, Illinois, and taking charge of the Church of the Holy Trinity. He was next rector of St. John's, La- fayette, Indiana. This was perhaps the best work of his life. An interesting memorial volume prepared by Jane C. Har- vey, "History of St. John's Church from 1837 to 1887," pays 10 him a fine tribute. He assumed the rectorship in the fall of 1870, finding the Parish deep in debt, and the Sunday School reduced to forty, scholars and teachers included. His magnetic preaching and attention to various features of organization, soon filled the church with an active congre- gation. Some objected to his Scotch Calvinistic doctrine, de- claring that h« preached the law rather than the Gospel, but all agreed that he was a powerful preacher, and a singularly impressive reader of the service. He looked closely after the music, insisting that the choristers must be devout, and he arranged programs that attracted many strangers. He went with enthusiasm into the Sunday School, rallied workers, drew in children, planned festivals and organized Christmas- Tree services that were the talk of the town. He beautified the church and led in the getting of altar cloths, a committee raising a hundred dollars to purchase a set of hangings in scarlet and gold. At Easter he urged the people to place in the sanctuary floral commemorations of the departed, giving in the sermon a brief record of all who had died during the year. His Confirmation classes were large, numbering many mature and intelligent men. An indefatigable worker, Dr. Carver had been for years in poor health. Finding that the climate of Indiana aggravated his disease, he resigned his post April 24th, 1874. He next became rector of Trinity Church, Atchison, Kan- sas. Returning East in 1876, he served for several years as a missionary at Brockton, Massachusetts, and in Boston. In 1880 he received the degree of doctor in divinity and assumed charge of the Rutherford Memorial Church, near Newark, New Jersey. His last work was at Harrison, New Jersey, his name appearing as first assistant on the staff of Trinity Church, Newark. October 1885 he suffered from an attack of Bright's disease, and thru the winter his strength steadily declined. February i8th he penned a resignation from his work, to take effect March 31. It was his purpose to remove to Newburgh where a son, George Carver, resided. Death, 11 however, intervened. He sank rapidly, the end coming peacefully Saturday, February 28, 1886. The funeral took place in Christ Church, Harrison, well- known laymen of Newark and Harrison serving as pall- bearers and representing the vestries of the two parishes. He was buried at Newburgh, New York. The Rev. Robert George Quennell was born in London, England, in 1835, and came to this country about the year 1857. He was engaged for a while in business, and, after studying for the ministry, was ordained December 16, i860. Nine days later, on Christmas, he officiated at St.. Mark's, assisting the Rev. Thomas G. Carver. When Mr. Carver re- signed July I, 186 1, Mr. Quennell was in charge of the church till October ist, when Dr. Cornell became rector. After this Mr. Quennell officiated in the Floating Church of Our Saviour, New York. He next assumed charge of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, a work he carried on for many years. From 1883 to 1889 he was rector of Christ Church, Binghamton, New York. He was afterwards at- tached to the staff of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The close of his ministry was given as assistant minister in the Church of the Ascension, New York. His death occurred May 7, 1908, and the funeral took place at the Ascension. Rev. Thomas Frederick Cornell, M.D., was born in the City of New York in 1830. He was descended from an ancestor who coming to this country, settled in Boston. This family, after two or three generations, separated, one branch going to Rhode Island, another to Central New York, and a third settling at Success, later called Lakeview, in the township of North Hempstead, Long Island. Here Dr. Cornell's great- grandfather, grandfather and father were born. His father, and his mother who belonged to the family of Munns, re- moved to New York. At the a^e of twenty he graduated at the University of New York, and three years later completed the course at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He now, in 1853, took an extensive tour in Europe. The profession of medicine proved to have little attraction and was soon abandoned that he might study for the ministry. Entering the General Theological Seminary, he received his diploma in 1857. His first parish was the Church of the Re- deemer, Morristown, New Jersey. Thence he was called to the rectorship of St. Mark's, the invitation from the vestry being dated August 28, 1861. He found the church in a very depressed condition, but his energetic administration, his pulpit ability and his genial personality soon wrought a great change. Membership increased and finances improved. In 1865 it was decided to leave the DeKalb Avenue site and oc- cupy the premises formerly held by the Church of the Messiah. After serving the church for more than eight years, fail- ing health obliged him to tender his resignation to a vestry very unwilling to receive it. Leaving the work December i, 1869, he traveled in Europe, after which he took up his resi- dence in Brooklyn. In helping his brethren and in various missionary enterprises, he found almost constant activity. For a time he assumed charge of the Church of the Mediator and afterward was rector of St. Stephen's, holding this post till his death, July 31, 1885. He had a mind of native force, warm affections, attractive manners. His natural advantages were heightened by pro- longed study and foreign travel. His hospitable home and his fine library became a favorite resort for his clerical brethren. Many a busy Brooklyn rector dropped in to ex- change pleasantries or to secure his services for a heavy Sun- day. He had refinement without affectation, wit without acrimony and earnestness without sensationalism. In his preaching he dwelt with emphasis on what are known as the Evangelical doctrines. He aimed at practical 13 and immediate results in the minds and lives of his hearers. He never severed the fruit of good works from the root of faith. In the declaration of the truth of the Gospel, he was singularly fortunate in the possession of natural talents for oratory. An easy flow of thought, excellent command of lan- guage, the ardor that in some natures always accompanies the expression of deep convictions, and not infrequently that rare and splendid gift of unction, were acknowledged in those public efforts by which he sought to promote sound doctrine, pure morality and a kindly Christian temper. The Rev. Mr. Hooper says: "It was my privilege to know Dr. Cornell well, both in my younger days when I was in St. Mark's Sunday School during the first part of his rectorship, and in later years. In many respects he was a remarkable man. He combined the good qualities of his two immediate predecessors. He was an attractive preacher and a man of peculiarly attractive personality. He was a scholarly man, and yet had none of the faults of the scholar. He was ex- ceedingly approachable, and there was a peculiar geniality about his manner, which made his presence always welcome, and drew people to him almost unconsciously. Under his administration the parish enjoyed a season of unusual pros- perity." Bishop Littlejohn, in his Convention Address for 1886, said: "He was a man of warm impulses and of strong intel- lectual force. During his last years he labored hard and suc- cessfully for the prosperity of St. Stephen's, and he was fol- lowed to his grave by the whole parish, with every token of deep sorrow for the loss they had sustained." Rev. William T. Fitch was born in Macon, Georgia, June 28, 1832, the son of Lewis H. Fitch. The family later went to New Haven, Conn., where the father prospered as a clothier and identified himself with the Congregational 14 Church, serving for many years as a deacon. In early man- hood William left the Congregationalists and, attracted by the ministry of the Rev. A. N. Littlejohn, was confirmed in St. Paul's Parish, New Haven. His father started a branch of the business in Macon, and William was sent there to take charge. While in Macon, a desire which he had cherished for some time to enter the ministry, was fulfilled, and, on the first day after Easter, 1863, in St. James' Church, Mari- etta, Georgia, he was admitted to the diaconate by Bishop Elliott. He was advanced by Bishop Elliott to the priest- hood April 21, 1864. His ministry at first was spent as a missionary in Northern Georgia; from April 1865 to September 1866, he was rector at Naugatuck, Conn., after which he was for a year at Akron, Ohio. From December 1869 to the fall of 1875, he was rector of St. Mark's, Brooklyn. Here he labored with great assidu- ity, increasing the membership, beautifying the church edi- fice and winning the hearts of the people. Mr. Clement Lockitt, our Senior Warden, long an honored member of the vestry, speaks of "his amiability of character, his unvarying courtesy and his power to create affection and respect in those who came in contact with him." Following this came a five-year rectorship at the Church of the Ascension, Fall River. While here, he started several missions in the suburbs, which quickly grew into self-sup- porting parishes. In 1881 he returned to Brooklyn and per- formed mission work. In 1895 he was minister in charge of St. Michael's, High Street, where he remained for two years and a half. He then became assistant minister at Grace Church in the Eastern District. During his last years he rendered valuable services to many parishes, being in par- ticular favor as an occasional preacher. St. Mark's, St. Luke's, St. Bartholomew's and Christ Church, Bedford Ave- nue, enjoyed the benefits of his labors. For six months Mr. Fitch had been in declining strength. Wednesday evening, January 2, he retired, feeling well. 15 About midnight there came a sudden heart attack. Physi- cians were hastily summoned, but the end came very peace- fully about one o'clock in the morning, January 3, 1907. Mr. Fitch published "Plain Words to Those Who Neglect the Holy Communion"; "Deborah, or Woman's Mission in the Church and World" ; "Martha and Mary"; "The Type of a True Christian Home"; "Family Prayer", and "American Protestantism and the Church". Three children survive him by his second wife, who was Miss Emily Brintnall of New Haven, — Louis H. Fitch of Newton Centre, Mass. ; Miss Addie B., who resided with her father till his death, and Mabel, who married Arthur W. Barnard of Boston. Rev. Elisha Brooks Joyce, minister in charge of St. Mark's Parish during the absence of the rector in Europe, June-Sep- tember 1882, was graduated with honor from Yale University in June 1879. He entered the General Theological Seminary, New York City, in the autumn of that year, and was grad- uated with honors in June, .1882. After his ordination to the diaconate on the morning of Trinity Sunday, June 4, 1882, he went at once to St. Mark's, officiating and preaching his first sermon to a large congregation, at Evening Prayer that Sunday. The days at St. Mark's were a stepping-stone to a larger work, when, with the God-speed of the rector and people, he accepted the curacy of Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and entered on his duties the first of October. Here, very unexpectedly, the whole burden of the work devolved upon him, by the death of the rector in December, 1882. He was at once made minister-in-charge of this venerable parish; ordained to the priesthood in May, 1883; called to the rector- ship and instituted on the seventh of November. His work, under the goodness of God, has developed a strong character in missionary and philanthropic endeavor. 16 Mr. Joj'ce has long been the Trustee of the General Theo- logical Seminary from the Diocese of New Jersey, examining Chaplain to the Bishop of New Jersey, and a delegate to sev- eral Missionary Councils. Rev. Olin Scott Roche, B. D. , was born in Wilmington, Dela- ware, the son of John Alexander and Mary Caroline Roche. He graduated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and entered the commission house of M. E. Greene & Currie, engaged in the Newfoundland trade. After ten years of business life, he studied under private tutors and entered the General Theo- logical Seminary, graduating in 1883. Ordained to the dia- conate by Bishop Littlejohn, he at once assumed charge of Emmanuel Church, Islip, Long Island. In the fall of the same year, he became assistant minister to the Rev. Alfred B. Beach, D.D., at St. Peter's, West 20th Street, New York. Dr. Beach, after a rectorship of thirty-six years, became im- paired in health and Mr. Roche was elected rector of the par- ish in 1890. He co-labored with his brother, the present Rector of St. Mark's, in the "Life and Sermons of Rev. John Alexander Roche, M.D., D.D." He has been a frequent contributor to the series of Sunday Sermons appearing on the editorial page of the Neiv York Herald^ and has published discourses on various subjects. Rev. James W. Smith was the son of Charles Smith, a successful New York lawyer. He was educated at the Grammar School of Columbia College and studied law. On the death of his father, the family made a prolonged tour in Europe, remaining abroad about a year and a half. On their return to this country, they settled in Brooklyn and attended St. Mark's Church. James entered the Sunday School and served zealously as a teacher. His mind turned 17 to the ministry, and, entering the General Theological Sem- inary, he acted as lay reader for the entire term of nearly three years. Graduating in 1886, he was admitted a deacon by Bishop Littlejohn, having for his first work the charge of a mission at Farmingdale, Long Island. In 1887, Bishop Littlejohn at the Cathedral, Garden City, advanced him to the priesthood. He was now transferred to Grace Church, Riverhead, having charge also of neigh- boring missions. From 1888 to 1890 he was rector of Christ Church, Sag Harbor; from 1890 to 1893 he was at Trinity Church, Vincentown, N. J. Ten years followed as rector of St. Paul's, Kinderhook. In 1903 he took charge of St. An- drew's, Newark, acting also as Chaplain of St. Barnabas' Hospital, spending four years in the work. Bishop Webb of Milwaukee was seeking men to build up his missions and, Mr. Smith offering himself, he appointed him to the charge of St. Mary's, Tomah, which embraced among its labors, mission work among the Oneida and Winnebago Indians. Here he is still engaged, the multifarious duties having many signs of the divine blessing. Rev. Allen K. Smith will be kindly remembered by older parishioners as a lay reader. He was the son of earnest Church members residing in Salt Lake City, and zealous in maintaining the pure doctrines of Christ's Gospel in the centre of Mormonism. The young man, resolved on the ministry, came in the fall of 1890 to the General Seminary. He was at once engaged for our work, and, during the entire term of three years at the Seminary, he assisted at the Sunday ser- vices and taught in the Sunday School. On his graduation he was ordained deacon by Bishop Potter in Calvaiy Church, New York, May 19, 1893, after which he became junior as- sistant at Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis, Mo. Here, in the following year. Bishop Tuttle advanced him to the priest- hood. In 1896 he was promoted to the senior assistantship, 18 with seat and vote in Cathedral Chapter. He found time also to discharge the duties of Chaplain at St. Luke's Hospital, at Bishop Robertson Hall, and at the St. Luke's Branch of the Guild of St. Barnabas. In 1902 he married May Leverett Chase of St. Louis, four sons having since been born to them. After an efficient and honored identification for almost twelve years with church work in St. Luke's, he took the rectorship of Grace Church, Ellensburg, Washington. A strong, manly letter, recently received, surveys devoutly the years divided between the hospitals, asylums and jails of a great city, and the pioneer work in a far Western commun- ity, where with incredible rapidity the foundations for im- mense social developments are being laid. Rey. Charles Riley Abbot, Pd.D., was born January i, 1825, in New Canaan, Conn., where the family had resided for several generations. In the records of St. Mark's Church, New Canaan, the name of his father, Jonathan Abbot, Jr., appears as early as 1794 as a parishioner residing on Smith's Ridge, and after his death leaving to the parish a sum of money and some land in Michigan. The son was educated at the New Canaan public school and at the academies in Norwalk and Ridgefield. Devoting himself to teaching, he began his life work March 21, 1842, in Pound Ridge, New York, going later to Lewisboro' and Mt. Pleasant. He then took the course at the State Normal College at Albany, graduating in 1848. From 1849 to 1852 he taught in Westchester. Coming to Brooklyn, he was connected with Schools No. 5 and No. 9, from 1852 to 1855. He was then instructor at Lewisboro' and New Canaan, and Principal of the Farnum Preparatory School, Beverly, N. J. From 1863 to 1869 he was superintendent of the public schools in Kings- ton, New York. In the latter year he assumed the principal- ship of Public School No. i in the City of Brooklyn, holding this position for thirty-two years, to the day of his death. 19 On his leaving Kingston for this city, the vestry of St. John's Church, Kingston, addressed him in an eloquent tribute which declared that as senior warden of the parish for three years, he had discharged his duties with great ac- ceptance to the congregation and with earnest zeal for the promotion of the welfare of the parish; that as superintend- ent of the Sunday School he had labored for the sacred in- struction of the young; that as lay reader he had repeatedly officiated in the absence of the rector, Marion F. McAllister; and that as a man, by his Christian courtesy, he had won the esteem and confidence of the parish and the commenda- tion of all the religious interests of the town. On coming to Brooklyn he had connected himself with St. Mark's Parish. After a removal from the church, he again returned in 1889. His services as lay reader were gladly utilized. With earnestness and gravity, with vener- able mien and gracious voice, he bore himself with a quiet majesty and touching humility. Till long past seventy years of age, and after the heavy labors of the week, he was present at the morning and evening services on Sunday and on Friday nights, though he came during the closing years from a distant part of the city. His reading of the lessons was admirable. Of a rare personal dignity, possessed of a well-modulated voice, carry- ing intelligence into whatever he did, his reading of the Scripture lessons was at once artless, unostentatious, calm, illuminating and strangely impressive. In a subtle way he suggested to the hearer the characters of the speakers in Holy Writ. "I love," said one of the most cultivated men, "to listen to him read; he brings the patriarchs trooping out to speak, so that you hear their very voices." Late in life, animated by the desire for culture that had been a feature of his career, he commenced study at the School of Pedagogy in the New York University, completing the course and graduating in 1891 with the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy. 20 In 1894 the yearning rose to terminate his life with the consecration of Holy Orders. All his days he had lived very close to the altar of God, but he now felt himself allured and constrained by a new and more strenuous influence. His ordination was encouraged by Bishop Littlejohn and by two others of the soundest and most sagacious of the counsellors of this diocese, — Dr. Charles H. Hall and Judge Jasper W. Gilbert. He was ordained by Bishop Potter in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Sunday, January 28, 1895. The vestry at its next meeting passed the following resolution: "The Vestry of St. Mark's, in recognition of the valuable services rendered for several years in the capacity of lay reader by Mr. Charles R. Abbot, express their gratification at his recent ordination, and assure him of their appreciation of his kind offices, and that, while they feel unable to attach any salary to the performance of his duties, they take pleas- ure in electing him to the position of assistant minister, sub- ject to the mind of the Rector; and they trust that his inter- est may be active for the welfare of our parish for many years to come." He made it his unselfish ambition to actualize St. Paul's idea of the deacon — a man grave, commanding respect, not double-tongued, temperate and not greedy of gain, in domes- tic relations an example to the Church and to the world. His death occurred January 19, 190 1. At the funeral ser- vice, which crowded the church with the foremost persons connected with public education, his rector said: "He would have thought it presumption to offer me advice, but by the might of faith and love and ministerial fidelity and Christian optimism, he made me more diligent in duty, more careful and conscientious in study, more intrepid in enterprise, and more solidly convinced of the beauty, wisdom and power of our common Church." Rev. Henry Quimby served as lay reader from 1894 to 1897. Some of our people will remember that there resided, 21 many years ago, next door to the church, on the north side, the family of Mr. T. W. Quimby. The children, three daughters and two sons, attended the Sunday School. Both the sons felt themselves called of God to the ministry. After receiving a public school education, Henry graduated at col- lege, and completed the course at the General Theological Seminary in 1897. For several years he labored both in Sun- day School and in the church services. His faithful work in the Sunday School, where he had charge of a very interesting class of young ladies, is well remembered. After his ordina- tion he took a parish in Cincinnati, Ohio, but later removed to Monrovia, California, where he is at present. Rev. David T. Quimby was born in Brooklyn, December 23, 1874. After studying at Hobart College, Geneva, and at the Philadelphia Divinity School, he came to the General Theological Seminary in New York and graduated with his class May 17, 1899. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Littlejohn at Garden City, on June 28, and entered on the duties of assistant minister at the Church of the Messiah, Brooklyn. He was known as a careful, conscientious and singularly faithful deacon. On the loth of June, 1900, Bishop Littlejohn advanced him to the priesthood. Very quickly after this his health failed, it being believed that his intense application to his studies at the General Seminary had permanently injured his constitution. Resign- ing his assistantship in November, 1900, he suffered from a serious malady for several years. He died January 13, 1908. It is not a long record of service, but by the grace of God it is one that leaves a beautiful memory of purity, loyalty, earnestness and consecration. Rev. George V. Dickey came to our Parish from the Pres- byterian ministry, Easter Day, 1904, desiring to be prepared 22 for confirmation. He promptly took up work in our Sunday School and was duly presented to the Bishop a few months later. He had been carefully educated for the ministry, en- tering the Freshman Class of Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa, in 1886, graduating in 1890. In the same year he en- tered the Junior Class of Princeton Theological Seminary. The summer of 1891 was occupied by mission-work in Illinois, the church requesting that he should continue without return to the Seminary. In the fall of 1892, however, he decided to resume his studies and went to the University at Princeton, giving two years to special work in the departments of Philos- ophy and History. In the fall of 1894 he took up once more his theological studies in the Seminary at Princeton. From 1895 he gave two years to mission-work in Kentucky, receiv- ing the degree of B.D. from the theological seminary of Louisville, in-i897. Continuing his ministry in Louisville, he attended post-graduate lectures in Biblical Theology, and in the Philosophy of Kant. Ordained as a Presbyterian min- ister in 1898, he labored in Louisville and in Ohio, and for a year he was an associate of the Rev. John F. Carson, Pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn. After Mr. Dickey's reception as a candidate by the Bishop of Long Island, he became lay reader at St. Mark's, his fidel- ity winning the confidence of the entire parish. On his ordi- nation to the diaconate, he was first at St. Ann's on the Heights, and then took charge of a mission-work near East New York, which developed admirably under his conscien- tious labors. He has been filling for the last two years or more, most acceptably, the rectorship of St. George's Church, Newport, Rhode Island. Rev. R. Marshall Harrison, D.D., was born in London, England, of Scotch parentage. He was baptized in St. Peter's and confirmed by the Bishop of Rochester at St. 23 Ann's, both churches in the City of London. Soon after his confirmation he came to Brooklyn, where he was thrown almost exclusively among Baptist people, and drifted into that Church, eventually entering its ministry. To secure special preparation for this, he returned to England, where he spent four years in the Pastor's College under the presi- dency of the Rev. Charles Hadden Spurgeon. From this in- stitution he was graduated with honor. Again coming to the United States, he was ordained to the Baptist ministry at New Durham, New Jersey, where he remained two years. This was followed by three years at Hackensack, in the same State, and that by four years at Quincy, 111. Then followed nine years of service in New York City, first at Alexander Avenue, in the Borough of the Bronx, and then at Bedford Heights, in the Borough of Brooklyn, In a recent letter Dr. Harrison says: "Thirteen years have passed since I first entered St. Mark's Parish. I was looking towards the church that had been the spiritual home of my earliest years, but from which I had been separated by unavoidable changes in my environ- ment. After a pleasant interview with the sainted Bishop Littlejohn, who encouraged me to go on with Holy Orders in view, and advised me to associate closely with St. Mark's, I was, with the Diocesan's consent, made lay reader of the Parish, in which position I continued until ordained deacon, on St. Peter's Day, 1898, with the unanimous concurrence of the Standing Committee. "My first sermon as a clergyman was preached in St. Mark's, and when, in due course, I was advanced to the priesthood, my first Declaration of Absolution was pro- nounced there. Here, too, I continued to work until called temporarily as curate to the Church of the Incarnation, the Rev. J. G. Bacchus, D.D., Rector. "I soon passed to St. Ann's, the Rev. Reese F. Alsop, D.D., Rector, where I served as curate for three years, 24 during the whole of which period I superintended the morn- ing Sunday School, and for one year the afternoon Sunday School also. These were busy and joyous years. "On October i, 1901, I assumed charge of Holy Trinity Memorial Chapel, Philadelphia, where, in addition to the main edifice, there are also a commodious Sunday School building, a well-equipped Guild House, a residence for the minister and an endowment of $330,000." Rev. Wm. Montgomery Downey was born in New York City and graduated at St. Stephen's College, Annandale, in 1886, receiving the degree of Master of Arts in 1887. He graduated from the General Theological Seminary, New York, in 1889, and in the fall of that year was called to the rectorship of the Church of the Redeemer, Merrick, Long Island. In 1892 he accepted the position of assistant min- ister in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Harlem. Four years later, in 1896, he assumed charge of the Church of the Redeemer, Plainfield, New Jersey. In 1898 this parish was consolidated with that of the Holy Cross, and Mr. Downey was elected rector of the combined churches, hold- ing the position with great efficiency for six years. In 1906 he became assistant minister at St. Mark's, Brooklyn. These are the men respecting whom we would urge the apostolic counsel, "considering the issue of their life, imi- tate their faith." As we draw out the brief stories, we know that while the world has forgotten some of them, as some day it will forget us, in spite of all, their church lives and should, thru an indefinite future, honor that God in whose name and for whose sake they prayed and struggled, perhaps even thinking that, like St. Paul, they had fought with the wild beasts of neglect and poverty and opposition. 25 Let us yield them a reverent gratitude. We may think of them all as members of that glorious company thru the ages, who, having witness borne to them thru their faith, re- ceived not the promise. They were tempted by many a burdensome enterprise, by many a divided or unfriendly ves- try, by many a treasurer's failure to meet the parochial obli- gations. In more than one instance "they wandered about, destitute, afflicted, tormented." Not one of them but sought to promote the salvation of the people committed to his charge, by faithfully administering the Sacraments, and by his life and doctrine setting forth the true and lively Word of the Lord. From Peck to Fitch and Abbot and Downey, they labored as in God's sight, longing for the gracious event that their ardent desires pictured, but that their eyes never saw. The divine command is that His disciples follow Him with no thought of fame or influence, or riches. The minister is doing God's work, and heaven allows him such pay as is good for him. That was a genuine Christly ministry after which an executor, charged with the duty of publishing some ser- mons, said to the printer: "Print it quick: ministers are soon forgotten." That was a noble priestly life, albeit crushed by neglect, that Zola has drawn for us in his story of "Lourdes," as he takes us down into the ruined foundations of the church that had been projected by the humble cure who had watched over the souls of the people before the renown of the grotto had spread thru the world. Henry Van Dyke, in "Out of Doors in the Holy Land," tells of a statue that once stood in Csesarea Philippi, erected in honor of a "Priest of Pan." To-day all the inscription re- mains save that the tooth of time has eaten away the name of the man. What business has the true priest with ease or distinction or social power? Let him live his honest, and true, and obedient life, and leave renown alone. Christ seemed not 26 careful about this. "Rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven." Let us perpetuate with their zeal the work they loved. "Imitate their Faith." Possibly President Taft was right when he told the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania that the march of culture, by raising up powerful personalities in journalism, teaching, engineer- ing, invention, transportation, electricity, commerce, manu- factures, and artistic production, had impoverished the min- istry, which, he said, does not now attract men of genius and brilliancy. Whatever force we are to allow to such reasoning, it would appear to be the divine requirement simply that such men as take up the grand commission, be they rude or polished, be they forceless or aggressive, should show loyalty to their master, remembering, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." As we call up these careers, many of them now ended, we are impressed with the unsearchable wisdom of God, who chose an instrument, seemingly so weak as the ministry, to achieve so vast a work as the perpetuation of His church. Truly the treasure is contained in earthen vessels! Truly it has pleased God, thru the foolishness of preaching to save men. Here is the lesson for to-day. Society may seem spirit- less, yes, dead: but let the prophesying go on. It is Christ's command, "Go preach my gospel to every creature." Our duty is not to be remitted, but, tho we see deadness in the congregation and feel hopelessness in our own hearts, we are to cry, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall shine upon thee." As an instrumentality, preaching may seem utterly weak and inefficient, but even to- day we have cases where it works as in the prophet's vision : just as dried bones stirred then, dead souls can be startled now. Oftener than we think, as the minister denounces God's wrath on sin, or holds out the prospect of the star-decked 27 crown to the faithful, there is a moving among the prostrate souls, an agitation perhaps inaudible to men, but heard by the angels, who rapturously cry, "Behold, he prayeth!" Let us continue sowing, as often they did, in tears, know- ing that some will yet reap in joy. From this church may there come, in the future, some soul of supreme consecration and of great usefulness in the sight of God: some preacher who shall move the heart of multi- tudes, some teacher who shall lead the thought of the Churches in new directions ; some reformer who shall strike down vener- able abuses and conduct Christendom to better activities; some scholar who shall cause new light to break out of the sacred book; some missionary burning with love and enthusi- asm for distant and savage peoples; some translator who shall write the Bible in languages scarcely known as yet to our uni- versities; some doctor, some martyr, some saint, some man whose zeal for the house of the Lord of Hosts shall consume him ; some woman willing to lay all earthly prosperity and happiness on the altar of God ; some child who shall teach anew Christ's lesson, that in purity and innocence and the forgiving and forgetful temper mankind are to know that of such is the kingdom of heaven. The defeats and trials of these good men summon us to high courage and cheerful sacrifice of self. The past sends us a lesson here. Let us not miss it. "Re- member them that had the rule over you, which spake unto you the Word of God ; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith." Let us cast away the timidity that baffled their efforts, and let us reveal the far-sighted boldness that will crown their tearful planting with abundant spiritual harvests. 28 PHOTOMOUNT PAMPHLET BINDER Manu/aelurtd bft &AYLORD BROS. Inc. Syrtcut*, N. Y. Stockton, Calif. BX5920.B8S5R9 St. Mark's sixtieth anniversary Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 00020 5809 "■^W-' ^ #s1 '^"S^^iji