Page images
PDF
EPUB

MARRIAGE OF THE REV. CHAUNCEY COLTON.

"1832, Oct. 15th. Married the Rev. Chauncey Colton and Anne Coxe."-Parish Register. [Now (1876) the Rev. Dr. Colton, of Pennsylvania.]

FOUR BISHOPS CONSECRATED AT THE SAME TIME AND PLACE.

The Rev. John H. Hopkins, D. D., Bishop-elect of Vermont; the Rev. Benjamin B. Smith, D. D., Bishop-elect of Kentucky; the Rev. Charles P. McIlvaine, D. D., Bishop-elect of Ohio; and the Rev. George W. Doane, Bishop-elect of New Jersey; were respectively consecrated to the office of Bishop, in St. Paul's Chapel, in the city of New York, on Wednesday, Oct. 31st, 1832, by the Rt. Rev. William White, D. D., Presiding Bishop, other Bishops assisting as follows:-in the consecration of the Rev. Dr. Hopkins, Bishops Griswold and Bowen; in the consecration of the Rev. Dr. Smith, Bishops Brownell and H. U. Onderdonk; in the consecration of the Rev. Dr. McIlvaine, Bishops Griswold and Meade; and in the consecration of the Rev. Mr. Doane, Bishops B. T. Onderdonk and Ives.

66

BISHOP DOANE'S FIRST ORDINATION.

Wednesday, December, 12th, 1832, I took the steam-boat early in the morning for Burlington. Preached in St. Mary's Church, the visitation sermon, the Rev. Mr. Ward, reading the morning service: Admitted Mr. Peter L. Jaques to the holy order of deacons: the candidate being presented by the Rev. Mr. Ward, the Rev. Dr. Wharton, the venerable Rector, assisting at the Communion; and the Rev. Mr. Morehouse being also present. The Rev. Mr. Jaques † was authorized to preach, and appointed missionary to the Churches in Warren county."--Bishop Doane's Episcopal Address, 1833.

BISHOP DOANE RESIDENT AT BURLINGTON.

"It was my purpose, with the Divine permission, to have effected, before the present meeting of the Convention, another complete visitation; when circumstances of a domestic nature

†The Rev. Mr. Jaques now (1876) resides at Plainfield, N. J.

induced the conviction, that it was best to accomplish previously the removal of my family to the diocese. This has been done, and we are for the present resident at Burlington.

"On the evening of Wednesday, the 17th day of April, 1833, I preached in St. Mary's Church, Burlington, and administered confirmation to twelve persons. And on the 5th of May, the only Sunday that I have been at home since my residence at Burlington, I had great pleasure in assisting my reverend brother, the venerable Rector, by preaching twice."-Episcopal Address, 1833.

DEATH OF THE REV. DR. WHARTON.

[ocr errors]

"The Rev. Charles Henry Wharton, D. D., departed this life on Tuesday, 23 July, 1833, in the 86th year of his age, the 61st of his Ministry, and 36th of his Rectorship of St. Mary's Church, Burlington. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.' He was interred, by the side of the Church,† on Thursday, 25 July, the Bishop of the diocese performing the service, which was attended by the venerable Presiding Bishop, Dr. White, and by several of the Clergy, as well as by the whole Congregation. A funeral service was preached by Bishop Doane, in St. Mary's Church, on Sunday, 4 August, from St. Luke xx. 36-Neither can they die any more,'-which, by request of the congregation, was printed.-G. W. D.”—Parish Register.

REMINISCENSES OF DR. WHARTON'S RECTORSHIP.

Under the signature of "A Parishioner," Mr. John Hulme contributed to the Church Journal, in 1863, some reminiscences entitled "THE OLD PARISH CHURCH," from which we extract the following:

"The old Church (as I first remember it,) stood parallel with Broad street, with the chancel at the East end, and only one

"The Rev. Charles Henry Wharton, D. D., was interred, near the south wall of the Church,—in what, when the door was at the side, was the pathway by which he entered it. The entrance being now restored to the west end, and vestry rooms erected back of the pulpit, his remains rest beneath them, behind the chancel."-Bp. Doane.

door at the West end, opening to the one long narrow aisle, on each side of which were the old-fashioned high-backed pews. There was a narrow gallery at the West end over the door, in the centre of which and projecting from the wall, in the form of a half circle, was the organ gallery, enclosing the small, but sweet toned organ, and on each side of the organ were seats for the Sunday School. The open belfry containing the honored old bell, bearing the date '1769,' was then on the West end of the Church.

"Dr. Wharton was required to give only the Sunday morning service, but generally the Church was open for evening service on Sunday afternoon.-There was no announcement of the services except by the bell; if the bell did not ring at 8 o'clock in the morning of Sunday, there was no service. If it did not ring while the people were leaving the Church after morning service, there was no evening service. The bell in those days could be heard not only over the town, but at the distance of four miles in the country. In the Winter the Church was warmed by two old fashioned stoves, for wood, one at each end of the building, with the pipe protruding through the window. At the time of 'the people's bell,' as it was called, twenty minutes past ten, the sexton might be seen hurrying to and from the stove to the pews, with little square boxes pierced on the top with small holes, which contained hot ashes and coals to warm the feet. Then he ascends to the gallery, takes hold of the bell-rope, and fixes his eyes upon the Rectory, which is in view from the large old-fashioned windows in the gallery. At this time the lady organist perches herself upon the high music stool, the boy is at the bellows-handle, and all await the Rector. And soon the venerable-looking man appeared; short in stature, with a firmly knit frame, his small, well-turned head thinly covered by his silvered locks, with a pleasant and genial face, and a smile which spoke only love to all. He is first seen issuing from the Rectory, and approaching the Church with his peculiar, quick, short step. Just when he is opposite the old Academy, the Sunday School children come rushing forth, and the sexton begins the last or 'minister's bell.' The old Rector

has a smile for each of the teachers, puts his hand upon the head and blesses all the children within reach, but on the boys and girls go, rushing up the one narrow, uncarpeted gallery staircase with barely time to be seated and quiet, before the Rector arrives at the door. Then the bell ceases, the little organ pours forth its sweet notes, and the sexton descends to follow the Rector up the one narrow aisle, who goes bowing to every one whose eye he can catch.

"I can remember how the Rector kept Good Friday. On that solemn day Pulpit, Reading Desk, and Communion Table, stripped of their rich crimson covering, stood forth naked and bare; and the congregation wore black clothing. On Christmas Eve, in the Rector's time, the bell would ring forth at ten o'clock, and would be rung at intervals all night long, the parishioners sending to the vestry room refreshments for the ringers. On Christmas Day the Rector had both morning and evening service, and as it was the only occasion when the Church was open at night throughout the year, it was usually crowded. The Church was always dressed for Christmas, and the manner of dressing it was this: the sexton having bored holes in the tops of the pews about two feet apart, would insert first a branch of laurel, then of spruce, and then of box; and the congregation might be said to be sitting in, and surrounded by, a miniature forest. Wreaths of ground, or running, pine were festooned over the hangings of the Pulpit and Reading Desk, and a wreath twined around the chancel rails. Then the two beautiful chandeliers of cut glass, with pendant drops, were also dressed with wreaths of running pine; they contained a double row of wax candles, which shed a rich mellow light on all around. There were branches with wax candles on the Pulpit and Reading Desk; and in addition to these, in the back of every alternate pew, the sexton stuck a little tin candlestick, into which he put a tallow candle.

"The Communion in his time was administered four times in a year, and the Ante-Communion Service was only read at these times.

"It was a beautiful, calm July morning, when many persons

might be seen standing in groups around the old parish Church. Their conversation is in low tones, as they look anxiously and sadly towards the Rectory. Close by the side of the Church, (the spot now covered by the vestry-room,) there yawns a newmade, open grave. The sexton is seen hurrying about here and there, and from his hat there streams a long black 'weeper,' as it was then called. One of the sexton's stalwart sons has climbed up into the belfry, and there sits by the dear old bell, with eyes intent upon the Rectory. We look into the old Church, and the beautiful crimson hangings are displaced, and from Pulpit, Desk, and Communion Table the deepest black depends, and the old Rector's pew is lined with black. The red curtains in the half circle around the organ-loft are gone, and black ones take their place. We leave the Church and move on towards the Rectory. In the yard, drawn up before the old Academy, are the Sunday-School children, but now their voices are subdued and hushed, and the teachers with them are dressed in mourning. We look towards the Rectory, and, from an open side door, we see persons continually passing in and out with weeping eyes. And now the sound of the bell falls upon the ear. Its strokes are slow and solemn, for the dear old bell is muffled, and soon the old Rector is seen approaching.

Seen, did I say? Alas! never more to be seen in this world. He is in his coffin, borne on the shoulders of his faithful Vestry, while some of the diocesan clergy are the pall-bearers. At the head of the procession are seen two remarkable men; one a tall, attenuated form, with thin, long white locks of hair pushed behind the ear, and his once erect form bowed down with the weight of more than fourscore years. He comes from an adjoining Diocese, and is the great patriarch of the Catholic Church in America. The other is the tall, erect, majestic form of the new Bishop of the Diocese: The old parish Church is crowded to suffocation. The Bishop of the Diocese read the Service in the Church, and the Patriarch, with his feeble voice, committed the Body of the Rector to the ground.

"The old Rector was sick some three weeks, the Bishop visited him and conversed with him, but the old man dwelt upon

« PreviousContinue »