Project Canterbury

CHAPTER V. THE THIRD CHRIST CHURCH

ON St. Mark's Day, in 1895, the removal of the old church building was begun after a most impressive service at seven o'clock in the morning. The Rector himself had begun the excavation for the new church edifice, and, after he had broken the ground, each and every one of the many parishioners who was present at the service, including the wardens and vestrymen, took turns with the spade in inaugurating the bold undertaking. The cornerstone was also removed late in the afternoon, to be soon replaced in the foundation of the new church.

The contents of the box placed in the foundation stone are as follows: a Prayer Book and Bible, and the fifth annual address of the Rev. Joseph Brewster, 1859 (these were from the original box). The new material consisted of the last numbers of the St. Andrew's Cross, The Churchman, The Living Church, The Journal of Convention, 1894; The Spirit of Missions, July, 1895; new coins of the year 1895, presented by Mr. I. R. Cornwall; [Isaac Riley Cornwall died in September, 1903. He was the last of those whose connection with the parish had continued unbroken from the beginning. For forty-five years, as a vestryman, he gave loving and conscientious attention to his duties and responsibilities.] the last six numbers of the Chronicle; pictures of all the bishops of Connecticut and of the rectors of the parish; photographs of the old church within and without; the Living Church Quarterly; last [75/76] numbers of the New Haven papers; choir records; a copy of "Prior Rahere's Rose;" a list of communicants; the card of invitation to, and the service at, the laying of the foundation stone; a copy of the prayer which had been in constant use, and the appeal that had hung for so long at the door of the old church; and a short history of the, parish from the beginning to the present.

There was also written by the Rector for insertion in the box a history of the building of the new Christ Church, which he brings to a close with these mystic, prophetic words: "All things now indicate that you of the future will know and realize in the fullness of her Catholic teaching that which we of this present world did not so fully understand because it was obscured by prejudice, viz.: the joy and comfort of all that is implied in the precious doctrine of the Communion of Saints.

"You will not, in your day, labor under the cruel distortion of an unreasoning prejudice that it is grievous error to offer the Sacrifice of the Holy Communion in behalf of those at rest, or that prayers raised for them are empty and unavailing. We ask you then to plead for all who in any way helped to build this church, in that Blessed Sacrifice at the Altar once for all offered, yet always to be pleaded before God till our Lord come again. If you but ask that God will grant unto them eternal rest and let light perpetual shine upon them, who can say that this petition shall not call forth an answering one from those in Paradise which shall cause a double blessing to descend upon you in your efforts to erect the fourth Christ Church?"

The weight of the foundation stone is over 1,400 pounds; and one of the men who started laying the [76/77] brick walls of the new church, Henry Davis by name, had assisted in laying brick in the old church thirty-six years before.

During the time of building, the congregation continued their worship in the Anderson Gymnasium; the means for religious privileges were scanty, as the services were liable to be sandwiched between dances until twelve on Saturday night, and muscular exercises starting at eight-thirty Monday morning. The parish was urged by the Rector to make use also of the services offered in the other city churches.

In March, 1896, the munificent gift of thirty-five thousand dollars, to enable the parish to complete its church free of debt, exclusive of the tower, was joyously announced. The following June Mr. Thomas H. Yardley, a student of the General Theological Seminary of New York, came to be the much-needed assistant at Christ Church at a salary of one thousand dollars; and Mr. Charles S. Baldwin, Instructor in Rhetoric in Yale University, accepted the Superintendency of the Sunday School.

When Mr. Vaughan sent his appropriate and very beautiful drawings for the choir stalls, it was suggested by Dr. Morgan that, as the cost of each stall would come to $200, it would make a very satisfactory gift or memorial, should anyone be so inclined, and that it would be a great help, if they all could be paid for in that manner.

The devotion of parishioners was given full opportunity to prove itself on Palm Sunday, when services were held for the first time in the basement of the new church. The rain literally poured in sheets, but it did not prevent large numbers from attending each service; [77/78] and at Easter there was hardly room enough for all the worshippers. Above, a forest of scaffolding obscured the beauty and dignity of proportion of the growing Gothic interior. It was very tantalizing.

For several years various people had been trying to collect a sufficient amount of silver—some things very precious from association with loved ones gone--that could be used in making a large Paten and Chalice. The Rector, when enough silver had been given, said that he should like for the adornment of the Chalice "glistening stones of divers colors," such as David of old was able to collect in such abundance from the people. He questioned, "Is it not most appropriate to gather the most precious things which human hearts can offer, around that Blessed Sacrament, wherein the Church on earth evermore pleads before God the Father the dear tokens of our Lord's stupendous love?" Before long there was with the silver a little pile of gleaming jewels.

It was during the year of 1896, that the Rector again endeavoured to teach greater reverence. He said: "Now that we have three ample porches, it is hoped that, once in the new church, these may be used for all necessary conversation, and not the church proper. We have fallen into loose ways the last twelvemonth in this regard, and it behooves us to start aright. Let us testify by our behaviour and chiefly by our silence, that we realize that this is none other than the House of God, this is the Gate of Heaven. There is no excuse whatever for any whispering, after one is seated. This is alike irreverent toward God, and discourteous to one's fellow worshippers."

[79] But, perhaps, that great teaching of our Church which had been forgotten or misunderstood for so many years, the attendance of the non-communicating at the Holy Eucharist, was the one that Dr. Morgan put the greatest emphasis on. He deplored the practice that prevailed so widely in our Episcopal Church of leaving the building immediately before or after the prayer for the Church militant by the people who were not intending to make their communions. With great earnestness he said: "You who have come to the Holy Communion early in the day so that you could receive before all other food the Body and Blood of Christ, and have there received the blessed comfort and strength that God vouchsafes to give all who come prepared; you come again later in the day and find the same service in progress, brightened with music and adorned with lights and flowers. You stay until you have heard the sermon, and then, before the most important part of the service has begun, away you go, because, forsooth, you have received already what God has to give you through the Blessed Sacrament! Is it not better to give than to receive? Were you able at that early celebration, when your thoughts were so taken up with your own needs, fully to enter into the very first and most important side of the service—the side of sacrifice? Were you able to make a complete offering of yourself in union with the Offering of our Lord? Were you able to worship the King in His beauty? Are you going to turn your back upon your Master, because you have already gotten all He has to give?—all are permitted and urged to remain who are baptized and are not under church censure."

[80] In February, 1897, the Rector wrote: "The quiet, easy jog-trot of our parochial life received a most delightful impetus during the month of January. First came an anonymous gift of $1,000 to be used in the purchase of a chancel window. Before we had recovered from the joyful surprise of this, we were presented with $510 in pledges and money for the new choir stalls, with further a gifts of $ 200 and $100 each. As if this were not sufficient to cause a happy kind of nervous prostration, it was speedily followed by the promise of $600 of the $1,000 which will be necessary to complete the stipend for another year of the curate of the parish, $115 as the beginning of an endowment fund, and $5 for the font fund. For forty-eight hours there was a lull, during which we sat down and tried to count our mercies; then we were told that whatever funds might be needed for the completion of the great east window, over and above the $1,000 would be furnished. Truly, we have reason to be very grateful and happy. We know not why our good and kind people and friends have been seized with such an epidemic of giving, but the lesson taught by the example of the Magi, when they knelt in adoring love before the infant Saviour and presented their gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh; the month in which is commemorated that blessed event is surely the month for giving."

On April 30 of the same year, the rite of Confirmation was administered for the first time in the new church, and the next morning the Rev. Thomas Yardley, who had been assistant and deacon since the first Sunday in June, was advanced to the Priesthood. For [80/81] the first time in the diocese, the candidate was invested with the chasuble, the special priestly garment.

In a pastoral letter to his people just before Easter, the Rector wrote: "There will be three celebrations, at 6:3o, 7:30, and 10:30. I would ask all who can possibly do so to receive at one of the early celebrations. Everyone who receives at 10:30 will be regarded as among the Aged, the Infirm, or the Delicate. I hope I shall not then be surprised to find that there are many more such people in the parish than I supposed, for this would show a lamentable ignorance on my part and consequent neglect."

A month later appears the following: "It is a great satisfaction to be able to state that our Easter offering is sufficient to pay every debt contracted in the building of the new church. The time would, therefore, seem ripe for its consecration, yet, in view of the fact that we have been making parish history so rapidly of late and are too wearied to cope with the preparations necessary for that eventful occasion, it seems wise to postpone the day until the autumn, some day in October, perhaps the 28th, the Feast of S. Simon and S. Jude." It was postponed until 1898, May 24th, when Bishop Brewster, Coadjutor of the diocese, consecrated it.

A number of ladies of the parish—Mrs. Pemberton, Mrs. Lockwood, Mrs. Sargent, Mrs. Silk, Mrs. Butler, Mrs. William Clark, Miss Atwood, and the Misses Poole—started what finally became known as the "Cassock and Cotta Committee of Christ Church," for the purpose of making and mending the cottas and cassocks for the choir, and, incidentally, raising money for the materials needed. Their first undertaking was a full set of cassocks and cottas for the choir, the expense [81/82] being met by donations. The next work was the making and mending of cottas for St. Paul's School, Concord, N. H., from which they realized $80. This became the first donation to the west window, originally known as "the children's window" and after Dr. Morgan's death changed to a memorial from the parish for him. The Cassock and Cotta Committee remained active through many years. In 1913 three members supplied the crucifer with a fine new alb and amice and the choir with a set of cassocks, and in the interim other gifts of linen and labor are noted from the same source.

The generosity of many parishioners had justified the completion of the choir stalls, which added greatly to the dignity and beauty of the church, as well as the rood screen, which was unusually fine. The Lady Chapel, too, had been enriched by an Altar and reredos, the latter ornamented by shields on which were carved the memorials of the Passion, delicately brought out in gilt. The inscription, on a bronze plate at the side, reads, "To the glory of God. In Loving memory of Gertrude Louise Lockwood Baldwin, who entered into life eternal, July 12th, A. D. 1896. ‘Nata in Coelo.' "

Twin sisters, Genevieve and Maude Cowles, painted the six panels on either side of the Lady Chapel Altar. Genevieve's own account of a detail of this work is particularly moving: "Dr. Morgan, rector of Christ Church, wanted six altar panels for the Lady Chapel. Each was to represent one figure symbolizing one of the pre-Christmas antiphons. These were ancient prayers formerly recited by the choir on the eight days before Christmas to express the various cries of humanity for redemption. There were the cries for wisdom, for power, for the victorious standard; and the cries [82/83] for release from bondage, from darkness, from the dust of earth. The commission for this was given to my twin sister and to me. We were artists. One of my subjects was from the prayer, ‘O Key of David and Sceptre of the House of Israel, Thou that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth, come and loose the prisoner from the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness from the shadow of death.' I began to be troubled over the fact that I had agreed to paint a figure of a prisoner, and I did not know how a prisoner looked; therefore I felt that I must visit a prison and make my drawing from life.

"With a letter of introduction and an armful of summer flowers, I made my application to the warden of the Wethersfield State Prison. He listened politely, but he poured ridicule on my project. Finally I rose to leave, saying: ‘My path lies through a prison, if it is not this one it will be some other.' The warden changed his mind and summoned an officer to lead me through the various departments of the prison and to present to me one by one the convicts named on a list he quickly made out. While I was giving them my flowers, I might observe their faces.

"The turnkey unlocked an iron gate. We passed the ominous entrance. Beyond this appeared the gloomy cell-house enclosures with figures of convicts like shadows.

"The officer said: ‘Don't be frightened. They cannot hurt you.' I was not afraid of their hurting me; I was afraid to meet the look in their faces—the look that one never forgets. The purgatory-like atmosphere was oppressive. Now and then the officer stopped and [83/84] introduced a prisoner, giving his title and surname politely.

"In the prison library I saw a figure bending over a hand-press. He lifted his head, and the expression of his face was as the anguish of darkness. Here was the record of prison life written in flesh!

"I held out to the man, who I later learned had committed murder for gain, a branch of pure white deutzias blossoms. His face lighted up. It was like sunshine falling on dark waters. Then the officer gave me permission to speak; but only one sentence of that first conversation remains in my memory as if branded there. I had referred to my cares and struggles in the world outside the walls, and, because I wanted to console the prisoner, I added: ‘At least, here you have no responsibilities.' With bitter emphasis came the quick reply: ‘I would give half my life to have the responsibilities over again.'

"When I left, the warden asked if I had found the man I was seeking—the criminal who could pray; and then consented to my coming again to start my drawing.

"On my return I told the convict in the library about my commission and how I needed a prisoner to stand for my painting of '0 Key of David.' I said, ‘I cannot do it alone. Will you help me? For you have lived it.' He replied, ‘I will do anything for you.'

"The warden set a watch in the prison Chapel. I told the prisoner to stand with his back to me and his head hanging down, but with his eyes looking back as if someone had entered behind him. I told him to imagine that it was our Lord, coming to bring him release. Then a strange light shone on his face, and I [84/85] started in my drawing. I had put my board on a chair, and so I worked kneeling. There was only time to sketch the head when a bell sounded and the guard dismissed the prisoner and led me to the warden's office. There I asked for permission to come again, as I wished also to draw the hands of the prisoner.

"When I returned, the man stood for me under guard as before, and I told him that only chained hands would convey the idea of a prisoner. Would he put on the handcuffs? ‘Because, if the painting in Christ Church is true, someone who is going on the path that you have followed may see it and stop.'

"Then he allowed himself to be manacled. The handcuffs were heavy steel bracelets that snapped together easily. As he stood before me with his head hanging down, his eyes glancing behind him, and his hands in chains, his expression changed. It was no longer the look of hope, it was the prison look on his face.

"I began another drawing, because what I saw now was not a passing emotion, a gleam of hope; the prisoner standing before me was revealing himself without reserve; he was living over his past. When I drew his hands, it was as though I were receiving a confession without words. I was convinced of his guilt as clearly as when he told me about it years after; and I realized that his sense of shame had become an incentive to this act of supreme self-sacrifice."

One of the bright visions of the future was a new parish house to occupy the site on Broadway where the Rectory had been for several years. Dr. Morgan suggested as a motto to be inscribed over some mantel or [85/86] in a hall-way the motive which swayed the heart of St. Paul in all he said and did: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you." This would ever keep before the minds of people the reason for building a parish house; and it would establish at the outset a noble tradition which would be handed down to others as the years went on.

In the early part of 1898, a series of doctrinal conferences, under the direction of Father Huntington, Superior of the. Order of the Holy Cross, took place in Christ Church from. the 14th to the 20th of February. Their purpose was to give the parish a clearer view of those truths concerning God, and man's relations with Him which have been taught throughout the Church, so that all who attended could then more easily "give a reason for the faith that was in them." Father Huntington emphasized the fact that pure doctrine is of value only as it results in pure living, and that God has revealed Himself to man in order that man may long to be like God and may have the means of attaining that object in a measure; and this fact alone is the purpose, the value of doctrine.

During the winter of the same year, the Rector mentioned that fifty-seven students of Yale had been registered by Dean Wright as attending Christ Church, and said what a goodly sight it would be, if on any given Sunday we could see them all there together.

In April the longed-for East window arrived at last. It was the opinion of the architect of the church, Henry Vaughan, that it is the most beautiful window in this country. Doctor Morgan named it "The Benedictus Window," since its central scene is of the Nativity.

[87] On the evening of May 26, 1898, the Rector said, "This will ever be a red letter day in the history of our parish, for upon it our beautiful new church was set apart for the service of Almighty God." There were some fifty clergy present, and the procession began to move around the church at 10:45. The instruments of Donation were presented to Bishop Chauncey B. Brewster by the Junior Warden, Mr. Wilbur F. Day, and the Consecration sentence was read by the Rev. Dr. Lines, appointed by the Bishop. Morning Prayer was said by the Rev. W. J. Brewster and the Rev. C. E. Woodcock. The Rev. Dr. Clendenin and Rev. Mr. Grosvenor read the lessons. Then followed the Communion Office, Bishop Brewster being the Celebrant. Bishop Hall preached an eloquent and powerful sermon on "Worship." The music was from Gounod's "Messe Solennelle," and for the anthem the choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah." "Everything from beginning to end proceeded with quiet, stately dignity and orderliness. There was ritual without self-consciousness, and there was no stampede of a portion of the congregation after the prayer for the church militant, in defiance of the intention of the Church and the spirit of the Prayer Book. Everybody in a responsible position knew exactly what to do, and this is why the procession was so well ordered, why the music was so grand and inspiring, and why the whole service was so free from mistakes . . . When some new Christ Church is dedicated in the indefinite and remote future, we hope our descendants. may do as well, but they cannot have Professor Horatio Parker, or the members of the Symphony Orchestra, or the choir, or the vestry, or the ladies, of May 26, 1898."

[88] During the next months much interest was shown in the progress of the eighty-foot tower, which was rising rapidly toward completion. It seemed to be in lovely proportion; and the four pinnacles and generous cross pointing heavenward were to remind us of the source of all good gifts and to symbolize the aspirations of the faithful.

The new parish house, erected by Mrs. Wade on land given by her sister, Mrs. Boardman, was dedicated on October 16, 1902. An early Communion was celebrated with the intention of thanking God for this fulfillment of prayer. In the afternoon a service of dedication was held in the parish house itself, and in the evening two addresses were delivered on "The Uses of a Parish House," and "The Abuses or Perils of a Parish House," the latter address given by the Bishop of the Diocese. A general reception followed, when the new parochial home was open for inspection.

One Sunday in 1903, the curate, Father Burgess, preached the following sermon: The text was taken from I Corinthians XI: 10, "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the Angels."

"From Genesis to Revelations there is reference to the cloud of witnesses and the great company of saints who surround the arena of life.

"The Bible begins with the cherubim placed as guards at the gate of Heaven and ends with the Angel of the Apocalypse who gives to St. John his last commission and bids him seal it up.

"Abraham meets three angels who image to him the Blessed Trinity. Jacob wrestles in prayer with the angel at Peniel; and angels precede, lead, and guard [88/89] the chosen people of God. An angel discovers the ram in the thicket, when Abraham is on the point of slaying his son, Isaac. Angels guide Lot out of the condemned city of Sodom. An angel brings Daniel food in the den of lions. An angel smites with a pestilence the Assyrian host. An angel delivers St. Peter out of prison, and there are angels who will accompany our Lord and Saviour when he comes to judgment, and these will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and all them. that work iniquity. It is one of the very first of the angelic host, Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, who tells St. Mary that she is to be the Mother of the Divine Redeemer.

"When Christ's birth is announced to the expectant shepherds, a choir of angels herald it. When St. Joseph doubts as to his course an angel tells him to go into Egypt. When our Lord enters into the desert, there to struggle with the evil one, angels minister to Him; and when later on towards the close of His career, He kneels in agony in the garden, an angel comes and strengthens Him. When He is laid in the grave the angels are there, for an angel rolls the stone away from the sepulchre. Angels tell the holy women that He is risen indeed; and, when, a few days after, He is on His Mount of Ascension, angels accompany Him in joyous procession to the courts above; and angels tell the weeping disciples that they should not tarry there, but should wait for His second advent.

"It is a law of His Kingdom that, as angels were His attendants, so by His will and appointment, they are ours—'the Angel of the Lord tarries round about them that fear Him, and delivers them.' And, when Lazarus now, as 1800 years ago, passes from a life of [89/90] wretchedness into the eternal world, he is carried now, as then, by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And when in this Church, now as then, at times of ordinary worship and at that most solemn hour when the Body and Blood of Christ is offered and broken, of this one thing we may be sure—that the angels are near us, with us, among us, joining us in the spiritual action which is common to all of us, and bearing up our progress towards God's eternal throne.

"In my text ‘the woman hath power on her head because of the Angels,' the apostle is giving a special reason why Christian women should wear a covering on the head during the time of divine service. Nature teaches us that man because of the shortness of his hair was to be uncovered when he comes before his Creator, and that woman having long hair given her was intended to keep a covering upon her head in order to worship in a seemly manner. She is to have ‘power on her head,' that is a veil or covering, and this she is to have because of the Angels. What have angels to do with the question unless they are actually present and likely to be distressed, or pleased, by the conduct of their fellow worshippers?

"The point of view to look at it from is this—that the angels, though we do not see them, form, in fact, but one vast family with all who visibly and invisibly approach the throne of our Father, and that the way we behave externally and still more internally, in the secret understanding of our hearts, is a matter with which they have the very deepest concern, and of which they have moment by moment actual cognizance 'Because of the Angels.'

[91] "These words lift the veil which hides us from the spirit-world, they are a glimpse, permitted us by God Himself, into the hidden things which belong to Him. They are the divine proof that men and women are not alone in approaching Him, but that as myriads of spiritual creatures walk the earth both when we wake and when we sleep, so are we more particularly aided by them when we come together into a place to pray.

"Our Lord taught us that while we were yet little ones, guardian angels watched over our souls so closely, that every offence against us was mirrored in their pure and holy eyes. They have been called the eyes and ears of the Universal King. This is true wherever we are, but when we go into our spiritual home, the House of God, these blessed ones are not only about us, but absorbed in that which should absorb us—the worship of the Triune God.

"In ‘the Place where God's Honour dwelleth,' then, we deeply need this special assistance, for the devil is ever trying to bring to naught the service we should render there—the good we might gain there. It is the Home of divine teaching; but the wicked one cometh and catcheth away that which was sown in the heart. It is the place where we can speak to our Father; but the adversary troubles us with false accusations, or chills our filial affection. It is the abode of many sympathies; but Satan's envy brings malice and dissension even within these sacred walls. It is the home wherein we receive the Bread of Life; but in the very inmost shrine, between us and the Altar stands, unseen but terribly felt, the Tempter. Not only in the wilderness where we are lonely and feel far away, but also on the mountain's top where we breathe the air of heaven, and on the [91/92] pinnacle of the temple, where our spirit joins with the worshippers on earth, the enemy of the Lord can be beside us. Yes, even in the Church—the home of Peace—the dragon and his angels fight and against us; but with us strives Michael with his radiant ‘stars of the morning,' so that when we kneel in the Sanctuary we can, by faith, behold the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up, and His train filling the temple. Above it stand the Seraphim, and the sight of their manifold wings, teaches us to cover our face for fear, and to cover our feet, for reverence, and yet to let our praise fly upwards to Him, singing with them, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.'

"If the angels descend to adore Him, how much more have we reason to worship? He never died for Angels. He never was made an Angel. He does not bear their nature; but He has been made one with us and suffered for us. Let us show by every act that we feel what He has done and what He is. This is the real meaning of all that is done in this holy place. We adorn His sanctuary to give it majesty and beauty, we strive to perfect the music, we plan, as God has given us ability, to make the Altar stand forth with special magnificence. Why?—not to indulge or please our eyes and ears, but to make men feel that there is One here who deserves all and more than all we can offer Him; then every sight and sound of beauty will help to carry up our minds to Him whose Beauty is fair above all.

"Use these things as aids to cherish faith in the unseen powers of God that work in the Church.

"Do you realize that it is upon us that the greatest wonders of God are worked? For within the Church the Blood of Christ is ever washing away sin, and the [92/93] grace of Christ is ever changing the soul, and the mind of Christ is ever passing into our minds, and the Spirit of Christ is ever transforming our spirits. Far, far greater are all these revelations of God than those that we have of Him in the works of nature.

"Greater than these is that strange wondrous power by which He takes possession of the soul, knits it to Himself in His Church, imparts His own life to it, lives with it and makes it live with His life. It is this that Angels marvel at and bend down to adore.

"Take this thought into your hearts, think of it, make it your own, live by it—Angels watch over you, minister to you, love you and guard you. Why? Because in aiding you they minister to the Son of Man. The power of heaven must be on your side because you have been made one with the King of Heaven. Press then ever to a closer union with Him. Bring every sin to your Lord to be washed away by Him. Speak to Him fully and earnestly of every temptation that He may overcome it in you. Receive Him in the Blessed Eucharist into your souls, and then down in the depths of your soul seek to have your will united to His. See what there is in you that you can bend to His will; in what you can sacrifice yourselves to Him. And learn for yourselves what He is able to do for you. It will be exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think."

Dr. Morgan was elected to the House of Bishops in 1903, but he deemed it his duty to decline this honour, and it was felt at the time that his great love for his people prevented it.

[94] The Rector had suggested that a chimeless tower was almost as bad as a towerless church; and as faithful and swift as the vibration of a bell had come the first ten dollars and the decision of the parish that the bells be given, as a permanent and substantial recognition of the work of the present rector "who goes in and out of the homes of all his people, and serves at the Altar, faithful to the duties committed to him."

In 1906 a "chime of fourteen bells was given to hang in the tower. The bells were from the Meneely Bell Foundry and were presented by Mr. Edward P. Dickie, of Guilford, the donor's bell being inscribed: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name, be the praise." The chime was rung for the first time on Easter Even, 1907, and all during Easter Day. It has been rung, not only for the Angelus thrice daily and for services and festivals of the Church, but for national and local holidays, and at the lighting of the Christmas tree nearby.

In 1904 the total list of communicants of the twelve Episcopal churches in New Haven and vicinity totalled 4,431 souls. Of these 519 belonged to Christ Church.

During the semi-centennial of the parish in the Epiphany week of the same year, the cold was intense, the temperature remaining below zero a large part of the time. There was a celebration of the Holy Communion on every day of the week, and two on Wednesday, the Feast of the Epiphany. At choral Evensong there was a large congregation, and the sermon was preached by the Rev. George M. Christian, D.D., rector of St. Mary the Virgin, New York. He gave a clear, earnest, and instructive sermon on the use of the [94/95] body in the worship of God and the service of men, from the text, Romans XII:1 .

Three gifts in December, 1905, completed the amount necessary for the Rood Screen. They were from St. Martha's Guild, a Yale student, and a parishioner, the two latter names being withheld by the desire of the donors. On Palm Sunday, 1906, the Rood Screen was dedicated in memory of Miss Mary Ingersoll Linzee.

Another generous bequest was made in April, 1906: Miss Caroline Edwards, the last of the sisters who built the first chapel, bequeathed "$5,000 to Christ Church, for defraying the current expenses of the parish." She added, "I give this on condition that the services are carried out there according to the beautiful system of the Church, viz.: Communion on all Saints' Days, and other holy days, and as frequent week-day services as circumstances will permit." This continued the same conditions under which the first and subsequent gifts of the Misses Edwards were received. At that time there was placed in the Parish Records the following motion: "In view of the long and affectionate regard and anxious love of Miss Edwards for our parish church, it is meet that we place on our records an acknowledgement of our indebtedness to her and to her sisters who died before her.

"To these good women, who were largely instrumental in the founding of Christ Church, we owe a debt of gratitude not payable in words. We realize in sorrow our loss and the loss to this community in which they lived. The recollection of their saintly lives, their love for the church and their generosity to the end will always be a blessing and an inspiration."

[96] The ecclesiastical embroidery, because of its excellence in design and workmanship, was fast earning a reputation outside of the parish; many of the designs were by Miss Caroline Jones, who worked also the exquisite angel faces on our festival white set, and the violet set embroidered with thistles. Much beautiful work was also done by the Misses Clara and Alice Veader.

Always various funds were increased by small, and sometimes large, gifts. The great west window, first known as "the children's window," had received its first donation of $85 from the Cassock and Cotta Committee. The Savanarola chair, asked for in the Chronicle, was given; also the small organ, the latter by Mr. and Mrs. Garland, who responded with their customary kind promptness to the request. In March, 1907, we were the recipients of the endowment of a bed at Grace Hospital. In the Chronicle of March, we read that "at the end of the month the generous bequest of Mrs. Boardman, amounting to $10,000, will fall due, and the yearly income will be a substantial aid in meeting our heavy expenses."

In June began an ordeal to be compared only with the trial of waiting to enter our new church. From behind a heavy wooden partition, shutting off the entire chancel, issued sounds provoking curiosity which could be curbed only by the knowledge that the restraint would prevent untold damage from the fine dust of the stone and mortar under construction. The altar and the reredos which were nearing completion were the magnificent gifts of Mrs. Mary E. Ives, and were given solely to the Glory of God, and not in memory of anyone. The creamy tinted stone for the reredos came [96/97] from France and is considered one of the finest specimens of the reredos in the United States. The altar is composed of pink Knoxville marble, and the bas relief of the Entombment is exceedingly beautiful. The chancel pavement is composed of steps and blocks of Carrara marble brought from Italy and of black marble from Belgium. The Rector wrote: "Patience is the word at this juncture. The work in the church may be begun the last of July, but, if it is not, we are proposing to postpone it until the first of September, after our vacation is over, as we need to be here to superintend it. If we wait until September, we may be as reasonably certain as we can be of anything in this world, that the work will be begun and carried through to completion by the end of the month." By Easter, 1908, the chancel was opened, and it fulfilled all its promises of beauty and reverence.

Thus the parish seemed prospering, spiritually and materially, being led and taught by a loved Rector, until, crossing Broadway near the Church, Dr. Morgan, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 14, 1908, was struck by an automobile and fatally hurt. He lived but a few hours, unconscious from the first, and entered into rest soon after midnight on the morning of November 15th, the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity. The grief of his immediate family was deeply shared by his larger family, the parish; by his brothers, the clergy; and by the whole community.

The day of the funeral, the following Wednesday, dawned gray and threatening, and, before the second service at 9:30, the rain was falling. Both this service and the early Eucharist were attended by a large number of parishioners and friends, and many brother [97/98] priests who came from a distance to join in the offering of the Memorial Sacrifice and to realize in Christ's own special way the Communion of Saints.

The Rev. A. J. Gammack was celebrant at the 7:30 service, and the Rev. F. M. Burgess at 9:30. Morning Prayer was said by the Rev. Morton A. Barnes.

At 9:30 the choir sang Merbecke's service. The bier, covered by the pall, had been borne into the midst of the chancel by eight acolytes, and preceded by the cross. The body had been vested in the Eucharistic vestments, with the white chasuble which he had worn so many years. After this service, the bier was carried to the rear of the church, near the font, until the Burial Office at 11:30.

Before that hour, the church was filled to the doors, almost every available foot of space being occupied, and many were unable to get into the church at all. The Office was read by Bishop Brewster, who also read the Committal, and pronounced the Benediction. The Lesson was read by the Rev. A. J. Gammack, and the prayers by the curate, Father Burgess. Professor Horatio W. Parker, who had directed the music at the consecration of the church, was at the organ. Beside the Bishop of the Diocese, there were between sixty and seventy clergy present; some from outside the Diocese, among them the Rev. Dr. Clendenin, of Westchester, N. Y.; the Rev. Dr. Fiske, of Providence; the Rev. Dr. Van Allen and the Rev. Father Field, S.S.J.E., of Boston; the Rev. R. M. Berkeley, of Dobbs Ferry, N. Y.; the Rev. Dr. Haughton, of Exeter, N. H.; and the Rev. George Ernest Magill, of Hoboken, N. J. A delegation of ten clergy and laymen came from the [98/99] General Board of Missions, of which the Rector was a member.

In the early afternoon, all that was mortal of the Rector of Christ Church was carried to its last resting place in his native city of Hartford, attended by his family, and fourteen vestrymen of the church he had served so long.

The curate, the Rev. Frederic Merwin Burgess, was placed in charge of the parish; and the following Easter, the usual time of elections, was made Rector, not only unanimously, but by acclamation. He was Dr. Morgan's spiritual son, brought up in the parish, and serving as lay-reader and in minor positions until he became curate in 1900. Dr. Morgan's ways were his ways, and no changes were made in the parish beyond its natural progress.

The fund for the west window, of the Ascension, grew as the congregation made it a memorial to the late Rector, and endeavored to complete it as soon as possible. In January, 1909, the Chronicle reports the amount on hand, or pledged, for the window as $2,026, and adds, "Regarding the design, we are most fortunate in having the Rector's own expressed desire. Mr. Tower, the successor of Mr. Kempe, writes that he went over the matter very carefully with Dr. Morgan here last spring, and again in London during the summer, and he is now making preliminary sketches which will be submitted to the committee." It was completed and dedicated on Ascension Day, 1910. Instead of the subject being the Ascension, which did not fit kindly into the panels, the Ascended Lord was depicted in a setting of the Te Deum, a most glorious conception.

[100] Mrs. Morgan was ill at the time of Dr. Morgan's death and never recovered, following him the next Holy Week. She was buried Good Friday, April 19, 1909. In those few months, she planned an exquisite churchyard cross as a memorial to him from herself and their four children. The cross, which stands a short distance from the church, is eighteen feet high, carved from Indiana limestone. The design was executed by Mr. Vaughan. One of her latest acts was the choosing of the inscription and giving her approval to the design. The inscription reads, "To the dear memory of George Brinley Morgan—Priest—who became rector of Christ Church, Jan. 18, A. D. 1887—and whose earthly ministry was brought to a close near this spot Nov. 14, A. D. 1908. Pastor Agnorum." The cross was dedicated Nov. 14, 1909, also at the same time the pavement of the centre aisle, given in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Morgan by his brothers, Dr. W. D. Morgan and H. K. Morgan, Jr., and his sister, Emily Malbone Morgan.

The paving of the side aisles was the gift of Dr. Morgan's daughters, Julia Firth, Dorothy Hall, and Emily Hooker, in memory of their brother, Denison. At their request, the money already given for the side aisles was devoted to paving the chapel and the transverse aisle at the foot of the choir.

The late Rector's valuable theological library was thoughtfully presented to the parish by his daughters, and it was catalogued by Deaconess Percy. In a large parish like ours which is visited by many of the clergy, and where we often have the opportunity of assisting young priests, access to a library such as this is invaluable.