HISTORY OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM`S CHURCH CHAPTER 1

Transcription

The History of St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church
HISTORY OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM’S CHURCH
CHAPTER 1
Thaddeus A. Snively: First Years of the Parish, 1893-1907
Sunday, January 15, 1893. "CROWDED AND COLD. Marked
Characteristics of Nearly All Street-Cars," read the lead story in that day's
Chicago Tribune. "TRIALS OF WEST-SIDERS. The Early Morning Service
Declared To Be Wretched. NORTH SIDE NO BETTER OFF. Even the South
Side Lines Are Said To Be Falling from Grace." The poor service must have
been a particular hardship during the previous days; a cold spell had gripped
the city and the entire eastern third of the country for most of the preceding
week, with Chicago temperatures reaching -12 by midnight on the 14th
(they would drop to -16 for several hours early Sunday morning before
moderating later in the day). Chicagoans suffering from the extreme
weather could plan to purchase on the following day, according to their
budgets, real mink capes at $25.00, astrakhan fur reefers at $20.00 or
military ulsters at $7.50 from Schlesinger and Mayer's at the southeast
corner of State and Madison Streets; men's winter underwear at $1.25 and
49c could be bought at the Hub on the northwest corner of State and
Jackson. (Those persons preferring to shop at Marshall Field's would have
had to wait a day to see what was available, since Field's did not at that time
advertise on Sundays.)
Much news space was devoted to the forthcoming World's Columbian
Exposition: a gang of French crooks with plans to "work the Fair" had just
been arrested, and an article by Caroline S. Corbin discussed the question of
Sunday opening: "If the directors ... will stop all machinery ... and will set
apart a building for religious meetings, where eminent divines may discourse
upon the spiritual needs and opportunities of the hour ... it will be such an
expression of an impressive and beautiful Christian Sabbath as the world has
never before seen." A patent dispute on the incandescent light had been
settled in favor of Thomas Edison, with implications for Chicago electrical
service. The romantically minded could read the account of the elopement of
Marion Ewing, whose cousin Adlai Stevenson I would be inaugurated as vicepresident under Grover Cleveland on March 4.
Only a small announcement among the listings of religious services on
an inside page records: "All Saints Church. No. 757 North Clark Street.
Services at 11 a.m. by the Rev. E.R. Bishop, Archdeacon of the diocese, and
the Rev. T.A. Snively, Troy, N.Y."
Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Saint Chrysostom's Episcopal Church
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All Saints' Mission, as it was more properly known, had experienced a
checkered history. By the mid-1880s, as more Chicagoans were moving to
the city's north side, residents felt a need for another Episcopal church in the
area in addition to St. James Church (not then the cathedral of the diocese)
on Huron Street and Cass Street (now Wabash Avenue), and the Church of
Our Saviour on Fullerton Avenue. (The Church of the Ascension on LaSalle
Avenue, because of its Anglo-Catholic churchmanship, may not have been
considered as an alternative by some of the newcomers to the area.) In late
1885, under the auspices of St. James Church, a store at 633 (later 1522)
North Clark Street was rented, and St. James Mission, as it was known,
began services on December 27 with the Reverend Montgomery N. Throop in
charge. By June 1886 the mission had attracted so many people from St.
James Church that it was deemed advisable to move to a site as far north of
St. James as possible. The location at 757 (later 1752) North Clark Street
was rented, and the congregation adopted the name of All Saints' Mission.
An unidentified newspaper clipping in parish archives, probably dating
from early 1889, is titled: "A Bartender Sues A Church." There appears to
have been some dispute as to whether the mission's finance committee or
Mr. Throop was responsible for payment of the rent on the 633 North Clark
Street site for the period remaining on the lease after the congregation
moved north. Joseph Cole, a bartender at the Palmer House and owner of
the site, understandably became impatient and took legal action when after
more than two years he had not received his rent. The matter was settled
amicably, the finance committee and Mr. Throop each paying half the costs.
Mr. Throop must have been in poor health, for according to this
account he left the city in 1886 due to illness. The Reverend Joseph G.H.
Barry succeeded him for a short time. (In view of St. Chrysostom's later
reputation as a Low Church parish, it is interesting to note that Fr. Barry
would afterwards serve as dean of the High Church seminary Nashotah
House and rector of the well-known New York City Anglo-Catholic parish St.
Mary the Virgin.) After Father Barry's departure, the Reverend James Foster
was briefly in charge. Attendance had declined by early 1888, and Bishop
William McLaren asked Mr. Throop, whose health had presumably improved,
to return as priest in charge. By 1889, the congregation numbered 153.
Maude Stein Snyder, for many years a St. Chrysostom's parishioner,
attended All Saints' Sunday school in 1892 and preserved in a scrapbook an
Easter card sent to her in that year. She wrote beside the card that "Mr.
Locke was Supt. of Church School, he came to the Church from N.Y. Miss
Booge was my teacher's name. Both had lived at the Plaza Hotel, Clark and
North Ave." (Mr. Locke is probably the J.M. Locke who served on St.
Chrysostom's vestry in 1898 and 1899.) Although the Sunday school must
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have been active at that time, All Saints' itself fell on hard times and closed
by the end of 1892, leaving debts of $250. Those persons who braved the
cold to attend the service of January 15, 1893 at the reorganized mission
must surely have hoped that the new priest in charge would have greater
success than his predecessors in establishing a church in the area.
The Reverend Thaddeus Alexander Snively was, at this time, not quite
forty-two years old; he was born in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, a small town
just north of the Maryland border, on February 1, 1851. He was the eighth
and probably the youngest child of Daniel Snively, a merchant, and his wife
Mary Ann; the Snivelys seem to have been well-to-do, as 1850 census
records show that the household included four servants and that Daniel
Snively owned property worth $7400, a substantial sum for that time. At
least one other of the Snivelys' sons became a priest; their oldest child
William, seventeen years older than Thaddeus, served in a number of
parishes in the eastern United States, was the author of several books, and
for some years was a member of the standing committee of the diocese of
Louisiana. Another son may also have been a clergyman; the Reverend
Summerfield Snively, who was rector of the American Church at Nice at the
time of his death in February 1914, is possibly the three-year-old "Somerton
Snively" listed in the 1850 census records. There were three other brothers
and two sisters; one brother, whose name is not known to us, fought
(according to family tradition) on the Confederate side in the Civil War and
was killed in battle in Texas.
Thaddeus Snively attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania,
and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, the latter presumably for his
theological studies. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1872 and to the
priesthood in 1875; his first post was as curate to his brother William, at
that time rector of Christ Church, Albany, New York. Later he served at the
American Episcopal Church in Geneva, Switzerland and at Christ Church,
Quincy, Massachusetts, before becoming rector of St. John's Church in Troy,
New York in 1881, where he remained until 1892. For a short time before he
came to Chicago he had been at the American Episcopal Church in Florence,
Italy.
Mr. Snively would appear to have been considerably overqualified for
his new position. It seems at first surprising that a man of his age and
experience should choose to come to a struggling mission church in an area
where he apparently had no previous ties. Almost certainly the reason lies in
his personal life. He had married Eliza Crosby, probably by early 1880, since
their first son Alexander was born in March 1881; a second son, Schuyler,
was born to the couple in 1884. However, according to a 1987 letter to
Robert Howell from Mr. Snively's grandson Murray, his grandparents'
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marriage had been an arranged one and had not been happy. The couple
separated and were later divorced; Eliza Snively remarried and moved to
Canada with her second husband and her sons. Although the exact date of
the separation and divorce is not known, it is very likely that Thaddeus
Snively's departure from Troy may have been occasioned by the failure of
his marriage. In an age when divorce in general was frowned upon and, for
the clergy, almost unheard of, the choice of positions available to a divorced
clergyman must have been severely limited; Mr. Snively, too, may have
wished to make a fresh start and to accept the challenge of establishing a
new congregation in an area unfamiliar to him.
Joanna Zander, in her seventy-fifth anniversary book The Story of St.
Chrysostom's Church, written at a time when a few parishioners still
survived who remembered Mr. Snively, wrote that he never failed to
remember the birth dates of children in his congregation: a poignant note,
since he seems to have seen relatively little of his own sons following his
divorce and move to Chicago. John Henry Hopkins commented in The Great
Forty Years in the Diocese of Chicago, a history covering the years 1893 to
1933, that Mr. Snively was "popular in every best sense," with "possibly the
most extensive social entree within the reach of any Chicago priest, then or
now." He adds: "One can almost hear him even yet, pleading with someone,
'Oh, DON'T say St. ChrySOStom's!' with the accent strongly on SOS."
The adoption of the name of St. Chrysostom's instead of All Saints'
was Mr. Snively's first official act as priest in charge. On January 20, five
days after the first service, Bishop William E. McLaren wrote:
The name of the organized mission heretofore known as All Saints', is
hereby changed to
S. Chrysostom's.
The reasons for Mr. Snively's selection of St. John Chrysostom as the
patron saint of the mission are not known to us and can only be guessed at.
It was almost certainly necessary to make some change of name to
distinguish the mission from All Saints' Church in Ravenswood, an area
which had only a short time previously been incorporated into the city of
Chicago; Mr. Snively may also have wished to dissociate his new
congregation from the unsuccessful former mission. St. John Chrysostom
was the author of the final prayer used at Morning and Evening Prayer
services, and was famous during his lifetime for his excellence as a preacher
(the name Chrysostom, "golden mouthed", refers to this characteristic);
from this point of view the choice would prove appropriate, since the parish
has throughout its history maintained the Evangelical emphasis on preaching
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and successive rectors have been known for the excellence of their sermons.
It is also possible that Mr. Snively chose a saint whose feast day, January 27
in the Western Church, was close to the date of the reorganization of the
mission.
The Diocesan Board of Missions paid $90 of the $250 debt remaining
from the former All Saints' Mission; St. Chrysostom's took responsibility for
the remaining $160. To enable the debt to be paid off as soon as possible,
Mr. Snively served without compensation until Easter Day, April 2. By the
following week the debt was paid and the mission's finance committee held
its first meeting. Its members were John R. Adams, an importer; Albert
Blanchard, a contractor; Joseph T. Bowen, a banker (whose wife Louise
DeKoven Bowen would in later years become well known for her work at Hull
House and other social service organizations); Henry Durkee, president of an
iron ore firm; Otto J. Weidner, listed as "manager" in the 1893 Chicago city
directory; and Harry T. Pardee and his brother-in-law Henry N. Cooper,
employed in real estate. (Mr. Cooper was married to Harry Pardee's sister
Julia; another sister, Emily, was the wife of St. Chrysostom's parishioner
William Street, and their brother Luther, an Episcopal priest, was at this time
secretary of the diocese. The Pardees' father Theron was listed in the first
directory of Chicago residents, published in 1844.) The committee agreed to
pay Mr. Snively a salary of $1800 a year; he expressed his willingness to
accept $1500 if the mission could not afford the larger amount.
A milestone occurred on the evening of Ascension Day, May 18, 1893,
when Bishop McLaren made his first visitation to St. Chrysostom's,
confirming a class of eight. One of the members of this class would play an
important role in the life of the parish in the years to come. Frederick Chase
Spalding, nineteen years old, had already been working for five years in the
newspaper business and for most of his life would be a proofreader for the
Chicago Daily News. The Spalding family (parents Oliver and Katie,
Frederick, and five other children) had been members of the former All
Saints Mission and continued at St. Chrysostom's. Frederick Spalding would
serve as Sunday school teacher and superintendent, lay reader,
Scoutmaster, camp director and vestry member during his forty-six years in
the parish, devoting much of his time, talents and treasure to the church.
As 1893 passed, plans were under way to find a permanent home for
the church. Henry Cooper and Henry Durkee were appointed to examine
possible sites on Dearborn Avenue (as the street was then called) and State
Street. Two alternatives were considered: a location adjoining the "Harz
property," a stable at 502 (later 1332) Dearborn Avenue, and a 75-foot lot
at 544 (later 1424) Dearborn Avenue between Schiller Street and Burton
Place. Although at first the site near the Harz stable was preferred, tax
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considerations led to the selection of the property further north. On February
7, 1894, lawyer Percival Fuller was appointed to head a committee for
purchase of the property; by the fifteenth of the month, pledges of over
$13,000 toward the purchase price of $28,000 had been received. The
committee visited the Ladies' Society before sponsoring a parish-wide
meeting on February 21 at which a total of $28,662.50 ($5200 of which was
in cash) was pledged; Mr. Fuller and Edward Martyn, vice-president of Philip
Armour's Union Stock Yards and Traction Company, were the largest donors
with $2500 each. The visit to the Ladies' Society was apparently a fruitful
one, as seven women including a dressmaker and a stenographer were
among those making contributions at the meeting. A committee of the
rector, three men and three women was appointed to raise additional
subscriptions. One of its members was Fannie Parsons Warren, whose
husband William would briefly serve on the vestry in 1896; their son L.
Parsons Warren was a vestry member and Sunday school superintendent
from the mid-1920s until he retired and left the city in 1952.
On Easter Monday, March 26, 1894, St. Chrysostom's became
incorporated as a parish. Henry Durkee was elected the first senior warden
and Joseph Bowen the junior warden. John Adams and Harry Pardee from
the finance committee continued as members of the vestry. Other vestry
included two doctors: John H. Chew, successor to Fernand Henrotin as head
of Henrotin Hospital and the Chicago Policlinic, and H. Newberry Hall, clerk
of the vestry (a direct descendant of Miles Standish) who, interestingly
enough in view of future Crane connections with the parish, served as Crane
Company physician in addition to his private practice. The two principal
contributors toward purchase of the land, Percival Fuller and Edward Martyn,
were, not surprisingly, named to the vestry. Insurance company president
John Rand (who, with his family, lived at the Plaza Hotel, where Mr. Snively
resided throughout his ministry at St. Chrysostom's); William D.C. Street,
banker and manager of the Chicago Clearing House; and Samuel Clifford
Payson and Winfield H. Scott, whose occupations are not known to us, were
the remaining members of the group. (Mr. Scott was, as far as we can tell,
not related to the general of that name.)
The vestry's first official action was to extend a call to Mr. Snively to
serve as rector at a salary of $2400 a year. His letter of acceptance reads:
I ... herewith accept the honour and privilege of acting as
your leader in the important work before us with sincere thanks
and a grateful heart.
I feel sure that the interest and enthusiasm which have
marked the incipient stages of our movement will grow and
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spread in the future. I would face the responsibility with great
uncertainty, were it not for the many proofs we have already
had of the great need of a New Parish here, and of the deep
sympathy with which our efforts have thus far been welcomed.
Back of all this I see most clearly God's direction and
guidance and the assurance of His blessing in the future.
In his annual address to the 1894 diocesan convention Bishop McLaren
made reference to "the feeble mission, formerly known as All Saints', in
Lincoln Park," which had "grown to large proportions under the ministry of
the Rev. T.A. Snively." According to the Reverend John Henry Hopkins as
quoted in Massey Shepherd's centennial History of St. James' Church, 18341934, at least some of the growth in St. Chrysostom's membership may
have come from former St. James parishioners who disliked the strong low
church views of their rector, the Reverend Floyd W. Tomkins, and found the
services at St. Chrysostom's more to their taste. Parish archives contain no
material to confirm or deny this statement, which may indicate Mr. Tomkins'
extremely low churchmanship rather than any extremes by St. Chrysostom's
in the other direction; however, it has been suggested that the choice of a
patron saint whose feast day was not included in the Prayer Book calendar
may indicate some degree of high churchmanship on the part of Mr. Snively.
On May 15, plans by architect Clinton J. Warren for the new church
were approved; ground was broken on July 24. By November the church was
completed, and the first service on the present site was held on Sunday,
November 4. Vestry minutes list a number of donations to the new building,
some still in use nearly a hundred years later. The largest of the brass
processional crosses presently in use in the parish was given by vestry
member Samuel Clifford Payson in the name of his two small sons. The large
silver alms basin was a memorial to Clarence Hopkins Dyer, a coal merchant
whose father had been mayor of Chicago in 1856. The baptismal font, a gift
of manufacturer C.F. Quincy and his wife Etta, commemorates "Dorothy
Quincy, 1882," possibly a deceased child of the couple. The small silver
bread box was the gift of Elizabeth Pardee, the mother of Harry Pardee,
Henry Cooper's wife Julia and William Street's wife Emily. The silver stand
for the altar service book was presented by Nannie K. Beckwith, an active
member of the Women's Guild in the early years of the parish, in memory of
her husband Franklin, a salesman who had died in 1889. No information has
been found on Henry Trevor Cook, in whose memory the hymn boards were
given (though a Mrs. H.T. Cook lived on Rush Street south of the church at
this period), nor is information available on John Leverett Rogers, whose
wife donated in his memory the large brass cross with the Lamb of God at its
center, originally used on the main altar and presently on the chapel altar.
(The seven-branch candelabra now in the Guild Room, given by vestry
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member Newberry Hall in honor of his two small sons, were also originally
on the main altar.) The congregation at this time reportedly numbered
twenty-two families. Not long after the first services, on December 5, the
Northeastern Deanery held its winter meeting in the new church.
A contract was signed in November 1894 for an $1100 Kimball organ,
and Paolo F. Campiglio engaged as organist for two years at a salary of $600
a year. A concert program in Maude Snyder's collection states that "Signor
Campiglio, late of Chickering Hall, New York City, is also organist and
choirmaster at St. Chrysostom's Church, where he has a large choir of boys
and men." (A handwritten comment by Mrs. Snyder adds that he was known
in later years as "the great Campanino" and that he died while on tour in
Chicago.) The Tribune of April 14, 1895 listed the music and hymns to be
used at that day's Easter service at St. Chrysostom's; the service opened
with Braga's "Meditation" for organ, violin and horn, the hymns included the
traditional Easter favorite "Jesus Christ is Risen Today," while among the
anthems performed by the choir were Tours' Te Deum in F preceding the
Collect, Sir George Elvey's anthem, "Christ, being raised from the dead,
dieth no more," and the Agnus Dei from Gounod's Messe Solenelle. Signor
Campiglio's own "Festival March" concluded the service.
On November 30, 1894, a parish-wide meeting was scheduled in the
church, "where, under the direction of the Committee on Pews,
arrangements will be made for the rental of all Pews for the coming year."
Pews 1 and 2 were reserved for the bishop and the rector, respectively;
other pews were assigned by lot in each price range (from $20 a year for
shorter pews in the back of the church to $200 a year for the six longest
pews). Attendance following the construction of the new building must have
been good, since on December 30 the vestry discussed extending the church
west as far as the alley, adding ten rows of pews and enlarging the chancel,
at a cost of approximately $7000, though no further action was taken on the
proposal. Pew rental income totaled nearly $2800 in 1894/95, St.
Chrysostom's first year of existence as a parish; a further $1450 was
received in plate offerings and $2400 in pledges (made in response to
appeals at Christmas and Easter rather than paid by weekly envelopes,
which were probably not introduced until early in Norman Hutton's tenure as
rector). By Easter Monday, 1895, finances had improved enough to allow Mr.
Snively's salary to be raised to $3600 a year.
Parish records unfortunately do not contain copies of sermons or other
material written by Mr. Snively. Occasional brief notes in the Tribune shed
some light on his sermons and other activities. On Sunday, November 21,
1898, when announcing the time of the Thanksgiving services later in the
week, Mr. Snively "paid his respects to football in the following language:
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'These services are arranged at this hour so that the convenience of all may
be considered. It is the one day when the church is recognized by the state.
We are summoned by the civil authorities of both State and nation. It seems
a better form of observance than the modern ordinance of football. There
are some of our younger Americans who seem to think that Thanksgiving
day was set apart for the special use of this game of questionable benefit. It
is probably a noble form of athletics carried to an extreme. But the propriety
and duty of religious observance of this day none can question." A year
later, on November 22, 1899, Mr. Snively was the preacher at the north side
Chicago Diocesan Choir Association Thanksgiving festival service at St.
James Church.
On May 30, 1899, Mr. Snively's sermon at the annual diocesan
convention touched on two issues of concern to the church. Questions of
Biblical interpretation and criticism were frequently raised at this period, and
shortly before the convention the Reverend Edward Larrabee of the Church
of the Ascension had introduced in his parish "Prayers at Mass," a book of
prayers described in the May 22 Tribune as having "no parallel in the United
States outside of Roman Catholic churches." As described in the Tribune of
May 31, Mr. Snively's convention sermon "made a moving plea for a new
book of common prayer and alluded to the book recently adopted by Father
Larrabee"; unfortunately, the sentences quoted in that feature do not
enlighten the present-day reader as to Mr. Snively's opinions on either topic.
"The revelation and all that is involved in the incarnation is a trust that is
reposed in God's church and her ministry. A profound struggle concerning
the meaning of the holy scriptures has been seen in our age, but no greater
than at any other time. There must be no assumption of theories, but a
careful guarding of facts. The church is the keeper and guardian of the faith.
The word of God contains mysteries that we must guard as stewards. We
need to guard, too, the formalities of worship."
Little information on parish activities is available for the early years.
Services were held at 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., with Holy Communion
celebrated at 8:00 and at the 11:00 service on the first Sunday of the
month, a pattern that would be maintained for over ninety-five years. During
the fall, winter and spring an evening service was scheduled, the time of
which seems to have varied between 4 or 4:30 p.m. and 7:45 or 8
p.m. Sunday School met at 9:40 a.m.; a children's festival service was
scheduled on Easter Sunday afternoon, at which Sunday School awards and
choir medals were presented. A piano was purchased for the school in 1897,
and a vacation Bible school was held on at least one occasion (vestry
minutes of October 1898 record that an "entertainment" raised over $500
for the school). Newberry Hall was the leader of an active Brotherhood of St.
Andrew chapter, which was responsible for ushering at the early service and
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in the evening. (This men's group, founded at Chicago's St. James Church,
sought to follow the example of the apostle Andrew in bringing new
members to the church and welcoming visitors.)
St. Chrysostom's services often appeared in the Tribune listings of
Christmas and Easter religious services and music in the 1890s. From this
source we learn that on April 5, 1896, William Snively was the guest
preacher at Easter services in his brother's parish. The following day's
Tribune marks the first occasion on which the parish was mentioned in the
Easter society news: "St. Chrysostom's Church, although plainly decorated,
was fair to see. The font was filled with palms and lilies." Though "Easter
costumes were conspicuous by their absence in many cases," the outfits of
twelve women present (including Mrs. John R. Adams, Mrs. Franklin
Beckwith, Mrs. Joseph T. Bowen, Mrs. H.R. Durkee, Mrs. Percy Fuller and
Mrs. William Street) were described in detail. Nine years later, on April 24,
1905, the Tribune referred to St. James Church as "the objective point of
many of the processions in the fashionable quarter" for the previous day's
Easter observances, but continued, "Dividing the honors were St.
Chrysostom's Church, where the Rev. Thaddeus Snively preached, and the
Fourth Presbyterian."
A Ladies' Society existed by February 1894, since the building fund
committee made a presentation before the group. The December 1, 1895
Tribune described the "fashionable bazaar" to take place three days later
"from 3 to 10 o'clock at the residence of Mrs. Edward H. Valentine, No. 449
North State street, by the Women's Guild of St. Chrysostom's Church for the
building fund of the church ... The previous bazaars given by the Women's
Guild have been uniformly attractive and the coming one promises to equal,
if not surpass, its predecessors." At the vestry meeting of December 20, Mr.
Snively indicated that he planned a written expression of his gratitude for
the group's "valuable help"; according to the parish's financial report, the
bazaar made a profit of $1131, and in the following year a holiday fair at the
home of Mrs. William Walker, 40 Banks Street, raised $750 for the church.
As described in Tribune society page coverage, the bazaars adopted a color
scheme -- red, green, blue, yellow, pink, lavender -- for many of the tables;
other booths included baby and doll tables, a grab bag, a paper table,
"utility" and "visiting" tables, and food -- candy, cake and frappé. There was
also entertainment; in 1895 the Misses Irene and Louise Hibbard gave
whistling and recitations, and the 1896 bazaar featured "the first appearance
in Chicago of the boy tenor, Master Walter Peabody of Detroit, who sang
several solos."
The December 3, 1899 Tribune contained a lengthy feature on "one of
the social events of the season as well as one of the prettiest sales of the
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year," to be held four days later at the home of Mrs. Thomas R. Lyon at 72
Astor Street. "The bazaar is being organized for the benefit of the church,
with the expectation that its proceeds will assist materially in wiping out the
church debt. A large number of the best known women on the North Side
are interested in it and are assisting in person at the tables as well as giving
the ten articles to which each woman in the parish is pledged." The color
scheme plan of previous bazaars was to be followed, and other "attractive
features" would include "an Oriental tearoom, with all the women in
Japanese costume, a palmist, a grab bag, and an electric theater for the
entertainment of the children."
Among the women taking active part in the bazaars were wives and
daughters of several vestry members of the period B Mrs. Henry Durkee,
Mrs. Joseph Bowen, Mrs. J.H. Chew and Miss Chew, Mrs. W.D.C. Street, Mrs.
John Russell Adams and Miss Adams, Mrs. E.J. Martyn and Miss Hazel
Martyn, Mrs. William Warren, Miss Kasson. Nannie Beckwith, manager of the
1899 bazaar, had given the silver stand for the service book, while Martha
Deane, secretary of that year's bazaar, would in 1934 describe her
memories of early Guild activity in the special issue of the diocesan
magazine commemorating the parish's fortieth anniversary. Other women
whose names appear in early parish records are Etta Quincy, who with her
husband had contributed the baptismal font; Aurelia Senn, who donated a
new organ to the church in 1897; Della Conover, in whose memory part of
the cloister was later given; and Bertha Duppler (later Bertha Baur), who
remained an active parishioner at St. Chrysostom's for over sixty years.
Perhaps the Kimball organ was inadequate, or a salary of $600 a year
insufficient for "the great Campanino"; in January 1896 the vestry approved
purchase of a $1265 Hook and Hastings organ and hired S. Wesley Martin as
organist at a salary of $1000 a year. This organ too seems to have proved
unsatisfactory. An 1897 vestry meeting approved authorization for estimates
for "a large organ motor if necessary, also to remedy the noise which the
present one makes"; on September 14 Aurelia Senn (wife of the physician
Nicholas Senn for whom Senn High School is named) wrote to the vestry's
music committee stating that she had "for some time been desirous of
showing in a practical way my interest in the welfare of your Church" and
had "decided to present you with a new Organ ... contracted on my own
personal account with the W.W. Kimball Company ... costing $6000." She
had considered a "Chime of Bells," but "being assured that the Edifice was in
no shape to receive ... an addition," opted instead for the organ. (Nearly
thirty years later, a much more elaborate "Chime of Bells" would be installed
when Richard T. Crane, Jr. donated the 43-bell carillon.) The organ, after a
major renovation in 1922, remained in use until 1953; John Redmond, at a
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1952 vestry meeting discussing replacement of the organ, stated that it had
originally been built for the 1893 World's Fair.
After discussion at the March and April 1896 meetings, the vestry
concluded that "a system of rotation in office in the Vestry is expedient and
desirable and that definite action toward that end be recommended for the
coming year." This is the first reference to an issue which would be raised
again at intervals over the next sixty years, although no further action was
taken at the time. Norman Hutton proposed a rotating vestry in the early
1920s, and in late 1931 and early 1932 the vestry themselves drafted a
rotation plan; Dudley Stark, favoring continuity of leadership in the parish,
took no action on their proposal. Robert Hall on coming to the parish in 1958
specified in his contract that a rotating vestry would be introduced in the
parish, and a rotation plan was approved at the 1960 annual meeting, sixtyfour years after it had first been suggested.
One of the earliest extant records of a service at St. Chrysostom's is
that of the "Sunday School Xmas Tree Service" on Wednesday, December
30, 1896, at 7:30 p.m. Three of the hymns sung at that service are still in
use nearly a century later: "Once in Royal David's City," "Hark the Herald
Angels Sing," and "As with Gladness Men of Old." The service included an
address by the rector followed by "presentation of gifts of the Sunday School
children," presumably gifts brought by them to give to children in need.
"After this," reads the bulletin, "the candy will be given out. There is to be
perfect order in the distribution, followed by singing Praise God From Whom
All Blessings Flow."
The years 1896 and 1897 saw the untimely deaths of three active
members of the parish. Clerk of the vestry H. Newberry Hall died of
appendicitis in February 1896 at the age of only thirty-two, leaving a widow
and two small sons. The resolution adopted by the vestry after his death
makes clear the loss which must have been felt: Dr. Hall is described as
"ever seeking to make the stranger and the acquaintance welcome in God's
House ... always ready to give sympathy and interest to the young men of
our congregation. We have lost a brother, a wise counsellor and a prudent
advisor."
In November of the same year thirty-nine-year-old Percival Fuller died
unexpectedly of pneumonia. "In the time when we were trying our strength
to decide whether we could enter upon the life of a full-time Parish, he
contributed sympathy, help, wisdom and courage," read the vestry
resolution. "The names of Percival Fuller and of his family are among those,
to whom this Church owes its start, when such aid was real sacrifice ... His
death came to us with tremendous suddenness. Just as a new life -- a son,
Page 12
who is to bear the same honored name -- brought joy to the household and
to the hearts of his friends, his earthly work was ended and he was called to
rest. The house of gladness was transformed into the house of mourning."
The death of Mr. Fuller's mother only a few days later added to the sadness.
A few months later, in April 1897, vestry member Edward J. Martyn
died of kidney disease at the age of fifty-one, survived by his wife and two
daughters. The vestry praised "the remarkable part, which he had in the
organization of our Parish and in making possible the present place and
growth of our Church. Under the Providence of God, it was his brilliant
genius that devised the plan by which a beginning seemingly of almost
hopeless difficulty was made and a movement thus begun which has been
crowned with exceptional success ... With a judgment most wise and a
foresight most keen, was combined an enthusiasm very contagious and a
courteous consideration for the opinions of others ... The qualities that gave
him prominence and power in large commercial undertakings were
consecrated ... to the development of our small Mission work into a
metropolitan Parish."
The deaths of these men were a financial as well as a personal loss to
the parish, since in case of the death of a contributor to the building fund the
heirs were not held liable for the remaining part of the pledge. Messrs. Fuller
and Martyn had been the largest contributors to the fund, and Dr. Hall's
contribution, though smaller, would surely still have been missed. (Persons
moving out of the city were still responsible for pledge payments; a
comment at the March 1896 vestry meeting indicates that it was necessary
to remind an unidentified person who had left Chicago that pledge
obligations were not canceled under such circumstances.)
The church building suffered some damage in a fire on Sunday,
December 19, 1898; financial data from the 1899 annual meeting give the
cost of repairs at $7324, but parish archives indicate that damage was not
serious. On Christmas night, a considerably more extensive fire occurred at
the Church of the Ascension. A December 27 Tribune feature, "CHURCH
FIRES A MYSTERY," raised the possibility of arson in the Ascension and St.
Chrysostom's fires and an earlier fire at Fourth Presbyterian Church on
October 29: "There are no electric wires [at St. Chrysostom's] and no
furnace where the fire started. The sole gas jet in the room, which was
lighted, was found intact. The fire, after burning the wooden partition and
floor of the auditorium, caused a gas meter to explode. The cause was first
assigned to 'spontaneous combustion,' but as the room was empty save for
a work bench and a few tools, that theory has been rejected. The members
of the church have set the origin down as one of the mysteries. D.R. [sic]
Durkee of St. Chrysostom's vestry said, while he did not believe in the
Page 13
theory of incendiarism, it was hard to see how the fire could have started in
any other way." The interior of the Church of the Ascension was severely
damaged and for some time the church could not be used for services;
Ascension accepted the invitation of St. Chrysostom's to hold its 7 a.m. Mass
there until its building was repaired.
Several gifts were made to the parish in the late 1890s. Vestry
minutes of October 25, 1897 record the gift of a "handsome Alter [sic]
Cloth" by "Mrs. Catherwood of Philadelphia" (possibly the white altar frontal
which has been used in recent years at Christmas and Easter services). In
1899 Mrs. John Alden Spoor presented the parish with a silver Communion
set including the very large silver ewer (first used in 1899) and the red glass
cruet and small silver cruet for wine and water, first used on Easter Sunday,
April 15, 1900. (Both cruets were originally in glass; the original clear glass
broke in the late 1960s and was replaced by silver. Two silver patens which
were part of the gift, though not currently in use, remain in the church's
possession; the matching chalices were probably those stolen in a 1932
burglary.)
Though no information exists of the exact date of its installation, the
pulpit, designed by the Gorham Company and given in memory of George
Walker Meeker, was probably first used at about this time. Mr. Meeker,
forty-one years old, died on April 20, 1899, after a three-week illness
identified as "catarrh of the stomach, which developed into a complication of
illnesses." His father Arthur was the founder of the wholesale coal dealers
A.B. Meeker and Company, and George Meeker was at the time of his death
employed by that firm's successor, E.L. Hedstrom Company. A Chicago
native and an 1879 graduate of Yale University, he was described in an April
21 Chicago Times-Herald obituary as "prominent in social and business
circles ... an enthusiastic university man ... universally esteemed." He had
been proposed as a member of the vestry in early 1899 but had refused
election to that body. He was survived by his widow, Louise Ackerman
Meeker, and two children, seven-year-old Margaret and five-year-old
Lawrence, who remained active members of the parish; Lawrence Meeker
served on the vestry in the early years of Norman Hutton's tenure as rector,
and Margaret Meeker was married at St. Chrysostom's in 1914.
The lectern, a memorial to Joseph Kirkbride Milnor (a salesman who
died in 1892) was also given at this period. According to an article in the
February 1904 issue of the Diocese of Chicago magazine, the lectern, also
manufactured by Gorham, had been exhibited by that company at the
World's Fair of 1893. (The lectern which it replaced was donated to Christ
Church, Woodlawn.)
Page 14
For reasons now unknown, Joseph Bowen resigned as junior warden in
1898, probably transferring his membership back to St. James, where the
family had worshipped prior to the founding of St. Chrysostom's. John Chew
was elected as his successor. In 1901 when Henry Durkee (again for reasons
unknown) resigned as senior warden, Dr. Chew became senior warden and
William Street was chosen junior warden. The two men would continue in
their positions for a record length of time, Dr. Chew serving as senior
warden for twenty-three years until his death in 1924 and Mr. Street as
junior warden for seventeen years until his death in 1918; these records will
almost certainly never be surpassed, since canon law now places four-year
limits on the terms of wardens.
Stained glass windows in each man's memory were dedicated on April
17, 1927. Dr. Chew is commemorated by the window in the south aisle
representing St. Mark. The day's bulletin described him as "eminent for his
piety and devotion to the cause of Christ; a gentleman, a crusader in every
worthy cause and a citizen of high repute." The small representation of the
Judgment of Solomon in this window is said to typify his character, and
almost certainly alludes to some of the difficult decisions he faced in his
twenty-three years as senior warden. A contemporary cartoon in a book
published early in the century depicting well-known Chicagoans shows him
listening to a harried father at the other end of a telephone wire: "Come
quickly 'Doc', baby's sick."
The St. John the Baptist window in the south aisle was given in
memory of Mr. Street, "a founder of the Parish ... conspicuous for his sound
business judgment and standing in the forefront of the Banking profession,"
whose "Christian life was held in high esteem by his contemporaries." The
small stag in the window symbolizes his kindness and gentleness; the altar,
his dedication to the church, while the angel with a model of the church
refers to his activity as founder of the parish. The window contains a
representation of the seal of the diocese, appropriate for a member of a
family well known for two generations in the Episcopal church in the diocese
of Chicago. William Street and his brother Charles were the sons of a priest
who had emigrated from Canada to Iowa before the Civil War; both men
later came to Chicago. Charles Street, for many years a vestry member and
warden at St. James Church, had served on the finance committee of the
original St. James Mission. His second wife Rosalind was a sister of Edward
Larrabee, for many years rector of the Church of the Ascension. Their son
Charles Larrabee Street was elected suffragan bishop of the diocese in 1949;
Robert Howell recalled Bishop Street's comment that he particularly enjoyed
his visitations to St. Chrysostom's because of his family's ties to the parish.
William Street's wife Emily also belonged to a family of some note in the
diocese; she was the sister of Harry Pardee of St. Chrysostom's 1893 finance
Page 15
committee and of the Reverend Luther Pardee, for many years a priest in
the diocese.
S. Wesley Martin resigned as organist and choirmaster in 1902 and
was replaced by Charles E. Allum. (Mr. Allum and his brother George were
later elected to the vestry; George Allum served for a short period as its
clerk.) A few records of parish activities exist from this period. The 1903
Sunday school library catalogue survives; it included not only strictly
religious literature, but Alice in Wonderland, the fairy tales of Hans Christian
Andersen, and books by Louisa May Alcott and Horatio Alger. Ben Hur,
Vanity Fair and Richard III are marked with an asterisk as "suitable for older
readers." It is noted that "a large number of the volumes are not suitable
for Sunday reading."
By 1903, after nearly ten years of service, the church building was
apparently in need of repair. A hardwood floor was installed in the
basement, which was completely redecorated in time for fall activities, the
costs being met with money raised by the Girls' Friendly Society, the Young
Men's Club and the teachers in the Ministering Children's League; at this
time the basement included a guild room also used by the Sunday School,
and space for the infant school, choir and Women's Auxiliary. The Diocese of
Chicago for February 1904 describes work done in the church itself later in
1903:
Christmas Day was exceptionally bright for the Rev.
Thaddeus A. Snively, rector of S. Chrysostom's, Chicago, on
account of the beautiful Christmas gift made to him by the active
and generous planning of some of the congregation. It was due
to the energy of two of the ladies of the congregation, though
many responded to their appeal. Nine years of use had left the
carpet of the church, and also the walls looking rather shabby
and worn, and the plan was to give the rector a Christmas
surprise by having a new carpet laid and the walls decorated
before Christmas.
It was necessary to consult him officially, and also
thoughtfully to learn his preferences, and thus the surprise was
for him ten days before Christmas when he was told that the
work was to be done at once, and thoroughly, and without any
burden of anxiety as to the ways and means for the rector or the
vestry.
And it was well carried out. The work began December 16,
and completed on Christmas Eve in time for the Christmas
decorations. When it is remembered that this was accomplished
Page 16
in seven working days, that it included the cleaning of all the
walls, their treatment ... and the laying on of the rich color, and
that every seat had to be moved three times (and some carried
out of the church) for the taking up of the old carpet, the
cleaning of the floor and finally the laying of the new carpet, it
will appear to everyone as an unusual exhibition of energy
applied to things ecclesiastical.
The nave ... is carpeted in a red ingrain, while in the
chancel and the broad aisle of the choir there is a red velvet
carpet.
All the kneeling pads of the church were re-covered in a
plush of a color in harmony with the rich tint of the walls. It
seems scarcely possible that so small a change as color properly
applied (though only in one tone) could make such a great
improvement ... At the same time the vestry room was recolored ... and a beautiful Wilton rug placed there. The total
expenditure was more than $1,000.
The redecoration of the church must have been welcomed by Edward
Martyn's older daughter Hazel, whose wedding to New York doctor Edward
Trudeau (son of the founder of the tuberculosis sanitarium at Saranac Lake,
N.Y.) took place at St. Chrysostom's on the twenty-eighth of the month.
Chicago newspapers devoted considerable space to the wedding and its
attendant festivities. Hazel Martyn was artistically talented; the newspapers
recorded that her husband's gift to her was an etching press and that the
couple's apartment in New York was fitted out with a studio for her work.
The younger Martyn daughter Dorothy, still in her early teens, was maid of
honor at the ceremony. Newspaper accounts of the decoration of the church
make the first known reference to the large wooden crosses topped with
candles, still used at the ends of the pews at Christmastide and for
weddings. Two days later, on December 30, the entire city was shocked by
the Iroquois Theater tragedy. Over six hundred persons were killed during a
matinee when a fire in the scenery spread rapidly through the building; no
exits were marked, a number of the doors were locked, and many persons
were either trampled to death or died of smoke inhalation. Among the
deceased was sixty-year-old St. Chrysostom's parishioner Fanny Guthrie
Meriam, who had been attending the theater with forty-year-old Mrs.
Elizabeth Duvall and Mrs. Duvall's daughter Sarah (possibly Mrs. Meriam's
daughter and granddaughter) who also died in the fire. "DEATH ENDS A
USEFUL LIFE," read her obituary in the January 3, 1904 Tribune, the day
after her funeral at St. Chrysostom's.
Mrs. Henry Howard Meriam ... was an active worker in
church and club circles. She was prominent in the parishes of the
Page 17
Church of Our Saviour and St. Chrysostom's, and belonged to
societies in both. She was vice president of the Illinois State
Federation of Women's Clubs, president of the Alternate Club,
member of the Lake View Woman's Club, chairman of the board
of directors of the Home for the Aged ... in all of which she made
herself valuable because of her executive abilities. She had won
success as a lecturer, and her final public appearance was at St.
James' parish house on Dec. 10 in a stereopticon lecture on
'Famous Bell Towers' for the benefit of the Home for the Aged of
the Episcopal church ... She was a woman of high intellectual
ability and rare social attainments, and her loss will be felt by a
large circle of friends.
1903 was probably the year of the first of a series of annual fairs
sponsored by the Young Men's Club ("all Young Men of good character are
cordially invited to come down and meet the boys") and the Girls' Friendly
Society (which welcomed "all Young Ladies of respectable character").
Though no information on the 1903 fair survives, parish archives contain
programs from the second and third annual fairs of 1904 and 1905. The fairs
were held on three evenings and included a raffle and a variety of
entertainment: monologues, recitations and musical numbers (the Day
Dream Orchestra performed in 1904; we do not know if this was a parish
group or hired for the occasion). The major feature was a comic one-act play
performed by members of the parish. The 1905 production, Who Is Who, or,
All in a Fog, had a plot hinging on the confusion between a man hired as a
"gentleman's gentleman" by the father of the house and a suitor calling upon
the daughter. These fairs mark the first recorded instances of dramatic and
musical entertainment at St. Chrysostom's; through the years plays, play
reading groups and musical programs have remained popular parish
activities.
An invitation to the "3rd Annual Minstrel and Social," (admission
charge, twenty-five cents), held February 5, 1907, also survives in the
archives. Minstrel shows with their blackface performers would not be
acceptable today, but in those years were a popular form of entertainment.
(A sample joke from a minstrel show at the Church of the Epiphany, quoted
in John Henry Hopkins' history, may be cited: "'Mr. Bones': What did the
rector say when he fell off his bicycle in front of Epiphany Church? 'Endman': I don't know, what? 'Mr. Bones': Here endeth the second lesson.")
The February 1904 Diocese of Chicago article quoted earlier contained
an optimistic assessment of parish finances: all debt had been paid but the
present $5,000 mortgage, and "as the property and gifts represent a value
of $5,000, the congregation which is not large nor wealthy has every reason
Page 18
for feeling that Christmas, 1903, was not only a very bright day for the
rector but also for every member of the congregation." These comments
would be proved inaccurate in the ensuing years. Although the annual
meeting of 1902 had reported that nearly $6000 in pew rents had been
received during the year, mention had also been made of a decline in
revenues. The following year's annual meeting lists under "liabilities" in the
budget "five months salary to rector." Vestry minutes of the period allude
continually to financial problems; committees were frequently appointed to
investigate the situation and reports received, but there are no indications of
action which may have been taken. (It is possible that the vestry disagreed
on possible courses of action, since at this time and shortly afterward there
seems to have been some dissension among the group.)
By June 1905 the parish had borrowed $5000, probably using part of
the sum to pay the salary still owing Mr. Snively, and in April 1906 the
vestry was unwillingly forced to accept the rector's recommendation that his
salary be reduced from $3600 to $2400 a year. At this meeting the wardens
agreed to meet with Bishop Charles P. Anderson to discuss the church's
problems and "find ways to increase interest and attendance"; a letter was
also sent to the parishioners (unfortunately, no information on either the
bishop's recommendations or the letter and possible response from
parishioners survives). By 1907 the situation was so bad that the parish
budget could not cover the $225 due on the mortgage; the Young Men's
Club and the Girls' Friendly Society (possibly using the proceeds from
another annual fair) were fortunately willing and able to make the payment.
Mr. Snively, in the circumstances, had apparently become
discouraged. Now fifty-six years old, he had lived through difficult situations
in both church and personal life, and may have felt unready to begin the
process of rebuilding the church he had helped to establish some fourteen
years earlier. On April 11, 1907, he submitted in writing his resignation to
the vestry.
After long and serious thought, I have decided that the
time has come for my laying down the honor of the rectorship of
this Parish. The Lent and Easter just past, brought to a close my
fifteenth winter in this work.
In that time, since I began the mission service, many
blessings and many sorrows have come to me, and there are
manifold close bonds of affection and gratitude binding me in
memory to this dear Parish.
To take this step is for me one of the most severe
decisions of life.
Page 19
He pointed out that the parish remained free of floating debt through
Easter and that the insurance was paid through December 1907, and
expressed his gratitude for the offer of the Young Men's Club and the Girls'
Friendly Society to make the mortgage payment. His original plan was to
resign as of May 1, but he indicated that he would remain until July 1 if
necessary and did in fact stay on until that date; the vestry, however,
refused to accept his request that his salary be reduced to $100 a month for
the remainder of his time at St. Chrysostom's. According to a Chicago
Tribune story of April 16, 1907, "many of the parishioners believe the growth
and prosperity of the church to have been the direct results of Mr. Snively's
untiring zeal and labor," and a number of older parishioners urged him to
reconsider his decision.
An unidentified newspaper clipping from Maude Snyder's collection
gives a somewhat different account of the resignation, and seems to indicate
a state of mind which in the 1990s might be described as "burnout."
QUITS HIS PULPIT IN DISGUST.
The Rev. T.A. Snively Says Sunday Golf and Autos Thin Flock.
The Rev. Thaddeus A. Snively, disgusted because society
people appear to him to be more fond of automobiling, golf and
country outings on Sunday than attendance at church services,
has resigned the rectorship of St. Chrysostom's Episcopal
Church, 544 Dearborn avenue. His church being one of the most
fashionable in the city, a falling off in attendance from these
causes is said by him to have been marked.
Mr. Snively built up St. Chrysostom's Church from an
abandoned mission ... to a flourishing parish ... The religious
enthusiasm of the pastor and his charm and personality, with the
aid of devoted church workers, had begun to accomplish
wonders when the attraction of beautiful suburbs and outdoor
recreations caused a halt in the plans. Now Mr. Snively ...
declares he wants to give way to a younger man.
"It seems the whole world is going pleasure mad," Mr.
Snively is quoted as having said last night. "First it was the
bicycle fad, then golf, and now it is automobiling, golf and
Sunday house parties. Whether my parish has been harder hit
by these fads than other parishes or districts is more than I can
say, but I am inclined to think so. However, fifteen years in one
pastorate is a long time and I need a rest."
Page 20
Dr. John H. Chew ... a warden of St. Chrysostom's church,
does not subscribe to the theory that spiritual welfare is being
neglected by the rich more than before the advent of
automobiles. "Former members of the congregation who have
left us to live along the beautiful north shore I am sure are not
neglected spiritually ... Notwithstanding the attractions of
outdoor and country life for the rich, it must not be inferred that
religious worship is forgotten."
The news story is one of the earliest references to St. Chrysostom's
image as a fashionable parish: an oversimplification both then and now.
Although a number of members of the congregation have through the years
been known for their civic and social activities, there have also been many
who have not come from a "society" background (Frederick Spalding, who
began work at fourteen, is a case in point), and parishioners such as
wardens John Chew and William Street were apparently known as much for
their activity in good causes and for their Christian lives as for their social
status.
Another recurring theme is the loss of parishioners to the suburbs,
probably motivated less by the pleasures of "automobiling, golf and Sunday
house parties" than by the desire of young families to bring up their children
in a suburban environment. Fortunately during the history of the parish
there have always been families who have remained in the city and been
active at St. Chrysostom's; frequently, too, suburban residents moving to
the city after their children have grown have become members of the parish.
The parish has also throughout its history been home to many people not
part of traditional families who have put their talents to use in its service, so
that it has remained strong and active despite the loss of some members to
the suburbs over the years.
The stained glass window in the chapel given in Mr. Snively's memory
some twenty years after his departure took for its subject the prophet Job.
(Its donor, Henry Bannard, president of a brewery in the early years of the
century, made a special point of recording not only his religion but also his
membership at St. Chrysostom's in his biography in the 1905 edition of The
Book of Chicagoans.) The bulletin on the date of its dedication (November
29, 1928) states that the yellow tunic, blue mantle and touches of red in
Job's garments symbolize suffering, loyalty and self-sacrifice. "Above him is
the Heavenly Crown of Stars; beneath, a Tiger intersected by the rays of a
Star. These two symbols in conjunction suggest Faith overcoming Pain ...
The entire composition of these windows intends to symbolize one who
displayed courage, patience, fortitude and a devoted Christian manhood
throughout a life of affliction."
Page 21
CHAPTER 2
Robert M. Kemp: A Time of Crisis, 1907-1908
By mid-June 1907 the vestry had narrowed its search for a new rector
to three candidates, and late in the month the group selected the Reverend
Robert Morris Kemp as its new rector, at a salary of $2400 a year. Like Mr.
Snively, Mr. Kemp had ties to the city of Troy, New York. The Kemps may
well have been known to Mr. Snively at least by reputation. Mr. Kemp's
father William was a well-known Troy business leader, described in
contemporary histories of the city as "among the most intelligent and
sagacious of the business men of Troy" and "an inspiring example to the
youth of our land." A self-made man who had left school at the age of nine,
he became president of a brass foundry and a bank, served as mayor of the
city from 1873 to 1875, was active in the Republican party, and served as
trustee of a number of institutions in the city and senior warden of Christ
Episcopal Church. Robert Kemp himself was unmarried, and at this time
probably in his mid-forties; he was a graduate of Williams College (there is
no information on the seminary which he attended) and had served for
seventeen years as curate of St. Paul's Church, New York City, until
December 1906. (St. Paul's was a chapel of Trinity Church in lower
Manhattan; its building dated from colonial days, and George Washington is
said to have worshiped there.) His selection as rector may not have satisfied
all the members of the vestry; some members including Frederick Spalding
resigned following the choice, possibly because Mr. Kemp's churchmanship
was higher than that of his predecessor.
At first, matters appeared to be going well under the new rector. In
November 1907, the vestry discussed the possibility of purchasing a parish
house for the church, and by early 1908 had bought a building at 508 (later
1344) Dearborn Avenue to serve as parish house and rectory. Plans for use
of the building were discussed; the Women's Guild presented the vestry with
its views, and the development of an "institutional mission" seems to have
been under consideration. The confirmation class of spring 1908 numbered
26, considerably more than in the later years of Mr. Snively's tenure.
The Tribune of May 3 contained a lengthy feature describing the
parish's forthcoming bazaar to raise funds for furnishing the new building.
To those who remember the late Dr. Christopher and his
work for and among children, it seems a natural sequence of
Page 22
events that his old home at 508 Dearborn Avenue should be
converted into a center for church settlement work -- an
institution wherein the child plays so important a part. St.
Chrysostom's church, up on Dearborn Avenue, has purchased
the home and, under the leadership of the new rector, the Rev.
Robert Morris Kemp, is to enlarge its plans for the church
settlement work. With the furnishing and equipment of this new
parish house as an object, the parishioners have arranged a
bazaar, which ... will include the sale of both useful and fancy
articles, and ... is to be given in the new house in the nature of a
housewarming on the afternoon and evening of May 7 and 8.
A table d'hôte supper will be served May 8 from 6 until 8
o'clock, and there will be numerous sideshows in the way of
continuous vaudeville, a silhouette artist, and all the various
booths and tables which constitute a bazaar.
Martha Deane, who had taken an active part in the bazaars of the
1890s, was "chairman" of this event: other workers from earlier years who
participated in the 1908 bazaar included Della Conover, Alice Chew and her
daughter Elizabeth Forbes. Also in charge of tables included Alice Norcross,
whose husband Frederic had been elected to the vestry three years earlier;
Mrs. J.H. Crampton, whose daughter Julia later married John Redmond, a
member of the vestry from 1909 to 1959; Mrs. D. Mark Cummings, for many
years active in the parish Mothers' Club; and "Miss Allum," in charge of the
choir booth, probably a sister or daughter of choir director Charles Allum.
But problems arose a short time later. Toward the end of May Mr.
Kemp left the city and returned east "much broken in health." Newspaper
stories in July indicated that charges of alcohol abuse and other behavior
unacceptable by present standards as well as by those of 1908 had been
raised; the charges were put before Bishop Anderson, but no action could be
taken immediately since the bishop was vacationing in Europe. Mr. Kemp
resigned, ostensibly due to "ill health," on July 7. Some members of the
vestry hoped that the situation had ended and that the parish could put the
events behind it; others did not wish to select a new rector immediately,
feeling that Mr. Kemp would be cleared on investigation and would be able
to return to St. Chrysostom's. A three-man committee appointed by the
bishop to inquire into the charges did not issue its findings until early
December. The two clerical members of the committee found Mr. Kemp
innocent but the lay member, a judge and senior warden of a parish in the
diocese, submitted a report expressing his disagreement with the majority
findings. Under the circumstances, Mr. Kemp refused to return.
Page 23
The matter did not end there; the case seems to have aroused
considerable controversy among St. Chrysostom's vestry and throughout the
parish. A Tribune account in late December indicates that dissension on the
vestry was so great that both wardens absented themselves from regularly
scheduled meetings for several months in late 1908 to prevent any action
being taken by the group. (We cannot confirm the accuracy of this story, but
it is a matter of record that the vestry did not meet officially between July
1908 and early 1909.) Several vestry resigned, including George Allum,
treasurer and clerk of the vestry, and his brother Charles, who also gave up
his position as organist; Frederick Spalding stepped down as Sunday school
superintendent. The problems of the church and of Mr. Kemp remained in
the news for some time afterward; Mr. Kemp was indicted on several
charges and, after some delay, was tried and acquitted in March 1910.
It appears that Mr. Kemp never returned to the active ministry; as his
trial was postponed on at least one occasion because of the state of his
health, his physical condition may have prevented his return to parish work.
His obituary in the July 17, 1940 New York Times made mention only of his
service at St. Paul's Church and did not refer to his brief tenure at St.
Chrysostom's. He returned to New York City after leaving St. Chrysostom's,
and in later years was active in the Masons as grand chaplain of their New
York State Lodge; his Masonic funeral was held at a funeral home rather
than a church.
Endnotes
The present street numbering system in Chicago was adopted September
1, 1909. Street numbers, names and designations (Street, Avenue, etc.) for
the early years of the church's history are those in use at the time, with
present equivalents given where necessary.
A considerably less flattering portrait of a clergyman said to be modeled
on Mr. Snively appeared in Margaret Horton Potter's 1899 novel, A Social
Lion. The novel created a sensation since many of its characters bore some
resemblance to Chicagoans of the time; the Reverend Titus Emollitus
Snippington, "the darling pastor of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, the
saintliest lady's clergyman in the city, the most despicable man in his
parish," is represented as the father of a son by a ballet dancer. The pastor
loses his position when this fact is revealed to the bishop.
Two biographies of John Chrysostom taken from parish bulletins appear
in appendix 1.
Page 24
By 1909 the Hermon Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American
congregation, had moved to St. Chrysostom's former site on Clark Street.
The original main altar, cross and candlesticks were moved to the chapel
after the dedication of the present main altar in 1926; after completion of
the present Crane altar and reredos in the chapel in 1948, the altar and
cross were used by the Church School in the old children's chapel (located in
what is now the nursery). After construction of the present children's chapel
in 1959-60, the cross was not regularly used until the early 1990s when it
was moved to the Crane altar.
We may hope that worshipers were not inconvenienced by the error in
the service announcement which gave the church's former Clark Street
address.
Some of the practices which disturbed the author of the Tribune article
are now noncontroversial, such as the use of the Kyrie eleison and elevation
of the Host; others, including the service of Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament, have not become widely used in the Episcopal Church.
Mrs. Deane's husband Ruthven was the president of the Illinois Audubon
Society. Their son Charles served on the vestry from 1913 to 1917.
George Meeker's nephew Arthur Meeker was a novelist best known for
his book Prairie Avenue, a fictionalized account of life among the Chicago
residents of that street in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
At some time after her husband's death in 1911 Louise DeKoven Bowen
returned to St. Chrysostom's and remained a member until her death at 94
on November 9, 1953.
It is not known whether the setting of the Sanctus by "Allum," used
occasionally at services in the 1930s and 1940s, was Charles Allum's
composition.
Norman Hutton's recollections of the church at the time of his arrival
indicate that the "rich color" was a dark red.
Later events in the lives of the families are of some interest. Edward
Trudeau died unexpectedly in May 1904, after which Hazel Martyn pursued
her artistic career in Europe; in 1909 she married the English portrait painter
Sir William Lavery. "The beautiful Lady Lavery" was the model for the female
figure on the currency designed by her husband for the state of Ireland
after its independence in 1922. Dorothy Martyn's life was a sadder one. After
Page 25
the death of her mother and grandmother she had no fixed residence but
passed her time making long visits to friends and relatives, became
attracted by the fad of "fasting" (anorexia) and died of malnutrition in
October 1911 at the age of 23. A present-day descendant of the Trudeau
family (though not a direct descendant of Hazel and Edward Trudeau) is
cartoonist Garry Trudeau, creator of the comic strip Doonesbury.
Page 26
CHAPTER 3
Norman Hutton: Reviving the "Shell of a Parish," 1909-1917
The events associated with Mr. Kemp's tenure as rector and the period
which immediately followed it left the parish in desperate straits. The last
months of 1908 and the beginning of 1909 were certainly the low point in
St. Chrysostom's history. A 1928 mailing recalled this troubled time: "We
had but the shell of a parish ... we were few in number, discouraged, and
almost disbanded." However, by early 1909 the vestry had begun the
process of selecting a new rector; in contrast to present practice, the
candidates visited St. Chrysostom's and preached before the congregation.
In late February the first man chosen immediately refused the call. This was
almost certainly providential. Nothing further is known of the vestry's
original choice, while the Reverend Norman Hutton, elected two weeks later
on March 5, 1909, would prove to be the man who, more than any one
person, is responsible for the parish as we know it today.
Mr. Hutton was born in Baltimore on June 20, 1876; he was a
graduate of Hobart College and General Theological Seminary. In 1905, the
year of his seminary graduation, he married Anne Butler; the couple had two
children, Norman, Jr. and Nancy, at the time they came to Chicago (a third
child, Edward Butler, was born in March 1914). Before coming to St.
Chrysostom's Norman Hutton had served parishes on Long Island — two
years at the Church of the Nativity, Mineola, and two years as rector of
Trinity Church, Roslyn.
Nearly twenty-five years later, in the January 1934 issue of the
Diocese (the diocesan magazine of the period) commemorating St.
Chrysostom's fortieth anniversary, Norman Hutton recalled the parish at the
time of his arrival in May 1909. "Together with a parish mortgage and about
four thousand of unpaid bills, St. Chrysostom's presented a challenge. Most
people thought it was hopeless. I, too, would have felt this had I not met the
handful of devoted souls who had stood by in the hour of trial. These few,
some twenty-five families, had gone through trying days but were
determined that the parish should survive." The new rector's two previous
parishes had not made sufficient use of his talents: "I — at 33 — wished for
challenge and hard work. I accepted the rectorship and events proved that I
found all that I was seeking ... From the first day my people gave me
unqualified support." According to the 1928 mailing, at the time of his arrival
"income was so small that outsiders had to guarantee the rector's salary"
(then $3000 a year) but, "within a year, our parish activities had already
Page 27
made such progress, under the influence of his lovable personality and
cheery enthusiasm, that recourse to the salary guarantee was never
required." Bishop Anderson had apparently spoken to the new rector at the
beginning of his tenure, indicating that success in his ministry at St.
Chrysostom's would only be obtained "on your knees"; a few years later,
Norman Hutton would write to the bishop that his successes had come when
he remembered this principle, and that his failures had occurred when he
had gone ahead without prayerful consideration.
Dr. Hutton recalled in 1934 that the 1909 church building had "a
charm, restfulness and spiritual appeal that has always been its
characteristic. Somehow, in entering the old Church one felt it was 'a place
where God dwelt.'" Yet the physical condition of the building must have been
discouraging: "There were places in the roof with holes that let in the light;
rains had discolored the red calcimined walls. The iron gas pipes were coiled
around wooden nave pipes and were at all angles. Gas was the only means
of illumination. The Sanctuary was supported by four piles that had gradually
sunk and the weight hung upon two sturdy props. At the first vestry meeting
one of the members [whose identity is not known to us] advanced enough
money to repair the roof, remove the red calcimine, replace it with a
pleasing gray, and make other immediately necessary repairs."
The departure of many parishioners had left vacancies in positions of
leadership. John Astley-Cock replaced Charles Allum as organist in February
1909; although his appointment was at first temporary, he continued in the
position for six years and remained an active member of the parish in
various capacities until the 1930s. Several new vestry were chosen in early
1909. Of these, John Redmond would prove to be the most distinguished.
Still in his mid-twenties when elected, he would continue on the vestry for
fifty years until his death in 1959; since a rotating vestry with four-year
terms was introduced in 1960, his record of service will almost certainly
never be surpassed. He was named to the property committee, a position
which involved considerable responsibility given the condition of the
buildings and the many plans for repair and expansion introduced in
succeeding years. In addition he served for many years as an usher, and
was active in the Men's Club in the early years of Mr. Hutton's rectorship.
In 1910 he married parishioner Julia Crampton, whose mother Jane
had been active in the parish since its earliest days. Mrs. Hutton was
godmother to the Redmonds' daughter Elizabeth, who has carried on the
family tradition of service as member and president of the Altar Guild and
the Women of St. Chrysostom's, church school teacher and lector, and has
herself served two four-year terms on the vestry. Betty Redmond recalls
that her birthday fell on the same date as Mr. Hutton's, and that on several
Page 28
occasions when the rest of his family had left on vacation Norman Hutton
would join the Redmonds for a joint birthday celebration.
Other relatives and connections of the Redmond and Crampton
families have played important parts in the life of St. Chrysostom's, including
Julia Crampton's sister Pauline Crampton Warren, Pauline Warren's sister-inlaw Gladys Warren Wells, Mrs. Wells' husband John and their children John
and Margaret. The younger John Wells married Martha Mullen in 1960; a
choir member for many years, Martha Wells also served as summer
substitute organist and carillonneur and as member and president of the
Altar Guild, as well as being a member of the Women's Guild and Lectors'
Guild. Their daughter Susan continued the family connection with the parish
into yet another generation, serving as a lector in the 1980s.
At Mr. Hutton's first vestry meeting in May, the group voted to
contribute $200 for missions at the forthcoming annual diocesan convention;
the parish delegation at the convention increased the amount to $300, a
notable example of stewardship from a parish which had not been able to
guarantee its new rector's salary earlier in the year. Treasurer Perry
Shepard, elected to the vestry that spring, estimated in October 1909 that
income from pew rental for the year would total $2705, with $1292.20
received in pledges, an average pledge of $ .53 per person; pledge income
seems to have come mainly from contributions at Christmas and Easter
rather than weekly envelopes (envelope income was estimated at $508.25
for the year, with $338.78 in plate offerings). In the spring of 1910 the
parish arranged for a $2500 loan to help pay off its indebtedness; a number
of parishioners loaned $100 or $200 each to the church with repayment at
staggered intervals over a period of several years.
At about this time the parish began to put out a monthly publication,
St. Chrysostom's Herald; the surviving copies of this magazine are an
invaluable source of information on parish activities. The August 1909 issue
included organist John Astley-Cock's description of the choirboys' two-week
encampment at Lake Nagowicka, Wisconsin in late June and early July. The
group traveled by lake steamer to Milwaukee, then by interurban through
"extremely picturesque scenery" to Nagowicka, where the rector, who had
arrived by train earlier in the day, met the party in late afternoon. The
campers rowed to their island campsite, where they put up the tents that
would accommodate them for their stay. As might be expected, swimming
was the most popular activity; there was also fishing (though the catch was
reported to be poor), ball playing and occasional trips to the mainland for
supplies. Mrs. Belle Dunn, the choir mother, was part of the group and
appears to have been particularly helpful in entertaining the younger
Page 29
campers at the end of the day when they tended to become restless and
perhaps a little homesick.
On Sunday the choir sang at the parish church in Delafield
(coincidentally, dedicated to St. John Chrysostom); "Fr. Healey of the
Nashotah Mission," preacher at the service, commented: "This is the best
behaved boy choir I have ever seen; they usually arrive with a whoop and a
yell!" (Mr. Astley-Cock hoped he would "not be taxed with undue pride" in
quoting Fr. Healey, but commented that "the general behavior during camp
was particularly gratifying to those in charge.") One afternoon the boys
hiked to the Nashotah Mission, where the Reverend Edward Larrabee (newly
installed as dean of Nashotah House seminary after some years as rector of
Chicago's Church of the Ascension) gave the group a tour. On another
evening the campers attended a carnival in town; the rector treated the
boys to unlimited ice cream at that day's evening meal, perhaps to
discourage their consumption of carnival food. While the boys "enjoyed the
possibilities of bucolic side-shows" the rector and choirmaster visited with
Dr. Smythe, headmaster of St. John's Military Academy, who had given the
camp two tents and a canoe.
All the campers reportedly gained weight, not surprising when the "bill
of fare" for one week of the encampment is examined: a typical day's meals
included oatmeal, sirloin steak and coffee for breakfast, roast prime ribs of
beef, mashed potatoes, green peas and purina custard at noonday dinner,
and a supper of roast beef hash, green peppers, Boston baked beans, French
toast and cocoa.
The entire cost of the excursion for the twenty-one campers totaled
$316.00; choir concerts served to raise part of the money for the trip. In
1910 Maunder's "Penitence, Pardon and Peace," with baritone soloist Lionel
M. Parker and boy soprano soloist Harry M. Brauns, was performed on Good
Friday, March 25, while the same soloists with tenor George Bainbridge sang
with the choir on April 28 in Henry Ware Shelley's "The Soul Triumphant."
On this occasion the choir was "assisted by an Auxiliary Choir of Ladies."
As membership had declined so drastically, copies of a flyer to attract
new members were distributed in the neighborhood in the fall of 1909,
informing residents that the church had been "entirely renovated and the
structure placed in better condition than ever before. Mr. Hutton has come
to us from ... Roslyn, L.I., and his vigor and forcefulness impress favorably
all who have attended our services ... If you are interested in the Episcopal
Church and its work in Chicago, we cordially invite you to attend St.
Chrysostom's and join us in our endeavors to build up a parish which shall
be widely and permanently useful to the community in which we live."
Page 30
A more dramatic announcement to area residents, probably dating
from three or four years later, was designed to attract parishioners to the
evening service, which at many periods in parish history was plagued with
poor attendance: "How do you spend Sunday evening? Come to the
People's Church, St. Chrysostom's, 1424 Dearborn Avenue (between
Schiller Street and Burton Place). JOIN IN THE STIRRING MUSIC! HEAR THE
GREAT BOY SOLOIST MASTER ELDEN DAY. The Sermons are Illustrated with
Colored Stereopticon Pictures. POPULAR HYMNS. A PEOPLE'S SERVICE. 7:30
P.M. Start the Week Right!"
Each year at Christmas Mr. Hutton sent his parishioners a greeting
card with a message. His 1909 card read:
This is my Christmas greeting and wish for you.
It has no value in the market and no great art in its
making. But if you will let it mean to your heart what it means to
mine at this glad season, there will be in it a worth above money
value and a beauty that art alone never gives.
I earnestly wish that every good brought into life by the
Christmas Christ may be yours.
That you may have a heart of cheer, a spirit of hope, a
hand of help, a life of love for every day in all the year. This is
my Christmas wish for you.
At Easter 1910 the rector's message stated that "if church attendance
is a sign, we may feel that we have advanced, as there has been a steady
increase at all services." He noted too that "guilds and clubs" had grown to
"splendid proportions": the Women's Guild had 30 members, the Men's Club
50, the Boys' Club 35 and the Girls' Club 12.
The January 1934 issue of the Diocese contained reminiscences by
Martha Deane, who had been active in the Women's Guild in the parish's
early years. The group met in the church basement and, "in spite of a small
membership and many drawbacks, the work went vigorously on, and,
besides the sewing, we often gave parish suppers and other social affairs,
even entertaining in our time the Diocesan Women's Auxiliary."
A newspaper clipping in parish archives describes the 1910 bazaar.
Mrs. Deane was in charge of the management committee; Mrs. John
Crampton (whose daughter Julia had recently married John Redmond) was
responsible for the supper. Mrs. William Street and Miss Florence Hutton (the
rector's sister) presided at the fancy table "laden with fluffy opera caps and
such wares." The art department, headed by Mrs. Hutton, Mrs. Perry
Page 31
Shepard and Mrs. John Chew, featured brocade covered dictionaries and
butterfly dinner cards. Alice Wrenn Norcross, wife of vestry member Frederic
Norcross, was in charge of the toy department, whose wares included
"Parisian millinery for dolls" and Russian toys — swans, woolly toys and
emerald beetles. A gypsy tent, tulip bed, French pastry table (staffed by Miss
Margaret Conover, who would remain an active parishioner until her death in
1973) and a Christmas tree with Mrs. Santa Claus were also featured; an
unusual department was the table under the direction of Mrs. Henry Tifft and
Mrs. John Manierre, with 1,242 pieces of wire hardware! The variety of
merchandise made a profit of $700.
By 1911, men began to take part in the bazaar. Norman Hutton and
John Astley-Cock appealed for men to donate articles that might be useful
for "the rector's table" or to make a cash contribution to the cause, a
tradition which continued for twenty years. In February 1911, the Women's
Guild held a rummage sale at Mozart Hall on Sedgwick Street; profits of over
$100 were given to the Sunday School building fund.
The meeting of the diocesan Women's Auxiliary referred to by Mrs.
Deane took place in 1916, when the church facilities were in better shape to
handle a large group. A considerable effort must have been required, since
between 600 and 700 women attended the May 25 meeting, a morning
service at which the "United Offering" (now the United Thank Offering) was
received, followed by lunch at a cost of $ .75.
The Men's Club met in the evenings; a smoker was scheduled on
November 18, 1909, while a little over a year later, on February 15, 1911, a
municipal judge with the distinctive name of Fred L. Fake spoke to the
group. It is to be hoped that his topic had no personal allusion to any of the
members: a Tribune story next day quotes the judge as saying, "Few
persons can appreciate the sufferings of bank presidents who are compelled
to serve prison terms ... Frequently men of good instincts get the impetus
for a criminal career from their first term in jail." On Election Day, April 4,
1911, when a speech by a Spanish-American War correspondent formed part
of the program, vestry member Angus Hibbard, president of the Chicago
Telephone Company, arranged for the group to receive the election results
by telephone. Mr. Hibbard was an amateur musician and composer; the
evening ended with a performance of the "Chicago Songs" composed by
him. Announcements of club programs often concluded with the words:
"Bring Your Pipe."
By spring 1910 two Boys' Club groups met in the church; an afternoon
group known as the Sir Galahad Club, and an evening group (which
apparently had no distinctive name) for boys who worked during the
Page 32
daytime. Both took as their theme chivalry and the knightly orders of knight,
squire and page, a popular choice for boys' activities at that time; the
Women's Guild made "distinctive regalia" for the members.
The Girls' Friendly Society (whose members were in their teens and
preteens) met under the direction of Gertrude Gamble Shepard, whose
husband Perry served on the vestry and as parish treasurer from 1909 to
1917. Parish programs sponsored by the group included an entertainment on
October 25, 1911 at which most of the features were provided by children,
and a strawberry social in June 1914. Mrs. Shepard must have been highly
gifted in working with the group; after her untimely death at the age of 30 in
January 1912, the Herald paid tribute to her "good judgment, keen intellect,
powers of expression and tactfulness." Later that year the Herald recorded a
change in the starting time of the GFS meetings from 8 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
for the convenience of "business girls"; dinner was followed by work on
sewing projects, and meetings ended promptly at 9:30. Another girls' group,
the St. Mary's Guild, met in the afternoons to dress dolls for the bazaar and
to sew and make scrapbooks for hospitals, and held monthly "Social
Afternoons" with refreshments.
After two years at which the choirboys' annual encampment was held
at sites in Wisconsin, Mr. Hutton and Mr. Astley-Cock decided that the parish
should acquire a permanent campsite to avoid the problem of finding a
suitable location each year. Land on Lake Chapin, three miles from Berrien
Springs, Michigan, was purchased; transportation costs from Chicago would
be reasonable, and the site was close enough to Berrien Springs that
supplies could be brought without too much difficulty but far enough that
"the attractions of a town" would, it was hoped, not "prove too alluring" to
the campers. Lake Chapin, formed by damming the St. Joseph River at
Berrien Springs, had facilities suitable for both beginning and advanced
swimmers.
In a Herald article, John Astley-Cock described the 1911 camping
season. The rector and five older boys arrived a day ahead of the rest of the
group, traveling to the site by lake steamer, interurban and motor boat.
Justin Langille, piloting the motor boat, "at Berrien bridge ... mistook the
stability of a canoe for that of a scow, with the result that the Rector
practised total immersion. He emerged with but a dry face — to his watch!
Grabbing his presentation time-piece as the canoe tipped he held it aloft,
while from the deeper water pellucidly bubbled up the words 'Hora
novissima, tempora pessima sunt, vigilemus!'" [The hour is late, the times
are evil, let us keep watch! — words from a medieval Latin hymn.]
Page 33
As the site had been purchased only a few weeks before the camping
season, the campers had considerable work to do: one hour a day was spent
building a bungalow, driving a well and constructing steps from the bluffside
site down to the lake. "Camps, no more than Rome, are constructed in a
day," commented Mr. Astley-Cock. Afterward there was time for other
activities: swimming, fishing, hiking, picking fruit. The "long four-mile walk"
to Berrien Springs "considerably discounted the appeal of the insidious icecream and the enticing marsh-mallow." The camp followed the practice of a
"safe and sane Fourth of July" without fireworks, the day being observed by
a track meet which ended with a game of indoor baseball. "Roland Harz
captured many a brilliant 'fly' ... Even little Bobbie Hall was known to make
first occasionally." Mr. Gunnard Olsen's umpiring received high praise: "In
the language of the Fan he exhibited an 'imperturbable Angora' ... Not even
with one-all in the second of the ninth, two out and the bases full would he
get rattled."
Some of the men from the choir and one or two other parishioners
made short visits; John Astley-Cock urged others to do so the following year
to learn that the choirboys were not only "kids-kids-kids" and "a corporate
nuisance" but "lovable human entities." His final words set forth a goal which
would be achieved some years later: "It is our earnest prayer that this
Summer Camp may reach beyond the special needs of our Choir into the
limitless realm of institutional activity."
Although the parish house at 1344 North Dearborn was still owned by
the church and used for some activities, the Sunday School as well as the
Women's Guild met in the church basement. In spring 1912 treasurer Perry
Shepard reported that the basement had been "greatly improved with new
paint, electric light, and lockers in the choir rehearsal room; most of the
works ... had been done by the Women's Guild, choir and Boys' Club at no
cost to the church." (Presumably the installation of electric light was done
professionally and the assistance of the parish groups in this particular part
of the work was financial only.) The lighting was installed in time for the
Women's Guild bazaar of December 5, 1911, which was held in the
basement rather than, as in previous years, at the parish house, which was
"too small to accommodate the Booths and allow easy access and
circulation."
The Junior Forward Movement, the boys' group referred to by Mr.
Shepard, was described by Mr. Hutton in the February 1912 Herald as "the
most interesting and remarkable movement that the rector can recall since
the assumption of his present incumbency." The group had begun as a
Sunday School class under Theodore Morrison and "became not only
interested in their work, but, under the genius of their leader, imbued with
Page 34
an esprit de corps"; at a time when parish finances were in shaky condition,
their work in the basement — painting woodwork, oiling the floor, repairing
and constructing furniture — must have been of special value. On February
7, 1912 the group put on a special program for the Men's Club, with a
speaker from Hull House discussing that organization's work with boys and
an exhibition boxing match by member Justin Langille and an instructor from
the University of Wisconsin. Later that spring the group performed a play,
The Toastmaster: a College Comedy, with proceeds given to the Sunday
School fund.
Most of the members of the group did not come from the wealthier
neighborhoods of State or Astor Streets. City directory listings indicate that
the boys' fathers included a carpenter, a chef and an electrician; most lived
in an area to the west of the church within two or three blocks on either side
of Division Street. Although the group's founder Theodore Morrison left
shortly after this to go into business in Iowa, many of its members remained
active in the parish for some years, and the organization was one of which
he and Mr. Hutton could well be proud.
The schedule of services at St. Chrysostom's for Lent 1911 is still
extant. Holy Communion was celebrated at 8 a.m. on Ash Wednesday and
on every Wednesday during Lent; the Litany was read on Fridays at 10 a.m.,
and there was daily Evensong at 5 p.m., which according to the Herald was
well-attended. The confirmation classes of the years 1906 through 1910
made corporate communions at the 8:00 service on Sundays during Lent;
the Sunday School teachers, Women's Guild and other groups provided
breakfast after the service. The message accompanying the schedule
recommended some ways to observe the season: "What is your besetting
sin? Search your heart prayerfully until you find it, then strive by the help of
God to overcome it. Read again the sacred Passion history. Learn anew how
the Master suffered and shed His precious blood to wash away the guilt of
thy sin. It will help you to abandon the sin itself." Persons familiar with St.
Chrysostom's in the 1940s and 1950s, when its reputation as a militant low
church parish was at its height, would have been surprised to read in this
message: "Countless thousands of souls have found in Sacramental
Confession the joy of restored Christian fellowship."
Parishioners were encouraged to make their Easter communions at
one of the two early services (7 and 8 a.m.) and return at 11 a.m. for the
music; the 11 a.m. service on Easter Day must have been crowded, since
tickets were required for admission. This was apparently not uncommon at
the period; the Church of the Ascension also required tickets for admission
to its Easter High Mass. St. Chrysostom's seems to have discontinued the
use of tickets not long afterward, but revived the practice at the time of the
Page 35
dedication of the carillon in 1927 and continued it until 1965. It was a
diocesan or national church requirement that communicants return a form
indicating that they had received the sacrament at a service during Easter
week; parishioners were reminded to bring their forms to the service.
The fall 1911 issues of the Herald document the organization of Troop
40, one of the earliest Boy Scout troops in the city, under the direction of
the rector and of scoutmaster Justin Langille. Not long afterward, Frederick
Spalding became the scoutmaster. Under his leadership the Scouts thrived;
by 1917 Troops 40, 41 and 43 were based at St. Chrysostom's, as well as a
group of about forty junior scouts including Norman Hutton, Jr.
Parish scouting activities were frequently recorded in newspaper
stories. A Tribune paragraph mentions a hike from Waukegan to Grays Lake
in May 1915, while in the following year the Daily News "Wide Awake Club"
children's page gave an account of Troop 40's two weeks at the choir camp
after the departure of the choirboys (the first such camping trip for the
Scouts took place in 1913). On January 27, 1917, the same section featured
Frederick Spalding's tribute to former Junior Forward Movement member
Jack Geddeis, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 41, who had been appointed
chairman of the Scouts' district life saving commission. Mr. Spalding
described an incident at the camp in 1914 "when the senior scout fell in the
motor boat, receiving a severe cut on the knee from broken glass. Then a
first aid kit used with first aid knowledge undoubtedly saved a life. 'Jack' was
there and he was able to apply what was needed promptly ... Whatever the
job is he is ready for it ... He believed that smoking might keep him from his
best and, believing that his best was always expected of him, he dropped
smoking, though not the esteem of the fellows who found pleasure in the
habit ... This young man, not yet 19 years old, has made a beginning full of
promise, and he is pressing on."
Frederick Spalding regularly wrote poems to friends on their birthdays,
none of which now survive; but a copy of his 1913 poem to the scouts'
chaplain Norman Hutton is in parish archives.
THE SCOUT'S BURDEN.
To serve for Him who gave us life
Alone is to be free.
We bring our youth and dedicate
Its glory, Lord, to Thee.
Page 36
Its hope, its power, its faith are His,
To use in His vast plan,
To help us reach in His own time
The stature of the Man.
Nor can the task have any weight
Which He on us shall lay;
The yoke is easy, borne for Him,
The burden light alway.
Nor can the journey be too far,
Though He shall send us forth
Past storm and flood and mountain height
To conquer all the earth.
To serve in hope, in power, in faith
Alone is to be free.
We come with that which Thou hast given
And yield it back to Thee.
O take, great Master of us all,
The hearts and wills we bring,
And make the burden that we bear
Our holiest offering.
— Frederick C. Spalding, April 14, 1913.
Page 37
In October 1911 Mr. Hutton began to take the evening services at St.
John's Mission. This mission, originally founded by the Church of the
Ascension, was located in what was then a predominantly Italian area at
Clybourn Avenue and Rees Street (now part of the Cabrini-Green housing
project); it was not intended to attract practicing Roman Catholics but to
reach persons "lapsed from their faith." On November 1, Mr. Hutton was
appointed priest in charge of the mission. St. John's parishioners made their
communions at St. Chrysostom's; Frederick Spalding read Morning Prayer at
the mission each Sunday, and the "splendid" St. John's choir combined with
the St. Chrysostom's choir, singing at St. Chrysostom's in the morning and
at St. John's in the evening. On Christmas Day, Holy Communion was
celebrated at St. John's: "at the 7:00 Mass [sic] 48 received, a showing for
which the priest in charge felt we were to be congratulated."
The increased work at the mission, together with the improvement in
parish finances, enabled Norman Hutton to add a deaconess to the parish
staff, a step which he had had in mind since coming to St. Chrysostom's but
which had not been financially possible earlier. Deaconess Amelia M. Propper
came to St. Chrysostom's in February 1912 from the Church of the Epiphany
in Independence, Kansas, to supervise the work with girls and young women
at St. Chrysostom's and St. John's. Not long afterward the Reverend Joseph
Anastasi became Mr. Hutton's assistant with responsibility for St. John's,
celebrating the Eucharist in Italian weekly at the church. He, his wife and
their "four beautiful children" lived at 1362 North Park Avenue, just south of
Schiller Street, in the Italian neighborhood served by the mission. In the
summer of 1912 Frederick Spalding took a group of boys from St. John's to
the camp after the choirboys' annual trip, and Deaconess Propper went with
a group of St. John's girls at another period; the Anastasis were also able to
take advantage of the campsite for a family vacation. Later in the year the
diocese took responsibility for St. John's; Fr. Anastasi was named diocesan
representative for Italian work and continued at the mission independently
of St. Chrysostom's.
An article in the February 1912 Herald touched on a topic of concern to
the parish throughout its history: "How can we best produce an atmosphere
of cordiality and welcome at St. Chrysostom's Church? ... The rector himself
feels that people are cordial and well-disposed but that they do not always
show it. In Chicago we are forced by wide-spread wickedness and deceit to
look upon strangers with doubt and distrust ... yet there is a large field
where friendliness can be displayed without danger ... Those who have
attended our services for some time should be known and greeted, they
should be welcomed to our pews, books should be offered them and any
little courtesy ... shown as an earnest that our parishioners welcome the
transient and the stranger." The parish chapter of the Brotherhood of St.
Page 38
Andrew continued its ministry to strangers; its membership included many
of the young men active in the Junior Forward Movement and as acolytes.
Probably early in Mr. Hutton's tenure an innovation in finance was
introduced in the parish. A flyer dating from this period describes the use of
double envelopes for weekly offerings, noting that parishioners might prefer
to give weekly rather than making larger donations at Christmas and Easter;
the double envelopes permitted parishioners to designate part of their
offering for parish expenses and part for missions. The November 1911
Herald discussed finances in more detail:
Our Parish is supported by pew rents and offerings placed
in the Alms bason [sic] on Sundays ... We know exactly what
sum will be paid each quarter from pew rents and we can plan
for its expenditure. The offerings on Sundays are of two kinds.
One from the loose money placed in the Plates, which varies
much with each Sunday, the other from the envelopes and is a
fixed amount.
We need a larger income to meet our expenses ... about
an extra thousand dollars a year.
In this article we make an appeal ... [to parishioners] who
are not giving in a systematic way [to] enroll themselves on the
envelope system. We welcome a pledge for ten cents a week as
well as a larger one. If you are a regular subscriber though not a
pew holder you are as much a supporter as the person who pays
pew rent. Will you not be one of the fifty people we must have to
give us this increased amount of income annually?
The following table will show suggested amounts:
10 subscribers @ $ 1.00 per Sunday
10
"
@ $ .50 "
"
10
"
@ $ .25 "
"
10
"
@ $ .10 "
"
10
"
@ $ .05 " "
___________________________________
50 subscribers @ $19.00 per Sunday
Page 39
The appeal must have met with success, since by February 1912 the
Herald announced that one thousand dollars had recently been paid off on
the church debt, "taken from the regular income and not the result of any
special effort"; the debt was being reduced at the rate of about $100 a
month. The 1912 Easter letter urged all parishioners to increase their
pledges by fifty percent "to clear away the incubus of debt"; if this were
done there would be enough money to pay off all outstanding bills. An
offering of over $2800, largest in the history of the parish, was received in
response to this appeal, and Perry Shepard's treasurer's report at the annual
meeting on May 7 makes happy reading: "All bills of every kind and
description have been paid in full to May 1 and probably for the first time the
church is free from current indebtedness." This meeting was historic in
another way; it was the first in which women were allowed to vote for
wardens and vestry, following passage of a canon to that effect at the
previous year's diocesan convention. (Not for sixty years, however, would a
woman be elected to St. Chrysostom's vestry.)
When Mr. Hutton came to St. Chrysostom's in 1909 the Sunday School
registration had numbered only 24 (ranking 154th among the 162 parishes
in the diocese); the school had now grown considerably and needed more
space than the church basement provided. Issues of the Herald in 1911
describe the children's sale of construction paper "bricks" at ten cents each
to help earn money for a new building, and, as indicated earlier, proceeds of
the women's rummage sale were given to the fund. In the fall of 1912 the
vestry began fund raising for a new parish house in back of the church,
planning to convert the house at 1344 North Dearborn for use as a rectory.
The brochure describing the project states that the building would not only
provide additional space for parish activities, but would make possible
programs for neighborhood residents:
In the district bounded by Chicago Avenue, Lincoln Park,
the lake and Wells Street, there are many of the finest
residences and apartments in Chicago. There exists, side by side
with this comfort and luxury, a large population of selfrespecting but poor people, and not a few who are on the verge
of poverty. Yet in such a large district as this, there is no
Community House or settlement.
The saloons and dance halls are left in undisputed control
of the field so far as the social work of the churches is
concerned. Thus far our social program — merely to warn our
youth to keep away from such places — has not been effective.
Some substitute must be found for them.
Page 40
The original plans called for a "swimming tank" for boys in the
basement and an auditorium and stage for girls on the first floor. Space
would also be available for the Sunday School:
On Sundays we have urgent need for such a building. The
Sunday School has grown in the past year from an enrollment of
about 30 to something over 130 children, and indications point
to a steady and continued enlargement. Following the latest
ideas of making a Sunday School attractive as well as efficient,
we use a stereopticon to give the pupils, through truth-telling
pictures, vivid impressions of the subject studied. The basement
of the church, our present room, is inadequate for this purpose
because of the low ceiling and obstructing posts, and unsuited
because of the ventilation. In the proposed building, we plan
that every class shall have its own room and thus be free from
interruption.
The building of the Community House or Parish Hall should
carry with it some alteration in the church, and we have in view
a new front, that the whole may be a unity in architecture.
It is estimated that the hall will cost $20,000 and the new
front of the church $5,000.
The final plan underwent some modifications; the "swimming tank"
and auditorium were not built as originally planned, and neither the new
front nor a third story for Sunday School classrooms included in the original
plan was constructed. The architectural firm of Brown and Walcott was
selected for the project. Over 100 contributors are listed, some of whom
were not parishioners but who lived in the neighborhood and probably
supported the church's planned program for boys and girls. Among these
was the utility magnate (and Congregationalist) Samuel Insull, who
contributed $500, the same amount given by the Sunday School children.
Several of the young men in the Junior Forward Movement made gifts of
$7.00, $5.00 and $3.00, almost certainly representing far more sacrificial
giving than Mr. Insull's $500 donation. A number of activities were
scheduled to raise money for the project, including the appearance of a
performing dog.
At the time of Mr. Snively's retirement in 1907, he had indicated that
he did not intend to accept another parish position for at least a year. In fact
it appears that he never returned to the parish ministry. He lived in New
York but made occasional visits to Chicago; on one such visit in the fall of
1912, he became ill (probably suffering a stroke) and was hospitalized at St.
Luke's Hospital. At Mr. Hutton's request the vestry elected him rector
emeritus, sending a resolution to him to that effect. He died on December 5,
Page 41
1912, and was buried from St. Chrysostom's two days later, with Bishop
Anderson officiating at the funeral; he is buried in Graceland Cemetery.
The first order of business at the vestry meeting following Mr. Snively's
death was a proposal to name the new parish house after him. The decision,
unanimously accepted, was reached before two other announcements were
made; Thomas and Elizabeth Hinde's offer to make a substantial increase in
their gift if the parish house were named for the former rector, and Mr.
Snively's bequest of $2000 to St. Chrysostom's to be used to pay existing
parish debts. (The bequest must have been welcome; although the parish
was now free from current debt, there was still money owing on both the
land at 1424 North Dearborn and the parish house at 1344 North Dearborn.)
A resolution sent to Mr. Snively's family expressed the loss and bereavement
felt at his death and the parish's gratitude for his long and devoted service.
Construction of the parish house was under way in the summer of
1913. An article in the evening American of August 26 carried the alarming
headline, "4 BURIED ALIVE BENEATH BRICKS." As described in the story
itself, the accident on the site, though still unfortunate, appears less serious
than the headline implies. A brick wall of the new building had collapsed, and
although one workman suffered internal injuries, all four men were able to
be taken home in the contractor's automobile after treatment in a nearby
doctor's office on Clark Street.
Vestry minutes of February
14, 1913 stated that "the
Women's Guild, desiring to make
permanent improvements in the
Church, submitted to the
meeting a plan for wiring and
lighting the Church [using
proceeds from the Christmas sale
of 1912]. The Vestry heartily
concurred in this plan; and the
Rector appointed Mr. Redmond
to act as a committee to pass
upon the specifications." The
construction of the new parish house required tearing down the old
sanctuary; improvements needed for the new sanctuary including electric
lights in the arch, a tile floor and marble steps, were also funded by the
Women's Guild at a cost of $569.55. Given the importance of the women's
contributions toward construction and repair of the parish house and church
during this period, it seems only fitting that the formal opening of the new
Page 42
building should have taken place at the Guild's Christmas sale on December
4, 1913.
Only two months after the opening of the parish house, the church
suffered what must at first have appeared to be a severe blow. Sunday,
February 8, 1914 was a day of near-zero cold and the furnace had been
heated as much as possible to make the building comfortable for services.
Fire broke out shortly after the 8:00 service ended; there may have been
either a vestry corporate communion or a scheduled meeting of the group
after the service, since vestry members Lawrence Meeker, Frederic Norcross,
George Ranney, John Redmond and Harold Smith were still in the building
and helped Mr. Hutton remove the altar fixtures and other valuables to the
parish house. The Reverend John Timothy Stone, pastor of Fourth
Presbyterian Church, was taking a morning constitutional in the
neighborhood; seeing the flames, he too joined in the rescue efforts and
before he left gave Mr. Hutton a check for one hundred dollars toward a new
building.
Upon their arrival the firemen worked in the extreme cold to
extinguish the blaze. James B. Forgan, president of the First National Bank,
who lived across the street at 1415 North Dearborn, was concerned for the
men and, according to the next day's Tribune, "invited the firemen to his
residence and supplied them with food and hot coffee. When he thought one
of the firemen was bashful about accepting breakfast, Mr. Forgan served him
personally." Sunday School was canceled for the day, but the 11:00 service
was held in the assembly room of the new parish house. According to the
Tribune story, damages were at first estimated at $25,000; the church was
insured for only $22,000.
At a parish meeting that evening, vestry member George Ranney
announced plans to raise $50,000 "to refurnish the church with a view to
future needs." The estimate of damage given at this meeting was $7000,
considerably less than that quoted in the Tribune. Not only John Timothy
Stone, but the rectors of St. James, Ascension and several other Episcopal
churches had sent contributions toward a new building and had offered St.
Chrysostom's the use of their facilities if necessary. The money was returned
with thanks, since the construction of a new building would not be
necessary; the offers of space were refused as well and the congregation
worshipped in the parish house (using a piano instead of an organ for
musical accompaniment) until the church was repaired. After reading the
newspaper account of the heroic efforts of the firemen in the cold, it is sad
to record that most of the damage to the church was caused by "firemen
chopping at the floor, wainscoting, etc."! On Easter Sunday, April 12, the
congregation was able to return to the church for worship.
Page 43
We cannot be certain, but it is tempting to suppose that the vestry
gathered at the church on that Sunday were considering a plan which would
be discussed at a formal vestry meeting later in the week. Trinity Church at
26th Street and Michigan Avenue was in financial difficulties and planned to
close on March 31. This parish, founded in 1842 and one of the oldest in the
diocese, had been hard hit by the movement of population from the South
Side north; its neighborhood had become primarily industrial and a large
number of its parishioners now lived within an eight-block radius of St.
Chrysostom's. Trinity was attempting to establish an endowment fund, but it
appeared that the parish would not be able to raise sufficient money to
secure its future. The Reverend John McGann, rector of Trinity, and Mr.
Hutton agreed to a plan to consolidate the parishes. The newly consolidated
church would remain at the Dearborn Street location; Mr. Hutton would
serve as rector and Mr. McGann as associate rector, with Mr. McGann's
$6000 annual salary paid from the endowment funds already raised by
Trinity. The Trinity property at 26th and Michigan would be transferred to St.
Chrysostom's as endowment. The nine present members of St. Chrysostom's
vestry plus three men from the Trinity vestry would serve on the vestry of
the combined parish, which within six months to a year would adopt the
name of Trinity Church.
The vestry approved the proposal on February 13; later in the month
the plan was put before the congregation. "The Vestry realizes that many of
the parishioners will regret to see the Church change its name," read the
presentation to the group. "On the other hand, in nearly every large city in
this country Trinity Church means the representative parish, and, taking
everything into consideration, the Vestry, with the possible exception of one
or two members, recommend this change to your favorable consideration.
Mr. Hutton and Mr. McGann are warm personal friends, and both look
forward to working together in this Parish with the keenest interest, and a
confident feeling that their relations will be friendly and harmonious ... The
field presented for Church work is sufficiently large and important to fully
occupy the time and attention of two such active men." Parishioners in
attendance approved the vestry resolution by a vote of 98-2, emphasizing
that Mr. McGann's "incumbency shall in no way result in the resignation or
withdrawal of the Reverend Norman O. Hutton."
The publicity surrounding the proposed closure of Trinity Church
aroused much concern and brought in a number of additional gifts to
Trinity's endowment fund. By early March the Trinity vestry had
reconsidered its plans and voted to remain in existence. In response, George
Ranney, clerk of St. Chrysostom's vestry, wrote on March 4 expressing "the
sincere hope that your efforts may meet with success and that Trinity
Church may continue for many years to come in its present location" and
Page 44
that "the consolidation ... tentatively agreed upon between our two parishes,
may not prove an embarrassment to you in considering the future of your
Parish in its present location."
Since Mr. Hutton's salary still remained at the $3000 agreed upon in
1909 — only half the amount paid to Mr. McGann at Trinity — it is not
surprising that he told the vestry he felt it "impossible to continue at the
present rate of salary." He accepted an increase to $4000, noting that the
use of the former parish house at 1344 North Dearborn, now remodeled as a
rectory, was worth an additional $1000 to $1200 a year to him.
Suffragan Bishop William E. Toll's confirmation visitation took place on
Sunday, March 15, while repairs to the church were still under way. The
seventeen members of this class deserve special mention, since they
presented as a gift to the parish a brass processional cross, still in use at
some services today. Most of the class members were in their early or
middle teens. As in the case of the Junior Forward Movement, membership
of this class did not come exclusively from the wealthier residents of the
area. Three young women were employed as clerks or telephone operators;
parents of other class members included a banker, an insurance company
official, a bookbinder, a milkman, a woman renting furnished rooms on
North State Street and the woman proprietor of the Hotel du Nord on Astor
Street. Class member Vernon Walther would in the 1920s serve as the
parish's head acolyte and would be present at both morning services nearly
every Sunday. The gift of the 1915 confirmation class was also notable, a
monetary gift establishing an endowment fund. Subsequent classes
continued this tradition for many years; as late as 1949, individual
confirmands were urged to mark the occasion of their confirmation with a
donation to the fund.
The growth of the parish and its activities led to the need for additional
clergy on the staff. Deaconess Propper appears to have remained at St.
Chrysostom's only one year; "Sister Dora" (probably Dora Dawson, who had
formerly headed the Trained Christian Helpers, a Brooklyn nursing group,
and who was described in the Diocese of June 1916 as "a deaconess of rare
qualities") succeeded her. Gardner MacWhorter, a senior at Western
Seminary, came to St. Chrysostom's as lay reader, director of boys' work,
and assistant in the Sunday School in the fall of 1913. After his graduation
and ordination to the diaconate in June 1914 he joined the parish as curate,
replacing Sister Dora on the staff. He was ordained to the priesthood a year
later in a service at which his younger brother Hugh was ordained a deacon;
Hugh MacWhorter (who became assistant at the Church of the Atonement)
assisted at his brother's first celebration of Holy Communion at St.
Chrysostom's the following day. As St. Chrysostom's then had no
Page 45
accommodation in the parish for an assistant, Gardner and Hugh
MacWhorter, their mother and a younger brother shared a North Side
apartment roughly midway between the two parishes.
The new assistant was placed in charge of the Sunday School, which
by November 1914 reached an enrollment of 199. New pupils that month
included Rensselaer Cox, Jr. and his brother William, who a few years later
were among the first members of the Junior Scouts. Twenty-five years later,
in November 1939, William Cox was elected to St. Chrysostom's vestry; he
would later serve as both junior and senior warden.
The Norcross family had been active at St. Chrysostom's for a number
of years. Frederic Norcross, a lawyer, was elected to the vestry in 1905; his
wife Alice was active in parish bazaars and had served as head of the
Women's Guild. Both were generous contributors to the church, each giving
$500 toward the new parish house in 1913. Alice Norcross' sudden death on
June 27, 1914 (the day after the couple's fifteenth anniversary and their
younger daughter's birthday) must have been a shock to the entire parish as
well as a great grief to her husband and the couple's two daughters,
thirteen-year-old Phoebe and nine-year-old Catherine. (In 1928, a vestry
letter at the time of Norman Hutton's departure stated that "those of us who
were afflicted with grief and sickness in our families will always remember
with gratitude his ready and understanding sympathy"; it is probable that
Frederic Norcross, by then senior warden, was recalling this time in his life.)
The present Guild Room, given by the Norcross family, memorializes Alice
Norcross' contributions to the parish. The issue of the Tribune containing her
obituary devoted considerable space to another death whose implications
were not yet fully understood — the assassination of Archduke Francis
Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo.
The outbreak of war in Europe appears to have had little immediate
impact on St. Chrysostom's (though a special service with prayers for peace
in Europe was held on Sunday, October 4). The choirboys left on June 29 for
their annual camping trip, accompanied as usual by John Astley-Cock. The
list of supplies for the 1914 campers survives: "Travel in your better Suit.
Wear nothing but old clothes at Camp. One suit of under-wear. Two pairs of
stockings. Pocket-handkerchiefs. 3 collars. One bowl for soup or breakfast
food. One mug or cup and saucer. One large plate. One small plate. Knife,
fork and spoon ... Mosquito netting 3 yards x 2." The group made the first
part of the trip on the steamer Eastland, which would become notorious a
little over a year later when it overturned in the Chicago River, resulting in
the deaths of over 800 people.
Page 46
Following the camping trip, Mr. Astley-Cock had planned a two
months' trip to England to study church music, probably motivated by a
desire to improve the quality of music in the parish. We do not know if his
trip could be completed as planned, but vestry minutes for the fall of 1914
indicate some dissatisfaction with the music, and he resigned as organist
and choirmaster as of February 1, 1915. The resignation was apparently
amicable; he was paid until April 1, the vestry expressed its appreciation for
his "valuable services," and though no longer organist and choirmaster he
remained active in the parish, serving as its executive secretary from 1924
to 1933. Emory Gallup, the new organist, came to St. Chrysostom's from St.
Alban's Episcopal Church at 41st and Prairie Avenue; under his direction the
choir performed John Stainer's Crucifixion during Holy Week of 1915.
At about this period the time of the evening service was changed from
7:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a mailing was sent out to area residents noting that
the service was to be "distinctly a Neighborhood service. If you are already a
regular attendant at any other church, accept our good will and pardon the
intrusion." During these years, also, November was designated "Go to
Church Month" with special mailings encouraging attendance at services; it
appears that some of the wealthier parishioners who spent their summers on
the North Shore needed reminders to reestablish the habit of churchgoing
upon their return to the city in the fall.
The early years of the decade had seen the introduction of new dances
which became popular among young people. Some religious groups
disapproved of the tango and other dances; St. Chrysostom's was not
among them, as in 1913 or 1914 a dancing class was scheduled at the
church. This led to an activity attractively described by the Reverend W.B.
Norton, religion editor of the Chicago Tribune, on December 29, 1914:
CHURCH TO HAVE CABARET.
St. Chrysostom's to Have Girls, Tango
and Frappe on New Year's Eve.
CHAPERONES ON GUARD.
Here's an invitation to a church cabaret on New Year's
Eve:
Page 47
You may tango if you like. When you are tired with dancing
you may sit at a round table and sip frappe out of a glass. A
stringed orchestra will set the pulses throbbing. There will be
girls and girls and more girls. Once in a while the orchestra will
stop and someone will sing. Then everyone will sing. The glasses
with the frappe in them will clink together. The orchestra will
play a two-step, and the silk slippers will again tap over the
waxed floor.
This is the plan by which the young people of St.
Chrysostom's Church, 1424 North Dearborn Street, will be kept
from going downtown New Year's eve, where cabarets, said to
be of a demoralizing character, will be in operation.
Assurance is given by the rector, the Rev. Norman H. [sic]
Hutton, that everything about the dance will be proper, and the
young people will be carefully chaperoned. The dance will be
held in the parish house ... All the people of the church, young
and old, are invited to attend.
It appears that the dance was as pleasant as the description implies,
for New Year's Eve dances were held again at the parish house in 1915 and
1916.
The dance was sponsored by the Knights of Washington, a parish
young men's club, whose goal was to provide fellowship similar to that
provided by college fraternities. Mr. MacWhorter may have been responsible
for the establishment of the St. Chrysostom's company, since the parish
group was founded shortly after his arrival and he was actively involved with
it. The Knights were a nationwide organization, originating in the east; by
1917 there were over twenty companies in the Chicago area, and in 1919
several members of the St. Chrysostom's group went to New Haven as
delegates to the national convention. In addition to the New Year's dances,
the group's activities included "smokers," pool and card parties; the Knights
provided for the Sunday morning breakfasts after the early Communion
service and on at least one occasion gave a basket to a poor family at
Christmas. The annual Washington's Birthday assembly was a major event
for the group, in 1917 attracting over 150 people.
Another activity for young men was indoor baseball, at this period a
popular sport; under the name of the Dearborn Athletic Club St.
Chrysostom's fielded a team in a league of several north side Episcopal
church teams. An early 1915 Herald story, "St. Chrysostom's Wins Another,"
records a victory over All Saints, Ravenswood, 25-22; however, a letter to
club members announcing the next scheduled game expressed the hope that
it would be better played than the All Saints' game, in which St.
Page 48
Chrysostom's had made six errors. Later, basketball superseded indoor
baseball as the favored sport for boys and young men. The church suffered
from the lack of a gymnasium; the Knights of Washington helped out by
renting the Francis W. Parker School gym to be used by the boys of the
parish.
Two new groups on the schedule of activities were the Brent Club and
the Mothers' Club. The Brent Club, like the Junior Forward Movement, was
the offshoot of a boys' Sunday School class; the group, led by Frederick
Spalding, was active enough to produce a newspaper, the Bee-Hive, which
poked good-natured fun at its rival, the established Herald. The Mothers'
Club sewed for institutions and the Red Cross; some of those in attendance
brought their children to the meetings. Another ministry of the group,
undoubtedly important at a time when illness and death among mothers and
children was greater than it is today, was the Flower Fund; members'
contributions paid for flowers to be sent to the sick and bereaved. An active
member of this group was Rachel Jagoe, whose daughter Jennie would
remain a member of the parish until her death in 1970.
A financial innovation took place at St. Chrysostom's in late 1915. On
October 7 the vestry passed a resolution "that Mr. Shepard be requested to
secure, through Mr. Sterling, the services of Mr. Patton to conduct an
exhibition 'Every Member Canvas' [sic] in Chicago using St. Chrysostom's
Church as a field." The Reverend William H. Sterling and the Reverend
Robert W. Patton, nationally known for their mission work, conducted a
campaign in December sponsored by six north side Episcopal churches,
emphasizing missionary support as well as annual pledging. At the vestry
meeting of January 3, 1916, it was announced that $3336.40 had been
pledged for missions and $3244.80 for the parish; subscribers to the
envelope system practically doubled, with no effect on open plate offerings.
A feature on the canvass in the January 1916 Diocese stated that "the moral
and spiritual results" of the campaign in the participating parishes "were
more striking than the financial results."
It was anticipated that the increased number of pledges would require
additional office work. Vestry minutes at this time indicate that office
operations and clerical work were becoming more time-consuming; Mr.
MacWhorter's responsibilities included approving purchases of equipment,
and a typewriter had recently been bought for the office. Because clerical
work was "encroaching on the time of the rector and the assistant," Miss
Josephine Schnitzler (a parishioner since the time of All Saints' Mission, who
was pursuing a musical career and probably in need of part-time
employment) had been hired a short time before, at what seems even by
1915 standards to be the exceedingly low salary of $5 a month, to work two
Page 49
or three hours a week on parish records. In 1916 the vestry raised her
salary to $65 a month for six mornings work a week and made her
responsible for office operations; when work expanded further, Miss
Schnitzler continued as "envelope treasurer" and Miss Anne Caryll was added
to the staff as parish secretary at $1000 a year.
Emory Gallup's work as organist and choirmaster had been
satisfactory, but he was having a problem recruiting choirboys. (If the
rehearsal schedule was similar to that of 1910 under John Astley-Cock, this
is not surprising: at that time the full group of boys rehearsed on Monday
and Wednesday afternoons, while the junior boys had additional rehearsals
on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and the entire choir including the men
rehearsed on Friday evenings.) The vestry made suggestions, such as
awarding prizes, which they hoped would attract more boys to the group;
however, on January 3, 1916 the music committee stated that "the Choir
Master was no longer able to obtain material for a boy choir" and asked
authorization to hire a mixed choir; salaries paid to the group were to total
$3000. The vestry approved the request with some reluctance, asking Mr.
Gallup to continue to try to find boys' voices and to return, if possible, to a
boys' choir; in October he indicated that this was not feasible, and the vestry
(with two negative votes and one abstention) authorized a permanent adult
choir, with a children's choir of boys and girls for the Sunday School
services.
The program for the choir's first "annual concert" on Monday, May 8,
1916, survives in parish archives. It consisted of lighter music than the
usual Sunday selections; Mendelssohn's "Spring Song," Stephen Foster's "My
Old Kentucky Home" and "Old Black Joe," Cowen's "The Bee and the Dove"
and Smart's "Stars of the Summer Night" were among the numbers, three
choir members sang solos, and the concert concluded with the choir's
rendition of Haydn's "The Heavens are Telling" and the "Star Spangled
Banner" sung by all persons present.
In 1916, perhaps as a result of the missionary emphasis of the
previous year's canvass, Mr. Hutton appointed a Missionary Committee from
among the parishioners. Its members included both men and women;
Frederick West, an insurance official active with the Y.M.C.A. and other civic
groups who would be elected to the vestry the following year, chaired the
group. Its goal was to "coordinate the work of activities and guilds" in the
parish and act as a clearinghouse for missionary activity, investigating the
need for missions and providing information to the congregation; the
minutes of a meeting in late 1916 approved aid to Western Seminary and
discussed the possibility of support for St. Mary's Home and Cathedral
Shelter. At this meeting Mr. Hutton proposed dividing the territory of the
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parish into districts, in which lay persons would canvass for new members
and encourage families to adopt the envelope system of giving.
Also in late 1916, Mr. Hutton put forward a planned change in the
manner of receiving Communion. His proposal for administration by
intinction is described in the Missionary Committee minutes of December 12,
which state that he "desired to add this method of administering the
Communion to the established custom in our church provided that it meets
with the approval of a satisfactory number of parishioners. To the Rector and
Assistant Rector there appear urgent reasons for administering Communion
by intinction to those preferring thus to receive it. Mr. Hutton explained that
... by the modern method, a small portion of the wafer is dipped in the
Chalice by the clergyman and the Communicant thus receives both elements
together." Fourteen of the seventeen committee members present were in
favor; three were personally opposed but willing to see the experiment
made, and the practice was adopted shortly afterward. As adopted at St.
Chrysostom's, a divided chalice holding both wine and wafers was used for
intinction, which preceded administration of the sacrament by the traditional
method. Despite the strong opposition of diocesan Bishop Wallace Conkling
in the early 1950s, this procedure continued in the parish for thirty-five
years.
The much-needed additional space furnished by the parish house had
begun to be outgrown. By 1915 the church made a new appeal for $5000, of
which $2000 would be used to pay off existing debt on the parish house and
the remainder to fund an addition for the Sunday School, possibly including
a "game room for basketball"; in November 1915 the Sunday School's
current goal was described as "improvement in administration ... rather than
increased enrollment ... on account of the overtaxing of present
accommodations."
While funds were being raised, the house directly south of the church
at 1420 North Dearborn came on the market. Mr. Hutton and some vestry
favored purchase of the building, but a majority felt it unwise to take on the
additional financial burden at that time. However, Frederic Norcross and
Edward P. Russell, with the assistance of "a small loan from the church
treasurer," purchased the property and at the vestry meeting of April 27,
1916, indicated their readiness to convey title to the church. The vestry
agreed to obtain a note for $16,000, using $6000 to pay off current
indebtedness and applying the balance to the purchase price of the building;
their action was approved at the parish annual meeting on May 2. A large
part of the loan was paid back from the sale of the rectory at 1344 North
Dearborn in the following year. Following the sale, the Huttons moved to a
house at 1349 North Dearborn not owned by the church; in compensation
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for the loss of the rectory, the vestry raised Norman Hutton's salary $1200 a
year. The Sunday School addition was now unnecessary, and the funds
raised for it were put to use for needed repairs and renovations to the
building at 1420 North Dearborn. Besides Sunday School facilities, the
building included a guild room and a study for the rector, the latter paid for
by the Women's Guild; Mr. Hutton commented that he had wished for a
study at the church since his arrival, but that "other needs seemed more
urgent."
The purchase of the house at 1420 North Dearborn provided adequate
space for parish activities; the vestry felt that it was now time to consider
constructing a new front for the church. There was some difference of
opinion on architectural style; Frederic Norcross, inspired by the church of
St. Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, favored a Colonial
building, while Angus Hibbard strongly preferred Gothic. A number of
architects (including parishioner Gregory Vigeant) were to be asked to
submit drawings for the new front, and by early 1917 plans for fund-raising
were under way.
Page 52
CHAPTER 4
Norman Hutton: World War I and Its Aftermath, 1917-1920
In February 1917 the national church began a campaign to raise
money for the newly established Church Pension Fund for retired clergy.
Vestry member Angus Hibbard was active in the Diocese of Chicago's work
for the fund; on February 18, he and parishioners Charles Folds and George
Higginson spoke on the fund at the 11 a.m. service. The vestry generously
agreed to postpone fund-raising for the church front "in order to throw
ourselves into the Pension Fund campaign with real enthusiasm." On March
1, after raising $20,000 (one-tenth of the diocesan goal of $200,000) the
group again took up the remodeling plans. It was hoped to raise $25,000 for
the project, and within a month $10,000 had been given or pledged.
The 1917 Lenten schedule was a full one. The Holy Communion was
celebrated on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m., and the Litany read on
Fridays at the same hour. There were daily services of Evening Prayer at 5
p.m. with an address by parish clergy or guest preachers; the Wednesday
evening services, sponsored by the Knights of Washington, included recitals
by guest organists. The choir performed Mendelssohn's Elijah on four
successive Sundays at the afternoon service, while the junior choir sang
"Onward Christian Soldiers" and "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" at a
Church Club noonday Lenten service in the Loop in early March. The Sunday
School hoped to collect $200 for its Lenten mite box missionary offering, to
be turned in at the children's service on Easter afternoon. At this service the
primary and junior groups were to recite, while the seniors would perform a
pageant, The Witnesses, whose characters included Jerusalem, Antioch of
Pisidia, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, To the Philippians, and To the
Colossians. Holy Week services included a Maundy Thursday evening
preparation for Easter Holy Communion conducted by Bishop Frederick
Kinsman of Delaware.
The Easter observances must have evoked mixed emotions, since
Good Friday, April 6, saw the United States' entry into World War I. Ten days
later, the vestry unanimously agreed to postpone work on the new front.
Pledges were canceled and money already collected was returned, though an
offering of $3000 for necessary repairs to the building and parish house was
requested. In a spirit of patriotism, John Redmond transferred the parish
insurance from Prussian to American companies, and the vestry approved a
proposal to erect a flagpole in front of the church. Later in 1917 the
endowment fund was invested in Liberty Bonds.
Page 53
Parishioners began to leave the city for war service. In July 1917 Perry
Shepard resigned from the vestry as he left for military service in France,
while the January 1918 Herald contained an appeal for new Sunday School
teachers to replace Lawrence Meeker and Douglas Clinch, now in service.
Letters from parishioners in military camps were printed in the Herald;
Arthur Hurlock, son of a former sexton of the parish, wrote to Norman
Hutton from Camp Logan, Texas, in late 1917 describing the kindness shown
to the soldiers by a local Congregational minister. "It brings back the story
of the Good Samaritan which I learned at St. Chrysostom's Sunday-school a
long time ago. I know you will be pleased to know that the kindnesses you
have shown others are now being shown to one of yours." John H. Cairns,
also at Camp Logan, wrote in February 1918: "A fellow doesn't realize how
much a prayer will do him until he is away from his home and friends."
By the end of the war the "Roll of Honor" in each issue of the Herald
numbered one hundred and thirty-five parishioners, of whom seventy had
seen from three to eighteen months service overseas "while the remainder,
through no fault of their own have had to be content with serving their
Country and the Great Cause in the United States." Not all of those on the
honor roll were in the armed forces. Eleven women were overseas as nurses
in military hospitals or working with organizations such as the YMCA, the
Red Cross or the American Fund for the French Wounded. Several older men
were also serving in the war effort. Angus Hibbard, in his late fifties, with the
rank of captain, used organizational skills developed in his years with the
telephone company to reorganize the Red Cross administration in Paris.
Forty-one-year-old Albert Sprague of Sprague-Warner & Company (later
elected to the vestry) was commissioned in the army in November 1917 and
went to France the following summer. A contemporary cartoon shows two
"doughboys" commenting favorably on his enlistment in the regular army:
"There's Col. Sprague." "Yes! He's a 'regular', too, if you know what I
mean!" A verse in the cartoon referred to his fondness for hunting in
Canada:
In Canada every big game herd
Is glad to hear of what's occurred;
"We can say good-by
To Sprague," they cry,
"Since he's chief of staff of the 33rd."
Page 54
Benjamin Carpenter, Jr., a recent Harvard graduate who because of a
"leaky heart valve" had been rejected for service by both Army and Navy,
went to France as the driver of an ambulance sent by the University Club,
but on arrival he deserted to drive a French ammunition truck. Later he
enrolled in the French army artillery school and after graduation began
active service with a French regiment; the Tribune of October 3, 1918
reported that he had been awarded the Croix de Guerre. Parishioners Susan
Ryerson Patterson, who had worked in French hospitals near the front, and
her husband George, with the French artillery, were also recipients of the
Croix de Guerre.
Two parishioners were killed in the war. The December 1918 Herald
announced the death on October 1 of Albert Adams Sercomb, thirty-eight
years old, who was survived by a widow and a brother. Captain Sercomb
had in civilian life been department manager of the International Silver
Company, and had been an instructor of officers before being ordered to
France in May of 1918; he had married only a short time before his
departure. A memorial service was held on Sunday, November 10, "when
the Church was filled with friends from all walks of life, business, social,
military, club and church, of the fine young officer who has made the
'supreme sacrifice' for his country. Doctor Arthur Rogers of Evanston made
the Memorial address, the Rector read the service, while the Parish choir
gave a beautiful musical service." George Alexander McKinlock, Jr., was at
that time listed as missing in action; later it was learned that he had been
killed at the battle of Soissons on July 21, 1918.
Throughout 1918 a large part of the Herald was devoted to news from
parishioners overseas. Alice Morier, a nurse at a base hospital, wrote from
"Somewhere in France" on October 20:
Whenever I have written, I have always tried to put the
pleasant side foremost ... Of course, down underneath it all you
must know that life, while we are working is a serious affair even
if we do joke and laugh with the boys while we are taking care of
them ...
You can imagine how busy we are just now with the big
allied smash going on. Trains coming in three and four times
daily. There is a special bugle call for the arrival of a hospital
train. I have gotten so that it fairly nauseates me to hear of it for
I know what it means. Stretcher after stretcher — hundreds of
them all with groaning, moaning boys ...
... I am on night duty now and the other morning at 4 a.m.
a train arrived. I got some very bad cases. One a splendid great
big fellow from somewhere in Idaho. His record shows that while
Page 55
under heavy steel fire he carried his wounded lieutenant on his
back for miles, when just before reaching the first aid station a
H.E. (high explosive) burst near him. He was not hit, but the
shock paralyzed him and from his chest down, he "was gone" —
but so brave and plucky and anxious to get well. I worked over
him for a long time and when I stroked his head he said that was
what his sweet little sister used to do for him when he had a
headache. He was in a great deal of pain. The next night he was
much worse, but talked of getting well and did not want me to
leave him. I sat by him every moment that I was not busy. He
talked of his mother and father and sister, never complained,
but was so grateful for every little attention. He was a gentleman
and a brave soldier and should have had a D.S.C. if anyone
should, but towards morning he slipped quietly away to the
great unknown and the world will just read his name with all the
others in the casualty list. His case is just one of many, many,
many and I tell you it makes me think. I go to bed every
morning with my little Bible — and every one else does the
same. I have never seen so many Bibles. All the boys have them
and read them ...
I am afraid I am writing too much about my work, but
tonight my heart is full and I will try not to do it again. By the
papers I feel sure that peace is coming soon, perhaps by the
time this letter reaches you.
A few months later the Herald reprinted a letter sent to Miss Morier by
the mother of a deceased soldier (spelling, punctuation and grammar are
reproduced as in the original):
My dear Miss Alice:
Your letter received and we are so glad to know that you
was with my dear boy when he died and nurse him. I have long
to know who his nurse was but never could find out and so
aprisite your writing to us ... I have worried so much about
Edwards death it has nearly kill me but I trust he is safe in a
better world where no tears are shed ... He wrote me his last
letter October 11 telling me he was wounded ... but ... for me
not to be uneasi for the nurses was real good to him. I will
always love you as a true friend.
Shorter messages were received from other parishioners. Corporal
Jack Geddeis, who had distinguished himself in Scouting activities before
entering the service, wrote that "life thus far in the Anti-Aircraft outfit has
brought back thoughts of getting up early in the morning (that is Sundays)
Page 56
to go to Church, and believe me those were the happy days." "Cards from
England," read another item, "bring relief to anxious friends in the Parish of
Harry T. Remke [head acolyte for some years before the war], not heard
from in six weeks or more." In his letter from "Sunny France" on May 22,
Bryan Dryden, a member of the Knights of Washington, wrote: "I wish I
could tell you the names of the places I have been ... and what we are
doing, but I don't want to get in wrong with Mr. Censor ... We get ... onepaged papers [which] contain baseball news so that's pretty good ... The
YMCA over here is certainly a dandy, piano and everything. American
tobacco and candy a great deal cheaper here than back home." The July
1918 Herald reprinted a Daily News article on Bryan's younger brother
Robert, who had celebrated his twenty-first birthday in service: "'Oh, boy!
It's great to be a man! Gee, it's great to be a nonsificient ossifer. Just think,
two stripes on the sleeve of my right arm. Say, and I'm even going to have
them tattooed on my arm.' ... Thus wrote Corporal ('not private any more!')
Robert Dryden ... The letter telling of ... his first promotion ... assures his
mother that it will not be the last."
Richard Henry Little's "Society Notes from Paris" column, appearing in
the Tribune of February 16, 1919, described the activities of several Chicago
young women, including three St. Chrysostom's parishioners, in the war
effort in France:
The society girls over in France don't travel on their looks
and their place in the social register. They are the hardest
workers in France; they have to be, probably, to live down the
terrible charge of having been "prominent socially" ... One
scoffer from Chicago said last week ... "Supposing they do work
hard, it's just play for them, they are having the time of their
lives." To which the answer is that anyhow it's a fine thing to be
so adjusted that a person's good times consist in working for
others.
Over at the ... American Fund for the French Wounded ...
there is quite a north side colony ... [A] plucky girl of the
American fund is Eleanor Ogden West [daughter of missionary
committee chairman Frederick West] who is the Floyd Gibbons of
our war work girls over here, only the boche hit Eleanor in the
right eye and Mr. Gibbons in the left. Miss West is more
fortunate than Mr. Gibbons in a more important respect because
her good right eye has been saved and is as pretty and bright as
the left one, which is saying a good deal.
Miss West, who hails from Schiller Street in our village ...
was driving a motor near Luneville in September when she was
Page 57
hurt. There was a bad stretch of road outside the town which the
amiable Jerries had thoroughly mined before giving it up. It was
known that it was all a fellow's life was worth to drive a machine
over that particular bit of scenery, but a call had come to Miss
West's station for hospital supplies "toot sweet", as Mr. R.
Lardner would say, and there was nobody to drive the car but
Miss West, so away she went. A mine in the road let go and a
piece of the projectile cut across Miss West's cheek, laying it
open and cutting her eyelids. Blinded with blood, she had the
nerve to pick up what supplies she could find in the wrecked
machine and walk on two miles to where the things were
needed. Considering she was a society girl, Miss West did quite
well.
Elizabeth Hinde is another of the Chicago girls with the
American Fund for French Wounded. She is out now somewhere
in a dreary little town, so small that nobody can think of the
name of it, working night and day giving clothing and food to the
people returning to the ruins of their homes ...
Many Chicago girls are at the Palais de Glas, which is now
operated as a canteen and theater by the "Y." Drop in there
some evening and you will see an endless line of soldier boys
passing by a counter buying hot dog sandwiches and coffee.
Behind the counter deftly engaged in coaxing reluctant hot dogs
onto slices of white bread you will see ... Margaret Conover ...
Those who have seen ... Miss Conover only in the annual show of
the Junior league or dancing at the Casino or the Saddle and
Cycle club would be surprised to see [her] patiently waiting on
the table at luncheon or dinner ...
So if you don't like society persons don't say anything
about it to the boys when they come home. If you do you will
sure be out of luck.
Parish activities on the home front were also affected by the war. The
choir took part in a wartime intercession service at Trinity Church on May
28, 1917, using a form of service developed by the Very Reverend Henry
Pryor Almon Abbott, dean of the Episcopal cathedral in Cleveland. The
church had paid for altar flowers in previous years; now there were no
flowers on the altar except when donated by parishioners. Beginning in
October, daily services of intercession for those in the war were held in the
church at 9:30 on weekdays (Morning Prayer on Mondays and Saturdays,
Holy Communion on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Litany on Wednesdays
and Fridays). The rector commented, "A chapel would be a more suitable
place. Some time I hope that we will have a church building that will be
adapted to a city work and our own needs." The Girls' Friendly Society
Page 58
sponsored a surgical bandage class; a Red Cross knitting class was
scheduled one afternoon a week. In a number of weddings at this period,
the groom or other male attendants were military officers. More unusual was
the wedding of Lloyda Smith and Lieutenant George W. Shaw in summer
1918, when maid of honor Marion Marston, in service in New York as a
yeoman censoring mail, wore her white uniform and stiff sailor hat in the
bridal party.
As might be expected, several acolytes and a considerable number of
the Knights of Washington left for military service; the latter group was
forced to abandon its regular meetings during the summer of 1917 as so few
members remained in the parish. The New Year's Eve dances held in
previous years were also abandoned, but on Thanksgiving Day, November
29, 1917, a dancing party with refreshments for 75 "Jackies" from the Great
Lakes Naval Training Center was held at the parish house; Angus Hibbard
and his wife Lucile were responsible for the idea and provided the music and
refreshments, and Elizabeth Hinde secured "more than seventy-five of the
nicest girls on the North Side as partners for the sailor boys." Chaplain
Charles W. Moore of Great Lakes wrote a letter of appreciation to the parish
for its hospitality.
The Girls' Friendly also worked for the "Jackies," sending packages of
fruit and nuts to be distributed to young men at Great Lakes who could not
return home for Thanksgiving; the group also joined in the Midwest
Province's fund-raising toward the purchase of an ambulance for use in Italy,
made surgical dressings, and knit socks, sweaters and wristlets for soldiers.
The 1917 bazaar on December 5 was "carried through in a war-time
spirit, with economy and usefulness in view." The tables included "Comforts
for Soldiers and Sailors," and the candy table was "greatly missed ... though
necessarily eliminated on account of food conservation." However, food
conservation seems to have had its limits; a chocolate cake was sold before
it could be put on the table, "Mrs. Temple's doughnuts" were "quickly bought
up," and the turkey dinner was pronounced highly successful.
Norman Hutton's 1917 Christmas message reflects the times:
I extend to you a Greeting for a Happy Christmas. In times
like these, when the world is symbolized by a drawn sword, quiet
faith and surety of hope are of value in steadying our outlook.
Christ is waiting for Peace as eagerly as we. It is still the glory of
humanity that He came, as it is still the shame of humanity that
He finds no room. In spite of the cosmic chaos I hope you will
Page 59
hold fast your faith in the ultimate victory of right. That in your
own life you will find strength to endure unrequited love,
sacrifices that are unnoticed, high ambitions that cannot be
fulfilled, hopes that may never be realized, and prayers that may
never be answered. May you smile amid anxieties, and with
outward cheer belie the heavy heart within. May God continue a
member of your household, and sustain you in every trial.
By January 1918 it was necessary to take a number of fuel
conservation measures. The church building was heated only on Sundays
and the evening service eliminated "for the duration," while the parish house
was heated on Tuesdays and Fridays and all parish activities scheduled on
those days. Only one weekly Lenten service was held, a Tuesday evening
service of Evening Prayer with guest preachers and special music, but the
rector noted that attendance was good and commented on the advantage of
having one well-attended service rather than a large number of services to
which few people came. Among the preachers at this service were
evangelists Ted Mercer and Tom Farmer. Ted Mercer, a member of "one of
the best families," became "a drunkard" and "dropped to the bottom of the
social scale" until he "discovered the Power that makes men out of
derelicts"; Tom Farmer "started life as a street arab," by the age of twelve
was an accomplished thief and "took many degrees in the School of Crime."
While serving a fifteen-year prison sentence he "made the Great Discovery
at age 46 and is now a real man." The two men must have been well
received, as they returned in Lent of 1919 for a week-long mission.
In other areas parish activity continued. In April 1917 parishioner
Alfred Bannister graduated from the Moody Bible Institute and volunteered
for an interdenominational mission in the Sudan. The Herald stated that it
was "very proud to make mention of this incident in the life of our Parish"
but "not proud that the Episcopal Church does not seem to have a place in
its ministry or missionary work for such a conscientious, devoted Christian
man ... [who] did not miss a single early service during the two years he
was here excepting while out of town, and ... has the distinction of being the
first member of this Parish to volunteer for the foreign mission field." A
happy announcement in the June 1917 Herald was the news that Norman
Hutton's alma mater Hobart College had awarded him an honorary S.T.D.
degree. Although that year's graduation ceremony was canceled due to the
war and he did not formally receive his degree until the following year, the
vestry presented him with a doctor's hood in the fall.
The May 1917 annual meeting approved an increase in the number of
vestry to the present number of twelve. On November 11, the clergy and
thirty-nine parishioners including Norman Hutton, Jr., Frederick Spalding,
Page 60
Frederic Norcross, Angus Hibbard and Jennie Jagoe called on members of
the congregation in an Every Member Canvass, raising a total of $6300 for
the parish and $3700 for missions. "It is not a question of the amount,"
wrote the rector in the October 1917 Herald; "it is one of willingness to give
something and to be a sharer in a common obligation." During the winter of
1917/18 the Reverend Thomas Parker, a former Methodist minister, served
as a second assistant before his ordination as a deacon in the Episcopal
Church in June 1918.
The camp had its own problems in 1917. For the first time, it had been
scheduled to be open for most of the summer, expanding to serve groups
both within and outside the parish; these plans were threatened by the
destruction of the buildings in May. (The cause is no longer known to us; a
fire or storm may have been responsible.) "As soon as war was a certainty
the Church was affected by a curtailment of income," wrote Dr. Hutton in the
June 1917 Herald; "we found that we could not get enough money to rebuild
and to run the Camp." Five "new shacks, each of which hold eight bunks,"
had been constructed, but there was not enough money on hand to keep the
camp open until September as had been hoped; however, the rector stated
that "we feel sure the sum will be subscribed and are going ahead with our
plans." Parishioners Joseph Thompson and John Astley-Cock went to the
camp and worked so successfully that Dr. Hutton could state in the summer,
"Never before have the grounds looked so well or the equipment in such
good shape," though additional construction work formed part of the boys'
activity.
The rector and Frederick Spalding supervised the camp for the early
weeks, when for the first time the Junior Scouts were in attendance.
"Although the camp is made up of boys younger than any others who ever
before came on such a trip, and in spite of the fact that the contrast in
environment between home and camp is more marked than ever, there has
been contentment, happiness, good cheer, and no hint of homesickness,"
wrote Mr. Spalding. In July, with Mr. Spalding in sole charge, various groups
of boys spent time at the camp. During this summer the camp received the
name by which it would be known for the rest of its existence: Camp
Oronoko, "after an old Indian chief whose name is remembered here."
In August a girls' group attended the camp for two weeks; this was the
fourth year that girls had attended, but the first for which records survive.
Activities included military drill: "one could soon see that boys make the best
soldiers," wrote parishioner John Lehr, in attendance with the group, "but
the girls improved somewhat before two weeks were up." He also
commented that "it took longer for a girl to dress than for a boy." Mrs.
Temple, the cook, though advised to "stay away from the stove" by her
Page 61
doctor, baked during this period "119 three-pound loaves of bread, 204 rolls,
126 biscuits, 32 cakes, 38 gingerbreads, 427 doughnuts, 15 pies, 4 raisin
breads and 4 prune cakes"! Short hikes and swimming were regular
activities, and "the row-boats were always in use." An amusing indication of
the change in camping apparel over eighty years is the story of the last
night at camp, when "the girls decided Mr. Spalding needed a bath and so
some one pushed him off the pier, clothes and all, but in a short time he
looked the same as ever, for he was fortunate enough to have two suits."
The Sunday School continued to thrive. The enrollment was by now
large enough that Dr. Hutton, with vestry approval, hired Hannah Brown
Bishop, one of the first women to serve as a full-time paid Sunday School
leader, who had worked for some years at Christ Church, Winnetka. Her first
message in the Herald addressed the parents: "Give us your constructive
criticism — we need it ... It is being required of the pupils to do a certain
amount of home work. This the teachers cannot do for them and the children
will not do it without help. Please show the same interest in their spiritual
education, which you do in their physical and intellectual." In addition to the
lessons, "missionary activities" formed an important part of the curriculum.
A regular feature at this period and for many years afterward was the
Sunday School's annual collection of canned goods for St. Mary's Home for
Children at 2822 West Jackson; on Sunday afternoon, November 25, 1917,
"fifteen motor cars loaded with children and a motor truck loaded with
provisions" were driven to the home and the group "had a fine time." At
Christmas 1918 the children gave gifts to children at County Hospital. "I
wish you and the children could have been with us to see all the pleasure
that their Christmas gift brought to the hospital," wrote Deaconess Helen M.
Fuller.
A sad event unrelated to the war came on May 25, 1918, when junior
warden William Street died of pneumonia and a heart condition. He had
served continually on the vestry since the incorporation of St. Chrysostom's
as a parish in March of 1894, and had for seventeen years been its junior
warden during the near collapse of the parish in the early years of the
century and its revival under Norman Hutton. The June 1918 Herald paid
tribute to him:
The Parish of St. Chrysostom has lost a devoted and loyal
friend in the death of William D.C. Street. He had been Rector's
Warden for many years and as such was a wise counselor and
strong friend. For several years he was in poor health but
seldom missed the early services. At all times he was a
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steadying force in the life of the Parish and contributed liberally
of time, means and interest. Much of the present success and
prosperity of the Parish is due to his unflagging service and
constant presence at its services and meetings. He was a wellinformed Churchman, being familiar with the Church's practice
and theory to a degree unusual among laymen. A fine Christian
character has gone to his rest, his splendid gifts and memory are
still our rich possession.
We are grateful to him for a quiet strength and deep faith
which we believe have influenced the congregation in a marked
degree.
Frederic Norcross, who had served for thirteen years on the vestry and
had contributed generously both in time and money to the parish, was
chosen as his successor.
During the late summer and fall of 1918 the Herald, like the
newspapers, gave most of its space to war news and mentioned little about
the influenza epidemic which was beginning to spread through the United
States. In late September the first cases were reported in the Chicago area;
on October 1, parish clergy conducted a service at a nearby funeral home for
influenza victim Magdalene Greenfelder. Four other deaths from influenza or
pneumonia followed in the parish within a little over two weeks, and from
November 1918 through January 1919 eight more influenza-related deaths
are listed in the register. Contemporary accounts indicate that a large
proportion of the victims were young or middle-aged; St. Chrysostom's
register bears witness to this. Funerals conducted by the clergy in November
included those of thirteen-year-old Louis Lohrer, who had been confirmed
the previous spring, and eighteen-year-old Wesley Dempster, at school in
Arizona at the time of his death; in addition, former Boy Scout William Calvin
Hunt, seventeen, died of pneumonia in November on a troop ship en route
to France. None of the deceased whose ages are given were older than the
early forties.
With both the epidemic and the war in mind, the Women's Guild
canceled its bazaar for 1918; the members agreed to try to raise through
contributions the amount of money that might have been raised by a bazaar.
"This plan was carried out and brought to a most successful conclusion,"
according to the group's annual report; approximately $1610 was raised,
enough to fulfill the Guild's annual pledge and to make contributions to
several charities outside the parish.
"With the signing of the Armistice has come a feeling of immense
relief," wrote Dr. Hutton in the December 1918 Herald. "The long tension
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has been broken and in its place a furtive anxiety to get the full casualty list,
and to be assured of the well-being of our boys ... On Sunday, November
10th, at 11 o'clock the service was one of Thanksgiving for Victory, the
armistice not yet being signed we could not officially celebrate the cessation
of hostilities. On Sunday, November 17th we were able to continue our
Thanksgiving. Both days were marked by good congregations and fine spirit.
On Thanksgiving Day I have asked for the gift of Liberty Bonds as a Thank
Offering for Peace and to commemorate the sacrifice of our men and women
in the Government service. I hope there will be a Bond for every one of the
135 stars on our Service Flag. This will constitute our Victory Endowment
Fund, for our Parish ... Savings Stamps or cash will be gratefully received."
A letter from Harry Remke, written "in France, by candlelight,"
described the armistice there: "Really they surely celebrated here — all
houses adorned with Allied colors — our bands play constantly — and the
French are kissing each other and etc." (The Herald added an editorial
comment: "What do you mean Harry, 'and etc.'?") Two parishioners had
returned home by December; Captain Angus Hibbard had finished his work
with the French Red Cross, and Captain Joseph Medill Patterson, co-editor
and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was back in the city after over a year
of service with the 149th Field Artillery. (Not long afterward he left Chicago
to found the New York Daily News.)
Dr. Hutton's 1918 Christmas message again reflects the spirit of the
time:
I wish you a happy Christmas. In some families this
message will go to those whose burden of sorrow is very heavy.
Let us, whose lot is happier, not forget the sweet fellowship of
sympathy for those who need strength to "carry on." Let our joy
be humbly constrained as we are in the midst of a world of
sadness and travail.
In any case I hope you will have done with the inertia of
self-satisfaction — that you will be a pioneer in sturdy sacrifice
— that you will not try to get from life more than you put into it.
That you will not be content with comfort and respectability, but
strive to serve and be willing to leave the crowd when it drifts
into superficial ways.
I wish you an earnest spirit this coming year for the world
needs you to end its confusion. I wish you enough work to keep
you at your best, enough leisure to keep you cheerful and
enough rest to give you poise.
I would not have you free from cares, for they deepen life,
but I would have you find power to carry your burdens bravely,
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sweetly, smilingly. I would have you re-discover Jesus at
Bethlehem and know the simple faith that transfigures life.
On December 11 vestry minutes record "an informal meeting of the
vestry of St. Chrysostom's Church, held at the home of Frederic F. Norcross,
1500 Astor Street," a dinner honoring senior warden John Chew, "one of the
organizers of the church, in appreciation of his long and devoted service to
the Parish ... All present had a very delightful time." The historian cannot
but regret that the minutes do not give more detail, as the guests "listened
with great interest to remarks by Dr. Chew and by Mr. Norcross, as to the
various experiences through which the Parish had passed since its
inception." The discussion touched not only on the parish's past but its
future: "the rapid growth of the Church and the question of continuing at the
present location or of moving to some other site, in connection with the
acquisition of the 60 feet of property south of the church was earnestly
advocated, and other sites in that immediate neighborhood were mentioned
and considered." Clerk of the vestry M. Paul Noyes ended his minutes with
the comment, "Any record of this meeting would be incomplete without
reference to the quality of the dinner itself, which was eminently
satisfactory."
Treasurer N. Reynolds Brooks' report at the January 1919 vestry
meeting contained happy news: the year ending December 31, 1918 showed
"for the first time in the history of the parish a surplus [emphasis in
original], albeit small." (The amount is given in the balance sheet as
$150.46.)
At the annual meeting of the congregation on January 20, Mr.
MacWhorter announced plans for the celebration of Dr. Hutton's tenth
anniversary at St. Chrysostom's, to be held during the week of May 11. A
committee of Mr. MacWhorter and the two wardens would plan daily
activities "without the knowledge or connivance of the Rector." Frederic
Norcross reminded the group that March 1919 would mark the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the organization of St. Chrysostom's (the date of its
organization as a parish rather than that of the first service in 1893 was
taken as a starting point) and suggested that the two events might be
celebrated together.
Though few plans for the celebration survive, the Northeastern
Deanery of the diocese held its annual meeting at St. Chrysostom's on May
12, recorded in the June issue of the Diocese. The luncheon, prepared by St.
Chrysostom's Women's Guild, was described as "particularly happy, being an
informal celebration of the tenth anniversary of the rectorship of the Rev.
N.O. Hutton ... [who] came to a parish which had been in a weak and listless
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state for some time, and under his able leadership ... has become one of the
strongest in the city." The dean of the deanery, the Reverend John Edwards
of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest, and the Reverend Frederick
Budlong of St. Peter's Church (who had known Norman Hutton when both
were students at Hobart), "testified to the splendid leadership of Dr. Hutton
and to his peculiar ability for making friends. The rector made a very modest
reply to all these congratulations, saying that any success that had come to
him and to his exceptionally kind people, was due to the strength that comes
from the altar and constant prayer and services."
With parishioners returning to the city from war service and wartime
restrictions ended, activities began to resume their prewar pattern. Evening
services were reinstated in January 1919, with special organ music planned
in the hopes of increasing attendance. The annual assembly of the Knights of
Washington on February 26 included many newly returned servicemen; the
"festive repast" for the group must have been a happy contrast to military
"chow." However, this is one of the last recorded references to the Knights
of Washington; Gardner MacWhorter's departure from St. Chrysostom's in
spring 1920 may have been partly responsible, but almost certainly postwar
young men parishioners preferred coeducational to all-male activities.
The Junior Choir provided music at the Church School Lenten services
each Wednesday and Friday, while programs on the Church School's relation
to the parish, the diocese, domestic and foreign missions were presented on
four successive Sundays during Lent. Lady Catechism and the Child, the
Easter 1919 pageant of the Church School, covered the services and parts of
the Prayer Book. "Two Little Pilgrims," one of whom was played by Norman
Hutton, Jr., met representations of the services of the church: Matins,
Evensong, the Litany, Baptism, Lady Catechism, Confirmation, the Holy
Eucharist, the Psalter, Holy Matrimony, Visitation of the Sick, Requiem, Maris
Stella, Visitation of Prisoners, and Harvest Home. The Herald described the
pageant as "one of the most beautiful ever held in Saint Chrysostom's
Church." Other elaborate presentations by young people are recorded in
1919 issues of the Herald. A Girls' Friendly Society tableau on February 17
included "slackers ... in light and frivolous occupations" and Red Cross
nurses, while the junior choir made an appearance in the role of "Thrift
Stamps." In November the Church School performed a pageant in support of
the Episcopal Church's "Nation-Wide Campaign" encouraging regular
pledging, with a cast including Complacency, Average Goodness, HalfSelfishness, the Spirit of the Nation-Wide Campaign, Glad-Consecration, and
Venture-for-God.
Gardner MacWhorter gave an account of the summer season at Camp
Oronoko in the July 1919 Herald. "Any boy can go for a small fee depending
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on circumstances," he wrote, telling the story of two brothers who had saved
for camp but had to use their savings to pay the city tax for their dog; when
an unidentified person paid the tax, the boys were able to make the trip.
(We do not know the identity of the benefactor, but it is highly likely that
Frederick Spalding, always generous, was responsible.) Among the boys in
attendance were "a deaf mute, a crippled boy, one who had lost his feet in
an accident, and a weak-heart boy from County Hospital," as well as a group
of "undernourished boys"; the choir of men and boys from the Cathedral of
St. Peter and Paul on the west side were at the camp for the last two weeks
of the season. Some of the boys worked at nearby berry fields or farms to
earn money.
Camp buildings now included a bungalow for camp director Spalding,
seven frame dormitories, a kitchen and a boathouse. Parishioner Joseph H.
Thompson continued his responsibility for the physical plant and, when he
could not find a builder to construct the bungalow, built it himself. Forty
boys could be handled comfortably; however, at some times during the
summer as many as sixty-five were present. "There is always room for one
more at Camp Oronoko," wrote Frederick Spalding in the annual report of
the camp to the January 1920 parish meeting. "If he is a regular fellow ...
the visitor will find a place not only in the bunkhouse and around the camp
fire but in the hearts of the campers. P.S. — Every one who comes to camp
is a regular fellow, including the girls and ladies." A feature of the camp,
which continued for most of its history, was the awarding of an honor
pennant to one of the campers each day. The parish paid $1500 of the costs
of the camp, whose expenses totaled nearly $2500; much of the difference
was made up by "well wishers of the project who have no connection with
St. Chrysostom's Church ... If there are many people who, while not of our
parish, are for it, a number of them love it because of its service to
childhood through this fresh-air camp ... Camp Oronoko is the creation and
should be the pride of this Parish."
During the following summer, a number of mothers and children
recommended by the Central Free Dispensary attended the camp for two
weeks; a letter from one of the group addressed to "Kind Mr. Spalding"
reads: "We arrived safe in Chicago. When the hours went by on Sunday we
told the folks what we would be doing if we were where you were. I am very
thankful to you for the good treatment you gave us. Gustaf and Joseph miss
you very much. Gustaf remembers you in his prayers at night. He says he
sends his love to you. So does Joseph." Another woman wrote, "I can never
forget how good and kind you were to us and loving to the children ... You
can tell we had enough to eat, for my baby gained 1 1/2 pounds."
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In 1916 Norman Hutton had conducted a Lenten class on personal
religion which discussed the role of religion in dealing with "nervousness,
sleeplessness, irritability, morbidness, timidity and kindred topics." Three
and a half years later he pursued his interest in spiritual healing; in October
1919 James Hickson, an Episcopal layman, conducted a healing mission at
St. Peter's Church on Belmont Avenue, in which Dr. Hutton and St. Peter's
rector Frederick Budlong took part. The mission aroused considerable
controversy; newspaper accounts indicate both strong support and strong
opposition to Mr. Hickson's ministry (the Reverend John T. McLaughlan of
the Church of Our Saviour described it as "immoral superstition").
Although some of the coverage seems to place emphasis on Mr.
Hickson himself rather than on the Lord's work in healing, the "healing
service" adopted at St. Chrysostom's shortly afterward seems, by present
standards at least, noncontroversial. The services, held twice a week
(Tuesday at 11 a.m. and Thursday at 8 p.m.), were "not confined to those
with physical disabilities," but were also directed at persons facing "business
or family perplexities," those wishing God's blessing on a new work they
were about to begin, or those in need of "spiritual help and guidance, and
strength against temptation," and were "not to take the place of the
physician, but to help him [sic] in his work of recovery." Possibly this did not
stop all criticism, for although the services continued for some time their
name was changed from "healing service" to "religion and health."
Gardner MacWhorter had served the parish as assistant for five years,
and by late 1919 felt ready to move on. He notified the vestry of his
intention to resign as of May 1, 1920, although he had not yet secured
another position; by the time of his departure he had been appointed priest
in charge of the mission at St. Lawrence, Libertyville, with responsibility for
churches in Antioch and Grays Lake. Mr. MacWhorter had taken an active
part in many parish activities; his service of nearly six years as assistant
exceeded in length that of three rectors of the parish and all but one other
assistant or associate in the church's history. He had edited the Herald
throughout his tenure at St. Chrysostom's; not long after his departure, in
late 1920, the Herald ceased publication and information formerly included
in it was printed in the parish's weekly bulletins. It is possible that no one
could be found to replace him as editor; however, since the Herald
apparently lost money through most of its history, it may have been
discontinued for reasons of cost.
Emory Gallup's work as organist and choirmaster was a source of
satisfaction to both vestry and congregation. In early 1919 his annual report
described the choir's activity during the previous "banner year"; its size had
been reduced from 35 to 24, "much of the average type of music" had been
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"junked" and "nothing but the best, from both a spiritual and musical point
of view" was to be used. New anthems representing the "best modern
music," by composers such as César Franck, had been added to the
repertoire. Mr. Gallup had become known outside the parish as well. In 1918
he refused the position of music director at St. Paul's Church on the south
side at an increase in salary. In early 1920 St. Luke's Church, Evanston,
offered him a salary of $3000 a year (his salary at St. Chrysostom's was
$1800) and entire responsibility for supervising the construction of a new
organ costing not less than $30,000. He told Dr. Hutton of the offer and
indicated his willingness to stay on at a somewhat lower salary than that
offered by St. Luke's. The vestry raised his salary to $2500 a year, increased
the $6000 annual music budget by a proportionate amount, and committed
themselves, as part of any renovation project for the church, to a complete
overhaul and reconstruction under Mr. Gallup's direction of the organ given
by Aurelia Senn in 1897.
Though the choir's work was satisfactory, congregational participation
in the singing was poor. The Herald frequently referred to the problem; on at
least one occasion congregational singing was scheduled before the service
in an effort to correct the situation. Mr. Gallup took another approach. In the
summer of 1919 he attended a workshop conducted by Canon Winfred
Douglas and Peter C. Lutkin, dean of the Northwestern University music
school, on the "New Hymnal" of 1916, now completed and ready to be
introduced in the church. At first "strongly prejudiced against the new book,
the Choirmaster was led to see the genuine excellence of the book before
many days had passed." Many of its improvements would make for better
congregational singing, including changes in pointing of the canticles, and
the addition of plainsong melodies "peculiarly adapted to congregational
participation"; Mr. Gallup also praised the inclusion of the great chorales,
many with harmonies by "John Sebastian Bach." He concluded: "For the first
time in the history of the Episcopal Church the Hymnal, with music, is to be
found in every pew! ... In orders of one hundred or more the cost is but
$1.05. There should be a book for each person attending the services if we
are to make this a singing Parish. Our opportunity is at hand for better
participation in the service on the part of the congregation; the means for
that participation is within the covers of the new Hymnal. Let us as a Parish
stand solidly back of the new Hymnal, the best book ever given to the
Church!" In response to this stirring endorsement, the vestry soon
afterwards voted to adopt the 1916 Hymnal and purchase books for all
attending the services. The new book was first used at services on
December 14, 1919; at the service of February 29, 1920, Dean Lutkin spoke
on the Hymnal and some of the new hymns were sung.
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The junior choir joined with the senior choir at services three or four
times a year and provided the music at the 11:00 service during part of the
time when the senior choir was on summer vacation. By fall 1920 the
Church School worship service had been enlarged to include four hymns by
the junior choir and a short address; it could be attended by parents
bringing their children, or as an alternative service for parishioners unable to
be present at 11:00. Students were encouraged to join in a "service league"
and to serve as acolytes or members of the Junior Altar Guild. In 1920, for
the first time, four students completed the full Church School program and
were honored at a special graduation service in May.
That fall the Reverend Robert Kimber, who had succeeded Mr.
MacWhorter as assistant, took over responsibility for the Church School
when Hannah Bishop opened the Bishop Book Shop in the parish house for
the sale of Sunday School curriculum materials, religious books and cards.
The shop was successful enough to move to larger quarters in the diocesan
headquarters building at 180 N. Wabash soon afterward. Mrs. Bishop died on
February 20, 1925, and was buried from Christ Church, Winnetka; the
February 1925 Diocese stated that her "influence and spirit will long be felt
in the work of religious education in which she was a pioneer" and described
her as possessing "the courageous determination of the pioneer and the
simple faith of a child."
In the early years of the parish, the principal Christmas service was a
celebration of the Holy Communion on Christmas morning, with music; the
service was repeated at 11 a.m. on the following Sunday for those persons
unable to attend on the day itself. For probably the first time in parish
history, a midnight Eucharist (so called in the service schedule) was held on
Christmas Eve, 1920. The service began at 11:30 p.m. and was scheduled to
last not quite an hour; there were hymns and carols but no sermon. It was
obviously a popular addition, since (with the addition of a sermon) it has
remained part of the service schedule ever since.
A wedding of some interest took place during the late summer of
1920. Eleanor Ogden West, one of the "society girls" described in R.H.
Little's 1919 Tribune article, was married on September 18 to former parish
treasurer Perry Shepard, whose first wife had died so tragically in 1912. The
wedding took place not at St. Chrysostom's but at St. Stephen's Church at
the Wests' summer home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Dr. Hutton, still in the
east on his vacation, performed the service, assisted by St. Stephen's rector,
the Reverend Stephen E. Keeler. Not long after their marriage, the Shepards
left the city when Perry Shepard's business took him to Indianapolis.
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Attendance at Sunday evening services, held only during the fall,
winter and spring, remained low. During early 1919 the evening service had
been held only once a month in the hope that this would increase
attendance. Musical programs and other special services were frequently
scheduled to attract worshipers; ten men led a 1920 campaign "mainly
among nonchurchgoers" hoping to reach an attendance of two hundred at
the evening service on December 19. In the first activity of its kind which
appears in parish records, some of the women were on hand after the
evening service to "welcome any coming up for a social hour"; tea (instead
of coffee) was the beverage served on these occasions. The clergy did not
take part in the receptions but were available in the rector's study "to meet
the men informally and socially" (it is not clear why only men were included
in the invitation).
Though the evening service was not well attended, the Sunday 11
a.m. service attracted so many worshipers that shortage of space was now
the parish's major concern. As early as November 1916 it had become
necessary to ask pewholders if they would allow unused space in their pews
to be rented to others. This had solved the problem for a while, but in the
April 1918 Herald Dr. Hutton wrote: "This method has now been exhausted
and we still find a waiting list. We can only throw ourselves on the good-will
and gracious hospitality of our people and ask them to be eager to offer
space in their pews for strangers and parishioners and endeavor to further
develop a spirit of whole-souled welcome and affability. Ours is a small
family Church, and our great asset is our friendly spirit ... I hope each will
try to contribute to this spirit by offering a warm welcome to those who are
our guests. If you come late and find your pew occupied, please be glad, and
quietly find room for yourself in some unoccupied space. Be glad we can
minister to so many people." The expansion of the church and parish house
to provide adequate space at services and provide facilities for ministry
within and beyond its borders would be a major concern in the coming
years.
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CHAPTER 5
Norman Hutton: The New Parish House and Church, 1920-1928
At the dinner honoring John Chew in December 1918 the vestry had
made mention of the lack of space in the church on Sunday mornings. The
group discussed the question formally at its January 1919 meeting, agreeing
that "in view of the present prohibitive cost of building" the time was not
right to begin raising funds for expansion of the church. However, a
resolution was passed:
RESOLVED, that it is the sense of this meeting that the
Church continue in its present location, and that in view of its
possibilities of growth, immediate efforts be made looking to the
purchase by the Church of the 60 feet frontage ... south and
adjoining the present frontage of 105 feet owned by the Church,
giving a total frontage of 165 feet, which ... will afford the
Church ample room for all purposes for many years to come,
and ... enable it to retain in working condition for present and
future use property of the value of at least $75,000, the greater
part of which would be lost in the event of removal to another
site.
Frederic Norcross, John Redmond, Edward Russell and J. Lewis
Cochran were appointed to a real estate committee to contract for the
purchase of the 60 feet south of the church. On February 1, John Redmond
signed a contract to purchase 1416 North Dearborn Street for $18,000;
$1000 was paid as earnest money, $7000 would be paid in cash on the date
of delivery of the deed, and the remaining $10,000 was to be paid in five
years with interest at six per cent per year.
Though the vestry had acquired the site and received proposals from
architects, they were unwilling to commit the parish to an expansion
program. The congregation was doubtful as well. According to results of a
parish questionnaire reported in the February 1920 Herald, 57 persons were
in favor of a new building, 92 opposed; 74 favored a new building when
costs might be less prohibitive, but 95 were opposed. However, the vote was
74 to 51 against remaining permanently in the present building, and a large
majority (98 to 26) favored use of the house south of the church or some
other property to "enlarge the possibilities of parish work." The final choice,
to "continue as is and hope conditions become more normal," was favored
92 to 45.
Page 72
In February 1920 Norman Hutton told the vestry that he had spoken
to architect Bertram Goodhue of the New York firm of Cram, Goodhue and
Ferguson about a remodeling plan; although the rector recommended
commissioning Mr. Goodhue and beginning fund-raising, the vestry voted
against his proposal. Dr. Hutton felt that it was time to move ahead; on
Sunday, April 18, apparently without the previous knowledge of the vestry,
he told the congregation that he would make an important address on the
following Sunday. Minutes of a special meeting held that afternoon at the
home of Angus Hibbard describe the vestry's response.
The Senior Warden, Dr. Chew, occupied the chair and
stated that the Vestry had assembled informally ... to discuss
the announcement made by the Rector ... that on the following
Sunday, April 25, he would address the parish on a subject of
vital importance to him and to the parish, it being the
understanding of the Vestry that his announcement undoubtedly
had reference to the proposed establishment of a building fund.
After a thorough discussion ... it was decided to invite the
Rector to attend the meeting and state fully his plans regarding
his proposed announcement ... as well as his plans and desires
generally with reference to work in the parish ...
The Rector stated that his announcement ... referred to
the proposed establishment of a building fund ... and also dealt
quite fully with his ambitions and desires, not only as to that, but
as to the work of the parish generally, and what it could
accomplish under changed conditions.
Among other things the Rector stated that while he had
been very happy in his work in the parish ... and had no desire
to go elsewhere, he frankly did not feel that he could go on
under the existing conditions in the present church building, and
that unless he could have the definite assurance of the Vestry
that these conditions would be remedied as soon as the situation
in the building trade should warrant ... he really felt it would be
better for the parish if he were to step aside now and allow the
Vestry to select a successor.
Mr. Smith and Mr. Ranney then voiced the sentiment of
the Vestry in stating that from its standpoint the Vestry would be
very unwise to undertake the collection of a building fund, or
subsequently enter upon building operations, except upon the
definite understanding that the Rector would continue with the
parish and lend his own enthusiastic aid and support during the
period (estimated from three to five years) which would be
required to secure the necessary funds and complete the
Page 73
building; whereupon the Rector assured the Vestry that it would
be his pleasure with the approval and active support by the
Vestry of the building project to remain with the parish and
devote his best efforts to the successful consummation of this
project.
After this forthright discussion the vestry voted its approval of the
fund, appointing George Ranney to make a statement the following Sunday
in support of the project.
A letter dated April 25, 1920 (possibly reproducing the text of the
rector's speech) described Dr. Hutton's hopes for changing "the present
church building into an adequate and beautiful structure." Parish house
activities would be moved to the recently purchased site south of the church.
Construction would begin "at such time in the future — say five years —
when building and economic conditions warrant." The importance of the
project was again stressed: "No expedient can solve the problem of the
condition of the buildings ... The Rector feels new leadership must be
secured if the parish cannot follow through."
The fund had made considerable progress by fall. According to the
November 7 bulletin, $62,175 had been received from 66 people in amounts
from $10,000 to $5. "This is not a desire for a finer church — a luxury. It is
a necessity born of growth ... We will work to keep the charm of our present
church, adding only those features that will make it beautiful and dignified."
The bulletin for November 28 included a "Prayer for the New Parish Church":
O God, who didst bless Solomon in the building of the
temple; look graciously upon all endeavors to restore the outer
fabrics of thy Church, and to create new places for thine honor
and worship. As Thou hast put it into our minds to build Thee a
holy and beautiful house, so give us courage and strength to
finish the work which we have undertaken. Open our hearts and
hands that we may gladly give Thee of Thine own. Hasten the
time when this building completed, and free from every debt,
shall be consecrated to Thy service forever. Make this church an
abiding place of Thine honor, a bond of unity and peace to Thy
people, and a gate of heaven. As Thy servants build and give to
Thee, so build Thou in them Thy spiritual temple and fill it with
Thy presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A February 27, 1921 progress report stated that $111,745 had been
raised, but that more was needed. Norman Hutton was concerned lest
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parishioners who could not make large contributions feel that their gifts were
not welcome.
There are over 500 people in the parish ... who are able to
give $250.00, $100.00 or $50.00, dividing it into five annual
payments or twenty quarterly payments. The church cannot be
built without the aid of the smaller subscribers. Five hundred
subscriptions of $200.00 are $100,000, and the subscriber can
pay $40.00 a year for five years, or $10.00 a quarter, or $3.33 a
month. There are many of our people who want to help, but who
feel their ability is too small to count. There are easily five
hundred persons who can give $3.33 a month toward what we
will call THE POPULAR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR FUND.
Lists of contributions to the fund, regularly published in the bulletins,
after this time begin to include figures of $3.33; gifts surely as important as
the larger and more highly publicized donations received from Richard T.
Crane, Jr., William Wrigley, Jr. and others during the course of the
campaign.
As part of the 1921 Holy Week service schedule, Dr. Hutton scheduled
a prayer vigil in the church on Maundy Thursday, March 24. Beginning with
the 7:30 a.m. service of Holy Communion, at least one person would remain
in the church in prayer until the preparation service for Easter Holy
Communion at 8 p.m.; prayers would be offered for a new church building, a
new power in spiritual life and a deeper awareness of the meaning of Calvary
and the Resurrection. Dr. Hutton later described the Holy Week and Easter
observance as "the greatest week in the history of the parish"; 226 people,
many of them men, took part in the vigil, attendance at the Three Hours
service on Good Friday was larger than usual, and 468 persons of a total of
556 communicant members made their communions on Easter Sunday. For
a number of years afterward, a Maundy Thursday prayer vigil remained part
of the parish Holy Week observance.
Bertram Goodhue's plans for the church and parish house had been
received by the fall of 1920. Some modifications were suggested at a vestry
meeting in September; the group felt that other designs should be
considered as well. A Building Committee headed by George Ranney, with
Frederic Norcross, George Higginson, John Redmond, J. Lewis Cochran and
Fletcher Durbin as members, held its first meeting in July 1921. Chicago
architect John Pridmore had submitted "elaborate drawings and plans" on his
own initiative; the committee noted that "as no competition of architects had
been invited, it was the opinion of the members ... [that his] work could not
be recognized." Plans by Goodhue and by Holabird & Roche were
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pronounced "unsatisfactory"; though some members thought that Holabird &
Roche, "notwithstanding their efforts to this time, could produce better and
more acceptable plans," one "doubted if this firm had the feeling and background necessary." Architect and St. Chrysostom's parishioner William E.
Parsons of the firm of Bennett and Parsons, who had volunteered his
professional services instead of making a monetary contribution to the
building fund, worked with assistant rector Robert Kimber to develop an
interior arrangement for the new buildings. It was suggested that Mr.
Parsons make floor plans which could be purchased by the architects, or be
associated in some way with the architects who were chosen to do the work;
again, to "avoid the appearance of a competition," it was agreed that he
should not go further with his work.
The vestry discussed architectural plans at its October 1921 meeting.
An offer of $30,000 for the building immediately north of the church had
been refused, and since it was uncertain how much land would be needed
for the new buildings, the offer was not followed up. Dr. Hutton suggested
that construction be done in stages, beginning with the parish house; later
the church interior could be remodeled. However, the vestry were unable to
agree on the designs, with five members in favor of the Holabird & Roche
plan, two for the Goodhue plan and two supporting the Pridmore plan.
Two weeks later, on November 6, building committee president George
Ranney put forward a proposal based on Mr. Parsons' design. The house at
1414 North Dearborn directly south of the church property would be
purchased, permitting the remodeling of 1414 and 1416 North Dearborn into
one house for use as a rectory and "other parish purposes." The parish office
would be located on the first floor of the combined building, and the upper
floors would house the rector and other parish staff (assistant clergy, the
sexton, the organist, the Church School superintendent, and parish office
employees have resided there at various periods). The house at 1420 would
be torn down and the space used as a courtyard. An outdoor pulpit with
access from the office area would face the new courtyard, and a cloister and
gymnasium would link the offices and rectory to the church and the 1913
parish house. A new and larger church building would be constructed on the
existing site, incorporating many of the features of the original church; its
entrance would be moved from the back of the church to the south side
facing the courtyard. The plan met with the "hearty approval" of the rector
and vestry; two weeks later J. Lewis Cochran was authorized to proceed with
the purchase of 1414 North Dearborn at $16,500 ($11,500 in cash and the
remaining $5000 by assumption of an existing mortgage).
The building committee voted on November 30 to employ the firm of
Walcott and Clark to prepare plans, with William Parsons' firm of Bennett
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and Parsons as consulting architects. Chester Walcott had been a member of
the firm of Brown and Walcott in 1912 and 1913 when the first parish house
had been constructed. His work at St. Chrysostom's added considerably to
his reputation; both parish house and church won awards as "best
remodeled building" on the near north side in an annual competition
sponsored by the Lake Shore Bank and judged by architectural society
representatives.
Following Norman Hutton's recommendation, work began first on the
parish house; the parish bulletin acknowledged head acolyte Vernon
Walther's "valuable service" in preparing measured drawings and blueprints
of the existing buildings. In the final plan, a stage was included in the
gymnasium, making the room usable for theatrical productions as well as
athletics; the gymnasium could also be used for large parish meetings and
the annual bazaar. The new space on the second floor was mainly devoted
to a room extending over both gymnasium and cloister. Given as a memorial
to Alice Wrenn Norcross and designed as a meeting place for guilds and
other parish organizations, it would become known as the Guild Room. On
the south end of the second floor, Dr. Hutton's former study from the 1420
North Dearborn building was remodeled as a chapel for the kindergarten and
primary classes. The enlarged basement was devoted to Church School
classes, providing much needed space since at this period enrollment was
increasing rapidly. (There were 235 pupils in January 1921; enrollment that
fall exceeded 300.) The first floor room of the 1913 parish house, previously
referred to as the Assembly Room, became known as the North Room after
completion of the new structure.
Other parish activities continued as work on the building progressed.
In the spring of 1921 a Social Service Committee was established, with Myra
Parsons, wife of architect William Parsons, as its head; the clergy, Margaret
Conover and Frederick Spalding were among its members. At first its
mission seems to have been the provision of help to individuals. According to
the committee's 1921/22 annual report, it had provided six families with
financial aid for rent and food, made efforts to find better jobs for working
mothers and fathers and to arrange for child care, and supplied clothes and
medical aid where needed. In 1922 the committee paid the expenses of four
campers at Camp Oronoko.
The 1922 camp season broke all records. It extended over a longer
period than ever before and served over 375 campers, who stayed for
differing lengths of time, with usually about seventy in attendance on an
average week. Frieda Hicks, the camp cook, learned to cope with the
unceasing activity: "Whenever I see a car drive into the grounds, I add five
more places." Mrs. Hicks and her sons Elmer and Orville were active in the
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parish for many years. Mrs. Hicks served as parish cook until her retirement
in 1955, preparing breakfasts, Women's Guild luncheons and many other
meals including the annual turkey dinner, while Elmer and Orville Hicks were
regular attendants at Church School and continued as active members into
adult life. Ruth Wilkinson in later years recalled Frieda Hicks: "She always
made it clear that it was her kitchen."
In the fall of 1922 the camp received a generous gift. Former Church
School student and Boy Scout Rensselaer Cox, Jr. had died at sixteen in
September 1921 in a tragic accident at the family's summer home in Lake
Forest, when his pony threw him after being startled by a speeding car. His
mother Louise made a gift of eleven acres of land adjoining the campsite in
his memory. Rensselaer Cox's name was given to the camp dining hall built
in the following year, and the Cox family continued their support of the camp
throughout its existence. By 1923 camp attendance reached 468, attracting
all age groups "short of senility."
Treasurer Benjamin Taylor's report to the 1921 annual meeting
described changes in bookkeeping procedures instituted in response to
recent growth in income. Parish income over the past six years had grown
from $11,000 to $30,000, while "missionary" giving for work outside the
parish had risen even more dramatically, from $2000 to $14,000. The report
also discussed another financial issue:
The pew renting system, while offensive to some people, is
a source of positive and dependable revenue and it is hoped that
no one will stay away from church because they have no pew. As
a matter of fact, if there are those who would like to have a pew
and can afford to pay no rent, we have spaces for them and can
assign regular sittings. We have a schedule of rates probably
cheaper than any other church of corresponding prominence but
they are flexible and the Treasurer will always be glad to consult
those who desire sittings.
Further information on the parish budget appeared in a March 1921
letter promoting pledging and the "Nation-Wide Campaign." In 1920 pew
rents had brought in one-fifth of the church's income, slightly under
$10,000; pledge income to the parish totaled over $14,000, while pledges
for mission work were over $13,000. The remainder of the income of just
over $50,000 came from plate offerings and Christmas, Easter and special
gifts. (Though not stated in the letter, an examination of financial data for
previous years indicates that this was the first year in which pledge income
exceeded the amount received in pew rents.) Dr. Hutton's salary had been
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raised to $5400 a year in 1919; the parish's 1920 budget for salaries,
including clergy, organist, sexton and office staff, totaled slightly over
$13,600.
In 1896, Mr. Snively had suggested a rotating vestry; no action on the
proposal had been taken. Shortly before the United States' entry into World
War I, Norman Hutton had made a similar suggestion. Again (probably
because of the outbreak of war) the vestry had not acted. In January 1922
Dr. Hutton revived the plan, to take effect at the end of that year; although
meeting with some opposition, it passed, and the vestry drew lots to
determine when each member's term should end. However, at the end of
1922, "owing to the pendency of building operations and other matters
vitally affecting the interests of the Parish," the plan was postponed for a
year, and in late 1923 it was voted "inoperative."
As work progressed on the parish house, the promised renovation of
the organ was also under way. On October 29, 1922, an announcement
appeared in the bulletin:
The installation of the organ is nearing completion, and it
is hoped it will be possible to use it at the service this morning
...
The arch leading from the organ chamber into the north
aisle of the church has been walled up and an additional opening
... has been made in the chancel directly over the display pipes
...
The mechanism of the instrument is, with the exception of
the chests, entirely new; the reeds are, for the most part, also
new ... The console ... will be placed in a "well" at the south side
of the chancel behind the pulpit. The arrangement will greatly
facilitate the handling of the choir.
The pipes — over 3,000 in all — have been cleaned,
completely revoiced and re-tuned, and are as good as the day
they were made.
Mr. George E. La Marche ... has had charge of the work,
and it is with pleasure that we acknowledge the painstaking care
that has brought to a satisfactory completion the organ which for
twenty-five years has served this Parish.
The announcement was overoptimistic, since the instrument was not
ready for use until Sunday, December 10. The organ was dedicated on the
afternoon of December 17; on the following evening the Illinois chapter of
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the American Guild of Organists sponsored an inaugural recital by Chandler
Goldthwaite, city organist of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Just as the 1913 parish house had been inaugurated at the Women's
Guild bazaar, so the Guild's annual sale on December 7, 1922 was the first
activity to be held in the new parish house; construction, though not
completed, had progressed far enough to allow the sale to be held there.
Newspaper stories named a number of the women involved. Alice Cochran,
wife of building committee and vestry member J. Lewis Cochran, was
"general chairman" of the event; Cornelia Ranney, another vestry wife,
headed the toy booth. Mrs. D. Mark Cummings, an active member of the
Mothers' Club, had charge of fancy goods, while other merchandise included
books, toys, infants' wear, a "boudoir table" under the direction of Mrs.
Charles Garfield King, and a "utility table." A food table featured "homemade
candies, cakes, etc.," preserved fruits and plum pudding. Mrs. Hutton and
Mary Noyes, whose husband Paul was at that time clerk of the vestry, were
responsible for a grab bag and Christmas tree for children; Mrs. George A.
McKinlock, mother of one of the parishioners killed in World War I, was in
charge of the dinner. Many reservations had been received for the meal,
including one from Mrs. Chester Dawes, a member of the 1894 committee
raising money to construct the original building. A new feature was the
dance which ended the evening, with music by the University Club jazz
band; Mrs. King's daughter Ginevra Mitchell was among the younger group
assisting with the dance. Receipts from the sale reached a record high of
over $5000, over $2100 of which was given to the Social Service
Committee; Dr. Hutton described the bazaar as "in many respects the
greatest event in the history of the parish." Two days later, Frederic
Norcross' older daughter Phoebe married Richard Bentley in the church. The
following day, the use of the renovated organ for the first time at a Sunday
service formed a happy conclusion to the week.
The bazaar dance was almost certainly inspired by the activities of an
organization new to the parish that fall. John Astley-Cock (describing himself
as "Considens sed non Praesidens" of the group) described it in florid fashion
in the bulletin of November 12, 1922.
"Why were you absent Tuesday evening?" — to some this
is patent, to others cryptic; read and be enlightened!
There exists in connection with this church an organization
called — well that's just the point meritorious, it isn't really an
organization for it has no constitution, and it isn't called anything
because it is nameless. It is inchoate yet potent, anonymous yet
vital, amorphous yet definite!
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One friend calls it the "Wochlichdienstagabendessenverein"
[weekly Tuesday evening dinner meeting], which is gross but
true, for we do meet weekly every Tuesday evening for supper:
another friend calls it "Le cercle des jeunes esprits" [club for the
young in spirit], which is subtle but not wholly true, for though
merriment abounds there is no limit in years: yet another
designates it the "Society for Endoparochial Sociability," which is
cumbrous but a fact, for we do practice what Dr. Hutton has so
often thundered ex cathedra — "Extend the glad hand to thy
neighbour!"
Quintessentially, it is best encompassed by the word
Coenaculum, or in plain English, a congenial symposium of
kindred hedonists. A true Agape, not according to medieval
ecclesiasticism but in the pristine usage of the Attic community:
and Mr. Douglas Street is master of ceremonies. A millennium
since an Arab sage remarked:
My Friend, know well that in unhappiness,
All tempering comfort must be found within;
Without, is naught but utter loneliness;
No country, hospitality, nor kin!
But we would not have it so in this adelphic age. To the
unhappy would we extend comfort, to the homeless offer
hospitality, to the lonely present companionship: these people
are our people and them we entreat. In the quaint Jacobean
parlance "our conversation is toward the stranger within our
gates," and the day will come when somebody, within or without
the church, will say to you, "What about Tuesday evening?" and,
if you are of the illuminati, you will smile and reply "I'm with
you!" but if his question is met by interrogative bewilderment he
will divine your lack and forthwith proffer counsel.
The group was at first listed in bulletins as the Young People's Social
Club, but became known as the Tuesday Nighters because of the date of its
meetings and remained active for over ten years. "The club was originally
formed to reach into the neighborhood for those whose environment is apt
to be lonely — the man living in the rooming-house, the girl in business, the
out of town student attending business in the city," stated a brochure
published shortly after completion of the parish house. "The main idea is a
general 'get-together' so that strangers may become acquainted and those
who already know one another may make other friendships."
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In addition to the dinner meetings, at which attendance normally
numbered about fifty, dances were often scheduled. Stephen Hord, a young
banker who joined the parish in the early 1920s and was elected to the
vestry in 1924, was an active member of the group who often took part in
planning the dances; another Tuesday Nighter and dance committee
member was Frederic Norcross' younger daughter Catherine. In an event
which, we may imagine, gave much pleasure to the group, Catherine
Norcross was married to Stephen Hord at St. Chrysostom's on October 9,
1926.
Dances were not the Tuesday Nighters' only activity. On February 7
and 8, 1923, the parish house auditorium was inaugurated with the
presentation of a musical, The Springtime Girl, by the organization. It seems
to have been highly successful. Later that year parishioner Gloria Chandler
directed a program of one-act plays by the group, and productions by the
"Cloister Mummers" under her direction continued for several years; at one
point the Tuesday Nighters found it necessary to discuss other activities for
persons not wishing to take part in dramatics. A little over a month after the
inauguration of the auditorium, the gymnasium was completed, and the
bulletin of March 18 reported the forthcoming move of the parish office to its
new quarters.
As building continued, Dr. Hutton, in a February 18, 1923 bulletin
message using the image of the streetcar, stressed the importance of
looking beyond the physical fabric of the church. "He would be a foolish
motorman ... who essayed to dispense with power as the car grinds up the
grade ... Our church is on the up-grade. For thirty years this parochial unit
has been climbing. She is far up the slope, but the journey's end is not nigh.
It will not come in our day. For all of us there is but one course — up. But
we cannot climb without power, and we cannot have power unless we apply
it. It is there — there on the altar of the Eternal Presence, within the grasp
of all, it is in the response to every prayer that goes from sincere hearts to
the throne of grace. To all is that throne accessible; to all is given the
privilege of prayer."
The new parish house was dedicated at a service in the courtyard at 3
p.m. on Sunday, April 29. In case of rain the service was to be held in the
church; however, the weather cooperated, with sunshine and temperatures
in the fifties. The program for the day included an essay by Frederick
Spalding.
THE GATE OF HEAVEN
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In his work on "The Ruined Abbeys of Great Britain," Ralph
Adams Cram produced a sketch of a lonely facade, all that was
left of a once stately building, dedicated to the glory of God, and
inscribed it, "The Ghost of Greatness." Victim of prejudice,
bigotry, and vandalism, it ... stands, in forlorn testimony to the
survival of unlovely traits in human character.
We turn to the graceful fabric ... that represents the effort
of a devoted people to minister in their day ... to ... needs, both
spiritual and temporal ... It is about to be dedicated to the high
purpose for which it was intended and in the spirit of which it
was conceived. The ordained servants who will be its human
administrators are appointed and chosen. After today its gates
will spring open to welcome those who may claim inheritance as
its children by birth, by adoption, by grace.
What is the great ideal of those set apart for ministry and
service here and now? Not, first of all, to show curiosity seekers
the marvels of artistry and convenience which these buildings
reveal. They who come here are the needy, hoping that their
wants may be supplied. We do not mean the poor alone. There is
none that is without need. Heartache is common to all. "Blessed
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" — here at the
hands of those who have an unchangeable priesthood in
succession to the Man of Sorrows who first spoke the beatitudes.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for
they shall be filled." Blessed are they who wander about as
sheep having no shepherd, for here shall one be found. Blessed
are they who seek an open door at the end of a toilsome way,
for here, verily, is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Shall we not, indeed, make it so? Shall we not so
administer this magnificent trust that from far and near
strangers and pilgrims shall come ... to pay tribute to our fidelity
in the fulfillment of a great duty? Shall we not so set forth the
life and teaching of the Son of Man that all who come may find in
us only lesser reflections of Him ... ?
We shall fail if we make not our practice to conform to the
life and practice of Him in whose name these walls were built
and for whose sake these works are done. To all that there is
here, and for pilgrims on the journey once for all gone over, we
open the gate of the buildings and those of our hearts, ready to
serve to the uttermost all who have need, all who would taste
the wider life that makes each one reverent in the deeper
knowledge of the wonder of God's creation and of the part of His
children in their immeasurably rich inheritance.
Page 83
The procession (to the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers") included
trumpeters, the junior and senior choir, the Junior Brotherhood of St.
Andrew and the Boy and Girl Scouts, as well as two crucifers, several
banner-bearers, the architects, the wardens and vestry, and clergy (not only
those taking part in the service but, among others, the Right Reverend
Archimandrite Mardary of the Serbian Diocese of the Eastern Orthodox
Church, in gold cloth vestments).
Not one but three addresses were given from the outdoor pulpit which
formed part of the new structure. John Timothy Stone of Fourth Presbyterian
Church (who may have recalled the day of the 1914 fire when he had helped
to remove the altar furnishings from the building) was the first speaker;
following the hymn "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," Horace Bridges of
the Chicago Ethical Culture Society spoke. The hymn "Come, thou Almighty
King" preceded the address of the principal speaker, Bishop Charles P.
Anderson. His speech was extensively quoted in the next day's Tribune.
This church is in a peculiar position. It is between the rich
who probably have too much and the poor who certainly have
too little ... There is more wealth and intelligence in this parish
than in any other of the 130 in my diocese. Your modesty may
prevent you from acknowledging this compliment, but I know all
the churches better than any of you do, and I know the truth of
what I am saying. Wealth and intelligence mean obligation. I
hope this parish house will not become an ecclesiastical club
where you come together simply for your own comfort, but will
be a place where will be produced workers for the political and
civil leadership of Chicago and where young men and women,
some of them persons of wealth, will go to non-Christian lands
as doctors, nurses and missionaries.
A prayer of dedication followed the bishop's address; the Hallelujah
Chorus and the hymn "The Church's One Foundation" ended a notable day in
parish history.
Vestry member J. Lewis Cochran, employed in real estate and largely
responsible for the development of the Edgewater community on the north
side of Chicago, had played an important part on the building committee. By
1923 his health had declined and he was confined for the most part to a
wheelchair; on September 25 he died in a fall from a window. The vestry
paid tribute to "his kindly courtesy, his wise counsel and constructive
judgment, his strong Christian character and constant devotion to duty,"
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adding that "his advice and generosity were responsible in large measure for
the decision ... to erect ... a new Parish House and Rectory."
The health of senior warden John Chew had also begun to fail. Dr.
Chew, now over eighty years old, had been ill for an extended period in
1922; though present at the vestry meeting of January 21, 1923, he was
unable to attend the parish annual meeting the next day and the rector
expressed his concern. Dr. Chew never again attended a vestry meeting,
although his obituary indicates that he was able to continue some activity
until shortly before his death from cancer on August 14, 1924. The
September 1924 Diocese described his death: "Conscious for a few hours
before the last, [he] received the Sacrament of the Church and smilingly
passed into the hand of his Maker." A resolution passed by the vestry
expressed the "heartfelt sense of loss and sorrow" felt on his decease.
Dr. Chew's service to St. Chrysostom's Church and Parish
and to the Diocese of Chicago was long and faithful ... For many
years he was a member of the Standing Committee of the
Diocese, also lending his intelligence and energy to its work in
various other capacities.
He was truly a Christian gentleman, a devout follower
of the Master, exemplifying in all his life and acts the beauty of
the religion of Jesus; and in the community, as in the church, he
endeared himself to all who knew him by his spirit of helpfulness
and his inspiring attitude of confidence in the progress of the
world toward better living.
Frederic Norcross was elected senior warden to succeed Dr. Chew,
while building committee chairman George Ranney became the new junior
warden. Two vestry vacancies were filled at the annual meeting the following
January. Frederick Spalding, after many years of active service to the parish,
was one of those elected; his work at Camp Oronoko and his many other
contributions to the parish made him a logical choice for the position. Albert
Sprague, the second new member of the vestry, could be said to typify the
"civil leadership of Chicago" to which Bishop Anderson referred in his
address at the dedication of the parish house. Besides his work as chairman
of Sprague-Warner & Company, Mr. Sprague was at this time city
commissioner of public works; he was also a trustee of the Field Museum,
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the John Crerar Library, the Shedd
Aquarium and Children's Memorial Hospital, and his World War I service has
been described earlier. In 1924 he was a candidate for United States
senator; on April 6 Dr. Hutton wrote in the bulletin that he was "not
hesitating to influence votes in behalf of Colonel Sprague" on the Democratic
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ticket in the primary election. (Though victorious in the primary, he was
defeated at the general election in November.) Later he would head the
Chicago Plan Commission. Chicago and its Makers, a 1929 biographical
compilation, stated, "Albert Arnold Sprague has wrought much for the city
beautiful and has helped to leave for the Chicagoans of tomorrow a city of
educational and artistic opportunities ... An Episcopalian, he is quietly active
in his church ... a charming and popular figure in society and a substantial
aid in the cultural circles of Chicago."
Bulletins and brochures from late 1923 and 1924 describe church
activities after completion of the parish house. The Women's Guild, as well
as "taking a leading part in the Annual Parish Bazaar," in 1922-23 sent a
missionary box to North Dakota and supported many diocesan organizations
including St. Luke's Hospital and St. Mary's Home for Children; in addition, it
was responsible for "the burden of the parish's large measure of
entertainment, such as providing for Deanery functions and the Diocesan
Woman's Auxiliary." The Mothers' Club met on Wednesday afternoons:
"about two hours are devoted to sewing while the [presiding officer] reads a
book aloud or interestingly summarizes current events. Afternoon Tea is
served immediately before adjournment. The Club takes orders for aprons
and linen sets for Luncheons, work also is carried out for the Annual Parish
Bazaar." The group's flower fund remained in existence.
The Girls' Friendly Society continued its weekly evening meetings,
raising funds through social activities for contributions to the parish building
fund and other charities —St. Luke's Hospital, the City Missions, Lawrence
Hall, and a variety of diocesan G.F.S. activities including a "Holiday House"
near South Haven, Michigan providing accommodation for vacationing
members. The organization regularly hosted a Christmas party for children
from St. Mary's Home for Children; G.F.S. candidates, some of whom also
sang in the junior choir, met in the afternoons for sewing, and at Christmas
sent stockings filled with "candy and other small articles" to missions. The
Boy Scouts remained active under the supervision of Frederick Spalding; a
Girl Scout troop had also been organized.
A letter from Presiding Bishop Daniel Tuttle in the February 25, 1923
bulletin encouraged children to contribute to the Lenten mite boxes.
"Soldiers in the Church Army you all are ... You don't shoot round bullets of
lead ... but flat pieces of nickel and silvery dimes. You don't shoot to kill men
... but you bring down and then send out live missionaries over all the world
... FORWARD! MARCH!" Church School enrollment that fall was so large that
some classes had three or even four sections. The children's chapel, which
had been decorated by the Altar Guild, was now in use; under the "able
supervision" of Eleanor East, superintendent of the kindergarten and primary
Page 86
department, a worship service for the younger children was held there each
Sunday, and the nine members of the Altar Guild met there for corporate
communion on October 18.
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew, as well as a Junior Brotherhood for
boys of fifteen and over directed by Frederick Spalding, sponsored a weekly
men's Bible study group and continued to welcome visitors to the church and
to work for the spread of the Kingdom beyond parish bounds. Efforts to
revive a Men's Club in late 1923 and early 1924 met with little success, as
only two meetings are listed in the parish schedule. In summer 1924 an
innovation took place when parishioner George B. Foster made
arrangements with Commonwealth Edison Company for broadcast of the
11:00 service on the radio.
The 1923 Christmas services made use of the new facilities. The junior
choir sang carols in the neighborhood from 7 to 9 p.m., concluding in the
new courtyard. (Weather permitting, the choir planned to wear their robes
for caroling; this may have been possible, as the temperature that year was
exceptionally mild.) Later, trumpeters played from the outdoor pulpit and
the senior choir sang carols in the cloister before the midnight service at
11:30. After the installation of the carillon, a carillon recital replaced the
trumpeters, but carol singing in the cloister continued throughout Dr.
Simonds' years as organist. The junior choir sang at the 11 a.m. service on
Christmas Day.
The parish had taken to heart Bishop Anderson's admonition that its
new buildings not be used solely as an "ecclesiastical club." In early 1924
the Social Service Committee, using funds provided by the Women's Guild,
paid a social worker to develop a program of community activities. After a
month, over 100 persons had enrolled in a variety of classes; sewing, ladies'
gym, "Rickety-Dink" and "Sunshine" girls' groups, and play hours for
children 5 to 7 and 7 to 12. By the following year a Community Center had
been established in the parish. Its programs included team games and
manual training for boys, little theatre for girls, a doll club and play store for
younger girls, and gym classes and dramatics for adults; later, domestic
science and "pianoforte instruction" were added.
The 1924 camp season extended from the end of May to the end of
September; campers came from as far away as Columbus, Ohio and Kansas
City, Kansas. According to the camp brochure, activities included general
scouting, map drawing, hiking with occasional overnight trips, "tree, bird,
butterfly and moth study," track and field, swimming, baseball and boxing,
with "camp order, personal hygiene, setting up, drill, courtesy and service"
each day. Among the institutions represented at the camp in the middle and
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late 1920s were St. Alban's School in Sycamore, Ill., Lawrence Hall, the
Chicago Nursery and Half Orphan Asylum, United Charities, St. Luke's
Hospital, the Children's Hospital and the Institute for Juvenile Research; in
1928 Frederick Spalding, then president of the diocesan Junior Brotherhood
of St. Andrew, arranged for that group to hold its spring assembly at the
camp in early June. In the camp's tenth full-summer season in 1926,
attendance was 560 compared to 120 in 1917; expenses had risen from
$1233.50 to $12,713.43.
Several new buildings (often paid for by small gifts from a large
number of campers) were constructed in the 1920s; some were named for
deceased former campers or other children who had died at an early age.
Joseph Thompson continued to have charge of physical maintenance of the
site: "the parish has no conception of what the camp and the parish owe to
this efficient and tireless worker," wrote Mr. Spalding. Rollin Hunt, a camper
at about this period, recalls that "Indians in the area visited the camp and
we would learn about their customs; once a year there would be a day when
we would dress as Indians." Parishioner Angus Hibbard used his amateur
musical skills to write a song for the camp.
Oronoko, Oronoko, camp of happy days,
Every girl and every boy is singing in your praise.
Oronoko, you are calling when the summer comes,
Bidding us a welcome from St. Chrysostom's.
St. Chrysostom's had been able to retain Emory Gallup as organist and
choirmaster when he had been offered positions by two area churches. In
1924 he received an offer which the parish could not match. He resigned as
of June 15 to take a position at the Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, a large liberal Baptist church which was expanding its musical
program; a story in Music News of February 20, 1925 states that he was
given "a free hand, a salary to make most organists gasp ... a gorgeous
organ [and] money for a choir of fifty mixed voices, backed with support and
sage advice." The vestry expressed "their gratitude for his long and faithful
service, their appreciation of the results he has accomplished in his work,
and their regret at his decision to leave the parish," and paid his salary
through July 31; the Music Committee was given authority to choose a
successor.
Parish bulletins and vestry minutes give little information on the
appointment of the new organist and choirmaster, Harold Simonds, who
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began service November 7. However, the Simonds family preserved a letter
from Norman Hutton in late June 1925, noting Dr. Hutton's "appreciation of
what you have done with the music. You have made it devotional and
reverent and restful. You have also made a place for yourself in the hearts of
the people and I hope the relationship will be a very happy one as time goes
on." His wish was to be fulfilled; Harold Simonds remained at St.
Chrysostom's under six rectors until his retirement in 1961 — the longest
tenure of any person employed by the parish.
Mr. Simonds had begun his musical career as a boy soprano in
Marlboro, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1910 from the New England
Conservatory of Music; he taught at the Pomfret School in Connecticut,
studied in London and Brussels, and during World War I was organist of a
church in Newport, Rhode Island. In the early 1920s he came to Chicago,
where he was organist at St. Paul's Church on the south side from 1920 to
1922 and head of the Austin Conservatory of Music on the west side (which
his son David recalled as "a rather unhappy enterprise"); he taught church
music at Presbyterian (later McCormick) Seminary from 1923 to 1958,
retiring with the rank of associate professor.
Harold Simonds devoted considerable time to the church's musical
programs, working with both senior and junior choirs and taking part in
Cloister Mummers productions. The entire family became involved in parish
activities; Harold Simonds' wife Lucille sang in the choir and the Simonds
children David and Katherine attended Church School and were members of
the junior choir. Though at first the family lived on the west side they later
moved to the parish house, where Harold Simonds continued to live until his
retirement.
McCormick professor Paul Davies, in a tribute to Dr. Simonds on his
retirement from the seminary in 1958, described him as follows: "Everything
Harold Simonds touches is in good taste. In his home he is the perfect host.
His game of golf qualifies him to shoot the course in good company. Few
people know his skill as a gardener: the soil is always well mulched, his
tomatoes and cantaloupe ripen to perfection. His taste in clothes, his
personal bearing, even his cars betray the man of distinction!" Richard Paul
Graebel, a 1936 seminary graduate, wrote that "Dr. Simonds impressed
every student who ever came into his class as a Christian gentleman in the
highest meaning of that term. His personal discipline, so necessary for a
singer and a musician, was obvious. His good breeding produced a
gentleness of conduct, masculine in approach and always kindly. In personal
conversation, his wit is delightful and his good taste enviable ... Dr. Simonds
was the premier carillonneur of Chicago. I saw my first set of true bells in St.
Chrysostom's Crane Carillon. (He taught the Chicago boys how to do it!)"
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James G. Macdonell, a current seminary student, cited Harold Simonds'
"patient sensitivity which has instilled in many young men and women an
appreciation of the best in sacred music." The present author can confirm
Paul Davies' testimony to Dr. Simonds' taste in clothes and skills as a host,
and recalls that many parishioners considered the phrase "Christian
gentleman" to be an apt description of him.
Now that the parish house had been completed, "the next step,"
according to the 1923 brochure, would "be the beautifying of the Church
structure itself, which, it is hoped, conditions will permit of not being long
delayed." In late 1923 the bulletin announced the creation of a building
fund.
There has been created by resolution of the Vestry a new
Building Fund to complete the front of the church and to make
such changes and addition to the building as to bring it into
harmony with the Parish House and Church House ... There is to
be no campaign for money, but it is hoped that as our people
see the beauty and usefulness already created, that sums of
money will be given to augment the present amount until
enough is in hand to finish the next stage ... It may take years
to accomplish what we have in mind, but unless we know what
can be done we shall never arrive at the goal. While we are
unable at this time to estimate any fixed amount, it is likely that
we shall need one hundred thousand dollars. How soon will it
come?
By early 1924 over $13,000 had been contributed. At the June 1924
vestry meeting, a $10,000 gift from Chauncey Keep was announced;
another $10,000 was pledged by chewing gum manufacturer and Chicago
Cubs president William Wrigley contingent on the congregation's obtaining
an additional $90,000 in gifts and pledges. (Mr. Wrigley, though not a
member of the congregation, on occasion attended services at St.
Chrysostom's; his son Philip had been on the parish honor roll in World War
I.) A still larger gift was made in December, when Crane Company president
Richard T. Crane, Jr. donated $50,000 for the church tower. Bulletin
announcements continued to emphasize the value of small as well as large
contributions; donations of $2, $5 and $10 as well as larger gifts were
regularly listed. The Church School children were encouraged to make
contributions to the best of their ability; a goal of $500 was set, to be used
for the cross on the new front. The children had hoped to preserve some of
the ivy which covered the walls of the old church and replant it for the new
building, but this did not prove feasible.
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On March 2, 1925, building committee chairman George Ranney
announced to the vestry that $135,700 (excluding pledges for memorial
windows) was in hand in the fund; interest was expected to add about
$2000 to the total. The bulletin for the next Sunday stated that construction
had begun, but that about $25,000 more would be desirable, or "some
beautiful details must perforce be omitted."
Several generations of worshipers have had cause to be grateful for
the choice of Charles Connick as designer of the parish's stained glass
windows. An article by Nathaniel W. Pierce, "Artist in Light and Color," which
appeared in The Living Church of February 1, 1987, describes Connick and
his work.
Connick was born in 1875 into a large poor family near
Pittsburgh, Pa. His mother had always liked to draw and she
taught her son. When the financial needs of the family grew
large, Connick dropped out of school and took a job as an
illustrator for a local paper. Then by chance he visited a stainedglass studio one night ... and in the light of the gas jets ... saw
the beauty of the colored glass as he had never seen it before. It
was his "road-to-Damascus" experience; it changed his life
forever.
... "Confusion" is a word often used to describe the style of
stained-glass windows in the 19th century. Artists worked with
glass as if they were painting on a canvas. The opalescent era,
personified by the Tiffany windows, reigned supreme. Yet, the
artists of the period were not sensitive to the difference between
reflected light (as in a painting) and light which passed through
glass ... The light on a painting in a museum is constant from
one day to the next. The light for a stained-glass window is
constantly changing ... A great window will look magnificent in
every kind of light. This is one of the qualities which separates
the average artist from the gifted one.
The early part of the 20th century was a time of change
and artistic ferment ... Connick ... was determined to pursue his
vision, which in the summer of 1910 he saw more fully
expressed in the windows of Chartres Cathedral in France than
anywhere else in the world ... He was determined to recover the
art as it had once been practiced, to stand against the
opalescent style which had so little spiritual depth.
... Connick not only emphasized the importance of the
medieval style but also the interrelationship between
architecture and glass, thereby helping artists to accept their
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craft as a part of architecture and not as a branch of painting ...
To him, a Gothic church was a song in stone, and Connick
wanted his windows to sing in harmony with the building,
creating walls of singing color.
... In the 1931 Springfield Art Museum Exhibition
Catalogue [Connick] wrote:
"If churches are made radiant and beautiful places of
worship, we can have a spiritual regeneration without anyone
knowing what is going on. Beauty can preach as very few men
with bundles of words can preach. I want to make beautiful
interiors for both churches and souls. I want men to hear my
windows singing; to hear them singing of God; I want men to
know that God is at the core of their own souls."
The Connick archives in the Boston Public Library provide valuable
information on the parish's contacts with the firm. The earliest
correspondence from St. Chrysostom's is Norman Hutton's letter of February
4, 1923, apparently soon after Henry and Elizabeth Chapin had offered to
donate a stained glass window for the new building. Mr. Chapin, born in
Niles, Michigan, had moved to Chicago in the early years of the twentieth
century and was involved in his family's varied business interests of real
estate, mining, paper making and public utilities; the Chapins had three
sons, Henry, Jr., Chester and Charles. We do not know when Dr. Hutton
became acquainted with Connick's work (perhaps during the Huttons'
summer vacations in Massachusetts), but he wrote that Mrs. Chapin
approved of the choice, since Connick had designed a memorial window for
the Chapin family at the Presbyterian church in Niles.
Sketches of windows were presented at a vestry meeting in late 1923,
and on December 3 Dr. Hutton wrote anticipating Connick's forthcoming visit
to Chicago when he would tour the church and meet with the architects. On
December 16, 1925, Norman Hutton wrote Connick in strong support of the
artist's views of stained glass design. "Strange to say, Mr. Felton [Samuel
Felton, who had offered to give a window in memory of his wife Dorothea]
wants to put in one of those awful Tiffany things. Of course, I won't listen to
any such proposal and if I have to lose the window I will be glad to do it
rather than spoil the church."
The last service in the old building took place on Easter Sunday, April
12, 1925; services were held in the gymnasium for the next several months.
The cornerstone of the new building was laid on Sunday, May 24; on All
Saints' Day, November 1, the new church was used for the first time. The
bulletin celebrated the occasion.
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"Venite, exultemus Domino"
Today we resume our worship in the Church. We have
used the gymnasium since the Sunday after Easter and, to
many, this has been a most satisfactory makeshift.
The happiness we all feel on this occasion is fittingly
expressed by the service of the Holy Eucharist or Thanksgiving.
The formal dedication will take place upon the completion of the
Carillon Tower when the Memorial Screens and other details of
the complete plan, not yet ready, will have been installed. This
Building completes our construction project and we must now
press forward to larger efforts by making our Parish life helpful
and strong.
No greater loyalty can be shown than by constant and
regular attendance at Services. Let us, therefore, show our
gratitude for these beautiful buildings by evincing a larger
devotion.
On that day the triple lancet window of St. Luke in the south aisle was
dedicated as a memorial to Henry and Elizabeth Chapin's second son,
Chester Crandall Chapin, who had died on September 13, 1923 at the age of
fourteen; the dedication date was the Sunday nearest to October 30,
Chester Chapin's birthday. Small designs of a sailboat, a horse, a cottage,
and St. Francis accompanied by animals are said to be "significant of
personal characteristics" of Chester Chapin; the figure of St. Nicholas in
mitre blessing children may make reference to the boy's confirmation the
spring before his death. Elizabeth Chapin later wrote movingly to Charles
Connick: "Chester's window is wonderful and has given us great pleasure
and satisfaction ... I am sure it will encourage others to remember some
dear one in such a lasting manner. The blue of the window is perfectly
beautiful and lends a light throughout the church which is quite impressive
... I have always felt that if I went into a church, I came into close
communion with my precious boy and will feel even more so as I sit under
his wonderful window with his personal character ever before me."
Gifts of other windows did indeed follow. The Easter Day 1927 service
at which the carillon was first played also saw the dedication of the windows
of St. Mark and St. John the Baptist in the south aisle memorializing longtime wardens John Chew and William Street; other windows were dedicated
in 1927 and 1928. The single lancet window in the south aisle representing
an angel of praise was the gift of Thomas and Elizabeth Hinde; the deer, or
hind, in the window, is an allusion to the family name. The Hindes were
members of the parish and generous contributors to it from its earliest days:
they had contributed to the first building fund in 1894 and to the first parish
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house fund in 1912, and in 1923 donated the portion of the cloister leading
to the church. Thomas Hinde was born in Kentucky in 1857; his
grandparents had emigrated there from Virginia by wagon. He had left home
in the early 1870s at the age of fourteen to work on the Mississippi River
steamboats; he later became part owner of a distillery in Frankfort, and in
1886 married Elizabeth Macklin, descendant of another Kentucky pioneer
family. The Hindes moved to Chicago the following year, where he was at
first the representative of a Kentucky distillery and later in business for
himself. Their daughters Helen, Elizabeth and Sarah were baptized at St.
Chrysostom's; Helen and Elizabeth Hinde were married there in 1917 and
1924. The senior Hindes were exceptionally long-lived; Elizabeth Hinde died
in 1951, while Thomas Hinde died at 95 on December 7, 1952.
Norman Hutton was able to convince Samuel Felton to accept a
Connick window rather than "one of those awful Tiffany things." Evelyn
Cannon of the Boston Public Library, in a letter to the author dated March
29, 1993, wrote that original sketches for the Felton memorial window
employed male saints — St. James, then St. Stephen, but "the Feltons came
to insist on a female figure. The resolution was the selection of 'a saintly
woman of the Apostolic Era,' the final choice being the Blessed Virgin Mary,
whose symbolism was also appropriate for the window's location over the
font." Dorothea Felton, who died in May 1923, was originally a Philadelphian;
she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the
Colonial Dames, symbols of which are depicted in the window. Figures of a
mother and child suggest her devotion to home, family and children, while a
representation of the Good Samaritan is said to represent her kindness to
those in distress. We may feel certain that Mr. Felton did not regret the loss
of a Tiffany window; the representation of the Virgin and Child is among the
most beautiful of the church's windows and has been reproduced on several
occasions on parish Christmas cards and bulletins.
It is possible that the choice of female saints for the remaining
windows in the north aisle was influenced both by the selection of the Virgin
Mary as subject for the Felton window and by the fact that most of the
windows were given as memorials to women. The St. Elizabeth window
commemorating Henry and Laura Dibblee was given by the Dibblees'
daughters and their husbands, Frances and Albert Sprague and Bertha and
John King. A March 4, 1906 Tribune story on Chicago's wealthiest citizens
described Mr. Dibblee; a successful businessman involved in a variety of
enterprises, he was portrayed as a man fond of telling humorous stories who
lived a quiet life and enjoyed spending evenings in the company of his
family, "usually smoking one cigar after dinner." His wife Laura was a sister
of Marshall Field I. The Dibblees lived for many years on the near south side
when it was the leading residential area of the city; at some time after her
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husband's death in 1907 Mrs. Dibblee moved to the north side and became a
member of St. Chrysostom's until her death in 1921. Small figures of a boat
and of St. Christopher, patron of travelers, refer to the Dibblees' interest in
travel, while a child with a crutch and a representation of St. Luke symbolize
Laura Dibblee's work on behalf of children's hospitals.
The windows representing St. Mary of Bethany (also represented as
St. Mary Magdalene) and St. Martha of Bethany were the gift of William V.
Kelley and his wife Lilian in memory of their mothers, Susan P. Taylor Kelley
and Jerusha Lewis Phelps. William Kelley, born in the small town of Gratis,
Ohio, put himself through commercial college by working in a hardware store
in Springfield, Ohio; he rose to become president of American Steel
Foundries, from which he resigned in 1912 to become president of Miehle
Printing Press and Manufacturing Company. He married Lilian Phelps in
1894; the Kelleys and their four children were for many years on the parish
rolls. Little is known about Susan Kelley, who probably spent her life in Ohio;
Jerusha (Ruth) Phelps, a Chicagoan, attended St. Chrysostom's and was
buried from the church in 1916. Unlike many of the other windows, the small
figures depict symbols associated with the subjects of the windows rather
than the persons memorialized.
The Archangel Gabriel window above the chancel was given as a
memorial to Jacob Baur by his wife Bertha and daughter Rosemary. Jacob
Baur was born in Louisville of Swiss parents in 1856; he began work as a
pharmacist and chemist and rose to become president of Liquid Carbonic
Corporation before his death in July 1912. Bertha Duppler Baur's career is
even more noteworthy. Born in Mineral Point, Wisconsin on October 14,
1870, her later life was described in the book Chicago and its Makers as "a
story that O. Henry would have loved."
Bertha Duppler, as a very young girl, left her Wisconsin
home to fight her own battles in Chicago. ... By studious
application, she transformed the high school graduate country
girl to a skilled worker with hand and brain. Earning her own way
at the age of seventeen, she nevertheless won her graduation
from ... business college ... Entering the business world by the
first door that was opened she soon had won a position of semipolitical power as secretary to the Postmaster of Chicago. Here
we see the true woman emerging, having won in man's battle
field of business, she gave up none of her femininity ... Many are
the stories ... that indicate this period of her life was a time of
high diplomacy rather than secretaryship. She was the possessor
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of true business tact and the helper of many in need, by the
placement of the right word at the right time.
She served as secretary to four postmasters, and was on one occasion
acting postmaster when her superior was hospitalized for an extended
period. Later she took up the study of law; a Tribune article of October 13,
1908, quoted her as saying, "I am providing myself with something upon
which to fall when the political winds change their direction and I find myself
out of a job." In the same article, Postmaster D.A. Campbell announced his
secretary's engagement to Jacob Baur. The wedding was scheduled for
Monday, November 23; on November 19, the Tribune commented with some
surprise that the bride-to-be planned to work until the end of the week
before the ceremony. Although Miss Duppler was a member of the parish
during Mr. Snively's years as rector, the wedding took place at Trinity
Church in Highland Park; a chartered railroad car brought the postmaster
and other Chicago friends of the couple to the service. Again quoting from
Chicago and Its Makers:
When [Jacob Baur's] death [in July 1912] ended their short
but happy married life, Mrs. Baur was equal to the emergency.
Continuing with scrupulous care to guide the life of her little
daughter [Rosemary, born in May 1911] she again stepped into
the business arena, this time as a director in the destinies of the
company her husband had raised from humble beginnings with
$75,000 to a $9,000,000 concern. The same energy with which
she had attacked earlier problems, characterized Mrs. Baur's
onset upon the world of finance. The company flourished and
she became a financial authority, teaching other women what
she had gained by experience.
Newspaper stories in the fall of 1920 describe the financial classes for
women which Bertha Baur taught at that time. It is not surprising that she
was active in the women's suffrage movement, serving as the last president
of the Chicago Equal Suffrage Association. In addition, she served on St.
Chrysostom's Missionary Committee in 1916, was active in fund-raising for
the Chicago Opera, served as a trustee of the Century of Progress World's
Fair in 1933-34, was for many years Republican committeewoman for the
state of Illinois, and ran twice for Congress on the Republican ticket. The
Archangel Gabriel window includes a small edelweiss, a tribute to Jacob
Baur's Swiss ancestry, and a butterfly symbolizing the Resurrection and
undoubtedly also reflecting Mrs. Baur's fondness for butterfly "collectibles"
dating as far back as her years in the post office.
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On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1927, the Te Deum Laudamus
window at the east end of the church was dedicated, the gift of William and
Joan Chalmers in memory of their children. William Chalmers founded the
firm which later became Allis-Chalmers Company; his wife was the daughter
of Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Secret Service. The Chalmers children died
in their early forties. Joan Chalmers Williams, if descriptions of her in society
columns of the day are accurate, was a woman of great charm and wit; a
popular debutante, her marriage to manufacturer Norman Williams at Fourth
Presbyterian Church on December 3, 1902 was a highlight of that winter's
social season. She devoted much time outside of family responsibilities to
charitable work for "crippled children" (as they were then described) and
headed a World War I Red Cross chapter. Though he was not a member of
St. Chrysostom's, Norman Williams contributed to its 1913 parish house
fund drive, and with his two children gave a boathouse to Camp Oronoko in
his wife's memory in 1925. Thomas Chalmers, slightly over a year younger
than his sister, was unmarried; a mining engineer, he served in World War I
both in a technical capacity and in active service, and according to the
bulletin for the dedication service "expended ... his interest and means ... in
the cause of crippled children." He died of nephritis on March 27, 1923;
Norman Hutton conducted the funeral. Joan Williams and her family moved
to the south of France in 1920, returned to Woodstock, Vermont in 1922 and
came to Chicago in December for the holidays; she entered St. Luke's
Hospital in early 1923 and died there on April 4, only eight days after her
brother's death. The senior Chalmers, though never confirmed in the
Episcopal Church, attended St. Chrysostom's in their later years and were
buried from the parish.
After the first part of the communion service, when acolytes, choir and
rector processed to Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" to the back of the
church for the dedication of the window; flags of the World War I Allied
nations were carried in the procession. Healey Willan's setting of the Te
Deum Laudamus followed, the bulletin pointing out the sections of the
window representing various parts of the text; the hymn "For All the Saints"
and an address by Dr. Hutton preceded the celebration of Holy Communion.
Stained glass windows were not the only memorials dedicated in the
late 1920s. On November 14, 1926, a dedication service was held for the
new high altar, given by Chauncey and Mary Keep in memory of their son,
Capt. Henry Blair Keep, who had been killed in World War I on October 5,
1918. Though the Keeps were not parishioners of St. Chrysostom's during
the war, they later affiliated with the parish. Mr. Keep is described in the
1911 Book of Chicagoans as a "capitalist ... identified with numerous large
interests"; the Tribune obituary following his death in August 1929 noted
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that the Keeps were among the last of the old families to move north from
the once fashionable Prairie Avenue district.
The dedication date was not only the Sunday nearest to Armistice Day
but that nearest to the feast day of St. John Chrysostom (November 13) in
the Orthodox Church calendar, and marks the parish's first recorded
commemoration of the feast day of its patron saint. The bulletin described
the altar in some detail:
This memorial is an exquisite and unique work of art
entirely hand-carved.
The Table proper and the Canopy are, architecturally, in
Perpendicular Gothic, the Reredos is a Triptych, the center panel
of which has for its subject the Crucifixion: the left panel
represents the Nativity: the right panel the Ascension ...
The Altar and Reredos are of oak: the panels of limewood,
the material being procured in this country. The high lights of
the panels are natural colour, the relievo being finished in old
ivory colour somewhat darkened to harmonize with the oak
which frames them.
The pictorial design of the panels is not wholly the creation
of a single brain. After the original model was set up ... other
artists studied and worked over it until perfection was attained.
The actual carving of the panels occupied six months. It is
executed on laminated strips, afterwards brought together, and
its extremest relief reaches two and three-fourths inches.
The processional hymn was, appropriately, "Onward, Christian
Soldiers"; the Harold J. Taylor American Legion post took part in the service
and its drum and bugle corps played Taps after the benediction. An address
by Lieut. C. Wayland Brooks (who later served as U.S. senator from Illinois)
was followed by the sermon by assistant rector W. Taylor Willis, a chaplain
in World War I. The bulletin appealed for a new altar rail to eliminate "a lack
of harmony in the adjutory woodwork," a gift made soon afterward by
parishioner Henry Bannard in memory of his wife Alice. The former altar and
candlesticks were moved to the chapel (called the "Lady Chapel" in bulletins
of the period) and remained there until the present altar and reredos were
installed in 1948.
On Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928, Mrs. Keep's gift of an altar cloth for
the new altar was dedicated. The following day's Tribune stated that the
altar cloth was "made largely of rare old lace belonging to Mrs. Keep and her
mother, Mrs. Mary Blair ... designed and put together by Miss Eloise Zallio,
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New York artist. It has been stated that the cloth is a replica of the famous
one on the altar of the Church of St. John the Divine in New York, but Mrs.
Keep emphasizes that there is no similarity between the two, except that the
same artist designed them."
Although Richard T. Crane, Jr.'s generous donation had made possible
the construction of a tower for the church, no chimes or bells had been
installed at the time of the first services in the remodeled church. The vestry
discussed the question on October 25, 1925, wondering if the new tower
could properly be called a carillon tower; "although opinion was not
unanimous, it was understood that it would be called a Carillon Tower if the
Rector thought it desirable to do so. Further discussion was had as to the
choice of chimes or bells, and the question was left for decision at another
time after the Rector had considered some possible donations." The question
was settled by November 22, when Dr. Hutton announced to the vestry "Mr.
and Mrs. Richard T. Crane's offer to install a Chime of Bells in the new
Carillon Tower." Richard Teller Crane, Jr., president of the Crane Plumbing
Company, was a generous contributor to charitable causes; he had given
money to build a hospital at his summer home in Ipswich, Massachusetts,
and had frequently made gifts of company stock to employees in his firm.
On December 22 the Tribune carried a story on the gift.
CRANE JR. GIVES CHURCH A TOWER WITH CARILLON
When R.T. Crane Jr., wealthy Chicagoan, saw some time
ago that his church — St. Chrysostom's Episcopal ... was without
a tower he said:
"That is no way for a church to be," and he ordered a
tower to be built and the bill, in a manner of speaking, to be sent
to him.
And when Mr. Crane later saw that the tower was under
way and would be finished soon, and Christmas approaching, he
bethought himself that all church towers have church bells, and
so —
Next Christmastide there will be a great pealing of bells
from the steeple of St. Chrysostom's such as all Chicago and few
other American cities have never [sic] heard before. For Mr.
Crane has ordered from Gillette [sic] Johnson ... the great bell
maker, the finest carillon to adorn and ring forth from any
church spire in the country; and yesterday the Rev. Norman
Hutton, pastor of the church, announced both the wealthy
parishioner's gifts.
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It was such a gift ... that John D. Rockefeller some time
ago gave to the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church of New York, such
as but a few churches in the country have ...
Mr. Crane's gifts of tower and carillon are estimated at
something like $150,000. The Rev. Mr. Hutton in making them
public said:
"They are great and unusual gifts, especially the latter — a
rare gift by a man to his church. St. Chrysostom's is fortunate
indeed to have such a man as Mr. Crane among its
congregation."
The donation aroused great interest; the first carillon to be installed
west of the eastern seaboard, it was a source of considerable civic pride.
Many articles on carillons in general and St. Chrysostom's carillon in
particular are preserved in a scrapbook in parish archives; they range from
information on the operations of a carillon to descriptions of other carillons
and the effect of the sound in an area of high buildings. Alice McKinstry
struck a more discordant note in the January 15, 1926 "Pillar to Post"
column of the Chicago Evening Post.
MONEY
... Yeh, I can make this hat do,
If only he hadn't
Seen me in it so many times!
I'll have to sort of twist up the brim, so ...
(Gee ... that wide one with the
Pink roses in Mandel's window!)
... Hush, lamb, hush. It's only mother.
Does 'im's throat hurt so?
Ah, don't cough, honey, don't!
(Seventy-five dollars, the doctor said.)
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Sh'h ... dear ... sh'h!
... Uh huh, I'm tired of doing this
Commercial stuff,
But nobody buys your other work
Unless you've been to Europe.
Paris! Say, stop kidding.
How long? ... six months, maybe.
Munich? Vienna? Aw, shut up.
It hurts to talk about it.
A gaunt gray church stands
On the angle of a green street
Facing a square.
J.U. Squillub
(The gas and oil Squillub — you know)
Who spends three months a year
In the residence on the corner
Hs given it a new and costly
Carillon of bells.
Two days later, a response by A.S. Loose appeared in the same
column.
Alice and the Carillon
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Sir: The poem, "Money," by Alice McKinstry, made my heart
bleed, but the lady does not go far enough. Why the church, in
the first place, when the cost thereof might have been applied to
buying new hats for flappers and cough medicine for children?
And if it is considered quite the thing to build churches, why not
put belfries on them and bells, and, if possible, soak old Squillub
for the cost?
By the way, this particular Squillub, who inhabits the stone
house on the corner once in a while, gave away about
$5,000,000 last month to some 4,000 workingmen, to help them
buy hats with pink roses, pay doctor's bills and go to Munich. Tell
Alice this and she will not feel so badly about the Carillon.
The installation of the carillon was not completed by Christmas 1926.
On January 18, 1927, the Tuesday Nighters sponsored a speech by William
Gorham Rice of New York, "the eminent authority on Carillons"; "the
opportunity ... to hear this distinguished author ... is not one lightly to be
disregarded." "London Hears Bells Soon to Be in Chicago," read the headline
of a January 28 Tribune story; one hundred persons were present at the
Gillett & Johnson foundry in Croydon when a carillonneur from Malines
cathedral tested the bells by playing religious melodies and "The StarSpangled Banner."
On March 2, 1927, the Daily News recorded a crisis.
BELL EXPERT LOST, SO CHURCH IS SILENT
Carillon Here, but If It Is to Be Heard Easter Wandering Bellnan Must
Be Found.
Ring out, wild bells! Peal, clarion bells!
Arouse the countryside to a search for the master carillon
installation man who for a fortnight has been lost in
Pennsylvania, and whose loss, mayhap, will interfere with the
joyous Easter playing of the great carillon that is to be set in the
carillon tower of St. Chrysostom's Church ...
From London came A.H. Townsend, sent by Gillett &
Johnson, world-famous casters of bells in the famed foundry at
Croydon, Surrey, England, to set up the carillon. He got to
Philadelphia and he sent a letter to Chicago, saying that he had
arrived in the United States and, pending the arrival of the
47,240 pounds of bells, would "look around a bit."
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Bells are Here.
To-day the bells, forty-three of them, covering three and a
half octaves from tenor C, are being unloaded. Instead of being
taken to St. Chrysostom's they are being drawn in their crates
into a warehouse, where they will remain until Mr. Townsend's
whereabouts become more definitely known for no one else — in
Chicago or all America, it is said, can install the magnificent
carillon ...
Sitting at his mahogany desk on the fourteenth floor of the
Bank of the Republic building, John T. Redmond, vestryman
upon whose shoulders has been shunted the task of seeing that
all is well with the bells, was near distraction when he learned of
the arrival of the carillon, and set wires and radio and telepathy
at work to find Mr. Townsend. Failing, he gave orders to insure
the bells for $25,000 and store them until Townsend arrived ...
Even yet, there is time for the installation to be made so
that all may be in readiness for Easter morn — but Mr. Townsend
must be found, quickly.
A day later the Daily News had a happier story.
BELL HANGER FOUND; CARILLON TO RING
Missing Londoner Puts in Appearance at St. Chrysostom's Church.
The bellhanger from London has been found.
St. Chrysostom's carillon will gladden the welkin Easter
morn.
Into the office of John T. Redmond, vestryman, walked
A.H. Townsend, shortly before noon to-day, a bit nonchalantly,
and related how he had been in this and that town ... just
looking about a bit — tinkering here and there with chime or
carillon. But Mr. Townsend was ready for work. Under his arm he
carried a large, square envelope in which were incased [sic] the
voluminous plans and specifications pertaining to the hanging of
the forty-three great bells ...
Mr. Redmond was more than glad to see the British
bellhanger.
Gets Hearty Welcome.
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"Welcome and welcome," said he joyously. "I have been
juggling bells with both hands and feet for two days or more.
Now you can do it."
The first step, according to the master carillon man, will be
the construction of ranks for the bells. While that is in progress
the bells will remain in the warehouse ...
A group of four or five workmen under Mr. Townsend's
supervision is all that is required, and Mr. Townsend was
confident ... that he could have the carillon done within four
weeks — five at the very latest ...
Mr. Townsend ... has hung all of the carillons that are in
the United States ... The one for St. Chrysostom's is the fourth
in the United States and the only one west of the Atlantic
seaboard.
The installation proceeded smoothly after this crisis, and the carillon
was ready for use on Easter Sunday, April 17. The Daily News proudly
reported that its radio station WMAQ would broadcast the first performance.
Dr. Hutton and the vestry were concerned that the publicity would attract so
many visitors at the 11:00 service that regular parishioners would be unable
to be admitted. To assure space for parishioners, a ticket system was
adopted; pewholders received blue priority tickets admitting them to
reserved seats before 10:45 a.m., while others on the mailing list were sent
white tickets for admission after 10:45. Visitors would be admitted only if
space remained after all ticket holders had been seated. The use of tickets
on Easter Sunday continued for nearly forty years until it was eliminated
during Robert Hall's rectorship.
The first performance of the carillon was featured in both the religious
and society columns of the Tribune. The Reverend W.B. Norton, religion
editor, wrote: "The playing of the new $50,000 carillon this morning at
10:30 at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church ... will be the most interesting
Easter event of which we know and the one most thoroughly typical of the
gladness expressed by the faith of Christendom in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ."
The society feature took a different approach, all too familiar to
parishioners over the years. "Many a swelling anthem will be lifted today in
hundreds of churches to tell the glory of Easter, but chiming over them all
will be the chorus from the bronze throats of the 43 bells that make up the
new carillon installed at St. Chrysostom's Church as the gift of Richard T.
Crane ... Harold B. Simonds, organist of the church on North Dearborn
Parkway, will play. A large congregation drawn from Chicago's most
fashionable circles is expected to attend."
Page 104
On the following day Tribune society columnist Mildred Jacklon
referred to "St. Chrysostom's smart gray stone edifice" and commented that
"few of those who were listening to the limpid pealing were aware when Mr.
and Mrs. Crane made their way unostentatiously into the church." A detailed
description of the attire of Mrs. Crane and a number of other worshippers
followed. We may be certain that the ticket holders included many persons
who may or may not have been members of "Chicago's most fashionable
circles," but whose contributions to the parish were warmly welcomed
without regard to wardrobe or social status.
The weather cooperated for the occasion (Mildred Jacklon described it
as "like a rare day in June"). The carillon program began with the Easter
hymn "The Strife Is O'er" and continued with "The Church's One Foundation"
and "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." After the service Mr. Simonds
returned to the carillon to play "America," the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
and the hymns "Jesus Shall Reign" and "Nearer, My God, to Thee." He had
spent some time studying under Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy carillonneur
Anton Brees; Mr. Brees came to Chicago later that week for a month-long
series of recitals ending with the formal dedication of the carillon on May 15
at 3:30 p.m., an occasion reserved for Crane family members and long-time
Crane employees. The day's program included a composition by Mr. Brees
and arrangements of songs, hymns and classical pieces, concluding with the
Belgian national anthem "La Brabançonne" and the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Parish activities were not neglected during the construction period. A
letter from a Canadian who attended St. Chrysostom's on March 22, 1925,
gives an interesting picture of the impression made by the service on a
visitor:
March 24, 1925
of Commerce
Canadian Bank
Toronto
My Dear Mr. Rector:
Perhaps you will pardon a stranger writing to you but as
one of three Canadians who attended your service on Sunday
last in the morning, I would just like to express to you on their
behalf our appreciation of your splendid service and the fine
straightforward sermon which you gave.
It is a great pleasure to one who moves about much to be
able to attend the service of the fine old Church especially when
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it is conducted in such a churchlike and dignified manner. We
also appreciated the warm welcome that was given to us by the
sidesmen as we entered the church.
It may interest you to know that one of the gentlemen
accompanying me was Sir Joseph Flavelle, Bart., of Toronto and
another was J.A. Machray, K.C., of Winnipeg, Chancellor of the
Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land.
With best wishes to you and to your project which you
have in hand, which one takes it is to complete the structure on
the same lines as the Church House and vestry, and if so it will
be a magnificent building,
Yours very sincerely,
C.W. Rowley
On November 1, 1925, the first day of services in the new church, the
bulletin paid tribute to retiring senior acolyte Vernon Walther, who was soon
to marry parishioner Myrtle Wendt and who had been honored at a dinner
given by the Altar Guild at which Frederick Spalding, on behalf of the rector
and vestry, had presented him with an engraved silver tray. The Altar
Guild's gift to the couple was a silver meat tray; the acolytes' gift, an electric
heater.
Students home from college and boarding school for Christmas were
honored at the 11:00 service on December 20 and listed by name in the
bulletin, a practice which continued for some years; by 1927 the roll of
names numbered over one hundred. The Lenten services of 1926 followed a
similar schedule to those of previous years (Evening Prayer on Tuesday and
Wednesday, Holy Communion on Thursday mornings at 7:30) but reflected
contemporary themes. Addresses on "Prophetic Voices in Modern Drama"
were delivered at the Wednesday evening services; the modern tone
continued on Palm Sunday, when a guest preacher, the Reverend Edwin W.
Todd, took as his sermon topic "Judas Iscariot, a Psychoanalytic Study."
Harold Simonds' annual reports (printed in the bulletins) give
information on the musical program in his first years as organist and
choirmaster. In January 1926 the choir sang at a festival service at St.
Luke's Church, Evanston, and on Good Friday evening, 1927, performed
Gaul's "Passion Music." The choir gave an annual concert of sacred music at
the Lower North Community Council at 1120 North Clark Street; vestry
member Frederick West was actively involved with this organization, which
sponsored lectures and other activities for area residents. "In the selection
of music great care has been used to secure only the best church music,"
wrote Mr. Simonds in his report for 1926. "To this end Anthems and
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Canticles by composers from various countries were chosen." There followed
a list of the nationalities of the composers; American, English, French,
Russian, German, Austrian, Scandinavian and Italian.
Mr. Simonds' title was changed from "organist and choirmaster" to
"organist, choirmaster and carillonneur" after the installation of the new
carillon, and $1500 of his $2300 salary was paid from the Crane endowment
fund. "On account of the fact that there is so little music published for the
carillon, it is necessary for every carillonneur to arrange his own scores,"
commented Mr. Simonds in his report for 1927; by the end of the year he
had increased his repertoire from eight numbers loaned by Anton Brees to
129 numbers — hymns, folk songs, opera, classical and modern
compositions, and popular songs.
The Church School continued to thrive. In 1924 an honors system was
introduced; pupils with perfect attendance were awarded a pin and a book,
those with absence qualified by a valid excuse received a pin only. (Illness
and absence from the city were the only excuses accepted; the latter
required attendance at another church school. Students absent because of
quarantine for a contagious disease received honorable mention.) In 1926
one of the honor students was Louise Neff, who became head of the
Community Center in 1933 and continued as an active member of the parish
after her marriage to William Collins; the couple's three daughters attended
Sunday School at St. Chrysostom's, and Louise Collins served as head of the
Altar Guild from 1961 to 1964.
Other familiar names in the 1926 honors list included the Redmond
children, the Huttons' younger son Butler (the older Hutton children were
now away at school) and Orville Hicks. On one occasion Orville's attendance
record was in jeopardy; a 1925 Church School newspaper tells of "an SOS
call ... from 352 Locust Street, residence of Orville Hicks, there immured and
unable to reach the chapel for the 9:30 service" since his older brother
Elmer was already at church for a Brotherhood of St. Andrew function.
"Message conveyed to John Lehr. Buick under way at once southbound.
Orville back in time for service and looking very happy." The system was
effective in maintaining attendance; in the 1927-28 school year the average
attendance was 228 of 258 pupils enrolled. A Church School table at the
1927 bazaar brought in $155.00.
The children continued to collect canned goods for St. Mary's Home for
Children at Thanksgiving; in 1927 over 400 items were taken to the home,
while at Christmas the Church School sent a box of 160 gifts for children to a
mountain parish in Virginia. (In 1925 they had made a Christmas donation of
cigarettes to the Seamen's Church Institute.) Gloria Chandler directed the
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children's Easter and Christmas pageants; the primary children too young to
participate in the pageant sang carols at the services. During the summers
of 1926 and 1927 an informal Sunday program for children was held,
following the "visual method of religious education"; motion pictures on
Biblical themes were shown in the gymnasium.
The junior choir (now made up exclusively of girls) had a membership
of between 35 and 40; it sang at the Church School worship service and
weekday Lenten services, at the 11:00 service during July when the senior
choir was on vacation, and "in conjunction with the Senior Choir at sundry
occasional Offices and high Feasts during the year." Each year the Altar
Guild honored the group at a luncheon, and choir members spent two weeks
each summer at Camp Oronoko.
The list of Church School teachers in the late 1920s included two
persons who would serve for many years in this capacity and who would
have an impact on generations of parishioners. L. Parsons Warren was the
speaker at the school's award service on May 31, 1925. His parents had
been members of St. Chrysostom's in its earliest days; Fannie Warren had
been one of the members of the 1894 committee to raise funds for the
Dearborn Avenue building, and William Warren served briefly on the vestry
in 1896 before the family moved north and transferred its membership to St.
Peter's Church. Pat Warren (as he was always known) and his wife Elizabeth
returned to St. Chrysostom's in the mid-1920s. Elizabeth Warren died in
1927; three years later Mr. Warren married Nancy Galbraith, and the couple
had a son Parsons, Jr. Henrietta Newton recalled Mr. Warren's work with the
Church School. "He always showed such love and concern for the children.
He had a special watch — I believe it showed the time zones of the world —
and the children loved to look at it."
Mrs. Newton (then Henrietta Raschke), an elementary school teacher,
began teaching second grade at St. Chrysostom's but shortly afterward
transferred to the kindergarten. Church School students from the late 1920s
until the mid-1960s, including the present author, began their religious
education under her instruction; her teaching skills, firm faith and loving
concern provided a strong foundation for the Christian life of uncounted
numbers of children.
In the fall of 1926 an adult Bible class taught by assistant rector Taylor
Willis was added to the church's religious education program. "Ignorance of
the Bible was the outstanding characteristic of each side in the Biblical
debate known as the 'Scopes Trial,'" read a bulletin announcement on
October 10. "On the one side the Bible was misquoted. On the other it was
misinterpreted. The result was ludicrous to the scoffer and pathetic to the
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enlightened." A later announcement noted that "the text used is the Bible
itself ... and the assignments are for daily reading of selected passages of
scripture by members of the class. The method of instruction is by lecture,
with an opportunity for discussion of topics bearing on modern conditions of
life."
The Girls' Friendly Society had added basketball to its list of activities;
by the spring of 1927 two junior teams were formed under the auspices of
the group. An Episcopal Athletic League basketball team, composed of past
and present members of Lawrence Hall for Boys and sponsored by the Men's
Club, played every Tuesday evening in the gymnasium.
The Men's Club was successfully reestablished in 1927. Men eighteen
and over were invited to a meeting on Sunday evening, January 8, at which
a former president of the Men's Club of St. Luke's Church, Evanston,
described the work of that 300-member group. Angus Hibbard, a member of
the Men's Club of fifteen years earlier and for many years actively involved
in the diocese's all-male Church Club, was elected president, Pat Warren
vice-president, John Astley-Cock secretary-treasurer, and the directors
included Stephen Hord, Harry Remke, Frederick Spalding and Joseph
Thompson. The group's plans, according to a February 20 bulletin notice,
included "inviting neighbours to attend church services and making widely
known all week-day activities arising out of clubs and the Community
Center." Both men and women were invited to the club's final meeting of the
season in May, at which Capt. Raymond N. Larsen spoke on "Communism
and the Red Movement," a subject "of vital importance to the economic life
of the country."
The Cloister Mummers' performances were no longer confined to the
parish. In the summer of 1924 400 campers and residents attended the
group's performance at Camp Oronoko, and the trip became for some years
an annual event. The Mummers also performed at hospitals, clubs and other
institutions. A letter from Maude Sayer of the Hines Hospital staff praised the
group's performance there in early 1927: "Plays may come and plays may
go, but Dulcy will, for some time to come, hold a green spot in the memory
of a large number of patients ... The audience as one man declares the
evening one of the most enjoyable we have had. Is it too much to ask that
you number the Edward Hines Junior Memorial Hospital among the groups
you are going to favour in the future?" In the spring of 1928 the group
entered a "Tournament of Plays" arranged by the Drama League of Chicago;
Harold Simonds, playing the role of John Redford in The Pipes of Pan, was
awarded a gold wristwatch as winner of the first individual prize for Voice
and Diction. The Women's Guild used part of the proceeds from its 1925
Christmas bazaar to fund a new stage and theater equipment; the Guild also
Page 109
financed the purchase of a "Panatrope" to supply music at the Tuesday
Nighters' informal dances.
After the completion of the new church building, there must have been
an increase in the number of large weddings scheduled at St. Chrysostom's.
The April 25, 1926 bulletin commented:
Some people ... demand so much service and time that ...
charges must be made otherwise the schedule of the Parish
cannot be maintained. An elaborate wedding demands full time
of both vergers for the day of the ceremony, and another half
day to clean up; frequently extra help must be hired for
overtime.
The Church must be heated and lighted for both rehearsal
and wedding. New candles must be used every time and special
holders for these installed. If ... an elaborate ceremony is
preferred, the charges made are those sufficient only to cover
the cost; in the case of a simple wedding absolutely no charge is
made.
Full choir
125.00
Organist's fee
30.00
Verger's fee
10.00
Assistant verger's fee
5.00
Candles
15.00
Light/heat
15.00
Although no charge was made for the use of the church, it was hoped
that the family would make a donation to the endowment fund to mark the
occasion.
The Social Service Committee remained in existence. According to the
group's annual report for 1927, it sought "to help families with several
children so that by assuming all or part of the deficit in their budget for a
period of from three to twenty-four months ... these families work into a
more hopeful situation and are kept together while this is being
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accomplished." The group also provided assistance with child care, help to
the unemployed seeking jobs, and donations of clothing where needed; half
of its budget of $3500 was used for the Community Center.
The Center's own activities continued to expand. The 1928 closing
exercises extended over a three-day period. On Friday, May 25, the work of
the manual training and sewing groups was displayed, the dramatic class
presented two short plays, the Boy Scouts demonstrated First Aid and the
Girl Scouts gave a short sketch; an all-day hike to the Forest Preserve was
planned for Saturday and the season ended with a party on Monday
afternoon, May 28.
Josephine Schnitzler, who had recently resigned as parish secretary,
was honored at the 1927 annual meeting. Norman Hutton spoke of her
devotion to the interest of the parish and to him personally during his
eighteen years at St. Chrysostom's; in addition, she received a farewell gift
of two months' salary — $300.00.
A change which made surprisingly little impact on the parish was the
introduction of the 1928 Prayer Book. The November 6, 1927 bulletin listed
changes in the revised Holy Communion service; a shorter form of the Ten
Commandments, the use of "The Lord be with you" and the response "And
with thy spirit" before the words "Let us pray," introduction of Proper
Prefaces for several additional holy days, changes in the position of the
Prayer of Humble Access and the Lord's Prayer, and variations in the
wording of certain prayers and canticles. General Convention had authorized
the use of the changes before the new book came into use, and St.
Chrysostom's had begun to adopt them. Except for the announcement of the
gift of a new service book during Stephen Keeler's rectorship, no other
mention is made of the change, a considerable contrast to the circumstances
surrounding the adoption of the 1979 Prayer Book fifty years later.
Through most of the 1920s, assistants at St. Chrysostom's generally
remained only for short periods, leaving for other parishes after a year or
two. Often during Dr. Hutton's three-month summer vacation it had been
necessary to arrange for a supply priest. The Reverend W. Taylor Willis, the
1925 summer supply, made a good impression on the congregation; later
that fall he returned as guest preacher and in early 1926 was named
assistant rector. Mr. Willis was the first of a number of clergy in the history
of the parish with ties to the diocese and state of Virginia. A 1905 graduate
of Virginia Military Institute, he had taught at private schools and at his alma
mater before attending Virginia Theological Seminary; after his ordination he
had served at parishes in Virginia and West Virginia, and had been a military
chaplain in the 1916 border dispute with Mexico and from 1917 to 1919 in
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France. After the war, as rector of Christ Church, Mount Pleasant, West
Virginia, he had been involved in community service, founding a Kiwanis
Club organization and working with the Boy Scouts. He remained active in
veterans' affairs with the American Legion and as chaplain of the National
Guard, in which he held the rank of major. In 1927 his title was changed to
associate rector, probably reflecting his assumption of additional
responsibilities in the parish.
The choice of such an experienced man as assistant was almost
certainly influenced by the state of the rector's health. Bulletins and vestry
minutes of the 1920s record parish growth but do not note the health
problems affecting Dr. Hutton and his family during these years. In
November 1926 Dr. Hutton presented a letter to the vestry:
On May 1st, 1927, I shall have served this parish as Rector
for eighteen years. Unblessed by any unusual gifts, I have
worked hard and given all I had of strength and love to the
work. In this, I have been happy beyond my power of expression
...
For the past three years, I have been ill, or indisposed
much of the time, and the Vestry has been most considerate in
granting me long periods of rest — only so could I have
accomplished as much as I have.
Returning to the Parish now, after a long rest, I feel unable
to put into its task the same energy I have been accustomed to
expend, and I feel I must take a longer respite from work.
I, therefore, beg to submit my resignation as Rector of St.
Chrysostom's parish ... I do so with deep regret, but confident I
am taking the wisest course for the Parish and myself ...
My love is here in this work, and my life — I think — is
here. I am grateful to a great Vestry and a loving people for my
many happy years of service.
The vestry did not accept his resignation. Instead, it voted him a six
months' leave of absence "in grateful recognition of [his] faithful and
devoted leadership" with the hope that it would restore his health. The
Huttons began their leave just after Easter, 1927, but returned in May for
the dedication of the carillon before departing on an extended European trip.
Before Dr. Hutton's departure, parishioners had expressed to him their
desire to see the church consecrated. According to canon law at the time,
this could only take place if the church were free of debt. Although the
parish house and church had been consecrated without exceeding the
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amount contributed, there was still debt owing on the land which would need
to be paid off before the consecration could take place. An announcement
appeared in the bulletin of March 6, 1927:
An Adventure for God
There has lately developed among the Parishioners an earnest
desire to have our Church building consecrated. This probably has
arisen from the general satisfaction that the building is so beautiful ...
that it ought to be set apart for all time as a consecrated edifice.
No Church can be consecrated so long as it has a debt. The
mortgage on our property is $60,000, the annual interest on which is
$3,600.
This is a real burden to us. Twelve people ... have
voluntarily ... given $8,750 to pay off this debt. Encouraged by
this spontaneous action, the Vestry has authorized a movement
to collect $100,000 to extinguish the debt ... and place ...
$40,000 in the Endowment Fund, which now amounts to
$25,000.
This will, humanly speaking, place the Parish on such a
solid foundation that it will be able to endure the vicissitudes of
an urban population which shifts with every returning season.
No Parish of downtown location can long endure unless it
have an endowment. We are building for the future, and an
effort like this is the best assurance that the money we have put
in the present buildings will be preserved and perpetuated.
This is an adventure for God: a real opportunity to have a
permanent memorial of earnest work and devoted love by a
Parish which has seen a great vision and wishes to leave to the
future greatness of Chicago a centre of human service and
helpfulness.
Bulletins of early 1928 touched on changing neighborhood conditions
which made an endowment fund necessary.
The imperative need of Endowments in a city parish is the
outgrowth of conditions which have brought us huge hotels and
apartments instead of houses. The clientele of a city Parish is far
less dependable now than ten years ago. People are away longer
periods and much more frequently. We must insure the future by
adequate provision against adverse neighborhood conditions.
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There will never be fewer people to minister to in our
neighborhood, but many more — but the support of those who
dwell in apartments and hotels is always less than those who
own their own homes, and the house holder is rapidly vanishing.
So let us build for the future and be prepared for the greater
Chicago that is to be.
By March 13, 1927 twenty-two subscriptions totaling $11,500 had
been received for the "$100,000 Fund." Considerable effort was devoted to
fund-raising in late 1927 and early 1928; as in previous fund drives,
contributions of any amount were welcomed and it was hoped that as many
parishioners as possible would take part. The goal was reached in March
1928.
The list of contributors to the $100,000 Fund appeared in the March 25
bulletin and is preserved in a hand-lettered list in parish archives. The first
name is that of Mrs. J. Russell Adams, whose late husband had been a
member of the mission's Finance Committee in 1893 and of the parish's first
vestry in 1894. Thomas and Elizabeth Hinde had contributed to the fund for
the 1894 building and to the 1913 parish house, while Bertha Baur, Margaret
Conover, Frederic Norcross, the George Ranneys, Frederick Spalding and the
Albert Spragues were others who had contributed to the 1913 parish house
appeal. Well-known names such as Chauncey Keep, William Wrigley, Jr., and
John Crerar appeared alongside those of parishioners who were less socially
and financially prominent. Rachel Jagoe, long active in the Mothers' Club,
had made a contribution to the fund before her death in late 1927; her
daughter Jennie was also a contributor, as were chief acolyte Elmer
Tengberg, a clerk with Commonwealth Edison, and Edith MacPherson, a
children's nurse employed by the James E. Montgomery family (one of the
Montgomery children, James Winchester, would later become the ninth
bishop of Chicago). Contributors to the Church School Children's Birthday
Endowment Fund, listed in a separate section, included Betty Vilas (later
Betty Hedblom), who served on the vestry from 1983 to 1987 and whose
children attended St. Chrysostom's Sunday School.
Harold and Lucille Simonds and their children David and Katherine
were listed as contributors, as were a number of members of the choir.
Soprano Myrtle Peplow (later Myrtle Steele), a contributor who had been a
participant in the 1914 New Year's Eve dance, was profiled in the May 1970
issue of the parish newspaper the Bee-Hive by her fellow choir member
Anne Shumate. "Each new choir member ... is told to report to Mrs. Steele
who assigns him a robe ... Every month, she gathers up ... the white cottas
to be sent out for cleaning and ... does any mending necessary. It is hardly
less than astounding that Mrs. Steele has performed this duty since she was
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taken out of her Sunday School class to do so when she was only fourteen
years old. [She] is one of those rare parishioners ... christened, confirmed
and married at St. Chrysostom's. Because she has been singing with the
choir for the same amount of time that she has been wardrobe mistress, she
is undoubtedly its senior member ... a talented and capable artist [who] has
worked in several major art studios doing wood painting, wood antiquing,
gold etching on china and china painting." Other choir contributors to the
fund included soprano and church school teacher Charlotte Howard, a
member of the parish until her death in 1991; contralto Helen Eldred, who
had been baptized by Mr. Snively in 1898 and remained at St. Chrysostom's
into the 1970s; tenors Elden Day (the "noted boy soprano" of the early
Hutton years) and Harry Brauns (the soprano soloist at the Good Friday
evening concert of 1910, who had attended the choir camp and contributed
$3.00 to the 1913 parish house fund drive), and baritone Robert Betty, a
member of the choir for fifty years at the time of his retirement in 1967.
The extended leave granted to Dr. Hutton had unfortunately not
sufficed to restore his health. On September 1, 1928, he wrote again to the
vestry:
After serving for almost twenty years as Rector of St.
Chrysostom's Parish, it is with deep regret that I find it no longer
possible to continue, and hereby send to the Vestry my
resignation to take effect not later than January 1st, 1929.
In making the decision, I am deeply conscious of the
action of the Vestry for the last two years in giving me a leave of
absence for half of each year, in the hope that I might work out
my problems and remain as Rector.
This hope I have been unable to accomplish, and the
reasons for my resignation are as follows:
1. For the past three years, I have found it increasingly
difficult to meet the heavy demands of the Parish as Pastor,
Preacher and Organizer, due to impaired health, which while
temporary, will yield to complete restoration by a year of rest.
This I propose to take.
2. Mrs. Hutton has, as you know, been a semi-invalid for
several years. The doctors say a prolonged rest in a warm
outdoor climate will greatly benefit her.
3. My son, Butler, who is fourteen years old, has
developed a bad heart, which will keep him out of school at least
a year. He, too, must live out of doors in the sun, so we propose
spending the winter either in Florida or California.
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In severing my relations as Pastor of St. Chrysostom's I do
so with the consciousness that it is my only course, and with a
deep sense of many years of gracious companionship and love
with the Vestry and people. For the joy and profound happiness
of my long Rectorship I am grateful! It has really been and
always will be my only love.
Taylor Willis also offered his resignation, which was accepted with
regret; Mr. Willis left on October 14, having received a call to Christ Church,
Roanoke, Virginia (described in the bulletin as "a Parish second in
importance in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia").
The vestry sent a letter in early November appealing for
contributions for a farewell purse for the rector. "Dr. Hutton will be leaving
us shortly after Thanksgiving Day. It is hard for him to go and sad for us all
because of our great love for him." After a description of the state of the
parish at his arrival and a tribute to his care for those in sickness or grief,
the letter summarized his accomplishments: the establishment of the Boy
Scouts, the Social Service Committee and Camp Oronoko; the construction
of the new parish house and church building; the $100,000 Fund. "These
results might well have represented the work of a life time instead of only
nineteen years. To Dr. Hutton — and to him alone — we owe the vision and
its splendid realization. Now, as he leaves us, it is most fitting and
appropriate that we present to him a worthy token of our lasting affection
for him and our sincere gratitude for his unselfish devotion to our Parish and
to us personally in our times of grief and sorrow, as well as in our days of
joy and happiness." George Ranney hosted a farewell dinner for Dr. Hutton
and the vestry on November 21, when the retiring rector was presented with
a purse of $6000 and a silver platter.
Dr. Hutton's hope that the church could be consecrated before his
departure was not to be fulfilled. Although the debt had been paid off, other
legal requirements had not been met; a letter from the rector dated
November 1 stated that "we cannot comply with the Canons within the few
days remaining, nor can we make proper legal safeguard for our property
without mature thought and study ... I prefer ... to take no steps at the
close of my Rectorship that might be too hasty or insufficiently considered."
(Parish records do not make clear the precise considerations involved.)
Although the church could not be consecrated, a special service was held on
Thanksgiving Day, November 28, at which the chapel, the remaining stained
glass windows, and other features of the building were dedicated. A short
history of the church appeared in the bulletin, describing the rectorships of
Mr. Snively and Dr. Hutton (but not that of Mr. Kemp) and the church
buildings. The final paragraph read:
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Thus has the physical fabric of the Parish progressively
come into being. Buildings and memorials, dedicated to the glory
of God, and devoted to the service of man, stood at last as
monuments to forty-two years of unswerving endeavour, but the
property was still encumbered with a mortgage. Consequently,
February 1, 1927, a financial campaign was started for the
extinguishing of the indebtedness and the enhancement of the
Endowment Fund, which ended successfully the week before
Easter, 1928, and at the conclusion of Dr. Hutton's
administration Saint Chrysostom's Church remains for posterity
a symbol of the past and a vision for the future.
The Reverend Henry Pryor Almon Abbott, rector of Grace and St.
Peter's Church in Baltimore, had accepted a call in September and would
come to Chicago in early December. It was planned that Dr. Hutton and Dr.
Abbott would both take part in the service of December 2 and be present at
the bazaar on December 6, when the retiring rector would introduce
parishioners to his successor.
Dr. Hutton's final message to the congregation appeared in the bulletin
for Sunday, November 25.
"Valediction"
This is my last message to you as your Rector and I send it
with a glad heart, though a mixture of joy and sorrow; joy that I
am to have a rest, and be able to give my entire care to my
family until they can be well again; sorrow that I must sever the
daily contact with those I love as I do you.
For twenty years I have lived among you and you have
made me happy beyond words by your devotion, loyalty and cooperation. Few men have had so wonderful and loving devotion
as I; for it all I am devoutly grateful. I shall never forget you.
Always, you will be in the secret recesses of my heart.
In leaving this Parish, I commend to you but one thing:
that you sustain my successor with the same loyalty, that you
support his work with the same enthusiasm, that you extend to
him the same devotion which you have afforded me through
twenty years, so that the Lord may prosper His handiwork, and
that this Parish may continue to grow in the abundant grace of
Jesus Christ.
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Dr. Hutton's farewell message to his successor is also worth quoting:
"I have tried to build the Parish on the principles of allegiance and loyalty to
our Christ, rather than to myself, and I realize the test is now coming. I do
hope that you will find that it was built on Christ, and not on myself. If in all
honesty you could ever tell me that, it would make me happier than
anything else in the world."
At various times the vestry and parish discussed the possibility of a
suitable memorial to Norman Hutton but never determined on one, feeling
that the buildings themselves were his memorial. In a very real sense not
only the buildings but the entire subsequent history of the church serve to
memorialize Dr. Hutton and to confirm his hope that the parish had been
built on Christ. Norman Hutton's willingness to accept the challenge of
revitalizing a "discouraged and almost disbanded" parish may well have
preserved the life of St. Chrysostom's; under his guidance the church grew
into a position of leadership, ministering effectively to its own members and
reaching out to serve many persons beyond its borders in the community.
All who have been associated with St. Chrysostom's since that time may
give thanks to God for Norman Hutton's ministry.
In future years, historians of the parish would ignore this period and
would not count Mr. Kemp as one of the official list of rectors; fortieth,
fiftieth and seventy-fifth anniversary materials perhaps understandably
made no mention of him.
A son (also named Edward Butler) born to the Huttons in the summer of
1909 died shortly after birth.
By 1914 Mr. Astley-Cock used this form of his name; in earlier years he
is referred to as Lucius A. Cock. To avoid confusion I have referred to him
as John Astley-Cock throughout this history.
Elizabeth Redmond is one of five "second generation" vestry members in
parish history. Others are William S. and L. Parsons Warren; William Cox
and William Cox, Jr.; William and Cynthia Caples; and Bennet Harvey and
Bennet Harvey, Jr.
Summer encampments for the choirboys are mentioned in vestry
minutes as early as 1895.
In 1913 the vestry paid $43.95 "expenses in connection with the services
of Elmer [sic] Day, soprano solo." He continued in the choir well beyond his
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years as a boy soprano; he contributed to "$100,000 Fund" of 1927-28 and
sang as tenor in the choir at Bishop Keeler's consecration in June 1931.
"Little Bobbie Hall"'s full name was Robert Howell Hall, incorporating the
names of two priests who would later become rectors of the parish.
The group apparently had no connection with the Forward Movement
devotional readings which originated some years later.
After Fr. Anastasi left St. John's in the early 1920s the mission continued
for a short time under the auspices of the Church of the Ascension. It had
closed by 1924.
This structure forms the north part of the present parish house; the
"assembly room" is the present Harding Room.
Mr. Forgan was a member of Dr. Stone's congregation at Fourth
Presbyterian Church. His son James Jr. had married Lawrence Meeker's
sister Margaret at St. Chrysostom's in January.
Western Seminary, then on Chicago's West Side, moved to Evanston in
the late 1920s. It adopted the name Seabury-Western after merging with
Minnesota's Seabury Seminary in 1932.
Until his death, Frederic Norcross gave flowers in his wife's memory on
the last Sunday in June, a tradition continued by their daughter Catherine
until her death in 1949. Two other gifts to the parish honor members of the
family. The vestibule is a memorial to Alice Norcross' sister Ethel Wrenn, and
the drinking fountain in the cloister to A. Manvel Wrenn (1900-1920).
Then, as now, altar flowers were taken to sick or shut-in parishioners.
Choir salaries are recorded in vestry minutes as early as 1894/95, when
"choir allowances and salaries" totaled $83.30. In 1912 salaries totaled
$1200 a year.
It is uncertain how long the group remained in existence. A minute book
in parish archives records 1916 meetings.
Elizabeth Redmond suggests that there may have been some fear of
contracting tuberculosis from the common cup.
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Mr. Vigeant had been a soprano soloist at the Easter service of March 30,
1902 and was confirmed in 1915. He had died by the time the building
project was resumed in 1920.
Frederick Spalding and Virginia Tabb had previously given the parish a
flag in memory of their deceased brother Vincent (Virginia Tabb's twin), who
had died of typhoid fever on May 30, 1896 (Memorial Day). The flag was
dedicated on Memorial Day 1915.
The word "regular" alluded both to Mr. Sprague's service in the regular
army and to the common phrase of approval, "a regular fellow."
Gibbons, a Tribune war correspondent, lost an eye at the battle of
Chateau-Thierry in 1918.
She is probably the "Mrs. Temple" whose doughnuts sold so rapidly at
the 1917 bazaar.
Hannah and William Bishop came to Winnetka from Duluth in 1908 and
were in charge of Christ Church's Sunday School. After her husband's death
in 1913 Mrs. Bishop became the first woman director of religious education
there.
Brochures from the camp seasons of 1924 and 1930 with lists of
contributors survive in parish archives. The "well wishers ... with no
connection to the parish" included both former campers and well known
business and professional people, as well as Daily News employees ranging
from publisher Victor Lawson to office boy Harold Bergander.
The parish resumed this practice in 1998.
The ushers included Prescott Bush of Columbus, Ohio, whose son and
grandson would later serve as president of the United States.
Catherine Norcross' wedding party, like that of her sister's, included an
usher with presidential ties; W. Sheffield Cowles, nephew of Theodore
Roosevelt.
The Ethical Culture Society, according to the 1949 edition of the
Encyclopedia Britannica, had as its object "to assert the supreme importance
of the ethical factor in all relations of life ... apart from any theological ...
considerations," stressing morality, intellectual development, and the use of
income not needed for genuine personal needs for "the elevation of the
working classes." It is uncertain why a representative of this group was
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asked to take part in the service, but possibly Dr. Bridges expressed his
support for St. Chrysostom's ministry to persons in need beyond its
membership.
Early reports suggested the possibility of suicide; later stories indicate
that his death may have been accidental.
Mr. Spalding had served briefly on the vestry at the end of Mr. Snively's
tenure but had resigned after the appointment of Mr. Kemp as rector.
Charles Connick personally designed all the stained glass except the
north vestibule window and the clerestory windows in the center aisle, which
were designed and installed after his death.
A detailed description of the parish's stained glass appears in Joanna
Zander's excellent seventy-fifth anniversary volume, The Story of St.
Chrysostom's.
The original correspondence with Connick concerning the Chapin gift
dates from several months before Chester Chapin's death in September
1923. Possibly the window was originally intended as a memorial to other
family members.
It is not known when the font was moved from its location by the Virgin
Mary window to the back of the church. In the late 1960s the font was again
moved near the Virgin Mary window, but was returned to the back of the
church in the late 1970s.
John and Bertha King were residents of New York City and do not appear
to have been affiliated with St. Chrysostom's.
As the couple had become acquainted when spending summers in
Highland Park, their choice of a church was probably made for sentiment's
sake. However, the state of St. Chrysostom's at that time (shortly after
Robert Kemp's departure) may also have influenced them.
James Mackay, in his biography, Allan Pinkerton: the first private eye
(John Wiley & Sons, 1997) recounts Pinkerton's opposition to his daughter's
marriage to William Chalmers; though at last consenting to the marriage,
Pinkerton "went to his grave convinced that [William Chalmers] would never
amount to more than a clerk in his father's counting-house." Mackay states
that William and Joan Chalmers were, in later years, "the undisputed leaders
of Chicago society," adding that Joan Chalmers "ruled her own family with
an iron fist" but had a "surprisingly flippant side to her nature; one
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newspaper in the 1930s reported how the octogenarian socialite could
unbend, by dancing a cakewalk."
Mrs. Chalmers' obituary in the January 26, 1940 Tribune states that her
sister Isabelle Pinkerton had been "crippled." In 1911 the Chalmers family
made a gift of a home for "crippled children" near Wheaton.
Elizabeth Redmond cites a rumor, current at the time though never
confirmed, that the altar had been originally designed for a church which
later underwent financial problems and was unable to afford the purchase.
The Cranes were not in fact members of the parish, but lived at 1550
Lake Shore Drive and attended services at St. Chrysostom's when in the
city.
In 1924, when a total of 492 persons received Communion at the Easter
Sunday services, it had been necessary to turn away people at the 11:00
service. 607 people received Holy Communion at the 1927 services.
Mrs. Jacklon's coverage tended to be florid. In her society column the
previous Easter she had written, "St. Chrysostom's itself was all in new
Easter toggery of Gothic design, the former quaint little ivy covered church
having given way since last Easter to an imposing array of gray stone
buildings."
According to a researcher studying the life and career of architect R.
Buckminster Fuller who contacted the author in the mid-1990s, Fuller
attended, and was strongly influenced by, Mr. Willis’ lectures on the church
and modern society (perhaps those on the Scopes trial or similar topics).
Parish records indicate that Myrtle Peplow had in fact been baptized in
the Lutheran church. She was confirmed in 1910 and married Raymond
Steele at St. Chrysostom's on December 6, 1936 in a ceremony conducted
by Dudley Stark.
No information has been found concerning the portrait of Norman Hutton
which now hangs in the Harding Room; parishioners from Dr. Hutton's time
have been unable to supply information on it.
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CHAPTER 6
Henry Pryor Almon Abbott: A Brief Tenure, 1928-1929
In 1908 and 1909, when St. Chrysostom's had last been without a
rector, the parish was on the verge of collapse and the first man chosen had
refused the call. Twenty years later the situation was very different. The
Reverend Henry Pryor Almon Abbott was one of the most distinguished
priests in the church. He had been born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 11,
1881, the son of the Reverend John and Ella Almon Abbott. The Almons were
descended from the 17th century Massachusetts Puritan divine Increase
Mather. A great-grandson, the Reverend Mather Byles, converted to the
Church of England and emigrated to Canada after the Revolutionary War;
the Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes biographical sketches of
several members of the Byles and Almon families. The new rector's older
brother Mather was headmaster of Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.
Henry Pryor Almon Abbott was a graduate of King's College in
Windsor, Nova Scotia, and had studied in England at St. Stephen's House,
Oxford. After short periods as assistant at St. Luke's Cathedral, Halifax, and
St. James the Apostle Church, Montreal, he had been appointed rector and
dean of the cathedral at Hamilton, Ontario while still in his twenties. In 1914
he became dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, and five years later was
named rector of Grace and St. Peter's Church in Baltimore. Dr. Abbott and
his wife Rachel were the parents of five children: Paul, Rachel, Osler, Faith
and Nancy.
He had preached at least once at St. Chrysostom's (at a Wednesday
evening Lenten service on March 14, 1917), and had on several occasions
been the preacher at noonday midweek Lenten services in the Loop. Former
parishioners of Trinity Church who had moved north and affiliated with St.
Chrysostom's may well have remembered him; newspaper stories state that
in 1910 he was seriously considered for the rectorship of Trinity. Dr. Abbott
was the author of several books, and before his fortieth birthday was listed
in Who's Who in America. He had in the recent past refused calls to several
well-known churches in the United States and Canada and had on four
occasions been nominated for bishop; the parish felt a measure of pride that
such a notable priest had accepted the call to St. Chrysostom's. Betty
Redmond recalls him as distinguished in appearance, with a slight English or
Canadian accent.
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Dr. Abbott's first Sunday in full charge of the parish was December 9,
1928. His message to the congregation in that day's bulletin conveyed a
pleasant note: "I greet many of you this morning, my dear friends, as my
new Parishioners. I know that your hearts are sad to see a stranger in the
pulpit; but for Dr. Hutton's dear sake, and for charity's sweet sake, you are
going to give me welcome, and cooperate with me to the utmost of your
individual and corporate ability. I am new to you, and you are new to me,
and so we are going to meet on the grounds of mutual loneliness and
comfort and encourage one another."
Dr. Abbott immediately introduced changes in the service schedule,
adding celebrations of Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and
Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. "I shall begin these ... in faith, and continue them, I
hope, with increasing numbers present. I cannot bear the thought of this
lovely Church being vacant of Church Services, save on Saints' Days, and
from Sunday to Sunday. I need the Blessed Sacrament several times a week
myself, and I hope that there are members of the Congregation who will
come to feel the same way about it." Since that date, midweek services
have remained on the parish calendar almost continuously; the Tuesday
service, scheduled on the day of the Women's Guild weekly meeting, formed
an important addition to that group's program. Although Dr. Abbott's hope
that "we may eventually work up to a daily Celebration" has not been
realized in the ensuing sixty-five years, midweek services have been an
important part of parish worship, and their benefit can surely not be
measured by attendance numbers alone.
The new rector, though planning to call on every family in the parish,
also made it a point to attend meetings of parish organizations; he was a
guest of the Tuesday Nighters and of the Men's Club in his first week at St.
Chrysostom's. His letter to the congregation not long after the Men's Club
meeting described changes in ushering practices designed to reduce the
amount of time that unoccupied rented pews were held for pewholders at
the start of the service. (They apparently did not prove a complete solution
to the problem, since the topic was frequently discussed at vestry meetings
in ensuing years.)
The Altar Guild had in previous years been small in number; nine
members attended the group's corporate communion in the children's chapel
in 1923, and the size of the group seems to have remained relatively steady
during Norman Hutton's years as rector. The addition of midweek services to
the schedule may have influenced Dr. Abbott to reorganize the group and
broaden its membership. Now known as the Altar Society, the group had two
classes of membership; communicants "willing to take part in the regular
work of the Society" were eligible for active membership, while others could
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express their interest by becoming associate members. Dues for both groups
were $2 per year, and active members were expected to join the sanctuary,
floral decoration, clergy vestments, choir curators or church care and order
committees according to their interest. (The constitution as quoted in the
January 27, 1929 bulletin does not indicate that membership was restricted
to women; however, the description of the society states that Dr. Abbott
was "most anxious that every woman communicant ... should become a
member of the Altar Society.")
He began a weekly group as part of the Women's Guild which would
roll bandages for Chicago hospitals and institutions: "We want to give our
young women who are doing such worthwhile things outside the church the
opportunity of doing worthwhile things within the church ... The meetings
will be in the mornings or afternoons, in accordance with the convenience of
the greatest number, and, if held in the afternoons ... will finish with
Afternoon Tea."
Dr. Abbott maintained his predecessor's tradition of having a service at
Christmastime honoring students home from school for the holidays, a
practice he was probably happy to continue since his two sons were among
those in this group; Paul was a student at Princeton, while Osler attended
Lawrenceville School where his uncle was headmaster. On New Year's Day
the new rector wrote a letter to the congregation: he was continuing an
annual resolution to take special care in the preparation of his sermons and
hoped that the more than twelve hundred parishioners on the membership
list would resolve to attend church every Sunday morning when "unhindered
by illness and present in the city." His letter apparently had some effect; at
the new rector's first vestry meeting on January 13 senior warden Frederic
Norcross "emphasize[d] the noticeable increase of attendance at the Sunday
services." At this meeting Dr. Abbott presented a resolution (which passed
unanimously) naming Dr. Hutton rector emeritus of the parish.
A series of "advertising 'dodgers'" delivered weekly during January at
homes and apartments in the vicinity of the church provide insight into Dr.
Abbott's sermon topics and his approach to attracting nonchurchgoers.
If you are not a member of any church will you not attend
some of our Services and give us an opportunity to persuade you
to become a member of our church? We are anxious to serve our
neighborhood and to make our parish "a praise in the
community." To that end, we want to have you with us.
The sermon topic for Sunday, January 6, was "The Art of Happiness"; for the
following Sunday, "The World View of Christianity." On January 20, when the
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sermon was on "Doubt," the circular touched on reasons for attending
church:
(1) Because Jesus Christ went to church ... Surely, it
should be a case of "like Master, like disciple."
(2) Because we go to church to worship God ... We go to
church primarily not to GET, but to GIVE ...
(3) And negatively: Because the objections to churchgoing are unworthy of the intelligence of thinking people. "The
services are so dull," "I prefer to worship God in the country or
at home." ... I imagine that the synagogue service in the time of
Jesus was often dull ... but He attended the services regularly ...
As for worshipping God in the country or at home — candidly,
do you? Personally, I have never seen anyone kneeling in the
woods, or assuming an attitude of prayer on the golf links.
The circular for January 27, reflecting the widespread concern with
business and financial issues during the late twenties, began with a
quotation from the Parable of the Talents.
"Thou oughtest therefore to have given my money to the
bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine
own with interest."
We do that every day, so far as our secular possessions
are concerned; for Chicagoans are "long" on business and wellup on rates of interest; but do we do that sort of thing in relation
to our spiritual possessions?
... The suggestion is: Use your talent for Religion. If you
use it, it will multiply a hundred-fold ... Take the talent ... and
throw it into the service of Christ's Church ... If you do that, then
you will be at home in the things of Religion, even as you are at
home in the things of Commerce, and you will appreciate the
significance of the words, "I am come that ye might have life,
and have it more abundantly."
Come to Saint Chrysostom's Church ... and hear a sermon
on "The Talent of Prayer." You will find that Prayer bears its
interest, and the rate is HIGH.
The new rector seemed to be making a promising start; the future
appeared bright. Then, on Wednesday, January 30, came word from the
diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, that Dr. Abbott had, on the eighth ballot,
been elected its bishop. Two days later, he informed the diocese of his
acceptance of election.
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"A Word from the Rector" in the bulletin of February 10, 1929 stated:
I have accepted my election as Bishop of Lexington,
Kentucky. It is sad to have to leave you so soon after knowing
you so short a time, but I have felt the unmistakable urge to
accept a work that is crying out for leadership, and at much
personal sacrifice. I know that you will wish me well. You have
all been extraordinarily good to me and mine and, when the time
comes to say "Good-bye" I shall part from you with real regret.
In the meanwhile, for the next two months and more, let us
work unitedly and enthusiastically to make Saint Chrysostom's a
bigger and a better Church, something immeasurably worthwhile
to hand on to my successor.
The specialized ministry of the diocese included an area of the
Kentucky mountains where there was considerable poverty and need. The
"personal sacrifice" mentioned in his message may refer to the considerably
lower salary he would receive as Bishop of Lexington than as rector of St.
Chrysostom's Church, as well as to the fact that he would be working in an
area lacking the cultural amenities of the larger cities where he had
previously lived. (Elizabeth Redmond recalls that Dr. Abbott appeared more
likely to become bishop of a large metropolitan area than of a Kentucky
mountain diocese.) John Henry Hopkins, in his book The Great Forty Years in
the Diocese of Chicago, states that Dr. Abbott "was rector of St.
Chrysostom's Church scarcely long enough to unpack his books"; a
statement which may be literally true. The vestry accepted his resignation
effective April 30 "with heartfelt regret and keen disappointment ... consoled
by the fact that our Rector leaves to accept election as Bishop of Kentucky
[sic], to which field the Vestry's best wishes follow him with hopes and
prayers for success."
During the remaining period of Dr. Abbott's ministry, which included
Lent and Easter, he indicated his intention to put himself "as heartily into the
work as if I were to remain with you indefinitely." Dismayed by the
"slackness of attendance" at services during previous Lents, he scheduled
one weekly service on Wednesday evenings and urged everyone to attend if
not ill or out of town. He also expressed his concern at the small attendance
at the 8:00 service on Sundays: "with some thirteen hundred persons
affiliated with Saint Chrysostom's Church, there is something infinitely
pathetic in the handful of people who present themselves at the Altar at
Eight o'clock on Sunday mornings."
On April 21 a bulletin notice invited parishioners to be present at the
bishop-elect's consecration at Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington, on
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Wednesday, May 11. On what Dr. Abbott termed "the greatest and most
solemn day of my life," he hoped that "just as many of my friends and well
wishers as possible" would attend the service. He continued:
I would take this opportunity of expressing my warmest
thanks to those members of the Parish who have presented me
with a set of Bishop's Robes ... The robes are exquisite — the
very best that may be procured. It is extraordinarily kind of the
donors to give me such a handsome gift after my short stay
among you of only five months. Words are feeble; but I thank
you from the bottom of my heart. You may be interested to
know that my former parish, Grace and St. Peter's, Baltimore, is
presenting me with another set of robes; that a dear friend of
mine in Baltimore is giving me my Bishop's Ring and that the
Pectoral Cross is being sent to me by friends in my last Canadian
Parish, Christ Church Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario. I am a very
much spoiled middle aged man!
Pat Warren, who had been elected to the vestry in January, arranged
for train reservations for parishioners wishing to attend the service (at a cost
of $26.80 round trip plus $9.00 for a lower berth or $7.20 for an upper
berth). The overnight trip on the Big Four Railroad left Chicago at 10:10
p.m.; we may hope that the train was on time, as it was scheduled to arrive
in Lexington at 9:40 a.m., less than an hour before the service began at
10:30.
Dr. Abbott's farewell message to the congregation appeared in the
bulletin of April 28.
I have been with you for five months. The time has been
short; but I do not look on it as wasted time. ... I shall always
look back with joy upon my residence among you, and I shall
ever "thank my God upon every remembrance of you."
... I know that you will rally around my successor ... and
give to him the same loyalty and cooperation that you have
given to me and my distinguished predecessor. A great future
lies before this Parish, a future, as yet, undreamed of by many,
and you are going to have your part, each and every one of you,
in making that future all that it ought to be. Leave my name and
the name of Dr. Hutton out of your vocabulary and concentrate
in thought and fact upon the personality of the man who is to be
chosen to be your leader ... God is with you, and tomorrow is in
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your keeping, and the things that have been will be as nothing
compared to the things that are to be.
An unidentified newspaper account in parish archives, presumably
from a Lexington paper, describes the consecration. Presiding Bishop John
Gardner Murray was the consecrator; retired Bishop of Lexington Lewis
Burton (who had served thirty-three years in the diocese) and Bishop
Charles Goodcock of Kentucky were the co-consecrators. It appears that
most of the clergy in attendance were known to Dr. Abbott from his days in
Cleveland and Baltimore, though "Bishop Griswell" (Sheldon Griswold, the
suffragan bishop of Chicago) was present. Music included an anthem, "Lord,
Who Dwelleth on High" (described as "to the 'Largo' music") and Semper's
"short communion service." Ewing Bonn, a Johns Hopkins graduate student
who had been Dr. Abbott's acolyte in Baltimore, served as acolyte at the
service. Not all the Abbott children were able to attend; Paul, Osler and Faith
Abbott were at school and unable to come to Lexington for the occasion.
Although the vestry and congregation felt proud that a rector from St.
Chrysostom's had been elected bishop, there must also have been feelings
of loss at the departure of the new rector only a few months after his arrival.
(We may share Dr. Abbott's view that the parish's gift of a set of bishop's
robes was generous under the circumstances.) After his consecration, Bishop
Abbott continued to preach with some regularity at midweek noonday Lenten
services in the Loop and nearly always visited St. Chrysostom's on these
occasions. Friendships made by Dr. Abbott among the members of the
congregation in his months as rector continued throughout his life, while his
institution of midweek services of Holy Communion had an influence on the
parish far outlasting his tenure there.
The locum tenens (interim rector) named to serve until a permanent
successor to Dr. Abbott was appointed was to have a distinguished career in
his own right. The Reverend John Crippen Evans had earlier that spring been
appointed religion editor of the Chicago Tribune. His past career had been
varied. The son of an Iowa Methodist minister, he had attended Cornell
College in that state and Wesleyan University in Connecticut and had worked
as a lay missionary, a school principal, a newspaper editorial writer and a
lecturer on the "Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits." He joined the Episcopal
Church in adulthood and became lay missionary in charge of a small church
in Montana; from 1922 to 1924 he attended Berkeley Divinity School in New
Haven, after which he served for two years as rector of St. Mark's Church,
Havre, Montana. He came to Chicago from St. Stephen's Church, Escanaba,
Michigan, where five young men of the congregation had become candidates
for the ministry during his rectorship. John Evans, his wife Belva and their
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twelve-year-old daughter Irma moved into the parish house, at first
occupying the Simonds apartment during the family's absence from the city.
Mr. Evans' sermons (whose titles were included in parish bulletins)
covered a wide range of topics and were apparently well received by the
congregation: they included "Sources of Christian Dynamic" (on
Whitsunday), "How to Read a Newspaper," "Christ and the Growing World,"
"Prophets and Profits," "The Prophet Amos and the Voice of Labour" (on the
day before Labor Day) and "Problems of Religious Education" (on the
opening Sunday of the Church School year). Vestry minutes record his work
to develop a plan for "coordinating the social efforts of the parish,"
presumably the work of the Social Service Committee and the Community
Center.
On becoming acquainted with the parish's work at Camp Oronoko, Mr.
Evans recognized story material for the Tribune: the July 28, 1929 issue
contained his feature on the camp.
There they go! Sixty of them! Splash! Sixty splashes
merge into one. The waters of the sleepy St. Joe River become
greatly troubled, but sixty boys from Camp Oronoko are not. The
hour for the 4 o'clock swim has come ...
But all of the boys ... are not permitted to swim. Several
watch from the bank. They are not envious of the swimmers. Not
a bit. Furthermore, they are having a grand time — watching
the others. It is great fun ... especially after having been cooped
up for weeks, or months with heart disease as wards of the
Chicago Heart society. One of the boys sitting there is permitted
to take only 50 steps and then he must sit down and rest. Of
course he came down to see the fun — 50 paces at a time.
... In a letter to Frederick C. Spalding, camp director, Mrs.
Gertrude Howe Britton, the head of the Heart society, related the
gratitude the boys are unable to express for themselves.
"Until you did give us this opportunity at Camp Oronoko,"
Mrs. Britton's letter stated, "there was no place we could send
boys 14 years of age and over."
Mr. Evans described the history of the camp and its service to the
choirboys and Boy Scouts before the parish adopted an adult choir, at which
time "the director planned a fresh air camp with a slogan, 'A camp for
children of all ages and creeds.'" He continued:
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Camp Oronoko activities are under the direction of Robert
E. Pegel, assistant football coach of Lane Technical High School.
While splendid discipline is constantly maintained, yet there is
little of the "institutional" atmosphere about the place ... From
the rising call at 6 every morning until taps at 9:20 each night,
there is something doing every minute.
... Approximately seven weeks will be given to boys and
three to girls. More than 500 boys and girls will be provided with
a summer outing at Oronoko.
The maintenance of Camp Oronoko is a major activity of
St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church ... Frederick C. Spalding has
given fifteen years to the development of the camp as well as
constant summer supervision during those years, without
compensation.
By the time the Tribune article had appeared, the vestry had already
voted to call a new rector; the Reverend Stephen E. Keeler of St. Paul's
Church, Akron, Ohio, had been chosen in late June, but his official
acceptance was not received until September.
Stephen E. Keeler: From Prosperity to Depression, 1929-1931
Vestry member Frederick West was probably in part responsible for
the selection of the Reverend Stephen Edwards Keeler as the parish's new
rector. Mr. Keeler had served for over eight years as rector of St. Stephen's
Church in Pittsfield, Mass., where the West family had a summer home, and
had officiated with Norman Hutton at the wedding of the Wests' daughter
Eleanor to Perry Shepard in Pittsfield in 1920. Born in New Canaan,
Connecticut, on April 16, 1887, Stephen Keeler had been educated at
Hoosac School and Yale University. At Yale, where he won awards as an
intercollegiate debater, he studied under the noted professor William Lyon
Phelps, who tried to persuade him to become a writer; though his parents
hoped he would make a career in business, he felt a call to the ordained
ministry and worked for a year before entering General Theological
Seminary as well as during his studies there to earn money for his tuition.
Following his graduation from seminary in 1913 he served for two years as
curate at St. Paul's Church, Cleveland, before accepting the call to Pittsfield;
in 1923 he became rector of St. Paul's Church in Akron. Mr. Keeler and his
wife Eunice had one son, Stephen, Jr.
Not long after the Keelers' arrival at St. Chrysostom's, the Reverend
James E. Wolfe of West Congregational Church in Akron wrote to the vestry:
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At a recent meeting of the Executive Board of the Akron
Council of Churches, I was asked to write you of our high regard
for the Rev. Mr. Stephen E. Keeler, now your Rector ...
The Rev. Mr. Keeler greatly endeared himself to all Akron,
both by his gracious qualities as a Christian gentleman and by
his unusual ability as a leader ... While doing an outstanding
piece of work within his own Parish, he was able also to render
an outstanding service to the entire City.
... Embodying in himself what a Preacher, Minister, Pastor
and Friend can be and ought to be, he changed the spirit and
method of many a minister's life and work. Having in his own
Parish the wide stretches from poverty to great wealth, from
unlearned to learned, he was friend and shepherd to all alike.
It is interesting to muse over the number and sort of
people who sought his friendship and counsel. The poor fellow
whipped by life sought his advice. The leader of the colored
community work leaned much upon him. Social Service Agencies
counted on him. Ministers of other Churches sought his
sympathy and guidance. Foreign-born, now in a strange land,
shared his sympathy. Politicians, both good and bad sought the
weight of his influence. The former often, and the latter only
once.
Although vestry minutes indicated that the Keelers would occupy the
parish house apartment used by the Huttons and the Abbotts, the new rector
preferred not to live in the parish house and the Keelers moved into an
apartment at 1235 Astor Street. This apartment served as the rectory for
nearly fifty years, housing five rectors of the parish and their families.
Mr. Keeler's first message to the congregation appeared in the bulletin
of November 24, 1929.
It is my earnest purpose and desire to build upon
foundations wisely and well laid by your beloved Dr. Hutton, and
fostered by Dr. Abbott. In a real sense I am entering into their
labours with mutual enthusiasm for those common tasks which
the Rector and Parish will carry into that new and greater day
whither the Parish, under God's blessing, is destined.
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Before his arrival at St. Chrysostom's, Mr. Keeler had met with Mr.
Evans in September; his impression was obviously favorable.
The Reverend John Crippen Evans has been such a faithful
friend and worker since he came to you ... that I find the Parish
well-organized and doing splendidly. Mr. Evans and I are fellowworkers; side by side we would, to the highest degree possible,
live up to the ideals of our priesthood.
Although Mr. Evans had earlier informed the vestry that he planned to
resign at a time to be agreed upon after the arrival of the new rector, he
remained as associate at St. Chrysostom's throughout Stephen Keeler's
tenure as rector.
Weekday celebrations of Holy Communion, eliminated during the
interim period, were reinstituted:
From now on there will be ... Celebrations of the Holy
Communion on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and on Thursday at 7:30
a.m. ... Engagements are such that the privilege of attending
weekday Services falls only to a few; however, I do believe that
there are some who will welcome the chance of building our
spiritual life by increased loyalty to the Holy Communion.
The new rector hoped to become quickly acquainted with his
parishioners, and planned to be in his office every day from eleven till noon
"affording opportunity for parishioners to meet him somewhat more quickly
than by the usual method, to be followed in due course, of calling at the
home." "Just as fast as engagements permit," he wrote in the December 1
bulletin, two weeks after his arrival, "I am making parish calls and taking
pleasure in doing so, for I am old-fashioned enough still to believe that 'a
house-going parson makes a church-going people.'" That day's bulletin also
included a Thanksgiving message of welcome by Dr. Hutton from his new
parish, St. Andrew's, Wellesley, Massachusetts. "I am thankful today that
the old Parish I love so dearly has you to lead it on to greater usefulness.
May the day be one of real joy. If opportunity arises present my love and
felicitations to the congregation. I shall remember you all at the Altar."
Stephen Keeler made it a point to attend meetings of all the parish
organizations and wrote of his pleasure at becoming acquainted with the
groups and their members, but took a special interest in the Church School.
The teachers had for some time been holding monthly meetings; in
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announcing the December 9 meeting Mr. Keeler wrote, "Saint Chrysostom's
has a rich field for the development of ideals of religious education. I intend
to be actively engaged in it, and want to give of my best to it. Consequently
I anticipate with great interest the next meeting of the faculty ... Put it on
your calendar, and be there without excuse!" Early in 1930 he instituted the
"rector's catechism" program in which Church School students were to
memorize the answers to weekly questions; Prayer Books were presented to
those successfully completing the program. A Sunday morning adult Bible
class under John Evans was added as part of the Christian education
program. Mr. Evans was apparently well qualified to teach the class; more
than one of his Tribune articles at that time discussed current approaches to
Bible study.
An innovation in the 1929 Christmas schedule was the hour of carols
sung by the junior choir preceding the 11 a.m. service on Christmas Day;
probably thanks to Mr. Evans' connections, their performance was broadcast
on Tribune radio station WGN. A New Year's Eve Watch Night service also
formed part of the holiday schedule, but apparently was not popular as it
was not continued the following year. Mr. Keeler maintained the practice of a
special service honoring students home for vacation, though students'
names were no longer listed in the bulletin. The Girls' Friendly Society, as
was its custom, invited children from an orphanage to a Christmas party at
the church; Eliza Littler, supervisor of the Home for the Friendless at 5059
Vincennes Avenue, wrote to thank the group for "the lovely party ... We
appreciate your furnishing the transportation as it was such a stormy night.
Upon their return the girls told us of the wonderful time they had."
The present-day reader examining parish documents from this period
looks in vain for any immediate impact of the stock market crash of late
October. Mr. Evans' sermon titles at that time do not indicate any reference
to the crash, and Mr. Keeler's optimistic vision of "that new and greater day"
seems to reflect the confidence of the late 1920s rather than the troubled
times of the next decade. The first possible reference to problems ahead
appears in the December 1929 vestry minutes, which included "a careful
discussion of the financial situation." The bulletin of January 5, 1930 noted
that 31 families had been helped during the Christmas season just past,
while the rector's New Year message in the same bulletin sounded a
considerably more somber note than his first message six weeks earlier. "We
stand, dear friends, on the threshold of the unknown. Immediately before us
is the doorway of the new year, and we are entering in to possess it. Who
can tell what we shall find? ... But here is a comforting, cheering, gladdening
message from the Heavenly Father: 'The Lord thy God careth for thee' and
'in quiet and confidence shall be your strength.'" The March 9 bulletin
requested gifts of men's clothing: "The suffering this winter, I am told ... has
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been worse than ever before. We need ... especially suits that men may
wear, as they seek for employment."
The early months of Stephen Keeler's ministry at St. Chrysostom's
were marked not only by the worsening financial situation but by sad events
in the parish. In December 1929 George Edwards, who had served as sexton
since 1916, was forced to retire due to ill health. "Mr. Edwards has seen the
remarkable growth of this parish," wrote the rector in the bulletin of
December 1. "Increased work and responsibility ... have been cheerfully and
faithfully met by Mr. Edwards. His work will always remain a factor in the
fabric of St. Chrysostom's." The vestry voted to retire Mr. Edwards on half
pay; he and his wife left the city for Moscow, Pennsylvania, where he died on
November 1, 1930. A tribute to him appeared in the November 9 bulletin:
"Kindly and courteous and untiring in his efforts for the good of this parish,
Mr. Edwards will always be remembered most gratefully." Mrs. Belle Dunn,
who had been the choir mother in the days of the boys' choir and had
participated in the early choir camps, died on February 2, 1930 after a long
illness and was memorialized in the following week's bulletin. "She is still
spoken of with affectionate interest by many who remember her as choir
mother ... a woman of a very sweet and gentle nature who always brought
out the best in every character that touched hers." Samuel Felton, chairman
of the Chicago Great Western Railroad and donor of the Virgin Mary window,
died on March 11. The Tribune of March 12 contained a lengthy front-page
feature story on Felton’s distinguished career. As director general of military
railways in World War I, he had been responsible for the transportation of
railway forces and supplies to France and the transportation of troops to the
Atlantic seaboard. At the end of the war he was awarded the French Legion
of Honor and was the first civilian to receive the American Distinguished
Service medal. His father Samuel, also a railroad official, had arranged
secret rail transportation for president-elect Abraham Lincoln to Washington
to avoid an assassination plot. On the day of Samuel Felton’s funeral at St.
Chrysostom's on March 13, the C.G.W. trains were stopped for one minute in
his memory.
The March 30 bulletin reported the death of Joseph Thompson.
Joseph Henry Thompson, parishioner for twenty years,
member of the choir, superintendent of construction and
maintenance at Camp Oronoko, former president of the Tuesday
Nighters, passed away Tuesday morning and was laid to rest on
Friday ... His outstanding work was in connection with the fresh
air camp, where he planned the building operations ... crowned
last summer with the erection of the recreation hall. In this
building Mr. Thompson expected to continue this work, making it
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his week-end summer home. His identification with this
enterprise ... was so complete, and his devotion to it so selfeffacing, that the campus ... becomes at once his impressive
monument and his fitting memorial.
Outside the parish, Bishop Charles P. Anderson's death on January 30
must have grieved Episcopalians throughout the diocese (and beyond it,
since Bishop Anderson had been elected presiding bishop a few months
before his death). The election of a new presiding bishop took place in
Chicago on March 26; a memorial service for Bishop Anderson was
scheduled at St. James Church the previous evening, conflicting with St.
Chrysostom's Tuesday evening Lenten service. Bishop Abbott, who had been
scheduled to return to his former parish for the first time as preacher that
night, asked that the service be canceled so that he and any parishioners
who might wish could attend the memorial service, adding that he preferred
to make his first return visit to St. Chrysostom's on a happier occasion.
Not all the news at this period was sad. The vestry meeting of January
12 made reference to a happy anniversary.
The Rector ... called attention to the fact that Sunday,
January 12, 1930 marked the thirty-seventh anniversary of the
day [Frederick Spalding] first became connected with St.
Chrysostom's Parish, whereupon the individual members of the
Vestry present expressed to Mr. Spalding and to the Rector ...
the esteem and affectionate regard in which Mr. Spalding is held
... [and] VOTED to commemorate the event in the minutes of
the meeting and to express to Mr. Spalding the grateful thanks
and appreciation of the Parish and the Vestry for his continuous,
constant and untiring effort for the welfare of the parish and
particularly his splendid and successful management of the
Summer Camp.
Later in January, the annual meeting voted its appreciation for John Evans'
"splendid service" as locum tenens.
Vestry minutes for April 13, 1930 record a milestone in parish history,
when the group signed the petitions of Clyde Daniel Wilson and George
Albert Wilson, the first candidates from the parish for the ordained ministry.
(We do not know if the two were related.) Mr. Evans' encouragement must
have helped to influence their decisions, as both had been members of his
parish in Escanaba and had transferred to St. Chrysostom's the previous
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year. No information on George Wilson's later career has been found, but
Clyde Wilson, after serving at parishes in DeKalb, Illinois and in Connecticut
and Ohio, became rector of Grace Church, Oak Park, in the late 1950s.
During the search process he came to St. Chrysostom's as guest preacher,
allowing Grace Church members to hear his sermon. John Evans regularly
assisted at Grace Church after Clyde Wilson became its rector.
Sunday afternoon services, not scheduled since Dr. Hutton's time,
were resumed in January. A carillon recital preceded the services, music was
provided by the senior choir, and there was a ten-minute address, normally
given by Mr. Evans. The Tribune expressed interest in broadcasting the
service; cost to the parish was estimated at $50 a month and vestry
member Benjamin Taylor offered to assume the first month's costs. Letters
from listeners came from as far away as Peoria, Illinois and Des Moines,
Iowa. The Des Moines listener wrote, "Thinking you might be interested to
know that you had some appreciative listeners to the Vesper Service which I
and my family have just heard on WGN, I drop you a few lines to that effect.
As an Episcopalian, I think that the radio is a splendid medium in educating
the American people to the value, quiet beauty and dignity of our services."
Stephen Keeler was "convinced that the interest in our service of Evensong"
would "grow both in the city and among our radio listeners"; however, the
broadcasts lasted for only a few weeks, as WGN chose to broadcast a
nondenominational service from its studio instead.
In 1907 Mr. Snively had deplored the ill effects of "automobiling" on
the parish. Although his worst fears had not been realized, an automobilerelated problem was discussed at the vestry meeting of February 2, 1930.
"Statement was made that parking of automobiles in front of the church
prevented the safe and convenient arrival and departure of other members,
whereby Mr. Redmond volunteered to have 'No Parking' signs suitably
erected by order of the City Council." At the same meeting the vestry
discussed the purchase of an adding machine, referring the matter to a
committee for final decision.
During Lent, Mr. Keeler conducted a preaching mission in Ohio which
he had originally scheduled for the previous Advent but postponed in order
not to leave his new parish immediately after his arrival. (When out of the
city on preaching missions he took care to announce his absence in the
bulletin, and regularly expressed his gratitude to the parish for allowing him
to fulfill his engagements.) The Holy Week schedule included a Maundy
Thursday prayer vigil as in previous years. Among the Church School
students taking part in the pageant on Easter afternoon were Stephen
Keeler, Jr., Orville Hicks and David Simonds; David Simonds was among
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those confirmed the following month when Bishop Sheldon Griswold made
his visitation to St. Chrysostom's.
That spring saw the last recorded performance of the Cloister
Mummers. Their director Gloria Chandler left the city for an extended period
in late 1930. On her return she resumed responsibility for the Church School
pageant, but, perhaps because at a time of financial hardship interest in
amateur dramatics had waned, the Cloister Mummers did not resume their
productions.
Sheldon Griswold, the former suffragan bishop of the diocese, had
been elected diocesan immediately after Bishop Anderson's death. He was
older than his predecessor and in poor health, and called for the election of a
coadjutor in May 1930. Though Stephen Keeler had only been in the diocese
for a few months, at a preliminary vote taken the day before the official
election he received twelve clergy votes and seven and one-half lay votes.
The great majority of votes were given to the Reverend George Craig
Stewart, rector of St. Luke's Church, Evanston; Mr. Keeler and Dr. George
Thomas of St. Paul's Church on the south side (who had received twenty-two
votes) immediately withdrew in favor of Dr. Stewart. Although Bishop
Stewart came from a high church parish whose traditions differed from St.
Chrysostom's, his relationship with St. Chrysostom's was a warm one; he
often expressed his gratitude for the strong support given him by the parish
and its members, and during his episcopate two St. Chrysostom's
parishioners received his Distinguished Service Cross award.
June 1930 brought happy news to Stephen Keeler and to the parish
when he was awarded an honorary D.D. degree by Kenyon College in
Gambier, Ohio, probably at least in part for his work in 1928 and 1929 as
president of the Gambier Summer School and Conference for Clergy and
Church Workers. On June 29, Norman Hutton made his first visit to St.
Chrysostom's since his resignation, officiating at a special evening service for
Crane Company employees commemorating the firm's seventy-fifth
anniversary and preaching at the 11:00 service. Visiting American Bar
Association delegates and British lawyers in Chicago for the ABA convention
were honored on August 24; as Dr. Keeler was on vacation, Mr. Evans
preached, taking as his topic "The Commandments and the Law."
By the fall of 1930 Dr. Keeler was ready to make some changes in
parish activities and staff. Ida Lehr, who had served as parish visitor for
fourteen years, resigned when her request for a salary increase was refused;
the bulletin of October 19 paid tribute to her. Malcolm Langley, a senior at
Western Seminary (one of the five members of John Evans' Escanaba parish
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who had gone on to study for the ministry), joined the parish as lay
assistant in the Church School.
For the winter season of 1930/31, Stephen Keeler planned a series of
"Church Nights," described as "rally nights for the entire parish." At the first
of these, on October 22, Bishop Stewart was the speaker — his first official
appearance at St. Chrysostom's. According to the next week's bulletin, the
evening was "very successful"; the bishop's address on "What It Means to
Believe in God" was said to be "one of the most inspiring ever made" in the
parish, and the Boy Scouts did such a good job waiting on table that the
rector donated a flag to the troop. St. Chrysostom's commemorated the
feast day of its patron saint (observing the Eastern Church date of
November 13) on November 16; Dr. Keeler commented in the day's bulletin
that "were he alive today and living in Chicago, he would doubtless attack
much of the evil and graft in municipal politics and government. Injustice,
selfishness and greed never failed to rouse in him eloquent opposition. We
who love him as our Patron Saint ought to reflect his devoted zeal ... on
behalf of church and state."
The Christmas bazaar was resumed in 1930 after a year's hiatus. After
the women informed Stephen Keeler of the tradition of the "rector's table,"
he wrote to the men of the congregation: "Chicago is full of hold-up men and
I have never desired particularly to belong to their number. However, in this
special interest I am helpless, for the ladies in charge of the Parish Bazaar,
on Thursday, December 4, say there has to be a Rector's Table." Receipts
from the bazaar totaled over $8500, over half of which supported the work
of other parish groups, principally the Community Center and Camp
Oronoko.
Robert Pegel and his wife Eva now directed the Community Center. Mr.
Pegel, assistant football coach at Lane Technical High School, had been
confirmed at St. Chrysostom's in 1918; formerly a member of the parish Boy
Scout program, he had attended Camp Oronoko as both camper and
counselor. The Center's activities that year included gym, cooking and
handicraft classes for boys and girls, sewing classes and "home
management" for girls, manual training for boys, and dramatics; archery
was added to the program a short time later.
The Church School continued its long-standing tradition of collecting
canned goods for St. Mary's Home on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and
sent a Christmas box to "St. Christopher's Colored Sunday School" in Atlanta
and a gift of $10 to St. Andrew's Industrial School in St. Andrew's,
Tennessee, recently destroyed by fire. Two Girls' Friendly Society groups
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continued their activities; younger members made scrapbooks and an older
group sewed for the Church Mission of Help, a diocesan charity.
January 10, 1931, was a date "of special interest to the entire Parish";
Malcolm Langley's ordination to the diaconate, the first ordination held at St.
Chrysostom's. "The Church should be filled," read the previous week's
bulletin, pointing out that the occasion was also the first time Bishop Stewart
would officiate at a service at St. Chrysostom's. John Evans was the
preacher and Stephen Keeler the presenter at the service. Mr. Langley had
grown up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, missing only two Sundays in
seven years at Sunday School; he had served in the Navy and been in
business before entering seminary. He remained on the parish staff for the
rest of the school year.
These events took place against a worsening financial situation in the
parish as well as in the city and nation. Coupon books issued by the Chicago
Christian Industrial League enabling donors to give to persons on the street
"without indiscriminate giving away of money" were available from parish
executive secretary John Astley-Cock; the coupons were good for food and
lodging for a night at League headquarters, and streetcar tokens for
transportation to the headquarters could also be purchased. (Ninety percent
of the coupons, according to the bulletin, were used for their intended
purpose.) An appeal was made for suits for boys from fifteen to eighteen.
The Endowment Fund income was used to meet delinquent payments from
the parish's mission account; money was taken from the carillon fund to pay
for music at the Sunday afternoon services. Despite these measures, in
October 1930 it was necessary for the vestry to borrow $6000 from the
Northern Trust Company, with the possibility of adding an additional $1500
to the amount before the end of the year; a canvass headed by the rector,
John Astley-Cock and vestry member Joseph King was scheduled later that
fall.
By early 1931 the parish financial situation had worsened
considerably. According to a letter from the vestry in March, the deficit for
1930 had been approximately $6000 and a $10,000 deficit was projected for
1931. "Substantial reductions have been made in the salaries of the
members of our staff, including the rector ... The sacrifices ... have been
made cheerfully and willingly by every one affected. The amount of saving
so effected is inadequate, and our revenue must be substantially increased.
Are you not willing, in order that we may avoid a curtailment of staff, music,
and useful work, to increase your support of this Parish? This may be done
by an immediate increase in your weekly pledge, or by your acceptance of
an increase of 20% in rental, if you are a pewholder, or by voluntary and
prompt pledge of an amount of additional money to be paid during the year
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as a special contribution. If you have no pledge ... will you not make one at
this time and so add to the regular income of the Parish?" On March 22, "in
the interest of economy in parish administration," the bulletin was reduced
considerably in size.
Dr. Keeler led the children's Friday afternoon Lenten services, using
the theme "Adventuring with Christ"; children were urged to think of
themselves as modern Crusaders. In addition, he conducted both the youth
and adult confirmation classes in preparation for Bishop Stewart's visitation
on May 3, and gave meditations on "Three Scenes in the Life of Mary
Magdalene" at a quiet day on March 19 sponsored by the Daughters of the
King and the diocesan Women's Auxiliary. At the evening service on Palm
Sunday, March 29, the choir performed Maunder's "Penitence, Pardon and
Peace," which had been sung twenty-one years earlier by the boys' choir
directed by John Astley-Cock; on Good Friday, in addition to the traditional
Three Hours service, the choir sang Stainer's "Crucifixion" at 8 p.m. The
children's Easter service featured The Pathway, an Easter Pageant, in which
David Simonds played the part of a Wise Man and Virginia Elwood an
"American child"; Virginia Elwood Franche in later years regularly attended
the 8:00 service and served for some years as president of the Women of
St. Chrysostom's.
The results of the election of a bishop coadjutor of the diocese of
Minnesota on April 15 came as a surprise to both Dr. Keeler and the parish.
In an election for which no nominations had been made in advance, Stephen
Keeler was elected unanimously on the first ballot. The following day's
Tribune described the election as "practically unique in the history of the
American Episcopal Church," adding that Stephen Keeler's "rise in the church
has been considered sensationally rapid." According to the vestry minutes of
April 20,
Dr. Keeler stated that this election was made without
consultation with him and without assurance of his acceptance.
He further stated that the fact his election was unanimous, on
the first ballot, impressed him deeply and he felt himself obliged
to give the election earnest consideration — that he had
reached no decision as yet and that, inasmuch as the cities and
towns of the diocese were unfamiliar, he intended to pay a visit
there before making his decision.
... The Junior warden congratulated Dr. Keeler on the very
great honor that had been conferred on him and on St.
Chrysostom's parish and expressed the hope ... [he] would reach
his decision solely on the point of his own feeling of greatest
opportunity and usefulness in the service of the church, and
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expressed ... the loyalty of ... the Vestry in whatever decision he
might reach.
The rector expressed the hope that he might not be
confused or embarrassed by too much discussion of the question
... The Clerk of the Vestry [Fletcher Durbin, a vestry member
since 1924] feels these minutes would fail to be a complete
record ... if they did not record the mixed feelings of the Vestry
of pride in their Rector and of distress at the thought he might
leave the parish at this time.
On April 30 Dr. Keeler notified the vestry of his acceptance; the
circumstances of his election, the fact that Minnesota was the second largest
diocese west of the Mississippi, and his substantial responsibilities as
coadjutor (he would have charge of all work outside the Twin Cities) were
factors in his decision. The vestry's offer of St. Chrysostom's as a site for the
consecration service was accepted immediately.
Bishop Keeler was consecrated on 10:30 a.m. June 24 (St. John the
Baptist's Day). Betty Redmond, in attendance on the occasion, recalls that
the church was exceptionally hot, a memory confirmed by the Tribune
comment that "several persons were overcome by the heat and were forced
to leave the church." Since two hundred clergy from Chicago and Minnesota
were present, space for parishioners was at a premium and attendance was,
as at the 11:00 service on Easter Sunday, by ticket only; the service was
amplified so that it could be heard in the parish house and cloister. John
Evans was master of ceremonies for the occasion.
Besides the clergy from Chicago and Minnesota and other Episcopal
clergy participating in the service, the Reverend Harrison Ray Anderson of
Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Reverend John Timothy Stone, former
pastor of Fourth Presbyterian and now president of Presbyterian Theological
Seminary, the president of the Chicago Church Federation, and bishops from
the Serbian, Russian and Greek Orthodox churches marched in the
procession to the hymns "Ancient of Days" and "From All Thy Saints in
Warfare," the latter chosen to commemorate the feast of St. John the
Baptist. Presiding Bishop James DeWolf Perry of Rhode Island was the
consecrator, Bishops Frank McElwain of Minnesota (under whom the new
bishop would serve) and George Craig Stewart of Chicago were coconsecrators; Bishop Abbott returned to his former parish to read the
Epistle. Sixteen acolytes took part in the service, including the bishop-elect's
son Stephen Keeler, Jr., senior acolyte Elmer Tengberg, vestry member John
Redmond's sons John and Norman, Orville Hicks and David Simonds. The
sermon hymn "God of the Prophets" and a sermon by Ohio Bishop Warren
Rogers preceded the consecration; the offertory, Mendelssohn's "How Lovely
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Are the Messengers," had also been sung at Malcolm Langley's ordination.
The setting of the Sanctus was by Allum (perhaps the parish's former
choirmaster Charles Allum). As was the custom at ordinations and
consecrations at the time, the congregation were requested not to make
their communions at the service. Following the recessional hymn, "I Heard
the Sound of Voices," a luncheon was held at the Ambassador East Hotel for
the visiting clergy, at which junior warden George Ranney acted as
toastmaster.
Stephen Keeler remained in charge of St. Chrysostom's for the rest of
the summer, not leaving for Minnesota until September; John Evans was
again named locum tenens until a new rector was chosen. Ironically,
Frederick West, Stephen Keeler's parishioner in Pittsfield and Chicago, died
in late September, shortly after the bishop's departure. "His high integrity,
loyalty and kindliness endeared him to all his associates in the work of the
church," read a resolution passed at the annual meeting the following
January.
Dr. Evans' second period as interim rector was considerably more
difficult than his first. The financial situation continued to worsen; in October
printed bulletins were abandoned altogether as a cost-cutting measure and
replaced by a monthly mimeographed letter. Dr. Evans' November letter
quoted from a recent sermon: "The present economic situation offers a
magnificent opportunity for Christians to be Christian, for Churches to
proclaim the religion of Jesus." He went on to discuss the Community
Center: "More than 200 boys and girls were in our Parish House during the
afternoons and some of the evenings of last week ... removed from the
tension of homes where the next meal, perhaps, is a bit of guess-work."
Deacon assistant Malcolm Langley had by now left for a parish in Bishop
Keeler's diocese.
Norman Hutton returned to the parish on the weekend of November 7
and 8 to officiate at the wedding of Bertha Baur's daughter Rosemary to
Bartle Bull and to preach at the Sunday service. The wedding was a large
one with a number of attendants; passers-by filled the courtyard, and the
Tribune wrote that invited guests had some difficulty getting into the church.
The weekend, undoubtedly eagerly awaited by members of the parish, was
not altogether joyful, for Richard T. Crane, Jr. died in a hospital in New York
on his fifty-eighth birthday, November 7. Mr. Crane's heart had been bad for
some time; according to news stories his condition was worsened by concern
for his company, and the necessity of dismissing some workers preyed on
his mind and was said to have hastened his death. Dr. Hutton remained in
the city for the funeral, which took place at St. Chrysostom's the following
Thursday. "Though not a member of this Parish," read a resolution passed at
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the 1932 annual meeting, "Mr. Crane not only contributed generously to ...
[the] Building Fund, but erected, installed and maintained the Tower and
Carillon as a memorial to his parents ... His high integrity and keen sense of
honor made him an outstanding character in his business and social life."
Another nonparishioner who had been a generous contributor to the
building fund died on January 26, 1932. William Wrigley, Jr. was buried in
Pasadena, California, but memorial services were held at St. Chrysostom's;
baseball figures present included Cubs manager Rogers Hornsby and catcher
Gabby Hartnett, Louis Comiskey and Harry Grabiner of the White Sox front
office, and the presidents of the National and American League. John Evans'
eulogy praised Mr. Wrigley as "a man who lived completely ... Although he
passed the scriptural three score years and ten, old age was unable to lay
hold on him ... It is in that sort of attainment that the Christian pulpit is
primarily interested, because the message ... is wholly concerned with life ...
that will not die." William V. Kelley, who with his wife Lilian had given the
Mary and Martha of Bethany windows in the church, had died a few days
earlier on January 21; though too ill to attend his son Gordon's wedding to
Hortense Henry at St. Chrysostom's on January 16, he had insisted that the
service continue as planned.
The parish financial situation continued to worsen. Another loan of
$12,000 was arranged from the Northern Trust, and Dr. Evans
recommended that a formal canvass be scheduled after the parish annual
meeting. The vestry were obviously feeling some stress; a committee
headed by John Redmond recommended the institution of a rotating vestry,
though no action was taken on its report. Bishop Stewart expressed concern
in late 1931 that no replacement had as yet been selected for Dr. Keeler;
the vestry assured him that a committee "had matters in hand."
By the end of January 1932 a candidate had been chosen. On January
22, Bishop Stewart wrote that the Reverend Dudley Scott Stark of the
Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City had made a favorable impression
on him; on January 27th, St. Chrysostom's Day in the western calendar, Mr.
Stark was called (at a salary of $7500 a year plus the use of the Astor Street
apartment).
John Evans' contribution to the parish was an important one. We may
share the vestry's "personal appreciation ... for his faithful and devoted
service during his incumbency" as recorded on February 2, 1932, and can
appreciate the "rising vote of thanks" given to him at the annual meeting of
January 17. When in April he "accepted temporarily pastoral duty elsewhere
in the Diocese of Chicago," the vestry appealed by letter for contributions to
a purse for him.
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He came to us in May 1929, assuming full charge of our
Parish after Dr. Abbott left until the election of Dr. Keeler as
Rector ... Continuing on as Assistant until Dr. Keeler's
consecration ... he again assumed full charge until March, 1932.
... During this trying period of changes in the history of the
Parish ... Dr. Evans endeared himself to us all by his unfailing
tact, his prompt and faithful ministrations, and his thoughtinspiring sermons. We of the Vestry acknowledge this devoted
record of service with gratitude: and we think, as we wish him
farewell, that his numerous friends should be afforded an
opportunity of joining with us in giving him some tangible
evidence of appreciation for his splendid ministry.
The congregation responded with a gift of $500, a generous donation for a
period of hard times.
Mather Abbott had previously taught at Groton School, where Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and three of the sons of Theodore Roosevelt were among
his pupils.
Sheldon Griswold was not related to Frank T. Griswold III, tenth bishop of
the diocese of Chicago and later Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
These developed from a summer Bible study and Sunday School teacher
training program in Chautauqua, N.Y., and from "lyceums" providing cultural
programs and current events discussions; they included a wide range of
lectures and entertainment for "circuits" covering a geographic area.
The friendship between the two priests extended to their families. Eunice
Keeler was godmother to the Evans' daughter Emily Jane, baptized at St.
Chrysostom's on January 4, 1931.
According to former parishioner Rollin Hunt, James F. Justice, who
succeeded Mr. Edwards later in the year, was the first African American
employed by the parish.
At that time the Presiding Bishop did not resign from his diocesan position
upon election.
Parish archives do not record this event, but the author, then in college,
recalls receiving letters from her parents describing Fr. Wilson's visit.
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Lay votes were recorded by parishes and not individuals; parishes received
one vote and organized missions one-half vote.
At this time it was not uncommon for a bishop to be consecrated in his
parish rather than in his new diocese. In later years Bishop Keeler took
considerable pride in noting that his was the only consecration to take place
at St. Chrysostom's. Although a deacon was ordained and a bishop
consecrated at St. Chrysostom's in 1931, the first ordination of a priest there
did not take place until Donald Nickson was ordained in 1952.
John Evans had received an honorary D.D. degree from his alma mater
Cornell College in June 1931.
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CHAPTER 7
Dudley S. Stark: Depression Years, 1932-1940
The Reverend Dudley Scott Stark was born in Waverly, New York, on
November 19, 1894; his family later moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Many
years afterward his father Rodney recalled an incident at the church in
Waverly: "One day I was singing in the choir ... Dudley came to church late
— he was a little boy then — and when he came in and saw me in the choir
loft, he came running right up to sit with me. I guess he got to like the idea
of looking down at the congregation right then and decided to become a
minister." Dudley Stark was a Phi Beta Kappa student at Trinity College in
Hartford, Connecticut, from which he graduated in 1917; he attended the
Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and during the
war year of 1918 also took a naval reserve officers' training course at
Harvard. Shortly after graduating from seminary in 1920 he married Mary
Leith; the couple had four children, identical twins Rosalind and Mary and
sons Gregory and Dudley, Jr. (Parishioners from the Stark years recall that
the twins, in their teens and twenties, would sometimes impersonate each
other when teaching church school classes or going on dates.) Mr. Stark
served as curate and later as rector of St. Mark's Church, Mauch Chunk,
Pennsylvania, before becoming vicar of the Church of the Holy Trinity in New
York City (then a mission of St. James Church) in 1926. "In his five years
the mission grew so that its active membership is far larger than that of St.
Chrysostom's," stated the letter from the vestry announcing the new rector's
arrival. "We are confident that Mr. Stark will bring to us inspiring spiritual
leadership, and persuasive pulpit eloquence — but he must have your loyal
support and sympathetic co-operation if he is to ... develop our Parish so
that it may have that wider influence for good in the community which it
deserves ... Please don't wait for him to call upon you, — go to see him at
his office ... and help the members of the Vestry make him and Mrs. Stark
feel at home here." Mr. Stark's "persuasive pulpit eloquence" is testified to
by long-time members of the parish, who cite his sermons as among the
best in a church noted throughout its history for the quality of its preaching.
Former choir member Juanita Hunt recalls his infectious laughter: "Once he
telephoned me and during the course of the conversation got to laughing so
hard that he had to hang up and call me back."
Dudley Stark did not retain John Evans on the staff, preferring to have
a full-time curate as his assistant. Though Dr. Evans moved on to other
supply work shortly after Mr. Stark's arrival, the vestry allowed the Evans
family to remain in the parish house until their new apartment on Division
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Street was available in June; John Evans often returned to the parish on
special occasions, and his wife Belva regularly attended services and
Women's Guild meetings at St. Chrysostom's until she left the city in the late
1960s. The Reverend Eugene R. Shannon, a recent seminary graduate,
joined St. Chrysostom's in the summer on a part-time basis and began fulltime work in September with responsibility for the Sunday afternoon
services and the Sunday School. A Sunday School Council of representatives
from the sixteen classes in the senior and junior departments met with him
twice a month "for the administration of ... extra-curricular affairs." In the
fall and winter of 1932/33 the older classes held an attendance contest in
which "two boats, Red and Blue, were to race around Lake Michigan"; the
losing Blue team hosted the Red team at a party in February. Children were
at this period asked to collect special Lenten mite box offerings; at Mr.
Shannon's request, Rollin Hunt constructed a giant mite box to receive the
offerings at the Easter Sunday children's service.
In spite of the parish's financial problems, the elimination of the
bulletin as an economy move had been reconsidered, and weekly bulletins
were resumed at the beginning of 1932. At Mr. Stark's first vestry meeting
the group discussed the possibility of saving money by cutbacks on
insurance, referring the decision to the property committee, which
maintained the insurance at its current level; however, after the theft of
three chalices from the church in August, fire insurance on the building was
cut back to pay for theft insurance. At a vestry meeting later in the year, Mr.
Stark "stated that he expected soon to receive the gift of a new chalice,
which should be insured for its value." This chalice, engraved "D.S.S. 1932,"
was dedicated at the Christmas Eve service that year and continues to be
used at nearly every parish celebration of Holy Communion.
Attendance at the Community Center had dramatically increased;
registrations grew from 193 in 1930/31 to 435 in 1931/32. However, the
Center faced a funding shortage and was almost forced to close in April
1932. An open house on April 15, "to give the parish and our friends in the
neighborhood opportunity to observe the work that is being carried on," was
probably planned to bring in additional contributions and must have been
successful, since the program continued until its originally scheduled closing
date in late May. The bulletin of April 10 described the Center as "an agency
for good for the children of the neighborhood in which there is no other
Community Center. Its service is character building. Its usefulness, in this
recent year of poverty, idle hours and curtailed recreational facilities such as
closed playgrounds and the lack of usual after school activities, has more
than doubled ... It is hoped that a great many parishioners and friends will
... see what St. Chrysostom's is doing for the youngsters of the
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neighborhood who might otherwise be driven to the unwholesome influence
of street play and street gangs."
In the fall of 1932, Center programs were cut back to two days a week
(though later in the year a third day was added to the schedule). The parish
could no longer afford to pay the Pegels to supervise the Center; as Robert
Pegel also worked as a coach at Lane Technical High School, the couple were
able to accept the vestry's offer of free housing in the parish house in
exchange for their services, but at the end of the season gave up their work
at the Center. After their departure the Center operated "with a skeleton
budget" and "an almost entirely hundred per cent volunteer staff";
supervisor Louise Neff, a member of the parish since childhood, appealed for
more help in the November 19, 1933 bulletin. "At present there is but one
teacher for forty girls, between the ages of nine and sixteen, who want to
learn to sew ... If this wholesome activity is to continue, we must have more
teachers." She also requested a sewing machine, and asked for donations of
magazine subscriptions such as St. Nicholas, Boys' Life and National
Geographic for the library. Nine women came forward as sewing teachers,
while other volunteers taught boys' drawing, gymnasium, manual training
and tap dancing and supervised the kindergarten and the library.
The sewing and woodwork groups at the Community Center produced
costumes and sets for the 1933 Sunday School Christmas pageant. In this
pageant, the role of "A Girl" was played by Frances Amberg (later Frances
Spence); a friend and classmate of the Stark twins at Girls' Latin School, she
was later married at St. Chrysostom's in a ceremony performed by Dudley
Stark. Returning to the parish in the 1970s after some years out of the city,
she became active as an Altar Guild member and president of that
organization, was elected to the vestry in 1986 and served on the rector
search committee of 1991-1993. In the Good News of December 1991, she
recalled the 1933 pageant: "I remember standing on the chancel steps,
participating in the Sunday School Christmas program and feeling so very
happy."
Camp Oronoko too was financially troubled. On Frederick Spalding's
recommendation, the vestry voted not to open the camp in 1932 until
sufficient cash was available to pay for expenses, and to continue the season
only so long as it could be operated without running a deficit or increasing
indebtedness remaining from former seasons. The camp remained open for
eleven weeks, six for boys and five for girls, with 550 children in attendance;
much of the money for its operation was obtained from weekend paying
guests, and the season ended without an increase in the existing deficit.
"Members ... listened with much pleasure to the report of so successful a
season, in such difficult times," read the vestry minutes of October 2. Camp
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operation in succeeding summers continued on the same basis, with
attendance at a comparable level. A late 1936 parish bulletin called attention
to a camper who had recently been in the news. Fifteen-year-old Betty
Jaynes, who received much local publicity when she sang the role of Mimi in
a Chicago City Opera production of La Bohème, had spent part of her
vacation at Camp Oronoko, where she "entertained her fellow campers by
her singing."
Further economies in parish operations were necessary. In October
1932 the vestry voted to reduce the salaries of lay employees Harold
Simonds, John Astley-Cock, sexton James Justice and assistant sexton John
Fett, saving over $1000 a year. The rector and vestry, hoping to increase
pledge support, planned an every member canvass that fall. Under parish
treasurer Benjamin Taylor and vestry member Fletcher Durbin, ten or twelve
groups of five people with a captain made 550 visits or calls on Sunday
afternoon, December 4, resulting in an increase of $1553 in pledges for
1933. However, this was not sufficient to support the parish staff even at the
reduced rate of pay, and John Astley-Cock resigned from his position as
executive secretary as an economy measure. His letter to the vestry dated
"March 1933" describes a situation which must have been all too common at
that period: "I had hoped to leave at the end of last month but plans
previously made came to naught on February 5th; nor have I anything
definite at this moment; since, however, the figure for salaries in the 1933
budget includes mine only until the end of March, I wish to finish on that
date." Sadly, there is no indication of his later employment; however, in
consideration of his "long and devoted service" the vestry voted to pay half
his salary for the months of April and May. In one of the few items of
business that spring which did not relate to the prevailing financial
difficulties, the vestry unanimously voted on May 14, 1933 to name Norman
Hutton "rector honorarius."
In 1893, news of the forthcoming World's Columbian Exposition had
appeared in the Tribune on the day of the parish's first service; the present
lectern and the organ used in the parish from 1897 to 1953 were originally
designed for display at the fair. Forty years later, an exhibit by the Episcopal
diocese formed part of the 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition, and
John Redmond prepared copy on the church for an advertising piece to be
placed in hotels for fair visitors; 394 people signed the parish visitors' book
during the fair's five-month duration in 1933.
Mr. Stark resumed the midweek celebrations of Holy Communion
which had been suspended after Dr. Keeler's departure, and followed the
Tuesday 10 a.m. service with a class in "personal religion" devoted to the
Bible and to such religious classics as Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ.
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Dudley Stark's concern for his parishioners' personal religious life was also
shown during Lent, when he recommended a list of books for Lenten reading
and devotion; his selections included Albert Schweitzer's Out of My Life and
Thought as well as works by such well-known religious authors of the time
as the English priest W.R. Inge and the American Methodist missionary E.
Stanley Jones. In later years Mr. Stark often conducted Lenten study
programs focusing on spiritual readings.
The Men's Club had by this time been discontinued; interest in a men's
social group had very likely declined at a time of business difficulties. The
Women's Guild remained active, but did not schedule a bazaar in 1932;
following the practice of the war year of 1918, parishioners were asked to
contribute to the Guild what they might have spent at a bazaar, the funds to
be used for the support of parish social service work and Camp Oronoko as
well as for the Guild's own work. The group for younger women founded by
Dr. Abbott to make bandages for hospitals, now called the St. Agnes Guild,
met weekly to make garments for church institutions, but did not survive
beyond the early years of Dudley Stark's rectorship. Though the Mothers'
Club still presented reports at parish annual meetings, by the end of the
decade its only recorded activity was the contribution of altar flowers on
Mother's Day. The Tuesday Nighters' program substituted quieter activities
— chamber music and recitals, a bridge tournament — for the dances and
plays which had been so popular in the 1920s; the winter of 1933/34 was
the group's last. A Tuesday evening class in personal religion conducted by
the rector took its place on the schedule the following winter. (On February
12, 1935, in response to requests from parishioners, the topic —
undoubtedly all too relevant — was "The Parable of the Unemployed.") Delta
Kappa Phi, an organization for young people from 16 to 21 (apparently the
branch of a diocesan group), began in late 1933 under Mr. Shannon's
direction. "The organization has two aims, fellowship and service; and
already ... has assisted the rector on two occasions ... The regular meetings
are held at half-past seven o'clock on Sunday evenings ... The organization
has 35 members to date, and others in the parish who are interested are
urged to attend." Delta Kappa Phi regularly sponsored a Christmas dance,
using proceeds from admission fees to purchase Christmas baskets for the
needy.
Although the Tuesday Nighters no longer performed plays and
musicals, dramatic activity was not absent from the parish program. The
Community Center's "Peppy Teens Club" presented Let's Go Somewhere, a
"comedy-drama of today," on Friday, February 24, 1933; four days later, on
Shrove Tuesday, the Girls' Friendly Society staged a minstrel show in the
gymnasium with Gloria Chandler directing and Harold Simonds in charge of
the music. Profits from the 50c admission would be used for the GFS'
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contributions to Camp Oronoko and diocesan institutions. In April 1934 Delta
Kappa Phi performed Booth Tarkington's three-act comedy Seventeen for
the benefit of the rector's discretionary fund, the first of several comedies
staged by that group during the remaining years of the decade.
The 1931 proposal for rotating vestry terms indicates that the financial
problems of the time had taken their toll. Many vestry had served for a
considerable length of time; Frederic Norcross had been a member since
1905, John Redmond since 1909 and George Ranney since 1911, and Paul
Noyes, on the vestry since 1915, had to be talked out of resigning in early
1933. Mr. Stark stressed the importance of continuity of leadership at this
troubled period, and no action was taken on the proposal for rotating terms.
In his remarks at the 1934 annual meeting, Frederic Norcross paid tribute to
the rector's accomplishment of "unity and well-directed purpose" which had
"inspired" the vestry; though "many members ... had wished to retire and
had felt it would be in the interest of the Parish for others to take their place,
all had agreed to serve another year at the request of the rector."
Harold Simonds at this period seems to have made a special study of
Russian Orthodox liturgy and music, as several bulletins for early 1933
include detailed information on Russian anthems sung by the choir. "Many
anthems are selected from composers of the Russian School most of whom
have derived inspiration from one of the three great Liturgies of which that
compiled by our Patron Saint, Saint John Chrysostom, is the richest," read
the bulletin for February 12. The following week Mr. Simonds described the
anthem "O Gladsome Light" by Alexander Dmitrievitch Kastalsky: "This
particular anthem is one of great beauty. Chiefly in eight parts, the leading
of the voices while of considerable complexity is no mere dexterous display.
The rapturous subjectivity of the divine sentiment, much of which is
regretfully lost in translation, has inspired a setting no less spiritually
acceptable than liturgically dignified." In the 1930s and early 1940s the choir
took part in the annual performances of the Chicago Choir Guild composed
of the mixed choirs of four parishes: St. Chrysostom's, St. James, St. Luke's,
Evanston and Holy Spirit, Lake Forest.
The children's Friday afternoon Lenten services for 1933 centered on
missions; among the speakers were Miss Mabel Holgate, a former St.
Chrysostom's Sunday School teacher working with Bishop Peter Rowe at the
Tanana Valley Mission in Alaska, Mr. Wai On Shim, a Honolulu resident
studying at Northwestern University, and the Reverend Robert T. Dickerson
of Liberia. In addition to their annual Thanksgiving collection of canned
goods for St. Mary's Home, the children had sent Christmas presents to Miss
Holgate's mission the previous December, and now collected books for Mr.
Dickerson's school in Liberia. Bishop Stewart's annual confirmation visitation
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that year took place on the Sunday after Easter, a date which remained
fixed under succeeding rectors and bishops until 1960.
That fall the vestry agreed to hold a canvass on a modified plan by
which "regular and established members of the parish ... would be solicited
... either by casual meeting, letter or telephone call ... Other persons and
families on the parish list would be called upon either by members of the
Vestry or others selected to do so." Part of junior warden George Ranney's
address to the congregation at the eleven o'clock service on November 26
survives.
Considering the hard times of the past four years, the
parish has come through in comparatively good shape.
It has, of course, run behind but we can see our way clear
to meet all operating deficits accruing prior to this year.
This was accomplished by borrowing ... from the bank and
paying the loan off ... with the interest received from the
Endowment Fund of the parish.
The expenses of the parish have been sharply reduced ...
This unpleasant task has been made easier by the fine spirit of
co-operation exhibited by every member of the church staff.
Without exception, we have all felt the effects of these
hard times ... Income from investments and contents of pay
envelopes have been reduced, and, in many cases, have stopped
entirely. Business has been stagnant; the life of the country hard
hit.
But hard times cannot be permitted to put religion or
man's faith in the hands of a receiver or sold on the auction
block.
The life of the Church at home and abroad must continue
with its full ministrations ... It cannot be permitted to fail in
meeting every demand even if temporal or worldly affairs fail
around it.
That is why our parish has carried on and is carrying on.
That is why the year 1933 will result in a deficit of about $2300.
That is why this deficit should be paid before entering another
year. That is why the vestry ask not only your continued support
but an increased support if it is in your power to give it.
If you are approached in person or by mail, remember that
it is probably as hard and unpleasant for the approacher as for
you, the approachee.
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The vestry promises no waste or extravagance ... but ...
must fulfill its trusteeship to carry on the work intrusted to its
care.
Though the canvass results are not recorded, we may hope that Mr.
Ranney's speech succeeded in raising additional funds for 1934.
January 1933 had marked the fortieth anniversary of the parish's first
services. The date was not commemorated, either because Mr. Stark had
been in the parish a relatively short time or because the anniversary of St.
Chrysostom's organization as a parish was seen as more important than that
of its first service. In June 1933 the vestry authorized Mr. Stark to select a
committee to plan an annual Founder's Day or Patron's Day program; in
September he proposed "that the Parish should celebrate the 40th
anniversary of its founding by special services, pageant and banquet at
some appropriate time, suggesting St. Chrysostom's Day in 1934,
whereupon it was VOTED to hold such a celebration on Sunday, January 28."
A committee of the rector, wardens, and vestry members John Redmond,
Harold Smith and Albert Sprague was appointed to plan the events, and the
following month John Redmond presented a progress report. The
anniversary would be celebrated on the weekend of January 26-28, 1934,
with Bishop Stewart preaching at the first service on Friday evening; a
pageant and service for children and a dinner were planned for Saturday. On
Sunday, Dr. Hutton was invited to return to his former parish and to preach
at the eleven o'clock service; an afternoon reception for the Huttons would
conclude the weekend.
Bishop Stewart paid tribute to the parish in the Diocese of January
1934.
Congratulations: To Saint Chrysostom's Parish which is
about to celebrate its fortieth anniversary. Within a generation it
has developed from a struggling mission in a tiny wooden chapel
to one of the great American parishes, wielding an enormous
influence upon the life of Chicago. It has been my own good
fortune to know personally all its Rectors ... The Diocese can
never forget Norman Hutton, that gracious, gentle, brotherly
man who for years made his spiritual life effective in building up
... both parish and diocese; Bishop Abbott, the flaming apostle
and evangelist whose stay among us was too brief; nor Bishop
Keeler, another brother beloved snatched by the episcopate just
when his strength of leadership was manifesting itself in our
midst ... And now we have learned to admire and respect and
love Dudley Stark, who quietly and efficiently has taken up the
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work and is bringing this fine parish into new records of growth
and of deepening, widening influence.
Bishop Stewart also included a brief biographical sketch of the parish's
patron saint John Chrysostom, "a great patron ... for a metropolitan church
in the heart of Chicago's near north side, where the Gospel must still be
proclaimed with fearlessness and friendliness, with incisiveness and love.
And, after forty years, increasingly carries on." Norman Hutton shared
memories of his years in the parish, touching on the difficult situation he
faced on his arrival and the contributions of many dedicated parishioners to
St. Chrysostom's growth.
I came early to the conclusion that the rich and the poor
are in great need of the religion of Jesus, and that the church
alone can satisfy their needs ... All alike need Jesus' way of life.
St. Chrysostom's in a very real sense ministered alike to all
conditions of people. At its altar all found peace and quiet
strength. In its services all found reality.
In its family life as a parish there was a sweet
reasonableness and charity ... In all the twenty years I never
had to settle a parish quarrel or to deal with a recalcitrant group.
St. Chrysostom's had poor and rich, saints and sinners,
and between — all were dear to my heart. I knew I was no
preacher, yet what I said in the pulpit came from deep
convictions and pastoral experience. I really loved and knew my
people and they showered me with appreciation and kindness ...
St. Chrysostom's ministers to a great population — some
of its labors are for those who are forgotten and neglected. This
is as it should be. It is like a rock in the desert with a well of
water for those who are thirsty for the waters of life.
Dudley Stark described the church's present situation.
Saint Chrysostom's is fortunate in its patron saint ... Said
he, "There is nothing more powerful than prayer and there is
nothing to be compared to it." His faith was real. It went to
work. For him and for the parish that bears his name the
appropriate emblem is the bee-hive ...
The church edifice is homelike and beautiful. To
worshippers its furnishings give the impression of simple dignity,
spiritual suggestion without ostentation. The atmosphere of
worship is ably aided by a loyal competent choir under the
direction of Mr. Harold B. Simonds ...
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The largest church service that the members ... give is
outside parish organizations. I wish space would permit me to
name scores, of both men and women, who are conspicuous for
their leadership in the maintenance of Christian ethics in
business and in the professions ... Busy as they are, I have yet
to find the time when they refuse to give counsel or cooperation
for St. Chrysostom's.
After describing current parish activities, he paid tribute to his
predecessor Norman Hutton: "his chief monuments are in the hearts of
hundreds whom I have met, to whom he brought solace in trouble and joy in
gladness — a rector honorarius indeed!" and concluded:
To all seeking a household of faith, we bid you welcome.
We believe that in a strategic place, in a strategic time, this
Parish has remarkable opportunities. Let us go forward. Let St.
John Chrysostom's last utterance continually define our goal: "In
all things God be praised."
Long-time St. Chrysostom's parishioner and former vestry member
Angus Hibbard, retired after a distinguished career with the telephone
company, made his own contribution to the celebration. He had played an
important part in the development of long distance telephone service, and
had originated the busy signal as well as designing the original "blue Bell"
telephone company logo; he was one of the first business executives to
make use of a company organizational chart. (A grandiose idea of Mr.
Hibbard's which was never adopted was his proposal to pave over the
Chicago River in the downtown area.) In retirement he was active in
diocesan affairs; for his work in reorganizing the diocesan magazine and his
activities in support of the "Bishop's Pence" program (in which Episcopalians
contributed small coins to a "pence can" when saying grace at meals) he
was among the first recipients of Bishop Stewart's Distinguished Service
Cross. His fondness for music and composition has been noted in connection
with the Men's Club meetings in earlier years, when the group performed his
"Chicago Songs"; he now composed a parish hymn, "The Bells of Saint
Chrysostom's," to mark the anniversary.
Bells of Saint Chrysostom's
Ringing in the air
Welcoming all to come
To this house of prayer;
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Saint Chrysostom's, Saint Chrysostom's,
Hear them sounding on
Ringing singing, ringing singing,
Calls the Carillon.
Hear us O Lord we pray,
As these bells resound:
Grant we may find the way
Of this Saint renowned.
Calling everyone,
Hear its Carillon.
Saint of the ancient days
Fearlessly his word
Sounded in prayer and praise
Of his Christ and Lord;
May we follow on
With our Carillon.
Dudley Stark, a supporter of "home-grown talent" among his
parishioners, used the hymn at every St. Chrysostom's Day service;
Cuthbert Pratt continued the practice, while Harold Simonds in the remaining
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years of his tenure as organist and carillonneur played the hymn on the
carillon each Sunday before the eleven o'clock service. Although "The Bells
of Saint Chrysostom's" would almost certainly not be ranked high in terms of
either words or music by an unbiased observer (when Robert Lodine
eliminated it from the parish repertoire in 1961, there were no protests from
the congregation), it is possible to look back at the hymn with some degree
of fondness and nostalgia and appreciate both Angus Hibbard's motivation in
composing it and its use for many years in the parish.
The Tribune of January 26, 1934 carried an anniversary feature on the
parish by society writer Ruth De Young.
Once "Richest Church" Will Have Birthday
St. Chrysostom's No Longer "Society" Project.
Is there a "society" church today? ...
As to St. Chrysostom's, the question is answered by an
official of that parish: "This is no longer a wealthy parish. That
day is past. St. Chrysostom's is a hard working ordinary type of
parish with a well balanced program embracing every stratum of
society."
... Members who had thought of the church only in terms
of an 11:00 Sunday morning prayer, a bridal veil, and a corsage
of Easter orchids are rediscovering it in terms of its vital part in
community life and its ministrations to rich and poor alike.
"Mention St. Chrysostom's by way of fashion or society to
a goodly number of its faithful members and you immediately
start an argument," remarks ... an intimate observer. "The
depression has mellowed the congregation into a hard working
and sympathetic whole."
Especially is this apparent in the community center
sponsored by the church and now directed by Miss Louise Neff
through Mrs. William Parsons, chairman of the ... social service
committee. Three hundred children from back of Clark Street
come to the church four afternoons a week to learn gymnastics
... to study in the little library ... to play games and solve
puzzles ... And it is well known that [the] postdebutante
teachers anticipate the sessions just as much as if not more than
their Greek, Italian and Polish pupils.
Bishop Stewart was unable to attend the Friday evening service on
January 26; Bishop Herman Page of Michigan, a former rector of St. Paul's
Church on Chicago's south side, was the preacher on the occasion. The
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bulletin contained messages from Presiding Bishop James De Wolf Perry,
Bishop Stewart, and the Reverend Duncan Browne of St. James Church, as
well as greetings from clergy of other denominations: pastor emeritus of
Fourth Presbyterian Church John Timothy Stone and his successor Harrison
Ray Anderson, Theodore Hume of the New England Congregational Church,
and Norman Barr of Olivet Institute. On Saturday morning there were
celebrations of Holy Communion at 7:30 and 10 a.m., with former assistant
John Evans the celebrant at the later service. Later that day the Sunday
School celebrated at a party with birthday cake, at which Dr. Hutton and
three former curates of the parish were present.
The eleven o'clock service on Sunday, January 28, was the crowning
event of the weekend. Two processional hymns, "Glorious Things of Thee are
Spoken" and "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation," opened the service.
Healey Willan's setting of the Te Deum Laudamus and prayers from the
service for the Consecration of a Church were followed by the AnteCommunion Service and the sermon hymn, "The Church's One Foundation."
Parishioners from Dr. Hutton's time must surely have rejoiced to see their
former rector and to hear him once again in the pulpit. The change in
economic conditions since he had left St. Chrysostom's must have been in
his mind as he prepared his sermon, which (according to the next day's
Tribune) touched on some of the good results of the depression: happier
homes, greater appreciation by children of their parents, greater
consciousness of religion. "You cannot guarantee the security of your
children with wealth. Leave them moderately poor if you would do well by
them. Bring them up to appreciate the finer things of life. Let them live
simply. These are the best guarantees you can give them ... I am not
decrying money. I have had more than my share of good things. Yet I have
also seen what can result from the simpler ways of living." "Blest Be the Tie
that Binds" and the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom followed the offertory; the
service concluded with "Onward Christian Soldiers" as recessional. Though
Harold Simonds was responsible for the service music, former organist
Emory Gallup returned for the day and played the postlude. The afternoon
reception honoring the Huttons concluded the anniversary celebration.
At a time when conditions both in the nation and the parish were
difficult, the weekend must have been a time of special joy. Dudley Stark
continued a "Festival Founder's Day Service" through the remaining years of
his rectorship, using an order of service similar to that of the fortieth
anniversary service; in 1935 Bishop Keeler returned to preach on the
occasion.
The Women's Guild welcomed Mrs. Abbott back to the parish as a
guest speaker in Lent of 1934; her topic was "Missions of the Kentucky
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Mountains," with special emphasis on the Kitts Mission for which the Guild
had "done considerable ... work" during the year. The Girls' Friendly Society
that spring made a special study of the Episcopal Church's work in Japan. A
committee of three women came to a meeting at St. Chrysostom's on April
19 and awarded a prize to the best report on the topic; a committee
member who had recently visited Japan described her experiences and
exhibited "curios ... secured during the trip."
Mary Stark was the originator of a new plan for the 1934 bazaar. For
two years, probably because at a time of financial hardship parishioners
were unlikely to buy the usual assortment of handmade gifts, no parish
bazaar or sale had been planned. "Christmas Windows," a two-day sale
headed by Women's Guild members Mrs. Harold Eldridge and Mrs. D. Mark
Cummings, contained displays of goods from area stores: the gymnasium,
transformed into "a glittering wintery midway," provided "an unlimited
opportunity for buying almost anything with the least possible effort."
Bulletins and newspaper accounts of the sales indicate the wide variety of
items for sale; children's toys and games, men's and women's apparel,
china, linen, art works, perfumes, antiques, hardware, electrical goods, and
on one occasion a refrigerator. The Women's Guild sold its "famous aprons"
and home-baked goods, and merchandise benefiting other charities was
sometimes available. Tribune society writer Eleanor Page described the 1934
sale as combining "a stroll down Michigan Avenue (or the Rue de la Paix, or
Bond Street), with portrait painting, fortune telling, a food sale, a lingerie
and linen sale, restaurant service, and a theater. The beauty of the electric
blue display hall with tall silver columns and ... curtained display booths, will
fairly take the sightseer's breath away." A turkey dinner, with young women
parishioners waiting on tables and parishioner I. Newton Perry as maître
d'hotel, was served upstairs "at long tables covered with gold cloth and
lighted with orange candles." A performance of the melodrama Under the
Gaslight — or Virtue Is Its Own Reward, followed; although a snowstorm had
fallen by mistake in a drawing room scene in one of the rehearsals, the
actual performance seems to have gone off without incident. "Cousin Eve,"
another Tribune society writer, wrote on the following Sunday that a New
York man had come to Chicago to see how the sale was planned and
operated. It was extremely successful, making a profit of approximately
$3450; proceeds supported Guild activities, the Community Center, Camp
Oronoko and the rector's discretionary fund.
"Christmas Windows" formed a major part of the parish's social
calendar in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The location of what the bulletin
described as the "far-famed turkey dinner" was moved, in later years, to
what Eleanor Page described as "the crypt downstairs — the stylish word for
basement." A variety of entertainment was scheduled following the dinner:
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travel films, speakers, a gypsy orchestra, theatrical productions, and a
Berkeley Divinity School professor doubling as a magician who demonstrated
"French and German techniques of legerdemain." Among the most amusing
programs must have been that of 1935. "Living Pictures," directed by Mrs.
John R. Winterbotham, Jr., was a takeoff on the typical art lecture: William
Van Nortwick played the part of "Prof. Shuttlecock," and parishioners took
part in tableaux parodying twelve famous pictures, among them Harold
Simonds in Grant Wood's American Gothic. Shortly before her death in
November 1990, Catherine Brooder, who had joined St. Chrysostom's in the
mid-1930s and was actively involved with the Guild for many years, shared
with the present author her happy memories of Guild activities at this time:
Mary Stark and "Christmas Windows," the turkey dinner as a highlight of the
parish year, weekly meetings with lunches prepared by Frieda Hicks,
friendship and cooperation among the members of the group.
Dudley Stark's encouragement of parish talent appeared once again at
the 1934 Sunday School Christmas service, at which the younger children
sang a carol, "How to Be Happy," with words by Eleanor East and music by
Pat Warren of the Sunday School; Mr. Stark's sons Gregory and Dudley
played two of the three kings in the pageant. The Delta Kappa Phi young
people's group presented the Easter pageant of 1935, in which the part of
St. John was played by Rollin Hunt, who had attended Camp Oronoko and
would remain an active choir member and parishioner for over thirty years.
On the following Sunday, Rosalind and Mary Stark were among the members
of the class confirmed by Bishop Stewart. A sad loss to the parish came that
summer, when chief acolyte Elmer Tengberg and three other Commonwealth
Edison employees were killed on July 27, 1935 in a light plane crash en
route to a weekend at Mackinac Island. Though still in his twenties, Mr.
Tengberg had been active for a number of years in the parish and, according
to Rollin Hunt, had played an important part in revitalizing its acolyte
program.
Dr. Hutton's health problems had been largely responsible for his
resignation as rector of St. Chrysostom's in 1928. Although he returned to
Chicago in 1934 for the parish's fortieth anniversary celebration, he resigned
as rector of St. Andrew's Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts later that year;
the vestry sent a message in October expressing their happiness to learn of
his recovery from a serious illness. His 1934 Christmas message was printed
in the December 23 bulletin.
This is a message born of the Christmas Spirit. It carries to
you the good wishes of my heart, which I ask you to receive as a
simple token of the season's unselfish love. It bespeaks for you
as much grace as you may need in the taking of every friendly
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gift, and as well a large portion of that sweet blessedness
begotten of true giving. And be assured that it is now my
earnest prayer that the holy love of Jesus may be a new, fresh
thing in your life, and that the peace and joy of the sky-song
may live, sweet and real, in you through every day of the whole
year.
This was the last message received by the parish from its beloved
"rector honorarius." Norman Hutton died on September 25, 1935, at the age
of fifty-nine. Dudley Stark traveled to Wellesley for the funeral service on
the 27th; the bishops of Connecticut and Massachusetts, the rector of Trinity
Church, New York, and Dr. Hutton's successor at St. Andrew's Church also
took part in the service. On Sunday, October 6, St. Chrysostom's eleven
o'clock service commemorated Dr. Hutton. Mr. Stark's sermon on that
occasion was long remembered by those who heard it; at the vestry's
request it was printed and distributed to the congregation.
"He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
He goeth before them and the sheep follow him: for they know
his voice. Jesus spake this parable unto them. I am the good
shepherd." Words from the tenth chapter of the Gospel
according to St. John.
In love we remember and thank God for him who for a
score of years in this parish gave full proof of his ministry. If a
Christian minister have the gift of able administration, he is
fortunate. If he be a mighty preacher of the Word, he also is
fortunate. If he have both these gifts, but be not a true pastor,
ere long he will fail. Norman Hutton stood highest in what
matters most. He was a great shepherd of souls. So rich and
manifold was his personality that adequate appraisal is not
possible, and sufficient praise cannot be spoken. The words of
the text, however, help summarize and explain, in a rising scale
of importance, his ministry and his life.
"He leadeth them out. He goeth before them." The
Christian pastor must be a leader. He must have vision, knowing
whither to lead. He must have the sacrificial spirit that attracts
others to follow. In a very high degree those qualities were
Norman Hutton's.
He was no indefinite religionist. He knew where the
pastures were green and the waters still. When people came to
him for help, he helped them. He could lead others to the more
abundant life because he had it in himself. He was here not to
take but to give. These were his last written words to Dr. Abbott,
his immediate successor: "I have tried to build the parish on the
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principles of allegiance and loyalty to our Christ, rather than to
myself, and I realize the test is now coming. I do hope that you
will find that it was built on Christ and not on myself. If, in all
honesty you could ever tell me that, it would make me happier
than anything else in the world." In all honesty we can say, he
so built.
Moreover, he saw so clearly that people could only be
helped by helping others. So this parish in its corporate life
became under his leadership a fellowship for bringing succor to
those in need. Witness, Camp Oronoko now completing a quarter
of a century of fine usefulness. Witness, the Community Center
stretching out a neighborly hand and mothering arms to all,
irrespective of creed or condition. But this wise leader also knew
that larger personalities come ultimately only through spiritual
resources. A major aim of his, therefore, was to have a beautiful
House of the Lord, safeguarded by an endowment against
changes in neighborhood and fortune, so that men, women and
children in every condition might come here and be fed with the
Bread of Life.
Perhaps too seldom we remember Norman Hutton's
leadership. Attesting his leadership is the fact established by the
contrast between the condition of the parish when he came to it
and the condition of this parish when he left it.
His friend was right who has just now written to me: "In a
sense, the lovely group of buildings that go to make up St.
Chrysostom's Church are his memorial, but he would be the last
to take any credit for it." An appropriate and generous memorial
should be offered in thanksgiving for him and yet, if you wish to
see his monument, look around.
"He calleth his own sheep by name; and the sheep follow
him, for they know his voice." The true pastor is a sympathetic,
loving friend. The shepherd has a name, a nickname, a name of
endearment for every single one of his flock. Norman Hutton
cared for each and every one. He served here long and
constructively because he had a most profound, sensitive
affection — I must not say for this congregation — for this
family. Will you ever forget it, the sympathetic cadences and
nuances of that voice, the rare word aptly spoken? Can we
forget the ready, responding smile with the steady, forthright,
shining eyes? There he was, there his spirit remains: a great
understanding, sympathetic man, able to help and heal those in
trouble, able to encourage and steady those in success, for his
was a sympathy sprung from a strong, genuine character. He
belonged to the Apostolic Succession, following St. Paul, by
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divine grace and the right of character. "Who is weak and I am
not weak? Who is offended and I burn not?"
Norman Hutton never made one feel inferior. He would not
accept patronage. Snobbery in any form repelled him. He was a
friend and trusted counsellor of bishops, of rectors of large
parishes, and of missionary priests, of Christian communicants,
and of people who professed no religious allegiance, of rich and
of poor, of saints and of sinners. They returned his love. He is
mourned in the homes of the rich and of the poor throughout
this city. I have tried to understand his rare gift of helpfulness. I
judge it lies here. He saw people as they were and loved them.
He did not try to improve people and afterwards love them. He
loved them first and became their benediction, and so they
became more lovable. Does it not lie in his own words, which he
so beautifully exemplified? "Let us appraise others at their best
and thus draw from them their sublime possibilities."
"Jesus spake this parable unto them. I am the Good
Shepherd." Jesus spake unto Norman Hutton, "I am the Good
Shepherd." And Norman Hutton heard those words and that
voice. He was, as one of you put it to me the other day, one of
God's men. That is the explanation of his life. His life was hid
with Christ in God. He was a real man because he had a real
faith in God. The most significant and beautiful part of his life we
do not know, but can rejoice in its fruits — his life of prayer.
He was a good churchman. Like every good churchman, he
was nurtured and aided but he was not "cabined, cribbed,
confined, bound in" by church formularies or ordinances. He was
a truly catholic churchman. The churchmanship of this parish
with him could not be labeled, and, please God, it never shall be
except with the Cross of Christ, our Glory. He was a high
churchman, with veneration for the Church, the Body of Christ,
and with appreciation for liturgical and worshipful beauty. He
was a low churchman, with an evangelical intensity for the
individual soul, remembering always, "Other sheep I have which
are not of this fold." He was a broad churchman, steadfast for
the glorious liberty of the children of God to grow, and having
faith that ever there is more light yet to break.
Man of great faith, he knew the unsearchable riches of
Christ were far too large and many for any one party or any one
church. Holding that faith obediently and humbly he led
courageously. He did not flinch, for he had that kind of faith that
courageously projects itself forward, sure of finding the truth.
Through that faith he loved people. For a kind of instinct was
given to him to see the Christ in each human soul.
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That faith assured him of the life hereafter. I must tell you,
nobody has ever spoken to me in terms of such assurance of
immortality as he. His future life was hid with Christ in God.
What I have said must remain insufficient and incomplete.
Better are the feelings and resolves which come to us as we
remember him. Best of all, that we shall live in accord with those
sublime feelings in Christlike deeds. Then we may hope to be
with him, a good shepherd, and with many another, praising and
serving Christ our Lord, his Good Shepherd and ours.
After three and a half years at St. Chrysostom's, Eugene Shannon left
in February 1936 to become rector of Grace Church, Freeport, Illinois. The
months immediately following his departure saw changes in parish programs
and staff. Walter Schroeder, the new assistant, who had experience in youth
work in his former parish in Michigan City, Indiana, took charge of the
Community Center. (Programs at the Center that fall included a cooking
class for boys as well as for girls.) The financial situation by early 1936
allowed the vestry to raise Dudley Stark's salary from $7500 to $8500 and
to give a $200 a year raise to Harold Simonds; parish finances must have
continued to improve during the year, for in the fall Sidney T. Cooke, a
priest formerly on the staff of St. James Church in New York and "a friend of
many years' standing" of Dudley Stark, joined the staff with responsibility for
the development of a program for young adults, a group for which there had
been no activities since the discontinuance of the Tuesday Nighters. The
Sunday evening service, "designed especially for young people of the near
north side," was moved from late afternoon to 8 p.m. and enlarged to
include four hymns and a short sermon. The November 1936 Diocese cited
the service as "one of the first expansion programs among churches of the
city in several years ... Sunday evening services among Chicago churches
have in recent years become a difficult problem. Many churches have
discontinued such and the action of St. Chrysostom's in undertaking the new
program is looked upon with considerable interest."
Pat Warren conducted a Bible study group before the service and
directed an evening volunteer choir of young people. At first the Lane String
Quartet provided the accompaniment, but later Harold Simonds played the
organ at the service, though Mr. Warren continued to act as the group's
choirmaster; soloists in the early years included Nancy Warren and David
Simonds. The vesper choir would form an important part of parish activities
for over twenty years. Ten years later Pat Warren described it in the
February 17, 1946 bulletin: "On its roster are about forty fine amateur
singers, ranging in experience from a very few to a great many years. It is a
volunteer organization, recruiting its membership from those who have a
definite interest in the finer things of life. Official connection with our church
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is not one of the qualifications, with the salutary result that we have
representatives from many denominations in our ranks ... Many come from
great distances to sing with us ... The choir has given several performances
away from the church where it has done full justice to the good name of our
parish." Wellington Allaway, a parishioner of Grace Church, Oak Park,
recalled for the present author an occasion in the 1940s when he called to
see Mr. Warren on business. After the business was completed, Pat Warren
turned to his caller. "You're an Episcopalian, right? — And I bet you sing in
your choir, right? — Bass? — You must come and join us at St. Chrysostom's
next Sunday evening" (when a special performance by the vesper choir was
scheduled); Mr. Allaway agreed to join the group for the occasion.
Mr. Cooke's activities were not confined to the Sunday evening
service. He conducted a Sunday morning Bible class, and appears to have
had considerable interest in music. On March 7, 1937, the choir performed
an anthem, "The Prayer of St. Richard," with words by Mr. Cooke, and in
1938 he gave a series of Wednesday evening Lenten addresses on the
subject "Spiritual Treatment Through Hymns," touching on Composition,
Rhyme, Rhythm, Metre, Melody, Unison and Harmony as applying both to
music and the Christian life.
The year 1936 saw a change in the parish's Thanksgiving Day worship.
In previous years there had been celebrations of Holy Communion at eight
and eleven o'clock; now Dudley Stark and three of the clergy who had sent
best wishes to St. Chrysostom's on its fortieth anniversary — Duncan
Browne of St. James Church, Harrison Ray Anderson of Fourth Presbyterian
Church, and Theodore Hume of the New England Congregational Church at
Dearborn Street and Delaware Place — scheduled a union Thanksgiving
service at eleven o'clock. Morning Prayer (or the regular morning worship
service of the non-Episcopal churches) was used, the sermon was preached
by a guest preacher rather than one of the pastors of the parishes, and the
offering was given to a cause acceptable to all the participating churches.
The service continued for over thirty years, though the New England
Congregational Church closed after a fire in the late 1930s and St. James
withdrew from the service after it became the cathedral of the diocese in
1955 and felt obligated to have a service in its own building each year. The
first service was held at Fourth Presbyterian Church; two years later, St.
Chrysostom's was the host parish and John Timothy Stone, Fourth
Presbyterian Church's pastor emeritus (who had helped rescue valuables at
the time of St. Chrysostom's 1914 fire and had spoken at the parish house
dedication in 1923) was the preacher. In 1938 the four parishes scheduled
joint noonday services at Fourth Presbyterian Church for the first four days
of Holy Week, with a sermon by each minister on the topic "The Vision of
Christ."
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The Cox family had been generous contributors to Camp Oronoko
since the death of Rensselaer Cox, Jr. in 1921; the November 29, 1936
bulletin announced Louise Cox's gift of two hundred and fifty hymnals to the
parish in memory of her recently deceased mother Mrs. William Deshler.
"This is a fitting and lovely memorial of her, for she dearly treasured the
ministry of praise. Nearing the close of a long and beautiful life ... when she
was told by one setting out to go to church, 'Mother, I am going to church,
and I'll pray for you,' she replied, 'Yes, and sing for me.'" Although the
1930s were a period of financial difficulty when many persons found it
difficult to give substantially to charitable causes, several gifts to the
physical fabric of the church were made during the decade. In 1936 Mary
Keep, who with her husband had given the main altar ten years earlier,
donated the pavement candlesticks which stand on either side of the altar,
and on her death later that year left the parish a sum of money to be used
for altar linens. The chalice incorporating the diamond in its base, a
memorial to John Virgin Robbins, Anastasia Robbins and Cora Robbins dated
"All Saints 1937," must have been given to the parish at this time; however,
vestry minutes and bulletins give no information on the gift and the Robbins
family are not listed in the parish register or in other sources of information
on Chicago families. The bulletin board at the front of the church was given
by Joseph King in 1937 in memory of his deceased brother Russell; the
board with its inscription, "In loving memory of Russell Lowell King, who as a
Christian and a soldier served his God and his country's navy, 1891-1936,"
was designed by Joseph King's architect son John.
A still more generous gift was made by parishioner Dorothy Eckhart
Williams as a memorial to her father Bernard Eckhart, president of the
Eckhart Milling Company and a Chicago Sanitary District trustee and park
commissioner for whom Eckhart Park on the near west side was named.
Charles Connick's panel at the head of the north aisle was dedicated on
November 7, 1937; the subject of the Ascension was selected because Mr.
Eckhart had died on Ascension Day, May 11, 1931. Connick described the
panel appeared in the bulletin: "The base quotation is from Saint Luke, 'And
it came to pass while He blessed them He was parted from them and carried
up into heaven, and they worshipped him.' ... Aspiration and worship may be
said to dominate the entire design." The spiritual significance of the colors
was noted: red for divine love, sacrifice and martyrdom, blue for divine
wisdom, loyalty and truth, green for hope, springtime and victory, white for
faith and peace, gold representing achievement and treasures in heaven,
purple symbolizing both justice and mystery.
As early as the fall of 1933 Frederick Spalding had stated that,
because of his age and health, he would be willing to retire as camp director
if someone else could be found to take the responsibility. By 1937 his health
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had further worsened and he resigned his position to Walter Schroeder; a
parish committee chaired by William Cox and made up primarily of younger
men was appointed to oversee the camp's finance, budget, property and
purchasing. In consideration of Mr. Spalding's long and faithful service, the
vestry voted him the title of Camp Director Honorarius. "It has been a hard
grind for Frederick C. Spalding who directed the camp through difficult
times. Without his personal sacrifices it is doubtful that Camp Oronoko could
have sustained successful operation," stated the bulletin of April 25, 1937.
Results from the committee's appeal were "most gratifying," according to
the May 23 bulletin; donations included Angus and Lucille Hibbard's gift of an
outdoor altar and a bunkhouse. Attendance that season was 225 (110 boys
and 115 girls), with thirteen social agencies represented.
Parish bulletins in the mid-1930s occasionally carried announcements
of meetings of the evening branch of the diocesan Women's Auxiliary at
various churches in the city. In the fall of 1937 St. Chrysostom's formed its
own organization for women who worked during the day. The Business and
Professional Women's Guild held its first meeting on October 28; according
to the following Sunday's bulletin, "the Rector addressed the group whose
membership now is fifty women." Dinner was served at a cost of fifty cents,
followed by a program; topics of the monthly meetings in 1937/38 included
an illustrated lecture, "Eyes Around the World," by Dorothy Eckhart Williams'
brother Percy Eckhart, a talk by Bishop Stewart on Scottish poetry during
which he recited a number of poems, Mrs. Robert B. Gregory's presentation
on "Religion and International Affairs," a Lenten meditation by Bishop Robert
Nelson Spencer of Western Missouri, and a spring party on May 23. The
group continued its activities for over twenty years.
At Bishop Stewart's 1937 visitation to St. Chrysostom's Gregory and
Dudley Stark, aged thirteen and twelve, were among those confirmed.
Frances Spence recalls that the boys had chosen their careers at an early
date; Dudley planned to be a soldier, while Gregory intended to be a priest
like his father. Two of the adults in that year's confirmation class were Alice
Flemming (always known as Lynn), who had become parish secretary the
previous September, and her brother William. Lynn Flemming would remain
as secretary for over thirty years under four rectors until her retirement in
1968, a period of service exceeded only by Harold Simonds.
The year 1937 saw another significant addition to St. Chrysostom's
parish staff when John Wilkinson was appointed sexton in March. Born in
Ballintoy, Northern Ireland, Jack Wilkinson emigrated to the United States as
a young man; he and his two daughters now moved into the parish house.
In the bulletin of December 11, 1938 following the "Christmas Windows"
sale, Dudley Stark wrote, "We ... remember gratefully the many hours of
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service, above ... required time, that our Sexton, Mr. John Wilkinson ...
spent in constructing and placing booths." Throughout his twenty-nine years
of service Mr. Wilkinson would give uncounted "hours of service, above
required time" to maintain the buildings in the best possible physical
condition and to provide service at bazaars, rummage sales and many other
parish activities; he performed many duties which would now be considered
the responsibility of the Altar Guild, including setting up for midweek Holy
Communion services and preparing for weddings. Some present-day
parishioners remain who recall his warm welcome to all entering the church
on Sunday mornings.
George Ranney's financial report at the 1938 annual meeting was
optimistic; in 1937 the parish had operated within its income, pledges had
increased from 190 to 225, and the parish's diocesan missions quota had
been raised from $6000 to $6600. At the January 1938 vestry meeting
Dudley Stark expressed his hope that the church could be consecrated.
According to the minutes of the February meeting, the vestry had "some
doubts ... as to conditions imposed by consecration under the Canons of the
Diocese of Chicago and as to the future status of our Church property after
consecration," probably relating to the effect that the severe financial
difficulties of the diocese (at that time facing the possibility of bankruptcy)
might have on the parish. Frederic Norcross consulted his brother John,
chancellor of the diocese, who gave his opinion that "consecration would in
no way ... lessen or limit the full, complete and sole authority and ownership
now ... vested in the Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen" and would "in
no wise ... impair title to the property should the Corporation Sole ...
become insolvent or bankrupt." With these assurances, the vestry voted
unanimously to request Bishop Stewart to officiate at the consecration of the
church on November 6, 1938, or at another date convenient to him,
resolving that the offering on that occasion should be used toward paying
interest on the diocesan debt. The bishop responded, "I shall be most happy
to reserve Sunday, November 6, 1938, for the service of consecration of
your beautiful Church ... May I ask you to convey to your Vestry my grateful
appreciation of their proposal to give the offering that morning to the Bishop
as Corporation Sole? And, may I offer to you my special thanks for your
proposal to ... make that thank offering a generous one? By this action you
and your Vestry have only reiterated in a very beautiful way those
assurances of loyal co-operation which I have repeatedly felt during my
entire Episcopate."
Senior warden Frederic Norcross, who had contributed so heavily to
the parish in time, talent and treasure during his thirty-three years on the
vestry, must surely have rejoiced over the consecration plans; his sudden
death on March 13 must have added a bittersweet note to the planning. A
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regular attendant at services, serving on the vestry under every rector of the
parish, he had seen St. Chrysostom's grow from the troubled early years of
the century to become one of the strongest parishes in the diocese and had
himself played a considerable part in that growth. The resolution adopted by
the vestry following his death paid tribute to his work.
He loved Saint Chrysostom's Church. To his duties he
brought accuracy of thought, practical wisdom, and a
consecrated spirit. He was the familiar friend and trusted guide
of rectors and vestrymen. Good works, cultural, social and
educational adorned his character. His gifts of humor and
friendliness endeared him to the young and old. He was obedient
to heavenly visions. His life bore fruits of the Spirit.
George Ranney, who had made the eloquent appeal for the canvass in
the depression year of 1933, was elected to succeed Frederic Norcross as
senior warden. Mr. Ranney was one of the last of the generation of "selfmade men" to rise to positions of business leadership; his formal education
in the Chicago public schools had ended with grammar school. He had
worked for the Bank of Montreal and served as vice-president of
International Harvester; following the resignation of Samuel Insull, Jr. in
1933, he was appointed vice-chairman of three energy companies,
Commonwealth Edison, Peoples Gas and Public Service of Northern Illinois.
Bruce Borland, a self-employed mechanical engineer and member of an old
Chicago family, was named junior warden; Mr. Borland had served on the
vestry since 1920 and was an active member of the board of trustees of the
Glenwood School for Boys serving children from broken homes.
Plans for the consecration of the church were indefinitely postponed
after Bishop Stewart suffered a severe heart attack in early June; he was
hospitalized for a considerable length of time and was unable to return to
work until late fall. Though bishops from neighboring dioceses officiated at
confirmations and other services in Chicago during his absence, St.
Chrysostom's vestry voted to postpone the consecration until Bishop Stewart
could perform the ceremony. He never made a full recovery, dying of
another heart attack on May 2, 1940; plans for consecration of the church
were not discussed again for many years.
Mr. Stark had inspired the members of the vestry to continue their
work in difficult times, stressing the importance of continuity in leadership.
However, Frederic Norcross was only one of several men lost to the vestry
by death in the 1930s. Benjamin Taylor, for some years treasurer of the
parish, died on May 13, 1935 after eighteen years of vestry service, and
Harold Cornelius Smith died of pneumonia at the relatively young age of 54
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on September 29, 1936; he had been confirmed at St. Chrysostom's shortly
before his election to the vestry in 1913. LeRoy Kramer, who had been
active in fund-raising for the 1935 diocesan Centenary Fund, was elected to
succeed Mr. Taylor; Charles Y. Freeman, general counsel for Commonwealth
Edison, replaced Mr. Smith, and John Allen, vice-president of Brink's and for
many years president of the diocesan Church Club for men, filled the
vacancy caused by Frederick Norcross' death. Mr. Allen's first wife Mae had
died the previous year; the annual Church Club party for needy children in
December 1937 memorialized her, and John Allen gave the decorations to
the church at Christmas and Easter in her memory until his death in 1964.
The new vestry were, on an average, older than those taking office in earlier
years; from the late 1930s to the early 1960s the vestry was primarily made
up of men in their fifties and older.
Although the increased age among the vestry probably indicates a
desire for experienced, stable leadership, it almost certainly also reflects
changes in the composition and demographics of the area near the church.
In 1907 Mr. Snively had noted the departure of parishioners for the suburbs.
By the 1920s (as the growth in Church School attendance and the active
program of the Tuesday Nighters group indicate) St. Chrysostom's
membership included many young families and single persons, and society
column accounts of Easter church attendance state that while many older
Episcopalians remained faithful to St. James' Church, a sizeable number of
the "young married set" had become members of St. Chrysostom's. More
young families were now choosing suburban rather than city living; Sunday
School enrollment dropped from over 300 in the 1920s to 176 in the fall of
1938. In appealing for contributions to the $100,000 Fund, Norman Hutton
had noted a greater number of apartments and hotels and fewer single
family homes in the neighborhood of the church. Ten years later, many
former single-family homes on Dearborn and State Parkway were now in use
as inexpensive rooming houses, and the Plaza Hotel, where Mr. Snively had
lived in the 1890s and early 1900s, housed primarily persons with limited
incomes.
The area west of the church had also seen changes. Twenty years
earlier many members of the Junior Forward Movement, the Boy Scouts, and
confirmation classes had lived in this area; their fathers held occupations
such as clerk, electrician or milkman. Now much of the neighborhood was
deteriorating, and in 1936 Dudley Stark proposed an "extension of
missionary work nearby," probably considering how best the church might
serve the residents of this area. In an attempt to stem the decline of the
neighborhood, the Marshall Field Estate had in the late 1920s constructed a
moderate-income housing complex a few blocks west of the church, with
over 600 apartments, stores, and a school from kindergarten through third
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grade. Many residents of the Marshall Field Garden Apartments were families
with young children, and Mr. Stark proposed establishing a Sunday School in
the complex. Although the project was never carried through, the parish
sent a car to the building each Sunday to transport children to St.
Chrysostom's for Sunday School. The present author was among the Field
Apartments children driven to St. Chrysostom's in the early 1940s; at least
one and sometimes two carloads of children were brought to the church
each Sunday.
In the spring of 1938 Dudley Stark established the All Saints' Memorial
Fund for contributions in memory of the departed, the income to be used for
those in need. An early contributor was Maude Stein Snyder, who after some
years in the suburbs had moved into the Field Apartments and returned to
her former parish in the 1930s. Mr. Stark gratefully acknowledged her $50
donation in memory of Kathryn Schau and Caroline Schau Stein,
parishioners of the former All Saints' Mission.
You will be pleased to know that the Fund, though but
recently established, has now reached the sum of Two Hundred
Sixty Dollars. Your generous contributions added very materially,
and being in memory of those who were connected with All
Saints Church or Mission, have an added and beautiful
significance.
By that fall Walter Schroeder and Sidney Cooke had left the parish,
and an acting assistant, the Reverend W. Alfred Cave, was appointed;
George Blacktopp was named director of the Community Center, assisted by
a group of trained volunteers led by parishioner Louise Chandler. For the
Easter Day services on April 9, 1939, amplifiers were installed in the
auditorium of the parish house, permitting two hundred more worshippers to
attend. Later that spring Dudley Stark was honored with an honorary LL.D.
degree from Chicago Medical College.
Following his heart attack, Bishop Stewart called a special diocesan
convention on May 31, 1939 to elect a suffragan bishop. John Evans
discussed the election and the candidates in a Tribune article on May 26.
Would the diocese elect an older man who would not be considered as
Bishop Stewart's eventual successor, or a younger man who might succeed
him as diocesan bishop? If an older priest were elected, sixty-nine-year-old
Edwin Randall, for seventeen years executive secretary of the diocese, was
the likely choice; Dr. Randall was strongly supported by the Catholic Club of
the diocese. "Leading laity, however, insist on the election of a vigorous
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young man who can assist actively in liquidating diocesan indebtedness of
$500,000," wrote Dr. Evans. "In view of the confusion, many veteran
observers ... now feel that a dark horse with strong leadership qualities and
youth will finally be elected ... One member of this group who is the rector of
a strong suburban parish said: 'Our votes on every ballot will go to the Rev.
Dr. Dudley S. Stark.'" Dr. Randall was elected five days later, though the
election was not without controversy. Dr. Evans' assessment that "leading
laity" favored a "vigorous young man" was borne out by the fact that the lay
delegates, who could not vote themselves but had veto power over the
clergy's choice, came within one-half vote of rejecting Dr. Randall. The
Reverend Carlton Story of the Church of the Mediator on the far south side
was a strong candidate, receiving over 40 votes; among other nominees
who (according to Dr. Evans) "showed strength during the balloting" was
Dudley Stark, who received nine votes on the second ballot.
Mr. Cave had not been hired as a permanent assistant; Dudley Stark
wished to make a thorough search for a suitable person to fill the position.
The Reverend John H. Hauser, a graduate of Berkeley Divinity School in New
Haven, Connecticut, joined the parish staff in the summer of 1939. Married
and with small children, he provided strong leadership to the church school
and was given responsibility for the Sunday evening service and associated
activities for young people.
Frederick Spalding's failing health had forced his resignation as camp
director in 1937; that summer he was hospitalized for an extended period,
and on his sixty-fourth birthday on July 13 the vestry passed a resolution
extending greetings to their "friend and fellow member," hoping that his
health would "so continue to improve" that he would be "up and about again
in a short time." This hope was not to be fulfilled; Mr. Spalding's health
continued to deteriorate and he died on May 24, 1939. An obituary in the
Daily News, where he had worked since 1908, described him as the dean of
the paper's proofreaders (who had specialized in recent years in
proofreading editorials) and mentioned his "active interest in youth's camp
activities" at Camp Oronoko. "Always loyal to his friends, Mr. Spalding never
forgot them. Each year on their birthday anniversaries he would send them a
birthday card, usually inscribed with a poem of his own composition." Thirty
years later parishioner Mary Faust commented to Joanna Zander, "No history
of St. Chrysostom's would be complete without paying tribute to Frederick
Spalding. He was a proofreader on the Chicago Daily News and spent
practically all of his salary doing kind things for the youth of St.
Chrysostom's. To the time of his death I always received a beautiful birthday
poem composed by F.S., as did hundreds of others on their birthdays."
Henrietta Newton recalls him as nearly always present at the church: "He
always donated the flowers for the children's chapel, and was especially fond
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of red roses." Fifty-three years after Mr. Spalding's death, Rollin Hunt
commented to the present author, "You must be sure to include Fred
Spalding in your history," describing him as a man of considerable
intelligence who took time off without pay each summer for his camp work
and as a result sacrificed the possibility of advancement with the Daily News.
The vestry's 1937 resolution praised his "long and loyal interest in the affairs
of the Parish and particularly his unfailing interest and help in the
development and growth of Camp Oronoko." The memorial prepared after
his death (which unfortunately does not survive) must certainly have
referred to his many years of work for the camp; we may hope that it also
made mention of his deep love for his Lord and his church, obvious even
through the somewhat impersonal medium of printed records over half a
century after his death.
Although many of the vestry serving in the 1930s were in their fifties
and sixties, the man selected to fill the vacancy left by Mr. Spalding's death
was considerably younger. William D. Cox, in his early thirties, whose family
had given generously to Camp Oronoko and whose own parish ties dated
back to his enrollment in 1914 as a Sunday School student, was elected to
the vestry in December 1939. He had taken an active interest in camp
activities, serving on fund-raising committees after Frederick Spalding could
no longer do so for reasons of health. (In later years, according to Betty
Redmond, Mr. Cox recalled that he was at that time the only younger man
on the vestry and was very conscious of the age difference between himself
and the other members of the group.) Bill Cox's wife Helen was for many
years a member of the Women's Guild and the Altar Guild; the three Cox
boys, like their father, attended St. Chrysostom's Sunday School, and
William Cox, Jr. followed in his father's footsteps by serving on the vestry
from 1968 to 1972.
George Blacktopp reported in early 1940 on the work of the
Community Center during the previous year. 642 persons were registered in
its programs, most of whom were not members of the parish; attendance at
all activities totaled nearly 29,000 (an average of 157 per day). A yearround program was now in operation, including Camp Oronoko and a
summer playground program at Delaware and Dearborn Streets. Camp
Oronoko's 1939 summer season included for the first time younger children
age 3 to 8: "One child was heard to say, 'Let's stay at camp and miss
Christmas.'" Some of the more popular Center activities were the play
groups for kindergarten and primary children, arts and crafts and shop
sessions (where each child made two articles, one to keep and one to sell to
defray expenses of the program), athletics, cooking and sewing, folk and
ballroom dancing, and dramatics; Boy Scout and Campfire Girl activities
were now administered by the Center. A mothers' group, whose activities
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included makeover sewing, dramatics and gym work, met twice a week.
Several government agencies including the Works Progress Administration
and the Federal Art Project supplied instructors to the Center. Mr. Blacktopp
described some individuals whom the Center had helped. "Miss X" was a
young churchwoman with a master's degree and experience as a primary
teacher whose "affairs had somehow gone awry" and who was "penniless,
homeless, discouraged and ill." Though relief agencies had found her a home
and supplied assistance, "the amount of aid ... was not adequate to rebuild a
life, so additional help was found for Miss X. Most important of all, an
opportunity was given her to make her own contribution by taking over a
class of small children at the Center ... Several months later she ... was
ready to tackle life on her own." Children from another family were sent to
Camp Oronoko for the summer and placed in good foster homes while their
mother was treated for tuberculosis at the Municipal Tuberculosis
Sanitarium, and a "maladjusted and anti-social boy" at the camp said after
six weeks, "I have found some friends — some real guys ... The world seems
better out here and sometimes it makes you think of God."
Lynn Flemming's work in the office had given satisfaction; the vestry
voted to increase her salary to $140 a month. Office equipment now
included a mimeograph machine donated by Charles Freeman. Two parish
staff received honorary degrees in 1940. Dudley Stark was awarded a D.D.
from Kenyon College, while Harold Simonds was the recipient of a Mus.D.
degree from Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, which had an active program
of choral music and whose choir sang at least once at St. Chrysostom's
Sunday evening service.
At the June 17, 1940, vestry meeting, Dr. Stark announced that he
had received "an offer of $500" to apply to the cost of installing an elevator
in the parish house; the walk to the second floor was a long one, and many
parishioners found it difficult. However, on December 5 John Redmond, on
behalf of the property committee, reported that "his investigations ... had
convinced him of the futility of such a move," and though the matter was
raised again on occasion and gifts offered to cover part or all of the cost, it
would be nearly twenty years until an elevator was constructed.
In fall 1940, as the regular schedule of activities resumed, many
parishioners must have been aware that the election of a successor to
Bishop Stewart on September 24 could have important implications for the
parish as well as the diocese. A Daily News story of September 23 cited "at
least five men [who] have strong support for the post ... Suffragan Bishop
Edwin G. Randall; the Rev. Harold L. Bowen, rector of St. Mark's, Evanston;
the Rev. Dudley Scott Stark, rector of St. Chrysostom's; the Rev. Ray
Everett Carr, rector of St. Peter's [Chicago]; and the Rev. George Carlton
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Story, rector of the Church of the Mediator, Morgan Park. All five are from
parishes within the diocese and the selection of one would carry out the
practice of choosing the bishop from the diocese, which has been adhered to
for the last 35 years. It was also considered within the possibilities that a
bishop might be chosen from outside the diocese."
After seventeen ballots, no election had been made. According to Daily
News writer William P. M'Dermott, a "dark horse" candidate had emerged:
the Rt. Rev. Spence Burton, suffragan bishop of Haiti and father superior of
the Episcopal monastic order of the Society of St. John the Evangelist,
supported by the high church party in the diocese. (Bishop Burton had
preached on at least one occasion at the Loop midweek noonday Lenten
services.) The events were described by John Evans in the September 26
Tribune: "The voting throughout the day was filled with surprises. Not the
least of these was ... the strong support given to Dr. Dudley Scott Stark ...
who led the first ballot and raced Bishop Burton for eight ballots when the
bishop's support broke." Later "the tide turned strongly toward Suffragan
Bishop Edwin J. Randall ... The Rev. Dr. Harold Bowen ... gained support on
the eighth ballot and continued through the 15th, when only 10 additional
votes would have assured him of election ... Dr. Stark's support was
released on the 14th ballot to vote either for Dr. Bowen or Bishop Randall,
but neither ... gained on the subsequent ballot. When it appeared unlikely
that ... Dr. Bowen or Bishop Randall could be elected, the support which had
been released by leaders favoring Bishop Burton's cause began returning
and Dr. Stark's support also gave strong evidence of reviving ... Contrary to
general practices throughout the Episcopal Church, the clergy of the Chicago
diocese elects with the laity given veto power. Many observers point out that
if clergy and laity voted concurrently ... the clergy deadlock would have been
avoided." The Living Church commented on October 2, 1940: "It is difficult
for the Holy Spirit to exercise effective guidance in the choice of a bishop
when the clergy play politics instead of listening for His voice."
On November 27 a second election was held. According to John Evans,
three candidates now led the field: the Reverend Wallace E. Conkling of St.
Luke's Church, Germantown, Pa., the Very Reverend Noble C. Powell, dean
of Washington Cathedral, and Dudley Stark. Wallace Conkling was elected on
the second ballot, receiving 54 votes to Noble Powell's 30 and Dudley Stark's
21; Dr. Stark moved to make the vote unanimous, and the laity confirmed
the clergy's choice. According to John Evans, "the Germantown church in
one of Philadelphia's more exclusive suburbs is ... one of the largest in
Pennsylvania. The Rev. Mr. Conkling is known as a scholarly type of
clergyman ... an exceptional preacher ... a leader in social and welfare
projects. He is the author of several religious books and has headed many
important departments and commissions in the diocese of Pennsylvania."
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Bishop Conkling's tenure was highly successful in one very important
area. He came to a diocese which was on the verge of insolvency and
restored it to a strong financial position. In other areas his legacy was
mixed. George Craig Stewart, though himself a high churchman, had a good
relationship with St. Chrysostom's, a low church parish, and praised the
parish and its members for their strong cooperation in diocesan activities.
Like his predecessor, Bishop Conkling was a strong high churchman; unlike
Bishop Stewart, his relationships with parishes whose churchmanship did not
conform to his own were at times difficult, and as time passed St.
Chrysostom's became considerably less active in diocesan affairs. Almost
certainly the parish was not totally blameless in the situation, and in later
years (particularly after Bishop Conkling's retirement) did not take
advantage of opportunities to improve the relationship. Not until Robert Hall
became rector of St. Chrysostom's in 1958 would this unhappy situation
change.
Dudley S. Stark: World War II and Postwar, 1941-1950
By the late 1930s some reflection of the worsening world situation had
begun to appear in parish bulletins. At first concern centered on the fighting
between Japan and China. The offering at the 1937 union Thanksgiving
service at St. James Church was "by unanimous agreement of the ministers
... devoted to the relief of our Christian brethren in the Shanghai area." A
guest preacher from China, Dr. Francis C.M. Wei, came to St. Chrysostom's
on January 2, 1938, and on the following Sunday the parish contributed
$261.06 to a diocesan offering for Chinese church hospitals and schools.
"Deaconess Putman of Shanghai" spoke on "the church's precarious work in
China" at a Business and Professional Women's Guild meeting on October
25, 1939. Red Cross groups met weekly at the church, and November 12,
1939 was designated "Red Cross Sunday." "Christmas Windows" also
reflected the times. The entertainment in 1939 was provided by Cornelius
Vanderbilt, lecturing on "The Twelve Most Interesting Personalities I Have
Met"; a strange choice of title, since his subjects included Adolf Hitler and
Josef Stalin. At the following year's sale, the tea room was, according to the
bulletin, "decorated in a manner well calculated to stir our patriotic fervor."
By mid-December 1940, women were asked to spend part of each Thursday
sewing and knitting at British War Relief headquarters, while the American
Women's Voluntary Services appealed for funds to provide Christmas treats
to children in bombed areas in and near London.
At this time a St. Chrysostom's parishioner was actively participating
in the national government. Charles S. Dewey was elected Congressman
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from the ninth district in 1940 and served two terms before being defeated
in the 1944 election. A Chicago native and a cousin of Spanish-American
War hero Admiral George Dewey, he had been Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury in the Coolidge administration, with responsibility for the reduction
in the size of paper money which took place at that time, and from 1927 to
1931 was a financial advisor to the Polish government. He returned to
Chicago in the 1930s as Colgate-Palmolive Company vice-president for
finance and became active in the Republican party. After World War II he
settled permanently in Washington and remained in public affairs, playing a
major part in the administration of Marshall Plan aid to Europe; he lived an
exceptionally long life, dying on December 25, 1980 a few weeks after his
hundredth birthday. His wife Suzette (well known in her own right for her
volunteer work with the Red Cross and her writings on food and wine) spoke
to the Women's Guild in October 1942 on "The Church in Wartime
Washington." Early in 1941, the Deweys donated an Episcopal Church flag to
the parish.
Other parish activities continued regardless of world problems. A group
known as the Anglican Guild was established in early 1939, sponsoring a
men's and boys' choir (under the direction of "Madam Rugby") which made
its first and only public appearance at the evening service on April 30. By the
next year the group's focus had changed to discussions of theological issues;
former assistant minister Gardner MacWhorter led a session on the Creed on
May 11. Mrs. William Pearce was honored on All Saints' Day, 1939, for her
twenty years as head of the Altar Guild. Later that month, in addition to the
now well-established union Thanksgiving service, Dr. Stark participated in
another cooperative venture; on November 19, accompanied by Harold
Simonds and the St. Chrysostom's choir, he exchanged pulpits with the
Reverend F.C. Benson Belliss, rector of St. Paul's Church on the south side,
and his organist and boys' choir. St. Paul's choir was especially well received
by the St. Chrysostom's congregation, and the exchange was repeated on
February 15, 1942.
An unusual activity on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1941, was the Easter
hat parade broadcast from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. on radio station WGN.
"Tipped off by fashion experts that Easter hats will be wilder and woolier
than ever," Tribune society editor India Moffett and fashion editor Rea
Seeger were to "post themselves near St. Chrysostom's Church on the near
north side and ... describe the styles, particularly in hats, they see as the
people emerge from the church," with announcer Charles Victor on hand to
"express the masculine point of view."
The Church School program received diocesan awards in 1938 and
1940. Awards of pins and bars were made to students with perfect
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attendance over one or more years; Saturday morning make-up sessions
were scheduled to increase the number of eligible children. In February
1940, students with three months perfect attendance received gold crosses,
with a Bible or Prayer Book presented to the student in each class who had
brought in the greatest number of new members. Attendance was taken at
the children's midweek Lenten services, and a "Rector's Honor Roll" of those
with perfect attendance or one absence appeared in the bulletin shortly after
Easter. In Advent and Lent the children continued to collect money in mite
boxes; Advent offerings supported diocesan agencies, while the Lenten
contributions were used for world mission. During Lent 1940, the children
sold copies of the national church magazine Forth to members of the
congregation, who were urged to "further the proceeds (which go into the
Lenten mite boxes) by not showing too much sales resistance." That fall 252
children were registered in the church school; on November 24, 187 children
were present, the largest attendance in five years. A junior acolytes' guild
had been established; boys in the group served at the 9:30 church school
services and were promoted as openings occurred among the senior
acolytes. In addition to the annual Thanksgiving offering of canned goods to
St. Mary's Home, the church school gave over 100 gifts at Christmas 1940 to
an Indian mission in Orleans, California.
The Sunday evening service (whose time had been changed to 5 p.m.)
continued to attract young people. Twenty-four people attended Pat
Warren's Bible class before the service, Delta Kappa Phi meetings followed
the service, and a young married couples' club was planned (though there is
no indication that such a group was actually established).
The evening choir expanded its activities, in late 1940 announcing
plans to perform Flotow's opera Martha under the direction of Robert HegerGoetzl, formerly of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. According to Rollin
and Juanita Hunt, after considering the number of tenor parts required for
that work, the choir (which had two tenors available) changed its plans,
performing instead Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience on February 17 and 18,
1941 at Foresters' Hall at 1016 North Dearborn Street, with John and Ruth
Hauser among the chorus members.
The program included short biographical sketches of the cast. Orville
Hicks, in the part of Bunthorne, "probably needs no introduction for he has
grown up with all of us," Rollin Hunt (the Colonel) "has been with the young
people all his life, both as an instructor ... at the summer camp and as a
partaker of all the young people's activities," and Juanita Crunk (Patience)
"has undoubtedly impressed you, both with her fine quality of voice and
ease upon the stage ... a rather recently made friend of the young people ...
[who] first became associated with us through her work in the afternoon
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choir." Miss Crunk, who had come to Chicago to study music and art, lived at
the Three Arts Club just south of the church, and, like many music students
at the club at that period, was recruited to join the Sunday evening choir;
she married Rollin Hunt, the author of the flattering program sketch, at St.
Chrysostom's not quite a year later, on January 17, 1942. The poor
condition of the gymnasium floor probably prevented use of the parish house
for the production, since the $135.77 raised by the event was used toward a
new floor. (The "Marbelite" floor installed later that year proved satisfactory;
however, the vestry went on record as disapproving use of the gym for roller
skating.)
Parish bulletins for 1941 and 1942 include the names of three persons
whose later careers in or beyond the parish were noteworthy. Ann
Cornelisen, who was confirmed in 1941, achieved considerable fame as a
writer. In the mid-1950s she moved to Italy where she worked with the
Save the Children Federation; her book Torregreca, based on this
experience, was a popular and critical success and has been followed by
several other highly praised books with Italy as their subject. Her mother
Ydoine worked to recruit hostesses for the parish Servicemen's Center and
was a member of the Women's Guild and the Altar Guild, heading the latter
group from 1956 to 1958.
The list of church school teachers in the November 2, 1941 bulletin
marks the first printed reference to a parishioner who would make a major
contribution to St. Chrysostom's over the next forty years; Mrs. Albert
Ramm, assisting Henrietta Newton in the kindergarten. Dorothy Sugden
Ramm transferred her membership from Grace Church, Oak Park, to St.
Chrysostom's after her marriage to Albert Ramm and move to Chicago in
1935. Midway through the 1940/41 school year she volunteered as a
teacher; accompanying her daughter (the present author) to Sunday School,
Mrs. Ramm characteristically wished to be of service rather than waiting idly
for the sessions to end. She continued to teach until the early 1960s,
resigning when her first students' children began to enter the Church School
because she "did not want to teach two generations." After her daughter left
Chicago for college in 1954, Mrs. Ramm was active in the Women's Guild
and Altar Guild (serving as head of both organizations) and in 1972 became
the first woman elected to the vestry.
Bertha Mandelkow was one of the adult members of the 1942
confirmation class. Few if any persons in the history of the parish have
equalled her record of stewardship. In her earlier years as a parishioner she
lived in rooming houses near the church, later moving to a one-room
apartment a few blocks south of St. Chrysostom's with a view of the back
wall of an adjacent building; employed in a low-salaried position at an
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insurance company and living on Social Security and a small pension after
her retirement, she never failed to give a tithe of her income to the parish.
When she received gifts of money from friends, a tenth was put aside for her
tithe; Robert Howell recalls that she would give him these sums to be used
"for the poor." She attended both morning services and the evening service
on Sunday, and was a member of the adult Bible class. Mary Ellen Christy, in
her 1991 lay stewardship sermon, cited Bertha Mandelkow as an example to
the congregation, recalling her tithing and her membership (at the age of
seventy plus) in the Young Adult group of the early and mid-1970s.
In May 1941 the first of the needlepoint pieces in the church was
dedicated; the small cushions at the main altar with a carnation motif,
worked by parishioner Grace Scott as a memorial to her husband Charles.
Mrs. Scott headed the Needlework and Textile Guild in the city; soon after
completing the cushions, she became a member of the Altar Guild, and for
many years did much of its embroidery and fine sewing. The May 11 bulletin
highlighted Camp Oronoko: "with the approach of warm weather and
vacation-time the thoughts of young and old turn to the great outdoors."
Under Community Center director Margaret Pembroke, Francis Parker School
faculty member Bernard Negronida and "thirty other trained workers, most
of them university students interested in camping," a four-week period for
boys was scheduled on June 28, followed by four weeks for girls; the $14
charge for two weeks did not cover all expenses, and parishioners were
asked to make donations to the camp budget.
Fall 1941 saw the resumption of a full round of activities. The church
school and Community Center began their season, the Woman's Guild and
Auxiliary staged another successful "Christmas Windows" bazaar, St.
Chrysostom's hosted the union Thanksgiving service with Bishop Conkling as
preacher, and the evening choir performed Maunder's "Song of
Thanksgiving" on Sunday, November 23. On the second Sunday in Advent,
December 7, the bulletin called attention to several scheduled events,
among them the Business and Professional Women's Guild meeting on
December 9 at which actress Colleen Moore would speak on "Hollywood and
My Doll House," and a December 10 lecture at Orchestra Hall, "What Gives
Britain Courage to Endure," by the Reverend Michael Coleman of All Hallows,
London. A new dramatic group, the St. Chrysostom's Players, directed by
radio actor and parishioner Harry Candale, planned to present two one-act
plays, "The Christmas Carol" adapted from Dickens and "The Bishop's
Candlesticks" adapted from Hugo's Les Miserables, on December 17.
Parishioners were urged to make contributions toward the purchase of
Christmas baskets for the needy, an annual custom since the early 1930s.
The Sunday evening choir was to make its radio debut, broadcasting a halfhour program of Christmas music on Saturday, December 20 on station
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WGN; after the service the following evening, the group would carol at
hospitals and at homes of parishioners.
The Gospel appointed in the 1928 Prayer Book for the second Sunday
in Advent (Luke 21:25-31) appears all too pertinent in the light of the attack
on Pearl Harbor, news of which must have reached the city not long after the
conclusion of the eleven o'clock service: "And there shall be signs in the sun,
and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity; ... men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth ..."
Two of the hymns at that day's service also seem sadly appropriate:
God the All-Terrible! King, who ordainest
Thunder thy clarion, the lightning Thy sword;
Show forth thy pity on high where Thou reignest;
Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.
(Hymn 435, 1916 Hymnal)
The morning light is breaking ...
Each breeze that sweeps the ocean
Brings tidings from afar
Of nations in commotion,
Prepared for Sion's war.
(Hymn 479, 1916 Hymnal)
St. Chrysostom's archives from World War II, a time when the church
did not issue a newsletter, contain little information about parishioners' war
service. Contrary to the practice in World War I, when the parish magazine
included an "honor roll," the church did not list in its bulletin the names of its
members in the armed forces, but did maintain a list of parishioners in
service. The Anglican Guild planned to send them "news of parochial
activities" as well as cookies, candy and cigarettes; the Hunts recall that
Bertha Mandelkow spent many hours in the Guild Room writing long and
newsy letters to servicemen, which were received with much appreciation.
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(A feature in the November 1945 issue of the diocesan magazine Advance
stated that 150 St. Chrysostom's parishioners had served in the military.)
Bulletins provide more detail about St. Chrysostom's "home front" activity.
Evening Red Cross programs sponsored by the Girls' Friendly Society and
the Business and Professional Women's Guild were added to the daytime
Red Cross groups which had for some time been meeting at the church. At
the request of the diocese, an all-day prayer service was held one
Wednesday a month beginning with Holy Communion at 7:30 a.m. and
continuing till 6 p.m.; parishioners were asked to sign up for a half-hour
period of intercession during the day. In the fall of 1942 under assistant E.
Paul Parker, services of Morning Prayer on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday,
the Litany on Wednesday morning, and Evening Prayer on Friday were
added to the schedule, providing additional opportunities for intercession.
On many occasions the bulletin publicized the work of the church's
Army and Navy Commission which funded chaplains for the armed forces.
These were no doubt of special interest to long-time members of the parish,
since former assistant minister Eugene Shannon had by Christmas 1942
become a Navy chaplain in San Juan, Puerto Rico — the first non-Roman
Catholic chaplain to serve in the Caribbean. Mr. Shannon's letter to Bishop
Randall was printed in Advance for May 1943. "Just like parish work, there
are no hours. My office is on the second deck of the recreation building,
where the canteen, movies, bowling alleys and the pool are located and you
can readily see how strategically I am situated. Conducting the services has
been a great joy. It is an inspiration to conduct worship where seating space
is at a premium ... Until recently I had no equipment for celebrating the
Eucharist; therefore I could not make up a regular schedule, for it was not
always convenient or easy to borrow from the Cathedral staff. Now I have
from the Army and Navy Commission one of their kits. They are perfect."
Much war-related business was discussed at vestry meetings. In early
1942 the group voted to install a flagpole on the tower. Because the church's
oil burners, installed in 1923, were "very nearly obsolete" and the nation had
been urged to conserve oil, John Redmond reported on October 8 that one
burner had been converted to coal; a short time later the Department of the
Interior wrote the church "asking for just such a change in the interest of oil
conservation." The national anthem was now sung at all worship services
following the Doxology. Paul Noyes called attention to the "timely words" of
the last verse of the anthem; the vestry agreed that it should be substituted
for the more familiar first verse.
A February 14, 1942 feature in the Daily News photogravure section
described "A Cosmopolitan Congregation Which Has Grown in Prestige and
Maintained a Place of Christian Worship Through Fifty Challenging Years."
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Photographs captioned "My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer,"
"Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" and "Go Your Way ... Into His Courts with
Praise," showed the congregation at worship, Dudley Stark at the lectern,
and the senior choir, while Harold Simonds was portrayed "At Keyboard of
the Mighty Carillon" and John Hauser and seven vestry members were
shown "Supervising Temporal Affairs." Wartime activities were illustrated by
the picture of a parish Red Cross chapter; photographs of the Community
Center showed "little housewives of the neighborhood enjoy[ing] the cooking
classes," "future homemakers in the sewing classes," and boys taking part in
"machine shop practice, home handcraft and various forms of manual
training" and participating in "gymn [sic] night at the social center." The
article concluded with a brief reference to the church's camp program.
News from the campsite that year was unhappy. Lake Chapin, fed by
the St. Joseph River, had become polluted with sewage from Niles, Michigan,
making swimming impossible, and the vestry voted not to open the camp in
1942; however, they agreed to maintain the buildings in the hope that the
pollution problem could be corrected and the camp reopened in the future.
At the end of May 1942 John Hauser resigned to accept a call to a
parish in Rahway, New Jersey. His later ministry was distinguished; he
served at churches in Springfield, Illinois, Chester, Pennsylvania, Laguna
Beach and Coronado, California, was twice a delegate to General
Convention, and was president of the finance committee of the Diocese of
San Diego before retiring as rector of Christ Church, Coronado, in 1978. The
Reverend E. Paul Parker, a recent Seabury-Western Seminary graduate,
joined the parish that fall as assistant, and at the October 8 vestry meeting
Dr. Stark announced another addition to the parish staff; using money from
the 1941 "Christmas Windows" sale originally earmarked for Camp Oronoko,
he had hired George Kubitz to direct the Community Center. For the rest of
his life Mr. Kubitz remained actively associated with St. Chrysostom's; he
had previously been employed at diocesan headquarters and was known to
many in the parish for his work with the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and as
director of the Brotherhood's Camp Houghteling in Michigan. Inasmuch as
war priorities made it nearly impossible to purchase athletic equipment, Mr.
Kubitz asked parishioners to contribute equipment and table games for the
Center as well as volunteering their services.
The minutes of this meeting make the first reference to a program
which was to form an important part of St. Chrysostom's wartime activities.
"The Parish had been approached on the idea of using the premises for a
Service Men's Center, whereupon it was suggested that contact be
established with the Personnel Officer at the Navy Pier ... Disposition of the
matter was left in the hands of Dr. Stark and the two Wardens, with power
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to act." In late October St. Chrysostom's Servicemen's Center opened for
three weeks on a trial basis; the need for the program was obvious, and the
Center continued in existence until mid-1946. Advance featured the Center
in its May 1943 issue: "When the Rev. Dr. Dudley Stark started the project
last fall he knew he had the full support of the Woman's Guild and the
parish. He wasn't so sure about the enthusiasm of the servicemen. But now,
after five months, the hundreds of letters of appreciation he is receiving
from the men who visited St. Chrysostom's during their stay in Chicago
assure him of their enthusiasm." On Wednesday through Sunday nights,
from seven to eleven o'clock, "the young men make full use of the
badminton courts, chess boards and ping-pong tables, and enjoy numerous
table games as well," according to the parish bulletin of December 6, 1942.
"Besides these activities the Center provides a well organized program of
social dancing, group games and entertainment." George Kubitz took charge
of the day-to-day operation of the Servicemen's Center as well as the
Community Center; many parishioners volunteered their services in some
capacity. Hostesses were recruited from young women of the parish, the
Girls' Friendly Lodge, the Three Arts Club and their friends; they were
required to submit references and recommendations and to be in attendance
at the Center at least eight evenings a month. The Woman's Guild provided
the coffee, soft drinks and cake which were served at the end of the
evening. Servicemen in attendance came from officers' training schools at
Navy Pier, Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Fort Sheridan, and air force
training centers in the former Congress and Stevens Hotels; guests were
given cards advertising the center, and (according to Advance) "few men
[left] ... without returning another evening with one or two friends." Some of
them became associated with the church in other capacities; the bulletin of
December 13, 1942, commented that "more and more of the men ... have
been coming to the 5:00 service and have joined with the young people who
meet afterwards for supper and a social hour," in some cases becoming
acolytes or choir members. (The supper after the service, for which there
was a nominal charge, was served free to servicemen.)
"The next best thing to home. That's how servicemen describe the
servicemen's center at St. Chrysostom's Church," read the opening lines of a
photo feature in the September 28, 1945 Chicago Herald-American. "... The
servicemen haven't had to worry about plenty of recreation. The gymnasium
provides basketball, archery, softball and badminton. The basement offers
ping pong and shuffleboard. Dancing and movies are held every evening,
with cards, reading, and community singing to round out the program ...
Mrs. Marie Plimmer, known as 'Mom' to the boys, has been in charge of the
[hostesses] since the center opened. A group of servicemen wrote her from
the South Pacific: 'If we could, we'd put up a bronze plaque in every city in
the world for you. We never met anyone with so much kindness and
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understanding. No one else ever did so much for their country.' Mom's rules
are rigid regarding ... hostesses, requiring them to obtain recommendations
from the pastor of their church and from some business associate."
John Wilkinson and his daughters had particularly happy associations
with the Servicemen's Center. Dorothy Wilkinson was pictured in the April
1944 Advance receiving a bracelet awarded by Dudley Stark to the hostess
with the best attendance record, Irene Wilkinson met her husband Bill
Gledhill through the Center, and John Wilkinson, whose first marriage had
ended in divorce some years previously, married a hostess at the Center.
Ruth Wilkinson shared her memories of the program in a September 1990
letter to the author: "One of the interesting things you'll undoubtedly report
on will be the Servicemen's Center. That was what brought me to St. Chrys.
and met Jack. Many romances were started there — and blessed there! This
is just a small part of what St. Chrys. means to me."
The decision to open the Servicemen's Center was probably not the
only parish business transacted outside official vestry meetings in the World
War II years. Several months now often passed between meetings; in
addition, formal canvasses were scheduled infrequently if at all, though
individuals were on occasiony contacted and urged to increase their pledges.
Financial needs seem often to have been met by contributions of vestry
members rather than by appeals to the congregation as a whole; John
Allen's 1944 gift covering most of the cost of the newly published 1940
Hymnal is a case in point.
An action difficult to defend by current standards is the change in time
and place of the annual meetings. Attendance at annual parish meetings in
the Guild Room on Sunday afternoons in the 1930s and early 1940s was
small; however, the change of time in 1943 from Sunday to a weekday
afternoon, and the change of place to the rector's study the following year,
meant that the meetings were in practice closed to all but the rector,
wardens and vestry. Grace Woodman, who transferred to St. Chrysostom's
in late 1949 from a church outside the Chicago area where the annual
meeting was extremely well attended, recalled the vestry's surprise when
she came to the meeting on her first year in the city — the only non-vestry
member in attendance. At this period, when Sunday bulletins were printed
early in the previous week and vestry membership changed only upon the
death or retirement of one of the members, the list of newly elected vestry
in the bulletin on the Sunday following the meeting must often have been
printed before the election took place.
"Christmas Windows" was a war casualty. Dudley Stark reported to the
vestry that "general conditions and a certain amount of indifference on the
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part of those who had exhibited before" made it inadvisable to hold the sale
in 1942, not surprising in a time of shortages and rationing; women were
almost certainly devoting their time to war work and could not produce
handmade items for a traditional bazaar. Other fund-raising activities were
substituted. A card party and tea, with prizes including an add-a-pearl
necklace, war bonds, twelve dinner plates and a fifty-pound keg of soap
chips, was scheduled on February 24, 1943; score pads with the Guild crest
were designed for the occasion. In 1944 and 1945 the women sponsored a
spring fashion show and tea to benefit the Servicemen's Center and other
charities, and revived the turkey dinner as a separate parish event in
December.
In November 1943 the Guild scheduled a rummage sale under the
direction of Mrs. Fred Gerlach and Miss Alice Barler, perhaps the first such
sale held by the group since the early years of Norman Hutton's rectorship
(though the Community Center had on several occasions held rummage
sales as fund-raisers). It made a profit of over $1300 and became for many
years a feature of the parish calendar. Isabel Gerlach (in whose memory the
parish's silver tea service was given) was a leader in many Guild activities of
the period; her husband Fred was a patent attorney, and their daughter
Mildred Gerlach Jacklon, a Tribune society writer in the late 1920s, had
written the Easter 1927 feature describing attendance at St. Chrysostom's
on the day of the first performance of the carillon.
Alice Barler continued to head rummage sales for over twenty years.
Her name first appears in parish listings in 1933 as a volunteer teaching
sewing at the Community Center; she was confirmed in 1935. The daughter
of Augustus Condon Barler, who made a substantial fortune from his
invention of the Barler oil heater, she lived a lifestyle which was in many
ways not in keeping with her income. Stories of Miss Barler may seem
exaggerated to persons who did not know her, but can be vouched for by
the present author and others who knew her personally. Climbing the stairs
in her four-story house at 436 Arlington Place could be hazardous, since she
reduced electric bills by using bulbs of the lowest available wattage. Albert
and Dorothy Sugden Ramm were Miss Barler's dinner guests in 1956; the
first course consisted of soup made from water in which the remainder of the
dinner (two boiled chicken wings per person and a large quantity of onions)
had been cooked, and the Ramms on their return home supplemented the
meal with sandwiches. (Miss Barler's cousin Jessie Wellington was
sometimes served an alternative menu, a large meat loaf made with an
ample number of onions, a substantial quantity of bread crumbs and half a
pound of ground beef.) Alice Barler's sugar bowl was filled with packets of
sugar from restaurants; her gifts to friends were usually salvaged from
rummage sale contributions or purchased at sales. One Christmas Day she
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called Dorothy Sugden Ramm in dismay; she had sharpened what she
thought to be a rummage sale lipstick and given it as a Christmas gift, had
discovered that she had given away her own lipstick, and was about to call
the recipient to ask for its return!
At a time soon after the outbreak of war, Dr. Stark's tenth anniversary
as rector provided an occasion for rejoicing. The hymns at the 11:00 service
on March 8, 1942, "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," "O God Our Help in
Ages Past," and "Blest Be the Tie That Binds," and more elaborate service
music than was customary for Lent indicate that rector and parish looked
back with gratitude on the past ten years. At the evening service, the
sermon was delivered by Dr. Stark's close friend the Reverend Floyd E.
Bernard of All Saints Church, Ravenswood.
Later in 1942, a committee of the rector, wardens and vestry
members Fletcher Durbin, Charles Freeman and Albert Sprague was formed
to consider "suitable ways of recognizing the occasion" of the parish's fiftieth
anniversary the following January. Because of the war, no such elaborate
observance as that of the fortieth anniversary was planned, but festival
services on Sunday, January 17, with Bishop Conkling as preacher, and a
Sunday afternoon tea were scheduled. The parish's living former rectors sent
good wishes:
I rejoice to hear that on January 17th you are to
commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of Saint
Chrysostom's. My heartiest congratulations to Rector, Vestry and
Congregation!
Your anniversary comes at a time of world crisis. I pray
that God may so inspire you with wisdom and power, through
His Blessed Spirit, that you may be enabled to make a real
contribution to the needs of humanity at this present hour. Also I
pray that God may help you to make the coming fifty years of
your history as a parish of signal service in the carrying out of
His loving purpose toward mankind. The Church in the United
States has come to expect great things for you, and I am
persuaded, even as you are persuaded,that the glory of the
latter house shall exceed the glory of the former.
With cordial regards and best wishes,
H.P. ALMON ABBOTT,
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Bishop of Lexington.
To the members of St. Chrysostom's Church:
My very dear Friends:
Although unable to be present in person, nevertheless my
thoughts are with you in the celebration on January 17th which
marks the fiftieth anniversary of St. Chrysostom's Church.
I have always believed in celebrations. They teach us to
look well to the "Rock of Faith from which we are hewn." Many of
the things we most enjoy in life have been handed on to us
through the devoted interest and unselfish loyalty of those who
have gone before. There is so much of someone else's vision and
loyalty in the present strength of St. Chrysostom's that I am
sure all of those who know it in the present are thankful to them.
My rectorate in St. Chrysostom's was one of the happiest
experiences of life. I frequently think of it and of all that was
done by many friends to make Mrs. Keeler and me so happy in
it. I think I have one unique distinction in connection with my
memory of St. Chrysostom's. I believe that my consecration as
Bishop was the only service of that sort so far held in St.
Chrysostom's.
I have watched with so much interest the growth of the
parish under the ministry of your distinguished rector. May there
be many happy years of service and fellowship yet in store for
you and for him. My best wishes are with every member of the
parish for the year 1943. It bids fair to be a year of destiny for
all of us. We shall be making one of our strongest efforts on
behalf of our country in this emergency if we continue to keep
very deep and vital our spiritual motive and purpose.
Again with my best congratulations, in which Mrs. Keeler
joins me, I am,
Ever cordially yours,
STEPHEN E. KEELER,
Bishop Coadjutor of Minnesota.
The service followed the traditional "Founder's Day" pattern begun
nine years before at the observance of the parish's fortieth anniversary, with
most of the hymns and service music duplicating those used in 1934. The
bulletin quoted Bishop McLaren's message authorizing the adoption of the
name St. Chrysostom's Church and listed the wardens and vestry of 1894
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and 1943; a short note referred to "the longer Rectorships" of Thaddeus
Snively and Norman Hutton. At the evening service Harrison Ray Anderson
of Fourth Presbyterian Church and Duncan Browne of St. James Church
presented greetings in lieu of a sermon.
A new service added to the schedule that January remained on the
calendar for nearly twenty years. The first Festival Service of Lights took
place on Sunday evening, January 31; in later years it was usually scheduled
on the first Sunday after Epiphany. The sermon, normally given by a guest
preacher, was followed by Lehmann's anthem "No Candle Was There," with
Nancy Warren as soprano soloist. Acolytes representing the apostles lit
candles held by members of the congregation, and with other lights in the
church extinguished, all present rose to affirm allegiance to "the faith of
Christ crucified," processing out with their candles to the hymns "Onward
Christian Soldiers" and "Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow."
Weekly services of Evening Prayer with a sermon by one of the parish
clergy or a guest preacher formed the parish's usual Lenten observance in
the war years. The 1944 program by retired Bishop Frank McElwain of
Minnesota (who had recently been succeeded by his coadjutor Stephen
Keeler) was considered worthy of special mention. Bishop McElwain, now
dean of Seabury-Western Seminary, took as his subject the prophets of the
Old Testament; his presentations (according to the bulletin of February 6)
would "combine the order and direct instruction of the Seminary classroom
with the personal, religious approach of ... a Priest and Bishop of the Church.
It would be difficult to evaluate your loss should you be unable to take
advantage of this special Lenten instruction."
The Servicemen's Center continued to thrive. Parish bulletins regularly
included news of Center activities; three to five hundred servicemen were
present during an average week. Special party nights — the annual
anniversary dance marking the founding of the Center, nationality parties
commemorating the Allied nations, a "Sadie Hawkins" girl-ask-boy dance
inspired by Al Capp's popular comic strip Li'l Abner, Christmas parties, the
New Year's weekend formal dance — were regularly scheduled, but, as a
bulletin put it, "you are likely to have just as happy a time even on a more
ordinary evening. The directors would like to have you drop in."
In the summer of 1943 the parish received an unusual gift. Parishioner
Stanley Pargellis, librarian of the Newberry Library, presented the church
with (as Advance described it) a "monumental edition of the works of St.
John Chrysostom, published by Eton College in 1613 ... to form the nucleus
of a collection of rare books for the parish library. The eight volumes, written
in Greek ... were the great labor of Sir Henry Savile ... Stanley Pargellis ...
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writes: 'The story is told that Savile worked himself so ill over the editing
that his wife threatened, "If Harry dies I'll have that Chrysostom burned,"
but changed her mind when it was pointed out to her that Chrysostom was
the sweetest of preachers since the Apostles.'" Although the "collection of
rare books" never became a reality, the eight-volume work remains in the
rector's study.
Paul Parker as head of the church school made few major changes in
its program, although for the first time in some years a vacation Bible school
was scheduled in July 1943. Fewer families with children now lived in the
area of the church, and though no statistics are available for the period
there was almost certainly a decline in enrollment. Former teacher Eleanor
East returned in 1944 to take charge of the kindergarten when Henrietta
Newton's husband Clifford entered the service and the couple left the city.
Ten years earlier Miss East had collaborated with Pat Warren to compose a
hymn for the children's Christmas service; she now wrote both the words
and music of hymns which the kindergarten and primary children sang at the
Christmas and Easter services (which at this time did not include a pageant).
"Miss East's hymns" remained on the program for some years after Mrs.
Newton's return; although they were not literarily or musically distinguished,
Dudley Stark's enthusiasm for them was an endearing feature of the
services. He made a special point of announcing that they had been
composed by a parishioner, and after the performance would exclaim: "That
was splendid! Now let's see if we can do as well as they did!" urging the
congregation to join him in singing the final verse.
The church school chapel altar as well as the altars in the church was
regularly decorated with flowers. Responsibility for the chapel flowers
belonged to parishioner Elizabeth Bedingfield. Miss Bedingfield might have
stepped from the pages of an English novel. A British citizen trained as a
nanny, she had also worked as a "Universal Aunt," providing activities for
children visiting London whose parents were engaged in other sightseeing.
She had been nanny to the Robert Tafts at the family's summer home at
Murray Bay, Quebec; according to Juanita Hunt, Miss Bedingfield was
traveling in the United States when World War II began and was unable to
return to England, but through Senator Taft's influence was able to remain in
the States. Dudley Stark was particularly fond of her and referred to her as
"Saint Elizabeth." Though Cuthbert Pratt did not continue to call her by that
name, he made a point of sending her postcards of the British royal family
from his frequent vacations in Canada. The summer of 1959, when Queen
Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Chicago, was a happy time for Miss
Bedingfield. In early summer a fellow parishioner expressed concern over a
teenage family member who did not plan either to take a job or attend
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summer school. Elizabeth Bedingfield sympathized in the only way she
could: "Oh, dear — and is she not even interested in the Queen's visit?"
Teas sponsored by various parish groups were held before the evening
service on the first Sunday of the month; on May 7, 1944 the Girls' Friendly
Society hosted diocesan GFS chapters at tea before a special service for the
organization. This is the last recorded Girls' Friendly Society meeting in the
parish; by 1948, when a regular calendar of activities again appeared in the
bulletin, the group was no longer active at the church. The Business and
Professional Women's Guild merged with the Anglican Guild in early 1943;
because of the Servicemen's Center it was difficult to schedule weeknight
meetings of the businesswomen's group, and its members were urged to
volunteer at the Center "for the duration." The Anglican Guild devoted much
of its time to a study of proposals for church unity. It took part in joint
Episcopal and Presbyterian services held during the Epiphany season in city
churches, and speakers from other Christian denominations often appeared
at its meetings.
The group's studies were probably influenced by the actions of General
Convention in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1937 the Episcopal Church
had voted to "take immediate steps toward the forming of plans whereby
union with the Presbyterian Church may be achieved"; the Presbyterian
Church had accepted the invitation. The issue of organic union with the
Presbyterian Church was an important item on the agenda of the 1943
General Convention in Cleveland. Diocesan bishops Conkling and Randall
expressed strong opposition. Bishop Randall commented in the July 1943
Advance that "the proposals would set back the cause of real Church unity
for a long time to come, and would estop the present hopeful efforts towards
a better understanding between the great historic branches of the Catholic
Church — Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Roman." Eight clergy of the
diocese including Dudley Stark had signed a letter in the June issue giving a
differing view.
We have been urged, in the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral "to enter into brotherly conference with any or all
Christian bodies seeking the restoration of the organic unity of
the church." The various proposals, as put forth by our
commission, have been completely in accord with those
mandates. In spite of that fact, every proposal has met with
studied and unfriendly resistance by obstructionists within the
Episcopal Church. It has become evident that as far as they are
concerned, the price of unity must be the unconditional
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surrender of any Christian body that might desire to unite with
us and the acceptance in its entirety of the theological and
ecclesiastical position occupied traditionally by our church. Such
an attitude cannot fail not only to impede every movement
toward unity but also to give great and scandalous offense to our
fellow-Christians of other churches ...
It is disheartening and humiliating that every time specific
action is proposed there are those within the church who resist
and repudiate what is suggested. We believe that the time has
come when we should either act in spite of the opposition or else
stop proclaiming our desire for unity.
The 1943 convention tabled both majority and minority reports on
organic union with the Presbyterians, referring them to the church for study.
The proposal was raised again but not adopted at the General Convention of
1946, which instead agreed to develop a broader basis for consideration of
all proposals of church unity based on the four points of the ChicagoLambeth Quadrilateral; Holy Scripture, the creeds, the sacraments of
Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and the historic episcopate.
Though probably a majority of the diocesan clergy shared the bishops'
views on the issue of unity with the Presbyterians, Dudley Stark's leadership
was still recognized. At the 1944 diocesan convention he was elected a
member of the Bishop and Trustees; in January 1945 he became dean of the
Chicago-North Deanery, and for some years he held the chairmanship of the
Committee on the State of the Church. However, the issue highlighted the
growing polarization of the diocese; parishes such as St. Chrysostom's, who
on this and other issues maintained a "low church" position, increasingly felt
that their views were not welcomed by diocesan leadership and that they
were under some pressure to conform to majority views in doctrine and
worship. As time passed, relationships with the diocese, which had been
good through nearly all of St. Chrysostom's history, entered a period of
extreme difficulty. Rima Schultz's history of St. James Cathedral, The Church
and the City, highlights Bishop Conkling's contributions to the diocese but
notes that he was "often at odds with those not in his camp"; St.
Chrysostom's Church, whose traditions and worship did not conform to those
favored by the bishop, was certainly in this category.
As long-time parishioners who had been heavily involved in diocesan
programs died, parish activity on the diocesan level decreased. Lucinda
Kretschmer, who had received Bishop Stewart's distinguished service award
for her work as head of the diocesan Altar Guild, died on April 26, 1942. Her
husband Herman had her award mounted on a chalice, which was dedicated
by Bishop Conkling at his annual visitation on April 8, 1945 and which
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remains in occasional use in the parish. Angus Hibbard, long active in parish
and diocesan affairs, broke his hip in 1944 and was from then on confined to
the hospital. He died on October 21, 1945: a tribute to him appeared in the
December Advance.
ANGUS S. HIBBARD: Venerable and dear to all of us, past
president and director of the Church Club of Chicago for nearly
50 years.
The Church Club was one of the means Mr. Hibbard used
to express himself in church work. As most of us know, he was
active in his own parish as well as in the diocesan council. For
years and years he was chairman of the publicity committee of
the diocese and editor of the diocesan magazine Advance.
It was through Mr. Hibbard's untiring efforts that the
magazine rose in stature from a mere trifling news sheet to the
outstanding magazine of the Episcopal Church in America.
It has not been possible through parish archives or other sources fully
to reconstruct data on the six men with ties to St. Chrysostom's who were
killed during World War II. Joseph Otis III was a third-generation parishioner
confirmed at St. Chrysostom's in 1935. His death was the second warrelated death in two generations in the Otis family; Joseph Otis' uncle
George died of appendicitis in a military camp shortly after the end of World
War I. Donald Freeman (also confirmed in 1935), the youngest son of vestry
member Charles Freeman, was killed in Germany on April 12, 1945, the day
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. Roland Newfield, a member of the
1940 confirmation class, died at some time during the war; details of his
death are not known to us.
Charles and Suzette Dewey's younger son Peter had been a foreign
correspondent in Paris when war broke out. He enlisted in the Polish army,
with which he served until the fall of France; escaping through Spain, he was
interred in Portugal before returning home and was subsequently decorated
by both the French and Polish governments. After a short period as a civilian
in Washington he enlisted in the American army in 1942. As a member of a
paratroop unit in the Office of Strategic Services, he parachuted into France
shortly before the invasion of southern France, organizing a French Maquis
detachment which captured 384 German soldiers and a Nazi tank and
destroyed two other tanks; for this feat he received the Legion of Merit. In
July 1945 he volunteered for special duty with the OSS in Saigon, and was
killed on September 26 (after World War II had officially ended) when his
jeep was attacked by Annamite rebels.
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Former St. Chrysostom's assistant Eugene Shannon was the first priest
of the diocese to die in service. Shortly after Christmas 1944 he wrote
Bishop Randall from his station on the aircraft carrier Bismarck Sea in the
Pacific, enclosing a photograph of himself baptizing an airman on Christmas
Day and suggesting that, if printed in Advance, it should be titled, "With the
Sign of the Cross." He continued, "I'd had charge of all the ship's festivities
at that season; this was one of my final duties, or much better put,
opportunities. The services went well; men standing all over the place, many
of them perched up on airplanes on the hangar deck where we held the
services." On February 21, 1945, the carrier was hit by Japanese torpedoes
in the Coral Sea. Chaplain Shannon had offered a prayer at the vessel's
commissioning the previous April: "Remember with Thy great kindness those
who from this ship shall soar off into the great spaces of the sky; return
them safely as birds to their nest. We do not ask, Heavenly Father, for an
easy task, but rather we implore Thee for courage and strength to do
whatever job lies before us. These requests we make in Thy name into
whose protecting arms we commit our ship and ourselves, now and forever,
through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen." A survivor related that before the
carrier was downed, a plane from the craft dropped a bag on the deck of the
flagship of the group containing a message from the skipper and a prayer
from the chaplain. Later, Mr. Shannon's former parish in Freeport dedicated
a tablet in his memory which quoted his prayer and described him as "a
faithful pastor in peace as in war."
Gregory Stark had since childhood expressed his desire to become a
priest. However, after his graduation from Boys' Latin School in 1942 he
joined the Army, and in January 1945 was serving as a private in the combat
engineers in Luxembourg. The month of January was always a busy one at
St. Chrysostom's, with the Service of Lights, the Founder's Day service and
the annual meeting on the schedule; in addition, Bishop Keeler was to return
to his former parish as guest preacher on January 28. The period must have
been exceptionally difficult for the Starks, who had just received the news
that their son was missing. The Tribune of January 24 carried a short
announcement: "Pvt. Gregory Stark, 20, ... son of the Rev. and Mrs. Dudley
Scott Stark, has been missing in action ... since Jan. 6, his parents were
advised yesterday." By this time or soon afterwards, the Starks must have
been officially notified of his death. A nonmember of St. Chrysostom's
recalled attending a service there on the Sunday after she received the news
of her brother's death in battle and hearing Dudley Stark's announcement of
his own son's death. (Ironically, Dudley Stark, Jr., who made his career in
the army, was at West Point and did not see active service in the war.)
A number of parishioners remembered Gregory Stark by gifts to the All
Saints' Fund or contributions of memorial flowers at the Easter service on
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April 1; the gift by the hostesses of the Servicemen's Center must have been
especially meaningful to the family. A special evening service on January 13,
1946 honored the memory of the six persons connected with the parish who
had died during the war. The Starks gave memorial flowers on the occasion,
and the vesper choir provided special music.
In 1949 Dr. Stark told the youth confirmation class a story almost
certainly inspired by the loss of his son. A small boy prayed every night for a
pony for Christmas; his parents, unable to afford the purchase, worried that
their son would lose his faith when he did not receive the pony. On
Christmas night they asked him, "How do you feel about God's not
answering your prayer?" The boy responded, "But He did answer. He said
no." Nearly twenty-five years after Gregory Stark's death, when his parents
visited St. Chrysostom's in 1969, they made a special point of going to the
"rector's pew," remembering the years when Gregory had sat there with the
family.
Two non-war deaths affecting the congregation occurred in the spring
of 1945. Former rector Bishop Henry Pryor Almon Abbott died on April 4 at
the age of sixty-three, some weeks after he had suffered a heart attack at a
service in a Lexington church. John Evans' obituary described the bishop as
"a noted pulpit orator" and quoted Dudley Stark's gratitude for his
predecessor's "splendid prophetic ministry and missionary zeal." Though
Bishop Abbott's tenure at St. Chrysostom's had been short, he looked back
to it with pleasure and maintained friendships with former parishioners; John
Redmond on one occasion received a photograph of the bishop on a donkey
in the Kentucky mountains.
Louise Cox, who had contributed so liberally to the parish, especially to
Camp Oronoko, died on May 12. She remembered St. Chrysostom's
generously in her will, leaving $10,000 to establish the Rensselaer D. Cox Jr.
Memorial Fund for Camp Oronoko or other parish work with children and
$10,000 for the Cox Memorial Fund for "general parochial purposes." In
1946 William Cox made an even more generous gift in his mother's memory,
donating $50,000 to create the Louise Deshler Cox Memorial Fund, whose
income would be administered by a committee of the vestry and used for
general parish needs. It was unhappily not possible to use the Rensselaer
Cox fund for Camp Oronoko; water pollution problems on the site could not
be corrected, and the vestry agreed in late 1945 to sell the land. The
property was put on the market the following year; probably because of the
water difficulties, it was not sold until January 1948, and the $15,000
proceeds were added to the Cox Memorial Fund. (Parish bulletins list other
special endowment funds in existence in the late 1940s; Richard T. Crane,
Jr.'s gift of $50,000 for maintenance of the carillon and bell tower, Mary Blair
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Keep's Memorial Altar Fund of $10,000 for linens and care of the altar, and
the Katie L. Eckhart Fund of $5000 for general parish purposes given by her
daughter Dorothy Eckhart Williams in 1947.)
In the fall of 1945, after three years at St. Chrysostom's, Paul Parker
accepted a call to St. John's Church, Naperville: in early October Dr. Stark
announced his choice of a successor. The Reverend Cuthbert Pratt was older
and with more experience than most of Dr. Stark's previous assistants.
Twenty-nine years old, he had been born in England; he had been assistant
at St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, and rector of St. John's Church in Fall River,
Massachusetts, a parish of five hundred communicants, resigning to study
for an advanced degree at the University of Chicago divinity school. He
would play an important part in the life of the parish in the years to come
and would become Dudley Stark's close personal friend as well as his
assistant, a friendship continuing long after both had left the parish.
Like Dr. Stark's other assistants, Mr. Pratt was given responsibility for
the church school. On his first Sunday a disturbance arose during the
worship service; he paused in the prayers, walked from the chancel to the
pew where the disturbance was taking place, and continued the prayers
from there. Though Mr. Pratt maintained overall supervision of the Sunday
School, Gertrude Brisbane was hired in the fall of 1946 as the parish's
director of religious education. At a period when the quality of the church
school program had become uneven, her contribution was valuable; the
present author recalls her sixth grade "Christian Living" course with its many
thoughtful discussions on the application of the Ten Commandments and the
Beatitudes to the daily lives and activities of eleven- and twelve-year-olds.
During 1947/48, music student Carol Thrumston, a member of the Service
League, assisted Harold Simonds as organist and supervised the junior choir.
Under her leadership the junior choir learned new hymns and settings of the
canticles and sang anthems at the Christmas and Easter children's services:
the Westminster and Coventry Carols at Christmas, and "Awake, thou wintry
earth" at Easter, added a somewhat higher level of music to the services
than that represented by "Miss East's hymns." (Unfortunately, both women
left St. Chrysostom's after 1947/48, and the changes instituted by them did
not long survive their departure.) For the convenience of parents attending
the eleven o'clock service, a church school program at that hour (taught by
Henrietta Newton) was added to the schedule.
On February 17, 1946, under Cuthbert Pratt's direction, a meeting was
held after the evening service to reestablish a young people's group. At first
known as the Young People's Club, it later adopted the name of the Service
League. Mr. Pratt's interests almost certainly influenced the choice of topics
for the bi-weekly programs, which often related to religion and world affairs
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in the postwar world. Many speakers were affiliated with the University of
Chicago theological school, and some of the subjects appear abstruse for a
group of this type — notably the address on April 7 of "His Beatitude Eshi
Mar Shimun XXIII, Patriarch of the East and of the Assyrian (Nestorian)
Church," who spoke on the history of the Assyrian people and his
experiences in the war years and read selections in Aramaic! Other guests
reflected Cuthbert Pratt's English background: the Reverend Philip B.
"Tubby" Clayton, an English priest well known in his own country as founder
of the interdenominational social service organization Toc H and chaplain to
the king of England, was the preacher at the evening service on February
29, 1948.
Not all the programs were given by outside speakers. Lenten programs
often consisted of members' reviews of religious books. Travel films, a
graphologist, musical programs by members, and readings from Leonard Q.
Ross' humorous volume, The Education of Hyman Kaplan, provided lighter
entertainment, and the group held regular midweek bowling sessions; the
vestry discussed installing a bowling alley in the church basement, but took
no action on the proposal. Service League programs were popular and wellattended, though some may seem esoteric to the present-day reader; many
members of the group became involved in other parish activities, and some
have continued at St. Chrysostom's until the present day. Chester Hand,
treasurer of the group in 1948, soon afterward began studies at SeaburyWestern Seminary — the third St. Chrysostom's parishioner to enter the
ordained ministry.
Some of the young women in the Service League expressed an
interest in becoming members of the Altar Guild. Records of this group's
activities in the earlier years of the parish are scant, but it appears that in
the Hutton years it did not number more than eight or ten women; Dr.
Abbott planned to reorganize the group and increase its membership, but
probably left too soon to put his plans into effect. During the early years of
Dudley Stark's rectorship, the Altar Guild remained small in number and its
members were for the most part older, long-time members of the parish. At
its annual meeting in June 1948, the women agreed to Dr. Stark's proposal
that some Service League members be invited to join the group; two of
those who joined at this time, Elizabeth Redmond and Martha Mullen Wells,
later served as presidents of the Altar Guild. (Nearly thirty-five years later,
Martha Wells recalled that the junior members were "only permitted to care
for the acolytes' robes and clergy vestments and to dust and change
linens.") Then and for some years afterward, the head of the group annually
held a luncheon for the members at a club to which she belonged.
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In late 1945 and early 1946 there was a substantial turnover in the
senior choir; Harold Simonds paid tribute to the group's new members in the
bulletin of February 10, 1946. "We have always sought to avail ourselves of
the best in worshipful church music. In working toward this end the
choirmaster has enjoyed the warmest cooperation of all in the choir and
wishes at this time publicly to express his grateful appreciation." That year
on Good Friday the choir performed for the first time Gabriel Fauré's
Requiem. Worship services continued for the most part in the pattern of the
previous years. A midweek evening service with an address remained a
regular Lenten feature; in 1947 Cuthbert Pratt presented programs on
"American Episcopal Church Leaders," preceded by a supper at 6:45. In
some years an additional early Communion service was scheduled on Fridays
during Lent. Dr. Abbott had established an early service of Holy Communion
on Thursday mornings; in the fall of 1947, perhaps because of Cuthbert
Pratt's class schedule at the University of Chicago, the service was moved to
Wednesday and has continued on that day ever since. At the 1948 union
Thanksgiving service at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Dudley Stark read a
prayer from Walter Rauschenbusch's Prayers of the Social Awakening which
anticipated the environmental concerns of the later years of the century:
We remember with shame that in the past we have
exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty, so that
the voice of the Earth, which should have gone up to Thee in
song, has been a groan of travail ... When our use of this world
is over and we make room for others, may we not leave
anything ravaged by our own greed or by our ignorance, but
may we hand on our common heritage ... undiminished in
fertility and joy, that so our bodies may return in peace to the
great mother who nourished them and our spirits may round the
circle of a perfect life in Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Community Center's enrollment increased by thirty-five percent in
1946. Besides the regularly scheduled activities of cooking, sewing,
dramatics, handicrafts, wood shop, sports and games, a high school boys'
"International Club" incorporating representatives of ten nationality groups
met one evening a week as an offshoot of the Center; the latter group had
been founded by the boys themselves. "At a time when juvenile delinquency
is an outstanding national problem it is well to keep in mind the constructive
work which is being done within the parish through the Community Center,"
read the bulletin of May 4, 1947. That year a summer play program was
scheduled with trips to beaches, parks, playgrounds, museums, and the
forest preserve. In 1945 the parish Boy Scout troops received the "General
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Eisenhower Award" for collecting over 55,000 pounds of paper, and the
following year Boy Scout Troop 40, one of the first in the city, marked its
thirty-fifth anniversary; Frank Faulhaber, a seven-palm Eagle Scout, directed
the program, which also included Cub Scout and Explorer Scout troops. A
Girl Scout program was reestablished at the church in 1947 and continued
through the early 1950s.
Though many Chicago activities for military men had closed at war's
end, servicemen were still stationed in the city, and the Servicemen's Center
continued through mid-1946, filling a special need for younger men
beginning service; navy men made up the majority of those in attendance.
On June 17 a grand closing dinner was held for all servicemen and hostesses
who could attend; George Kubitz noted that 63,409 servicemen and 363
hostesses had attended the Center during the slightly over three and a half
years of its existence. Pleasant memories of the Center remained for many
years. In late 1977, World War II veteran Burtt Bliss of Kingston, New
Jersey, was inspired to write to St. Chrysostom's after watching a TV
program on the war: "[The program] brought back memories ... [of] the
war-time relationships I had with ... the Servicemen's Center at your church
... The center that your church provided in those troubled times was a home
away from home for myself and many others. I will never forget what the
people and the church did and they will always occupy a warm spot in my
heart. Please convey my love, gratitude and appreciation to all the members
of your church — they contributed to making my life so much happpier
during my stay in Chicago." In 1990, a visitor to the Dearborn Garden Walk
told the author that he had last been in the church in 1945, when he had
danced to the jukebox at the Center.
In 1946 the Women's Guild turkey dinner also included a few items of
handwork for sale. Though in 1947 no bazaar or dinner was scheduled, 1948
saw a full-scale resumption of the Christmas bazaar, returning to the
tradition of handmade items rather than to the pre-World War II "Christmas
Windows." Margaret Conover, who had been among the workers at the 1910
bazaar, headed the book table, while Dorothy Eckhart Williams was in
charge of plants and Christmas table decorations; toys, Christmas cards,
aprons, linens and "a host of other beautiful and useful things" were for sale,
Mary Stark directed the ever-popular turkey dinner, and tea was served
during the afternoon. The rummage sale continued under Alice Barler's
direction, normally in late winter or early spring. By 1947 the Business and
Professional Women's Guild had resumed its activities under its new
president Mary Stops, and in December sponsored an unusual Christmas
program for all members of the parish: "The Nativity," a marionette program
for adults presented by Olga and Martin Stevens.
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The late 1940s saw the deaths of several longtime members of the
vestry. Albert Sprague, who had served on the vestry since 1925, "a faithful
public servant, leader in many an educational cultural and philanthropic
enterprise ... a valiant spirit," died on April 7, 1946, while lawyer Paul
Noyes, "vestryman of this Church from May 10, 1915 to the day of his
death, serving with unswerving loyalty and devotion," died on September 6.
Two men in their forties, lawyer Marshall Sampsell and H. Stuart Stone,
vice-president of Ditto, Inc., were chosen to fill the vacancies, reversing the
trend toward older vestry which had been so marked in previous years.
A still greater loss came the following year. After a period of ill health,
senior warden George Ranney went to the Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs,
Virginia in July 1947 for treatment for a heart ailment, and died there on
August 15. The vestry praised his contributions in "time, means and mind to
the growth of St. Chrysostom's and to its present position ... His confidence
and courage, his wise counsel and foresight, his generous consideration
completely won the enduring affection and admiration of his associates on
the vestry." In the September 1947 issue of Advance, Edward L. Ryerson,
senior vice-president of the Bishop and Trustees, wrote: "Mr. Ranney was
more responsible than anyone else for the establishment of the Bishop and
Trustees — the means by which the entire financial structure of the Diocese
of Chicago was reorganized and the liquidation of the diocesan debt
eventually made possible. Because of his meticulous method of dealing with
the problem of the debt and his thorough study of the figures, it was
possible to work out a plan through which the debt could be handled." Bruce
Borland succeeded George Ranney as senior warden, while manufacturer
Fletcher Durbin, a vestry member since 1920, was elected junior warden;
urologist Herman Kretschmer, who had in 1945 donated the chalice in
memory of his wife Lucinda, was elected to fill the remaining vestry vacancy.
The immediate postwar years saw a considerable number of memorials
and gifts to the physical fabric of the church — more than at any time since
the construction of the building in the 1920s. Minutes of a December 2, 1945
meeting record the vestry's pleasure at Charles Connick's design for the
stained glass window given by the Starks in their son's memory, while the
Freemans' gift of a credence cabinet for the main altar in memory of their
son was also warmly welcomed. Another proposed memorial was received
with less enthusiasm. On December 13, Edward A. Pool's offer to present a
memorial plaque to Major A. Peter Dewey was considered: the vestry,
commenting that "it has been the policy of the Parish to reject any gifts
which might seem inconsistent with the architecture and general atmosphere
of the Church plant," requested clerk Pat Warren to "advise Mr. Pool, in as
tactful a way as possible, to this effect."
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On December 15, 1946, the credence cabinet with its representation of
Christ as Good Shepherd was dedicated. "Baptized in this church Nov. 1,
1921 and confirmed April 28, 1935, [Donald Freeman] exemplified the spirit
and leadership of the Good Shepherd," read the day's bulletin. Stephen
Keeler returned to the parish as guest preacher on Rogation Sunday, May
13, 1947, for the dedication of the south vestibule stained glass window in
Gregory Stark's memory. According to the bulletin,
The basis ... is found in the Revelation of St. John the Divine
12:7-9:
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his
angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any
more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him.
Charles J. Connick designed the window ... [and] wrote,
"You will note the color is quite clearly symbolical — white
for purity and faith, red for divine love, self-sacrifice, courage;
blue for wisdom and fidelity; the small figures underneath you
will recognize as Angels of Praise and Prayer. The growing form
with a suggestion of the fleur-de-lys and stars and clouds
complete the composition."
On March 7, 1948, altar vases given by Bruce and Dorothy Borland in
memory of Dorothy Borland's parents LeRoy and Mary Fuller and brother
William were dedicated; the bulletin noted the "fitting beauty" of the brown
vases, especially designed by Charles Connick to harmonize with the main
altar. A few weeks later, on April 25, the wooden missal stand and an altar
service book were dedicated as a memorial to Albert Sprague. A lectern
Bible given by Lucy Dallas in memory of her husband Andrew and her son
Walford was dedicated on Saturday, October 15, 1949. Its type and pages
were designed by noted typographer Bruce Rogers of Fairfield, Connecticut;
the hand binding by R.H. Donnelley was designed to conform to the church's
architecture. Described as the "finest and most outstanding example of
printing and make-up that has been produced in our day," the volume
would, with proper care, last for seven hundred years. Ironically, the use of
the King James version of the Bible in the parish did not continue that long;
by the 1970s most Scripture readings were taken from the Revised Standard
Version or other modern translations, and Mrs. Dallas' Bible was no longer
regularly used.
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The most generous donation came, once again, from the Crane family.
Richard Crane, Jr.'s widow Florence had learned about the work of the
Byzantine Institute in restoring and making exact reproductions of mosaics
in Orthodox churches in Turkey which the Muslims had covered with paint or
plaster. As a memorial to her husband she donated the chapel reredos (an
exact copy of the tenth century mosaic of St. John Chrysostom from Santa
Sophia Church in Istanbul) as well as the black marble altar and the white
marble cross and candlesticks for the chapel, both designed by David Adler.
The chapel was blocked off while work on the project was under way in the
fall and early winter of 1947/48; at the 11:00 service on February 15, 1948,
the birthday of Richard Crane, Jr.'s mother Mary Prentice Crane, the altar
and reredos were dedicated. Florence Crane (who had sold her Chicago
home and now spent nearly all her time at the family's summer home in
Ipswich, Mass.) and her children Cornelius and Florence returned to Chicago
for the occasion. A representative of the Byzantine Institute gave a brief
address, probably describing the technique of reproducing the mosaic;
Dudley Stark also preached a short sermon whose text survives.
We are about to dedicate ... an altar and its reredos, a
portrait of St. Chrysostom. Near the portrait are the Greek words
"Iohannos o Chrysostomos" — John of the golden mouth, John
Chrysostom. He came so to be known because of his oratory and
preaching ... Out of the golden mouth and out of a heart of pure
gold he spoke words of spirit and of life. Guided by God, wise in
the Scriptures, apt and alert in imagination, he spoke with grace
to the hearts and minds of his hearers, and he moved them. He
moved them because he was moved by God ...
Primarily a reformer of Christian morals, John Chrysostom
speaks to our age and directly to us. To those passing by on the
street he says, "Come in, rest and pray. Depart from the
highway and transplant thyself in some enclosed place for it is
hard for a tree that stands by the wayside to keep its fruit until it
be ripe." To the rich he says, "Your riches are called possessions.
See to it then that you possess them and they do not possess
you." To the poor and downtrodden he says, "Weep, yea, weep
with me, not for yourselves but for your plunderers, who are
more unfortunate than you." To those who shall be married in
this place he says, "Keep faith. Fidelity is neither masculine nor
feminine, it is divine." To those who shall pray before this altar
he says, "Pray in faith. There is nothing more powerful than
prayer and there is nothing to be compared to it."
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Mary Prentice
Crane. In her memory her son, Richard Teller Crane, Jr., gave
the tower of this Church, and in memory of his father he gave
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the magnificent Carillon, and amply provided for the
maintenance of each gift. And now in loving memory of him,
Mrs. Crane gives this Altar and Reredos ... We are most grateful
to her for this beautiful gift and for the beautiful spirit in which it
is given.
How different were these two men, St. John Chrysostom
and Richard Teller Crane, Jr. ... It is tolerably easy, however, to
discern between these two men fundamental virtues and unities.
Like John Chrysostom [Crane] was a just man in the field of
corporate ownership and management. He was a pioneer in
labor relations, for he loved justice and his fellow workers who
were his friends ... His benefactions are too many to be
enumerated. It is interesting to note, however, that like John
Chrysostom he founded many hospitals. And like John
Chrysostom he was a truly humble man. Most of his benefactions
could not be enumerated simply because he never told about
them ... As Saint Chrysostom said, "Humility is the root, mother,
nurse, foundation and bond of all virtue."
Such men are truly great, humble men, men of faith, men
without fear ... Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the
Kingdom of God.
A happy family event for the Starks occurred in late 1947 when their
daughter Rosalind became engaged to Samuel Bush III, a Harvard student
who had interrupted his education to enter military service in World War II.
The wedding took place on June 12, 1948, at Trinity Church in York Harbor,
Maine (the Starks' summer home), with Dudley Stark officiating. On
Christmas Day, 1949, Dr. Stark baptized his first grandchild, Rosalind Scott
Bush, at St. Chrysostom's; among the godparents was the baby's
grandmother Mary Stark.
For nearly twenty years the vestry had rented the apartment at 1235
Astor Street occupied by the rector and his family. In early 1948 the building
became a cooperative, and the parish was offered the opportunity to
purchase the apartment at a cost of $13,500. After some discussion John
Allen offered to pay $1350 of the purchase price; William Cox donated an
additional $1000, and the remainder of the cost was taken from parish
funds.
Dudley Stark had been a candidate for the episcopate on several
occasions since the election of 1940; he had been under consideration when
the diocese of Long Island elected a bishop in 1941, and had been among
the candidates for bishop of Pittsburgh in 1943. When the diocese of Chicago
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chose a suffragan bishop in the fall of 1949 to succeed Bishop Randall,
churchmanship in the diocese had changed enough that Dr. Stark, a leading
candidate in the 1940 election, now received only a scattering of votes on an
early ballot. However, the new bishop had ties to St. Chrysostom's; the
Reverend Charles Larrabee Street was the nephew of the parish's long-time
junior warden William Street.
At the January 18, 1950 vestry meeting, Fletcher Durbin proposed that
the church install a plaque listing its rectors. The timing of his suggestion
was almost certainly influenced by the forthcoming election of a bishop in
Rochester, New York, in which Dudley Stark was one of the candidates to
succeed recently deceased Bishop Bartel Reinheimer. Dr. Stark was elected
on the fourth ballot on January 26, almost exactly eighteen years after he
had accepted the call to St. Chrysostom's; on February 1, after a visit to the
diocese, he announced his intention to accept the election, though stating
that he would not submit his formal resignation until the House of Bishops
and the diocesan standing committees had given the necessary consents.
The vestry expressed its "pleasure and satisfaction that Doctor Stark had
been chosen; and that Saint Chrysostom's Parish with his election has given
the third of its Rectors to the Episcopate," adding that he "would leave the
parish in more satisfactory condition than at previous similar separation,
that under the Rector's leadership the parish was prosperous and in sound
circumstances; and that its activities had been continually increased and
were well organized. All of which should be a source of satisfaction to Doctor
Stark as he leaves, and the Vestry has a comfortable sense that parish
affairs are in order for the coming of a new Rector." In a meeting in late
February at which Dudley Stark was not present, the vestry voted to present
him with a check for $1500, and named Cuthbert Pratt locum tenens until a
new rector was appointed.
A little less than a month later the consents had been received;
minutes of Dr. Stark's last vestry meeting on March 8 indicate the sadness
felt on the occasion. The clerk, Parsons Warren, recorded that "all members
were present, a circumstance which had happened very rarely in the history
of that body." Dr. Stark presented his formal resignation to take effect March
17:
Firmly in mind and heart are thoughts of loving gratitude
to all of you. You have been cooperators with wisdom and
cheerfulness. You have been, each one of you, a steadfast
friend. You have sustained me in my joys and sorrows. Most
every clergyman comes through the years to realize that
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however many parishes he has served, one is preeminent in his
affections and hopes. This is mine. Equally grateful am I to those
of this Corporation whom we steadfastly believe are now in
Paradise. In their memory and with sure confidence in you, I
shall leave, believing that this great Parish will endure and
increase in the spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
"There was nothing but to accept such resignation," wrote Pat Warren,
"although it was done with a feeling of greatest and most profound regret."
On March 11, Daily News society columnist Mildred Bolger described
Mary Stark's plans for the move; she had received blueprints of their new
home a mile from diocesan headquarters, and had "gone over [them] so
carefully ... that when her furniture arrives there she'll know exactly where
to set each piece." The following day's services were Dudley Stark's last as
rector. Though a radio address by Presiding Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill to all
churches in the United States took the place of the day's sermon, Dr. Stark
gave a brief farewell to the congregation.
My dear Brethren and Friends in Christ Jesus Our Lord:
After serving you for eighteen years as your Rector and
Pastor, I perceive more clearly that the words of our God
through His Son shall stand forever, including His exceedingly
precious promises to His holy ministers. These promises are past
the ability of human calculation to enumerate; they are far
above the power of human imagination to envision. As the Word
was from Christ to His first ministers so shall it be to the end of
time to His ministers. They shall receive an hundred fold now in
this time, houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and
children and lands, with persecutions. This imagery, not to be
taken literally, attests the wonderful mercies of God not despite
many troubles which come, but because of them; because we
are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
To be trusted, to be sought for as a counsellor, to be
regarded as a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, to be
given a large share of feeling and thought in joy and sorrow, all
of these personal privileges and obligations as well as the
inestimable privilege of preaching the Word of God and
administering His Sacraments have been mine among you these
many years to an overflowing measure.
I am grateful to you, and the exceedingly happy memory
of gratitude shall neither waiver nor decrease. Well do I know
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that however much I have given, — more have I received from
you.
After repeating his farewell message to the vestry, Dr. Stark
continued:
The Wardens and Vestrymen have resolved that the
policies now established shall be continued. As it seems to me,
those policies are in the main these:
First. The conduct of public worship shall be with loyalty
con amore to the Book of Common Prayer in simplicity and
dignity and in keeping with the majority of use throughout this
land.
Second. Since the chief emphasis must and should be
spiritual and therefore of necessity personal; the methods and
organizations of the Parish shall ever seek to observe
perspective in placing first, personal ministries and objectives.
Third. The field of the parochial service is local, the field
also is the world.
Fourth. The Parish must neither stand still, nor come to a
standstill. New occasions teach new duties. Wisdom and
adventure must be kept, for our tradition is a living one, one
that has not been afraid to dare.
I am confident that the Wardens and Vestrymen will select
a leader fully qualified by experience and spirit to carry forward
the aims and life of the Parish.
Three things I would have you do: Pray that those who are
charged with the duty of securing a new Rector may be guided
to make a right and proper choice, and be patient with them.
Furthermore, that every man, woman and child stay at his post.
Should anyone leave, should anyone's interest slacken because
of, or with my leaving, my service to such a one will have been
in vain. Be loyal. All be loyal. And furthermore, I beg you to
remember my family and myself in your dear thoughts and
prayers as we shall recall you in our minds, our prayers and
praises. For this is our common faith and our common love and
already something known more than in small part by us all.
'Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Jesus' love.
The fellowship of Christian minds is like to that above.'"
In keeping with Dudley Stark's enthusiasm for home-grown talent, Angus
Hibbard's "Bells of St. Chrysostom's" was sung before the blessing. The
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Women's Guild gave a farewell tea for the Starks before the evening service,
at which the vesper choir performed special anthems and Cuthbert Pratt
preached; the lesson (and probably the sermon text) was Paul's farewell to
the church at Ephesus from the twentieth chapter of the book of Acts.
A number of parishioners traveled by train to Rochester for Dudley
Stark's consecration, among them a group of Service League members led
by Cuthbert Pratt, who served as one of Dr. Stark's attending presbyters.
Since some of the group had limited incomes, and Mr. Pratt (who had
worked his way through seminary) was throughout his life careful in money
management, the party opted to travel by all-night day coach; both he and
Bertha Mandelkow in later years recalled the trip as less than restful. Senior
warden Bruce Borland and other parishioners who made the trip undoubtedly
traveled in more comfort in Pullman accommodations.
A detailed account of the consecration from a Rochester newspaper
remains in parish archives. "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," obviously
a favorite hymn of Dudley Stark's (it had been used at Founder's Day
services and at his tenth anniversary at St. Chrysostom's), was the
processional. Presiding Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill officiated; Bishop Henry
Hobson of Southern Ohio (who had participated in the consecration of Dr.
Stark's predecessor Bishop Reinheimer) and Bishop Keeler were the coconsecrators, and Bishops Conkling and Randall of Chicago presented Dr.
Stark to the Presiding Bishop. The Reverend Floyd Bernard of All Saints'
Church served with Cuthbert Pratt as attending presbyter to the bishopelect. Bishop Norman Nash of Massachusetts, a professor at Episcopal
Theological School in Dudley Stark's seminary days, was the preacher; his
sermon on the text I Corinthians 4:1, "Let a man so account of us as of the
ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God," compared the
church to a fleet of ships and its bishops to navigating officers. Bishop Nash
charged the new bishop to "be a true bishop ... Christ's laboring oarsman
and faithful administrator of God's mysteries. There will come all kinds of
weather. Together with your officers and your crew you will have foes to
fight. May the songs of a happy ship be the sign of faithful stewardship."
Dudley Stark's sister and father were present for the ceremony;
eighty-year-old Rodney Stark commented, "I never expected my boy Dudley
to come to this day. When he was a boy, I thought he wanted to be a lawyer
... It's a proud day for all of us. He always was a good boy and I shouldn't
say I'm surprised he turned into a Bishop. I guess I'll have to be awfully
good myself from now on to live up to him." The Daily News had described
Mary Stark's packing for the move; a Rochester news story quoted her
account of the unpacking. "I developed a sort of routine. Unpack a box, hear
the doorbell, wash my hands, talk to someone. Hang a curtain, hear the
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doorbell, wash my hands, and so on." Already, wrote Rochester reporter
Frances Palmer, the Starks' house had "a comfortable, lived in air that spells
'home'"; she remarked on Mary Stark's "friendly dignity ... [with] no touch of
formality" and "quiet humor ... as spontaneous as it is kindly." Eastman
Kodak technicians filmed the ceremony from the organ loft; one of the
photographers, who climbed to the loft by ladder, was forgotten after the
service and remained there for over an hour till his call for help brought
someone to rescue him. A luncheon in honor of the new bishop, at which
Cuthbert Pratt and Bruce Borland were among the speakers, followed the
service.
The text of a vestry resolution mailed to the congregation indicates the
esteem in which the departing rector was held. Dr. Stark's warmth and
understanding, his ministry of comfort and consolation to those in trouble or
sorrow, his efficient administration of the parish and his "influence in Parish
activities, resulting in an increase of such, of which the Community Social
Service has been most conspicuously successful," were cited; the vestry
expressed its thanks and expressed its "hope for a long, happy and useful
Episcopate." Though not all the actions taken during his tenure as rector
seem appropriate from the standpoint of the 1990s, under his leadership the
parish remained on course during severe economic difficulties, continued the
Community Center, provided a much-needed ministry to servicemen during
World War II, and despite pressure from the diocese had maintained the
type of service preferred by the majority of parishioners. For many years
after his departure, Dudley Stark remained in the minds of many
parishioners the standard by which succeeding clergy would be judged.
"The Vestry has the business of choosing a new Rector well in hand,"
read the letter containing the text of the resolution passed on Dr. Stark's
departure. A committee to select a successor was appointed: Stuart Stone,
Joseph King, William Cox and Fletcher Durbin, with senior warden Bruce
Borland as chair. Though Bishop Conkling probably felt unable to take action
to change the parish's churchmanship while Dudley Stark remained as
rector, his disapproval of St. Chrysostom's form of worship seems to have
been well known; Dr. Stark's statement that "the conduct of public worship
shall be with loyalty con amore to the Book of Common Prayer in simplicity
and dignity and in keeping with the majority of use throughout this land"
was almost certainly written with the bishop in mind. Now, while the parish
did not have a permanent rector, Bishop Conkling took action, in late May
sending a message to the vestry opposing administration of Holy
Communion by intinction "in the form used in St. Chrysostom's for a great
many years and ask[ing] that the practice be entirely discontinued."
Cuthbert Pratt, accompanied by wardens Bruce Borland and Fletcher Durbin,
scheduled a meeting with the bishop to discuss the issue.
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The meeting did not only cover the practice of intinction. On June 6,
"after a careful discussion," Bruce Borland "moved the nomination of the
Rev. Cuthbert Pratt" as rector, which was "passed unanimously and
enthusiastically." This enthusiasm was not shared by Bishop Conkling, who
gave only conditional approval to the choice. A resolution passed at the time
of Fletcher Durbin's retirement from the vestry in 1958 described the
meeting; Mr. Durbin "did the talking" and spoke forcefully enough so that
Bishop Conkling good-humoredly withdrew his objections.
Endnotes
In the early 1950s Mr. Astley-Cock was employed by the Chicago Tribune
religion department (then headed by John Evans) writing the "Religious
News Notes" and other features.
It appears that the dinner did not take place, as it is not mentioned in
bulletins and newspaper accounts of the celebration.
Then and for many years afterward, celebrations of the Holy Communion
at 11:00 were restricted to the first Sunday of the month, Easter and
Christmas; even the commemoration of the parish's fortieth anniversary did
not break this tradition. The choice of the term "Founder's Day" was perhaps
made to avoid any possible "high church" connotations of the term "patron
saint" or "patronal festival."
In 1940 the Reverend Harold Belshaw provided entertainment at the 1940
sale and preached the next Sunday. Assistant minister John Hauser, a recent
Berkeley graduate, was probably responsible for bringing Dr. Belshaw to the
parish on this occasion.
The Delta Kappa Phi group, for young people 16 to 21, served a somewhat
younger group than the Tuesday Nighters.
Dr. Hume continued his ecumenical activities after leaving Chicago. He
died in 1943 on a visit to Europe for the World Council of Churches when his
plane was bombed by the Germans.
At least one former member of the group, Lorna Penny, remains active at
St. Chrysostom's as of 1998.
Mr. Allen was an exceptionally generous contributor to St. Chrysostom's. A
proposed donation, never carried out, was a chapel with stained glass
windows to be built at the south end of the second floor of the building in
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what was then the children's chapel (now the nursery); we do not know why
the project was abandoned.
The Plaza Hotel was torn down in 1967; the site is now occupied by the
Chicago Latin School.
This was almost certainly due to Dr. Randall's age, since his career was
distinguished; priest in charge and rector of St. Barnabas Church, executive
secretary of the diocese, and superintendent of Chicago city missions.
He was not the first parishioner to serve in Congress. Lynden Evans, a
contributor to the fund for the first church building in 1894, was the
Democratic congressman from the district from 1911 to 1913.
The 1942 honor roll included the two older Cox boys William and Nicholas,
John Hauser's daughter Virginia, Martha Webster (in later years a member of
the choir) and the present author.
According to Ernst and Johanna Lehner's Folklore and Symbolism of
Flowers, Plants and Trees (New York: Tudor, 1960) the carnation is said to
have sprung from the tears shed by Mary on the way to Calvary.
The name "Servicemen's Center," which may appear objectionable to the
present-day reader, appears to have been accurate. Attendance seems to
have been exclusively male.
Lucy Dallas was one of the longest-lived parishioners in the history of St.
Chrysostom's, dying at 105 in March 1960. Her daughter Ada was head of
the Altar Guild from 1942 to 1954 and remained active in the parish until her
death at 95 in 1972.
Florence Crane had married William Robinson, an explorer and adventure
traveler, in 1932, shortly before her mother left the family home on Lake
Shore Drive and North Avenue. After her divorce from Mr. Robinson she
married Russian emigré Prince Serge Belosselsky-Belozirsky in 1943.
His opposition was based on churchmanship rather than on Cuthbert
Pratt's position as assistant and locum tenens. Though it was unusual for an
assistant or an acting rector to succeed as rector, the practice was not at
that time officially ruled out.
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CHAPTER 8
Cuthbert Pratt: Maintaining Parish Traditions, 1950-1958
Cuthbert Pratt was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, on May 28, 1916;
his family later emigrated to the United States. He was a 1937 graduate of
Lafayette University in Easton, Pennsylvania, and like his predecessor
Dudley Stark, a graduate of the Episcopal Theological Seminary in
Cambridge, Massachusetts; while at seminary, he had also taken courses at
Harvard Divinity School. Before coming to Chicago in 1945 he had served as
deacon in charge of St. John's Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, curate of
St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, New York, and rector of St. John's Church, Fall
River, Massachusetts. In his four-and-a-half years as assistant at St.
Chrysostom's the congregation had come to appreciate his sermons, which
reflected both his high intellectual level and dry British sense of humor and
which might include quotations from Ogden Nash as well as from theological
writings; he had begun the Service League program for young adults and
had been given responsibility for the church school. At a time when the
parish was feeling pressure from the diocese to change its churchmanship
and form of worship, the new rector's strongly low-church orientation was
welcome.
After Cuthbert Pratt's death in 1979, long-time parishioner Martha
Mullen Wells paid tribute to him: "An eloquent and highly articulate
preacher, Dr. Pratt always gave his listeners something to take home: a
moral to live by, or an ideal to ponder. He had a tremendous sense of
humor, and an extremely quick — though never barbed — wit. He
thoroughly enjoyed indulging in clever repartee with friends who were able
to keep up with him. Not many were."
A glimpse of Cuthbert Pratt in a pastoral situation is given in a Tribune
story of December 9, 1949, six months before he became rector of the
parish. Reporter Norma Lee Browning, investigating the question "How well
do Chicago's churches practice what they preach?" visited several churches,
"dressed as a poor, shabby woman of the streets, to see whether
Christianity is merely lip service and to record her experiences as a derelict."
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Her first stop was "St. Chrysostom's, lovely carilloned church on the near
north side":
Looking wan in a wrinkled babushka and frayed coat, the
reporter trudged up the stairs to the parish office of the Rev.
Cuthbert Pratt.
Pastor Proffers Help
The young Episcopal pastor looked at her with mixed
curiosity and pity, and offered her a chair. "Can I help you?" he
asked.
"That's what I want to know," she said. "What can people
like you do for people like me?"
She sighed and gazed out the window. The pastor studied
his vagabond visitor.
"Why did you come here?" he asked.
"Because it's a pretty church," she replied vaguely.
"How did you happen to be stranded in the city?" The
stranger merely shrugged. "Any friends here?" No. "Any
references with you?" No. "Do you have a social security card?"
No. "Haven't you ever — worked?" he asked hesitantly. The
visitor refused to meet his eyes. It was obvious he thought her a
strumpet.
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"Are You Fleeing Police?"
"Tell me," he said sternly, "are you trying to escape from
something?"
"Of course," she agreed, "but do we have to go into that?"
"Look here, young lady, are you wanted by the police?"
She convinced him she wasn't and he switched to a more
philosophical mood. "I know what it's like to be up against it," he
said. "I worked my way through theological school and
sometimes it was tough going. Maybe you'd be better off in a
small town. Chicago is not the most charitable place in the
world, you know."
Nevertheless, he thumbed through the pages of a
telephone directory. "Our church has no shelter for women. We
have the Cathedral Shelter but that's for men only. I believe
your best bet is the Salvation Army."
He reached for the telephone. Having been deposited at
the Salvation Army's emergency rescue shelter only the day
before by another pastor, the reporter hurriedly exclaimed,
"Don't bother to call. I can find it myself."
The pastor insisted on being helpful.
"Are you willing to work?" he asked. She assured him she
was but what could she do without experience. He debated
gloomily, then said perhaps she could get on somewhere as a
waitress. He suggested the Thompson restaurant offices and
gave her detailed instructions on how to get there. He also
advised her to avoid agencies that charge high fees for finding
jobs.
"You won't be much ahead if you have to pay out your first
month's salary to someone to find you a job. I'm sure the
Salvation Army will give you food and shelter until you find a
job. If not, come back and we'll see what else we can do. Good
luck and let me know how you make out."
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The vestry issued its call to Cuthbert Pratt on June 6, offering him a
salary of $7500 a year plus the use of the Astor Street rectory. In his formal
letter of acceptance a few days later, he wrote, "It is an honor to have been
considered and an even greater honor to have been elected; but it is a
spiritual responsibility to feel led — as indeed I do — to accept the election
... I look forward to a future of great service for the cause of Christ and His
Kingdom in this Parish." Considerable care was taken in handling the release
of the announcement to the newspapers. On June 21, the Tribune carried a
story by John Evans announcing the vestry's choice, which commented that
Mr. Pratt, at thirty-four, was the youngest man to become rector of the
parish since 1909 (when thirty-three-year-old Norman Hutton had been
called to St. Chrysostom's). Five days later Dr. Evans described Mr. Pratt's
first sermon as rector:
A 34 year old churchman stepped into the pulpit of one of
the 20 most influential Episcopal churches in the country
yesterday morning to take over as rector. Three bishops were
previously rectors of the church. In a communion noted for three
doctrinal parties — high, low and broad — he added a new
dimension — deep churchmanship."
He is the Rev. Cuthbert Pratt and he became rector of the
notable near north side parish of St. Chrysostom's, 1424 N.
Dearborn Parkway, which he served as assistant minister under
Bishop Dudley Scott Stark for four and one-half years ... Election
of an assistant minister to the rectorate of an Episcopal church is
unusual.
Speaks with Confidence
The new rector spoke with youthful confidence and mature
humility. He said he would carry on the church's tradition
consolidated by Bishop Stark's 18 year rectorate ...
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Tells Social Service Need
The Rev. Mr. Pratt emphasized the "front door" and "back
door" responsibilities of the parish, with the front door looking on
a changing Gold Coast and the back door opening to social
service responsibilities west of Clark st., which have been
expanded to reach youth and other persons without regard to
race or religion. He said each is a person and never a "case."
"The purpose of the church," the new rector declared, "is
to evangelize the world. Whenever the tables are turned and the
world proceeds to evangelize the church, then we are in a bad
way. Our common concern must be this — that we all may be
found worthy to merit the definition of deep churchmanship."
Mr. Pratt was not married at the time of his call, but his long-standing
engagement to Ethel Lang of Brooklyn was known to many in the
congregation. In late summer, parishioners received invitations to the
couple's wedding at Trinity Church, New York City, on September 21, 1950
(St. Matthew's Day); the ceremony was performed by Dudley Stark. After a
short wedding trip the Pratts returned to Chicago in early October and were
welcomed by the congregation at a Sunday afternoon tea in the Guild Room.
The first days of Cuthbert Pratt's rectorship had been marked by the
beginning of fighting in Korea. By November 5 a significant number of
parishioners must have been in military service, as the bulletin asked that
servicemen's names be supplied to the office so that they could be given a
cross and Prayer Book and receive parish mailings. Some years later, a
January 23, 1956 Chicago Sun-Times feature story by Dolores McCaskill
described the rector's campaign during the Korean war "against 'ghouls' who
were writing to bereaved families in the cold-water section, charging debts
to slain servicemen or otherwise trying to get money from distressed
relatives. His campaign ... started when he asked the church members to tell
him of any family, whether the parishioner knew them well or slightly, whom
he might comfort in a case of bereavement."
As might have been expected from a rector who had served St.
Chrysostom's as assistant for some years, there were few major changes in
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the parish's activities or service schedule in the winter of 1950/51. The 1950
union Thanksgiving service took place at St. Chrysostom's; former rector
Stephen Keeler returned as guest preacher on that occasion. Following
Dudley Stark's practice, Cuthbert Pratt continued the observance of
Founder's Day on the Sunday nearest to St. Chrysostom's Day (January 27),
presenting an annual report to the parish in lieu of a sermon; the title of his
first report, "Saint Chrysostom's in a Year of Crisis," almost certainly alluded
both to the change in rectors and to Bishop Conkling's attempt to modify the
parish's style of worship. (Vestry minutes of November 30, 1950 recorded
that "the position of the Parish [concerning intinction] ... had been made
perfectly clear to the Bishop, and ... there had been no further formal
objections from him.")
Mr. Pratt urged parishioners to observe Lent through additional
service, and regularly in his early years included in the Lenten bulletins a full
calendar of parish activities with names and telephone numbers of contact
persons. Maude Snyder's scrapbook preserves his Lenten meditation from a
series appearing in the Daily News food section (the date of which is not
recorded):
All who have come to this country and all those who have
been born in this land have loved the good earth.
To call it "God's Country" means a great deal -- it DOES
belong to Him!
Because this is so true it ought to be one of our main
thoughts during Lent.
God's only Son denied Himself the bounty of His Father's
world for our sake.
Our best effort to do likewise is small by comparison; but
whenever we do deny ourselves for the sake of others we do
what He would have us do.
Whatever helps to make real the power of God in the world
of Men is important.
Our own sacrifices — when they are real — have His
blessing and help to show forth His power.
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Community Center activities during the winter of 1950/51 included
basketball, volleyball, indoor baseball, singing, art, cooking, sewing and
needle arts. A letter probably dating from this period, reproduced in a
Community Center fund-raising brochure, indicates that its programs
continued to fill a need:
Dear Mr. Kubitz:
For some time my children have been going to St.
Chrysostom's Community Center, The Saints, as they call it, and
I want to thank you and the Center for providing a place for my
children after school hours ... [It] has filled their leisure hours in
instruction in cooking, sewing, dancing, and other useful
pastimes.
... I am also most thankful for the clothing, shoes and toys
you provided ... and the chairs and food we needed so badly
after we moved to Chicago for [sic] Kentucky.
Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Cub Scout and Explorer Scout groups contiuned
to meet at the church. At a district meeting on April 17, 1951, Norman
Dengler received an Eagle Scout award and Frank Faulhaber, Jr. the "God
and Country" award, while the parish troops took second prize in the district
first aid contest.
Among the year's Business and Professional Women's Guild programs
were Helene Boeing's presentation, "Shooting the Rapids of the Colorado
River," and a program on "CHAPEAU-ology" by a millinery designer skilled in
creating new hats from old on the spur of the moment, a topic which must
have been appealing in an era when women in Episcopal churches were
expected to wear hats to services. Ethel Pratt recalls a Business and
Professional Women's Guild meeting just after her arrival in the city, at
which Bertha Baur questioned her closely about her work experience outside
the home and did not welcome her to the group until she learned that Mrs.
Pratt had worked before her marriage. The Reverend William S. Morris, an
English clergyman and fellow student of Cuthbert Pratt's at the University of
Chicago, spoke on "Representative Poets and the New Poetry" at the first
Service League meeting in October.
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The Church School (with an enrollment of 160 in 1950) also saw few
major changes during Cuthbert Pratt's early years as rector, though Eleanor
East's hymns were gradually dropped from the Christmas and Easter
services, probably to no one's regret. Two adult Bible study groups were
conducted by parishioners; Robert Ryan led a Sunday evening group, and
Sarah Leavitt's class met between the Sunday morning services. A
commercial artist, Mrs. Leavitt devoted a substantial amount of her time to
reading and study of the Scriptures; as a result, her Biblical knowledge
exceeded that of most clergy and nearly all lay persons. (A Service League
Bible quiz in April 1956 with a panel of the clergy and Mrs. Leavitt may well
have been intended to showcase her abilities.) She enrolled on two
occasions in a Bible study program for lay leaders offered by SeaburyWestern Seminary, wishing to take advantage of the knowledge of both
groups of instructors. Among the persons attending her Sunday class were
some of the more difficult parishioners of the period; Sarah Leavitt, a person
of strong opinions who could not be said to "suffer fools gladly," expressed
herself vigorously when discussing members of the group with others but
showed considerable restraint in dealing with them in class. On occasion she
also registered well-informed though forceful disagreement with the parish's
prevailing practices of worship. Her mother Ethel Murray, an active member
of the Women's Guild, for many years headed the apron booth at the parish
bazaar.
Mrs. Leavitt's daughter Harriet shared her mother's artistic gifts,
winning first prize in 1951 in the senior group of the Bishop's Pence poster
competition; however, her principal gifts were musical. Harriet Leavitt
Mueller earned a doctor's degree in music, performing her solo recital on the
St. Chrysostom's organ in the fall of 1979; she served on the diocesan music
commission and was one of the compilers of Cantate Domino, a collection of
contemporary hymns issued by the diocese in the early 1980s as a
supplement to the 1940 Hymnal.
During Cuthbert Pratt's first year as rector he did not have a full-time
assistant. Though clergy affiliated with the University of Chicago divinity
school assisted at the 11 a.m. services of Holy Communion on the first
Sunday of the month, Mr. Pratt had entire responsibility for the parish's busy
schedule of activities; at the end of one year he had performed 265 services
of Holy Communion, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, preached 110
sermons, celebrated 18 private services of Holy Communion and performed
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132 other services, and was almost certainly present at a large majority of
the meetings of parish organizations.
This heavy burden understandably caused the vestry some concern.
When the issue was raised at the group's meeting on February 16, 1951 Mr.
Pratt replied that since his election he "had been using all the avenues
available to man" without success because "the amount of money previously
offered to an Assistant Minister was no longer sufficient to attract the kind of
man we would want." "After individual expressions of opinion as to the limit
to which we might go financially," the vestry told the rector to use his
judgment as to salary, and at its next meeting in May approved hiring the
Reverend William S. Morris, the speaker at the first Service League meeting
the previous October, who had assisted at several services during the
winter. Mr. Morris remained on the parish staff for only a short time,
resigning in November 1951 when he found himself unable both to continue
his studies and hold a full-time position; several distinguished guest
preachers during the winter of 1951/52 helped to fill the gap. These included
Bishop Richard Watson of Utah; the Reverend Bernard Iddings Bell,
Episcopal chaplain at the University of Chicago; the Very Reverend Jesse
Appel, dean of the Episcopal cathedral in Porto Alegre, Brazil; and Paul
Rusch, a layman who served as a missionary in Japan before World War II,
worked in United States military intelligence during the war and later
returned to Japan to found KEEP, the Kiyosato Educational Experiment
Project.
Suggestions from Dudley Stark and other bishops outside the diocese
proved fruitless in securing an assistant; the rector interviewed several
students at his alma mater Episcopal Theological Seminary only to discover
that all were committed to return to their home dioceses after graduation.
(The parish seems to have made no attempt to ask for help from the diocese
of Chicago, almost certainly fearing that a clergyman recommended by the
diocese would attempt to change the parish's churchmanship.) Though these
sources proved unsuccessful, the Reverend Donald M. Nickson, a native of
Buffalo, New York soon to graduate from General Theological Seminary, was
hired in the spring of 1952 and arrived in Chicago in mid-June.
For the first time since John Hauser's departure ten years before, the
parish had a priest on the staff with a family of small children; Mr. Nickson
and his wife Billie were the parents of three-year-old Nancy and one-andCopyright 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Saint Chrysostom's Episcopal Church
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one-half year old twins Wayne and Malcolm. In 1953 a third son, James, was
born to the Nicksons; Service League members Martha Mullen, Walter Ryan
and James Krehemker were godparents at his baptism. Nancy Nickson
enjoyed church school and her teachers recalled her as an active participant
in classes; a charming photograph, "The Voice of Easter," in the April 17,
1954 Daily News showed her standing with folded hands in front of a window
in the cloister. The twins were lively and difficult to control; at this period
the parish did not have a nursery for children too young to attend church
school, and in later years both Ethel Pratt and Henrietta Newton
remembered the Sunday when one of the twins, escaping from his mother's
watchful eye, was spotted on the roof after he crawled out the window of the
Nicksons' third floor apartment!
Donald Nickson, a friendly and unpretentious man, reached out easily
to many members of the congregation who did not fit the traditional
misconception of St. Chrysostom's as a "society church." Among them was a
family living on North Avenue with several small children (some close in age
to the Nickson children) who suffered a personal tragedy in July 1954 when
their year-old baby daughter drowned in a bathtub. Mr. Nickson learned that
the parents were unable to pay the funeral costs; he described the situation
in a sermon without naming names, and on his own initiative placed offering
plates at the back of the church to receive contributions for the family.
On more than one occasion in the late 1940s and early 1950s,
Business and Professional Women's Guild programs had included
performances by actress and dramatics teacher Kate Pentzer Stokes when
her tours in one-woman shows or with a Shakespeare company brought her
to the city. A resident of Washington, D.C., she was director of religious
education at St. John's Church there; her students founded Phi Sigma Alpha,
a dramatic sorority which gave plays and other performances for charitable
causes. After her death in 1952 the sorority held a memorial service at St.
Chrysostom's on October 4. The service bulletin included a tribute by
sorority member Frances Weege: "Under her guidance the members of the
Sorority moved onward and upward, not only in dramatic endeavors, but in
spiritual qualities ... [She] had the happy faculty of making us feel glad, for
she firmly believed in the Bible quotation, 'A glad heart maketh a cheerful
countenance.'" The Business and Professional Women's Guild donated a
lectern in her memory for use in the parish house.
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Donald Nickson had been ordained to the diaconate in the diocese of
Western New York before coming to St. Chrysostom's. As a recent seminary
graduate with a wife who did not work outside the home and three small
children, he probably found it financially impossible to return to his home
diocese for his ordination to the priesthood, and he was ordained at St.
Chrysostom's at the 11:00 service on Sunday, December 14, 1952. Though
a deacon had been ordained and a bishop consecrated at St. Chrysostom's in
1931, this was the first ordination of a priest at the church.
Bishop Lauriston L. Scaife of Western New York came to Chicago for
the service; Archdeacon Samuel Baxter of that diocese was the preacher,
Cuthbert Pratt presented Mr. Nickson for ordination, former St. Chrysostom's
assistant William Morris read the Epistle, and in one of the few contacts of
that period between St. Chrysostom's and its neighbor the Church of the
Ascension, Ascension curate Russell Nakata read the Gospel. (An account of
the ordination in the present writer's diary comments that the service was
"impressive but long" and also describes Bishop Scaife as "impressive.")
After the service, the Service League sponsored a reception with coffee and
light refreshments to honor the newly ordained priest and the visiting clergy
in the Guild Room — perhaps the first occasion in parish history at which a
social activity with coffee was scheduled after the 11:00 service.
Parishioners continued to express their concern at the lack of an
elevator to the second floor of the parish house. At the vestry meeting of
February 19, 1952 senior warden Bruce Borland estimated that an elevator
could be installed for between $8500 and $10,000. John Redmond urged
caution, noting the difficulty of meeting city permit requirements, but other
members of the vestry reacted positively; "Mr. Allen, with his usual
enthusiasm, offered to start the ball rolling toward procuring the $10,000
needed." As several members of the Women's Guild were especially
interested in the project, it was agreed to ask the Guild to be responsible for
a substantial portion of the costs; Bruce Borland promised to obtain further
information on the feasibility of the elevator and report back to the vestry.
However, the Guild indicated that its reserves were not sufficient to make a
contribution of the size required, and Mr. Borland's research probably served
to confirm John Redmond's estimation of the difficulties of the plan, since no
follow-up report or other discussion of the issue is recorded for some years.
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Another physical improvement undoubtedly seemed more urgent to
the vestry. As early as 1944, Harold Simonds had indicated that the organ
given to the parish by Aurelia Senn in 1897 and extensively renovated in
1922 was giving problems. John Redmond reported in late 1952 that "future
piecemeal repairs would be inadequate to prevent eventual breakdowns" and
suggested that the organ should be thoroughly rebuilt; Austin Organs of
Hartford, Connecticut, provided an estimate of $33,000, which could be
reduced to $30,000 by the elimination of "certain unnecessary stops" and
which would "have the effect of providing the Church with what could be
considered a new organ." John Allen, always eager to lead efforts for fundraising, commented that it would be easier to raise money for an entirely
new organ than for the renovation of the existing instrument, and a
committee of the rector, John Redmond, John Allen and LeRoy Kramer was
appointed to investigate possibilities.
On February 27, 1953, the committee made its report. Bids for a new
Aeolian-Skinner organ at $41,000, for renovation of the existing organ by
Austin Organs at $35,310, and for a new organ from the Canadian firm
Casavant Brothers at $30,800 were considered. The group voted to accept
the Casavant bid after learning that Dr. Simonds considered it "satisfactory";
the time differential as well as the lower cost (the Casavant organ could be
installed in nine months as against eighteen months for the other two bids)
probably had some influence on the choice. Fundraising began soon
afterward, and an electric organ was rented for use until the new instrument
would be installed. By October over $37,000 had been raised, and on
November 8 Dr. Simonds inaugurated the new organ with a recital following
the service, though the formal dedication was postponed until the Founder's
Day service the following January.
Harold Simonds was the subject of a Tribune article by reporter
William Pilkenton on April 2, 1953 (Maundy Thursday).
CHICAGO CHURCH BELLS TO CHIME; EASTER NEARS
Since the 18th century, with its Bachs and Handels, music
has become as much a part of Easter as the lily ... If Bach and
Handel contributed much to Easter music, so, too, have many
others. For instance, Gillett and Johnston, English bell founders,
Page 223
make one of the world's finest carillons, and the Simonds family
of Boston has produced one of America's best carillonneurs.
Mr. Pilkenton gave an account of the donation of the carillon and Dr.
Simonds' training under Anton Brees, and described the operations of the
instrument:
Simonds, when he is playing, wears a pair of cut-down
gloves, covering only the little fingers and outsides of his hands.
The keys are struck with the clenched fist.
"One of the more difficult things to accustom oneself to,"
said Simonds, "is attainment of varying dynamics. As in the
piano or organ, of course, this is accomplished by the force with
which keys are struck. But the problem arises from the fact that
the keys are struck with the fist instead of the more sensitive
fingers. Very little music is published for the carillon ... Most
carillonneurs do their own arranging. There is a practice clavier
here, in another part of the church, where I do mine. It is
modeled after the real console, but not connected with the
bells."
Harold Simonds' place in the hearts of parishioners is shown by the
fact that several copies of this story were preserved and in later years found
their way to parish archives.
Dr. Simonds' wife Lucille had died of cancer only a short time after the
Pratts' marriage in the fall of 1950. In a tribute published at the time of Dr.
Simonds' retirement from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1958, Paul
Davies of the seminary recalled her as "a person of intelligence, grace and
charm," a description confirmed by present-day parishioners who remember
her. On June 29, 1953, in St. Chrysostom's chapel, Harold Simonds was
married to choir member Maxine McCormick, coordinator of public health at
Presbyterian Hospital, who had been confirmed at St. Chrysostom's the
previous year. "A woman of vigorous mind and gay spirit, she ... has already
won a place of warmest regard in the Seminary circle," wrote Paul Davies;
parishioners of the period attest to this estimation and recall that Dr.
Simonds' second marriage, like his first one, was exceptionally happy. In the
Page 224
following year the vestry marked his thirty years of service to the parish,
presenting him with a gold watch on November 7, 1954.
The early years of Cuthbert Pratt's rectorship saw some changes in
vestry membership. Herman Kretschmer died on September 23, 1951; the
vestry's tribute cited his "devotion to the church ... not only within this
Parish ... but also in the leadership and assistance which he gave in the
establishment of the Bishop Anderson House and the Chicago Medical Center
... His contributions ... in the field of Medicine ... were without peer." Ferrel
Bean, an insurance executive, was chosen to replace Dr. Kretschmer the
following January.
A departure felt by the entire parish came in the spring of 1952 when
Pat and Nancy Warren left the city to live at their second home near
Traverse City, Michigan. At a gathering in the rectory on May 15, the vestry
made a farewell presentation (the exact nature of which is not recorded) for
which Mr. Warren wrote a letter of thanks to Bruce Borland: "Just why I
should be ... honored is beyond me to tell as I am sure, beyond all doubt,
that the years at St. Chrysostom's have brought me much more spiritually
and materially than it would be possible for one person to give. I am humbly
thankful to all of you for the beautiful remembrances which came my way."
Three days later, the Warrens were honored at a tea followed by a service of
Evening Prayer with special music by the vesper choir. After their departure,
Harold Simonds took responsibility for the evening as well as the morning
choir.
After six years as senior warden Bruce Borland chose to retire from
that position in 1953, though remaining on the vestry; Fletcher Durbin
succeeded him as senior warden and Stuart Stone was named junior
warden. Mr. Stone was active in parish and diocesan affairs; his wife
Elizabeth was a member of the Women's Guild, president of the board of the
Episcopal diocesan social agency Youth Guidance and a volunteer for the
This'n'That thrift shop supporting several Episcopal charities. His tenure as
junior warden was short; he resigned in February 1954 after being appointed
president of R. Wallace & Sons Manufacturing Company in Wallingford,
Connecticut. On April 14, Daily News society writer Athlyn Deshais, in a
feature headlined "Mrs. H. Stuart Stone Gives Up High Styles for Gingham
Dresses," described the Stones' purchase of an old home three miles from
Wallingford, commenting that "the departure of the very urban Stones (who
Page 225
never have lived close to the soil) will mean quite a void in Chicago's social,
charitable and civic circles" and quoting Elizabeth Stone's comment, "You'll
never see me in slacks!"
A matter of concern to the vestry at this period was the status of the
parish's invested funds. Minutes of the 1951 and 1952 meetings contain
much discussion of the rate of return on several funds given to the parish
over a period of years. William Cox was appointed to head a committee to
consider disposition of funds, which on November 30, 1952 recommended
the creation of a merged funds account, a proposal approved at the vestry's
next meeting. Mr. Cox' work in setting up the fund as well as his long record
of service to the parish made him a logical choice to succeed Stuart Stone as
junior warden. Members of the congregation recall him with fondness; a
long-time parishioner and member of a distinguished Chicago family, he
freely showed his appreciation for the work of anyone who was active in the
parish and warmly welcomed all, regardless of social status.
Cuthbert Pratt's 1953 Lenten appeal for service within and beyond the
parish apparently did not receive as good a response as he wished. Shortly
after Easter he preached an eloquent sermon on Isaiah 6:8: "Then said I:
Here am I, send me," citing the need for more committed service to the Lord
by parishioners. Influenced by this sermon, a few weeks later Service
League member Arthur Peacock left the city to become a missionary in Jesse
Appel's diocese of Southern Brazil, thus helping to fulfill Bishop Anderson's
hope, expressed at the dedication of the parish house thirty years earlier,
that St. Chrysostom's would send some of its members to foreign mission
fields.
In July 1953 Wallace Conkling resigned as diocesan bishop for reasons
of health. Three months later Gerald Francis Burrill, suffragan bishop of
Dallas, was chosen as his successor. The election was marked (according to
John Evans' story in the October 21 Tribune) by "parliamentary snarls due to
efforts of a number of clergymen and laymen to obtain the election of a
more middle-of-the-road bishop. Bishop Burrill is known as a 'Catholic' or socalled 'high' churchman." St. Chrysostom's representatives may well have
been among those taking part in the "parliamentary snarls," since the events
of Bishop Conkling's episcopate had left their mark on the parish, resulting in
deep distrust of diocesan leadership. The newly elected bishop, though a
high churchman, was considerably more conciliatory to other forms of
Page 226
worship than his predecessor had been. It is unfortunate though perhaps
understandable that St. Chrysostom's did not take advantage of the
opportunity to improve its relationship with the diocese; the rift would
remain until after the departure of Cuthbert Pratt and nearly all the vestry
who had served in 1950.
A long-time parishioner was buried from St. Chrysostom's on
November 11, 1953. On February 26, Louise DeKoven Bowen had observed
her ninety-fourth birthday, and was featured in a column by the Tribune's
Ruth Moss which described her work for Hull House and other civic activities
and quoted her views on contemporary social work: "More heart than theory
would be an improvement indeed." Mrs. Bowen had donated flags of the
Allied nations to the parish during World War I, which were used at many
major services including the dedication service for the Te Deum Laudamus
window, and in the 1920s had made arrangements with her financial
administrators for a regular annual contribution to the parish.
Athlyn Deshais of the Daily News wrote on November 12, "The dreary
weather matched the somber mood at St. Chrysostom's Wednesday
afternoon. At funeral services for Chicago's first lady, Mrs. Joseph Tilton
Bowen, a tribute was paid by Chicago's first families and by her friends from
all walks of life. It was only two years ago that the beloved dowager ...
entertained me at luncheon ... and confided that she still wasn't through
with the crusading that had motivated her life since she was 16. An
aristocrat to her fingertips and born to walk with kings and queens, she
accepted her social responsibility graciously, but never did she let it interfere
with her work for the underprivileged. She will go down in history as one of
the greatest humanitarians of her age."
When St. Chrysostom's, St. James, Fourth Presbyterian Church and
the New England Congregational Church had established the union
Thanksgiving service in 1936, it was agreed that the sermon should be
preached by a guest preacher rather than a clergyman affiliated with one of
the participating parishes. Cuthbert Pratt took considerable pleasure in
announcing that the preacher at the 1953 service at St. Chrysostom's would,
for the first time, be one of the founders of the service; Dudley Stark had
accepted the invitation to return to Chicago to preach on the occasion. A full
congregation was in attendance to greet the bishop on his return to Chicago.
Page 227
In the spring of 1954, vestry member LeRoy Kramer wrote the Easter
letter sent to parishioners with the schedule of services and cards of
admission for the 11:00 service: "Many centuries have passed since the first
Easter. Many, many millions of Christians have carried the Church's banner
through the years. We in Saint Chrysostom's Church ... hope that we can
gather others into our fold for mutual benefit. Now is a wonderful time for
them to join reverently in celebrating Easter in honor of our Saviour Jesus
Christ and of His victory over death. We will also welcome your material help
in ... aiding our ... activities for the young and the old, the sick and the
needy. Much joy would be our portion if we could see what our help brings
to others." Mr. Kramer died on April 10, shortly after his letter had been
mailed. "Active in many business and civic interests, he put the interests of
his Church first," read the vestry's tribute to him, which praised his "concern
and devotion" both to St. Chrysostom's and to the Episcopal chapel at his
summer home. A week earlier, long-time parishioner and Bible class
member Clifford Newton, whose wife Henrietta taught the church school
kindergarten class for many years, had died at the age of forty-six; on Palm
Sunday, April 11, Mr. Pratt prefaced his sermon with a tribute to both men.
His announcement concluded on a happier note: early that morning his wife
had given birth to a son, Christopher Bennett Jethro Pratt.
One of the most faithful parishioners during Dudley Stark's and
Cuthbert Pratt's years at St. Chrysostom's was Wallace Owen, for many
years an acolyte and an active member of the Service League. He and his
wife Marjorie were close in age to Cuthbert and Ethel Pratt and the couples
were warm personal friends; Cuthbert Pratt was godfather to the Owens'
daughter Pamela. Mr. Owen was employed in the Chicago office of British
Overseas Airways Corporation, and on several occasions provided British
travel films for parish programs. When BOAC began transatlantic air service
from Chicago to London in mid-May 1954, he arranged for Cuthbert Pratt to
receive a complimentary ticket on the first flight and to convey a letter of
greeting from Chicago Episcopalians to the bishop of London (who, in prerevolutionary days, had jurisdiction over the church in the British colonies).
The trip was Mr. Pratt's first visit to the land of his birth since he had moved
to America.
The sermon which he preached on his return remains in the present
author's mind as a standard by which future sermons would be measured.
Taking as his text Matthew 10:29-31, "Are not two sparrows sold for a
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farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye
are of more value than many sparrows," he combined a description of the
events of his ten-day visit with his emotions on his return to the country of
his birth, his reunion with surviving family members and his memories of
those who had gone on to closer fellowship with the Lord. The English
farthing coin (with a sparrow on one side) had recently been eliminated as
legal tender; Mr. Pratt brought back a bag of farthings which were
distributed to members of the congregation that day, as well as a container
of water from the river Thames for use at his son's baptism later in the year.
On May 30, 1954 an announcement titled "A Parish History" appeared
in the bulletin. "Four years from now in 1958 Saint Chrysostom's will have
been in existence as a parish for 65 years. Thus far such histories as we
have are fragmentary in nature. If you have any old programs, newspaper
clippings, etc. which might have some historic value or which might help in
compiling records please send or bring them to the Parish Office." Though
there is no direct indication of the response to this appeal, it is likely that at
least some of the scrapbooks and other material in the archives which
provide valuable records of the parish's early history were donated to the
church as a result.
An important religious conference was scheduled in the Chicago area
that summer. The second assembly of the World Council of Churches, which
drew religious leaders from many denominations and all parts of the world,
was held at Northwestern University in Evanston from August 15-31; tickets
for some sessions could be purchased through the parish office. Mr. Pratt,
who normally took his two months' vacation in July and August, returned to
Evanston to attend the meetings. In later years he recalled eating with
Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher and his wife at an Evanston
restaurant popular with Northwestern students, and Mrs. Fisher's
considerable surprise at the purple and white football-shaped menus.
Many visitors were expected at St. Chrysostom's on Sunday, August
15, the opening day of both the conference and the American Bar
Association convention in the city; Bishop Burrill was the guest preacher at
the 11 a.m. service, and the bulletin extended "a very cordial welcome" to
the bishop and other visitors. "Following the service, a Coffee Hour will be
held in the Dining Room of the Parish Hall under the auspices of St.
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Chrysostom's Service League. It is hoped that many will be able to attend
this informal gathering, to greet our bishop ... and to visit with our guests."
This is the first recorded occurrence of a coffee hour at St.
Chrysostom's. Although breakfast after the 8:00 service dates back at least
to the early years of Norman Hutton's rectorship, and tea was served in
conjunction with the evening service on a number of occasions beginning in
the early 1920s, the 11:00 service had seldom been followed by any type of
social gathering. The following Sunday's bulletin indicates that the
innovation was successful: "The table setting was beautifully done and many
compliments were received from our guests and our own members as
regards this splendid social function."
In the next three years, the Service League and its successor
organizations the Theophilus Club and the Workshop scheduled coffee hours
on a number of occasions, including Bishop Street's confirmation visitation in
April 1955, Arthur Peacock's return from Brazil in September 1956,
Founder's Day 1956 (when "an exhibit of pictures, newspaper clippings and
other items of interest showing the history of Saint Chrysostom's Church
from the time of its founding to the present" was featured), and Good
Shepherd Sunday, May 5, 1957 (at which representatives from several
diocesan social agencies made presentations). Locations for the coffee hours
varied; the gymnasium, the Guild Room and the North Room as well as the
dining room were used.
Although for over ten years the Service League had been the parish
organization for young adults, the group's membership and interests had
begun to change, and the League's formal programs with speakers
seemingly no longer met members' needs. A bulletin announcement of
January 20, 1957 described a new group: "Now a new opportunity and a
new name come before us. A cordial invitation is extended to be present at
the opening meeting of the THEOPHILUS CLUB. You might like to begin the
evening by attending the Service of Evening Prayer at five o'clock. That is
the ideal way in which to begin! We will then ... proceed ... to dinner ... The
Theophilus Club (the name Theophilus you will find in the New Testament in
St. Luke 1:3 and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:4) seeks within four
major areas of interest to be of service to you. Photography, Music-Drama,
Bible study and Science."
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The choice of music and drama as an area of activity reflected the
interests of assistant minister Charles Summers and his wife Lorraine. Mr.
Summers, a recent graduate of the Philadelphia Divinity School, joined the
parish staff in summer 1955 after Donald Nickson accepted a call to a parish
in Norwood, Ohio. Lorraine Summers had a degree in music; she was a choir
member, and the couple shared an enthusiasm for Gilbert and Sullivan. The
Service League sponsored a highly successful performance of The Pirates of
Penzance on February 8, 1956, following in the footsteps of the Vesper Choir
performance of Patience sixteen years earlier. Lorraine Summers directed
the production, Charles Summers played the Major General, Rollin Hunt the
Pirate King, and Juanita Hunt Mabel, while Cuthbert Pratt was among the
members of the chorus.
On April 29 a bulletin announcement called attention to "ST.
CHRYSOSTOM'S WORKSHOP," formed "to continue the type of activity begun
with the production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. This year
the group is planning to produce Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado."
Collaboration and good feeling among members of the group existed in
areas beyond its dramatic productions; in June, assistant director Eileen
Hilborn married long-time Service League and Workshop member James
Krehemker.
The group's activities were not confined to its dramatic presentations.
Many of its members were also affiliated with the Service League and, later,
the Theophilus Club, and were aware that the occasional coffee hours
sponsored by these groups filled a real need in the parish. On November 17,
1957, an announcement by the Workshop appeared in the bulletin: "Coffee
hours will be held every Sunday immediately following the 11:00 a.m.
service ... in the North Room." "The purpose of these coffee hours,"
according to the next week's bulletin, "is to promote Christian fellowship
within the parish and to welcome new members. All donations are purely
voluntary and are used to meet the expenses of the Workshop's current
production, Iolanthe." Visitors and parishioners for over thirty-five years
have had reason to be grateful to the Workshop for the inauguration of this
activity; with only a few exceptions, coffee hours have remained on the
parish schedule since that date.
Two parishioners who, though not members of the Workshop, played
an important part in the success of the coffee hours were Gerhardt and Hilda
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Meyne. The present author recalls that in the early 1950s, though ushers
welcomed parishioners at the services, many members of the congregation
made little attempt to introduce themselves to newcomers or persons sitting
nearby; after three years of reasonably regular attendance, she knew the
names of scarcely any of those in the congregation. The Meynes were
among the first to break away from this unfortunate tradition. On the
Sunday of Harold Simonds' first performance on the new organ in 1953, the
Meynes expressed their appreciation for Dr. Simonds' work and remarked
that after seeing the Ramms in church for some time, it was time to learn
their names and become acquainted with them. New members of the parish
were warmly welcomed by the Meynes; after the establishment of regular
coffee hours, the couple made a point of bringing newcomers to coffee and
introducing them to other members of the congregation.
Gerhardt Meyne, then in his seventies, was still active in business as
the head of the Gerhardt F. Meyne construction firm. The 1929 biographical
volume Chicago and Its Makers described the "aesthetic taste which has
characterized him throughout his life," his fondness for music, and his "quiet
but unvarying support for certain civic undertakings in attempting to solve
the problems the city has been confronted with ... Successful himself, he has
been generous with his charitable donations and is a strict believer in and
practicer of the doctrine that prohibits the left hand from knowing what the
right hand does ... His support may always be relied upon for anything that
makes for civic betterment."
The Meynes' "aesthetic taste" and love for music were reflected in their
appreciation for Dr. Simonds' work and their regular attendance at musical
events in the city. When Hilda Meyne entered a nursing home in the early
1960s, her husband continued to purchase two subscriptions to the
symphony and the opera and invited parishioners who might not otherwise
be able to attend the programs to use the second ticket. On one such
occasion the author accompanied him to the symphony. During the first
number, Mr. Meyne's eyes closed and his head drooped but at the end of the
piece he opened his eyes hastily: "Very relaxing! I heard every note!" An
excerpt from a Wagner opera was greeted with the murmured comment, "I
heard this in Brussels when they rode horses on stage to it," accompanied
by riding motions. The concert continued with a selection from Tannhäuser.
"The parable of the publican: 'Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner'," he
remarked, repeating his comment to Bishop Burrill during the intermission
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and again to the author at the end of the evening. "'Lord, have mercy upon
me a sinner,' very apt; I think the bishop thought so too." Hilda Meyne was
an active member of the Women's Guild as long as her health permitted. On
one occasion she paid tribute to a fellow member who had spent a long day
working with her on a project: "And during all that time she didn't swear
once!"
Another group whose activities continue to the present day was
formed in early 1955. At the January 20 vestry meeting, vestry member S.
Graham Nelson presented a proposal for an Ushers' Guild to be headed by
parishioner Charles Melby; its officers would also include a clerk and four
team captains. The vestry approved the plan, authorizing $3 a week for
flowers for the group and $100 for an annual luncheon for its members.
Later in the month, Mr. Melby and Matthew McCullough were elected to the
vestry to fill the vacancies caused by LeRoy Kramer's death and Stuart
Stone's departure from the city. Matthew McCullough, like many persons
elected to the vestry in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, belonged to the
church's older generation (he was seventy-six at the time of his election);
however, Charles Melby, in his thirties, was the youngest man to serve on
the vestry since William Cox's election in 1939.
Two other long-time vestry members retired in 1955. Charles Freeman
resigned on August 22 after eighteen years of service, and Joseph King,
whose vestry service dated back to the Hutton years, asked not to be
renominated at the 1956 annual meeting. Vestry minutes of January 20,
1956, indicate that the nomination process was not at this time an open one.
After the group approved the appointment of a nominating committee, "Mr.
Pratt stated that Messrs. William C. Leff and Charles R. Sturges had
indicated their willingness to serve on the Vestry," and at the annual
meeting ten days later, the two were elected without opposition. Though the
manner of their selection might not have been all that could be desired, both
would play important parts in the parish. William Leff became junior warden
in 1958 and senior warden in 1966; Charles Sturges headed the committee
which selected Robert Hall as Cuthbert Pratt's successor, and though no
longer resident in the city was consulted in 1966 and 1967 by the vestry
committee seeking a successor to Robert Hall.
Cuthbert Pratt instituted a change in the Holy Week service schedule in
1955. For the first time, an evening service of Holy Communion was
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scheduled on Maundy Thursday at 8 p.m.; the service, though now held at
an earlier time, has remained on the schedule until the present day. The
1955 union Thanksgiving service at St. James Cathedral was the last in
which that church participated. Earlier that year it had been designated the
cathedral of the diocese, and felt obligated to schedule its own Thanksgiving
Day service each year; though hosting the service that fall, it would be
unable to participate in future services at St. Chrysostom's or Fourth
Presbyterian. The year 1955 also saw several improvements to the property:
landscaping changes including Fletcher Durbin's gift of three elm trees to be
planted along the street, repainting the interior of the church, and
modification of exterior lighting.
Among the most active organizations during Cuthbert Pratt's years as
rector was the Women's Guild. The group's two major annual projects
formed a major part of parish activities in the 1950s. After the end of World
War II, the format of "Christmas Windows" was not resumed, the Guild
instead returning to the traditional bazaar with handmade goods for sale.
Work on bazaar items continued over a large part of the year; though the
Guild did not meet formally in the summer, many members regularly
gathered on Tuesdays to work, and those not in the city continued handwork
projects at their summer homes. Handmade aprons had been sold at parish
bazaars even during the days of "Christmas Windows," when many of the
sales were made to families with resident maids; now, though there were
still a few sales of maids' aprons, the bulk of the apron booth's merchandise
consisted of brightly colored aprons used by women cooking for their
families. There was some (generally good-humored) rivalry between the
practical workers at the apron booth and the gift booth workers who created
more glamorous items such as decorated boxes and wastebaskets, sequined
headscarves, rhinestone-decorated scuffs, and (in 1957) gold-painted bricks
"to hand your husband when he presents you with a mink coat or other trifle
at Christmas."
Christmas decorations and ornaments were always popular among
bazaargoers. Wreaths decorated with hard candy were for sale on one
occasion; small felt animals made by Katherine Schuyler were for several
years a favorite purchase, and many probably still adorn Christmas trees
today. The children's booth featured toys and knit goods, and one year
included surprise balls which, when unwound, revealed a multitude of small
gifts. In 1955 paté de foie gras from France was among the featured food
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items, and baked goods and other homemade foods always sold well;
however, a Guild cookbook was less successful, requiring considerable time
and cost and not making sufficient profit to compensate for the work
involved.
Newspaper accounts of the bazaar often focused on the flower booth
headed by long-time parishioner Mary Faust, who was an enthusiastic
gardener at her summer home at Glen Lake, Michigan, and grew many of
the items sold at the booth. Her lunaria (or "silver dollar plants") were a
traditional favorite; everlasting flowers, herbs and spices, and driftwood
from the Glen Lake shore were also for sale, and on at least two occasions in
the early 1950s small orchids flown in from Hawaii were sold at fifty cents
each. Alice Barler decorated boxes for a Christmas box booth, and flea
market items were available at a white elephant booth (appropriately
chaired in 1955 by Republican committeewoman Bertha Baur). Former
parishioner Nancy Warren did not forget St. Chrysostom's after her move to
Michigan in 1952; her donations were featured at a special "Michigan Arts
and Crafts" booth at that year's bazaar.
The bazaar usually took place over two days, with a sit-down lunch on
one day and less formal food service (a snack bar or tea) on the other. The
turkey dinner, still the major social event of the parish ("for which,"
according to bulletins, "our church now enjoys city-wide fame") was
scheduled on one evening, and in the early 1950s was followed by
entertainment. A Tribune story noted the unusual program at the 1950
bazaar; two young men whom Mrs. Charles Garfield King, in charge of that
year's entertainment, had met at a pig auction! (The exact nature of the
program is not described; presumably it did not include the auction of a pig.)
The following year, films by time-lapse photographer John Nash Ott were
featured.
Though the "rector's table" of Norman Hutton's and Stephen Keeler's
day was no more, the Tribune of November 14, 1951 recorded that four men
including Carroll Harding and Gerhardt Meyne had "donated their talents" to
the bazaar's table setting department, and vestry nearly always carved the
turkeys at the dinner. High school students not away at boarding school
were often recruited as waiters and waitresses for tea or dinner; Athlyn
Deshais of the Daily News wrote in 1954, "Perhaps one of the few occasions
in sub-debs' growing up years when they're interested in wearing aprons is
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for the special privilege of serving at St. Chrysostom's women's guild's
bazaar tea." An accompanying photograph showed Patricia Brooder and
Sybil Schuyler, whose mothers were active in the Guild, sewing Christmas
cocktail aprons.
In her feature on the 1956 bazaar, "Starring Christmas," Athlyn
Deshais quoted from the year's rhymed invitations, "Sparkling with things
for tots to teens, Our gifts would dazzle any queen," but did not identify
their creator, Dorothy Sugden Ramm. Mrs. Ramm became actively involved
in the Women's Guild when her daughter (the present author) went away to
college in 1954; her skill in handwork was immediately recognized by the
group, and in 1955 she headed the bazaar's children's booth. After the 1956
bazaar, the bulletin of November 18 extended "a special note of thanks ... to
Mrs. Albert Ramm, General Chairman ... for her fine work in this enterprise,"
and she continued in that position in 1957. The Guild also recognized her
abilities in other areas; she was elected recording secretary in spring 1955
and two years later became president, a position which she held through
December 1959.
Alice Barler continued to direct the parish rummage sale, held in the
late winter or early spring. In her May 13, 1952 Tribune column "Front Views
and Profiles," Lucy Key Miller (a parishioner who later married vestry
member Charles Sturges) indicated that the elephant doorstop at the
following day's sale might be of interest to parishioner Bertha Baur; porch
furniture and a Gay 90s striped bathing suit were also for sale that year,
while a red plush chair in "early Gen. Grant" style and an electric muscle
stimulator were among the noteworthy items at the 1954 sale. More
valuable items were sold in the treasure room, which in 1955 featured a blue
satin evening dress donated by Elizabeth Stone which she apparently felt
would not be suitable to her "gingham dress" lifestyle in Connecticut. "They
Were There," a pictorial feature of the Tribune women's section, om March
9, 1957 highlighted the forthcoming sale, with photographs of Alice Barler
and Dorothy Sugden Ramm nailing in place a sign announcing the sale, and
other members including Gladys Warren Wells, Dorothy Eckhart Williams and
Ethel Pratt bringing donations, sorting and pricing the goods. Rummage sale
proceeds supported the Community Center; a 1957 appeal for merchandise
recorded that the previous year's sale had raised a little over $4000.
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The Women's Guild provided support for other work within and outside
the church. Their contributions paid for the installation of acoustical tile in
the upstairs dining room in 1953 and amplifiers in the gymnasium in 1955,
and in May 1955 the Guild informed the vestry that it would pay half of the
$12,000 needed for improvements in the kitchen if the vestry would meet
the remaining costs. This was authorized; work was completed by October
30, when the Guild hosted a coffee hour to exhibit the completed kitchen.
On September 28 the vestry expressed its appreciation to the women, citing
in particular the work of "Mrs. Stanley Lawton, chairman of the Planning
Committee, Mrs. Carroll R. Harding, chairman of the Housekeeping
Committee," and parish secretary Lynn Flemming. At the same meeting the
vestry honored retiring parish cook Frieda Hicks.
WHEREAS, Mrs. Frieda Hicks has over a period of more than 30
years rendered service of great value to various organizations
and activities conducted by or under the auspices of Saint
Chrysostom's Church:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Rector, Wardens
and Vestrymen ... do hereby record their sincere appreciation of
the love and devotion which Mrs. Hicks has shown in her service
to the Church.
Helga Harding, honored for her work in planning the new kitchen, was
one of several vestry wives who played active parts in the Women's Guild in
the 1950s; she headed several bazaar committees during the period, and
was the group's vice-president in 1955 and 1956. An even more active Guild
member was Dick Bean (always known by her nickname rather than her
given name of Irene), whose husband Ferrel served on the vestry from 1952
to 1961. Mrs. Bean was Guild president from 1955 to 1957, and not only
took part in many activities but recognized and fostered the gifts of other
parishioners; she encouraged Dorothy Sugden Ramm to become involved in
diocesan women's activities, and supported parishioner Elizabeth Main as
she pursued her vocation for the permanent diaconate in the early 1960s.
Helen Cox, wife of junior warden William Cox, was a regular worker at
bazaars and rummage sales and in 1956 co-hosted a spring luncheon for
Guild members; the present author owns a pair of Christmas candles
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decorated by Mrs. Cox in the late 1950s which remain attractive nearly forty
years later.
Part of the income of the Women's Guild was used for an annual
donation to the Altar Guild. This group had begun to grow in numbers during
Dudley Stark's later years as rector; during Cuthbert Pratt's tenure,
membership continued to rise, totaling forty by 1958. At this time Altar Guild
members did a larger amount of sewing than is the case today; during the
1950s chalice veils, surplices and a new altar cloth were made by
parishioners. Scheduling practices appear to have been informal; not until
1954 do minutes record the institution of a formal schedule. During Cuthbert
Pratt's tenure as rector, several pieces of the needlepoint now in use in the
church were completed. Kneelers for the clergy in the chancel, made by
Grace Scott and Dorothy Borland according to a design from the architecture
of Exeter Cathedral, were dedicated in the fall of 1953, while the cushions at
the main altar rail were completed in 1957.
The 1956 Democratic Party convention was held in Chicago in midAugust. Though official activity had not yet begun on Sunday, August 12,
many politicians and delegates had arrived in the city and at least some
attended church. The present author's diary describes two visitors at St.
Chrysostom's. As the Ramms arrived for the 11:00 service, a pastel
convertible (a color favored in the 1950s) labeled with signs "Be Happy, Vote
Happy," with "police escort and photogs. all round," pulled up and Governor
Albert (Happy) Chandler of Kentucky and his wife entered the church.
(Persons acquainted with the governor recalled him as a sincere and active
Episcopalian whose attendance at the service would not have been politically
motivated.) The author judged that Mrs. Chandler "wasn't very pleased by
the convertible I guess — she looked unhappy," perhaps because the ride in
an open car had disarranged her hat and hairstyle, an important
consideration when women did not come to church bareheaded. An
inexperienced usher seated the Chandlers in Republican stalwart Bertha
Baur's pew; fortunately, Mrs. Baur was en route to the Republican
convention in San Francisco and probably never knew who had occupied the
pew in her absence. As Cuthbert Pratt was on vacation, the sermon was
preached by Charles Summers, who took as his topic "Humility." (The
governor, a dark horse candidate, may have found the sermon helpful later
in the week, when he received only thirty-six and a half votes in the
balloting.) The Chandlers had chosen St. Chrysostom's rather than St. James
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Cathedral because the cathedral did not have music at the 11:00 service
that day, so we may hope they shared the author's appreciation for the
"lovely" offertory anthem, Bach's "Come, Dearest Lord." As no coffee hour
was scheduled, the governor and his wife were unable to meet members of
the congregation, but photographers were again in action as the couple
shook hands with Charles Summers on leaving the church.
Stephen Keeler's career as bishop of Minnesota was highly
distinguished. In addition to his work in the diocese, he had responsibility for
American Episcopalians in Europe and made regular semiannual visitations
to overseas congregations. On one such visit, in May 1955, he became
seriously ill with heart strain and was hospitalized for two months in Rome
before returning to the United States. Though after his illness he made plans
to retire in 1959, his health improved enough for him to resume his duties;
St. Chrysostom's vestry sent its good wishes in June 1956 on the occasion of
the twenty-fifth anniversary of his consecration. Three months later, on his
fall visit to Europe, Bishop Keeler died at U.S. Army headquarters in
Frankfurt on September 25. The New York Times recorded that he had
reunited the dioceses of Minnesota and Duluth, moved the cathedral from
Faribault to Minneapolis, and hosted the World Anglican Congress in
Minneapolis in 1954; at a memorial service on September 30 in St. Paul's
American Episcopal Church in Rome, Canon Charles Shreve said that the
bishop "laid down his life in the service of our Lord in as true a sense as an
early Christian martyr." St. Chrysostom's scheduled a memorial service for
its former rector on the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, September 29.
The "baby boom" years of the 1950s saw a nationwide growth in
Church School enrollment and a greater emphasis on Christian education in
the Episcopal Church, with the development of the Seabury Series
curriculum calling for more active parental involvement in children's religious
education. St. Chrysostom's as an urban parish did not share in the growth
in enrollment (Church School membership seems to have been slightly over
100 during the middle and late 1950s), but planned to adopt the new
lessons in the fall of 1956. A meeting to introduce the curriculum was
scheduled that spring; however, according to a letter from the rector dated
June 11, only three teachers and no parents were present and it was
necessary to postpone the meeting until fall. Canon Charles Leech, diocesan
director of religious education, met with parents and teachers on the evening
of November 29, while mothers unable to attend the meeting were
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encouraged to be present at a tea on the afternoon of November 21.
Changes in the lessons were accompanied by an expanded "Church School
family service" at 9:15 instead of 9:30 a.m., with Holy Communion
celebrated on one Sunday each month. Frequent mailings were sent to
parents, and regular parent-teacher meetings were held, though relatively
few parents seem to have been present at the sessions.
Church school attendance awards continued. Children honored in the
middle and late 1950s included the Wilkinsons' son John, who received his
ninth year award in 1957; Jan and Rollin Hunt's daughter Susan, who later
achieved considerable fame as printmaker Susan Hunt-Wulkowicz; Carol
Larsen, who supplied the author with valuable material on parish history
from her mother Dorothy Larsen's and grandmother Maude Snyder's
collections; and Cynthia Caples, elected to the vestry in 1983. Church school
choir members were recognized as well, and in 1956 the bulletin cited tenyear-old Travis Aiken, who had won second prize for her age group in the
Bishop's Pence annual poster contest.
In 1957, for the first time in many years, pageants were scheduled at
the children's Easter and Christmas services. The Easter pageant, "The Cross
of Light," had a cast including Carol Larsen and Susan Hunt as readers and
John Wilkinson, Jr. in the part of Peter. "All the Children of the World," the
Christmas production, was even more elaborate. The kindergarten and first
grade sang carols in German and Spanish, while older children dramatized
the Christmas customs of Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Denmark, Greece and
Italy and recited all or part of the Lord's Prayer in Czech and in Japanese;
the service concluded with the singing of "Joy to the World" by all present.
Mr. Pratt began to issue a four-page publication, Parish News and
Notes, to the congregation in the fall of 1956. It normally consisted of brief
notes, often highlighting bulletin information which might have been missed
by persons absent from church on a given Sunday. The new publication and
the bulletins highlighted a number of activities. Plans were made to revive a
Brotherhood of St. Andrew chapter for men and boys of the parish; retired
Army general F.C. Lee visited St. Chrysostom's in October to discuss the
work of the Brotherhood, and the chapter held an organizational meeting in
December. St. Chrysostom's hosted the union Thanksgiving service, at which
the Reverend H. Ralph Higgins of St. Mark's Church, Evanston, was the
preacher. The Business and Professional Women's Guild programs included a
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speech by Mrs. Ralph Obenschain of Famous Features Syndicates,
"Confessions of an Amateur Recipe Clipper." For the first time since the early
1930s, college and preparatory school students at home for the holidays
were honored; a reception for them was scheduled following the evening
service on December 30. However, attendance was small, probably because
the number of parishioners in this age group was considerably smaller than
it had been in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was not repeated the following
year.
A number of Lenten programs were scheduled in 1957. The rector,
Bishop Burrill and other clergy gave addresses on missions to the Women's
Guild, while Business and Professional Women's Guild activities included an
illustrated talk on the Middle East by a McCormick Theological Seminary
professor and book reviews by the parish clergy, and the Theophilus Club's
programs focused on Lenten themes. There was a full Lenten worship
schedule as well. Five Ash Wednesday services were scheduled (Holy
Communion at 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 noon, Evening Prayer at 5:45, and
the Litany with a sermon by the rector at 8 p.m.); services of Holy
Communion on Mondays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 7:30 a.m., and Evening
Prayer on Thursdays at 5:45 p.m., were added to the regular midweek Holy
Communion services on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 12 noon and Wednesdays
at 7:30 a.m.
The publication of Parish News and Notes undoubtedly reflected the
growing desire for more information on parish activities and administration.
Though many active organizations flourished in the parish from the 1930s
through the early 1950s, the rector, wardens and vestry made nearly all the
major parish administrative decisions, and little discontent with this state of
affairs is recorded. Cuthbert Pratt made an attempt to increase attendance
at the 1951 annual meeting by moving its location to the Guild Room; this
does not seem to have been successful, as the meeting returned to the
rector's study for the next four years. By 1956 the situation had begun to
change. Although that year's annual meeting was scheduled in the study,
more persons were present than could comfortably be seated there and the
session was moved to the North Room. Minutes record a number of
comments by members of the congregation; Mrs. Reuben Gaines, the
mother of a school-age daughter, "rose to speak on the matter of getting
such information as had been brought to the attention of the Meeting before
the members of the Parish — especially the mothers of younger children who
Page 241
neither heard nor read of such matters at any time in the course of the
year," while Margaret Hirst of the Business and Professional Women's Guild
expressed "concern that the Parish Meeting might be held at a later time in
the evening when more members of the congregation would find it possible
to be in attendance." Fletcher Durbin and Cuthbert Pratt responded to Miss
Hirst's comment, apparently stating that the time change was not feasible;
however, the issue was again raised at the 1957 meeting.
Because of his parish responsibilities, Cuthbert Pratt had been unable
to continue his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago; however,
during 1957 he received not one but two honorary doctorates. In the spring
Seabury-Western Seminary awarded him a Doctor of Divinity degree, while
on November 9 Hobart College named him a Doctor of Sacred Theology. The
congregation rejoiced that its rector had received well-deserved recognition
for his accomplishments; at a time when relatively few lay people addressed
clergy by their first names, and when at St. Chrysostom's the use of the title
"Father" was considered a sign of extreme high churchmanship, there was
also probably some relief in being able to use "Dr." rather than "Mr." in
addressing the rector of the parish.
When he came to St. Chrysostom's in mid-1955, Charles Summers
had agreed to stay for three years; on December 4, 1957, the vestry
authorized Dr. Pratt to invite a Virginia Theological Seminary student to be
interviewed as Mr. Summers' replacement. At the same meeting senior
warden Fletcher Durbin "serv[ed] notice of his intention to withdraw from
membership in the Vestry at the close of the meeting next before the annual
Parish Meeting," and Dr. Pratt "reported that a small delegation from the
Parish called upon him in his office recently to discuss the forthcoming
annual parish meeting, making certain suggestions pertinent thereto."
The suggestions probably related both to the scheduling of the
meeting at a time when more parishioners were able to attend and to the
desirability of greater openness in the nominating process, leading to the
election of men from a wider spectrum of the parish membership; two nonvestry members, Altar Guild head Ydoine Cornelison and Gerhardt Meyne,
served on that year's nominating committee chaired by Carroll Harding. For
the first time in many years (possibly the first time in parish history) there
was the possibility of a contested vestry election, and parishioners from this
era recall an atmosphere of tension as the annual meeting approached.
Page 242
The vestry honored retiring senior warden Fletcher Durbin at its
January 28, 1958 meeting. Carroll Harding paid tribute to him:
The Master welcomes as his followers all sorts and
conditions of men and he needs powerful leaders to keep his
church going. Fletcher Durbin is one of the great ones, having
been a leader in this parish for 37 years, a leader at the
diocesan level, a leader in religious education, a leader in the
business community in Chicago, and a leader in many charitable
projects.
Following a description of the 1950 meeting at which Mr. Durbin had
registered his strong opposition to Bishop Conkling's actions against the
parish's practice of intinction and its choice of Cuthbert Pratt as rector, "a
good example of the kind of protection for our parish that the successors to
Mr. Durbin might well follow," Mr. Harding presented the retiring warden
with a silver tray signed by the rector, wardens and vestry, and the
nominating committee's report was presented: William Cox was named
senior warden, William Leff junior warden, and the vestry vacancy would be
filled by contractor (and nominating committee member) Gerhardt Meyne,
who had been recommended by a number of parishioners and who seemed
an appropriate choice at a time when considerable work was needed on the
church's physical plant.
The meeting concluded with a development which seems to have come
as a surprise. Cuthbert Pratt presented a letter announcing his intention of
accepting a call as rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York.
Though indicating that he was willing to be guided by the vestry's "advice
and counsel," he stated that he "felt led of God to respond in the affirmative
... for personal reasons," chiefly the fact that he wanted to be nearer to his
own and his wife's family in the east. He agreed to remain at St.
Chrysostom's until after Easter, setting April 20 (two weeks after Easter) as
his resignation date. The news was not announced at the annual meeting
two days later, when despite some opposition the nominating committee's
slate was elected; the formal announcement of Dr. Pratt's resignation on the
following Sunday came as a shock to many parishioners. Cuthbert Pratt was
the first (and, thus far, the only) rector to resign from St. Chrysostom's after
accepting a call from another parish.
Page 243
Though his family ties in the east were certainly the major reason for
Cuthbert Pratt's decision to accept the call, the events of the period
preceding the annual meeting may have had some effect; Dr. Pratt's long
and emotional final sermon, and occasional comments in vestry minutes
after his departure, indicate that the parting may not have been altogether
smooth. Two farewell messages by the rector reflect his continuing love for
his parishioners and the mixed feelings with which he left the city. His letter
to the vestry dated April 2 stated, "This is a difficult letter to direct,
inasmuch as you all occupy a very deep place in my interest and affection,
and I am thoroughly convinced that we have worked effectively together for
the cause of Christ and for the wellbeing of this parish ... I do hope it will be
possible for me to render further service to the Parish and to individual
members ... from time to time." On April 19 Dr. Pratt wrote "To the
Members and Friends of Saint Chrysostom's Church."
As the time comes to bid you all farewell I wish it were
possible for Mrs. Pratt and for myself to come personally to your
homes and both commend you to God's loving care and also to
thank you for your many kindnesses to us over the years which
are past. Because this is not possible we take this opportunity of
saying Goodbye. Saint Chrysostom's and her people will always
loom large in our hearts.
... My own Rectorate is to begin at the Church of the Holy
Trinity, 316 East 88th Street, New York City--28--New York on
Monday, April 21st. A personal concern for service to both them
and to you has once again ruled out the possibility of a holiday in
between one work and the next. Remember us at the Lord's
Altar wherever you may be as we in turn shall ever remember
you ...
In New York City as here in Chicago our door and our
hearts are ever open to you--come and see us as and when you
can. May the Blessing and Peace of God be ever yours.
Thirty-three years later, in July 1991, Christopher Pratt (a priest in the
Anglican Church of Canada) preached from his father's pulpit, commenting
that his father had become part of the history of its parish and of many of its
Page 244
members. Many stories testify to Cuthbert Pratt's warm pastoral
relationships with his congregation. In conversation with the author, Betty
Redmond recalled the Easter Sunday when her mother suffered a stroke
early in the morning; though he had three services scheduled later in the
day, Cuthbert Pratt met the Redmonds at the hospital. Henrietta Newton
stated that she and her husband thought of Cuthbert Pratt as "a member of
the family," and recollected his special kindness at the time of her husband's
death. Dr. Pratt's eight years as rector of St. Chrysostom's coincided with
the present author's years in high school and college; he was always ready
to write references for college, summer employment and graduate school
applications, showed unfeigned interest in her choice of studies and career,
and sent warm congratulations from his new parish in New York at the time
of her college graduation.
Persons not conforming to the inaccurate image of the church as a
"society congregation" were often on exceptionally close terms with him.
Bertha Mandelkow for the rest of her life looked back with particular
fondness on his ministry at St. Chrysostom's. Henri Naumann, a long-time
choir member, was also a close personal friend. He had come to the United
States and to St. Chrysostom's after leaving his native Germany, where
during the Hitler years he had been imprisoned in a concentration camp.
Convalescing after a major operation, he was unable to clean his apartment
himself and could not afford to hire a housekeeper, and Dr. Pratt came to
the apartment himself to do the job. Cuthbert Pratt's sermon of June 10,
1956 on the text, "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zech.
4:10 KJV), in which he cited "small things" which could have an impact far
beyond their size — small congregations at midweek services, the small
items made by the Women's Guild for bazaars which raised considerable
sums of money for projects within and beyond the parish — may serve as an
apt description of his own ministry, which included many such acts.
The citation accompanying Dr. Pratt's Hobart degree was read into the
vestry minutes by Carroll Harding, who described it as "in all respects
accurate," a comment which many who remember Cuthbert Pratt would
confirm.
The Christian ministry makes two demands upon its
members — that they live both in time and in eternity. That they
cling to things unchangeable while they preach and teach and
Page 245
minister in terms understood by the generation to which God has
sent them.
Such a man was John of the Golden Mouth. He knew the
things which appertained to eternity and applied them to the
temporal. Commissioned in heaven, he contrived for heavenly
purposes in cities made with hands.
It is meet that we should honor one who, serving in
Chrysostom's parish, follows his patronal forebear. Brother
Cuthbert, you, too, have found the heavenly your source, but
the earthy your ministry. You preach the eternal Word with
success, you shelter God's poor. You seek out the sick, and give
leadership to the young. Your priesthood is informed and wellformed, and well do you serve your calling.
As Charles Summers had already left the parish to become rector of
St. Andrew's Church, Plainfield, New Jersey, it was necessary to appoint a
locum tenens from outside the parish during the interim period; weekday
services, the 9:15 a.m. family service and the Sunday evening service were
discontinued during the interim. The Reverend Kendig Brubaker Cully, a
professor at Seabury-Western Seminary, was named interim rector until the
end of June. For the next six weeks, the Reverend George F. Packard of St.
Mary's Church, Baltimore (who was attending a summer course at
Northwestern University) served as interim rector and continued the healing
process, while diocesan clergy officiated at the remaining Sunday services
until the new rector's arrival.
During these months two long-time vestry members resigned from
their positions. Bruce Borland wrote a letter of resignation to Bill Cox on
August 13: "Last Spring I should have done what I am doing now, namely
sending in my resignation from the Vestry ... At present I have gotten so
deaf ... I have a hard time hearing what is said in the vestry meetings, and
as for hearing the services, I am lost. You know that a younger man could
do good work for the church and that is what I would like my successor to
do as I am very interested in the future of St. Chrysostom's Church."
Carroll and Helga Harding left Chicago for Easton, Maryland, in May
after his retirement from the Pullman Company. "It is a great honor to serve
on the Vestry at Saint Chrysostom's Church ... not to be taken lightly," he
Page 246
wrote in his letter of resignation later that year. "The time has come when
my place should be filled. In giving up this position, I have the feeling that it
was one of the greatest blessings that ever came my way." One of Mr.
Harding's final acts on the vestry had been his active part in the renovation
of the North Room to make it more suitable as a site for the coffee hour.
There were at that time no kitchen facilities on the first floor of the parish
house, and coffee had to be brought down from the kitchen on the second
floor; the only chairs in the room were long rows of uncomfortable wooden
folding chairs whose veneer had cracked over the years, making them
hazardous to women's stockings. Carroll Harding donated to the parish
chairs and sofas no longer in use in the Pullman headquarters office, and a
kitchenette was installed at the south end of the room, west of the door
leading into the gymnasium. The Women's Guild suggested that the name of
the room be changed to the Harding Room to honor the Hardings' work in its
renovation and their many other contributions to the parish. The vestry
gladly agreed, and on May 3 (the Hardings' last Sunday in Chicago) a
dedication ceremony and reception was held to honor the couple and a
plaque was installed identifying the room by its new name.
The vestry worked rapidly to select a new rector. A search committee
chaired by Charles Sturges, with the wardens and Carroll Harding as
members, was appointed immediately after Cuthbert Pratt's resignation; a
short time later Ferrel Bean was added to the committee. According to the
committee's April 1 report to the vestry, fifty-six names were submitted by
"friends of the parish" and by six bishops; fifteen were personally
interviewed and five recommended to the vestry. On Cuthbert Pratt's last
Sunday at St. Chrysostom's, the Reverend Robert Bruce Hall of Trinity
Church, Huntington, West Virginia, was in Chicago to meet the vestry; on
May 20 the vestry issued a call to Mr. Hall, which he accepted one week
later. The new rector planned to arrive in Chicago about September 1.
ENDNOTES
According to St. Chrysostom's present organist Richard Hoskins, either the
purchase of the Aeolian-Skinner organ or the renovation of the old organ
would have been a better choice. Sufficient funds were raised to pay for the
cost of renovation; it might not have been difficult to raise the additional
sum needed for the Aeolian-Skinner instrument.
Page 247
James Krehemker later became a priest. He visited his former parish in
1992, at which time he was rector of Trinity Church, Kansas City, Missouri.
Though its formal name at this time was the Women's Guild and Auxiliary, it
was generally known as the Women's Guild, and the term "auxiliary," which
seemed to indicate that women held a subordinate position in the parish,
was later dropped.
Parish records do not give the names of the persons responsible, but
members of the Altar Guild from this period believe that they were made by
Dorothy Borland or Jean Caples.
Although the 1958 nominating committee included a woman, women were
not at this time considered for vestry service.
Cuthbert Pratt's action in this case was notable, as he was not known as a
"clean desk man."
The citation may well have been written by Dudley Stark, at that time
chancellor of Hobart College as well as bishop of Rochester.
Many parishioners recall the exceptionally heavy furniture, which remained
in use until 1986; designed for use on Pullman sleeping cars, it would
obviously remain in place on trains traveling on rough roadbeds or around
sharp curves.
Page 248

HISTORY OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM`S CHURCH CHAPTER 1

Transcription

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