Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 181: Worcester - (a?«//«h<'a'.), 1889 (part 2 of 3)

A house of worship for the Second Parish was the next essential thing. With much self-denial on the part of both parish and pastor - the latter relinquishing one-third of his salary - a building was erected, and on the 1st day of .January, 1792, was dedicated. The modest edifice, shorn of its bell-tower and converted into a school-house, still stands on the spot where it was first placed, at the north end of Summer Street. Once installed in its pulpit. Dr. Bancroft for many years pursued the even tenor of his way, making many friends and no enemies, and by his virtues and writings building up a great and solid reputation. After forty -one years a colleague was provided, and on the 28th of March, 1827, the Rev. Alonzo Hill was ordained to that office. In 1829 the old meetinghouse was deserted for a new and more spacious one built of brick on the site occupied by the present edifice. On the 19th of Augu.st, 1S39, Dr. Bancroft departed this life at the age of nearly eighty-four. He began his preaching in Worcester as an avowed Arminian. He was also from the first, as he said, an Arian, but not an avowed one. At first he forebore to preach the Arian or Unitarian doctrine " because," in his own words, " the j)eople were not able to bear it." When, thirty-six years after, he preached a course of controversial sermons in advocacy of that doctrine, he found they were able to bear it, as they evinced by asking for their publication. Curiously enough, one of these old sermons, on the " Annihilation of the Incorrigibly Wicked," places the Unitarian divine squarely by the side of the late rector of orthodox " All Saints." ' The volume called forth a high encomium from President John Adams. " Your twenty-nine sermons," he wrote, " have expressed the result of all my reading, experience and reflections in a manner more satisfactory to me than I could have done in the best days of my strength."' Besides this volume and the best " Life of Washington" in the day of it, Dr. Bancroft was the author of thirtyfour other publications, chiefiy sermons. In the " Worcester Pulpit" his character was drawn by the ''orthodox" author of that work, with fit expansions and illustrations, as that of a benevolent, candid, brave, discreet, much-enduring and conscientious minister and man. His face, which art has made familiar in many places, has all the attractions of the ideal saintly pastor.

On the death of Dr. Bancroft, his colleague. Dr. Hill, became sole pastor, and so remained for more than thirty-one years. On the 29th of August, 1849, the church was destroyed by fire. Three days after the society began to build anew, and on the 26th of March, 1821, dedicated the present church edifice. While the body of the building is in the plain rectangular style of that day, the spire is a model of architectural beauty. In the pulpit of this church

W0Ece8Tee

Dr. Hill completed his miuistry of more than fortythree years. At the end of forty years from his ordination he preached a historical discourse, wherein maybe found much interesting information touching the Second Parish and his own ministry. His death occurred February 1, 1871. Dr. Hill was a man of rare benignity ; his face was a benediction. As a colleague he lived in entire harmony with his senior, and as sole pastor he perpetuated all amiable traditions. For nearly a century the Second Parish flourished under the two pastorates in an atmosphere of peace, diffused by the personal influence of the two pastors. The third minister of the parish was the Rev. Edward H. Hall. He had been installed as the colleague of Dr. Hill on the 10th of February, 1869, and succeeded as sole pastor at the decease of the latter in 1871. Mr. Hall closed his ministry of thirteen years to accept the charge of the l^nitarian Church in Cambridge. He had so endeared himself to his parishioners that with unfeigned regret they yielded to the separation. He had continued and re-enforced the traditional amenities of the Second Parish ministry. He had approved himself " a scholar, and a ripe and good one." As a thinker he had pushed his way among the deep problems of thought, beyond what was commonly known of him. In the literature of art he was so much at home that many outside, as well as within his own parish, gladly came for instruction to the art lectures which he gave on several occasions. A broad and fine culture, coupled with a liberal faith, appeared to express the ideal towards which he continually aspired. And so, his transfer to tlie university town was a fit recognition of his aspirations and growth in that direction.

Church of the Unity. - Sixty years alter the formation of the First Unitarian Church proceedings lor a , second were initiated. At the close of service in the afternoon of June 23, 18-11, suuie persons, at the request of eleven members of the Second Parish, tarried to hold a conference on the subject. In August a committee reported in favor of a new Unitarian society. On the 2.5th of that month a meeting was held at which it was voted " to procure funds to pay for preaching, to hire a preacher, and to procure a place in which to hold religious worship, also to procure subscriptions of funds to build a church." Forthwith subscriptions were opened, a building fund inaugurated, the present lot on Elm Street purchased, and early in the spring of 1815 the erection of a church edifice begun. On the 26th of January in the same vear the first religious service \vas conducted by the Rev. Dr. James Thompson, of Barre, in a hall over the Clarendon Harris book-store. On the 27th of November, after the necessary preliminaries, the "Second Unitarian Society in Worcester" became a body corporate under that name and style. The number of corporators was forty-one, among whom were Pliny Merrick and Benjamin F. Thomas, afterwards justices of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. On the 7th of Fel)ruary, ISKl, the parish adopted the following, which is its only by-law : " Any person signing his name to a certificate in a book kept by the clerk for that purpose, signifying his intention to do so, shall thereliy become a member of this parish." At the same meeting, by regular action on an article which had been ))ut into the warrant, the parish voted that its name should be the " Church of the Unity." But it does not appear that anything was ever done to legalize this change of name. On the 10th of February, 1846, the Rev. Edward Everett Hale was unanimously invited to become the minister of the parish. On the 25th of April occurred the dedication of the church, and on the 26th the installation of the minister. The dedicatory sermon - a remarkable one - was preached by the Rev. Orv'ille Dewey, D.D., and that of the installation by the Rev. Samuel Lothrop, D.D. No church was ever formed in connection with this parish, no creed or covenant ever adopted, no deacons elected. But, in semblance of church order, on the 2othof May, 1816, the parish, at a meeting duly warned, adopted these resolutions ; " That a committee be directed to make the necessary arrangements for the administration of the ordinances of religion : That this church has united for all means and purposes 'of Christian fellowship ; Therefore, that an invitation be given to all persons present to partake with us of the Lord's Supper." This action marked the striking departure from the First Unitarian Church, which from the beginning had a church organization with a covenant, diaconate and solemn admission to membership. The ministry of Dr. Hale continued for ten years. He then, June 30, 1856, resigned his oflSce, not because of any dissatisfaction, but because he had received a call to Boston, where he would have leisure for study which the constant draft for sermon-writing in Worcester wotild not allow. His parishioners were dismayed at this threatened calamity and earnestly sought, but were unable to avert it. *rhe brilliant career of Dr. Hale since he sundered this tie is known to all the world. Nine months went by before action was taken to provide his successor. On the 19th of April, 1857, from among several who had been nominated in the parish meeting, the parish by a maj<ir vote invited the Rev. George M. Bartol, of Lancaster to accept the vacant place. Mr. Bartol declined the call and the parish went ou without a minister for a year and eight months longer, when, December 22, 1858, the Rev. Rush R. Shippen was installed. In July, 1871, Mr. Shippen resigned to take oflice as secretary of the American Unitarian Association. In a printed discourse Mr. Shippen said : " We observe the Communion as a Memorial Service only." Under his ministry, in 1865, the church edifice was enlarged by the addition of forty -six pews at a cost of five thousand dollars. After nearly two years the Rev. Henry Blanchard was installed on the 4th of May, 1873. Mr. Blanchard came into the parish from among the Universalists, and when he left returned into that fold. But while with the Church of the Unity, he sought, in a printed letter addressed to his parishioners, to define more exactly their dogmatic position by this utterance: "We stand for liberty of thought and Christianity. We define this latter, in the words of Noah Webster, to be ' the system of precepts and doctrines taught by .Jesus Christ.' We learn these from the words of the teacher as they are taught in the New Testament." Mr. Blanchard's resignation was dated March 4, 1880, and was accepted to take effect on the 1st of April following. The Rev. Roland A. Wood, by birth an Englishman, was installed as i his successor on the 1st of June, 1881. On the 14th of SejJtember, 1884, he resigned his office, and on the 1st of January, 1885, the resignation took eftect. A year elapsed before another minister was settled ; during this interval extensive imjirovements were made upon the church edifice by the construction ol parish rooms and a general application of decorative art. The cost of this outlay was fifteen thousand dollars. In this renovated and attractive edifice the Rev. Calvin Stebbins was installed as the fifth minister of the Church of the Unity in January, 1886.

In the autumn of 1888 Mr. Stebbins and other Unitarians began a mission of that order near New Worcester. By the 27th of January, 1889, the enter- j prise had made such progress that measures were I then adopted for the organization of the third Unitarian Society in Worcester. At that date every prospect favored the consummation of the plan.

Bapti.STS - First Baptid Church. - James Wilson \ was the founder of the Baptist Societies in Worcester. He was a layman who came here from England, bringing his Baptist principles with him. On his arrival he found no one in Worcester like minded with himself save two old persons and Dr. John Green, who soon disappeared, leaving him alone. Trinitarian Congregationalism and Unitarian Congregationalism were in complete possession of the ground, with two doughty doctors of divinity to maintain it against all comers. But Mr. Wilson was neither dismayed, nor converted, nor driven away He had a great staying quality, and because of it the Baptist idea at last took root and flourished. From 1795, the year of his coming, until the constitution ol the First Baptist Church, in 1812, he kept the faith, occasionally had meetings for religious worship in his dwelling-house, and did what he, could to nourish the seed he had planted. In time an association was formed, occasional preaching was had and the Centre School-house was rented for Sunday service. "Opposition applied the spice." On the 28th ot September, 1812, the Rev. William Beutley was employed on a salary; on the 9th of December "the Baptist Church in Worcester " was constituted. It was composed of twenty-eight members, equally divided between the sexes. The first pastor was installed on the same day. Mr. Wilson became one of the deacoti.s, and probably the first. He had long before won the respect and confidence of his fellowtownsmen, .so that, in 1801, he had been made the postmaster of Worcester, and he so continued until his removal to Ohio, in 1833. The creed of the church is given at length in Lincoln's " History." In the year 1813 the first meeting-house was begun and completed, and on the 23d of December was dedicated. It stood on the site of the present building. Mr. Bentley remained in charge until the 31st of June, 1813, when he asked and obtained a dismission. On the 3d of November, in the same year, the Rev. Jonathan Going accepted a call to the vacant pulpit. He remained till January, 1832, when, at his own request, he, too, was dismissed. The reason which he assigned for this step was, " that he might devote himself to the interests of home missions, especially in the valley of the Mississippi." He had visited the West the year before, and had come back greatly pressed in spirit to go to its help. Dr. Going was a remarkable man. He had been educated beyond many of his Baptist brethren, while his natural powers were of a superior order. In advance of his contemporaries he had a vision of the wonderful future of the great Western valley, and determined to do his part in giving it a set towards the right. Without loss of time the Rev. Frederic A. Willard stepped into the pulpit left vacant by Dr. Going. He was a graduate of Amherst in the class of 1826. The year before coming to Worcester he had received, but declined, an appointment to the professorship of chemistry in Waterville College. Having remained with the Worcester church till July 30, 1835, he then resigned, to become later the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Newton. He was succeeded, on the 27th of October, by the Rev. Jonathan Aldrich, who, after seeing the church enlarged, by the addition of two hundred and eighteen members, took his dismission in May, 1838. In April of the following year the Rev. Samuel B. Swaim became the pastor, and so remained for more than filteen years. He was a graduate of Brown University in the class of 1830; in 1835 he had accepted a professorship of theology in (.iranville College, which the poverty of the college had not allowed him to retain. His ministry was one of great power. Under it the church " attained its highest numerical, social and financial condition." His death, at the age of fifty-five years, was felt to be nothing less than a calamity. In 1855 the Rev. J. D. v.. Jones became the next pastor. After holding his office during four years he resigned it, in 1859, to become superintendent of public schools. He was succeeded by the Rev. Lemuel Moss, on the 14th of August, 1860. Remaining until the 25th of July, 1864, he then resigned his pulpit. Dr. Moss subsequently became president of Indiana State University. On the first Sabbath in April, ISfio, the Rev. H. K. Pervear entered upon his duties as the next pastor of this church. On the last day of the year 1872 his pastorate came to an end, and on the 1st day of April, 1873, the Rev. B. D. Marshall began his labors as the ninth pastor of the First Baptist Church. After a service of fourteen years Dr. Marshall resigned his office on the last Sabbath in March, 1887. His successor, the Rev. George 0. Craft, was inducted into office iu January, 1888.

The present church was erected in the time of Mr. Aldrich, on the site of the original building, which had been destroyed by fire. It was a larger and finer building than the first, and from time to time underwent important improvements, the latest of which, in 1888, involved an expenditure of nine thousand : dollars.

Second Baptist C'/mm-cA. - This was a colony from | the First Church. It was constituted on the 28th day of December, 1841, with ninety-eight members, of whom eighty-nine were Iroui the parent church. Iq one year one hundred more were added. The first preacher was the Rev. John Jennings, and the first place of worship was the Town Hall, where religious services continued to be held till the close of 1843. On the 4th of January, 1844, the new house of worship on Pleasant Street was dedicated. No society was organized ; the business of the body was transacted by the church, which was the owner of the property. The Rev. Mr. Jennings had become the pastor early in 1842, and he resigned his charge on the 27th of November, 1849, after nearly eight years of successful service. His successor was the Rev. Charles K. Colver who accepted a call to the pastorate on the 14th of April, 1850. After four years of service failure of health obliged him to resign his place. The next pastor was the Rev. Daniel W. Faunce, who entered upon his duties on the 1st of Seiitember, 1854.

In the year 185(5 the house of wor.shii> was repaired and remodeled " at a large expense." The front was rebuilt because of the change in the street grade ; the style of architecture was altered and a tower added. In 1860 Dr. Faunce tendered his resignation, to take effect on the 30th of April. On the 11th of June following the Rev. J. J. Tucker accepted a call to the pastorate, but after a service of fifteen months felt compelled, by the force of circumstances, to resign his place on the 30th of September, 18C1. For nearly a year the church was without a pastor ; then it was fortunate in securing the services of the Rev. David Weston. Having accepted a call some weeks before, he was duly ordained in August, 1862, as the fifth pastor of the Pleasant Street Church. Dr. Weston fulfilled his office with great satisfaction to the people of his charge for more than eight years, and then, on the 25th of November, 1870, laid it down " to engage in another sphere of labor." The

Two ministers in succession were now called, but both declined the call. On the 7th of June, 1872, the Rev. I. R. Wheelock received a call, accepted it on the 10th of July, and was ordained on the 1st of August. After nearly three years his resignation was accepted on the 28th of March, 1875. He was followed by the Rev. Sullivan S. Holman, who was installed on the 10th of June of the same year. Having accepted a call to another field of labor, Mr. Holman offered his resignation, which was accepted on the lOlh of March, 1882, " with feelings of sorrow." Six months after Rev. J. S. James, of Allentown, Pa., received and declined a call. On the 7th of December following the Rev. Henry F. Lane accepted a unanimous call, and on the first Sunday in January, 1883, entered upon his new ministry. On the 1st day of March, 1888, his term of service was terminated, by the joint action of pastor and people, after five years of uninterrupted harmony. On the 27th of June the Rev. H. J. White accepted a call which had been given on the 6th of that month.

Main Street Baptist Church. - This was a second colony from the First Baptist Church. In June, 1852, a petition by Eli Thayer and fifteen others was presented to that church, expressing a desire to form a third Baptist Church. They declared their readiness to begin at once, and dutifully asked for the support and approval of the mother church. The maternal sanction was promptly and cordially granted; the City Hall was at once engaged, and there, in July, the Rev. Dr. Sharp, of Boston, preached the first sermon for the new colony. Public worship was maintained in the same place until November, when the place of meeting was transferred to Brinley Hall. There a Sunday school was organized, and there preaching by the Rev. S. S. Cutting was continued through the winter. In the evening of February 26, 1853, a parish organization was duly perfected under the name of the " Third Baptist Society in Worcester." The business was done in the law-office of Francis Way land, Jr., under a warrant issued by Isaac Davis. On Sunday, the next day, a committee was appointed to prepare Articles of Faith and a Covenant with a view to a church organization. On the 6th of March what were known as the " New Hampshire Articles of Faith " and "Covenant" were adopted, a clerk was chosen, and the church constituted with thirty-three members. At the same time the Rev. William H. F. Hansel was chosen to be the pastor ; but the call he declined.

On the 18th of May the society voted to build a chapel at the corner of Leicester (now Hermcm) and Main Streets. On the 23d of June the recognition of the new church took place with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Ide, of Springfield. In the course of the year the chapel was completed at a cost, including that of land and furnishing, of $6461.17. On the first Sunday in .Iiinuary, 1854, it was occupied for the first time for public worship. On the 18th of September following Mr. H. L. Wayland \va.s unanimously called to the pastorate. In accepting the call he relinquished two hundreil dollars of the moderate salary which had been voted to him, as a contribution to the expen.ses of the society. On the 1st of November occurred his ordination, President Wayland preaching the sermon. On the 12th of February, 1855, plans for a church edifice were adopted and a building committee chosen. Early in May ground was broken ; in the course of the year the house was finished, and on the second Sunday in January, 1856, was occupied for public worship. The whole property, including church, chapel, land and furnishing, had cost $25,174.01.

After a highly successful ministry of seven years the resignation of Mr. \\'aylaud was accepted, with much regret, on the 4tli of October, 1861. A week before he had left his home to enter the service of the Republic as chaplain of the Seventh Connecticut Volunteers. For twenty-eight months he continued in that service; then became successively a home missionary in Tennessee, a teacher in two Western colleges, an editor in Philadelphia. On the first Sunday in May, 1862, his successoi', Rev. Joseph Banvard entered upon the duties of his office. On the 15th of February, 1864, the parish voted to change its name, and take the name of the " JIain Street Baptist Society,'' and at the same time took measures to obtain the legislative sanction thereto. Dr. Banvard having resigned after a ministry of nearly four years, adhered to his purpose against the earnest wishes of the church expressed in its vote of March 9, 1866. The church then elected as his successor the Rev. George B. Gow, in recognition of whom public services were had on the ISth of April, 1867.

In the next year an attempt was made to introduce the system of free seats ; but, though the church adopted a vote affirming it to be " unscriptural and unchristian to rent seats," and offering to sustain the society in abolishing rentals, the latter body was found to be not then prepared for the innovation. In 1872 Mr. Gow's resignation was accepted, to take effect on the last Sunday in October. His successor was the Rev. F. W. Bakeman, who, after a pastorate of about three years and three months, terminated the same on the 1st of July, 1876. After an interval of sixteen months the Rev. George E. Horr became the fifth pastor of the church. He entered upon the duties of his office on the 4th of November, 1877, with services of recognition on the 2(lth. Before the close of this year the chapel was enlarged and improved at a cost of $4829.40.

On the 2d of November, 1879, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ordination of the first pastor. Rev. Dr. H. L. Wayland, was appropriately observed. A | discourse full of interesting reminiscences was delivered by Dr. Wayland, and afterwards printed by request. In honor of him it was voted, about this time, "that the bell to be placed on the tower bear the inscription, Wai/I'ind Memorhd." By a change in the by-laws on the 10th of February, 1881, no person was thereafter to be admitted to membership in the parish who was not already a member of the church. On the 24th of October in the same year the resignation of Mr. Horr was accepted ; and on the 3d of October in the next year, by a vote of thirty-nine to three, the Rev. Henry A. Rogers, of Montpelier, Vt., was called to the pastorate.

In 1883 an act was consummated by the parish that was, perhaps, without precedent. Acting upon the written opinion of the Hon. Peter C. Bacon, LL.D., the Nestor of the Worcester bar, the parish, at a meeting held on the 24th of April and 8th of May, under a warrant drawn by Mr. Bacon, transferred, in the way of gift, its meeting-house and all its other property, real and personal, to the deacons, " for the use of the church.'' In the warrant was an article " to see if the society would take any action in regard to dissolving the society." No formal action was taken under this article. .After provision had been made for transferring the property it was " voted to adjourn without day." No meeting of the parish was ever held after that, and evidently it was assumed that the parish was " dissolved.'' But to all appearance the " JIain Street Bajitist Society " still lives and has a name to live.

Mr. Rogers continued his ministry with the Main Street Church until 1886, when a growing disagreement between him and certain of the membership, and also within the membership itself, culminated in the summary dismission of himself and fifly-six others on the 27th of October, " for the purpose of forming a Baptist church in the south i)art of the city.'' At the same time the pastor gave in his resignation, to take effect on the 31st. On the next day it was unanimously accepted. On the 19lh of December the Jlain Street Church proposed a mutual council to the "South Ba]>tist Church," but the overture was declined. On the 31st of January, 1887, Professor C. R. Newton was employed to supply the pulpit as acting pastor. This continued until the 23d of September, when the Rev. Charles H. Pendleton was duly installed.

Dewey Stnrf Bn/ifixt Church. - As in many other cases, a Sunday-school was the beginning of this church. It was organized in the Mason Street school-house on the first Sunday in August, 1867. Mr. L. M. Sargent and other laymen from the First Baptist Church were the original movers in the enterprise. For several years Joseph H. Walker, member of Congress elect, was its superintendent. Under his efficient administration the school prospered so greatly that more ample accommodations were speedily called for. This led to the building of the chapel on Dewey Street. The lot on which it was erected was the joint gift of the late Judge Francis H. Dewey and Joseph Mason, Esq. Including this land, valued at i?750, the cost of the proi)erty was S4,.570. Of this sum, $1000 was the gift of Mr. Walker. The dedication of the chapel took place on the \ 8th of February, 1872, and from that date it was occupied for the Sunday school and religious services. The church was organized on the 8th of .July in the same year with a membership of twenty-eight. Its first pastor was Mr. Sargent, the layman to whose zeal and efficiency the church had owed its origin. During five years of devoted service he had approved himself in that and other ways, worthy of recognition as one among the clerical brethren. Accordingly, on the 2d of May, 1872, he was called to the ministry of the Dewey Street congregation. This was two months before the church had been formed. On the 5th of September it was recognized by a council convened in the chapel, and at the same time Mr. Sargent was ordained to the work of the ministry and installed as pastor of the church. His ministry was brief. On account of ill health he resigned on the 2d of May, 1873. At the close of his term of service the membership of the church had increased to forty-four j persons. The next pastor was the Rev. D. F. Lamson. Coming on the 1st of July, 1873, and remaining nine and a half years, he left, on the Ist of January, 1882, a church embracing ninety-tive members. His successor. Rev. B. H. Lane, entered on his office on the 1st of June, 1882, and vacated it on the loth of October, 1884. On the 19th of the same month the I Rev. D. H. Stoddard assumed the office. Growing congregations and consequent prosperity soon made apparent the inadequacy of the cluipel accommodations. Mr. Stoddard therefore took in hand the business of building a church edifice ; and the Baptist City Mission Board, seeing the importance of the field and its manifest needs, cordially co-operated with Mr. j Stoddard in his scheme of church-building. With the aid of $7,000 from this source, more land was bought and a commodious edifice, with " perfect ven- ' tilation," was erected at a cost of $14,844. The value of the enlarged lot was reckoned at $2,000 additional. On Thanksgiving day in 1886 the vestry was first occupied, and on the 13th of January, 1887, the completed building was dedicated. The property is held by trustees, there being no parish organization. The seats are free and the current expenses are paid by weekly contributions. At the close of the year 1888 the membership of the church was one hundred and forty-seven.

Lincoln Square Baptist Church. - This church grew from very feeble beginnings. Sunday schools had been begun and discontinued ; only occasional preach- : ing had been had. Material resources were limited i and lack of courage prevailed. Many years elapsed j before the decisive step of forming a church was taken. There came a time, at last, when some of the ' waiting ones "heard a call from God to go forward," and on the 4th of April, 1881, the church was organized. The original membership consisted of tbirt}'- one persons, largely from the Plea.sant Street Church. Public services of recognition were held on the next day in accordance with the vote of council. Through the summer following preaching was supplied by the Rev. D. F. Larason, of the Dewey Street Church. In October the Rev. J. J. Miller entered upon his work as the first pastor. Till then public worship had been conducted in a hall ; but the new pastor made it his first business to provide a church edifice. To his unwearied endeavors and personal influence it was owing that the enterprise was successful. In May, 1882, a building-lot on Highland Street near Lincoln Square was purchased and a substantial edifice of brick and stone of excellent architectural design was erected. The lower part of the house was occupied for religious services on the 8th of July, 1883. On the 10th of June, 1884, the dedication of the complete building took place. The cost of land, building and furniture was about thirty thousand dollars. Of this amount Joseph H. Walker, of the Main Street Baptist Church, wa.s the largest contributor. Gifts also were made by friends outside the Baptist fold. "The property is held and controlled by the church through its appointed officers." The seats are free and current expenses are met by weekly oft'erings. In 1888 the membership was three hundred and seventy.

-South Baptist Church. - The inception of this youngest of the Baptist Churches was as early as 1883, and was due to the Rev. Henry A. Rogers, then recently installed as pastor of the Main Street Baptist Church. Mr. Rogers believed in " missions," and had passed much of his life in setting them on foot. Immediately on beginning work in Worcester he took note of the fact that the whole section lying south of the Main Street Church was without any kind of Baptist organization. He therefore proposed to his own church the establishment of a mission in that quarter. The proposal met with little encouragement. Then he began a mission at his own charge. One day in June, 1883, he was casually introduced to a young Frenchman named Isaac B. Le Claire. This man had led an abandoned life, had been a Roman Catholic, and not very long before had been converted to the Baptist faith and was now living a sober life. A brief interview ended in his being employed by Mr. Rogers as a colporteur. He at once went to work holding meetings in school-houses and private houses. The results of his work proved him to be the right man in the right place; and, indeed, his subsequent career in a far wider field showed that he had a remarkable fitness for his work. His immediate success in South Worcester was such that by August the Main Street Church felt constrained to assume the charge of the mission. By the winter of 1884, every available place of meeting had become so crowded that Le Claire was moved to ask for the build- ing of a chapel ; his request was promptly heeded, and the chapel at Jamesville was the result. All this was preparatory for the South Church scheme. The first suggestion lor a chapel on the site which it afterwards occupied was made in January, 1884, at a prayer -meeting in the house of William A. Norton. In February Mr. Rogers urged the new chapel upon his people, expressing with much det.ail the reasons for the enterprise. After a time the Baptist City Mission Board became possessed, as not before, with the mission idea and adopted a comprehensive plan for the city, including the South Worcester Mission. .On the 14th of September, 1886, the Board took measures to secure the lot already mentioned, on the corner of Main and Gates Streets. On the 1st of October the Main Street Church, at a very large meeting of eightyone members, unanimously voted in I'avor of the South Church enterprise. In view of this action, the board on the 19th made over all claim to the lot in favor of the South Church. On the 21st a large number of the Main Street Church agreed together to ask letters of dismission for the purpose of organizing the South Church. On the 27th, at a covenant and business meeting of the Main Street Church, where one hundred and thirty persons were present, of whom not less than one hundred and twenty were, by estimation, of the membership, fifty-seven were dismissed by a large majority vote. But of the fiftyseven only forty were present at the meeting. On the next day, October 28th, the fifty-seven members, including Mr. Rogers, assembled in the chapel on Canterbury Street and were constituted a church by the adoption of Articles of Faith and the election of deacons and clerk. At the same meeting was consummated the settlement of Mr. Rogers as pastor ol' the new churcli. On the 27th of February, 1887, the church was publicly recognized by a council duly convened. The Baptist Mission Board, having acquired possession of the old Dewey Street Chapel, conveyed the same to the new organization and it was removed to the lot already described, and there, fronting Clark University, on the 30th of December, 1887, it became the church home of the South Baptist Church. No parish was organized, but the deacons were made trustees, to hold the property for the use of the church, after the method advised by Mr. Bacon in the case of the Main Street Church. Laud, chapel and other property cost the South Church .iSOjOOO. The membership was one hundred and fifty-seven at the close of the year 1888.

Methodists. - Methodism made its first approaches for the capture of Worcester after a somewhat straggling fashion. In 1790, the Rev. Freeborn Garrettson, " that prini-ely class-leader," as Dr. Dorche.'-ter styles him, came to Worcester, looked about town, fell in with Dr. Bancroft, by him was invited to tea, "drew back " because the Unitarian doctor did not think it worth while to say grace over the evening cup, and went on his way. Mr. Garrettson tells the story in his private diary. The urbane Unitarian doctor was, perhaps, no less devout than his demonstrative Methodist brother, but in the seclusion of his own home he chose to order his devotions in his own way. Next after Mr. Garrettson came Bishop Asbury, in 1798, in 1805, 1807, 1812 and 1815. But neither he nor any other itinerant found any foothold in Won-ester until 1823. Then the Rev. .lohn E. Risley came and preached the first Methodist sermon heard in the town. Mr. Risley was travelling the Milford Circuit, embracing eighteen towns. In these he preached two hundred and thirty-five times in one year, but only five of them were in Worcester. These preachings were in a school-house at New Worcester, where were the only Methodists in town, and of these only a family or two. Other preachers came in subsequent years, but not until 1831 was any permanent society organized, forty-one years after Garrettson's advent. In June, 1830, the Rev. Dexter S. King had been appointed to this vacant field " to break up new ground." He began at New Worcester where he organized a class. This class was " kept alive" with preaching in the school-house once in two weeks. In 1833, Solomon Parsons joined the class and then began a movement for a society in the centre of the town. The way had been prepared by a young lad named Jonathan L. Estey, who came to town early in 1832 full of zeal to hunt up and consjrt with Methodists. He at last found and became a member of the class at New Worcester, and by his zeal so infected his associates that in the end Methodist preaching was established in the Centre. Early in 1833, a room was hired at the corner of Mechanic and Union streets for the use of a Class. There the Rev. William Routledge preached at times ; at other times he preached in the Central Church vestry and in the Baptist Church. In the autumn what was considered a bold step was taken. Eighteen persons, at the head of whom was Solomon Parsons, presented to the town authorities a petition for leave to use the Town Hall for Methodist meetings. Leave was formally granted, and the first Methodist sermon was preached there by the Rev. Ira M. Bidwell. Then the work went on " in the eld Methodist style." " The hall was crowded, and," says Bidwell, " we had a time of power. After this we did not want for a congregation in Worcester." Early in 1834 the Rev. Joseph A. Merrill was appointed by the bishop to this, the Worcester Mission. On the 8th of February thirteen persons were duly organized as the " Methodist Episcopal Religious Society in the town of Worcester." This was a parish organization, and Dr. Dorchester says the step was taken to obtain relief from taxation in other parishes. But this is a mistake. Prior to 1834 the law which would have made this step necessary had been changed. The further history of this organization is now to be pursued as that of the this church, but was also charged with duties that carried him into several of the surrounding towns. Meantime, a board of trustees was appointed and a lot of land ])urchased for a church site. In the first year the membership had grown to one hundred and nine. In 183.5 the Rev. John T. Burrill was sent to this (.-harge. At this time the anti-slavery fever was at its height, and an incident or<urred which im|ierilled the infant church. On the lOth of August Rev. Orange Scott, then the presiding elder, undertook to deliver an anti-slavery lecture in the Methodist ]ilace of worship at the Town Hall. In the midst of his discourse Levi Ijincoln, Jr., eldest son of the (xovernor, entered the hall with an Irish accomjiliie, advanced to the desk, seized the speaker's manuscript and tore it in pieces. At the same time the Irishman laid violent hands on the speaker himself. This was done in the presence of an audience " embracing many persons who held the highest offices in the county and the state." The contemporary account of the affair in the Worcester Spy styled it a " Breach of the Peace." But the notice taken of it by the authorities seemed to indicate that the assailed and not the assailants were regarded as the peace-breakers ; for directly after, the selectmen, at the head of whom was the late Judge Merrick, notified the Methodist society that if the Town Hall were ever opened again for an anti-slavery meeting their use of it for preaching would be forfeited. The society, in its weakness, was intimidated and did not again offend. But it marks the temper of the time that, later on, the courageous Scott was, by his own brethren, deposed from, or not re-appointed to, the presiding eldership because he would not i)romise to refrain from antislavery lecturing.

In the autumn of 1836 the erection of a church was begun on the southeast corner of Exchange and Union Streets, completed in March, 1837, and then dedicated. This was the first Methodist meetinghouse in Worcester. The building was in the centre of population, but also in the centre of a raudhole. It stood on piles, and was approached by hopping from tuft to tuft of grass across puddles and ooze. The Spy of that day took pay for advertising the dedication of this lowly church, but took no notice whatever of the dedication itself, although it said in every issue that " its office was to noise abroad." The church survived all neglect, and, waxing stronger and stronger, in the end erected one of the finest church edifices in the city, compelling the homage of the public and the press.

In 1837 the Rev. James Porter came, and remained one year. Although a year of general bankruptcy, it was one of great enlargement for the church. About one hundred and seventy-five probationers were added to the membership during his year. Mr. Porter was succeeded by the Rev. Jotham Horton, whose term of service was equally bripf In May, 1831), the church property was legally transferred to a board of trustees, in accordance with the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Rev. Moses L. Scudder succeeded to the pastorate in this year, to be followed by the Rev. Miner Raymond in 1841. Mr. Raymond remained two years, showed himself eminent as a preacher, and " made many friends beyond the limits of his own society." This year was made memorable for Worcester Methodism by the meeting of the New England Annual Conference in the town for the first time. In 1843 the Rev. Charles K. True, D.D. was assigned to the charge of this church. He was a graduate of Harvard and ! a Methodist minister of mark. Under him the project for removing the church to a site near the Common was " renewed.". But while they still delayed, it was burned to the ground. Then a site was speedily purchased and the Park Street Church erected. The Rev. Amos Binney had become the pastor in 1844, and under him the new church was dedicated on the Kith of August, 1845. It was noted that Mr. Binney's term of service was very " profitable " financially, since he had carried his [leople through many embarrassments growing out of the church-building. After him came in succession the Rev. Jonathan D. Bridge, Rev. Loranus Crowell, Rev. Nelson E. Cobleigh. Rev. Z. A. Mudge, Rev. Daniel E. Chapin (a favorite, sent a second time), Rev. Fales H. Newhall, Rev. Chester Field, Rev. John H. Twombly, Rev. John W. Dadmun, Rev. John H. Mansfield (whose ministry of three years was very prosperous), and Rev. Charles N. Smith in IStiS.

By this time the Park Street ihurch had become too strait for the congregation. The society, therefore, now grown strong in numbers in courage and in resources, determined upon building a new church adequate to its new demands. Accordingly, a site was procured on the corner of Main and Chandler Streets, in the close neighborhood of the new United States Post-Office building, and there they erected Trinity Church at a cost, including the land, of one hundred thousand dollars. This crowning church of Methodism in Worcester was dedicated on the 25th of April, 1871. The Rev. F. W. Mallalieu, D.D. (afterwards bishop), was the first preacher appointed for Trinity after the occupation of the new house. He came in April, 1871, and remained one year. Rev. Ira G. Bidwell, appointed in 1872, remained three years. He was followed by Rev. V. A. Cooper, who was appointed to help the church financially as well as spiritually. In that respect there was no disappointment, as through his agency the debt was reduced by thirty-five thousand dollars in one year. The Rev. A. P. Kendig followed him in 1877, after whom came in succession Rev. J. A. Cass, in 1879 ; Rev. C. 8. Rogers, D.D., in 1882; Rev. W. T. Perrin, in 1885, and Rev. W. H. Thomas, D.D., in 1888.

LaurelSlreet Church. - The selection of Park street for the new site of the First Church had not been satisfactory to all the members. Some thought it carried the church too far from the centre of population ; it was too far south. Out of this dissatisfaction grew the Laurel Street Church. This was as far to tlie north. For a time, liowever, the new colony had its place of worship on Thomas Street, whicli was more central. The church was duly organized on the 20th of July, 1845 ; but it was not until the 27th of February, 1849, that the new house on Laurel Street was dedicated. The first pastor was the Eev. Richard S. Rust. He was soon elected principal of the New Hampshire Conference Seminary, and after a pastorate of seven months was released from his engagement. The Rev. J. W. Mowry followed, after whom came the Rev. George Dunbar. This pastor was indefatigable in his efforts to secure the erection of the new house of worship. In April, 1849, he was succeeded by the Rev. Francis A. Griswold, after whom came in succession the Rev. Cyrus S. Eastman, Rev. William M. Mann in 1850, Rev. David H. Higgins, Rev. Joseph W. Lewis in 1833, Mr. Mowry again in 1854, Rev. Henry W. Warren in 1855 (afterwards bishop), Rev. Ichabod Marcy in 1857, Rev. Samuel Kelly in 1858, and Rev. Jefferson Hascall, who had long been favorably known as a presiding elder and was with the Laurel Street Church in the latter part of 1861 to fill out the term of Rev. Joseph C. Cromack, who had been appointed in 1860, but had left in August, 1861, to become chaplain of the Nineteenth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. In 1862, Rev. T. W. Lewis was appointed to the charge but left in 1863 to become Superintendent of Methodist Missions in South Carolina, Rev. James Dean completing his term. After him came Rev. M. M. Parkhurst in 1864, Rev. Samuel Kelly again in 1865, under whom the church reached its highest prosperity ; Rev. Angelo Carroll in 1867, under whom the sum of two thousand dollars was expended in church improvements ; Rev. William Pentecost in 1869, Rev. H. D. Weston in 1872, Rev. William Pentecost again in 1875, Rev. Fayette Nichols in 1878, Rev. Garrett Beekman in 1880, under whose ministry " the congregation doubled ; " Rev. G. M. Smiley in 1883, continuing three years, in the last of which the fortieth anniversary of the church was celebrated; Rev. Ira G. Ross in 1886, and the Rev. Alonzo Sanderson in 1887. Besides his spiritual work, Mr. Sanderson devoted himself energetically to the improvement of the financial condition of the society, and among other measures established a monthly paper called the Worcester Methodist, from which about fifty dollars a month come into the parish treasury. The value ol the church property, aside from the parsonage, is set at twelve thousand dollars. The membership in 1888 was about one hundred and thirty-two.

Third M. E. ( Webster Square) Church. - This church was organized in 1860. Two thirds of its first members came from Park Street Church. Its first pastor was the Rev. Daniel Dorchester who had also been the chief agent in its organization. In 1855 he had become a member of the Connecticut Senate where he acted a prominent part in various directions. But in later years Dr. Dorchester became greatly more distinguished as the learned hi.storian and statistician of the Methodist Connection. The first religious services of this church were held in Union Hall. The j membership, at first small, increased more than tenfold during the first year. Members of other denominations in the vicinity took a lively interest in the enterprise and contributed to its maintenance. In 1863 the Rev. William Gordon became the pastor. To him succeeded, in due order. Rev. William A. Braman in 1864, Rev. William Pentecost in 1866, Rev. Edward W. Virgin in 1867, and Rev. Benjamin F. Chase in 1869. This last pastor was in the midst of a work of great spiritual power, when he was suddenly prostrated by a hemorrhage which, after prolunged illness, terminated his life. His memory long remained fragrant in the church. After him came the Rev. Charles H. Hanaford, in 1870. Under him the long-agitated subject of church-building assumed definite shape ; contributions came in from members and from others outside, notably from Albert Curtis and the Messrs. Coes, and the house was erected on a fine site purchased long before, and on the 27th of April was duly dedicated. The cost was about $20,000. In 1872 the Rev. Pliny Wood was appointed to the charge. After him came the Rev. Mr. Parsons in 1873, Rev. E. A. Titus in 1875, Rev. V. M. Simmons in 1878, Rev. Daniel Richardson in 1879, Rev. J. W. Finn in 1880, Rev. N. Fellows in 1882, Rev. J. O. Knowles in 1883, and Rev. L. W. Staples in 1886, completing his term of three years in 1889.

Grace Church. - The growth of the city and the influx of Methodist families led up to this enterprise. To save these families from wandering into other folds, as well as to help on the religious life of the city, was the burden laid on pious and sagacious Methodists. The decisive push, however, was given by the presiding elder. Dr. Dorchester, in a sermon on the moral condition of our cities preached in February, 1867. This was reinforced by the approval of the Annual Conference in April following. By this body the Rev. J. Oramel Peck, a graduate of Amherst in 1862, was appointed to the pastoral charge of the society, which had already been organized under the name of the "Main Street Methodist Episcopal Church." Washburn Hall was secured for Sunday services and Lincoln House Hall for other meetings. Pluck and push ruled from the first. Said Dr. Dorchester: "A more spirited and liberal company of Christians have seldom been united in church fellowship." The hall was filled to overflowing; the Sunday school quickly became one of the largest in the city; in the first two years the society raised about twenty thousand dollars. Dr. Peck, afterwards distinguished in a wider sphere, was a man of great power, physical endurance, untiring activity and worthy ambition. To him was ascribed in a large de- gree the instant success of this church enterprise. The edifice was not completed till 1872, under the ministry of his successor, the Rev. Andrew McKeown. The site finally chosen was on Walnut Street instead of Main Street, and the name of Grace Church was substituted for the one first adopted. The cost of the land was ten thousand dollars. In July, 1871, the vestry was completed and occupied for religious services. The church was dedicated in January, 1872, with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Eddy, of Baltimore. The successor of Mr. McKeown was the Rev. J. O. Knowles. He came in 1872 and remained one year, and was then succeeded by the Rev. C. D. Hills, who remained three years. In 187(5 the Rev. George S. Chadbourne, afterward presiding elder of the Boston District, was appointed to Grace Church. He occupied his term of three years largely in pushing the church through a period of financial embarrassment. That serious business, however, was relieved by the observance, in May, 1877, of the tenth anniversary of the church, when an eloquent sermon was preached by Bishop Foster. In 1880 the Rev. J. W. Johnson, an Englishman, was appointed to the charge. His pastorate of two years resulted in securing the warm attachment of his people. The Rev. D. H. Ela, D.D., followed him, and continued in charge till 1885. He was eminent alike in preaching and in providing for the payment of the church debt. His successor, the Rev. George Whittaker, will long be remembered with gratitude for his powerful and successful advocacy of the no- license cause in the city. In September, 1887, he was called to the presidency of Wiley University, a Southern college, and the church was left to the strange experience of hearing till the next Conference a succession of preachers not appointed by that authority. But in April, 1888, Grace Church resumed its normal condition under the Rev. John Galbraith, who was then appointed the minister in charge.

Coral iSlrect (Jhurch. - In olden time a gentle eminence to the southeast of the " little village of Worcester'' bore the Indian name oi Sagatabscot. There, in 1679, the first white man, Digory Serjent, built his house, and there, in spite of warnings against the red savages, he persisted in living until 1702, when a rescuing party arrived only to find him lying slain in his dwelling and his family carried into captivity. Sagatabscot remained bare and open till 1869, when the city began to creep over its slopes and it was christened Union Hill. The houses soon multiplied to such an extent as to attract the attention of the Methodists to the locality. The Rev. Mr. Mc- Keown, of (Jraee Church, was the first to move, and by him well-known laymen of that and other Methodist churches were enlisted for work there. On the 15th of September, 1871, a church lot was purchased on the corner of Coral and Waverly Streets for the sum of seventy-two hundred dollars. In the same month open-air Sunday services were held on the lot at five o'clock in the afternoon by the Methodist ministers of the city. Subscriptions toward the enterprise of about nine hundred dollars were there obtained ; through the personal solicitations of Mr. Mc- Keown the amount was increased to about eighteen hundred dollars. In January, 1872, a Sunday school with one hundred and fifty members was organized in Scofield's block at the foot of Coral Street. Teachers from other denominations were enlisted, and among the scholars were twenty boys of Roman Catholic parentage. Presently, the presiding elder appeared on the field, conferred with the committee in charge and decided that the mission should be erected into a regular appointment at the next meeting of the Conference. This body assembled in Worcester on the 27th of March, when the Rev. S. E. Chase was appointed the first pastor in charge. From that time a regular preaching service was held in the third story of Scofield's block. The first congregation consisted of twenty persons. On the 2.jd ot April various plans and estimates for a church edifice were presented to the committee, and the result was that a contract was closed for a partial completion of the building at a cost of eighty-eight hundred dollars. On the 8th of May following the church was organized with eighteen members by Rev. L. Crowell, the presiding elder. Hard work and dark hours because of limited means followed this beginning. But through the zeal and labors, notably of Alpheus Walker and N. H. Clark, the building was completed at a cost of thirteen thousand dollars, and on the 16thof April, 1873, was dedicated. In March, 1872, the mission had been named Christ Chapel, Init in January, 1883, it received the name of Union Hill M. E. Church. Still another change was made on the 24th of April, 1876, when it assumed the name of Coral Street M. E. Church. Mr. Chase remained in charge for three years and was then succeeded by the Rev. H. D. Weston. In 1875 a vestry was built .at a cost of three thousand dollars and dedicated in December of the same year. In the spring of 1878 the Rev. Jesse Wagner was appointed to the charge. His term of service closed in April, 1881, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Austin F. Herrick. About this time serious financial complications threatened the existence of the society. A compromise was at last happily eft'ected, whereby claims to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars were canceled and a solid financial basis secured. In April, 1883, the Rev. Charles Young came in charge and remained till April, 1886, when the Rev. William P. Ray became his successor.

Roman Catholics. - The canal and the railroad were the means of bringing Roman Catholicism into Worcester. First came the digging of the Blackstone Canal from Worcester to Providence ; this brought many Irish laborers to Worcester and vicinity. The construction of the Boston and Worcester Railroad followed, bringing many more. These people and their families naturally desired the kind of spiritual guidance to which they had been accustomed. As they found nothing of the kind then in Worcester, they asked Bishoi) Fenwick, of Boston, to send them a priest. In answer to this application, the bishop sent them the Rev. James Fitton, a recent student of his, then just settled in Hartford, Conn. This led to the inclusion of Worcester in the "missionary circuit" to which Mr. Fitton had also been appointed. He came to Worcester in 1834, and in the spring of that year held the first religious service of the Roman Catholic Church. It was held in the old stone building, still standing, on Front Street near the line of the old Blackstone Canal, the front wall, however, being now of brick. At that time only six or seven families, embracing about twenty-five persons, were enlisted. In the next year the first Roman Catholic church in Worcester was erected on the site now occupied by

St. John's Church. - It was named Christ Church, and was a wooden structure thirty-two by sixty-four feet. This sufficed until 1845, when it was removed to make way for St. John's. Christ Church, after its removal, received additions and became the "Catholic Institute." The corner-stone of St. John's Church was laid on the 27th of May, 1845, with imposing ceremonies, under the episcopal supervision of Bishop Fitzpatrick ; and on the 24th of June, 184G, the church was dedicated with still more imposing ceremonies. The dimensions of the building were sixtyfive by one hundred and thirty-six feet, and for a long time it was the largest church in the region. The cost was forty thousand dollars. It was ample for the whole Roman Catholic population, which at that time embraced only about thirteen hundred souls. Father Fitton, who may well be styled the father of Romanism in Worcester, left the town in 1843, and returned to Boston, where he was born, and where later on he died. He was a man of some literary parts and the author of several volumes. The Rev. A. Williamson succeeded Mr. Fitton in October, 1843, and remained till April, 1845, when he resigued because of ill healtli. His successor was the Rev. Mathew W. Gibson, who was characterized as "a man of great energy and power." He remained in the pastorate till April, 175(5, and was largely instrumental in building not only St. John's, but also St. Anne's, spoken of further on. After Father Gibson came the Rev. John Boyce, who had been his predecessor's assistant. He died in 1864, while in charge, greatly regretted. He, too, was a writer of merit, "an able writer of fiction," and the author, among other things, of " Paul Peppergrass." His birthplace was Donegal, Ireland, and Maynooth was his ahna mater. The Rev. Patrick T. O'Reilly, D.D., afterwards bishop of the diocese, was the successor of Father Boyce as pastor of St. John's. From 1857 to 1862 he had been the assistant pastor. In the latter year he removed to Boston, whence he returned to become the pastor of the Worcester church. Upon his elevation to the bishopric, in 1870, his assistant.

St. Anne^s Church. - This church was an offshoot of St. .lohn's. Commenced in 1855, it was completed in 1856, under the direction of the Rev. John J. Power, who became its first pastor. He remained such until 1872, when the Rev. Dennis Scannell was appointed to the place, which he still held in 1888. In 1884-85 came a great enlargement and aggrandizement by the erection of "new St. Anne's." The old church was of wood, and the new one of brick and stone. The old one stood on the low level of the unsightly "meadow," hard by; the new one, placed on a sharp elevation, was made a conspicuous object of admiration for all beholders. The dimensions of the edifice were seventy by one hundred and fifty-seven feet. The auditorium has a capacity for seating one thousand one hundred persons. Twin towers, rising to a lofty hight, form a distinguishing feature of this imposing edifice. It is one of the costliest churches in the city.

St. Paul's Church. - This church was formed on the 4th day of July, 1869, and on the same day the corner-stone of the superstructure was laid with appropriate ceremonies. The basement had been completed and served as a place for public worship until July 4, 1874, when the cbnrch itself (save the tower) was finished and dedicated. It is a Gothic structure, of cathedral proportions, with a facade of ninety feet in width, and with a length of one hundred and eighty-five feet, and stands upon elevated ground in the heart of the city. It is constructed of granite throughout, and cost two hundred thousand dollars. When its tower shall have been completed, according to the original plan, it will overtop any other structure in the city. This noble edifice owes its origin and completion to the Rev. John J. Power, D.I)., the first and only pastor of St. Paul's, and the vicar-general of the diocese.

Church of Xotre Dame. - This is the only French Catholic church in Worcester. The first movement toward its establishment was in 18l!9. Its name in full is " Church of Notre Dame des Canadiens." The first pastor wa.s the Rev. J. J. Primeau. In 1870 the Methodist Church on Park Street was bought for its use at a cost of thirty-two thousand seven hundred dollars. Here the first Mass was celebrated in .fune, 1870. At the beginning the church emliraced seventeen hundred and forty-three souls, of whom eleven hundred and fifty-nine were communicants. In eleven years the first number had grown to be fortythree hundred, and the number of communicants to be twenty-five hundred, while in 1884 there were over five thousand souls. In 1880-81 the great increase of the congregation required an enlargement of the edifice, and the result was, in effect, a new structure. The plain old building was transformed, by fine architectural touches, inio a handsome and spacious edifice, adding much to the surrounding at- tractions of the historic Common upon which it fronts. The dimensions are fifty-four by one hundred and twenty-eight feet ; the cost of the improvements was thirty-five thousand dollars. The pealing of the angehis from the massive bell in its tower daily reminds the city of its existence and the faithful of their duty. After INIr. Primeau's retirement the Rev. Isadore Beaudry became in 1882 the pastor, and in the following year he was succeeded by the Rev. Joseph Brouillet, who was in charge in 1888.

Besides the church of Notre Dame, Father Brouillet has charge of several French missions, which he est.ablished after coming to Worcester. The first of these was, -

St. Anne's. - This mission was established at South Worcester on the 9th of January, 1886. A house was purchased by Father Brouillet at a cost of five thousand dollars, and was converted into a temporary home for the mission.

St. Joseph's was established on the 0th of January, 1887, at the corner of Wall and Norfolk Streets, on Oak Hill, where a chapel was built in that year at a cost of sixty-five hundred dollars. Incipient measures have been taken to add to the number of these missions.

When Father Brouillet came in 1883 be at once proceeded to take a census of -the French Catholic population of Worcester, and found it to be eight thousand. According to his careful estimate, tliis had increased to nine thousand in 1888. Of that number four thousand were communicants.

Church of the Immaculate Conception. - This enterprise was inaugurated in February, 1872, under Bishop O'Reilly and Rev. Thomas Griffin, chancellor of the diocese. The church was organized in November, 1873 ; the erection of the church edifice was begun in the same year. In the next year the basement was completed and used for worship until December, 1878, when the whole superstructure was finished. It was dedicated by Father Power, vicar-general, with a large body of the priesthood assisting. The building is seventy feet wide by one hundred and twenty-four feet long, and has eleven hundred and fifty sittings. The cost was thirty-five thousand dollars. Rev. Robert Walsh became the pastor in 1874, and has remained such ever since.

C/iurch of the Sacred Heart. - This, the sixth Roman Catholic church in chronological order, is located on Cambridge Street, at New Worcester. (Jn the 2d of July, 1879, the first excavations for the building were made ; and on the 14th of September following the corner-stone was laid by Bishop O'Reilly. On the 24th of January, 1880, the parish was organized, and at the same time the Picv. Thomas J. Conaty, assistant at St. John's (.'hurch, was appointed its first pastor. The superstructure was finished, and the basement furnished for use on Easter Sunday of the same year. On the 21st of September, 1884, the auditorium was opened for 'jniblic service ami the i-biirch was , then dedicated. There are eight hundred sittings in the basement and eiglit hundred and forty in the auditorium. The Sunday school has a membership of six hundred. The organization of total abstinence societies in this parish has been made a conspicuous feature by the pastor. The several societies for young men, young ladies and boys include three hundred and fifty members. The cost of the parish property was about eighty thousand dollars.

iSt. Peter's Church. - This church stands on the corner of Main and Grand Streets. The corner-stone was laid on Sunday, the 7th of September, 1884, by Bishop O'Reilly, under the supervision of the pastor. Rev. Daniel H. O'Neill. The event was marked by a great military display, with a procession of various orders through Main Street. The vicar-general and the chancellor of the diocese were also present assisting. The building is of brick, with granite trimmings, seventy feet by one hundred and thirty, with a massive tower, ninety-eight feet high. It has a seating capacity for one thousand, but for the present public worship is held in the basement.

St. Stephen's Church. - This church is on Grafton Street, at the corner of Caroline. It was founded in 1887, and is the most recently organized church of this order. The Rev. R. S. J. Burke was the pastor in 1888.

The Roman Catholic population of Worcester, other than that of French descent, was supposed to be about twenty-five thousand in the year 1888.

Episcopalian.?. - The parishes of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Massachusetts are organized under a special statute. This provides that the rector or one of the wardens, unless other provision is made in the by-laws, may preside at meetings with ;dl the powers of a moderator; and the wardens, or wardens and vestry, may exercise all the powers of a standing committee. To secure as much uniformity as possible, the " Convention of this church prints with its annual journals, and recommends for adoption, a standing form of by-laws for the government of the parishes. Among other things this Form provides that the wardens shall be communicants and that all officers shall be baptized men ; that the rector, wardens, treasurer, clerk and vestrymen shall constitute "the vestry;" and that the rector shall be chosen by the parish, or by the vestry, when so authorized by the parish. A noticeable feature of this Form, in its latest expression, is, that "any person,'' subject to the other conditions, may become a member of the parish. In earlier editions of the Form the words used are "any male person.'' Provision is thus made for the admission of women to a partnership in the management of Protestant Episcopal parishes. This change in the direction of progress conforms also to the statutes of the Commonwealth. In general but not altogether exact accordance with these provisions, the Protestant Episcopal parishes in Worcester have been organized. The oldest, and the mother of the rest, is the parish of

All Saints. - The beginnings of the Episcopal Church in Worcester are reported by the late Judge Ira M. Barton in two letters written in the year 1835, but first printed in the year 1888. From this contemporary and authentic source of information it appears that in the former year Dr. Wainwright visited Worcester " to see as to the practicability of establishing a church here." An arrangement was then made for services in the Central Church, but through a misunderstanding it fell through. This failure was less discouraging than the difficulty in finding persons " to sustain the burden." "No such persons have yet ottered themselves," wrote Judge Barton under date of October 2d. A little later the prospect had brightened. Under date of December 13th he wrote: "Regular church services were, for the first time, held in Worcester to-day." At that first meeting there were present " some sixty people." The preacher on the occasion was the Rev. Thomas H. Vaill, then in deacon's orders only. And now the time had arrived when this enterprise took to itself a body and a name by an act of incorporation under the style of the " Proprietors of the Protestant I-^piscopal Church in Worcester." The act bears date of April 8, 183(3, and the incorporators named in the act are Thomas H. Vaill, Ira Barton and Edward F. Dixie. The experiment was fairly begun. For six months Mr. Vaill continued his ministrations and then left " thoroughly discouraged." As the present bishop of Kansas he still lives to look back upon this day of small things. Seven years of silence followed his departure, when, in 1842, services were again begun, never afterwards to be intermitted. On Christmas day of that year the Rev. Fernando C. Putnam held a service in the chapel on Thomas street belonging to the Central Church. Mr. Putnam was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Blackaller.

With Mr. Blackaller as minister in charge, Thomas Bottomly and Charles S. Ellis as wardens and Edwin Eaton as clerk, the first church of this order was well on its foundations. It continued, however, in a low condition until 1844, when the Rev. George T. Chapman, D.D., came and applied his sturdy shoulders to the work of upbuilding. Dr. Chapman had a zeal for his church. Organizing and assisting churches in various parts had been his selfappointed mission, and now the feeble church in Worcester was to feel the good effects of his help. Coming at Easter, he remained in charge of the parish for two full years. At the end of that time he gave place to the Rev. George H. Clark, who became the first regularly chosen and settled rector of All Saints. In January, 1849, Mr. Clark resigned because of ill health, and the Rev. N. T. Bent succeeded to the office. Mr. Bent remained till the spring of 18.'>2, when the Rev. Archibald M. Morrison became the rector. At the end of four years, illness in his family compelled him to lay down his charge. A period of three years now elapsed in which All Saints was without a rector. In this time the Rev. William H. Brooks and the Rev. Albert Patterson were the ministers in charge. But in December, 18.59, the Rev. E. W. Hager became the rector, and so remained till August, 1862, when he resigned his place.

At the close of the year 1862 began the ministry of the Rev. William R. Huntington, which was destined to change the whole face of things for Episcopacy in Worcester. His ministry of twenty-one years was a period of constant and rapid growth. Dr. Huntington found his Church of All Saints feeble and left it strong. He found it poorly housed and left it rejoicing in one of the most beautiful and costly of our churches. He found it solitary and left it the mother of children, born and to be born. And yet, at the close of his ministry, he was moved to say that, "in the whole English-speaking world there is probably not a city of the size of ours in which the Episcopal Church is numerically so weak as ours." That this reproach is now measurably taken away is owing more to his agency and influence than to any other. It was on the 3d of December, 1862, that Dr. Huntington was both ordained and inducted in'o the rectorship of All Saints. His ministry began in the church on Pearl Street which had been erected in 1846 after plans drawn by TTpjohn of New York. Dr. Huntington described it as " a beautiful specimen of rural architecture." It remained as originally built until 1860, when it was altered to gain additional sittings. In the course of twenty-eight years it was four times reconstructed : then, on Easter night, April 7, 1874, it was destroyed by fire. This was the signal for removal and enlargement.

On the ir)th of May a committee was empowered to build a church and chapel ; on the 29th of December ground was broken at the corner of Irving and Pleasant Streets ; on the 13th of May following the first stone was put in place ; on the 21st of July the corner-stone was laid ; and on the 4th of January, 1877, the finished building was consecrated by Bishop Paddock. Church, chapel and parish building are grouped in one capacious structure. All the walls, including bell-tower and spire to the finial, are of red sandstone. The pulpit of the Pearl Street Church, a gift from Emanuel Church in Boston, rescued from the flames and erected for use in the new church, is a memorial of continuity; while encrusted in the interior wall of the tower-porch are stone relics of mediaeval architectural ornament, given by the dean and chapter of Worcester (England) Cathedral, as a token of" brotherly regard and church unity."

Having declined various calls from different bodies to important ecclesiastical offices, - one, in 1874, to the office of bishop - Dr. Huntington at length accepted a call to the rectorship of Grace Church in New York, and in 1883 severed his long connection with All Saints'. By his published writings, by his unwearied fidelity to his parochial charge and by his wise ac-

Shortly after the termination of Dr. Huntington's service, the Rev. L.awrence H. Schwab became the minister in charge. He was succeeded by the Rev. Alexander H. Vinton, who was chosen to be the rector on the 28th of April, 1884, and who assumed the office in September following. Under his ministry the prosperity of the parish was continued. The number of communicants hist reported was about four hundred.

Parish' of St. Matlhew. - In the winter of 1809 a mission chapel fund of $721.21 was raised from a Christmas sale by the women of All Saints. This was the germ of the parish of St. Matthew. Additions were made to the fund from time to time, and in 1871 a mission was established at South Worcester. An association of communicants in All Saints was formed, with the rector of that parish as trustee, and by them an estate was bought at the corner of Southbridge and Washburn Streets. On this site a chapel was completed in September of the same year, and on St. Matthew's day, February 24, 1875, it was opened for public worship. The Rev. John (Jregson, assistant minister at All Saints, was made the minister in charge, and he so remained for nearly a year. After him Mr. Thomas Mackay acted as lay reader until the following (Ictober, when the Hev. Thomas A. Robertson assumed the charge and continued in it for a period of nine months. Mr. Mackay then resumed his post, and with other lay readers held services until January 1, 1874, when the Rev. Henry Mackay became the minister in charge. This continued until the spring of that year; then the mission was organized with Henry L. Parker and Matthew J. Whittall as wardens. The Rev Mr. Mackay remained the minister in charge until July, 1875. In April, 1876, the Rev. Amos Skeele was called to the rectorship; which he retained for several months; but in April, 1877, the church was again without a rector and Sunday services were cared for by the Rev. George S. Paine, of Worcester. To hira succeeded the Rev. Alexander Mackay Smith, assistant at All Saints, by whom, it was said, "wonderful work was clone." January 1, 1878, the Rev. George H Osgood became the rector, and in September the church was " renovated " and again opened for public worship. All incumbrances having been at length removed and a deed of the land given by Sumner Pratt, St. Matthew's Church (or chapel) was consecrated on Quinquagesima Sunday in 1880. Mr. Osgood having resigned the rectorship January 1(5, 1881, on the 8th of April following the Rev. J. H. Waterbury became the rector but resigned in November of the same year. He, however, remained in charge until his death, which occurred in the next spring. In the summer of 1882 land for a parish building was secured on the corner of Southbridge and Cambridge Streets, and in the course of the season St. Matthew's Hall was erected upon it. in August the

Rev. Henry Hague assumed the charge of St. Matthew in connection with that of St. Thomas at Cherry Valley. In February, 1888, the number of communicants was one hundred and seventy-five, and the value of the parish property $7,500, less an incumbrance of $1,250. Thus, from asniall beginning, with a frequently changing ministry, this parish had slowly gi'own through a period of nineteen years, until it appears to have come to rest on a permanent foundation. For its success much was due to the fostering care of Dr. Huntington.

Parish of St. John. - This parish was organized as part of a broad and long-cherished plan of Dr. Huntington. A scheme of four missions, embryons of four churches in different sections of the city, named after the four Evangelists, was what he had conceived and steadily aimed to realize. St. John's was the second in the order of the plan. It was begun by the formation of a Sunday-school, March 11, 1883. The first meeting was hehl in an upper room on the corner of Lincoln Square anil Main .Street, an<l the first church service was held by the Rev. Henry Hague, of St. Matthew's, on the 0th of January, 1884. On the 9th of March following, the first regular Sunday service was held by the Rev. John S. Bens, general missionary of the diocese. On the 9lh of March the Rev. Edward S. Cross began work with the mission, and on the IMth of A[>ril took formal charge. On the 21st of the same month land for a church was bought on Lincoln street; on the I3tli of May ground was broken ; and July 5th the cornerstone was laid. On the 18th of September, 1884, the parish was organized under the laws of the state. Mr. Cross, the minister in charge, preached his farewell sermon on the 19lh of (October, and on the 30th of November, in the same year, the Rev. Francis C. Burgess entered upon his duties as the fii-st rector of the new parish. Public worship in the church was held for the first time on Christmas Day. For a time the free church system was tried, but was soon abandoned, yet so as in the hope that under more favorable conditions it might be afterwards resumed. In the first four months of parish life the average congregation and the number of communicants increased two-fold. This growth continued until, in 1887, it was found desirable to enlarge the church in order to gain more sittings. This was accordingly done, at a cost somewhat exceeding .$2600. In 1888 the money to defray this cost had all been subscribed and paid. By this enlargement the whole number of sittings was increased to 308. At the last-named date the church and land were valued at $17,000, upon which there rested a debt of .$9,300. The number of communicants at this time was 209. This year witnessed a new departure for Episcopacy in Worcester by the union of St. John's with the Central (Congregational) Church in the observance of Lent. Services were held alternately in the two churches, conducteil aUcrnately by the two ministers.

Clergymen from abroad were also brought in to assist in this fraternal recognition, of whom chiefly to be mentioned are the Rev. Dr. Phillips Brooks and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Herrick, both of Boston. If a7iy ill came out of this unwonted fraternization, it was never publicly reported. On the contrary, the continued prosperity of St. John's seemed to bear witness that this new departure was a safe step in the line of progress.

Parish of St. Mark's Church. - In the order of time this was the third in the scheme of four churches which Dr. Huntington set on foot. But not till some years after he had gone from Worcester did a good opportunity for inaugurating the enterprise present itself At length the founding of Clark University, in the spring of 1887, became the signal for moving. That great educational project causing a marked advance in the price of real estate in the quarter selected for St. Mark's Mission, .spurred on its friends to make haste and secure a suitable lot for church purposes. The purchase of a lot was the only object of the first meeting, which was in September, 1887; but this very speedily led to the formation of a mission by the name of St. Mark's Mission. A place for meeting was secured, and about October 1st a Sunday-school was opened. Public worship was held for the first time on the 23d of October, by the Rev. Ale.x. H. Vinton, rector of All Saints, other clergymen in and out of the city assisting. After this date the services of the Rev. Thomas W. Nickerson of Rochdale were secured. He continued to officiate until the Easter following, when the Rev. Langdon C. Stewardson took charge of the mission. He came fresh from a three years' course of theological study in the universities of Germany, prior to which he had been for five years rector of a churcii in Webster. " Under his le.idership,'' says a competent authority, " the mission has made a progress which is believed to be unprecedented in the history of this diocese." The number of communicants, about forty at Easter, had nearly doubled within the next five months. From the beginning the mission was independent and selfreliant. No aid from any outside source was accepted. On the other hand, the mission, in that brief period, had raised out of its own resources the sum ol' twelve thousand two hundred dollars. With part of this the lot for church and chapel, already spoken of, was purchased on the corner of Main and Freeland Streets. OntheGth of September, 1888, the corner-stone of the chapel to be erected on this lot was laid, a solid silver trowel, given by Mrs. Ellen Lawson (iard, wife of its maker, being used in the ceremony. An imposing aspect was given to the occasion. At five o'clock in the afternoon nine clergymen from the city and other parts, with Dr. Huntington of New York, the originator of the enterjirise, at their head, marched down the street in surplices and took their places by the corner-stone. When the ceremonial act was completed. Dr. Huntington miide a brief address, admirable alike for its substance, expression and tone. " Rarely," said he, " is the building of a church under such assured circumstances. You havea marvelously chosen building site, you are in perfect harmony among yourselves, and your leader you love and trust. What more do you want ? Is it the money to complete the building? That is a very doubtful advantage. The very fact that it is lacking is a spur to never-failing eflbrt." Again he said : " We lay this stone in charity. If there are any within the hearing of my voice not of this household of faith " (and there were many) " let them not feel disquieted. We come not as destroyers, but maintainers of peace ; not to divide, but to unite. The Episcopal Church sees in itself agreatreconstructinginfiuence. . . . There is one object, one purpose, and that the purpose of building up the kingdom of God." The plan contemplates in its ultimate realization a chapel and church of red sandstone throughout.

St. Luke's Church, the fourth and only one remaining to complete Dr. Huntington's quadrilateral of churches, in his own words uttered at the laying of St. Mark's corner-stone, " bides its time.'"

Universai.ists - First Universalist Church. - The first Universalist Society was formed on the .3d day of .Tune, 1841, in accordance with the laws of Massachusetts. So said the Rev. Stephen Presson Landers in his historical address delivered a quarter of a century .afterwards. Mr. Landers was the first pastor and had preached his sermon in Brinley Hall on the 2d of May previous. In the summer and .autumn ten thousand dollars were subscribed fo'- building a church. The pastor himself subscribed " more than he was worth." A very choice and central site on the corner of Main and Foster streets was bought for a little more than $1.2.'i a .square toot. But " stagnant water " caused delay. In 1842 a further subscription of more than five thousand dollars was added to the former. Then, early in 1843, ground was broken, and on the 22d of November in the same year the house was dedicated with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Miner, of Boston. On the evening of the same day " was the recognition of our small church,'' wrote the historian, and also its first communion with thirty-one participants. The pastorate of Mr. Landers terminated on the 16th of June, 1844, when he preached his farewell sermon. His death occurred at Clinton, N. Y., on the 15th of April, 187G, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. On the 12th of March, 1845, Rev. Albert Case was installed -as his successor. After somewhat more than four years he left his Worcester charge and eugaged in secular business of various sorts. He was also settled again for a time as pastor at Hingham, Mass. He died at the age of about seventy on the 29th of December, 1877. It was noted of him, as a mark of great distinction, that he had, while in the Worcester pastorate, "attained to the thirty-third degree, the highest of the Masonic grades in the world." His successor, the Rev. Obadiah Horsford Tillotson, was installed on the 27th of .lime, 1849. During his pastorate the increase of the congregation was such as to require more sittings in the church. To secure that end galleries were Constructed in 18ol. Mr, Tillotson preached his farewell sermon on the 31st of October, 1852. Meantime he had become a studentat-law and practitioner in the office of Judge Chapin, of Worcester ; but tinding the pursuit uncongenial, he resumed his former profession, to which he devoted himself for the remainder of his life. On the 19th of June, 1863, he fell a victim to consumption in the forty eighth year of his age. His successor, coming in April, 1853, was the Rev. John Greenleaf Adams, D.D. After a highly successful pastorate of seven years he gave place to the Rev. Lindley Murray Burrington, who, after a year and four months, was compelled to resign because of long-continued illness. His term of service closed on the 1st of January, 1862. To him succeeded the Rev. Thomas Elliot St. John, who was inducted into office on the Ist of April in that year. With him began a new departure. The church was reorganized by the adoption of a new Declaration of Faith and a Constitution. This had seemed to be necessary because of changes growing out of "removals, withdrawals and forfeitures." Having put the church on this new footing, Mr. St. John closed his first pastorate in June of 1866 to become the pastor of a church in Chicago. After the intervening pastorate of Rev. Benjamin Franklin Bowles, who came on the 1st of October, 1866, and left December, 1, 1868, Mr. St. John resumed his old Worcester pulpit on the 1st of February, 1869, and continued to occupy it till April 1, 1879. Within this period the fine new church edifice on Pleasant Street was erected and occupied. After leaving Worcester, Mr. St. John pursued his ministry in various places until the autumn of 1881, when he accepted a call to the Unitarian Church in Haverhill, Mass. His successor, the Rev. Moses Henry Harris, entered upon his ministry with this church on the 5th of Octol)er, 1879. Mr. Harris was a native of Greene, in the State of Maine. He was graduated from the (Janton Theological School in 18()7, and had his first settlement in the ministry at Brattleborough, Vt., in 1870. From that pastorate of nine years and three months he came to Worcester. In 1885 the " Wincheater Confession " was adopted by this church as a Declaration of Faith in place of the Declaration which had been adopted in 1862; the Constitution was also amended and the list of membershi]) revised. The church then embraced one hundred and fifty-five members.