es3vterian 
 
 "sast Oranere. N 
 
 November loth, J' 895 
 
 Fa>tok: DAVID O. IRVING 
 

 Sex. 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/bethelpresbyteOOirvi 
 
BETHEL 
 
 Presbyterian Church 
 
 East Orange, N. 
 
 AN 
 
 HISTORICAL DISCOURSE 
 
 PREACHED AT THE 
 
 Twenty-fifth Anniversary 
 
 OF ITS ORGANIZATION 
 
 NOVEMBER loth, 1895 
 
 BY THE 
 PASTOR 
 
 Rkv. David O. Irvinc^ 
 
 ' These temples of God 's grace 
 How beautiful they stand ! 
 The honors of our native place 
 The bulwarks of ottr land" 
 
Thistle Stationery Company 
 Sbl Broad Street 
 
 Newark, N. J. 
 
" Ye are built upon the foundation of the Apostles 
 and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner- 
 stone ; in whom all the building fitly framed together 
 groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." 
 
 Ep/iisians. 2: 2o-2i. 
 
 \HERE are niMltitttdes who go in and ont, 
 ivho co7int the Chnrch as theirs, who 
 gather from her thought, knowledge, 
 the comfort of good company, the sense 
 of safety ; and then there are others 
 who think they truly, as the li(^ht phrase 
 so deeply means, ' behmg to the Chnrch.' 
 llicy are given to it, and no coinp7ilsion conld separate 
 them p-om it. They are part of its structjire. They 
 are its pillars. Here and Jiereafter they can never go 
 out of it. Life zuould mean nothing to them outside 
 the Clmrch of Christ'' 
 
 Rev. Phillips Brooks, D.D. 
 
Twenty-fifth Anniversary 
 BETHEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
 
 EAST ORANGE, N. J. 
 
 Psalm 118:15. "The voice of rejoicing and salvation 
 is in the tabernacles of the righteous." 
 
 NNIVEKSARV occasions should be times 
 of great joy. Songs of praise and grati- 
 tude should be heard as we celebrate 
 our religious birthdays. Although the 
 sorrowful is mingled with the joyful, as 
 we regret our mistakes and mourn 
 over the beloved fellow-workers now 
 gone to their reward, yet we can rejoice 
 in the Lord as we meditate upon His 
 loving kindness and tender mercies toward our 
 f Church. This retrospect should also strengthen 
 our trust in God as we trace His leadings and 
 /, blessings, for we become more assured that He who 
 
 r ' has guided us in the past will not neglect us in the 
 coming days. Our history can also be read for encourage- 
 ment and inspiration, as we trace the humble beginnings of 
 religious work in this community up to our present attainments. 
 Our eyes are so often turned to the future that we sometimes 
 forget that much can be learned from the past. Every church 
 
ought to have its history clearly and fully written so that every 
 member may make no mistake by overlooking certain well 
 defined facts which enter into the individual character of that 
 particular church. As we, therefore, glance over the past and 
 trace God's goodness in our Church's growth, may this view 
 increase our trust in God, our regard for each other and our 
 zeal for the future. 
 
 But let us turn the pages of our history with a sense of 
 humility rather than of self-glory. We are not to bring before 
 us figures and comparisons to feed our pride and conceit, for 
 our progress has been owing to Divine grace and goodness, and 
 not wholly dependent upon our faithfulness and zeal. God 
 often uses the weak things of this world to confound the 
 mighty, so that there is no need of boasting. As we become 
 somewhat encouraged over the retrospect and prospect, let us 
 remember our own mistakes and neglects. If we, as members 
 of this Church, had been more faithful, liberal, devout and 
 earnest, would we not have accomplished greater results than 
 we now behold? But we cannot alter the past. We can only 
 read the facts as history — "time's slavish scribe" — records them, 
 and allow them to make their own impressions upon us. 
 
 Compared with some of the larger and more venerable 
 churches in our vicinity, we seem to be a sort of Benjamin 
 in the family of Israel. When we think of the one hundred 
 and seventy-seven years of the old First Church of Orange, or 
 the ninety-seven years which rest upon the F'irst Presbyterian 
 Church of Bloomfield, or the sixty-four years which belong to 
 both the Brick Church of East Orange and the First Presby- 
 terian Church of South Orange, we begin to realize that our 
 twenty-five years of Church life are but a short period. But 
 while our Church's existence may be comparatively brief, yet 
 our Sunday school can show a considerably longer life. A 
 review of our Church, therefore, would be incomplete without 
 considering the history of the Sunday school. Although the 
 latter is often called the nursery of the church, in this case 
 "the child is father to the man," for the school is the parent of 
 the Church. This is only one of other similar instances where 
 
churches have had their beginnings in the Sunday school. 
 With such a fact before us we are constantly reminded of the 
 Church's debt to the school. 
 
 Let us consider the history of 
 
 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 
 
 11/ T is to the credit of this neighborhood that a Sunday school 
 I was begun as early as in other parts of Orange, and almost 
 
 as soon as in other places in this country. The modern 
 
 revival of the Sunday school in America dates from about 
 the year 1816. We are told that "a local union for Sunday 
 school work was organized in New York in 1816; another in 
 Boston the same year, and another in Philadelphia in 1817. 
 These societies became the nucleus of the American Sunday 
 School Union, a national society organized in 1824."* 
 
 The earliest record we have of any religious movement of a 
 distinctively local nature was in 1817. Only a brief account 
 exists of the minutes of a meeting of the Sunday School Com- 
 mittee, as follows: "Monday evening, September 8th, 1817. 
 The managers of the Sabbath School Society met to make 
 arrangements for procuring books for the use of the school 
 when it was found necessary that there should be a half dozen 
 catechism primers and a half dozen spelling books got, which 
 were wanted for immediate use, and four dozen religious tracts 
 or such other books as are made use of to distribute among the 
 children belonging to Sabbath schools as premiums. The 
 Board authorized Mr. C. Dodd, treasurer of the society, to 
 purchase the above mentioned books. Adjourned to meet again 
 on Saturday evening next at seven o'clock, at the house of 
 J. F. Crowell. 
 
 "Saturday evening, September 13th. The Board of Man- 
 
 " Yale Lectures on the Sunday School," by H. C. Trumbull. 
 
 9 
 
agers met and adjourned to meet again on Saturday evening 
 next at the house of Calvin Dodd at seven o'clock." 
 
 All further record of this religious movement in this locality 
 has been lost, but the facts have been substantiated by those 
 who remember that there was such a school and by one who 
 attended it, having had in his possession one of the tracts 
 referred to above. The school was not a large one, and it was 
 probably of a mission character. The place of meeting is not 
 definitely known, although tradition says that it was in one of 
 the cooper shops near our present Church. This community 
 was then largely engaged in the manufacture of cider, and 
 cooper shops were a necessary adjunct to the apple orchard. 
 With our modern temperance ideas, such places would not be 
 selected as the best in which to train the young in moral and 
 religious truths. But people in the good old days were not so 
 fastidious about their places of worship. The two members of 
 the Board whose names were mentioned were Mr. Calvin Dodd, 
 afterwards one of the first elders of this Church, and Mr. J. F. 
 Crowell, who kept a large store on North Park street from 
 1813 to 1816, and for several years after had a woolen mill for 
 fulling and carding wool, in connection with Mr. Zebina Dodd. 
 
 The reason for starting such a religious work in this place 
 and at that time was a great revival which spread over all this 
 part of the country. The only church then in Orange was the 
 First Presbyterian, ministered to by Rev. Asa Hillyer, D.D. 
 This locality was one of his preaching stations. In the Autumn 
 and Winter of 1816 and 1817 this revival of religion spread 
 through Newark, Elizabeth, Bloomfield, Caldwell and Orange. 
 Dr. Hillyer was assisted in his work by two young men from 
 Princeton, who frequently preached and held meetings for 
 prayer in this neighborhood. One result of that revival was 
 that the First Church organized its first Sunday school in 181 7. 
 '1 he school in this locality was established at the same time 
 and was probably a branch of the First Church school. How 
 long this school continued we have no means of knowing, but 
 it did exist for several years. 
 
 The next authentic record of any religious work of a local 
 
TJ 
 
nature was in 1825. In the Spring of tliat year the people, 
 realizing the need of a day school for the instruction of their 
 children, called a meeting for March 13th at the house of Mr. 
 Zebina Dodd, when the following resolutions were adopted : 
 
 " Rc'solved, That we, the subscribers, build a school house twenty feet 
 deep by thirty-four in length and two stories high. 
 
 2. " /\t-soh'ed, Thattherebe seven trustees appointed to take charge of 
 said house for the present year. 
 
 3. " J^esolvt'd, That the house be known by the name of the Franklin 
 School of North Orange."* 
 
 The trustees took charge of the school April 25th. 1825, 
 and adopted the American ten-cent piece as the common seal. 
 The school was built during May of that same year at a cost 
 of two hundred and thirty-three dollars and ninety-one cents. 
 The upper room was not finished until 1832. The Sunday 
 school used this building for its meetings and adopted its 
 name, being known as "The Franklin Sunday School," which 
 was afterwards changed to "'I'he Franklin Union Sunday 
 School." Weekly preaching services were held every Sunday 
 and the people maintained a prayer meeting every Thursday 
 evening. In 1830 the first Bible Class was formed, taught by 
 Rev. Asa Hillyer, D. D., of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 and afterwards by Rev. George Pierson, the first pastor of 
 Brick Church. 
 
 From 1832 to 1842 John Condit Wilkinson was superin- 
 tendent of the Franklin Sunday School. The services were held 
 in the upper room, which was void of furniture, as boards were 
 first used for seats in truly primitive style, until more com- 
 fortable ones could be provided. The people brought lath and 
 plaster and worked at night to finish the upper room. The 
 school also had no Sunday school library. Accordingly Mr. 
 Wilkinson went through Bloomfield, West Bloomfield (Mont- 
 clair), and Orange to raise a subscription of fifty dollars to 
 purchase books for a library. In 1832 there was another blessed 
 revival of religion. Special meetings were held in the old 
 
 * From the Book of Records and Accounts of Franklin School. 
 
school house at five o'clock in the morning, in addition to those 
 held in the evenings. It was a time when the cholera prevailed 
 in New York, and Mr. Elias O. Meeker, one of the earnest 
 workers in this place was stricken down by this dreaded disease. 
 The work of the Holy Spirit was widely felt throughout this 
 region and many found peace in believing in Christ. 
 
 The weekly meetings for prayer in the old school house 
 during those years were not amidst the greatest comforts. We 
 can borrow Emerson's description of a similar building and call 
 it, "The old, cold, unpainted, uncarpeLed meeting-house." 
 There was a deficiency of the bright light from gas or even 
 lamps, for every one furnished his own candle. There was no 
 organ or piano, but the precentor, tuning fork in hand, raised 
 the tune. They had no music books and none of our modern 
 hymns, but the old psalms, set to metre, were freely used. We 
 can imagine some of those prayer meetings as the little 
 assemblage of parents and children gathers in the old school 
 house. A dim light is cast by the flickering candles. A mur- 
 muring sound of conversation arises as neighbors interchange 
 kind inquiries and answers. Presently the leader arises and 
 gives out a hymn, the psalm books are brought out and the 
 chorister, candle in hand, starts the tune. The scripture lesson 
 is read, a few prayers are offered and exhortations are given 
 and the meeting is dismissed. But that dingy, uninviting and 
 dimly lighted room was often lighted by a spiritual flame. 
 Those meetings were sources of religious power, for many 
 earnest prayers were put up to God from that place. There 
 souls found their Saviour, and more than one blessed season of 
 revival was enjoyed in that room. Some of our Church's 
 faithful workers can remember the devout meetings which were 
 held in that old building and their lives are evidences of the 
 good which was there accomplished. Their wishes could be 
 truly expressed by the poet : 
 
 " Here may we gain from Heaven 
 The grace which we implore, 
 And may that grace, once given. 
 Be with us evermore." 
 
The gatherings for worship were not large, as this neigh- 
 borhood consisted principal!}- of farms. Besides the inhabitants 
 in this vicinity, some people came from Watsessing and West 
 Bloomfield, as Montclair was then known. In 1830 the total 
 population of Orange was only three thousand eight hundred 
 and eighty-seven, and in 1834 it was described in Gordon's 
 History of New Jersey as "A straggling village and post town, 
 extending about three miles above the turnpike from Newark 
 toward Dover, containing two Presbyterian Churches, one 
 Episcopal and one Methodist ; two taverns, ten stores, two 
 sawmills and a bark mill, and from two hundred to two hundred 
 and thirty dwellings, many of them very neat and commodious. 
 A large trade is carried on in the manufacture of leather, shoes 
 and hats." " In those days," said one of the early settlers, 
 " Orange looked out for the head and the feet of a great part 
 of the population. We made nothing else, but we had the satis- 
 faction of knowing that our place was necessary for those two 
 important points." 
 
 All record of the history of the Sunday school for a few years 
 is lost. It probably had a changeable and fluctuating experience 
 between the years 1842 and 1S48. In the latter year Mr. David 
 Riker assumed control as the superintendent for about four 
 years, when, owing to lack of workers and interest, it again 
 seemed to wane in power. The members fell off and the sessions 
 were held only during the Summer months for a year or two. 
 About 1854 some of the people came together again and 
 reopened and reorganized the school. One of the workers at 
 that time said: " We met in the upper room of the old F'ranklin 
 schoolhouse and opened the school with singing, as there was no 
 one who could open it with pra3'er. Soon after Mr. David Riker 
 was elected superintendent and the school grew rapidly in 
 numbers." Among all these teachers there was only one 
 professing Christian, and the newly elected superintendent was 
 the only one who was willing to pray in public. The exercises 
 of the school, according to our modern ideas, were by no means 
 attractive, which may account for the falling off in attendance 
 from time to time. The services were very plain. There was 
 
 14 
 
no organ. In place of the bright hymns of our time the scholars 
 sang from a psalm book several times, but always to one or at 
 most to but few tunes. There was a monotony about the 
 services which must h.ive been wearisome at times even to the 
 most zealous. Prayer was offered and a portion of Scripture 
 read to the school. The catechism was recited, some texts of 
 the Bible were learned, and a lesson, announced the previous 
 week, was taught. There were no lesson helps nor Sunday 
 school papers and a poor apology for a library ; but the 
 teachers were faithful and God blessed the feeble efforts. 
 
 The school met at half past one every Sunday until 1S59 
 when the hour of opening was changed to two o'clock. The 
 election of officers was held at first every three months until two 
 years after they were chosen to hold office for six months. Under 
 the new management the school increased rapidly in numbers 
 and interest, until there were enrolled fourteen teachers and 
 seventy scholars. The amount of money raised by the school 
 at that time was between thirty and forty dollars every year. 
 
 Soon after the school was reorganized Mr. H. L. Wilson, 
 then one of the teachers and leading workers in the cause, 
 arranged with the different clergymen to hold preaching 
 services every Sunday. The undenominational character of 
 the work is seen from the list of ministers who preached in turn. 
 They were Rev. James Hoyt, of the First Presbyterian Church ; 
 Rev. John Crowell, of Brick Church ; Rev. James Williams, 
 rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, and Rev. James S. Bush, 
 of Grace Church ; Rev. Mr. Freeman represented the Methodist 
 denomination, and the Baptists were represented by Rev. Mr. 
 Smith, of the Bloomfield Baptist Church. These ministers also 
 organized and took charge of a weekly prayer meeting. The 
 interior of the building was improved, and the luxury of having 
 lamps with shades for the pulpit was obtained. About twenty 
 dollars were raised annually from these Sunday services, but as 
 the ministers labored without charge, the amount contributed 
 was used to defray the current expenses needed in maintaining 
 these religious services. 
 
 Such a spirit of unity and Christian fellowship among the 
 
 15 
 
different denominations could only result in great good, so that 
 we are not surprised to read that in 1858 a gracious revival of 
 religion again spread over all this region. "It was a time of 
 great financial crisis, which was spreading anxiety and gloom 
 over the whole country." But Christians came together with one 
 accord, to pray for the blessing. In the First Presbyterian 
 Church a daily morning prayer meeting was held which con- 
 tinued from January until June. In March a union noonday 
 prayer meeting was held by all the denominations in Willow 
 Hall, which lasted for more than two months. The old school- 
 house in this place was also opened in which to hold these 
 gracious meetings. On Wednesday and Friday evenings of each 
 week and every day at noon the people came together to pour 
 out their souls in prayer to God. All classes were reached, even 
 the children and those indifferent to Christ's claims and calls 
 were recipients of the blessing. The meetings were conducted 
 quietly and without excitement. The effect was very extensive 
 and lasting. About forty from this community, including those 
 who had reorganized the Sunday school, united with the dif- 
 ferent churches. 
 
 The Sunday school soon after this showed its increased inter- 
 est in the Lord's work by raising money for the home mission 
 cause. For a few years between ten and fifteen dollars were con- 
 tributed annually to the missionaries of the American Sunday 
 School Union. This amount was increased until, in 1864, fifty 
 dollars was sent to that cause. The amount of good which was 
 accomplished at that time can be seen by referring to the many 
 interesting letters which the missionaries sent to the school. 
 One sum of twelve dollars was divided into two parts and used 
 in assisting two schools in Ohio, one containing ninety and the 
 other seventy members. "I assure you," wrote the missionary, 
 " the donation was very acceptable. Most of the men have gone 
 to the war, the country is new, the people are poor and the 
 children are anxious to go to Sunday school. They made up 
 some money among themselves and by your help they can get 
 along quite well." Aid was given to schools in Kentucky, Mich- 
 io-an, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and other needy places in 
 
 16 
 
the Home Mission field. Sometimes the gifts were used to 
 secure a library for some poor school, and at other times to assist 
 in starting a new school or to revive an old one. In many ways 
 thesecontributions from the Franklin Sunday School were blessed 
 by God in the destitute portions of our land. The patriotic 
 spirit of the school was shown in October, 1865, when twenty- 
 four dollars and twenty-three cents were raised as a contribution 
 to the National Lincoln Monument at Springfield, Illinois. 
 
 On the resignation of Mr. David Riker from the position of 
 superintendent, Mr. Crane was chosen to fill that office on 
 January 3, 1859. He remained in that position until the Autumn 
 of 1865, when he resigned and moved away for a time, and was 
 succeeded in September of that year by Mr. I. H. Gerry. In 
 October considerable religious interest was manifested. 
 "Deacon" Calvin Pierson, as he was universally called, took 
 a class of young men, and all in his class, consisting of eight or 
 ten, were converted during that revival and became earnest 
 Christian workers. It is fitting that special mention should be 
 made of this devoted seeker after souls, who, although an elder 
 in Brick Church, always showed considerable interest in the 
 religious welfare of this place. No one was more faithful in 
 attending the prayer meetings or in taking part in them. He 
 did not confine his efforts only to the religious services, but in 
 private conversation he would seek to press home to the hearts 
 of friends and acquaintances the claims of Christ. More than 
 one is indebted to his quiet zeal and consistent Christian life for 
 their entrance into the kingdom of God. This example is a 
 standing proof of the wide influence which a single earnest soul 
 can exert. 
 
 This " great revival," as it was then called, was said to have 
 "emanated in and from this centre." One who was present and 
 participated in its blessings writes : " From late in the month 
 of November on to the first of January, I think we never 
 experienced before so fully the manifest power of God's Spirit 
 in our midst. We were praying and laboring week after week, 
 holding special meetings for prayer during each week, and 
 notwithstanding up to the last days of the year and to the eve 
 
 17 
 
of the New Year, on which we held a meeting, the room tilled 
 with anxious souls, many deeply anxious for the salvation of 
 their souls and praying that God in Christ Jesus would lead 
 these troubled hearts to Him, yet at the close of that meeting 
 not a soul had expressed himself as having found the Saviour 
 or any relief for his burdens. We resolved to appoint a meeting 
 for next morning at nine o'clock. We obtained through Brother 
 C. D. Pierson the attendance of Rev. James H. Taylor, of the 
 Second Presbyterian (Brick) Church. He came over and took 
 charge of the meeting. We held a service of full one and a 
 half hour and yet it was manifest that no peace was found for a 
 single soul. Mr. Taylor said that we had been together a long 
 time and advised us all to go home to our closets, and dismissed 
 the meeting with the benediction. But not a person left his 
 seat, for every one sat down again. And now the time had 
 come through God's blessing when many were willing to yield 
 and open their hearts to the blessed Saviour who entered and 
 said ' Peace ' to many of those burdened hearts. Such rejoicing 
 as there was only a newly saved soul can experience." 
 
 One result of that revival was to lead the people to take 
 measures to procure a larger and more suitable building in 
 which to hold their Sunday school services. The school had 
 grown to a membership of one hundred and thirty-four. It was 
 the only school in the vicinity, and the time was felt to be ripe 
 for the erection of a building which would be devoted exclu- 
 sively to religious worship. Accordingly a lot was purchased, in 
 the Spring of 1866, from Mr. Reuben Dodd, adjoining his 
 residence on the west, for five hundred dollars. The Franklin 
 Union Sunday School was then incorporated. In June of that 
 year subscriptions were received for the erection of a chapel. 
 These were contributed mainly by the people of the district 
 who were interested in the movement. Some of the contri- 
 butions were also given by members of other churches, of all 
 denominations, in Orange, but by none of the churches as an 
 organization. It may be well to emphasize this fact, because 
 the idea is prevalent in some places that the Franklin Sunday 
 School was a mission of the old First Church, while others have 
 
 18 
 
regarded it as belonging to Brick Church. Some of its workers 
 were prominent members of both churches, but from the first it 
 was an independent work, and was supported wholly by local 
 contributions. Although it was at the close of our Civil War, when 
 everything had an inflated value, when coal could be purchased 
 for seven dollars for half a ton, so that it was a most expensive 
 time in which to erect a building, yet the people contributed 
 liberally. The building cost, when completed, five thousand 
 five hundred and twenty-two dollars and forty-three cents, 
 which, when added to the lot, brought the total to six thousand 
 and twenty-two dollars and forty-three cents. Of this amount 
 about thirty-three hundred dollars were raised by subscription, 
 about sixteen hundred dollars were the proceeds from a fair, 
 and twelve hundred dollars mortgage was placed upon the 
 building. The size of the structure was about fifty feet by 
 thirty, and was considered sufficient for many years to come. 
 Into this new building, beautiful and stately in contrast to 
 the old, marched the school on the Sunday of its dedication. 
 The old schoolhouse had answered its purpose, and the old had 
 to give way to the new. But many blessed associations clus- 
 tered around that dingy old building, and some now living, 
 while more who have passed into God's kingdom above, retain 
 sweet memories of that sacred place, where they found the 
 Saviour and received His pardon and peace. But these hal- 
 lowed places grow more blessed as time goes by, so that 
 probably all entered the new chapel with feelings of hope and 
 joy, while the desire for comfortable surroundings took away 
 all regret at leaving the old building where God's Spirit so often 
 manifested Himself. The old schoolhouse continued to be 
 used as a public school until the new building was erected, in 
 1872, and it was afterwards used as the meeting place for the 
 Congregational and the Ferry Methodist churches. It was torn 
 down in 1891 to make way for needed improvements. 
 
 The chapel was dedicated with appropriate services in 
 November, 1866, a number of Orange ministers being present 
 and making short addresses. At first the infant department was 
 held in the basement, but in 1872 an addition was built at an 
 
expense of thirteen luindred and fifty dollars, which was used 
 by this department of the school, and also for many years by 
 the prayer meeting, until it became too small for this purpose. 
 The chapel was used for four years by the Franklin Union 
 Sunday School and for twenty-one years as the place of worship 
 for the Bethel Presbyterian Church. Probably it was not the 
 intention of its builders to occupy it for these twenty-five years, 
 but only to meet the needs of that time or until a church should 
 be erected, for while it was a substantial and an eminently 
 suitable structure, yet it was not ceiled within, nor did it have 
 more than a small coal cellar underneath. 
 
 With the erection of this new building a change seemed 
 to come over the character of the place. We no longer read 
 of blessed seasons of revival. In this respect the glory of the 
 former house was greater than that of the latter. In addition, 
 a division of sentiment seemed to separate the workers, and 
 instead of a strong and harmonious school an unfortunate 
 difference arose in the community which divided the work into 
 two factions. Without entering into the cause or justice of 
 this division, let us read the facts as history lays them bare 
 and consider. 
 
 II. 
 
 THE FRANKLIN DISTRICT CONGREGATIONAL 
 
 CHURCH. 
 
 POR some time a feeling had prevailed among some of the 
 workers in the Sunday school and the inhabitants of the 
 neighborhood that a church should be established in 
 this place, as the nearest ones were in Orange, Brick Church 
 and Bloomfield. This desire resulted in a meeting at the 
 house of Mr. Calvin Dodd on the evening of May 24th, 1867, 
 "to take into consideration the establishment of meetings 
 for prayer and social worship by those desiring a church 
 organization." On the thirty-first of May, at an adjourned 
 
meeting, the following preamble and resolution were unani- 
 mously adopted : 
 
 " Whereas, We, representative members of the Franklin District Com- 
 munity of East Orange, and members of different Christian denominations, 
 desirous of identifying ourselves more fully with the religious interests and 
 growth of our immediate neighborhood, and for efficiency and fellowship as 
 workers in one common field of labor, believing that in the embodiment of 
 the religious element in one evangelical organization upon such basis of 
 belief as will best unite the denominations represented to be the plain dictate 
 of Christian judgment ; therefore, 
 
 ''Resolved, That with the blessing of God, we will form at the earliest 
 practical moment a Congregational Church, believing that form of govern- 
 ment best adapted to our necessities and conducive to our temporal pros- 
 perity and growth in grace." 
 
 Meetings were held at the old schoolhouse, preaching 
 services commencing in July. On August 27th a committee 
 was chosen to agree on "Articles of Faith, Rules of Government, 
 and prepare a list of members desirous of uniting with the 
 Church, and take all necessary steps to complete the organiza- 
 tion of Church and society." A meeting was held on January 
 13th, 186S, when this committee made its report and presented 
 the names of thirty persons who had brought their letters from 
 other churches and those who were afterwards received on 
 profession of faith. Officers were elected and Rev. Mr. Harris 
 was chosen pastor for a year at a salary of seven hundred 
 and eighty dollars. On the twenty-ninth of the same month an 
 ecclesiastical council was convened to recognize the new church. 
 The council had representatives from the Orange Valley Church; 
 the Grove Street Church, of East Orange; the First Congrega- 
 tional Church, of Newark; Broadway Tabernacle, of New York 
 city, and the New England Church, of Brooklyn. The follow- 
 ing resolution was adopted by this council : 
 
 "Resolved, That having looked carefully into the history which has led to 
 the organization of the Franklin District Congregational Church, and having 
 examined their documents, manual, etc., we approve of their organization, 
 and welcome this Church into the fellowship of the churches." 
 
 A public service of recognition was held on that same 
 
 23 
 
evening, when a sermon was preached by Rev. M. E. Strieby 
 and an address delivered by Rev. L. W. Bacon. 
 
 In this manner the Congregational Church was organized 
 with Mr. Thomas Lippiatt as superintendent of its Sunday 
 school. Mr. Gerry continued as superintendent of the Franklin 
 Union Sunday School. This unfortunate division led to some 
 injudicious acts which were required to be settled by the civil 
 law .In the minutes of the Franklin Sunda}' School the follow- 
 ing record appears: "The Chapel was forcibly entered on the 
 night of the fifth or sixth of June, 1868, by some person or persons 
 connected with the organization calling itself the Franklin 
 District Congregational Church. The chapel was first occupied 
 for service by the above named society on Sunday, June 
 2ist, 1868." 
 
 The Franklin Union Sunda}^ School therefore adjourned to 
 the house of its superintendent and on every pleasant Sunday 
 the school was held under the trees, until the differences 
 between the two factions were legally settled, when the school 
 returned to its former building. After the Congregational 
 Church was disbanded, in time many of its members returned 
 to the old Sunday school, and the breach eventually was 
 healed. 
 
 Those in charge of the Congregational Church, among 
 whom was Rev. Dr. Bacon, made overtures to the Church Ex- 
 tension Committee of the Presbytery to have the church taken 
 out of the hands of the Congregational body and made over to 
 the Presbytery. To this suggestion the Committee of Pres- 
 bytery objected, fearing that some trouble might arise, but 
 advised that the Congregational Church first disband and then 
 allow the committee to form a Presbyterian church out of the 
 people who, of their own will and choice, were inclined to join 
 a Presbyterian church. This suggestion was accepted and 
 there was accordingly formed. 
 
 24 
 
III. 
 THE BETHEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 
 
 Wl] COMMITTEE of Presbytery, consisting of Kev. Eldredge 
 Mix, D.D., of the First Presbyterian Church, of Orange; 
 Rev. Henrv F. Hickok. D.D., and Elder Calvin D. Pierson, 
 of Brick Church, of Iiast Orange, met in the Sunday 
 school chapel on November 13th, 1870, and organized the Bethel 
 Presbyterian Church, of East Orange. There were twenty-seven 
 names enrolled,* some of whom were received from the two 
 Presbyterian churches of Orange and East Orange, and some 
 from the recently disbanded Congregational Church. Mr. 
 Charles M. Davis was elected elder and Rev. James H. Marr 
 was chcsen pastor. The Sunday school property was deeded 
 to the Presbytery, who in turn transferred the deed to the church. 
 Trustees were elected and the organization was regularly incor- 
 porated. The name. Bethel — " House of God " — was given to 
 the Church by the pastor, and in its acceptance by the founders 
 and organizers of the Church, their desires for its future were 
 best expressed : As God's house, may its name ever be kept 
 sacred and its character always true to its name. The under- 
 taking was begun in weakness but in great faith. It started 
 amidst many trials and difficulties, financial and otherwise, but 
 God's blessing rested upon that small band of followers, and 
 He has mercifully led them through all their discouragements. 
 
 Our Church is the same age as our Presbytery. After the 
 reunion of the old and new school branches of the Presby- 
 terian Church in the I'nited States of America, the several 
 Presbyteries had to be reorganized. The churches of Orange 
 were formerly in the Presbytery of Passaic. On June 21st, 
 1870, they were transferred to the new Presbytery of Morris and 
 Orange, which held its first meeting in the First Church of 
 Orange, July 6th. Our Church is the first one enrolled on the 
 Presbytery's list of new churches. Since then we have seen five 
 Presbyterian churches organized in Orange as follows : St. 
 
 * See appendix. 
 
Cloud, of West Orange ; Hillside and Orange Valley, German, 
 of Orange ; Arlington Avenue, of East Orange, and Trinity, of 
 South Orange. There have also been the following five 
 churches organized in our community : Washington Street and 
 Prospect Street, Baptist ; Watsessing and F'erry, Methodist, and 
 St. Paul's, Episcopal. 
 
 At first the Church was dependent upon the Board of Home 
 Missions for financial assistance, but through the earnest efforts 
 of the pastor it became self-supporting, the building was 
 refurnished, an addition was built and all its indebtedness was 
 paid. Mr. Marr's work at first was one of laying foundations 
 and collecting materials to build upon them. His power of 
 organizing, which he had obtained from his experience in other 
 similar fields, was fully called into play in his work in this 
 locality. There were many difficulties to contend whh, chief 
 among which were the small number of workers, the changeable 
 character of the neighborhood and the financial crisis the 
 country passed through. All these discouragements would have 
 wearied the heart of many another, but with his characteristic 
 determination and perseverance Mr. Marr conquered them and 
 was able to build up a well organized church with a large 
 membership and a still larger Sunday school. The increase 
 was felt the first year when the twenty-seven charter members 
 advanced to fifty-one, and the following year to seventy-two. 
 
 The session of the Church was enlarged on January 5th, 
 1872, by the election of Mr. Calvin Dodd, formerly an elder in 
 Brick Church, and Mr. Josiah F. Dodd. Mr. Calvin Dodd 
 resigned from active service, "owing to infirmities of age," in 
 the following year. At a Congregational meeting, held May 
 4th, 1875, the session was changed from the permanent to the 
 rotary system of election and the following resolution was 
 passed : 
 
 " In view of the wants of this, the Bethel Church, as a church of Christ. 
 
 ''Resolved, ist, That this Church substitute for the permanent eldership 
 and the permanent eldership system that which is known as the rotary. 
 
 "2d, That this Church now elect three elders to serve until the annual 
 
 26 
 
cxVv 
 
election of officers in 1S7S, 1877 and 1876, as they shall themselves determine 
 by the drawing of the lot. 
 
 " 3d, That hereafter, at the annual election of officers, this Church elect 
 anew an elder for a three years' term of service." 
 
 The elders elected were : Messrs. Ira H. Patrey, VV. Irven 
 Soverel and Charles M. Riker. In 1878 Mr. William S. Mills 
 was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr. 
 Ira H. Patrey. In 1881 the session was increased from three 
 to five elders by the election of Messrs. George K. Sutphen and 
 Thomas J. Davis. The latter ceasing to act on his departure 
 from Orange, Mr. James R. T. McCarroll was elected to fill the 
 vacancy in 1887. The following year Mr. A. B. Spinning, 
 formerly an elder in the New York Presbyterian Church, was 
 added to the session, which thus increased its number to six. 
 Mr. Herbert F. Soverel was elected in 1892 and Mr. Wm. B. 
 Martin in 1894. Of the twelve elders who have served the 
 Church in this capacity only two have been removed by death. 
 
 The Sunday school, under the care of the Church, its new 
 guardian, continued to grow in numbers. At first it held a 
 somewhat separate and independent existence, electing its own 
 ofificers and transacting its own business. This it no doubt felt 
 itself entitled to do as it had its own constitution and was 
 entirely self-supporting. But on January iSth, 1874, it adopted 
 its new constitution so as to bring it under the care of the 
 Church. The preamble to that constitution reads as follows : 
 
 " Whereas, early in this century there was established in this neighbor- 
 hood a Sunday school which, with a few but brief intermissions, has con- 
 tinued until the present time ; and 
 
 " Whereas, during this long period its name has been several times 
 changed, and its constitution altered or altogether laid aside; and 
 
 "Whereas, the time seems to have come when its connection with the 
 Church should be recognized, and a constitution defining its present relations 
 and character be adopted; 
 
 "Therefore, we, the friends and teachers of the Sunday school in Dodd- 
 town, do hereby adopt the following constitution: 
 
 " Article i. This organization shall be known by the name of the Sabbath 
 School of the Bethel Presbyterian Church." 
 
 A Still closer relation with the Church has been formed by 
 
 2q 
 
placing itself under the care of the session. This object was 
 accomplished gradually and naturally. As the workers in the 
 school and the Church became identical the interests of the two 
 became united. As the school is considerably older than the 
 Church it has maintained its seniority by being the larger body. 
 It is hoped that the two bodies will become still more closely 
 bound together so that more of the scholars may identify them- 
 selves with the Church, and that the Church will take upon itself 
 the entire financial support of the school. A great power for 
 good lies within the reach of this branch of the Church and it 
 should be worked "with the best of modern appliances and 
 methods. Already the infant department has had to be divided 
 so as to form in addition an intermediate room. The total 
 membership of the school at last report was three hundred and 
 ninety-seven. It has been a great blessing to the Church and 
 community, but we should not rest satisfied with what has been 
 done, but press on with greater hopes to new attainments. 
 
 After having served this Church faithfully and zealously for 
 more than eleven years, Mr. Marr resigned his charge January, 
 1882, to accept a larger and more promising field in the 
 Kensington district of Philadelphia. During that time he had 
 been instrumental in raising the membership from twenty-seven 
 to one hundred and sixty-five. The Sunday school also 
 increased under his leadership and care to two hundred 
 members. As the first pastor, he worked hard to contribute 
 to the Church's success. He has laid the foundation and 
 another is privileged to build thereupon. 
 
 The Church was left without a pastor for four months, 
 when it called Rev. David O. Irving, then just leaving Princeton 
 Theological Seminary. The call was accepted and the ordina- 
 tion and installation services took place on May 2d, 1882, under 
 the charge of the Presbytery of Morris and Orange. Rev. 
 Thomas Carter, of Boonton, the moderator of the Presbytery, 
 presided and propounded the constitutional questions. The 
 sermon was preached by Rev. Alfred Yeomans, D.D., pastor of 
 the Central Presbyterian Church, of Orange, from the text, John 
 15:16: "I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go 
 
 30 
 

 ^-W--vC 
 
 (p X 
 
 ^-T/T--*-*^ 
 
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should i^emain." Rev. 
 David Irving, D.D., delivered a charge full of feeling and 
 tenderness to the pastor. Rev. James H. Marr delivered a 
 loving and earnest charge to the people. It is very startling to 
 know that all of those ministers who took part in that service 
 have been called home to a service above. 
 
 For a few years the growth of the Church was slow, owing 
 to the stationary condition of the neighborhood. Gradually, as 
 local improvements increased, the people began to move into 
 this neighborhood, and the Church felt the change. New work- 
 ers often meant new work. Societies were organized and set 
 at work. The Ladies' Aid Society was started in 1885, which 
 raised funds to paint and paper the interior of the building, to 
 procure reflectors whereby gas could be used as an illuminator 
 in place of oil, to purchase a larger organ, and to meet the 
 expenses connected with the Christmas entertainments for the 
 Sunday school. x\ Young Ladies' Missionary Society was 
 organized in February, 1S88, which has increased an interest in 
 the cause of Home and Foreign Missions, and which has sent 
 contributions of money and clothing to those in destitute parts 
 of the world. This organization also seeks to train the younger 
 girls, and it has charge of the Band of Willing Aids. Another 
 society, somewhat similar in aim, but which seeks to help those 
 nearer home, was started on November 26th, 1889, and was 
 called the Ladies' Home Missionary Society. Money and boxes 
 of clothing have been given to local charitable institutions, to 
 the poor of New York city, and to many a needy Home Mis- 
 sionary family. The need of reaching and training the young 
 people was felt, and a Christian Endeavor Society was formed 
 on December 5th, 1890. It has grown from its fourteen charter 
 members to fifty-two active, twenty associate and three honorary 
 members. Its three committees at its organization have 
 increased till they number seven. More than twenty of its 
 members have united with the Church during the history of the 
 society. Flowers are sent every week during the Summer to 
 the Flower Mission, of New York city, and money is contributed 
 annually to missions. On December 8th, 1892, a Junior Chris- 
 
 33 
 
tian Endeavor Society was formed, uhicli liolds weekly meetings 
 except during the three Summer months. Starting with twent\'- 
 three members, it has grown to sixty. These children are 
 taught the need of giving to those in poverty and want, and 
 of taking a deep interest in the work of missions at home and 
 abroad, and they have early shown their benevolent spirit. 
 
 In glancing over the work of the Church for the last twenty- 
 five years we may find some facts to encourage us even if we 
 record them in no boastful feeling but in the spirit of humility. 
 Looking first at the financial condition of the Church we note 
 that there has been contributed for all purposes about one 
 hundred thousand dollars. Of this amount the be:ievolent 
 column shows*a total of about eight thousand four hundred and 
 fift} dollars. After all, the benevolent column of the finances 
 of the Church is the most important of all, as benevolence is 
 the true kind of giving. It is disinterested and shows the love 
 which we bear to Christ and His needy ones. While the 
 benevolent gifts of our Church cannot compare with those of 
 larger and more wealthy churches, yet it is not a discreditable 
 showing when we consider that for many years the Church 
 had to struggle with adversities and financial embarrassments, 
 while its membership was for a long time very small. Many 
 of the societies have been in existence but a few years, so that 
 their contributions do not increase the total amount as much 
 as they otherwise would. The figures given above represent 
 not the gifts of the wealthy, but of those in moderate circum- 
 stances who give with self-denial. But God accepts and uses 
 the gifts (if those who contribute in this manner. Let this 
 benevolent statement be only a beginning which the Church 
 will be able largely to surpass at its next quarter of a century 
 celebration. 
 
 The Church has raised for its own expenses over ninety 
 thousand dollars. It is not within the power of human reason 
 to decide whether the amount of good accomplished in the 
 individual souls and in the community is a full value for the 
 money expended. God does not keep His records on the 
 same system of book-keeping as we are apt to do. But it is 
 
 34 
 
to be hoped that the money thus put into the Church treasury 
 has been wisely and judiciously expended so as to have a 
 moral and benevolent effect upon the community. A con- 
 siderable amount of this money has been expended in the 
 erection of our present building, whose fourth anniversary 
 we celebrate at this same time. 
 
 Feeling the need of more accommodation than our other 
 building afforded, an effort was made in 1886 to collect money 
 to build a larger and more commodious structure. The necessity 
 for more room and more convenient accommodations compelled 
 the officers to take steps towards the securing of funds for the 
 erection of a better building in which to worship God. The 
 first contribution was fifty-seven dollars, the proceeds of an 
 entertainment. In many little ways this amount was increased. 
 Some smiled at these feeble efforts and predicted that many 
 years would elapse before sufficient money would be collected 
 to warrant the starting of a church edifice, while they offered 
 no hopes about any large and substantial structure. But others, 
 whose faith was greater, despised not the day of small things, 
 but trusting in God and putting forth their own efforts, looked 
 for grand results, and, as in all cases the people of faith and 
 effort, were able to see their hopes realized. 
 
 Through the generosity of Mr Josiah F. Dodd, a valuable 
 plot of ground on the northwest corner of Dodd Street and 
 Midland Avenue, consisting of seventy-five feet by one hundred 
 and twenty-five feet, was given to the Church. As this was 
 more suitable for a large edifice than the former Church lot, 
 the gift was gladly accepted, while it added a stimulus to the 
 workers and seemed to make the scheme more real and tangible 
 to the faint-hearted. Afterwards the lot was increased by a 
 further donation of twenty-five feet on Dodd Street, while 
 twenty-five feet additional on Midland Avenue was purchased 
 for four hundred dollars. This amount was raised by private 
 subscriptions on the part of the Building Committee. The 
 work was still further aided by the generous contribution of 
 a friend, whose name must be held by request, of two thousand 
 dollars. This gift was appreciated for itself and the good 
 
 35 
 
wish of the giver, and also because it was received at just the 
 right opportunity to encourage all those who had the work of 
 the new Church at heart. We felt that we were not working 
 alone, but that God was raising up generous friends of the 
 enterprise. A Building Committee was elected at a meeting 
 of the parish on January, 1890. It consisted of the board of 
 trustees and four members from the congregation, as follows : 
 Messrs. Wm. S. Mills, Jas. R. T. McCarroll, H. B. Thistle and 
 the pastor. It immediately set to work to select an architect 
 and plans. Mr. Isaac Pursell, of Philadelphia, was chosen, 
 and the plan of a stone building adopted, costing, exclusive 
 of furnishings and windows, twenty-three thousand dollars. 
 
 Work was begun on the new Church on Monday, July 21st, 
 1890, when Rev. James H. Marr, in the pastor's absence, 
 formally turned the first spadeful of earth for the excavation of 
 the foundation. The corner-stone was laid on Wednesday, 
 September 17th, at five o'clock in the afternoon. As the day was 
 stormy it was feared that the services would have to be held 
 under cover. But the rain having ceased for a time it was 
 decided to brave the elements and have all of the exercises at the 
 place where the cornerstone was to be laid. Accordingly the 
 procession formed at the old Church and marched to the new 
 site on Midland Avenue. The pastor led with the invited clergy. 
 After them came the members of the session, deacons, trustees 
 and building committee. They were followed by the older 
 members of the Church and of the congregation and by the 
 children of the Sunday school. The procession wound around 
 to the rear of the Church and passed on the temporary floor to 
 the front of the Church. The ceremonies had hardly begun 
 before the rain began to fall and the services were held under- 
 neath umbrellas. However, the rain did not dampen the spirits 
 of the worshipers. The services opened with a prayer of 
 invocation by the Rev. Henry F. Hickok, D.D., of Brick 
 Church, East Orange, and the doxology was sung by the 
 congregation. The Scripture lesson from ist Corinthians, 3d 
 chapter, beginning with the ninth verse, was read by Rev. 
 Stanley White, of the Hillside Presbyterian Church, of Orange. 
 
 36 
 
The cornerstone hymn was then sung to the tune of Hebron, 
 as follows: 
 
 "An earthly temple here we raise, 
 Lord God, our Saviour ! to thy praise ; 
 Oh, make thy gracious presence known 
 While now we lay its cornerstone. 
 
 " Within the house thy servants rear 
 Deign by thy Spirit to appear ; 
 On all its walls salvation write. 
 From cornerstone to topmost height. 
 
 "And when this temple, " made with hands," 
 Upon its firm foundation stands. 
 Oh, may we all with loving heart 
 In nobler building bear a part, 
 
 " When every polished stone shall be 
 A human soul won back to thee ; 
 All resting upon Christ above. 
 The chief and precious cornerstone. 
 
 " So when our toil is o'er at last, 
 All labor in both temples passed. 
 Oh, may it then by works be shown 
 That faith hath laid this cornerstone." 
 
 At the close of this hymn, Mr. William S. Mills, chairman 
 of the building committee, read a list of the contents of the 
 box, which were as follows : The Holy Bible; the Confession of 
 Faith ; an historical record of Bethel Church ; a list of members 
 at the organization of the Church ; a list of meinbers of the 
 Church, September 17th, 1890; the names of the officers of the 
 Church and officers, teachers and scholars of the Sunday school; 
 the names of the architect and contractors ; pictures of the 
 old Church and of the old Franklin Schoolhouse ; coins of 
 1890 ; copies of the Orange Chronicle^ Journal, Herald, Volksbote 
 and Evening Mail, the East Orange Gazette, the Newark 
 Advertiser, News and Journal, the New York Times, Tribune and 
 Herald, the Church at Home and Abroad for September, 1890, 
 the Christian at Work for September nth, 1890; copies of the 
 
 37 
 
Confession and Covenant of Bethel Church, the year text and 
 prayer meeting topics for 1890, the annual report for 1889 and 
 the programme of the order of services of laying of corner- 
 stone. 
 
 After the stone had been placed in position by the workmen 
 the pastor formally pronounced the stone laid, using a silver 
 trowel, which was provided for the occasion. A prayer of 
 thanksgiving and dedication was then offered by Rev. George 
 A. Paull, pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, of 
 Bloomfield. After the congregation had sung one verse of the 
 hymn, " Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty," the benediction 
 was pronounced by Rev. William F. Whitaker, pastor of the St. 
 Cloud Presbyterian Church, of West Orange. On the following 
 Sunday a sermon appropriate to the occasion was preached by 
 the pastor. 
 
 The new building was completed in November, 1891. The 
 interest in its success may be judged from the special donations 
 which were given. Three large and handsome memorial 
 windows were donated, as follows : The East Window, repre- 
 senting Elijah fed by the ravens, was a memorial to Mr. Calvin 
 Dodd, one of the first elders of the Church, a gift of Mrs. Amzi 
 Dodd. The South Window represents Faith, and was in 
 memory of Mrs. Hannah Condit Dodd. It was donated by Mr. 
 Samual Dodd, of St. Louis, Mo. The West Window, containing 
 the symbols of the Cross and Alpha and Omega, was a memorial 
 to Rev. David Irving, D.D., a gift of Mrs. Elizabeth F. Irving 
 and Rev. David O. Irving. A smaller window on the west 
 represents a dove and was in memory of Mrs. Martha Tucker, 
 for many years one of our members, and was a gift of members 
 of her family. The steam heating was a donation of Mr. Amzi 
 T. Dodd. The Sunday school contributed the bell and furnished 
 their own school room. A class of young men provided the 
 pulpit and communion furniture, suggesting that the pulpit 
 should always keep in touch with the young. The Ladies' 
 Aid Society furnished the pews and carpet in the Church and 
 the Young Ladies' Missionary Society donated the cathedral 
 glass windows in the Sunday school room. The organ was the 
 
 38 
 
gift of a few of the members who agreed to raise the necessary 
 funds to secure it. 
 
 On Sunday, November ist. 1891, farewell services were held 
 in the old Church building before a crowded audience. The 
 services in the morning consisted of reminiscences, and in the 
 evening a bright and hopeful outlook, under the guidance of 
 God's Spirit, was set forth. In the afternoon the Sunday school 
 was addressed by the superintendent, pastor and teachers. 
 On Tuesday evening of that week the last prayer meeting was 
 held in "the place where prayer was wont to be made." It was 
 a meeting full of tender recollections, blessed associations and 
 hopeful anticipations. Testimonies from this one and that one 
 who had been born into the kingdom of God in that place were 
 feelingly given. 
 
 The dedication Sabbath, November 8th, was a bright and 
 beautiful. one, and the new building was crowded by the regular 
 members of the congregation, former members, and friends of 
 the Church. The services opened with the singing of the 
 doxology, which was followed by the prayer of invocation and 
 the Lord's Prayer. The hymn " Holy, holy, holy. Lord, God 
 Almighty," was then sung by the congregation. A specially 
 prepared Scripture lesson was then read responsively. The 
 prayer of dedication was then offered by the pastor. After 
 singing the hymn beginning, "O Thou whose own vast temple 
 stands," the sermon was preached by Rev. M. W. Jacobus, 
 professor in the Hartford Theological Seminary. The dedica- 
 tion offerings were then collected, and the services closed with 
 the familiar hymn, "All hail the power of Jesus' name." 
 
 In the afternoon the Sunday school held a special service, 
 which was largely attended. The school met at half-past two 
 in the Sunday school room, where two hymns w^ere sung and a 
 prayer dedicating that room to Almighty God was offered 
 by the superintendent, Mr. William S. Mills. The school 
 then marched into the Church where they were addressed 
 by Mr. David L. Wallace, superintendent of the Central 
 Church Sunday school, of Orange ; Mr. Silas M. Giddings, 
 president of the Brooklyn Sunday School Union ; and Rev. 
 
 4x 
 
James H. Marr, pastor of the Beacon Presbyterian Chinch^ 
 of Philadelphia. 
 
 In the evening the Christian Endeavor Society held a short 
 service, and in the Church another large congregation gathered 
 to hear Rev. Mr. Marr, the former pastor, preach. On Monday 
 evening a service of welcome was held when addresses by the 
 following Presbyterian pastors of the Oranges were made : 
 Rev. Henry M. Storrs, D.D., of the First Church of Orange ;. 
 Rev. Henry F. Hickok, D.D., of Brick Church ; Rev. James M. 
 Ludlow, D.D., of First Church of East Orange ; Rev. William 
 F. Whitaker, of St. Cloud ; Rev. Stanley White, of Hillside 
 avenue ; and Rev. S. J. McClenaghan, of Elmwood Mission. 
 A letter of congratulation was read from Rev. Rufus S. Green, 
 D.D., who was detained at home by illness. On Tuesday 
 evening a very earnest prayer meeting was held, the first in the 
 new Church. On the following evening another service of wel- 
 come was held when addresses were delivered by Rev. E. D. 
 Clough, of the Washington Street Baptist Church ; Rev. Mr. 
 Clement, of the Watsessing M. E. Church ; and Rev. Mr. Kem- 
 ble, of the Ferry Methodist Church. Letters of regret were 
 read from Rev. F. W. Baldwin, of the Trinity Congregational 
 Church and Rev. Mr. Dickinson, of the North Orange Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 The following Sabbath was observed as a sacramental one, 
 when we welcomed into our number eight on profession of their 
 faith in their Saviour and nine by letter from other churches. 
 In this manner we entered upon the larger work in our new 
 building, praising God for His goodness and relying upon Him 
 for His help and guidance. I'he prayer and desire of many 
 could be well expressed by the poet Bryant: 
 
 " May faith grow firm and love grow warm 
 And pure devotion rise. 
 While round these hallowed walls the storm 
 Of earth-born passion dies." 
 
 In moving into our new edifice we incurred a larger debt 
 than we had hoped to carry, owing to the failure of some funds 
 
 42 
 
we were led to expect to receive. But the people nobly 
 shouldered the burden of seventeen thousand dollars, and by 
 the realization of three thousand and five hundred dollars from 
 the sale of our old lot and building and by the aid of the Debt 
 Lifting League we have been able to reduce this amount by 
 more than one-half, and we are led to believe that the remainder 
 will soon be wiped out as one practical result of our twenty- 
 fifth anniversary. The load was at first very difficult to carry, 
 as we all felt the recent depression of the times, while the rate 
 of interest to be paid was unexpectedly increased. But the 
 Lord stood by us and we render all the glory to Him. With a 
 smaller financial burden to carry we will be able to bear a 
 larger share of our responsibility in the work of the Universal 
 Church in extending the cause of Christ throughout the world. 
 In glancing at the spiritual history of the Church we can 
 rejoice that we have been making some progress through the 
 blessing of God upon our efforts. The original twenty-seven 
 members have increased to three hundred and twenty. There 
 has been received into membership since the organization of 
 the Church a total of four hundred and seventy-sev^en. Two 
 hundred and twenty-four of these on profession of faith in 
 Christ and two hundred and fifty-three by letter from other 
 churches. We have lost by death thirty-one and by removals 
 one hundred and twenty-six. Our growth has been gradual 
 rather than rapid. There has been only one season of revival 
 during the twenty-five years, and that was in 1893. At that 
 time our Church united with other churches of East Orange in 
 the evangelistic services held in the Munn Avenue Presbyterian 
 Church from November 6th to 13th, under the direction of Rev. 
 B. Fay Mills. These meetings were productive of great bless- 
 ings. As a result of those special services, we received twenty- 
 five into our fellowship on profession of their faith in Jesus 
 Christ, many of whom were representatives of the young people. 
 But we cannot tabulate in figures the spiritual benefits derived 
 in the deepening of the religious feeling, the quickening of 
 Christian zeal and the awakening of the individual conscience, 
 showing that God's Spirit was at work in our midst. Those who- 
 
 43 
 
were present at the prayer meetings, held in our lecture rocjm 
 the week after the general meetings were finished, probably will 
 never efface from their memories the delightfully solemn im- 
 pressions then made, as night after night for three weeks the 
 people crowded into the room of prayer and consecration. All 
 other engagements were given up for those evenings and little 
 else could be talked about during those days. One very hope- 
 ful and interesting feature of the work was the effect it had 
 upon the young, especially in the Sunday school. Sabbath, 
 November 12th, was a day of religious interest, when one 
 hundred and twenty-two scholars signed cards signifying their 
 desire to become Christians or to lead a more consecrated life. 
 Nor did the work stop here, for the influence of these children 
 was felt in the home, and parents were brought to the Saviour, 
 thus confirming the words of Scripture, that "a litttle child 
 shall lead them." 
 
 While this has been the only revival to record since our 
 Church was organized, yet it would be unfair to draw any lesson 
 from it showing lack of zeal for the welfare of souls or want of 
 desire for the presence of God's power. The Holy Spirit, like 
 the wind, cannot be directed whence He cometh nor whither 
 He goeth. Many faithful ones have been praying and working 
 for the salvation of souls, and their history is written by the 
 Heavenly Historian in the records on high. So far as their 
 influence has been felt in the history of our Church we can only 
 describe it in a general way. But their prayers and faithful 
 eff^orts have helped in many ways to keep alive the spiritual 
 interests of the Church, while the lack of the outpouring of the 
 spiritual blessings upon us has been a source of sorrow to them. 
 
 One evidence of the Holy Spirit's blessing may be seen in 
 the increased interest taken in the subject of missions. Not only 
 by our gifts is this interest to be measured, but by the growth 
 of the missionar}^ societies and their increased work. Even 
 the young in the Sunday school and in their various societies 
 have felt the claims of the needy upon them. By their reading, 
 their different missionary meetings and their wide-awake interest 
 in returned missionaries, many have proved that this cause is 
 
 44 
 
INTERIOR OF OLD CHURCH 
 
becoming dearer to their hearts. While this spirit is not as 
 active nor as extensive as some of us would like, yet its growth 
 is a cause for congratulation and a hope of a brighter future. 
 While we give of our means to the cause of missions, let us also 
 give ourselves to this great work of evangelizing the world. In 
 all our Church's history we cannot record the name of a single 
 missionary who has gone out from our midst. Let this past 
 neglect be more than met in coming years by the consecration 
 of many earnest souls for the Lord's work in foreign lands. In 
 fact we have but one from our membership who has gone out to 
 preach the gospel, the Rev. Samuel Warrender, who united with 
 the Church September 2d, 1873. If parents would only conse- 
 crate their children to this work of the Church and seek to 
 influence them in this direction the coming years would show a 
 greater gain in the missionary spirit and missionary work. Our 
 Church is sufficiently strong and large to be personally repre- 
 sented on many of the mission fields of the world. 
 
 " We sow in tears ; but let us keep 
 
 Our faith in Christ and trust Him still ; 
 Yonder our harvest we shall reap. 
 
 Where gladness every heart shall fill." 
 
 In glancing forward we should see our needs so as to meet 
 them as speedily as possible, and hold out hopes so as to fulfill 
 them as ambitiously and earnestly as we can, relying wholly 
 upon Divine grace and guidance. But it may not be amiss 
 to refer to a few points upon which we can improve. 
 
 1. We should seek as soon as possible to pay off all of our 
 indebtedness. This we can do if we earnestly and consecratedly 
 set ourselves to do it. This we ought to do for our own temporal 
 and spiritual good, and for the benefit which we can render to 
 others. We have been enabled to reduce the mortgage more 
 than one-haif since we started four years ago and with faith and 
 effort we will soon see it vanish entirely, leaving us free to do 
 greater work for the Lord. 
 
 2. The Church should support its own Sunday school. 
 Our circumstances and history make the relation of the school 
 
 47 
 
to the Church rather unusual, but the Church is now strong 
 enough financially to care for the school. This would be only 
 about one hundred dollars additional every year and it would 
 leave the school free to train the scholars in the work of benevo- 
 lence. Perhaps the Sunday school would then be able to 
 undertake by itself to erect a larger and more suitable bu Iding 
 in which to hold its sessions. Already the infant department 
 is obliged to meet in the old Church on account of its crowded 
 condition, and other parts of the school give an indication that 
 larger accommodations will soon be needed. It has been sug- 
 gested that a more commodious structure of wood be erected on 
 the property adjoining the present building on the north for the 
 Sunday school and that the rooms we already have be used for 
 the prayer meetings of the different societies, as well as for ail 
 social meetings of the Church. It is hoped that this suggestion 
 may meet with favor and that some practical means of carrying 
 it out may soon be found. The important work of our Church 
 has always been the Sunday school, and this department should 
 not be overlooked. In our Sunday school work we should keep 
 in touch with the more advanced educational ideas and we 
 should use the most approved methods to make that branch of 
 the Church the most successful. 
 
 3. It may be a question for us to decide in the future 
 whether we should seek to make our work more of the nature of 
 an institutional church and, if so, to what extent. We have 
 always maintained the voluntary system of support so that none 
 need feel that they are too poor to come to God's house. We 
 want them to feel at home with us and we should strive to make 
 them feel at home in our Bethel. Providence has given to us a 
 grand opportunity and we should not refuse to accept God's 
 leadings. With a free library and reading-room open every 
 week-day evening, where many could go, who have now no 
 place to resort which is elevating, we might be able to reach 
 many careless ones who would not be attracted to our religious 
 services. A sewing class for the children of the poor would 
 prove a blessing to many a needy home. The employment of a 
 Bible reader to bring the story of Jesus and His love into many 
 
 48 
 
a neglected household would be another instrument in the 
 hands of God of reaching and saving souls, besides brightening 
 their homes. Let no one think that these ideas are visionary, 
 for if the Lord opens the wav let our faith and courage be 
 strong enough to follow. 
 
 4. A last suggestion could be given about the developing 
 and training of children for the ministerial and missionary life. 
 Our Church is large enough to have many workers on the field. 
 But parents must consecrate their children when young to this 
 service and bring them up with earnest and believing prayers 
 for such a work. Let there be a deepening of spiritual life and 
 a quickening of faith in God and an arousing of love for souls 
 and then there will be many pressing into the ministry, saying, 
 "Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel of Christ." 
 
 May this prospect cheer and encourage, arouse and enkindle 
 all in this Bethel 10 come to the help of the Lord in this place, 
 while the retrospect may increase our faith as it shows how 
 much can be done when there is united effort, even if it is by 
 the comparatively humble and feeble exertions. 
 
NAMES OF THE MEMBERS WHO JOINED BETHEL CHIRCH AT 
 ITS ORCiANIZATION, NOVEMBER 13TI1, 1870: 
 
 Calvin Dodd,* Eliza Doud, jR..t 
 
 JosiAH F. Dodd,* Nancy M. Dodd,* 
 
 Eleanor Dodd, Sarah S. Downs. 
 
 David Hunter,* Mary E. Downs, 
 
 Margaret Hunter,* Peter S. Vincent, f 
 
 Eliza Hunter, Eliza L. Vincent,! 
 
 Margaret McLane,* Julia Vincent, 
 
 Sarah McLane, William S. Vincent,! 
 
 Sarah A. Ray, William S. Mills, 
 
 Phebe Van Orden,* Elizabeth Mills,* 
 
 Alexander Hunter,! Israel Dodd, 
 
 Annie Hunter,! Angeline Dodd, 
 
 Eliza Dodd, Sr.,* Anna M. Taylor,! 
 Charles M. Davis.! 
 
 * Deceased. 
 
 t Dismissed to other churches. 
 
 ELDERS OF BETHEL CHURCH. 
 
 Elected. Ceased to Act. 
 
 Charles M. Davis November 20th, 1&70 1875 
 
 Calvin Dodd January 5th, 1872 1874 
 
 JosiAH F. Dodd January 5th, 1872 1875 
 
 Ira H. Patrev May 4th, 1875 1878 
 
 W. Irven Soverel May 4th, 1875 
 
 Charles M. Riker May 4th, 1875 
 
 William S. Mills January Sth, 1878 
 
 George K. Sutphen January nth, 1881 1892 
 
 James R. T. McCarroll. .. .January 12th, 1S87 December Sth, 1892 
 
 A. B. Spinning "January 13th, 1888 
 
 Herbert F. Soverei January, 1892 
 
 William B. Martin April, nth, 1893 
 
 DEACONS OF BETHEL CHURCH. 
 
 Caleb Riker January 
 
 Charles M. Riker January 
 
 Alexander Hunter January 
 
 William S. Mills January 
 
 Ira Dodd January 
 
 Lewis Smith, Sr.* January 
 
 James Gilmour January 
 
 W. W. Westervelt January 
 
 Ira H. Patrey ... .January 
 
 George M. Tyler March, 
 
 Henry Smith March, 
 
 Herbert F. Soverel January 
 
 George B. Hicinbotham. ...January 
 
 Elected. 
 
 Ceased to Act. 
 
 5th, 1872 
 
 1876 
 
 5th, 1872 
 
 1878 
 
 5th, 1872 
 
 ■ 1874 
 
 nth, 1874 
 
 1880 
 
 J Ith, 1876 
 
 1879 
 
 8th, 1878 
 
 
 14th, 1879 
 
 1891 
 
 I2th, 1S80 
 
 1883 
 
 gth, 1883 
 
 1887 
 
 1887 
 
 
 1887 
 
 
 15th, 1891 
 
 1894 
 
 17th, 1894 
 
 
 * Died February 7th, 1892. 
 
 50 
 
TRUSTEES OF BETHEL CHURCH. 
 
 Nicholas Albey January 
 
 W. I. SovEREL January 
 
 Lewis Smith, J r January 
 
 Henry Smith January 
 
 Ira Patrey January 
 
 Alexander Hunter January 
 
 Thomas Walker . January 
 
 George H. Kutchfk January 
 
 W. M. Van Ness January 
 
 Caleb Riker January 
 
 James Gilmour January 
 
 Benjamin Parkhurst January 
 
 Charles M. Whitlock January 
 
 Stephen W. Herdman January 
 
 Fletcher Place, Jr January 
 
 Silas W. Dodd January 
 
 George Law January 
 
 John H. Moore January 
 
 David W. Ball January 
 
 H. a. Hickok ..January 
 
 .ECTED 
 
 
 Ceased to Act 
 
 13th, 
 
 1874 
 
 1877 
 
 I3t-h, 
 
 1874 
 
 i8gi 
 
 13th, 
 
 1874 
 
 1877 
 
 13th, 
 
 1874 
 
 1877 
 
 13th, 
 
 1874 
 
 1876 
 
 nth, 
 
 1876 
 
 1877 
 
 9th, 
 
 1877 
 
 
 gth. 
 
 1877 
 
 
 gth, 
 
 1877 
 
 i88g 
 
 gth, 
 
 1877 
 
 i87g 
 
 Sth, 
 
 1879 
 
 1881 
 
 nth. 
 
 i88r 
 
 1888 
 
 nth, 
 
 1888 
 
 1890 
 
 nth. 
 
 1888 
 
 i88q 
 
 i6th, 
 
 i88g 
 
 i8g5 
 
 i6th. 
 
 18S9 
 
 
 15th, 
 
 189T 
 
 i8g:l 
 
 rsth. 
 
 i8gi 
 
 
 17th, 
 
 i8q4 
 
 
 17th, 
 
 1895 
 
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS 
 
 John CoNDir Wilkinson 1832 1842 
 
 David Riker ..1848 1859 
 
 Charles Crane 1859 1865 
 
 I. H. Gerry 1805 1871 
 
 Charles M. Davis 1871 1873 
 
 James Gilmour 1873 (January to June.) 
 
 Charles M. Davis , 1873 (June.) 1875 
 
 Rev. James H. Marr .. 1875 1882 
 
 Thomas J. Davis 1882 1884 
 
 William S. Mills 1884 1893 
 
 William B. Martin 1893 1894 
 
 William S. Mills 1894 i8g6 
 
 YEAR TEXTS. 
 
 1886 " Let us put on the armour of light." Roms. 13:12. 
 
 18S7 " Holding forth the Word of life." Phil. 2:16. 
 
 1888 " Who went about doing good." Acts 10:38. 
 
 1889 " Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matt. 4:19. 
 
 1890 " Christ in you the hope of glory." Col. 1:27. 
 
 1891 " For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is 
 
 Jesus Christ." i Cor. 3:11. 
 
 1892 " Walk as children of light." Eph. 5:8. 
 
 1893 " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ." Roms. 8:35. 
 
 1894 "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead." 
 
 Roms. 6:13. 
 
 1895 "All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23. 
 
 51 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE 
 
 OF 
 
 REV. JAMES H. MARR. 
 
 James Hervey Marr was born in Levvisburg, Pa., April 3d, 
 1842. His father, Rev. P. B. Marr, was pastor of the Presby- 
 terian Church of that place. He thus came from a ministerial 
 family, as not only his father, but also his grandfather on his 
 mother's side, had served the Lord in that capacity. The 
 unfeigned faith of the parents was thus transmitted to the son. 
 It was only natural that he should have inherited the taste, as 
 well as the right, for the gospel ministry, having descended 
 from such godly ancestors and reared amidst such sacred 
 influences. Having been early given to the Lord by these parents, 
 the Heavenly Father accepted the gift and shaped his course 
 so that he could be useful in his chosen field. 
 
 One who knew him well has written about his early life 
 in these words : " His mother had often remarked that original 
 sin showed itself before a child was six months old. She had 
 made it the rule to repress the evil from infancy, and, though 
 he was the fourth child, she had never failed in bringing the 
 youthful rebels under control at an early period. When James 
 was to be subjugated she found a difficult problem on hand, 
 as he scarcely knew how to yield. She was perplexed, and 
 expressed her alarm to an experienced friend, who told her 
 that the strong will might be a source of great good ; that she 
 should rely on prayer and the good example of the older 
 children to bring the boy into the paths of righteousness. It 
 seemed to her a dangerous experiment, but she waited. The 
 early tendencies of the boy were in the main correct. He 
 showed an indomitable energy and unvielding determination 
 
 52 
 
in everything he undertook. He dug and planted a large 
 garden at some distance from home, often rising at four in the 
 morning to carry on the task outside of shady hours, and in 
 due season he had the satisfaction of turning in a quota to 
 the family support. It was a household of activity and he was 
 ready to bear his part of the burden.* 
 
 " He entered the University of Lewisburg and completed 
 his course in i860. Graduating when only seventeen years old, 
 the youngest in his class, he took the first honors. He then 
 entered the junior class of Princeton College from which he was 
 graduated in 1862. He soon had a high position in his class 
 there, though making his support largely from his own exer- 
 tions. After leaving college he entered the Princeton Theolog- 
 ical Seminary. When he graduated in the Class of 1865 he was 
 well equipped for a scholarly life in some settled pastorate in 
 the East. The German and French tongues were at his com- 
 mand as well as the classic. It was his habit early in his min- 
 istry to read a chapter in the Bible each day of the week in dif- 
 ferent languages." 
 
 After he was licensed to preach the gospel he spent a short 
 time in Baltimore as a stated supply, then a few months in 
 Central Pennsylvania. Like the great apostle, he sought to 
 avoid building upon another man's foundation. The needs of 
 the West then opening for the farmer, miner and pioneer, called 
 him to bear the standard of the cross to those destitute portions. 
 Accordingly, in 1866, he settled in Minnesota as a home mission- 
 ary, and established the three churches at La Crescent, Hokah 
 and Brownsville. Blessed by nature with a strong and wiry 
 constitution, he was not afraid of hard work, and his willingness 
 in this respect often had an opportunity to exercise itself in 
 those frontier towns. 
 
 The next year he proceeded to San F'rancisco. His trip to 
 California was a specimen of his daring and energy. He fretted 
 under the slow progress made by the caravan through Texas, 
 and taking a large mule as his only aid and companion, he started 
 
 * "G." in The Presbyterian^ June lolh, i8q5. 
 
 53 
 
on ahead to ferret out the way through New Mexico, Arizona 
 and Southern California. He traveled by night to escape the 
 murderous Indian, and sought obscure retreats during the day. 
 He joined the Presbytery of San Francisco and was ordained as 
 an evangelist on the twenty-first of March, 1868. He established 
 the Howard Street Church of that city and remained as its 
 stated supply until 1869, when feeling that his enterprise there 
 was well established he turned toward the Iiast. His return 
 was waited for by his parents with eager longing. His first 
 token of filial affection and old-time solicitude for his mother's 
 comfort was shown by handing her out of his scant savings a 
 hundred dollars in gold which a kind friend had given him as 
 he departed from the land of gold. 
 
 In the Summer of 1870 he settled in East Orange, and when 
 the Bethel Presbyterian Church was organized in November of 
 that year he was chosen as the stated supply. The name 
 " Bethel " was suggested by him, and that name will always be 
 a benediction from him since he has gone home to worship God 
 in the Heavenly Bethel, "the house not made with hands, 
 eternal in the Heavens." 
 
 The discouragements of the new undertaking would have 
 wearied the heart of many another minister, but Mr. Marr, with 
 his characteristic determination and perseverance, conquered 
 all of these difficulties and built up a strong and well organized 
 church, free of all indebtedness, with a large membership and a 
 still larger Sunday school. Many of the poor and needy of the 
 community, whether members of the Church or not, felt the 
 influence of his self-denying and persistent labor. 
 
 After having served this Cnurch for more than eleven years, 
 he departed in January, 1882, to become the pastor of the 
 Cumberland Street Presbyterian Church in the Kensington 
 district of Philadelphia. That church had greatly run 
 down, but his organizing force was largely felt in its upbuilding. 
 The next year the name of the church was changed to the 
 Chandler Memorial Church, and in 1886 it was again changed 
 to the Beacon Presbyterian Church. He became associated with 
 Rev. Francis Robbins, D.D., who looked chiefly after the 
 
 54 
 
finances while Mr. Marr attended largely to the routine work of 
 the pulpit and parish. Together they planned the large organi- 
 zation it afterwards became. Thus from a membership of only 
 sixty-five and a Sunday school of four hundred and ninety- 
 seven, meeting in what had been a mill, the work grew in eleven 
 years into a church membership of six hundred and fifty and 
 the Sunday school of one thousand and ninety-six, meeting in a 
 large and handsome building, with rooms for sewing classes, 
 cooking classes, night schools and a free medical dispensary. 
 
 He resigned his position as co-pastor of the Beacon Church 
 in 1893 and supplied vacant churches whenever he was called 
 upon. When death came he was at his house near Point 
 Pleasant, N. J. On June 3d, 1895, "he had risen from the table 
 with the remark that he felt in perfect health, and he submitted 
 to the summons, which came in about an hour after, with a 
 protest, saying that there were some things he wished to 
 accomplish before going. But when it became apparent that 
 the summons was peremptory and a final call from above, he 
 acquiesced, saying that he was ready if it were the Father's 
 will, and that it was in accordance with his wish to die in 
 this speedy manner. After giving a few words of consolation 
 to his wife and of admonition to his boy, he turned over and 
 breathed his last." "The rapid action of occult pneumonia 
 alone accounted for the sudden collapse of his vigorous consti- 
 tution." He thus passed away apparently in the midst of 
 health. 
 
 Mr. Marr was a man of a strong physical constitution and 
 an iron will. He worked through Summer's heat and Wini.er's 
 cold. " He never took a vacation in his twenty-eight years of 
 service nor missed an engagement through illness." He was 
 self-denying, thinking but little of his own needs but much of 
 his people's requirements among whom he worked. Capable 
 of filling a lucrative position in the mercantile world, he gave 
 his talents to the Lord's cause, receiving but small compensation 
 in all of his fields of labor. He was a man of warm piety and 
 decided character. He loved to preach the gospel and he was 
 untiring in pastoral work, especially among the poor, the needy 
 
 55 
 
and the sick. From childhood his "characteristics were an 
 indomitable will and energy, conscientiousness and courage ; 
 always cheerful, strictly honorable and having remarkable 
 self-control." These characteristics he maintained throughout 
 his life. No word of jealousy escaped his lips nor spirit of 
 indictiveness showed itself in him. He was remarkably guarded 
 in his statements about others. Socially he was genial and 
 affable ; his friendships were of the strongest. He was happily 
 constituted so as to accommodate himself to his surroundings, 
 and in his different fields of labor his circumstances were not 
 always the most comfortable. He has finished his course as a 
 true son of God and a faithful helper of man. 
 
 Minute adopted by the session on the death of Kev. James 
 H. Marr : 
 
 It is with deep regret that we have heard of the sudden death of Rev. 
 James H. Marr, the first pastor of this Church, at his home at Beacon-by-the- 
 Sea, New Jersey, on June 3d, 1885. 
 
 We, as a session, desire to put on record our high regard for his 
 Christian character, his deep piety, his earnest zeal for the Master's cause, 
 and his love for all things which related to the Lord's kingdom. As the 
 organizer of this Church, he worked with indomitable perseverance, courage 
 and charity until he had developed it from a small mission church, to a self- 
 supporting one. Its success is largely due to his ability, fidelity and dis- 
 criminating judgment. 
 
 We realize that by his death this Church has lost a true friend and helper, 
 and that the church at large has lost a faithful and zealous worker. We 
 submissively bow in resignation to the All-wise Providence of God in thus 
 removing from his earthly work one of His zealous followers. 
 
 We tender our sincere sympathy to his widow and family, and we offer 
 our prayers for God's blessing and comfort. 
 
 We direct that a copy of this minute be sent to the family and that it be 
 spread upon our records. 
 
 Bv order of the Session. 
 
 DavH) O. Irvini;, Moderator. 
 William S. Mills, Clerk. 
 
 56 
 
?