The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-06-05
Dear Richards on's MtnisiratiOn.

OF Dean Richardson's entrance into the MINIS
istration here, he took occasion in course Of
his sermon at St. Marks cathedral to make
cursory review of the period. After urging
the desirability of retrospect in spiritual
and temporal matters, the reverend gentleman
said: Fourteen years ago one fifth Of the al
lotted three score years and ten of man, which
so few reach, one half of the average life of
man, and twice the period in which the female
life has been divided, infant, child, maiden,
wife and mother, he stood before them for the
first time, Great changes had taken place in
that time. The infant of that day was now
happy child, immersed in studies, awakening
to thought and dreams Of the life beyond, the
then youth and maiden had passed into the
worlds life; the youth in the care Of the
world, and she, who was maiden then, had
passed from being the light Of her parents
home, to the light of another. She has now
her own children around her knees, or at her
breast, and the strong man then shows the
frost of age on his head, and the old man feels
the end Of life upon him. In nowhere is this
change more distinctly indicated than in the
parish register. There in brief words are
noted the work of your life, your baptism,
when you were made a child of God, your
confirmation, when you came into this congre-
CATION and took the vows upon yourself that
were taken in infancy for you, the communion
wherein you received the body and blood Of
Christ, the record of your marriage where you
fulfilled the text that a man should leave his
father and cling onto his wife, and still another,
that her desire should be unto her husband.
Once more your name i. entered and only
once, when the child is laid to rest, and the
night cometh then no man can work.
Fourteen years ago he stood up before the
congregation to preach the gospel, as an hum
BILE ambassador for Christ, in his stead to pray
to be reconciled to God. He found the congre-
ton worshipping in the Dioces on school
building, the upholstered walls, canvass and
bare aspect presenting strange contrast to
what he had seen and what should have been.
There were then some IS or go communi-
cants. Next year we were able to fix the
place so long our church's only abiding place,
and when with JOY we brought the ark of God
into this place, it was not without some feel
ing of regret that we broke from the associa-
tons of the place. Next step was the pur-
chase of building for church and parish
work. Thus for the first time the church had
an habitation of its own. The spiritual
growth was hardly SO satisfactory; next year
there was loss of ten and the next followed
two. The huctuating character of the people
of frontier city had sad effect upon the
Sunday school and upon the social character.
After four years Of my pastorate a subscrip-
ton list was started for the building of
this church, but it was attached to what
seemed to be an hard condition, that sixteen
thousand dollars SHOULD be raised in six
months. The list grew far beyond our hopes
and the amount was raised and 1873 the
erection of this building was began. At least
recommended, because the corner stone had
been laid and the walls raised to a certain
height, but it was then began again after the
war and its consequence, and 10 feet was sd-
vsedly added to the structure. You know
how slowly and how surely, and yet it seems
now how quickly the building rose until seven
years ago, last Easter, We held our first service
in the church, which is an object of admira-
ton to the visitors. Next year it becomes
the cathedral church: The dean paid trib-
ute of compliment and thanks to the ladies
of the Parish Society, told of the good work
they had done, and urged them to take cour-
age by the success in the past to continue
their labors. He told them how the debt of
the church had been paid off and the church
property re-conveyed to the Bishop, and
spoke of the missionary work Of the par ST.;
Abiding to the choir, he paid the
members a high compliment. They
had he said, gradually increased inediciency
and had never missed service; This had
been gfeat relief and had repaid the labor,
because they had attracted large congrega-
ton and induced decidedly better attention
to the service 1t had an influence also on
the choir, three of whom had be-o,ue COM
munlcants; They were now organizing a
library, and any assistance in that way would
be gladly received.
In 1868 there WAS only Is families in the
church, now there were 2I5. The cpmmuni-