Morning journal and courier., 1889-10-11
THREE SEME-CENTRNNIALS AT
ONCE.

The church, the Rector and the Sex
ton Will All Celebrate Together.
From the New York Sun.l
Preparations are being made for q triple
jubilee at st. Marks Protestant Episcopal
church, Bedford avenue and South Fifth
street, Brooklyn. On Sunday, October 18th,
will begin the semi-centennial anniversary
of the church, of the Rev. Samuel NJ. Has,
kins, D. D., rector, and of David Longworth,
the sexton. This is an occurrence probably
unparalleled in the history of the American
church. St. Marks stands among the old
landmarks of Williamsburg. It is an ivy
covered, trim, low sized, but substantial
stone structure Of the pronounced Episcopal
build of the past, and the early part of the
present century especially.
The edifce has neatly kept lawn running
around on two sides, and the church and
grounds look strangely out of place, situated
az they are in the very center of the business
part Of Williamsburgh.
DR.. Haskins, the rector, was born in Wa
terford, Oxford county, Me-, May 29th, 1913.
He was graduated from Union college in
1886, and completed his course at the Gene
raj Theological Seminary in this city in 1889.
He was made deacon of the Episcopal church
at the Church of the Ascension, in this city,
by Bishop Onderdonk, in June, 1886. When
DR.. Haskins was called to the rectorship of
St. Marks church in 1889 services were be-
ing held in whitewashed brick building In
corn6eld. The congregation consisted of
fourteen families and eighteen communi-
eants. DR.. Haskins is man of courtly and
digni6ed bearing, of large build. His
smooth shaven face is strongly marked.
DR.. Haskins was q cousin of Ralph Waldo
Emerson ON his mothers side as we'll as on
| his fathers. his father, Mr.. Robert Haskins,
| having married Rebecca Emerson, a sister of
| the Rev. William Emerson, the father Of
Ralph Waldo. DIR. Haskins was present at
| Emerson's funeral, read at the grave por-
| ton of the Episcopal order for the burial of
/ the dead, and pronounced the final bsnedic-
| ton. The prayer book which DR.. Haskins
used upon this occasion was one that had
been presented to Mr.. Emersons mother by
| her father, John Haskins, in 1888. Upon
repeating the words "We therefore commit
his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes
/ to ashes, dust to DUST" he threw upon the
| lowered coffin some ashes which he had COL
lected and brought to the grave from Mr..
| Emerson's study fireplace, commingled with
sand and dust taken from the walk in front
of the house.
When DR.. Haskins became rector of st.
| Marks parish in 1889, on salary of three
hundred dollars year, there was, he says,
| no other parish between Astoria and Brook
| lyn. His eighteen commandments were scat
| tered over four square miles. At that time
there were but four Episcopal churches in
Brooklyn, and with but one exception they
were having hard struggle for existence
There was not a stone church on Long Is
land. When st. Marks was completed i,
was the only approach to the Gothic archi
lecture on Long Island. There was but one
| .l..~L or1 <boI
was the Reformed Dutch church, corner o
Fourth and South Second streets. There
were but few Episcopal churches in New
York in 1889, and none above Twentieth
street.
DR.. Haskins says: ''When / entered upor
my duties in St. Marks parish there wert
but seventeen bishops in the United Statel
and seventeen dioceses. When st. Mark
churoh was erected there was not church II
New York, Boston or Philadelphia that wa
!: surmounted by Cross except the Romisl
church, and not one had q recess chancel