The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1892-11-29

Hon. A. F. Judd, Mr.. Curtis ].
Lyons and Hon. J. B. Atherton.
The speakers have all been long
connected with the church, and are
intimately acquainted with its his
tory. All the talks abounded IN
interesting, and some of them in
touching "reminiscences.
Hon. A. F. Judd, the Chairman
of the Committee of Arrangements,
introduced the Rev F. ". Damon
as the opening speaker.
Mr.. Damon's Address.
Mr.. Damon expressed his sense of
the honor and privilege which were
his in introducing these brief addresses
of reminiscence. AS he looked back
into the past the walls of that build
ing faded away and he saw that one
which was built long before 1.-THE
little old Bethel, with its square white
tower and blue flag, its ancient pull
pit, its sacred Bible and other features
which came crowding back to the
mind. 1t had passed away, as all
knew, in that fiery reign of terror
which had swept over Honolulu one
night in 1886, but the memory of it
was indelible. The minds of the
members of both congregations, now
united into one Christian body, were
full of tender memories of that old
building. On the 2Sth of November,
1888, the Bethel was dedicated. The
new and beautiful church into which
they were about to enter would be
dedicated early in December, while
the dedication of the present church
occurred on the 2Sth of December. So
the closing months of the year would
be starred with days of memory and
anniversary; impressive days, when
we would look back to the past with
it's lesson of noble endeavor and
achievement. AS a member of the
old Bethel and a son of its pastor, he
gloried in the thought that nothing
more beautiful had been witnessed by
these walls than the union of these
two congregations into one united and
harmonious body of Christians. They
should take with them to the new
church the thought of the union of all
Christians typified in the union of
these two bodies. The spirit of the
fathers did not die with the building,
and they should take into their beau
tifnl new home the memory of all
these lessons of devotion.
Miss Chamberlain Address.
The rush of memories on such occa-
siOns as this, to one whose life has
been built into the history of this
church.; seems too great for complete
utterance. The years roll back. Ded-
ication Sabbath dawns again. How
fresh and beautiful everything in the
| "a hr,r IN oonnon1. on6 hnuT uIa6
were to have a church home. The
sound OF the bell in the steeple was
J sweet to the ears of the mothers, for
was it not hung in "the ladies' spire?''
When the Trustees drew the line OF
r furthereXpenditure at the spire, think
5 ing belfry platform sufficient, our
mothers could not forego that link to
their old home memories, and by
t another grand effort of self-sacritice
t and pluck, the money was raised and
: the spire pointed toward heaven. The
2 fingers of the young ladies were still
rough under their gloves, from sewing
f on that first Brussels carpet, and they
9, knew how every leaf and flower
t matched. That carpet wore we'll and
a eighteen years afterwards was succeed
$ ed by the present one, which was
t raised by subscription over an ap
: peal in verse, "The Tale of the Ole
e Carpet of Fort-street Church."
: The church at first had only the
i four middle rows of pews, with the
: end ones, and the side aisles ran close
e to the building walls. These bay win,
: dow projections were added in 1879
Il There was then no alcove behind the
, pulpit for the choir, and the pulpit
S itself was a modified form of the
It ancient style of high pulpit, enclosed
t in front with neat panneled parti
7 ton separating pastor and people, as
= cended by four steps, and having thu
e centre higher with desk for the bibl,
: and hymn book, the whole front fin
ished with plush coverings and trim
9 mings. The choir sat in the gallery a
e the rear, over the vestibule, and TO
n many years the whole congregation
!. rose and turning their backs on th
n minister, faced the choir in the sing
l. ing of the three regulation hymns
), wheeling round again for the benedic
:. ton. This absurd fashion yielded t.
: the wishes of the then young peo
J, pie when we secured our organ
,s Then the little room behind the pull
e pit (put up by the generosity of tht
.s first Mrs. Robert w. Wood, for tn
IS comfort of her loved pastor, Rev. E
Corwin, who was lame and wore {
e gown in the pulpit, that he Nigh
st enter from the rear), was enlarged AM
d made into the present alcove for tn
e organ and choir. If I am not mistak
g en-, the open platform was then adop
e ted for the minister. Was ever sweet
e er singing than came from that choir
D This is not said in disparagement O
n the present generation of singers, bu
d we love to recall those old anthems
e Plunged in Gulf of Deep Despair;'
is Jerusalem, my Happy Home," AM
N the old, old Easter Anthem, witt
to its triumphant strains, "He Rose! HI
10 Rose! He Burst the Bars of Death,
n etc. And when Mary Annis Cook
gave us a solo, we held our breath t
t. listen, lest we lose one of the bird-lik
70 notes. The congregation of thos,
Ie days! A solemn, sacred hour has beel
ID spent over the old church manuals
ct recalling the roll Of our holy dead
10 To even read the names of all woul
ID take the allotted time of this address
le Forty names may be reckoned in tn
list of our missionary fathers an
mothers who were either members c
the Fort-street Church, or worshippe
constantly with us. Among these ar
counted Rev. and Mrs. S. M. Damon
"a Some united with the Bethel church
- and few never severed their connec
i0 ton with the original mission church
le Six only of these revered names ar
oks1 L.. T..