The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-02

| enezer PunderSOn, and MT. PunderS0n
 name is the first that suggests itsel
 as really connected with this parish
 Ebenezer Punderson was born in NeV
 Haven in the year 1705. He studied
 theology after having graduated at tn | college and was called to be the pasto
 of the church of the standing orde
 which had just been formed in th'
 north parish of Groton, now the town | of Ledyard. He had not been many
 years in this pastorship before he "as 1 founded his people by avowing himsel a conformist to the Church of Eng | land" After spending several years II Groton he was, at his own request ! transferred to New Haven. MT. Pun l derson seems to have removed from Groton to New Haven in the year l75'
 The Episcopalians had mustered cour' age, and had increased probably enough
 to have begun, in the year 1752, the
 project of building a house of worship
 But I see as yet no traces of parochial
 organization, for MT. Samuel Mix Che
 must have been man of great courage)
 in July did give, grant, bargain and
 sell unto Elnos filling and Isaac Doolt-
 tie, for the building of a house of Wor-
 ship agreeably and according to the es-
 tablishment of the Church of England,
 lot situated on the east side of Church
 street, south of Chapel. You observe
 that the gentlemen above named have
 no official style of title, and considering
 what seems to have been the universal
 custom the inference is that the so-
 called organization had not been made,
 It is universally conceded that the eX-
 act time of the organization or Trlnlty
 church has not been ascertained My
 belief is that with the advent Of MT
 Punderson, about the time of the build
 ing of the church, he appointed war
 dens, as MT. Lyons had done in Middle
 town, and probably named the church
 as he named the North Haven church
 some years later on. This fact, then, remains-the church was built certainly
 between July, 1752, and the summer or
 759. MT. Punderson himself contr1out1
 cd much of the timber, while the pover-
 ty of the churchmen is illustrated py
 the fact am about to narrate' A TOT mer resident of this city, now nearly ninety years of age, and blessed with an extraordinary memory, in a letter re- gently written and which has been kind ly loaned, says that Trinity ehurch was built by my grandfather, Thomas Davis. Among the number q presume he means either of church members or of contributors were Benjamin Sanford and Enos filling. The names Of the others I do not know. I have heard my grandmother tell about boarding the workmen for week, and they would board with others in turn, SO that every eight weeks she would have to board them, until the church was finished" !"
 They were probably imported work men, Possibly the resident mechanics declined to have anything to do with the new church which they had been taught to hate so much. But still we have here a glimpse into the homely conditions of the life of the people. l know no more of the contributors. There is a tradition that when the frame of the building was raised the heads of all the Episcopal families then in New Haven sat upon door-sill and spoke hesitatingly of their future growth"
 The church was small wooden structure, measuring 5S feet by 3S, and l capable of seating only one hundred and fifty persons It was very Insignificant when compared with the new brick | church, which measured 76 by 54, and l with the blue church, which was 65 by | i5.*
 The opening of the Episcopal church | n New Haven was, perhaps, both the | cause and the occasion of a new and 1 violent controversy touching the policy | if the college. The churchmen, aided | oy portion of the minority in the cole my in the opposition demanded certain privileges for the students belonging to he church, which the authorities of the ,ollege were unwilling to grant The point in dispute was far more. serious, however, than any question which night have arisen between a small con sregation on the one side and college into position of influence md power on the other, It had been he contention of the majority, as I
 ave already said in this discourse, that Tale college was to be supremely a chool of theological learning, and this osition was maintained with great te- acity and resisted with great power. t was contended by the minority that he supreme* design of colleges was to each the arts and sciences only, and hat religion was no part of Q college ducation, and therefore that no relig- 1us worship ought to be upheld or en- oined by the laws of the college, and nat every student should be allowed ) worship how and where he pleased, r as his parents and guardians should rect" This was the contention. They -ho took part in it were, of course beaten; but the disci- line of Yale college for many years { -st past, in respect of what was called le design of colleges, has been in en- re agreement with the objectors of ne hundred and fifty years ago, and course the attitude of the authorities the college has thoroughly changed '
 has developed into a great universi- ( z, and the study of theology is con- 2 led to but one department, while un- { the temper of the college is l at it is the design of colleges to I ach the arts and sciences only" The c eaten' minority has had it's revenge. he argument was simply an anticipa~ I on of what has come to pass The re- a ized predictions suggest more insight