Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-06-03
EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON G, SATURDAY 1899
Funeral Services
For DR.. T.. f. Smith
Planned Monday
Friend of Roosevelt
Was Nationally Known
As Pulpit Orator


As Pulpit Orator
The funeral of the Rev. DR.. c.
Ernest Smith, beloved Washington
clergyman, will be held at 3 pm.
Monday at St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, of which he was rector
from 1902 until his retirement three
years ago.
Bishop James E. Freeman will
omciate and all the Episcopal clergy
of the Washington diocese will take
part in the service. Burial will
be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
DR.. Smith died yesterday after
noon of a heart attack at his home,
Sob Forty-second street NV. He
was 80.
He was nationally known as a
pulpit orator and scholar. Since
his retirement he had put in much
of his time writing. Among his
close friends was President Roose-
welt, who attends ST. Thomas
Church. Only recently the Presi-
dent wrote inquiring after DR..
Smiths health and telling the
veteran clergyman how much he
missed him at the services.
Surviving are five daughters: Mrs.
Hugh Francis TAFT, who lived with
her father; Mrs. Joseph E. Williams,
wife of the rector Of st. Johns
Church in Bethesda, Md; Mrs.
Roger w. Berry of Birmingham.
Ala; Mrs. Giles B. Clark of Front
Royal, Va, and Miss Marcella Smith
of London, England-and one son.
Marcus Smith of London. Funeral
arrangements had not been COM
pleted late today.
Served Church Sc Years.
DR.. Smith had devoted Sc years to
the service Of the church when ne
relinquished the pastorate Of ST.
Thomas on June 80, 1896. Over that
span he had been the recipient of
many honors in recognition of his
labors.
A native of the county of Cheshire.
England, DR.. Smith was the son of
w. J. and A. E. Smith Educated
abroad, he was graduated A. B. with
honors from Durham College, Uni
versity of Durham. Pursuing theo-
logical studies at st. Augustine's
College, Canterbury, the young
churchman won a first class in the
Oxford and Cambridge examinations
for holy orders. one of the examiners
being the celebrated Dr. Westcott,
afterWard Bishop of Durham.
In 1880 he became a deacon and
in 1882 was elevated to the priest
hood.
DR.. Smiths first charge was rs
curate at Harbor Grace, Newfound-
land. After IS months he went to
Hearts Content as rector In 1889
came the call to the rectorshiD of
st. Paul's parish. Aquasco, Md. There
DR.. Smith remained three years,
| leaving to become rector of ST. Mi
chael and All Angels. Baltimore. one
of the principal churches of the
| South.
Examined Candidates.
Winning prominence as scholar
and theologian. DR.. Smith was one
of the examining chaplains of cam
| didates for holy orders and an in
structor in the Bishop Of Marylands
| theological class during the decade
in the Baltimore parish.
On November l, 1902, DIR. Smith
came to Washington to assume his
duties at ST. Thomas. There he
was formally installed on Advent
Sunday. November 80, by Bishop
Henry Yates Satterlee. The keys to
the church were delivered to him by
the late Brig Gen. George A. Wood
ward, U. S. A.. senior warden, and
the sermon was preached by the
Rev. j. A. Aspinwall, his predecessor
at the Washington church.
The imposing edifice at Eighteenth
and Church streets NV, which
Washington today knows. already
manned an Indebtedness of $72,50O
to be discharged. 1t was 20 years
later that DR.. Smith had the salts
faction of seeing the Cancelled notes
that had represented this obligation
burned in the presence of COM
pany which included the present
Bishop of Washington, DR.. Freeman.
Active in Civic Life Here.
DR.. Smith entered actively into
both the religious and civic life of
the Capital, always seeking at the
same time to advance the cause of
the church nationally. He was a
deputy to five general conventions
and served also as commissary to the
Lord Bishop of British Honduras
and Jamaica. The movement to
build great national church here
also interested him deeply, and he
served as canon at Washington
Cathedral
AS the years went on ST. Thomas
became almost downtown church."
many of the parishioners moving to
the suburbs. That, however, did not
end their association, as was made
evident about six years ago, when a
count showed that of 700 commune
cants, there were only SO families or
parts of families who still resided
within the parish limits. Many me-
MORALS in various forms of church
art, which add to the beauty of st.
Thomas, offer an equally tangible
expression of the place it has held
Observation-Disclosures.