History
Kathy Dube
President Taft's Visit To Prospect/Part 1
On June 19, 1917, Prospect had the honor of hosting a visit from a former President of the United States, William Howard Taft. To the best of our knowledge, it's the only time a President has visited the church. The reason was to promote the country's entry into World War I and boost the growth of the Red Cross at a huge rally. Taft's remarks will be explored in greater depth in this and future Towers.
[Note: Because of the difficulty reading the copy of The Bristol Press, which was a Weekly at the time, it appeared the headline stated "Because We're Rich" in last month's column as the reason for the rally when it in fact read "Because We're Right," indicating the reason why the country entered the "War To End All Wars."]
"A rousing reception awaited Mr. Taft when he arrived here by auto from New Haven …," the article states. Long before the time of Taft's arrival, people gathered to await the President. By the time the doors opened at 7 p.m., "Fully a thousand people were lined up on the sidewalks leading to the three main entrances" to the church. By 7:30 the church was packed. Taft's good nature was noted in his special greeting to the many children waiting to see him.
Red Cross Chairman Charles Treadway and Prospect benefactor William E. Sessions greeted the former President upon his arrival. He was seated on the platform along with Mayor Joseph Dutton, Mr. Treadway, Prospect Pastor Dr. L.H. Dorchester, Rev. Ernest Wismer and Rev. Walter Bezanson. The choir sang "Onward Christian Soldiers," after which the audience sang the the "Star Spangled Banner."
Chairman Treadway welcomed the distinguished guest as follows: "Our country is divided by no sect and no creed, neither by poverty nor wealth, before a crisis such as this country has never before seen. We rally around the Red Cross to give notice to our Allied forces across the water that we are more undivided than we have ever been before."
President Taft's Visit To Prospect/Part 2
In Part 1, before the Tower's summer hiatus, we began a short series on a singular event in Prospect's history: The visit to the church by a former President, William Howard Taft, in June of 1917. The visit was designed to help bolster the country's entry into WW I and the American Red Cross. The rally drew some 2,000 people both inside and outside the church.
After a two-minute standing ovation, President Taft was said to be "in his usual happy frame of mind (Taft was notable for being the largest of all of our Presidents) and performed his remarks with a few good stories which caused considerable merriment throughout the audience," the front page Bristol Press article states. He complimented the church for the comfortable surroundings, noting it is more difficult to speak in the opposite.
On a more serious note, Taft said, "The entire world was surprised at the ruthless ad cruel manner in which the Central Powers carried on its warfare, startling the world." He specifically noted the 1,198 lives lives lost when the "Lusitania" was sunk by a torpedo off the coast of Ireland in 1915 despite the "Rights of Neutrals" accommodation on the high seas. He praised the self-restraint and tolerance of President Woodrow Wilson the two prior years, but said, "It is the moral and political principle that we are defending by our entry into the war."
The Press deemed President Taft's visit to Bristol a worthy one, referring to the war effort and its support of the Red Cross: "His mission here is a worthy one. Great Harvester that he is, he will find the seed well sown. A city is known by the deeds of its people. And Bristol has already gained renown as a doer of things worth while in affairs both civic and militant. … Bristol has more enlisted men, in the service of the government, in proportion to its size, than any other city in the state. Our Home Guard companies in addition to furnishing splendid training facilities for those of the members who may be called to the colors, are rapidly approaching a state of high emergency, ready for any call or emergency."
President Taft's Visit To Prospect/Part 3
This is the final in a 3-part series on the visit of former President William Howard Taft to Prospect Church in June of 1917, to bolster the Red Cross as well as America's entry into WWI. Around 2,000 people packed the church both within and outside, according to The Bristol Press write-up of the event.
President Taft alluded to the sinking of the Lusitania by German U-Boats despite the "Rights of Neutrals" accommodation on the high seas. "Germany brought us to a position where we either had to submit or to stand up and fight and we chose to do the latter. We are now in the war and ... in a position to lose a million men."
Mr.Taft continued, "... the Pacifists have pointed out that it may be possible to lose a million men for the sake of avenging the death of 200 (among the 1,198 lost in when the Lusitania sank). This wasn't the point. It is the moral and political principle that we are defending by our entry into the war. We are in it because ... we were forced into it. There was no other course to take."
He paid tribute to the "self-restraint and tolerance" exhibited by President Woodrow Wilson the last two years. "No matter what criticism was hurled at the President during that time, we are all behind him now." This comment brought loud applause. He described at length the system of government which had held sway over the German people in recent years: "The philosophy of the Divine Right of the Emperor and the militarism had been taught from the primary schools through the colleges so that this false idealism had been instilled into the minds of the people making them materialistic and wiping out all of their moral sense."
President Taft was perhaps the most significant guest ever to speak at Prospect Church.
An interesting sidelight: On the jump page to the story, on Page 2 of The Press, a headline noted that a Bristol man had been chosen for the jury in the upcoming trial of Mrs. Amy Archer- Gilligan, whose story inspired the play and movie "Arsenic and Old Lace." Also known as "Sister," Amy Archer-Gilligan of Windsor ran several nursing homes. She was a serial killer who murdered from five to 48 people by poison, including her second husband.
Prospect In Earlier Days Towering Memories
William E. Sessions, whose life has been depicted in the most recent Prospect In Earlier Days columns, was such a towering figure in the history of our church, older church members still had vivid memories of Mr. Sessions and his wife, Emily, decades after they died. Here are some anecdotes related by members at past historical celebrations:
Helen (Wooding) Rowe: "William E. encouraged ministers to sponsor paid quartets. His son,
W. Kenneth Sessions, was a tenor soloist. On several occasions he paid for an orchestra. He was quite a portly gentleman, but he was beautifully tailored. He was very kind to the little kids. He called them his 'flower garden'."
Leslie Wright: "While working as a "water boy" at Beleden, the Sessions mansion on Bellevue Avenue, I remember W.E.'s wife putting her feet into the pool. She was quite a lady." … "I sure remember the trips to the Lake. I remember W.E. paying for an extra trolley ride. We went to Lake Compounce and Hubbard Park in Meriden and Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury. We went by trolley."
Myrle (French) Mitchell: "I remember a church fair held at Beleden, and Mrs. Sessions running around in a fancy hat."
Leila (Herold) Judd: "Mr. Sessions was the first person to give me a ride in an automobile. I was 12 or so. He'd take four to six kids at a time."
Bob Kirkwood: "He was a very large man, very generous and good-hearted, and one who loved kids. He used to love to sing and play the piano. When I went to work at the Foundry, he had me send two carloads of coal to the Methodist Church and he paid the entire bill. At Christmas parties W.E. gave an orange to each Sunday School child. An orange in those days was quite a thing." Of the trolley rides, he recalled, "Boy, did that trolley go when we went to Hubbard Park."
Clarkson Barnes: "I have a Bible, given to me in the third grade, and the inscription reads, 'from your friend, W.E.' Lake Compounce was the scene of many Sunday School picnics over the years. On the day of the picnic, W.E. would arrange with the Tramway Company to have special trolley cars that went directly to the Lake. … no fares were collected. Later on, a bill was sent to Mr. Sessions at the Foundry … These special trolleys started at four locations: the corner of Park and Tulip streets, the North side corner, First Congregational Church and Forestville center. Another thing W.E. did … was give away tickets for practically every concession."
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Prospect In Earlier Days W.E. Sessions and Mt. Hope Chapel
The past several historical columns have elaborated on the major role William E. Sessions and his family played in the development of Prospect Methodist Episcopal Church. A Bristol Press Builders of Bristol article also noted his connection with Mt. Hope Chapel on Chippens Hill.
A Sunday School had been started at the old North Chippens Hill schoolhouse in 1884 by Hattie Utter. Chippens Hill was a fair distance from Prospect and other churches in the days before automobiles. The hills especially hindered travel during the winter.
After Hattie Utter left, W.E. wanted to keep the Sunday School going. He asked his father, John Humphrey, for money to build a new chapel, but John Humphrey was initially reluctant to cover the costs. W.E. eventually overcame his father's reluctance. Sessions' funding provided for the construction of the new
Mt. Hope Chapel, complete with a steeple and bell and a new reed pump organ. [Note: The pump organ is in our parlor today, restored by the History Committee.]
W.E. drove to Mt. Hope to teach Sunday School each Sunday afternoon, scarcely missing a Sunday in 30 years. He initially drove a horse-drawn wagon to pick up children along the way. After the dawn of the automobile era, a bus picked children up, driven by Henry Coe, a Seventh Day Adventist.
Members of the church voiced memories of Mt. Hope for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Prospect Church. Les Wright said he occasionally got rides back home from Mr. Sessions. Bob Kirkwood, a resident of East Church in Plymouth, recalled Mr. Sessions giving a lecture to Bob Callahan, the only Catholic who ever went there, "Because he was cutting up real good." But Myrle (French) Mitchell, a sister of Virginia (French) Wall, recalled W.E. stopping his horse and carriage by the French homestead on Chippens Hill to ask if they wanted a ride to Mt. Hope Chapel. At least once, she recalled, "I didn't go because I was half afraid of him."
Prospect In Earlier Days - "There's A Song In The Air"
Much as it is today, the Advent Season has always played a significant role in Prospect Church's liturgical life, even during the war years. In 1942, the lead story in the December Tower was "'There's A Song In The Air' As Advent Season Begins." Subheads were "Church School Plans Special Activities," "Christmas Offerings To Be Received" and "All Members Asked To Take Part."
The beginning of Advent was marked by hymn singing in both church and Sunday School services. Special Christmas worship services were planned in all departments of the Church School. All choirs spent time preparing special music, letters went out from the Official Board soliciting holiday offerings and sermons focused on the Advent season.
On December 13th, High School Young People and the Older Youth Organization presented a Christmas drama entitled, "Peace I Give Onto You." On December 20th, the entire Sunday School met in the sanctuary for a dramatic morning worship service entitled, "While The Stars of Christmas Shine."
That evening, the Adult Choir presented a musical concert featuring familiar hymn singing along with a musical meditation on the Christmas story told through the compositions of Matthews, Maunder, Handel, Saint-Saens and Praetorius. The service was marked by a candlelight procession in the sanctuary.
Years pass, membership ebbs and flows, new events take the place of former ones, but the Christmas season always plays a major role in the life of our church.
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Lenten Season Of The Past
Since Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday will soon be upon us, heralding the arrival of another Lenten season, here is a look at the extensive Lenten program sponsored by Prospect Church in 1958. Ash Wednesday was observed on February 19 that year. The February Tower noted: "The Lenten Season is one of the periods in the Church year when Protestants make every effort to attend the special and regular services of the church." … "Ours is a very large church with a membership of 1439. It seems reasonable to expect that a church of this size would be able to secure an attendance of at least 500 persons."
Thursday evening "meetings" were held weekly with neighboring (presumably Methodist) pastors delivering the sermons. The pastors were from New Britain, Winsted, Middletown, Waterbury and Watertown. Sermon titles to be delivered by Rev. Eugene C. Fowler during Sunday services were also published: February 23, "The Tragedy of Jealousy"; March 2, "Holy Communion"; March 8, "The Tragedy of Indecision"; March 16, "The Tragedy Of Ingratitude"; March 23, "The Tragedy of Good Intensions"; March 30, Palm Sunday, "The Tragedy of Popular Acclaim"; and April 6, Easter Sunday, "The Tragedy of Easter."
Twenty-three young people attended the pastor's membership class, preparing to join the church on Palm Sunday. A class for adults was held on Tuesday evenings. The previous Lenten season, church attendance at Sunday morning services averaged 417. Of the goal of 500, the article concluded: "We can realize this goal if all who read this will make a serious effort to attend church each Sunday during this period."
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World-Wide Lenten Observance
As war dawned in February of 1940, Prospect joined with other Christians across the world to mark the start of the Lenten season. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, February 7, church members sought to "be a part of a world-wide endeavor to live in the Christian spirit," according to the Tower.
Special services were planned for Sunday morning and evening, Thursday evening, and Holy Week, which ran from March 17 to 24. The pastor's membership classes met on Thursday evening at 7, and Friday afternoons at 4. Committees of the Official Board assisted with mid-week services and church societies planned to take part in the Every Member Canvass. Sermon titles were announced well in advance for the entire Lenten and Holy Week season.
Under a separate heading of "Thursdays Will Be Different," a plan was elaborated to "bring to the attention of our people the purpose and program of our several committees." For instance, on February 8, the first Thursday of Lent, the evening program was a Symposium run by the pastor, Rev. Paul DuBois, entitled "A Good Book To Read During Lent." Symbolically, 40 people were asked to take part. Other topics of Thursday evening services were Social Services, Membership Goals and Cultivation, the Church and World Peace, Growing in Religion, and Music in Christian Life and Worship.
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No Dabbling
The February 1940 Prospect Tower had an interesting editorial column that could have as much meaning today, in this highly charged political climate, as it did that year. The column starts by emphatically telling preachers not to dabble in politics, referring to an "old saw" that had been in one of the newspapers commonly read by church members: "We thought the teeth of the old saw were so dull that it could not be used any more, but out of the tool chest it came again last week. … Right you are, brother editor. Let us say, 'Amen,' for that is a word to which we are accustomed. It means, 'so be it'."
But if you think you know the meaning of this editorial comment, you may be entirely wrong, for the column continues: "Ministers should not dabble in politics, neither should surgeons dabble in surgery. The situation is too serious. … Ministers should be thorough in all their dealing with politics. Politics has to do with government, government has to do with democracy. … How we can have true democracy without the teachings of religion we do not see.
"The early American patriots did not dabble about the relation of religion to democracy. … It was the kind of liberty men may have in religion. It is the kind that regards human personality as sacred. Religion must be related to all of life. The minister's dealing with life must be so thorough that no phase is excluded. … Every man is of worth in the sight of God. That is the foundation of democracy. That is the teaching of religion. Without that democracy will fail. It is the business, the duty, of ministers to proclaim this truth without fear or favor. They should not dabble around in it. They should be thorough about it. It will go far to relieve the ills of mankind."
This column was most likely a response by Prospect's then pastor, the Rev. Paul DuBois, who was often accused of "preaching socialism" (by my grandfather, former Press owner/publisher Arthur S. Barnes, among others, despite the good he did in the community). We will never know for sure, but reading between the lines it seems likely, for the column early on states: "How newspaper editors became the special custodians of democracy to the exclusion of ministers of the Gospel, they have not made clear."
My grandfather, in fact, a life-long Methodist, eventually left Prospect Church because of DuBois' progressive preaching. He returned one last time, however: for his funeral after his death on Christmas night, 1956.
