Atchison County Churches
"THE STORY OF A KANSAS PARISH, Trinity Church, Atchison, Kansas, 1857-1911"
by
Rev. Francis S. White
Page 5, 1901-1911
December, 1900, brought Mr. Molineux's administration to an end, and the Vestry again began
to look for another leader. That leader proved to
be
THE REV. WILLIAM R. CROSS
Of Hinsdale, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Cross, with
their two sons, came to Atchison in April, 1901.
It was impossible but that the many changes
wrought under the preceding regime should not
have the approval of all who cared for and loved
the Church, and Mr. Cross will ever be remembered
as one who, under God, was able to show that
ritual and religion went hand in hand, and to
cement into friendly union in the parish life those
whose view points had greatly differed on the ceremonial worship of our Blessed Lord.
In February, 1902, St. Andrew's was reopened
by Mr. Cross, who succeeded in interesting Mr.
William Cain and Mr. William Jones to care for
the Sunday School, while he himself cared for the
services. From that day to this the Sunday School
has gone on; and that it still continues, is now due
to the devotion of two former pupils, Miss Bessie
Nicholson and Miss Nellie Aylor.
In September of that year St. Andrew's
Mission and the parish lost a good friend and a zealous
worker in the death of Mr. John F. Woodhouse.
Mrs. R. A. Park, also a builder of and early worker
in the church, entered into rest during Mr. Cross'
rectorate.
Meanwhile the Altar Guild continued to work
for the beautifying of the sanctuary. The altar was
made longer and higher; a new credence table was
given by Miss Cosgrove and a beautiful ciborium
by Miss Frances Foote, and crystal and silver
cruets in memory of Mrs. Constance Ingalls Shick.
In the summer of 1904, Mr. Cross accepted a
call to Evansville, Indiana, and the Vestry this
time turned their faces northward and, in Omaha,
found and called
THE REV. FRANCIS S. WHITE
who came to be the fifteenth Rector of the parish, and began his work in November of that
year. Mr. White accepted the call on the condition that all efforts to raise money for the support
of the parish should be along the lines of offerings and pledges.
In 1905, the need of a chapel for daily services and the further need of a special room for
the work of Miss Cora Cain, a most proficient
primary superintendent, led the Vestry to contract for the building of an addition 28x30 to the
east end of the Parish House or Guild Hall. The
money to pay for this was raised by subscription
and the Easter offering. In this addition
there is now a fine, well-lighted primary
room, with kindergarten furnishings and a
chapel dedicated to St. Mary, the Virgin. This
chapel is used for daily morning services throughout the year, and for most all other services where
a large congregation is not expected. The Altar
and rail are a memorial to Miss Besse Pennell.
The Altar cross and vases to Mrs. Ruth Browne
Hulings, and her daughter, Ruth Hulings. The
Eucharistic lights are a memorial to Mrs. C. B.
Beitzel. The Altar desk is a memorial to Mr.
Hermance, given by his sister, Mrs. R. F. Clarke.
The Altar Service Book is given by Mrs. J. J.
Ingalls, in memory of two of her grandsons.
Over the Altar hangs a beautiful painted tapestry
copy of Boticelli's Madonna and Child, given by
Mrs. W. F. Donald and Mrs. W. P. Byram. The
organ in the chapel was given by Mrs. J. M. Cain.
The pews were put in by Trinity Church Guild.
In fact, it is purposed to make every part of the
chapel ever speak of a loving and thankful remembrance of those who are gone before.
And the church itself is speaking more and
more of those who have lived and loved and
worked within its walls. The twin windows over
the entrance doors are the gift of Mrs. Mary F.
DeForest, a long-time member and benefactor
not only of Trinity Parish, but of the Church in
the Diocese as well. An exquisite Tiffany window entitled "The Angel of Praise," was given
by Mrs. Charles J. Drury in memory of her husband, a Vestryman of the parish. The Women's
Guild built the "Good Shepherd" window to the
memory of Bishop Leonard, and installed it m
1906. Mrs. J. J. Ingalls has had placed in the
church a copy in glass of Holman Hunt's "Light
of the World," which fills the window space near
where she sits and will ever speak its message to
all who view it. A lovely window of Madonna
and Child preserves to memory the sainted life
of Mrs. E. A. Mize, who found rest to her soul
on Good Friday, 1898. The Bakewell and the
Styles windows and the Dean window keep fresh
in our minds the names and memories of those
into whose labors we have entered. Next to the
organ is another window of "Christ Blessing Little
Children." which was given by the parents of some
whose little hands had but touched our heart
strings and then left us quivering with longing
and with love.
Is it not a beautiful custom thus to surround
ourselves with these mementos or memorials of
the loved workers in the Master's Vineyard? How
much more sacred to us comes to be the place
where storied glass and lettered bronze, and chiseled marble speak to us of those who in their
day made glorious the garment of a good life.
For this reason we are glad to have the new Altar
rail in memory of Mrs. R. B. Morris and the
bronze tablet to Mrs. Park and her sister, Mrs.
Kellogg.
St. Andrew's Chapel, too has seen some
changes during the past seven years. St. Andrew's Guild consists of from twelve to fourteen
women who, with a revenue raised by the unsolicited sale of aprons and other articles made on
demand, have completely changed the interior of
the chapel. The platform has been extended
across the end of the church, and seats erected
for a vested choir. New pews have been built
to take the place of benches, a new carpet has been
laid in the sanctuary and center aisle. The roof
has been re-shingled, a new furnace installed,
a new organ purchased, and all taxes kept
paid by the efforts of this band of women,
aided from time to time by gifts from
friends afar and near. The Altar Guild has built
a new credence shelf, and erected a reredos for
the Altar. Miss Cora Cain has given a beautiful
solid silver Paten and Chalice in memory of her
brother, and Mrs. Mary Holbert has given two
crystal and silver cruets in memory of her husband and her parents. And it is purposed to give
a silver ciborium in memory of Roy Saggs,
ever faithful scholar, choir boy, worshipper, who
met an accidental death in this summer of 1911.
In fact, death has marked these years with
peculiar emphasis. Space would prevent the mention of all whom we have lost awhile ; but who
could forbear mentioning here Mrs. R. B. Morris,
Mrs. Elizabeth Briggs, Mrs. C. B. Beitzel, dear
Miss Mary Brown, Mr. Smart, Mr. John Price
and Mr. Blish, as especially known and loved because of their labors and who have fallen asleep
during this rectorate. And it is with especial
gratitude to God that the parish now looks on
the Blish Alemorial Altar and window as speaking fitly of him who has gone, and of her who
thus perpetuates his spirit, along with her own
devotion to their common Lord.
In 1907 the Rector was married in his Parish
Church to Miss Caroline Mize, daughter of Mr. E.
A. Mize and their home life has ever since been
made beautiful by the kindly offices of affectionate parishioners. The rectory has had a fine new
porch added to the front, and new furnaces were
built both in the rectory and church. The walls
of the Church and Guild Hall have been redecorated and pictures for the latter have been given
by the Primary Class, Mrs. C. J. Drury and Mrs.
J. J. Ingalls.
The Vested Choir, the Trinity Church Guild,
the Woman's Auxiliary, the Altar Guild, all have
made good records for work and giving through
these years. Before the city undertook the teaching of Domestic Science in its schools there was
for three years a flourishing sewing school of
more than one hundred children under the patronage of Mrs. C. J. Drury and presided over in turn
by Mrs. Sheffield Ingalls and Miss Florence Fox,
assisted by a noble corps of teachers.
The Sunday Schools have developed some
faithful children. Robert Kimball has only missed
one Sunday in the past seven years. Bartholow
and Virginia Park, DeLaskie Miller, Cly and Florence Nicholson and Theodora Witt have almost as
good a record, while the school stands second to
none in point of faithful teachers whose names
are written in another place.
And now the story ends, and with it the rectorate of him who has compiled it. This past
summer when I read and wrote I did not dream
that my pen should close the chapter of my own
work in this strong parish. But such is the case;
and as I put aside the pen I wish its last words to
be those of that ancient man of God, who quoted
his Master and said: "Speak to the children of
Israel that they go forward." Your past record
reads well; make the future pages of your history read better, by making the present day's
work a continuous record of progress in all that
counts for good and God.
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This website created Jan. 24, 2012 by Sheryl McClure.
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