Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1942, Page 29

B—4 Epiphany By John Clagett Proctor. What an interesting edifice is the old Church of the Epiphany, in G street between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, now right in the middle of Wash- ington's downtown business center, where thousands of people pass it daily. 1t is not quite as old as the congrega- tion itself, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, but it is nearly so, having been under construction in 1843 and completed the following year. Some people do not believe in keeping records, but, fortunately others do. And John Sessford was one of those public servants, who not only believed in keep- ing records, but in passing them on to future generations, affording them ac- curate information about their early ‘Washington. For nearly 40 years this very thoughtful citizen gave to the press his annals, and the National Intelligencer published them. Though it. remained for Wil- helmus Bogart Bryan, some years ago, to bring them together and publish them in the records of the Columbia His- torical Society. Mr. Sessford passed away on February 23, 1862, three years after his last chronicles were published, and of him the Intelligencer said: “Of pure, moral. blameless life, intelligent and useful as a citizen, he was respected by everybody in the city.” Thus, it was in Sessford’s annals, for the year 1843, that the writer found the date of the building of Epiphany Church, which says: “* * * There has been erected a new Episcopal church on G street between Thirteenth and Four- teenth streets,” and the following year: “The new Episcopal church on G street is finished.” However, the congregation had formal- ly organized the year before the corner- stone of the church was laid, August 14, 1843, as the minutes of the church vestry tell us: “A meeting of persons desirous of forming another Protestant Episcopal church in the city of Washington was held in St. John’s Church on Wednes- day afternoon, the 30th of March. The Rev. John W. French was called to the chair and Gilbert Rodman appointed secretary. “A committee appointed at a previous meeting, composed of Messrs. Golds- borough, Edwards and William James, to prepare a plan for the proper organiza- tion of the church, with suitable rules and articles of association, was celled upon for its report. A report was ac- cordingly produced and read by William Goldsborough, chairman of the com- mittee. During the reading of the report, the Rev. Mr. French vacated the chair and called on the Rev. Mr. Hawley to preside, who, on taking the chair, stated that he wished it to be understood that the object of the meeting met with his most hearty approbation and good ‘wishes.” Trustees Named. On motion of Thomas H. Gillis, who we find was then serving the Govern- ment as chief clerk of the fourth audi- tor's office, the meeting proceeded to the election of five trustees, and the follow- ing were selected: Mr. Gillis, -chief clerk, fourth auditor’s office; William M. Morrison, bookseller; W. B. Berryman, clerk, Treasury; Charles H. James, apothecary and druggist at the northeast corner of Fourteenth and E streets, and James Morss. John W. French was elected the first pastor. His salary was pledged at $600 a year. But the real beginning of the church, it seems, was a mission enterprise in 1841, under the charge of the Rev. French, the first meeting being probably held on January 6, 1842, at the residence of Mrs. Sarah Easton, a widow, whose home was on the northwest corner of Nineteenth and I streets. Here those attending sgreed to associate themselves as a new congregation and adopted the name of Epiphany Church. At first the meetings were held in Apollo Hall, then on the south side of E street between Thirteenth and Thir- teenth-and-a-half streets, on the site of what was formerly the Southern Rail- way Building. The Apollo Building had quite & history. As early as 1838, as a one-story frame building, it was located on the north side of E street, near the National Theater. It was then occupied as a wheelwright and blacksmith shop by a Mr. Brockway, and about this time was purchased by William Morrow and removed to the south side of E street, where it was raised and a story placed under it, when it became known as Apollo Hall, where numerous societies met. Of it an old account says: “There the eloquent George W. Briggs of Massachusetts, Thomas Marshall of Kentucky and others were wont to ex- pound the benefits arising from the ebstinence from alcoholic beverages. Here our esteemed friend, George Sav- age, Esq. (the Father Mathew of Wash- ington), used his best endeavors to rescue his fallen brothers and by kind admoni- tions and a helping hand succeeded in saving many from a drunkard’s grave, some of whom are now among our most worthy and influential citizens.” It does look as if the work done by these good men will have to be done all over again. Apollo Hall. According to James Croggon, “Apollo Hall was long a place for public meetings and entertainments, and played an im- portent part in the early history of the city. Erected in the early 30s on the south side of E street, the lower portion was used as a grocery store by W. M. Morrow, who also for a time conducted there a broom factory. * * * “Theatrical performances were also given in the hall in the 30s. There were many fairs and lectures held there, and in political campaigns the hall was a rallying point. < “Apollc Hall was burned twice, late in the 40s, the last time being completely destroyed. Its blackened walls stood for many years as a reminder of what it had been.” The writer finds the date of the last burning of the hall to be June 6, 1855. According to an old account, probably written by an early parishioner, “the . hall accommodated about 300 or 400 people. A reading desk was at the north end of the hall, and near it was 8 movable screen, behind which the minister put on his robes for service, and at the other end was a small gallery used by the choir. “I do not remember,” says the un- known writer, “that there was any musi- @al instrument, bu; Prof. Clubb led the Right Rev. James E. Freeman, D. D., pastor of the Church of the Epiphany until he became Bishop of Washington in 1923. choir for some time, pitching the tune by a tuning fork. There were benches arranged along the sides, and echairs in the middle of the room. Dr. French commenced to hold service there about the winter of 1841-42. The services were well attended, as there were but three other Episcopal churches in the city at that time—Christ Church, Navy Yard; old Trinity on Fifth street and St. John’s Church. “Among the congregation of the mis- sion at Apollo Hall were the following named families: James, Ames, Gilliss, Goldsborough, Edwards, Morrison, Berryman, Brown, McIntyre, Fitzgerald, Dorsey, Davis, Clubb, Keller, Maynadier, Krafft, Fillebrown, Burroughs, Todhun- ter, Lenthal, Rodman, Dow, Dickens, Washington, Stellwagen, Parriss and others whose names: I cannot recall.” 1t is recorded that William James also “was wont to start the singing with the aid of a tuning fork.” The church records disclose the fact that the first meeting of the vestry after its election was held at the home of Mrs. E. James (who, by the way, was a widow residing around the corner on the east side of Fourteenth stfeét be- tween E and F). On August 10, 1842, James L. Edwards, Richard Burgess and Gilbert Rodman were appointed a com- mittee to secure a site. Apparently they were limited to contract for a lot costing not more than 20 cents a foot, for at the next meeting they reported their inability to secure a desirable lot for this amount, when the amount was in- creased to 25 cents. On August 22, at a meeting of the ~—Harris & Ewing Phote. vestry, a resolution was adopted d!recfin: the committee to wait upon Gen. Van Ness for the purpose of having him donate & lot for the church, and, al- though the general is known to have been liberal in donating lots for church purposes, yet upon this occasion he de- clined to do so. Site Selected. No rapid progress seems to have been made in this respett when it was re- ported at the meeting of *October 24 that a Miss Louisa Harrison had offered to donate to the vestry, as a site for the church, ground on G street, being the present location of the church edifice and specified as being Lots 3 and 4 in Square 252. Wavering in their conclu- sions, it was suggested to the committee that inquiry be made to ascertain if the lot at the corner of Twelfth and E streets could be purchased. But appar- ently this could not be done, and the site offered by Miss Harrison was accepted. Bids were taken .for erecting the church, 'and John W, Harkness, who drew the plans, was the successful com- petitor. August 8, 1843, the day set for-the lay- ing of the corner stone, the vestry met at Apollo Hall for the purpose of march- ing to the site, but the weather proving too disagreeable, the exercises were post- poned to Thursday, August 10. On this day it also rained, and a further post- ponement was ordered to Saturday, Au- gust 12. Washington must have been having one of its occasional pratracted rains, for the formality of laying the corner stone was again put off, Monday, s Church of the Epiphany, G street between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, which recently celebrated the 100th anni- versary of its congregation. Insert: Rev. John W. French, first rector, as a theological student. the 14th, being designated, and this time the exercises were held, although an eyewitness tells us that it even rained upon this occasion. “It was a warm, rainy afternoon,” the attendant says, “a good many people were present and um- brellas were in demand as a shower came up.” Of interest, of course, is the fact that Miss Harrison, who donated the site, sub- sequently became the wife of J. H. C. Coffin, professor of mathematics, United State Navy, and who resided at the northwest corner of G and Nineteenth streets N.W. Another faithful woman who rendered early service to the church was & Miss Lenthal, who was probably the first organist, and 1s said to have remained in the service of the church and Sunday School until age and infirmities obliged her to give up the work. Miss Helen Hutton was also an early organist. It was during Dr. Hall's pastorate, from October 30, 1856, to March 1, 1869, when he left to assume charge of Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, that the Civil War was fought, and when so many peo- ple in Washington were suspected of being pro-Southern, and even he for a time, was suspected of being disloyal, a charge he vehemently denied. Of him, Bishop Whipple, many years ago, said: “In the autumn of 1860 I went to Washington to plead for justice to these red men. I had letters from J. K. Sass, president of the Bank of Charleston, to a prominent Southern statesman, upon whom I called with the Rev. Charles H. Hall, D. D, rector of the Church of the Epiphany. In response to my pilea, this Government official said: “‘Bishop, we cannot help you. Mr. Lincoln will be elected President, and the South will go out of the Union. South Carolina will secede first and other States will follow. You will have to seek justice for your Indians from the North- ern government.’ “‘Is it possible,’ I exclaimed, ‘that I hear a representative of the Govern- ment say that even its trusted servants are plotting for its destruction?” “He smiled and replied:, ‘You know we Southern men believe in the right of secession.” “‘If you go out of the Union,’ said Dr. Hall, ‘it will be because God has per- mitted you to be stone blind, and slavery will be doomed. It will be a righteous retribution. We have married men and women at the altar, and have separated them on the auction block, and Chris- tian men have not dared to call it a sin.’ “Two years after this, in the middle He Is the Federal Workers’ Firm Friend By Basil Gordon. The thousands of Federal workers in Washington, their numbers growing by leaps and bounds, have one staunch friend. His name stands out prominently in the attention and affection of all whose business career is serving Uncle Sam. For he has done more than per- haps any other one man to make their positions what they are today, secure, well paid and with chances for advance- ment, He is Representative Robert Ramspeck of Georgia. | Though proudly Democratic (his desk contains not one, but two donkey statu- ettes), Mr. Ramspeck has all his life opposed political reprisals as applied to office holders of the minority party. This is no accident. Experience in his own politically rich past has been re- sponsible. His first opportunity for public service began at the age of 16, when he became a court clerk in his home district of Decatur, Ga. He got to know inti- mately numerous influential politicians of that era, and this acquaintanceship was destined to bear fruit when the time was ripe. The ripening occurred in 1911, when the House of Representatives sttained a Democratic majority, although the actual national administration under President Taft was Republican. It is customary to try out & new type- writer with the standard words “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.” In their surge of .power, certain elements in the 1911 Congress totally reversed the maxim— they decided that now was the time for the party to come to the aid of all good men, “good” being defined as loyal party ‘workers. The slaughter was terrific. One stray finger of the patronage system plucked a plum for Mr. Ramspeck, who was of- fered the position of chief clerk in the House post office. The incumbent, who had put in 15 years of satisfactory service; was removed for the unex- pressed but none the less fatal crime of being a Republican. Right then and there Mr. Ramspeck saw the gross in- justice, but accepted the position, inas- much as the Republican was out in any event, and any quixotic refusal on Mr. Ramspeck’s part would merely have meant that some other Democrat would get the job. Mr. Ramspeck, with s smile, admitted that the postal service there was not 50 good. He worked with a lot of grand fellows, as he puts it, but neither their good fellowship nor their affiliations with the party made up for their natural lack of experience. Mr. Ramspeck made a mental note that some day he would try to re*dy these conditions. Later he returned to Decatur, working with the Chamber of Commerce, and still later received another political ap- pointment, that of deputy United States marshal in Atlanta. The title of United States marshal is impressive, but there is much ‘public misapprehension about his appearance and duties. Popularly he is supposed to be large and imposing, wearing a two- gallon hat and a brace of pistols at his belt which he can draw in a split second to perforate public enemies. Actually, most of the marshal's duties are ad- ministrative. He acts as disbursing officer for Federal courts, pays witness and juror fees and keeps numerous other accounts requiring painstaking accuracy and efficiency on the part of the marshal himself and his entire staff. When Mr. Ramspeck took over, he found the same conditions which had prevailed in the House post office—a force of 100 per cent Democratic good fellows who were not stoo efficient. His determination was strengthened to do something about the system that made this situation possible. Meanwhile he had studied law at night and passing his bar examination, was admitted in 1919. Moving to De- catur again, he conducted a real estate and insurance business there, and in 1922 became editorial writer and busi- ness manager for a weekly paper, still going, the De Kalb New Era. In 1923 politics claimed him again. This time he was appointed prosecuting attorney, locally known as solicitor, for Decatur, and held the position for four years. In 1928 he practiced law on his own, until he was elected to the National Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Steele of that district. When he took this office in the fall of 1929 he found that he had automatically inherited from his predecessor, a mem- bership on the Civil Service Committee. Quite by accident he was in a position to do something constructive at last about such deplorable conditions as those which had prevailed in the House post office and the marshal’s office in Atlanta. The opportunity was there, but the means and the power had to be devel- oped. His trained legal mind cast about for the best weapons to use. He was de- lighted to find a good one in the old Civil Service Act of 1883. All employes to which it applied were amply protected by this statute, regardless of how often the party majority in Congress might change. Incumbents got their jobs by merit alone and kept them the same way. But the trouble was that not many employes came under its classification. Considered as an artillery weapon, the Civil Service Act of 1883 was a gun which fired a powerful shell, but fired it only & short distance. So Mr. Ramspeck, instead of trying to forge new ordnance, at first set about extending the range of the old. His task was hard, and he met much opposition, but in the end he succeeded. His fa- vorite bit of legislation, the one of which he is proudest, the Ramspeck-O'Maho- ney Act, effective June 28, 1938, extended the Civil Service to first, second and third class postmasterships—formerly the juiciest political patronage plums of all and the most potent vote getters in the entire tackle box. It took great skill and perseverance to get it enacted— almost as much as would be necessary to induce fishermen to give up using bait and fish with bare hooks. This and other Ramspeck bills have brought under Civil Service 90 per cent of Federal employes, exclusive of such agencies as W. P. A. and N. Y. A. and the like. Very sensibly old incumbents took non-competitive efficiency examina- tions, while applicants were and are on & competitive basis. Having established job security, Mr. Ramspeck then worked successfully on annual and sick leave provisions for em- ployes of the District government and later in collaboration with Senator Mead of New York, got automatic salary in- creases for all Federal workers and most employes of the District of Columbia. “All this pays,” says Mr. Ramspeck. “The best way to have an efficient gov- ernment is to make service with Uncle Sam attractive.” He certainly has done his share along 2t line, A Rev. Charles H. Hall, second rector of Epiphany Church, 1856 to 1869. of the Civil War, I was the guest of my cousin, Gen. Halleck. Mr. Stanton, the Secretary of War, came in one evening, and after speaking with some bitterness of the secessionists in Washington, re- marked: ‘I was told today that Dr. Hall is a Southern sympathizer. I re- peated Dr. Hall's words at the interview in 1860, 2t which Mr. Stanton expressed much surprise and exclaimed: ‘Did you hear that yourself, Bishop?’ “The next day I called upon Dr. Hall and told him that, although I could not give him my reasons for believing it, I was confident that he possessed enemies who had informed the Government that he was a Southern sympathizer. Spring- ing to his feet he exclaimed: ‘Bishop, excuse me a few minutes. I must go to the War Department immediately.” This he did, sending word to Mr. Stanton that he wanted to see him for ‘exactly two minutes.” Upon being admitted, he said: ‘Mr. Stanton, I am a Southern man. I am a Southern sympathizer and I should be a brute if I were not. My misguided friends are being killed. I am a Christian and loyal to the Govern- ment which keeps a roof over my head. When I cannot be loyal, I will ask you to put me in Fort Lafayette. Is that satisfactory ” “Mr. Stanton’s answer was: ‘Dr. Hall, have you any pews to rent in your church? If you have, you may count on me as a parishioner as long as I live in Washington." * Mr, ;8tanton was a member of the parish of tne Epiphany until he died.” During the Civil War the church, for some time, served as a hospital for Union soldiers. Following Dr. Hall came Rev. Thomas A. Starkey and then Rev. Wilbur F. Wat- kins,. DD. Rev. William Paret—well known later as the Bishop of Maryland. to which high office he was elected, and consecrated in 1884—followed Dr. Wat- kins as rector. Dr. Samuel Hansel Giesy was rector from 1885 to the date of his death, May 27, 1888, and was beloved by all who knew him. His successor was the noted Washington divine, Rev. Randolph Har- rison McKim, who was called from Trinity Church, New Orleans, in Novem- ber, 1888, and assumed his duties the following month. Then came Rev. James E. Freeman, D. D., who left there in 1923 to become Bishop of Washington. His place was taken in 1924 by the Rev. Z. B. Phillips, D. D. Many prominent people have wor- shiped here besides those named, in- cluding Jefferson Davis, George Madison Davis, James Morss, John B. S. Skinner, Richard Burgess, E. J. Middleton, Robert Farnham, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, Col. and Mrs. Burnside, -the family of Bishop Paret, family of Commodores Whiting and Rogers, Col. W. W. Dudley and family, which included Rev. George P. Dudley, who was confirmed there. Also, Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite of the United State Supreme Court and Sena~ tor Edmunds. Mrs. Elizabeth Stone, whose country estate included all of what is now Colum- bia Heights, attended there, and Mrs. Philip J. Ryan was for years interested in the work of the parish. Many other old Washingtén families have attended this church, and it still numbers in its membership some of the foremost people of the Federal Capital. The old church could relate quite a bit of history if it could talk. Indeed, it would be interesting to know just how this street looked at the time it was erected nearly 100 yearg ago. Then G street was almost the northern boundary of the city, for there was much vacant ground, even close to this old edifice. Indeed, as much as a quarter of a cen- tury, subsequent to the building of this church, the National baseball club had its grounds at the corner of Pifteenth and L streets, so G street, at least at that time, was 2lmost suburban. It was twenty years before the first street cars ran on the Avenue, while there were practically no street improvements in this part of Washington, and ver: few in any other part. Pictures made before the Civil War show cows grazing along K street, three blocks to the north, and muddy roadways just above Thomas Circle. The springs in the vicinity of Franklin Square then supplied much of downtown Washington with water for all purposes. Many graveyards were still in the city limits, for many of the churches still had their own cemeteries at this period. It was a neighborhood of churches. Down at Tenth and F streets (F street side) was old St. Patrick's; below this, on Tenth street, the Baptist Church, where preached the Rev. Obadiah Brown, and which later moved to the site of the telephone office on Thirteenth street. At Eleventh and H was St. Paul's Lutheran Church; on New York avenue between Thirteenth and Four- teenth streets the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and just around the corner oh F street, where stands the Willard Hotel, was the F Street Presby- terian Church, where Dr. Lawrie preached and which later became Wil- lard Hall. Nearly all of these early churches have been removed, but old Epiphany still re- mains as a monument to Christianity, Speaking in Chinese By Hamilton Faron, Wide World News, The man in the United States who represents the world's largest repablic counts as his greatest accomplishment the gift of a “living language” to the literature of his people. A poet and scholar, he is Dr. Hu Shih, affable and cheery Ambassador from China who came to the United States from London just before the Munich pact. He turns off discussions of politics and of mternational affairs. But he talks willingly of his favorite subject—“Kuo- yo.” Freely translated that means “na- tional tongue of China.” . “It is & respected name for the old ‘vulgar’ tongue,” says Dr. Hu, “which now is accepted in literature and edu- cation.” Only a comparatively few years ago the “vulgar,” or spoken language, was shunned by scholars. Few would write in the language of the people, putting their poems and novels instead into the formal characters of their ancestors. Then Dr. Hu began.his campaign for use of the living tongue, publishing a book of his own poems in the vulgar language. Next he started republication of novels produced during the previous 500 years by authors who wrote anony- mously because they transcribed their plots in the common idiom. For each novel Dr. Hu wrote a preface. He estimates he has written 3,000,000 words in Chinese, “a substantial part of it in my hobby field"—popularizing the living language. “No living literature can be produced in a dead language,” was his motto through the years that led to general acceptance of Kuo-yo. He has two other major hobbies—ad- vising people to cultivate hobbies, and collecting books. “Politics has been & hobby, too,” he sald. “I began writing about politics before the war. It seems that politics now becomes my profession for & time.” Dr. Hu lives alone in the huge mansion leased by the Chinese Government for its Washington Embassy. High above the street, it looks down over acres of rolling lawns and giant trees, two of which gave the estate its name—Twin Oaks. Originally built by Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, the big wooden mansion has few Chinese touches aside from some beautiful pieces of furniture and a row of carved lamps hanging from the ceiling of the broad porch. . It's a lonely life for Dr. Hu—"three- fourths of my family are in this coun- try, but the most important part is in China.” He explained that his two sons are students at American universi- ties—Tsu-Wang a senior in mechanical engineering at Cornell and Ssu-Tu & freshman at Haverford. But Mme. Hu doesn't want to come to the United States. She can't speak English, and says Dr. Hu, she believes she would find it difficult to learn a new language. She says, he declared, that “you can't teach an old dog new tricks.” Dr. Hu dresses quietly in dark busi- ness suits and looks much younger than his 50 years., He has little interest in active sports although he once thought he would like golf. “Many of my friends have wanted me to play golf,” he smiled. “When I left London on the very day before Chambes- lain received the invitation to go to Munich, there was a most tense war atmosphere. Thousands of people were at Whitehall station. One old frlend who came to see me off said in his final parting words: “Play golf. I haven't even learned to putt, I feel guilty when I think of that old friend.” i