A history of the First Baptist Church of Riverside, California, with particular reference to its relation to the community

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A HISTORY OP THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OP RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS RELATION TO THE COMMUNITY

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of History University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts

by Sanford Vandever Smith September 1950

UMI Number. EP67521

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This thesis, written by

under the guidance of h j F a c u l t y C o m m ittee, and app ro ved by a l l its members, has been presented to and accepted by the C o uncil on G raduate Study and Research in p a r tia l f u l f i l l ­ ment of the requirements f o r the degree of

M&jsdtjejz

. we find this statement:

"Nearly all

the religious denominations are represented here and a church lot is donated to each when they wish to build.”39 Under the leadership of Mr. Atherton, the church was very cooperative regarding the use of its building.

The

Episcopalians, Methodists, and Baptists were allowed to hold meetings there, and when it was possible for them to secure men to officiate at regular intervals, the different groups remained as one congregation and worshipped together. The Methodists were the first to break away from the

Holmes, History, 159* 37 Hornbeck, Ranch, 159* 3& Kate Gandee and others, History of the First Baptist Church of Riverside, California, 23. 39 Boyd, Riverside, 339-360, gives the complete document.

12 original group--this probably taking place on January 10, 187^.^

They, too, used the school building until they were

able to construct their own house of worship. Within a month, the Firs I Bap Lisi Church of Riverside, was organized.

On Saturday afternoon, February 7 * 187^> a

small group gathered at the Congregational C h u r c h . ^

M. V.

Wright, a local resident, read a passage of scripture and led in prayer, following which, Rev. J. C. Curtis of IjOS Nietos preached a sermon.

They then proceeded to the busi­

ness of organizing, and we will let the Records of the Church Clerk tell that story in its own engaging way.1^ This is to certify that the Baptist brethren and sisters of Riverside, California, and vicinity have assembled at the Congregational Church of this place at two o ’clock P.M. for the purpose of organizing a Regular Baptist Church. Bro. James H. Roe was chosen Moderator, and D. C. Twogood, Clerk Pro. Tern. Hymn sung in which all joined with enthusiasm. Reading of scripture and prayer by Rev. M. V. Wright. Moderator then presented the object of the meet­ ing. By request of Moderator, Bro. Wright made some explanatory remarks as to proper mode of organizing. Moderator then gave opportunity for all those who

Holmes, History, 108. 41

Candee, Church, 1.

^ First Baptist Church of Riverside, California, Records of the Church Clerk, February 7 > 187^-

13 had no letters to relate their Christian Experience and Faith in Christ. The following brethren and sisters responded, to wit: Bros. M. V. Wright, T. J. Wood, James H. Roe, and D. C. Twogood, Sisters Maggie Wright, A. L. Twogood, and Ida Johnson. Bro. D. A. Coddington--a new convert— then related a very interesting Christian Experience--showing good evidence of true conversion and strong faith in Baptist Doctrine, presenting himself as candidate for baptism. A Church letter was then read by Clerk from Church of Marshalltown, Iowa, recommending sister Lavina Roe to any church of same faith and order. Sister Roe, by virtue of her letter, was received in full fellow­ ship. By request, Clerk read ‘‘Articles of Faith11 as set forth in the Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Bro. Wright moved that we organize under said “Articles of Faith“--motion adopted. Church Officers were elected, to wit: D. C. Twogood--lst Deacon James H. Roe— 2nd Deacon. Bro. D. A. Coddington accepted as candidate for Baptism and elected to be Church Clerk after baptism, and the “Hand of Fellowship.*1 Bro. Wright moved that the name we adopt be, The First Baptist Church of RIverside--said name adopted. Rev. M. V. Wright was called to the pastorate of the church. Appropriate hymn sung. Meeting closed by benediction. D. C. Twogood Clerk, Pro. Tem.

CHAPTER II STABILIZATION IN CHURCH AND COMMUNITY, 1874-1882 On the day following their organization, the Baptists took charge of the worship service at the Congre­ gational church,

Mr. Curtis preached a sermon from the

text, Proverbs 9*1-6, and gave the charge to the pastor, deacons and church.1

After he had given the hand of fellow­

ship to the church, the congregation "proceeded to the water" where the new convert and clerk-elect, D. A. Coddington, was baptized.^

In the evening

the church assembled to par­

take of the Lord's Supper,

and their first

closed with the singing of

the Doxology.^

Although the church

day of services

had started out with praise and

thanksgiving, encouraged by a new convert and determined to do its best to develop a Baptist witness in Riverside, several lean years lay ahead.

The records available do not

indicate much activity for the remainder of 1874.

There are

entries in the Church Clerk* s Records for only two other days, March 7 and August 8.

However, there must have been

^ First Baptist Church, Records of the Church Clerk, February 8, 1874. 2 Ibid., Feb. 8, 187 ^. ? Ibid., Feb. 8, 187 ^.

15 a meeting of some kind every month, because the March entry refers to a meeting to be held the next month, and the entry of January 9, 1875 says that the “Regular Church meeting was held. The information that is available gives us an inter­ esting insight into the character of the young church. When the group met on March 7 th, two new members were received, and it was voted that an offering for home missions should be taken q u a r t e r l y . 5

At the August 8 th meeting,

delegates were appointed for the meeting of the Los Angeles Baptist A s s o c i a t i o n . ^

Evidently, even amid the problems and

difficulties which faced it, the church was concerned about others and was anxious for fellowship with those of like mind. During the first meeting of 1875 > M. V. Wright resigned as pastor.7

He continued to be active in the

church however, and later, when funds were available, he preached two sermons a month for ten dollars.^

h

Church, Records, Jan. 9> 1875*

5 Ibid.. March 7 , 1 8 7 5 . 6 Ibid.. August 8 , 1875.

7 Ibid.. January 9> 1875. 8 Ibid.. March 20, 1 8 7 7 .

The little

16 congregation accepted the resignation and voted to meet on the first Sunday of each month “for prayer and confession,“ the reading of the church covenant, and the administration of the Lord's Supper. The loss of pastoral leadership was, no doubt, a great disadvantage to the church.

As long as they were able

to accept the hospitality of the Congregationalists and con­ duct the services there at regular intervals, that privi­ lege would tend to strengthen the group.

Having no pastor,

they were now unable to take charge of a preaching service, and many of their meetings were held in homes during 1875 and 1 8 7 6 .9

Hew members were being added regularly, however,

and the struggling Baptists continued to look to the future. At the church meeting on December 2 9 , 1875> a commit­ tee was appointed to secure information about the purchase of a lot.-^

When the committee reported a week later that

a lot could be obtained for forty dollars--one third down and the remainder in two yearly payments--and that the com­ pany would donate a lot, it was decided to authorize the purchase.^

The lots finally settled upon were located on

9 Gandee, Church, J>. Church, Records, Dec. 2 9 , 187511 Ibid. , Jan. 5, 1 8 7 6 .

IT Eighth Street (“the “broad, street”) where Lemon Street now c r o s s e s.^

Thus a beginning was made towards securing a

home for the church. Apparently there was now a great amount of enthusi­ asm regarding the erection of a church building.

Trustees

and a building committee were elected on February 2, 1 8 7 6 , and additions were made to the finance committee.-^

At

this same meeting, an interesting suggestion was made by T. J. Wood, a member of all three committees and a carpen­ ter^

whose house was probably the second building erected

in Riverside. ^

He proposed that the church raise money

for doors, windows, and nails; that each member furnish one thousand feet of lumber within a year; and that a church building be put up the following winter.

However, the

enthusiasm was a little premature, for it was several years before the congregation was able to meet in its own place of worship. Later in the year, the church decided to have Mr. Wood, a trustee of the local school, see if the school house would be available for meetings the second Sunday morning

^

Candee, Church. 4.

13 Church, Records, Feb. 2, 1 8 7 6 . ^

Hornbeck, Ranch, 110.

15 Holmes, History, 33.

18 of every month and every Sunday and Wednesday evening. Permission to meet there seems to have been given, and the church assembled there for its meetings at least through January 12, 1 8 7 8 . The church was without a pastor throughout 1875 and 1 8 7 6 , and in January of 1877 steps were taken to secure a

pastor for the year.

There was some discussion of seeking

to have the Rev. Mr. Allen of San Bernardino spend half of his time with the Riverside church,-*-7

but later M. V.

Wright was invited to preach twice a month.18

He accepted

the invitation and continued throughout the year but resigned January 12, l Q j 8 , ^

The clerk's record for that

date presents a rather pathetic picture.

A minister named

Ambrose of St. Helena had written to inquire if the church needed a pastor, and, although Mr. Wright had just resigned, the reply had to be sent that support for a worker was not available. During March and ^pril, 1 8 7 8 , a revival was held which strengthened the church greatly.

Almost a year

earlier there had been some discussion of securing someone

Church, Records, June 28, 1 8 7 6 . ^

Ibid., Jan. 20, 1 8 7 6 .

18 Ibid., March 20, 1877.

19 Ibid.. Jan. 12, 1 8 7 8 .

19 "for a season,” but nothing had been done at the time.2^ Now, twenty dollars were borrowed from the Sewing Circle fund and sent to the Rev, Mr, C, C, Bateman, General Missionary of the California Baptist State Convention.2 -*- to enable him to come to Riverside,22

He came, and the clerk

recorded that “meetings have been held afternoon and even­ ing by Brother Bateman with increasing interest.”23

He

held the meetings in Rowefs hall through most of April2**- in what has been described as the first "notable" revival in the c i t y . 2 ^

During this time the clerk listed eight people

who joined the church by letter and eighteen new converts who were baptized.2^

Among the latter group was A. J.

Twogood, one of the original settlers and his wife. In September, 1878, the church called its second pastor, the Rev. Mr. J. C. Forbes, D.D., of San Francisco,27 who had been recommended by Mr. Bateman.

Because of the

20 Church, Records, April 18, 1877* 21 (A. Grant), History of Los Angeles Baptist Association, 47. 22 Candee, Church,

, 4.

2^ Church, Records, March 23, 1 8 7 8 . 24 Ibid., April 21, 1 8 7 8 . Roe, Notes, 26. 2^ Church, Records, entries through April 24, 1 8 7 8 . 27 ibid., Sept. 8, 1 8 7 8 .

20 financial condition of the church, he had to leave on July 1, 1880.^8

Most of this time the church continued to meet

in Rowe's hall, a building formerly used as a store,29 by May, 1880,

but

they had begun to meet in homes again.30

Forward steps taken during his pastorate were the beginning of a Sunday school with D. 0. Twogood as superintendent,^ and the incorporation of the church to make it legally qualified to hold property.32 When the church was first organized, Riverside was still in a somewhat primitive condition.

In fact, there

were about two hundred Mission Indians who camped near town and lived chiefly by doing odd jobs for the colonists.33 An important factor in the influence

growth of the community was

of J. A. Sayward and S. G. Evans.

the

Early in1875

they built a canal to water their tract--the present site of Arlington--and in May of that year they bought controll­ ing interest in the Southern California Colony Association

Church, Records, May 31* 1880. 29 Roe, Notes, 16. ^

Church, Records, May 31* 1880.

3^- Candee, Church, 5* 32

Church, Records,June 19, 1880.

33

Hornbeck, Ranch,179> 180.

21 and united the two water systerns.3^

During 1875 the company

enlarged and improved the upper canal, turning off the water for as long as two weeks a month in order to do the work. One early historian gives this picture of the city:35 In 1875 the population of the Riverside settlements was estimated at one thousand. The town then had with­ in its limits one church edifice, a schoolhouse, a hotel, two restaurants, a carriage and wagon factory, three general merchandise stores, a drug store, a livery stable and two saloons. Another saloon was added to the number early in 1876. He concludes that it was apparently a nwide open” town. Life was still far from easy for the colonists.36 Besides having the water shut off for a large part of 1875 there was a severe frost that spring.

,

The winter of 1876

produced two outbursts of nature--a hail and sleet storm and an earthquake--and 1877 "was dry and dusty.

Some of the

settlers must jave wondered if California was really the Utopia they had expected.

Added to the difficulties caused

by the weather was the fact that the orchards did not begin to be valuable for what they could produce until about 1878. One early settler reports that in 1895

^ W. H. Hall, Irrigation in California, 222 ff. gives an extended history of Riverside water development. 35 j # M. Guinn, Southern California, 200. 36 Roe, Rotes, 20-25. 37 Mills, 11L. C. Tibbets,” 140.

Indians Living near Mt* Roubidoux in the Early Days

The Center of Riverside, c. 1875

23

Repercussions of the Wall Street panic of 1873 were being severly felt on the Pacific Coast in the scarcity of circulating money. It was a question if the colony could survive. It is no wonder that the Baptists found it impossible to support a pastor regularly, especially when we remember that their total membership was only about fifty as late as 1880.58 In spite of the hardships presented by life in the colony, Riverside continued to grow.

The population was

over the thousand mark by 1 8 7 6 , and brick buildings began to appear in

t o w n . ^9

The inhabitants could look forward to

adequate transportation facilities as the Southern Pacific Railroad began to creep eastward from Los Angeles, reaching Colton in the fall of 1873 and Yuma in June, 1 8 7 7 * ^

Of

more immediate assistance was the erection of a bridge spann­ ing the Santa Ana River between Colton and Riverside in November, 1 8 7 8 . ^ If the town of Riverside was growing, the thing which was to make it famous, the orange industry, was developed to no less an extent.

In 1 8 7 6 , the Tibbetts1 orange trees bore

38 Church, Records, membership list. Roe, Notes, 22* 40 Ibid. . 1 9 , 2 5 . ^

Ibid., 3 0 .

24 fruit which was very superior to that of the early seed­ lings,^2 and "as the years passed by--l877> 1878, 1879, l880--it became more evident that the one thing to plant at Riverside was the navel orange.,,20

By 1879 the orange

growers felt stable enough to hold a citrus f a i r . ^

It was

held in February and was such a success that the event became an annual affair, spreading the fame of the town throughout California.

About this same time a fruit growers

association was organized with D. C. Twogood as one of the trustees. ^

As a recent historian has written, nin

Southern California in 1880, the transforming power of irrigation was most strikingly apparent at Riverside, where the poorest grazing land of Rancho Jurupa had been made a show place of citrus culture. The cultural and intellectural life of Riverside was making progress hand in hand with its economic development. For instance, mention is made of concerts given by a phil­ harmonic society which was in existence by 1878.^7

^2 Hornbeck, Ranch, 166 ff. ^

Ibid., 212.

^

Roe, Notes, 31.

^

Ibid.

^6 j # w. Caughey, California, 481. ^

Roe, Notes, 29, 30.

In this

same year, the first successful newspaper, the weekly Press was established with Deacon Roe as its e d i t o r . ^ ilQ

was highly praised hy Riverside historians, ^

his

WOrk

and one re­

ports that part of the profits of the paper were applied to the purchase of books which later became the public l i b r a r y . 50

This latter institution was founded in 1879 and

was located in Mr. R o e ’s drugstore, he being the librarian for seven years.51

it is of interest to note that A.

J.

Twogood was one of the three original trustees of the library association.^ As future of

the year

1880

approached, it seemed that the

Riverside was no longer in doubt.

People were

becoming more prosperous as the orange industry grew, and Roe says that the community acquired the reputation of be­ ing a place where everyone had f,a piano and top buggy. ”55 During 1880 real estate

sales amounted to $267,201 and new

buildings

were

AR

worth

$7^,800

erected.5^

in this year,

0. T

Holmes, History, 373*

^9

Boyd, Riverside,

604;

9°

Boyd, Riverside,

605.

Holmes, History, 97. 52 Boyd, Riverside, 528. ^

Roe, Notes, 32.

5^

Ibid.

Hornbeck, Ranch,

208,

209*

26

Dyer, an Illinois banker and later a trustee of the Baptist Church, arrived and opened the first bank in

R i v e r s i d e .

55

The road ahead appeared inviting, although there was still hard work to be done. In 1881 real estate activity almost doubled the totals of the previous year as f,a steady stream of settlers kept coming in, largely men of means--and

b r a i n s . f,5 6

The

summer of 1882 witnessed the opening of a cannery employing about two hundred people, and a five thousand dollar pavilion was erected for the Citrus fair held that

y e a r .

57

It was also in 1882 that Riverside was first allowed the luxury of a park, which was named after A. S. White in gratitude for his efforts in beautifying it.58

The colony

of a dozen families was on its way to becoming a city. The most readily apparent characteristic of the First Baptist Church in these early days was its continuous state of financial embarrassment.

As noted before, Mr. Wright

resigned twice when there was no salary available, and Dr. Forbes had to leave for the same reason.

55 Holmes, History, 59• 56 Roe, Notes, 50, 5 8 . 57 Ibid., 59, 63.

58 Holmes, History, 68,

In October, 1875 9

27 the church appointed a finance committee which organized a ”Mite Society” to raise

f u n d s . 59

Later* the funds collected

by the society were used to make the first payment on the church lot . 60

in the efforts to raise money* the women

seem to have played an important part.

When the lot had

been purchased and enthusiasm was manifested over the prospects of erecting a building, the church voted to add ”all the ladies” to the finance committee. 6 l There is one interesting picture of church discipline at work in the clerk’s records.

Early in 1879 this simple

statement is given, ”Bros. Deacon Twogood and Garleton were appointed to visit Bro. William Johnson and inquire into his past conduct.”

Three months later the committee recom­

mended the exclusion of the erring member ”for using profane language and neglecting the means of

g r a c e . ” 65

After some

discussion, the recommendation was followed. Looking back on the first few years of the church’s history, an early member has described it as a time of

59 Church, Records, Oct. 15, 1875* 60 Ibid.. Jan.

12, 1 8 7 6 .

61 Ibid., Feb. 2, 1 8 7 6 . 62 Ibid.. Jan. 4, 1879. 65 Ibid.. April 5 , 1879.

28

11struggle for even e x i s t e n c e . T h e

renting of Howe’s

hall for the meetings held by Rev. Bateman was the first attempt to have a meeting place the church could call its own, and furnishing it for worship services was a real community project.

The deacons’ wives made a pulpit out of

drygoods boxes and green burlap, the men whitewashed the inside walls, and Mrs. Hoe played her organ, the only one in town, which was carried from her home and back for every s e r v i c e . ®

The devotion of these pioneer members coupled

with the growing membership of the church and the increasing prosperity of Riverside insured better days, however, and in 1880 the steps were taken which led to those better days. After the weekly prayer-meeting held on September 30, the church called Rev. Charles Button as its pastor.66

a

week later letters were presented for his wife and himself from Marquette, Michigan, and they were received into the membership of the c h u r c h . ®

His coming heralded the begin­

ning of what has been aptly described as ,!a new era.11^

6^ Candee, Church, 3.

65 Ibid., 22. 66 Church, Records, Sept. 30, 1880. 67 Ibid., Oct. 7, 1880.

68 Candee, Church, 5*

29 The clerk1s records for the next few months give evidence that the church now had effective and energetic leadership, and activity increased in all phases of church life. The supreme efforts of both pastor and church were directed towards the erection of a house of worship, and by the close of the year they had increased their property in anticipation of that event.°9

In the spring of 1881, plans

were adopted for the building, and the necessary committees were appointed.70

Although the financial responsibility

was more than the church could shoulder, Mr. Button had a solution for the problem.

He requested, and was granted,

permission to return to the East and "solicit aid" from his former pastorates.71

"This was a very difficult but success­

ful undertaking as the building erected at the corner of Eighth and Lemon streets, and completed June 10, 1882, testified."^2

One of the gifts he received was a Mason and

Hamlin organ which is still in the possession of the church73 The dedication of the new building on Sunday morning, June 11, 1882, was a grand event in the history of the

Roe, Notes, 48. 7° Church, Records, April 19* May 5 and May 22, 1881. ^

Ibid., June 9 and 12, 1881.

7^ Candee, Church, 5* 73 ibid., 22.

30 church.

The other churches in town were invited to be

present and they suspended their own services to attend.7^ Accompanied by piano and organ, the choir of eight voices sang for the overflow congregation, and in the opinion of a local critic, "no better music was ever furnished to a Riverside audience."75

After the sermon, over eighteen

hundred dollars was raised by the congregation, which, with outside pledges, was enough to liquidate the debt of $2100. The church building, which cost about $6000 to build was described a s ^ . . .a very fine one, a little odd in appearance, but neatly furnished with stained glass windows, chandeliers, side lights, etc. The aisles are carpeted and the whole interior and exterior is such as to make both pastor and membership feel proud of their new place of worship. The early years of Mr. Button*s pastorate produced other attempts to strengthen the church.

One was the

appointment of Deacon Roe as chorister and Mrs. Roe as organist.77

This is the first reference to organized music

in the worship services.

Another strengthening effort was

directed toward the church organization.

In the fall of 1880,

7^ Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. June 17, 1882. 75 Ibid., June 17, 1882. 76 Xbld., June 17, 1882. 77 Church, Records, Oct. 14, 1880.

31 the pastor had written a set of by-laws for the church, and they were unanimously adopted on December 9 th of that yearT^ Other efforts which followed the erection of the building were the reorganization of the Sunday School and the setting aside of the first prayer meeting of every month as a union missionary meeting with the Congregationalists.79 The cooperation between the various denominations which was so marked at the beginning of religious life in Riverside seems to have continued.

That the Baptists par­

ticipated in community ventures is obvious from the mission­ ary meeting noted above.

Another example showing the

friendly participation of the Baptists in activities of the other groups is the dedication of the Arlington (now Magnolia Avenue) Presbyterian church.

This meeting was held

on April 24, 1881, with Mr. Button assisting and J. H. Roe and 0. T. Dyer singing in a qua r t e t . ^ After more than eight years of struggle and dis­ appointment the First Baptist Church of Riverside faced the future with hope and confidence.

It had a resident

pastor of devotion and ability, a new house of worship, and a growing membership.

Most important of all, however, was

7& Church, Records, Dec. 9> 1880. 79 Candee, Church, 6. 8° Roe, Notes, 52.

32 its feeling of thankfulness to God which was expressed in a special meeting of praise after the dedication of the church building.

^

Church, Records, June 15 9 1882.

CHAPTER III BOOM IN COMMUNITY AND CHURCH The period now under consideration was a time of rapid growth and maturation in the community.

Between 1880

and 1884, the population doubled, going from 1250 to 2 5 0 0 . The inhabitants were occasionally reminded of Riverside1s primitive background when bands of Indians on horseback rode through their city, whooping and shouting their way home after a drinking spree on the east side.2

No longer a

desert, Riverside was described by an eastern visitor as ua garden township without a wasted acre.11^

It was too big

a town to be governed by the county board of supervisors which met in San Bernardino, and agitation for incorporation began.

The result was that a vote was taken on September

25, 1885, and Riverside was incorporated as a city of the sixth class.^

One of the five trustees chosen for the city

at this time was A. J. Twogood. The chronicler of this period gives two main causes behind the incorporation movement— a desire by the citizenry

^ Hoe, Notes, p. 84. 2 Mrs. Eva Sullivan in a private conversation, July 29, 1950. 3 Quoted in Bindley, California of the South, p. 262. ^ Roe, Notes, p. 75.

34

to regulate both the water rates and the liquor traffic. However, the power to control water rates did not work out exactly as expected.

When rates were lowered the company

retaliated by giving poor service and refusing to make needed repairs.

The only way out of the situation was for

the citizens to buy the water system, and this was done about a year after incorporation.5

After the purchase,

improvements were made in the system which trebled its capacity so that the city actually did benefit by its former action. The temperance movement began early in Riverside.

In

1876 there was a Good Templar lodge in existence with forty

members on the roll,^ earlier.

and it may have been organized

One Baptist active in the movement was M. V.

Wright, who was an officer in the lodge in 1880 and ran for Congress on the Prohibition ticket two years later.

As

desire for the incorporation grew, two other temperance groups were organized, the W.C.T.U. in February and the National Temperance Union, apparently a m e n 1s organization, in July, 1 8 8 3 .^

Baptists took a prominent part in the

activities of these organizations, and Mrs. Button had the

^ Roe, Notes, p. 80 ff. 6 Ibid., p. 22. 7 Ibid., p. 68, 71*

35 honor

of acting on behalf of the

women of the city in present­

ing a

temperance petition at the

first meeting of the city

o

trustees.

This petition, the second item of business to be

considered by the trustees, requested a one hundred dollar a month

tax on saloons, and it was granted promptly. In 1885 a project was undertaken which greatly in­

creased the area of productive land near Riverside and thus enabled it to grow in both population and wealth.

Matthew

Gage, a jeweler who practised his trade in R o e ’s drugstore, had some land northwest of town and was anxious to secure water for it.

In trying to solve this problem he conceived

the plan of building another canal for the irrigation of that territory.9

He secured financial backing and right of

ways, and soon the canal was begun and completed.

It was

hailed as a brilliant achievement, and the Gage canal is still a useful part of the community. In the orange industry, Riverside continued to show marked leadership.

The citrus fairs were held yearly-*-0

until the pavilion burned in 1 8 8 6 ,-*--*- and after that, Riverside oranges won firsts at national and international

® Holmes, History, p. 84. 9 Roe, Notes, p. 87 ff. -*-0 Except for 1884, when a flood forced its cancella­ tion, Roe, Notes, p. 75* Holmes, History, 64, 77-

36

exhibits.

12

During the 1888-9 season, growers shipped 922

oarloads of fruit from Riverside.^

Under the leadership

of T. H. B. Chamblin, the Pachappa Orange Growers Associ­ ation was incorporated in 1 8 9 2 . ^

This organization, the

first of its kind, was a big help to the growers.

Another

source of aid to the growers was the development of rail facilities during this period. Roe records that in August, 1 8 8 5 > ^ . . .the Santa Fe Railroad crossed the Cajon Pass, and entered the San Bernardino valley, soon after reaching the county seat and connecting San Diego and Riverside by an all rail route with Chicago and the east. The opening of a line from East Riverside (now Highgrove) to Los Angeles by the Santa Fe early the next year led to a sixty dollar a car rate reduction on oranges.10

In 1893>

Riverside finally obtained fully satisfactory rail facili­ ties when the Salt Lake line was completed directly through the city. This marked development of railroads in the eighties

12 Holmes, History, 75 ff., 78. Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, June 29, 1 8 8 9 . l2^ Cleland and Hardy, Industry, 109. Roe, Rotes, 91* ^

Holmes, History, 6 9 .

37 helped set off the great southern "boom” of 1887-8.

California

peal estate

For about a year of this time, railroad

fares between the Mississippi and California remained near twenty-five dollars, as the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe tried to choice off each other’s business.^

Of course,

this helped induce thousands of people to come to California, and many of them stayed after the craze died out.

Although

a few personal fortunes were seriously depleted in the crash which followed, most of the losses incurred were only on paper.

Actually, the '’boom" helped Southern California by

bringing a large increase in population and by giving communities an added incentive for civic betterment.

In

1912 one local historian remarked that more improvements

were undertaken in 1887 than in any subsequent year in Riverside.^ Several indications of the development of the city present themselves to us.

New banks were organized in

1883, 1885, and 1891 to meet the growing needs of the city}9 When the citizens became interested in having a high school, the appropriate subjects were added to the school curri­ culum for that purpose, and the first high school class

^

S. S. Dumke, The Boom of the Eighties, 25, 26. Holmes, History, 8 9 •

19 Ibid., 81, 83.

38 graduated in 1890.20

Early this same year a "Philharmonic

Society" was organized with about sixty m e m b e r s . ^

An

outsider looking at Riverside in 1892 would see a city of about seven thousand people with almost one acre in fruit for every inhabitant and an "exceptionally wealthy" popu­ lation, "the prosperity all coming from the fruit trees, We left the church with its new building dedicated, apparently debt free, and now we return to resume its story.

The first thing that presents itself is the promi­

nence the church begins to assume in Southern Oalifornia Baptist ranks.

On Friday, September 8, 1882, the Los

Angeles Baptist Association convened in Riverside for its annual meeting.23

The local paper records that two days

before this convention "the Baptist bell was placed in position in the belfry."2^ The following year, the association met in San Diego, with Mr. Button preaching the annual sermon and Deacon Roe acting as c l e r k . i n 1 8 9 2 , after the Los Angeles

Holmes, History, 101. ^

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, May 17, 1890.

22 Ibid., March 5, 1 8 9 2 , quoting an article from the California Farmer. 23 (a . Grant), History of Los Angeles Baptist Association. 2^ Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, September 9 ,

1882. 25 Los Angeles Baptist Association, "Minutes of Annual Meeting,” 1883•

One of the Early Citrus Fairs

Riverside from Mt. Roubidoux, c. 1883 (The church building is in the right center, with central spire.)

40 Association was divided, Riverside was host to the Santa Ana Valley Association.^^

The increased awareness of its

place within the Baptist movement must have been a great encouragement to the church as it sought to present its message to the community of which it was a part. Prohibition was in the air about this time, and evi­ dences of its influence may be seen in the life of the church.

On September 2, 1882, the newspaper reported that

Mr. Button had preached the previous week against Sabbath breaking and “the unrestrained traffic and use of intoxi­ cating liquor."^

Several weeks later the church adopted

a resolution prohibiting the use of fermented wines in the Lord’s Supper,^8 an£ early the next year the clerk recorded that eleven were baptized after hearing a temperance lecture.^9 The possession of a building of its own gave the church a better opportunity to develop its work among the youth.

Accordingly, after the first prayer meeting held

in the new church, the Sunday School was reorganized.-^

A

Santa Ana Valley Association, Minutes of Annual Meeting, 1892• Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, Sept. 2, 1882. ^

Church, Records, September 28, 1882.

^9 Ibid., February 1, 1883. 50 Church, Records, June 15> 1882.

41 committee was appointed to make recommendations, with the result that new officers were elected and the school began to grow steadily.^

Also during this year the Christian

Endeavor was organized "through the efforts of Miss Kate Candee and Mr. E. C. Love . 11^ 2

The meetings were held on

Wednesday evenings and the usual attendance was about twenty. The feeling of friendliness and cooperation between the various churches seems to have continued.

The monthly

missionary concert which was mentioned in the last chapter was still being held as late as the summer of 1887*-^

Not

long after their building was erected, the Baptists had an opportunity to pass on the favor which the Congregationalists had granted to them in the earlier days.

In the fall

of 1883* a minister of the Christian denomination, D. A. Connell, preached a series of sermons in the First Baptist church, and a Christian church was organized by the last part of September.^

The church and auditorium was also

made available for activities such as union prayer and Thansgiving services and the organization meeting cf the

^

Candee, Church, 1 7 ,

52 Ibid. . 18, 19.

Church, Records, July 14, 1887• 34 Roe, Wotes, 73, Church, Records, September 27, 1883.

k2

Y.M.C.A.35 The problem of discipline continued to command the attention of the church during these years.

On May 24,

188^, a committee composed of Deancons Roe and Twogood and Brother Tinker was appointed 11to look after delinquent or inattentive members.”

They reported twice during the year,

and each time the church followed their recommendations and dropped members from the r o l l . ^

During 1883> 1884,

and 1886, the church reported a total of nine persons ex­ cluded from the membership.37

While we cannot be sure, we

may assume that this activity, since it was not carried to excess, had a wholesome influence on the church members. After the prayer meeting of June 17, 1886, an important business session was held at which the church was practically reorganized.^

At this time a "permanent

church committee11 was established to handle various items of church business.

This committee, which was to be

composed of the pastor, deacons, clerk, and a "Lay Member," was supposed to meet when called, and three constituted a

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, November 22, 1884, and January 5* 1889. ^

Church, Records, August 16, and October 2 9 , 1883 •

37 Minutes of Annual Meeting of Los Angeles Baptist Association^ 1883 > 1884, l88^oI 38 Church, Records, June 179 1886.

43 quorum.

Its purpose was to consider applications for

membership and complaints against disorderly members and to advise the church on such matters.

In typical Baptist

fashion, it is expressly stated that "the opinion of this committee shall not be final:

but advisory and shall be

made as often as the church may require."

Thus, the Baptist

principle of the sovereignty of the local church was pro­ tected. Early in 1 8 8 5 , Mr. Button tried without success to resign, as the trustees refused to accept his resignation.^9 Two years later the church reported to the Los Angeles Baptist Association, "We still enjoy the labor of our pastor, Rev. Charles Button, who receives and well deserves our fullest confidence."1*^

In a glowing report, all

departments of church life were described as "active" and "flourishing," and a special interest in the temperance movement was also mentioned. During the pastorate of Mr. Button, there was much activity concerning the church property.

Of course, the

erection of the building was the most important step taken. However, less than three years after its completion one of

^9 Church, Records, February 19, 1 8 8 5 . Los Angeles Baptist Association, Minutes of Annual Meeting, 1887*

44 the lots had to be sold to pay the debt against the c h u r c h ^ Evidently, some of the pledges were not paid which had been made so enthusiastically when the building was dedicated. In 18 O7 it was decided to sell the luls on which the church was located and buy land at the corner of Ninth and Lemon, the present site of the

c h u r c h .

^2

The effect of the "boom"

is evident from the price asked for the old lot--two hun­ dred dollars a front foot. Mr. Button served the church as pastor through the month of June, 1889* and then retired from the active ministry.

He stayed in Riverside, however, and continued

to serve the church in other capacities.

He was an

energetic and able pastor with a vision which took in the local situation but went beyond it.2^ During the year before the building was com­ pleted, while the services were held at evening in the Congregational church, he preached in the morning at San Bernardino, and later, when the church was housed in its own home, he and Mrs. Button would drive across the country, over roads not always easy, to San Diego, to aid in work there. Once he was granted a leave of absence to go to Pallbrook

^

Church, Records» April 4, 1 8 8 5 . Ibid.. October 20, 1887.

^

Candee, Church, 6.

45 to help the Baptists there o r g a n i z e , H e

led the church

through its critical period of stabilization and continued to hold the respect and trust of his fellow Baptists in Riverside and throughout southern California until his death in 1 8 9 9 - ^ The successor to Mr. Button, the Rev. Mr. Charles Winbigler, seems to have been a very interesting person. He visited in Riverside for two months during the winter of 1889 and became pastor in July of the same year.^^

He was

described as "fair, round faced" with "a heavy black mustache, and a clear and powerful voice."^7

The numerous

references to him in the local papers agree that he was an exceptionally able speaker.

Mr. Winbigler was originally

a minister of the Winebrennarians, a small sect which broke away from the German Reformed church in favor of principles similar to those held by Ba p t i s t s . ^ The position of the church in the community at this

44

__ Church, Records, February 12, 1885.

4s ^ During the 90* s his name often appears as chair­ man of an important Committee in the Minutes of the Southern California Baptist Convention. Riverside, Daily Press, July 6, 1889* ^

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. January 26,

1889 •

E. T. Clark, The Small Sects in America. 81, 82.

46 time may be seen from the account of the reception it gave the Winbiglers soon after their arrival.

Over three hundred

people, including nearly all the other pastors in the city, were in

attendance at the affair which

parlors

of the Howell Hotel.

was

The occasion

held in the wasdescribed as

"one of the most brilliant social events that have ever occurred in R i v e r s i d e . M r .

Button welcomed the new

pastor on behalf of the church, and in his reply Mr. Winbigler spoke of his recent acceptance of Baptist doctrine "with strong words of faith." The change of pastors seems to have made little change in the general emphasis of the church program.

The

policy of friendliness and cooperation with other denonimations continued, and an outstanding example is the funeral of Dr. Greves.

When this Riverside pioneer died, the

funeral

was held in the Baptist church

and

wasconducted by

a woman

spiritualist minister from Los

Angeles and the

local Universalist minister.5° The temperance question continued to be of utmost importance in the city, and the discussion raged as to whether saloons should be prohibited or taxed out of e x i s t e n c e .

The Baptists, led by the pastor and his wife,

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. July 13> 1889. 50 Ibid., October 5, 1889. 51 Holmes, History, 84.

47 were very active in laboring to have the saloons outlawed. Mr. Winbigler spoke at mass meetings and preached a series of sermons on temperance, while his wife was active in the W.G.T.U. and wrote a series of articles about that organi­ zation for a local

p a p e r .

52

During much of this time, the

regular meeting place of the W.G.T.U. was the Baptist c h u r c h .

55

The liquor question continued to trouble River-

siders for several years after the time covered by this chapter. By 1890 the Chinese and Negroes had assumed import­ ance as social groups in Riverside, and the Baptists showed an interest in them.

During the very period when meetings

were being held to protest the use of Chinese labor, a union Chinese mission was erected on Walnut Street and Mr. Winbigler was one of the two local ministers on the program of dedication.54 May

a

colored Baptist church was

organized on

11, 1 8 9 0 , and several members of the First Baptist

church became charter members of the Negro group.55

Evident­

ly something occurred to necessitate its reorganization, for

22 , 1890.

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. March 8 and

55 ibid., May 1 7 , 1 8 9 0 . 54 Riverside, Press and Horticulturist,

Feb. 22,1 8 9 0 .

Riverside Weekly Budget, March 2 5 , 1899* in the Alexander Grant Collection. Many negro Baptist churches in Southern California were organized in this way.

48 Mr. Winbigler is given credit for organizing the Second Baptist church on September 21, 1 8 9 0 , by a plaque in their present building, and the local paper tells of a recogni­ tion meeting for the new church on September 23, 1890.-^ Work was undertaken among the settlers on the east side in March, 1 8 9 2 , when land was acquired on Park Avenue for a mission.57 The Sunday School and young people*s activities continued to grow, and by 1892 there were two hundred scholars in the Sunday School and ninety-four members of the Christian Endeavor Society.58

Sometime during Mr.

Button* s pastorate an orchestra was established which was later to develop into a first class musical organization. It provided music at the reception for Mr.

W i n b i g l e r ,

59

and it was on the program of outside activities such as the annual Y.M.C.A. banquet of 1 8 9 3 * ^ The church was still growing rapidly and the member­ ship was given as two hundred and fifty at the I8 9 O annual

56 Riverside, Daily Press, September 22, I8 9 O. 57 Riverside Weekley Budget, March 25, 1899* 58 Los Angeles Baptist Association, Minutes of Annual Meeting, 1892. Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, July 13, 1889. 5° Ibid., January 7, 1895.

49 business meeting.

^

The sermons by the pastor were drawing

large audiences, and on at least one occasion, some had to be turned

a w a y .

62

This growth of membership and congre­

gation produced "occasional expressions of the need of enlarged accommodations,"63

and at the annual meeting

mentioned above, the trustees were authorized to remove the partition between the lecture room and auditorium.6^ Another building program of major importance carried out about this time was the construction of a parsonage. It was begun in March, 1890,65 and was completed in M a y . ^ A two-story house located at the corner of Ninth and Lemon Streets among some orange trees, it was described as "a very attractive looking and commodious residence" and was built at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars.

Mrs.

Winbigler took an active part in this effort by aiding in the planning and helping supervise the work of construc-

^

Riverside, Press and Horticulturistj Jan. 11, 1890.

62 Ibid.. March 8 , 1890.

Candee, Church. 6 . ^

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. Jan. 11, I8 9 O.

65 ibid.. March 22, I8 9 0 . 66 Ibid.. May 17, 1890. 67 Candee, Church. 11.

After ten years as an incorporated city, Riverside was flourishing.

The orange groves and the wealth derived

from them were helping Riversiders develop their little oasis into a regular paradise of homes, schools, churches, and everything that goes to make a comfortable city.

After

ten years as a church with its own house of worship, the First Baptist Ghurch was also flourishing. already a need for a larger auditorium.

There was

All branches of

the church*s activity seemed to be very lively; it owned a fine parsonage; it was served by an eloquent preacher; and it was held in high regard by the community.

The future

looked bright indeed for both Riverside and its First Baptist Ghurch.

CHAPTER IV DEPRESSION, PROHIBITION, STABILIZATION The period which we are about to consider was one in which California stopped its meteoric rise, strengthened its foundations, and then went on to accomplish bigger and better things.

The great panic of 18939 which was felt

throughout the nation, descended on California on June 14th of that year and struck first in Riverside.

On that date,

0. T. Dye r fs Riverside Banking Company f a i l e d . A s

the

news reached other communities, panicky depositors rushed the banks, causing some of them to fail.

Many of these

banks reopened later, but the effect on California economy was such that the material progress of the state remained static for about five years.

Thus, Riverside had the very

dubious honor of being the point of departure for a real depression, although Riverside itself was not as hard hit as some other areas.

As a local newspaper said, "These are

pretty dull times, but real estate is moving in Riverside just the same."^

During 1 8 9 6 , it was said of Riverside

that it had #,a greater per capita wealth than any other

239. 1896.

1 R. G. Cleland and Osgood Hardy, March of Industry, ^ Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, February 2 9 ,

52 city in the United

States.

Several months previous to the bank failure, an event occurred which was to have beneficial results for the city.

As early as 1881, agitation was under way for the

creation of Riverside County,^ and in 1891 a bill propos­ ing such action succeeded in passing the state senate.5 The next session of the legislature saw the full accomplish­ ment of this goal, and on March 11, 1895, the county was created "from territory which had previously belonged to San Diego and San Bernardino counties."^

This added to the

prestige of Riverside, as well as increasing its commercial possibilities. Among other things, hospital facilities and the temperance question were affected by the creation of a new county with Riverside as the county seat.

The Board of

Supervisors soon prohibited the sale of liquor, but the city of Riverside, which was outside its jurisdiction, continued to try to regulate the traffic by a license fee of two thousand

dollars.7in 1897 &compromise

wasadopted

^ Walter South, 264.

Lindley and J.P. Widney, California

of the

^ Owen C. Coy, California County Boundaries, 41. 5 Ibid.,

45.

6 Ibid. , 207. 7 Boyd, Riverside, 655-

53 which abolished the saloon, but permitted the sale of wine and beer in the large hotels.

After the county was estabish-

ed, a "makeshift 11 hospital was opened near the Santa Fe depot in Riverside, but the second Board of Supervisors moved the institution to San Jacinto, where it remained until the building was wrecked by an earthquake.^

The

decision was then made to relocate the hospital, and a site was chosen on Magnolia Avenue in Arlington,

The new

hospital was completed in November, 1900, and Riverside possessed first-class facilities for medical care.9 The citrus industry at Riverside again made great strides during this period and the community maintained its position as the most noted orange section in southern California. 1°

The Pachappa Orange Growers 1 Association had

been well received, and the Riverside Fruit Exchange was enthusiastically organized in April, 1893

Following

Riverside*s lead, other cities formed exchanges, and soon they united to form the Southern California Fruit Exchange which became, in 1905# the California Fruit Growers* Exchange.Problems

of production, marketing, advertising,

8 Boyd, Riverside, 6 5 9 , and Holmes, History, 137«

9 Riverside, Daily Press, November 28, 1900. 10 Lindley and Widney, California of the South, 26l. 11 Holmes, History, 122. Cleland and Hardy, March of Industry, 109 ff.

and so on, which were too complex for the individual grower, were solved in a competent manner by these cooperatives. Another accomplishment in this field was the improvement of California lemons by G. W. Garcelon, a Riverside pioneer. Largely because of his efforts, by 1900 lemon growing was second only in importance to the orange i n d u s t r y . ^

Several

new organizations for women were organized in Riverside before 1900.

Chief among these were the Y.W.C.A. and the

Riverside Woman’s Club.

The former was organized on

November 5* 1895* &nd the latter on January 7* 1 8 9 6 .-^

Mrs.

Button was an important member of the Woman1s Club, serving as its second president and acting as first chairman of the group in charge of building the club house. In 1901 an addition was made to the city which enhanced its attractiveness for tourists as well as giving it the advantage of a federal payroll.

A government school

for Indians formerly located at Perris was moved to River­ side in 1902.15

The building program of the school must

have been quite an economic advantage to the community, for nine buildings were erected during the year previous to May, 1902, and the completed school was to contain twelve

^

Cleland and Hardy, March of Industry, 105.

1^ Holmes, Hi story, 118, 127 ff. !5 Ibid., 119.

55 buildings valued at $ 1 5 0 ,0 0 0 . ^ Municipal improvement is reflected by several activities during this time.

In 1895* the city bought a

tract of thirty acres to obtain paving rock for the main streets, and after the rock had been used, the tract was transformed into Pairmount P a r k , ^

Electric lighting,

which had been requested as early as 1886 by 0. T. Dyer and others, became an actuality in 1896 when a forty thou­ sand dollar municipal electric plant was built and put into operation,-*-^

Building projects for 1901 included a thirty

thousand dollar high school and a thirty-five thousand dollar court house,^9 and in 1901 the city received twenty thousand dollars from Andrew Oarnegie for the erection of a library.2^ There are various evidences of economic and cultural development near the turn of the century.

The Press recog­

nized a “Wave of Prosperity” in 1 8 9 9 * ^ and new banks were

G-uinn, Southern California, 205. ^

Holmes, History, 95 Boyd, Riverside, 6l6-ol7•

19 Guinn, Southern California, 205. 20 Holmes, History, 9 8 .

21 Riverside, Daily Press, November h , 1899•

56 established in 1905 and 1906,22

During this time, manufac­

turing remained unimportant, and most of the activity was in agriculture, building and the dairy business.

An ama­

teur dramatic organization was in existence in 1 8 9 9 and Baptists were active in founding a literary society and a discussion group about the same

t i m e . 2^

Another cultural advantage to the city was the Riverside Junior Band, which was organized in the fall of 1900.25

This group gave occasional concerts and finally

developed into the Riverside Military Band.

All in all,

Riverside seems to have become a prosperous, well-rounded community and the coming of the first automobile in 1899 (an electric model) heralded the approach of a new

e r a .

26

The establishment of Riverside County gave the temperance enthusiasts in town another opportunity to pro­ mote their ideas as to the proper method of dealing with the liquor question.

Accordingly, we find a number of them

appearing before the county Board of Supervisors at one of

22 Holmes, History, 81-85. 25 Riverside, Daily Press, April 15, 1899. 2^ Boyd, Riverside, 526. 25 Ibid., 6k5 ff. Riverside, Daily Press, October 50, 1899.

57 its first

meetings.

^7

Among those who played a prominent

part at this meeting were Mr. Winbigler and Mr. Button. Incidentally, this episode is probably an example of the cooperative spirit which existed between the two men.

A

leader in the W.C.T.U. during this period was Mrs. Button, who served as state president in 1 8 9 3 . In 1894, the pastor resigned to accept a call to another locality, and the church was sorry to see him go. Mr. Winbigler had been an outstanding leader in the temper­ ance movement, and his frequent mention in the newspapers show him to have been an influential and respected member of the community.

Important as these things were, however,

of more importance to the church is the part he played in helping it to increase in size.

At his final service on

Easter Sunday, 189^> it was revealed that three hundred and thirty people entered the church during his five-year pas­ t o r a t e , ^ and total membership figures show about a forty per cent Increase for this period.30

Undoubtedly, his

eloquence was largely responsible for this growth, but he

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, June 10 and 17, 1893. 28 Ibid.. May 2 7 , 1893.

29 Ibid.. March 31, 1894. 5° Ibid. , January 11, 1 8 9 0 , and Southern California Baptist Convention, Minutes of the Annual Meeting. 1894.

58 was also energetic in such pastoral duties as calling.31 He returned at times on invitation and on at least one occasion was greeted by a full house to hear him, and was honored by a full column synopsis of his message in the newspaper.32

A tragic note was injected into his departure

by the accidental death of one of his children.33 The successor to Mr. Winbigler was the Rev. Mr. G. A. Cleaveland, who came from Melrose, Massachusetts, to begin his duties in May, 189^.3^

Mr. Oleaveland was neither

a great orator nor an outstanding civic leader if we judge from the accounts of his activities in the newspapers, but his understanding of financial matters strengthened the church during the years of depression following the panic of 1 8 9 5 * ^

He is also remembered as one who excelled in

such pastoral duties as calling and "mixing" with his con­ gregation.^

One of the older members of the church recalls

Alice Holliday, History of First Baptist Ghurch Riverside, California, records that in 1891 the church voted one hundred dollars for buggy hire for the pastor to use in making his calls. ^

Riverside, Daily Press, May 2 2 , 1899*

^ Mrs. Eva Sullivan, in a private conversation, July 2 9 , 1950. 3 1* Candee, Church, 6 7 . 35 Santa Ana Valley Baptist Association, Minutes of the Annual Meeting, 1899*

56

Mrs. F. W. Osborne, in a private conversation, August 159 1950.

59 that his pastoral effectiveness was greatly impaired by his wife*s poor health and by his involvement in a personal difficulty between two members of the church.37

During his

pastorate the membership of the church decreased somewhat, seemingly as the result of many people moving away.

The

records available show that many members were dismissed by letter and others had their names erased from the rolls because they could not be located.^® Mr. Cleaveland was followed in November, 1899* by Dr. W. F. Taylor, a man seemingly held in high respect by the whole community.^9

Dr. Taylor had enjoyed a successful

pastorate in the east, and he left a large church in Dayton, Ohio, to secure a more healthful climate for one of his sons.^

He was well educated and impressed the local news­

paper as "a man of more than ordinary intellectural force.f1^ Mrs. Sullivan remembers that he sometimes spoke "over our heads."

ji p

Before studying for the ministry, Dr. Taylor had

^ Mrs. Eva Sullivan, in a private conversation, July 29, 1950. ^

Convention, Minutes t 1895-1898.

^9 Qandee, Church, 7. Riverside, Daily Press, September 22, 1899* ^

Ibid.t November 6 , 1899*

42 pr ivate conversation, July 29, 1950.

60 been an art dealer, and he was in constant demand in the east as a lecturer on a r t . ^

His broad interests are evi­

dent from the fact that he founded the "Present Day Club," a forum for discussion of current e v e n t s , a n d

served as a

trustee of the local library.^5 Temperance activity continued to be important to Baptists until the compromise settlement mentioned earlier in this chapter was reached.

At a Thansgiving service held

at the church in 1894 there was some discussion about the liquor q u e s t i o n , ^ and a year and a half later an AntiSaloon mass meeting was held there.^7 An important part of the church's activity during the latter part of Mr. Winbigler's pastorate and Mr. Cleaveland's pastorate, are the attempts to do charitable work in the community.

An outstanding example of this work

was done at Christmas, 1 8 9 4 . ^

Gifts for the needy were

^3 Riverside, Daily Press, October 20, 1905* His sermon topic for March 20, 19042 "Can Spiritual Religion be taught by Means of Pictorial Art?11 ^

Boyd, Riverside, 5 2 6 . Holmes, History, 99*

^6 Riverside, Daily Press, December 8, 1894. 47 Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, April 4, 1896. ^

Ibid., December 2 9 , 1894.

61 collected by the Sunday School, and the ladies of the church worked late Christmas Eve to prepare everything for the men, who then delivered several wagon-loads of articles, worth more than one hundred dollars.

The Baptist seemed to

be the only church doing such work on this particular Christmas, and people outside the church donated to the effort also.

Benevolent activity was carried on during the

year, as well, and church records reveal a few instances of grants of money from the JIPoor Fund1' to families in

n e e d .

^9

This emphasis on charitable work is an interesting commen­ tary on the economic condition of Riverside during the nineties. The work of the Park Avenue Mission continued to grow during this period.

Faithful workers carried on the

project, conducting a Sunday School in the afternoon.5^ During May, 1893, plans were set in motion which resulted in the erection of a building on land previously purchased for the

m i s s i o n .

being held on Friday

By 1897 a weekly prayer meeting was evenings.

52

In April 1899* regular

^9 First Baptist Church of Riverside, California. Minutes of Officers and Deacons Meetings, March 11, 1894 > February 28 and October 13, 1&95• Candee, Church, 17. 51 Church, Minutes, May 1, 1893* 5 2 The Church Bulletin, October 23, 1897*

62 evening services began,53 and the church later reported to the association “The work at Park Avenue chapel is in a remarkably thriving condition.“5^

The mission was an im­

portant outlet for Christian service and was carried on largely by young adults who taught classes and organized social gatherings for their less fortunate neighbors.55 Financially speaking, the fiscal year 1892-3 was an exceptional one for the First Baptist Church of Riverside. The convention minutes for 1893 reveal that $1113.25 been given by the church for cooperative work with other Baptists— about one-third of the total income of the church5^ The depression ended all this, however, and in 1895 it had to report that its financial condition was at “ebb tide,11 only $566.00 going, to cooperative work.57 told the same story:

The next year

“We have felt the heavy hand of fi­

nancial depression, making it difficult to meet current expenses, and crippling our efforts for the support of the benevolent work of the denomination."5^

53 Riverside, Daily Press. April 1, 1899* 5b Association, Minutes, 1899* 55 Mrs. F. W, Osborne, in a private conversation, August 13> 1950. 55 Santa Ana Valley Association, Minutes, 1893* 57 Convention, Minutes, 1893. 5^ Association, Minutes, 1896.

63 The situation soon changed and "largely owing to the efforts of Pastor Cleaveland," the church got out of debt,59 the mortgage on the parsonage having been burned at his last service as pastor . ^ 0

The methods he used to accomplish

this feat are not clear, but it is reported that two hundred dollars were raised at an all day meeting in 1 8 9 7 and earlier he had been able to secure a loan for the church from some of his former parishoners in Massachusetts.0^

Of

course, economic conditions were on the upgrade in southern California, and the depression was over by 1 8 9 9 * ®

This

good financial condition was maintained throughout Dr. Taylor1s pastorate.64 If any one word could characterize the religious life of Riverside during the period now under consideration, that word would be "cooperation."

The newspapers are full

of announcements for union meetings of all kinds— Thanks­ giving, Memorial Day, Christian Endeavor, Sunday School, and

^

Association, Minutes. 1899*

60 Riverside, Enterprise, June 27, 1899* 61

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, October 9,

1897. 62 Church, Minutes, July 25, 1894•

®

Cleland and Hardy, March of Industry, 239*

6 ^ Association, Minutes, 1903 and 1904.

64 so on.

In 189^, the Union Sunday School picnic was attended

by more than seventeen hundred people,65 about one-fourth of the total population.

When union services of any kind

were held in a church, the main speaker was usually the pastor of one of the other churches.

This cooperative

spirit extended to the evangelistic efforts, and the churches often cooperated in special meetings for that purpose, two such campaigns sometimes being held in one year.

66

By 1897

a Ministerial Association had been formed and weekly Bible classes were being conducted at the Y.M.G.A. under its auspices. The orchestra of the Baptist Ghurch assumed the pro­ portions of a very competent musical organization during the nineties.

It enjoyed some very capable leadership--Mr. H.

N. Hawes, who owned a music store in town, and Prof. Harding Kennedy, an outstanding music teacher in the community.

It

performed at the church services, at receptions, and at similar meetings, and it occasionally gave public concerts. One of these concerts was described as a "palatable feast of easily digested music," and it included such numbers as

®

Riverside, Press and Horticulturist. June 23, 189^*

66 Association, Minutes,

1905*

67 Riverside, Press and Horticulturist, December 11, 1897.

65 selections from "Rigoletto. no^

By 1897 the orchestra was

the largest in town, with twenty-three members, and was adding real strength to the work of the church*^9 One of the greatest sources of strength in the church was the group of retired ministers who were members. In 1896 the letter to the Association says, "we are pecul­ iarly favored in having several Baptist ministers among our number.

Their services are freely given to church work."70

Of course, Mr. Button was one of these, and another was the Rev. Mr. J. H. Sampson, who often preached at the Park Avenue Mission and also in the regular church services dur­ ing the summer after Mr. 01eaveland*s resignation. The practice of church discipline continued much as it had in the earlier days.

There was a decrease in member­

ship in 1895 9 and it was partially due to the exclusion of some members because of their "disorderly walk."7i

Appar­

ently, the church still followed the procedure of appointing a short-term committee to investigate such cases,^2 and

Riverside, Daily Press, March 18, 1899* 69 The Ghurch Bulletin, October 2 5 , 1897$ in Baptist Ghurch File, Riverside Public Library. 76 As sociation, Minutes, 1 8 9 6 . 71 Ibid., 1895. 72 First Baptist Ghurch, Minutes, June 26, 189^*

66 there seems to have been a yearly revision of the membership roll by the removal of the names of those who manifested no interest in the c h u r c h . 73

The question of discipline is

not completely negative for at times it seems to have led to the restoration of some of the excluded members.7^

An

interesting practice followed during this time was the refusal to grant letters of dismissal to members who had not paid their financial

p l e d g e s .

75

The evangelistic emphasis which had lagged a little after Mr. Winbigler1s departure picked up somewhat with the coming of Dr. Taylor.

Several evangelistic meetings are

mentioned in the minutes of the Association, and a good number were baptized and received as members of the church. However, the membership continued to decrease slightly due to the granting of many church letters and the erasure from the rolls of the names of those who could not be located.7° By 1904, the membership stood at only three hundred and seventy.

73 Letter from the First Baptist Church to the Santa Ana Valley Baptist Association, 1903* in First Baptist Church Historical File. 7^ Association, Minutes, 1901. 75 Letter from W. C. and Z. ¥. St. Pierre to I. S. Kennedy, August 8 , 1903, in Church, History File. 76 Convention, Minutes, 1904.

67

A major activity of the church during the pastorate of Dr. Taylor was the renovation of the church building. After raising money for more than a year, the church had ils building moved to the corner of Ninth and Lemon Streets in December, 1903> and the repairs were completed in March, 1904.^

Church notices in the newspapers reveal that the

high school and Y.M.C.A, generously loaned their facilities to the church during this time.

After its renovation, the

building was practically a new structure.73 The main auditorium has been entirely rejuvenated, with new plaster, delicately tinted, hardwood floor, new chairs, etc. Opening from it on the east is a large Sunday School room, which will increase the seating capacity considerably, and the basement has been fitted up with a kitchen and a lecture room. Between 1893 and 1905 there was much activity in all phases of the church1s life.

The Sunday School maintained

a steady growth, and the young people1s groups were a c t i v e cooperating with the other young people in the city in mission p r o j e c t s ^ and raising money to be given to Baptist missionary work . ^6

77

The women carried on a multitude of

Association, Minutes, 1904. Riverside, Daily Press, April 4, 1904.

79 Candee, Church, 1 9 * 30 ]yLrS. Eva Sullivan, in a private conversation, July 2 9 , 1950.

68

The First Baptist Churchy

1882-1904

Tiie First Baptist Church, 1904-1908

69

projects during this time, important ones being such chari­ table work as has already been mentioned, providing clothes for the Park Avenue Mission, missionary activity, and the raising of twelve hundred dollars for the furnishings of the renovated church building.83-

It is to Dr. Taylor1s credit

that under his leadership harmony prevailed in the church to such an extent that it is either mentioned or obvious "between the lines” of every associational letter written on behalf of the church during his pastorate.

When he died

on October 19, 1905> The First Baptist Church and all Riverside with it mourned his

p a s s i n g . 8 ^

Association, Minutes. 1904. 8 ^ Riverside, Daily Press, October 20, 1905

CHAPTER V INCREASING MATURATION IN CHURCH AND COMMUNITY California history immediately prior to World War I has been characterized in several ways.

Looking at It from

the political standpoint it is "The Era of Reform.1'-*- How­ ever, if we consider the state from an economic or sociolog­ ical point of view it presents a picture of economic revolu­ tion and rapidly increasing population.^

One of the major

characteristics of California throughout its period of Amer­ ican statehood has been its rapid growth, and during the period now under consideration this growth produced almost unbelievable changes in urban centralization and industrial development.

Of course, Riverside was a part of all this

development, but because of the nature of the community it did not undergo any vast change. One of the ways in which Riverside followed the trend was in adding to its population.

In the first decade

of this century, California experienced a sixty per cent increase, and Riverside helped lead the way by almost

1 R. G. Cleland, California in Our Time, title of chapter 2 Ibid.. 105.

71 doubling

itself.^

In spite of this rapid growth, however,

Riverside continued to be much the same sort of town it had been before it felt the "growing pains."

Between 1909

and 1914, the "industrial revolution" spoken of by Cleland. and Hardy was scarcely felt in the quiet agricultural center.^

As one reads the local newspapers, looks at photo­

graphs taken at this time, and attempts in other ways to familiarize himself with the conditions of that day, he feels that there the Victorian era was gently lingering on. Good examples of this Victorian mood are the activi­ ties of Riversiders which brought fame to their city.

Her

reputation as a saloonless city was well known, and items of special interest were her tree-lined streets and the Mission Inn.

A program of tree planting and conservation resulted

in more than two thousand trees being set out in both 1908 and 1 9 0 9 >^ and the city soon received recognition for this effort in two national magazines.^

The Mission Inn, "an

Inn with a soul,"7 was a hotel which had been remodeled

2 Abstract of the 13th Census with Supplement for California, 5 6 8 , 5 7 ^ . ^ Cleland and Hardy, Industry, 138 ff., 2 6 5 . 5 Boyd, Riverside, 483* 6 World1s Work, May 1912, 120, and Survey, June 20, 1914, 323. 7 Ruth K. Wood, The Tourists 1 California, 42.

72 in 1902 to resemble a Spanish mission, and as its owner spent his life filling it with treasures of art and histor­ ical interest from E u r o p e , & it became one of the wonders of southern California.

One widely copied innovation was the

Mt. Rubidoux Easter sunrise service.

Beginning in I909 as

a small, informal service, the event grew in fame so that by 1915 an estimated twelve thousand people were in attend­ ance .9 Perhaps the reason that manufacturing was not devel­ oped in Riverside during this period was the fact that the community produced abundant wealth without it.

The citrus

industry was still growing, and it took great strides during the early years of this c e n t u r y . 10

As the home of the navel

orange and a center of citrus culture, Riverside was certain to partake of the benefits of this development.

Assessed

valuation in the city jumped from $4,500,000 in 1900 to more than $9,400,000 in 1910 11 and $10,400,000 in 1912 . 12

To

visitors, the community still seemed to be a "populated

^ Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Book of Facts, 14. 9 Boyd, Riverside, 330 ff. 10 Cleland and Hardy, Industry, 106 ff., 264. 11 Chamber of Commerce, Book of Facts, 23. 12 Holmes, History, 87*

73

orange grove,”^

and as a recognition both of its contribu­

tion to the citrus industry and its adaptability for citrus culture, the University of California established its Citrus Experiment Station there in 1 9 1 3 * ^

A severe freeze

destroyed most of the orange crop that year, -*-3 but the slight depression which followed in 1914 does not seem to have been very serious .^ By 1906, it had become obvious that the trustee form of municipal government was outmoded, and a committee was elected to formulate a special charter. ^-7

This resulted in

the adoption of the mayor-council form of government by the citizens of Riverside and the election of officials on May 14, 1907.

It is interesting to note that at this time

S. C. Evans, the son of the earlier pioneer developer, was elected mayor. The Christian forces of Riverside continued to mani­ fest cooperation as in the past.

The First Baptist Church

assisted in united efforts, and the editions of the Bulletin

Wood, California, 3 6 1 . 14

Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Book of Facts, 7*

^

Gabbert, History, 8 8 .

^

Church, Records, Associational Letter of 1914. Holmes, History, 90*

74 Early in 1909

abound -with references to such activities.

the women*s missionary societies instituted an annual Inter­ denominational Missionary Convention,

and there was a Lay­

men* s Missionary Conference for the men the next y e a r . ^-9 The young people maintained a city Christian Endeavor union, and mention is frequently made of services they held at the county hospital and at the Mexican settlement of Casa Blanca.

Of course, these are merely examples, for some such

activity was going on almost every week with the Riverside Church Federation, the Y.M.C.A., and the Y.W.C.A.

leading the

way. As the case usually is in an agricultural community, there was a group in Riverside which worked for low and un­ dependable wages--the Mexicans.

There had been Mexicans in

the area since the earliest days of the colony, and they had been, and still are, actively engaged in the various types of work demanded to produce citrus fruit.

Apparently, the

first organized effort to help them began in 1912 with the founding of a settlement house project called the City Home League.^

A building was acquired in 1915* an(3- the project

was partially supported by gifts from missionary societies

18 Church, Bulletin, March 28, 1 9 0 9 . 19 Ibid., March 20, 1910. J. R. Gabbert, History of Riverside Pity and County, 520.

75 of the various churches.

The work was largely carried on by

volunteer workers, and instruction and assistance was given in such matters as sewing, carpentering, maternity care, recreation, and Scouting to the Spanish-speaking people and a few of the Negros,2 ^After the death of Dr. Taylor, the church lost little time in seeking pastoral leadership for itself.

An Acting

Pastor was secured in December, 1905, in the person of Edward H. Emett, a young evangelist . 22

The church was evi­

dently quite pleased with his work, for it soon extended to him a call to become their permanent pastor.

However, he

refused the call, to remain instead in evangelistic work,2^ and the church looked elsewhere for leadership.

After vot­

ing twice on the matter,2^" it was decided that Dr. W. Leon Tucker, of Kansas Gity, should be called as pastor.

The

call was extended to him on March 2 9 , 1906, and he assumed his duties on May 13, 1 9 0 6 .2^

He and the congregation did

2 ^- Boyd, Riverside, 6 . 22 Church, Letters, W, G. Randall, Church Clerk, to Miss Helen Webber, December 4, 1905*

Church File, Letter from E. H. Emett to Deacon D. C. Twogood, (n.d.). ^

Church File, Resolution of March 20, 1 9 0 6 .

Church, Letters, W. G. Randall, Church Clerk, to Q. A. Thomson, May 31> 1906.

76 not "take" to each other too well, and he resigned on September 1, 1907* to accept a pastorate in Los Angeles. u In his successor, Dr. George Frederick Holt, the church found energetic and capable leadership.

His ministry

was one of J,rare influence,”2^ and genuine harmony similar to the days of Dr. Taylor1s pastorate prevailed.

He came

from Minneapolis in December, 1907* and remained through February, 1 9 1 6 .^ 8

jt would be difficult, indeed, to char­

acterize his ministry in Riverside.

He had wide interests,

and every form of church activity seems to have received new life under his guidance.

His interest in the work of

the convention is apparent from the space it was accorded in the Bulletin, and his numerous civic activities obtained for him respect as ”one of the most popular pastors in the city.,f29

Among other things, he served as president of the

Present Day Club for one year . ^ 0

It was "with reluctance '1

that the church allowed him to depart after more than eight years of service.

2o Ohurch File. Resignation of W, L. Tucker, September 1, 1907* 27 Candee, Church. 9 . 2^ Church, Bulletin, December 1, 1907* February 2 7 , 1916. Riverside, Daily Press. February 26, 1 9 1 6 . 30 Gabbert, History of Riverside City and County, 286. 3 1 Church, Records, Resolution of February 17* 1916.

77 During the years covered by this chapter, the First Baptist Church followed the trend of increased population by increasing her membership more than fifty per cent.

Dr.

Holt w a 3 very interested in evangelism, and special meetings for that purpose were held frequently during his pastorate. From four hundred and twenty-eight in 1907, the number of members grew to six hundred and forty-four in 1 9 1 6 , and many of the additions were new converts.32

The practice of

excluding members for misconduct almost disappeared.

Only

four instances, all in the 1 9 0 9 -1 0 church year, being recorded.

A help to both pastor and congregation was the

addition of a Pastor*s Assistant in 1912--Jesse A. Hungate, an ordained minister and member of the church.53

Under his

leadership the Brotherhood Men* s class became one of the strongest groups in the Sunday School.

Although the Sunday

School did not keep up with the church in the matter of growth, foundations were laid for future development by the successful completion of a three-year Teacher Training course under Miss Kate C a n d e e , a n d

other similar courses.

Work

among the young people resulted in a need for dividing the

Church, Records, Statistics from 1908 to 1 9 1 6 . 33 Church, Bulletin, February 11, 1912. 34 Ibid., June 21, 1914.

78 Christian Endeavor Society into two societies in 1913.33 As usual, the women continued their constructive work in missions and local charity. The great effort of the church during Dr. holt1s pastorate was the erection of the present church edifice, excluding the educational annex.

After the customary pre­

liminary provisions, work was begun by a ground-breaking ceremony on August 18, 1 9 0 8 .3 6

On May 2, 1909, one year

after the building plans were first commenced, the dedi­ cation services were held and Riverside Baptists had "one of the most attractive, commodious and comfortable places of worship to be found in the city.n37

The building was

dedicated almost free of debt, but a small note at the bank was not retired until 1 9 1 7 .3 8

The increased financial

responsibility of the new building and the poor citrus years of 1912 and 1913 caused a little difficulty for the trustees, but the church responded to their plea with a special effort in 1915 which practically wiped out the debt.39

The Ladies 1

35 Ohurch, Bulletin. 1913 Annual Report Number. 36 Riverside, Daily Press. August 1 9 , 1 9 0 8 . 37 ibid., May 3, 1909. 38 Church, Bulletin. Annual Report Number, 1917• 39 ibid., Annual Report Number, 1915*

79 Aid Society played a large part in this effort, even as they did in providing most of the furnishings for the new build­ ing. Naturally, the church was proud of its new building, and arrangements were made to hold the annual meeting of the Southern California Baptist Convention in Riverside during January, 1910.^°

This was the first time Riverside

had been host to that body, but this had been due to in­ adequate facilities rather than a lack of interest.

Dr.

Holt was an active and respected worker in the convention, on one occasion traveling to Orange to present the cause of Home Missions to Baptists in that city.^-*-

The church

also had laymen who were prominent in the work of the con­ vention.

One of these, J. M. Davison, an exceptionally able

man who founded and taught the powerful Comrade Sunday School Class for many years, was president of the convention which convened in 1 9 1 6 . ^

He delivered such an able address

at that meeting that he was invited to repeat it in one of the regular worship services of the church.

One of the major

projects of the convention during this time was the

Church, Bulletin. Annual Report Number, Jan. 9>

1910. ^

Jkid., June 28, 1914. Ibid., January 16, 1916.

80 establishment of the University of Redlands,

The First

Baptist Churoh of Riverside took up special offerings to help finance the beginning of this work and continued to carry it as a regular item of the budget for each succeed­ ing y e a r , a n d

two of the young people were enrolled as

students in its second year of existence.^ An important emphasis of Dr. Holtfs ministry was the work of foreign missions.

Quite often the evening

service would be devoted to some particular mission field and the message would be illustrated by the use of stereoptican slides.

Missionaries of the Northern Baptist

Convention were frequent visitors at the church, speaking at the Sunday worship services of the Thursday prayer meet­ ings if they were in town on those days and usually being honored guests at a reception.

During 1915> Miss Kate

Candee departed for China to act as teacher of some of the missionaries* children for a few years, and her letters added new enthusiasm to the already growing interest in mission w o r k . ^5 Matters of social significance began to receive more

43 ^

Church, Bulletin, January 12 and 19* 1908. Ibid.. September 25, 1910. Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1915*

81

attention from the church during these years.

The Brother­

hood Sunday School class was especially active in this re­ spect, and during 1 9 1 2 , for example, engaged in such efforts as attempts to regulate the city!s pool rooms and the secur­ ing of employment for five men in n e e d . ^

About this same

time they encouraged the mayor of Riverside in his efforts to enforce the liquor l

a

w

.

The women of the church were

active in the City Home League, ^

and some of the activities

of the young people were of a distinctly social nature.

The

pastor*s interest in such efforts may be illustrated by one of his sermon topics,

’’The Child-Labor P r o b l e m . "^9

The Park Avenue Mission died out in 1908, and the church trustees decided to sell the property.50

This was

probably due to the settling of the area by Negroes who had their own c h u r c h . 51

Other openings for service arose to

replace the Park Avenue work, but none of them gave such extensive opportunities as the mission had offered.

In

Church, Bulletin, Annual Report Number, 1912. ^7 Church, File, undated resolution of 1912-13* Church, Bulletin, June 4, 1916. ^9 Ibid., November 2 9 , 1 9 0 8 . 50 M p S. Osborne in a private conversation, August 13, 1950. ^ In 1914, the church helped these people gather funds for the improvement of their building. Church, Bulletin, May 17, 1914.

82 connection with the other Riverside Protestant groups, the church helped establish a Christian worker at Sherman InstiS2 tute,-^ and supported those efforts financially year by year.

It is interesting to note in connection with this

work that the church sent a typically Baptist resolution to President Taft53 that the sacred doctrine of soul liberty and the fundamental principle of our government of the separation of church and state may be inviol­ ate and that so there be no religious distinctions featured in our government Indian Schools whether those distinctions be Baptist or Romanist, Projects about which there is little information,

such as a

rescue mission and a city missionary, were also helped by groups in the church.

An effort to help "shut-ins*’ was made

by installing a transmitter in front of the pulpit so that they could listen to the services at home over their tele­ phones. Something of the character of the church and the quality of lay leadership it enjoyed may be seen by scanning the lists of officers during this period.

Among the more

prominent were J. T. Lawler and Harry Oree, who occupied responsible municipal offices; E. 0. Rickard, Glen Chapman,

5 2 Church, Bulletin, January 26, 1908. 53 Church, Records, April 2, 1912. 5^ Church, Bulletin, November 28, 1909*

83 and W. T. Dinsmore, who were among the financial leaders of the community; and A. M. Lewis and Walter D. Clark, out­ standing business men.

Among the women, two former pastors*

widows, Mrs. Button and Mrs. Taylor, were leaders in both church and community.55

Of course, there were many leaders

in the church who were not prominent in the life of the community, but these years seem to be a high point in that respect. During the pastorate of Dr. Holt, many of the oldtime members passed away, and the second generation leader­ ship was assuming more importance,

Capt. J. T. Lawler,

faithful and efficient in financial matters, helped guide the church through the building programs of 1904 and 1 9 0 9 , and after his death in 1 9 1 0 * the church dedicated one of the colored windows in the main auditorium as a memorial to him.56

in 1912 the first pastor, M. V. Wright, died,57 and

three years later he was followed by D. C. Twogood, another charter member who had served as deacon since the church* s founding.As

1916 approached, the First Baptist Church

of Riverside continued to grow, and this fact, promised new leadership and the new enthusiasm of the younger generation.

55 Gabbert, History of Riverside City and County, 2 9 6 ,7 . 56 Church, Bulletin, December 4, 1910. 57 Ibid., February 11, 1912. Ibid., February 21, 1915.

CHAPTER VI WORLD WAR I AND AFTER Of supreme significance for all Americans during the period 1916-1924 was the fact that the United States was for two years engaged in a great war.

The economic life of the

nation was affected by the growth of wartime industries and the government-sponsored bond drives and food campaigns to aid the war effort.

To many families, these external mani­

festations were of small importance in relation to the departure of loved ones for the armed forces.

After the

war, the problems of readjustment occupied several years before that strange era called "normalcy” was ushered in. Both during and after the war, devastated areas of the world called for special attention, and relief projects for Armenia, Belgium, and other nations were the order of the day. Of course, Riverside found its place in the bustle of wartime activity.

Throughout California, manufacturing

facilities were expanded to their l i m i t s , a n d Riverside was affected, although not as much as some other communities. Her manufacturing wage earners climbed from 277 in 1914 to 421 in 1919t and the number had dropped only to 402 by 1 9 2 5 .“

1 Cleland and Hardy, March of Industry, 147. 2 Ibid. . 2 6 5 .

85 The total value of manufactured goods maintained a constant increase during this period, and the absence of any specta­ cular boom made the time of post-war readjustment less difficult than it might otherwise have been.

The population

increased slowly prior to 1 9 2 0 , reaching 19,341 in that year The war made at least one permanent contribution to Riverside--an air-force base.

This base is located about

ten miles southeast of Riverside, and it was activated on March 6 , 1918, as March Field.^

Many young men were brought

to Riverside as a result, and the community as a whole was challenged to do something for their welfare.

About a year

later the Secretary of War announced that March Field would be a permanent b a s e , 5 and since that time Riverside has been to some extent an army town, with all the problems and economic advantages of that status. The liquor problem was coming to a head, and the pro­ hibition people were getting the best of the argument.

As

one might expect, Riverside, the saloon-less city, supported the proposed Eighteenth Amendment.

•5

However, since the

Chamber of Commerce, Facts, 1950» 21.

^ I b i d . . 13.

5 Riverside, Daily Press, March 19, 1919,

86 problem was not a vital one in the city itself, it did not arouse the same enthusiasm that it had in the nineties. Rallies were held in support of prohibition, however, and its backers held jubilant celebrations after the victorious election. During these years the citrus industry continued to be the backbone of Riverside*s economy.

It also maintained

its phenonmenal growth throughout the state , 6 eloquently testifying to the profitable returns it brought to investors. The development of the lemon industry, which had been start­ ed somewhat later than the orange industry, showed a parti­ cularly rapid improvement.

As one of the oldest citrus

centers, Riverside was enjoying abundant rewards for its labor.

At the beginning of this period it contained four­

teen packing houses to process the fruit grown in the area.7 A thriving agricultural community, benefitted economically more than it was harmed by the war, it was entering into an era of hitherto unsurpassed prosperity. An important community project of the immediate post-war period was the erection of a new hospital.

The

old Riverside Hospital built in 1903> was far from

^ Oleland and Hardy, March of Industry, 106 ff. 7 Chamber of Commerce, Riverside, California, 1919* in Library Historical Collection.

87 sufficient for the growing city, having facilities for only twenty-five patients.

Realizing this fact, civic leaders

fostered a fund raising campaign to provide for a new hospi­ tal.

Their campaign was successful, and the $300,000

Community Hospital, with wixty beds and modern equipment, was completed in 1 9 2 5 .^

A later writer in discussing the

hospital1s ,friot of space and the disdain of economy” con­ cluded that it "was born out of the enthusiasm of the post­ war urge for magnificence, if not perfection. fl9 The unexpected resignation of Dr. Holt took the church members by surprise, but they soon rallied themselves and began to look for a new pastor.

The search led to Dr. Harry

A. Boardman of Walla Walla, Washington, who assumed the pastoral duties in September, 1916.10

Dr. Boardman was an

outstanding speaker whose educational background as a college president manifested itself in his activities while at Riverside.^

However, after two and a half years as pastor,

he resigned to become managing secretary of the Riverside

® Gabbert, History, 43• 9 G. B. Mangold, A Social Survey of Riverside, California, 6. Church, Bulletin, September 3> 1918.

1916.

^

Church, Records, Pulpit Committee Report, May 14,

88 Chamber of Commer c e . ^

During the next three years he con­

tinued to be active in the work of the church, but early in 1922 he requested a letter of dismissal so that he might

enter another denomination.-^

The reason for this action

was that he had adopted liberal theological views and was thus "quite out of harmony with prevailing standards of doctrinal regularity Baptistically."

The church granted his

request and mentioned its respect for "a man who, no longer a Baptist, has the courage to say s o . " ^ His successor, the Rev. Mr. Richard Ellsworth Day, came from San Diego to take up the work of pastor on April 20, 1 9 1 9 . ^

Day was a very energetic worker, active in

civic and religious work beyond the confines of the local church.

He was in constant demand as a speaker, both in

and out of Riverside, yet he was even able to serve for a time as Soutmaster of one of the church1s Scout troops. When he resigned on November 4, 1923* to go to Phoenix, Arizona, as pastor, it was with "deepest regret" that the

12

Ohurch, Records, Dr. Boardman* s Statement of November 24, 1918.

1922.

^

Ibid., Dr. Boardman*s Statement of January 19*

^

Church, Bulletin, January 22, 1922,

^

Ibid., April 20, 1919.

89 church allowed him to depart. ^ Dr. Boardman1s pastorate found the church greatly concerned with demands placed upon it by the war.

The sale

of Liberty Bonds and the appeals of Red Gross and Y.M.C.A. war work all received the support of the c h u r c h . ^

When

calls for Armenian, Syrian, Belgium, and European relief began to come in, these, too, were answered by special collections for that p u r p o s e . ^

The presence of March Field

gave the church an opportunity for service closer to home, and the young people responded by fitting up a Service M e n fs Club in the basement of the church b u i l d i n g . ^

Dr. Boardman

was appointed camp pastor* at the air field, but before he could begin any work there, the position was abolished by authorities in Washington.

Before the conflict ended, sixty-

one of the young men of the church had entered the armed forces, and the church rejoiced in the fact that they all returned after the end of the hostilities . 20

One incident

of the wartime years, the influenza epidemic, caused an

if)

Church, Records, November 4, 1922.

IT Church, Bulletin, June 10, 1917* ^

9 » 1921.

Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1917 > &nd January

19 Ibid, , 1918. 20 Ibid., Annual Report Number,

1919-

90 "unprecedented interruption" of the worship services. After four weeks, the epidemic had seemingly run its course, and the church met again for worship.

However, the Board

of Health soon prohibited services again, and the work of the church was carried on largely through a pastoral letter for several w e e k s . ^ During the years 1916-1923* the prohibition fight was waxing hot and heavy, and the First Baptist Church of Riverside pitched in to do its share.

Various rallies and

mass meetings were advertised in the Bulletin, and generous support was given to the work of the W.C.T.U.^3

When

President Wilson proposed the repeal of the war-time pro­ hibition act regarding wine and beer, a resolution opposing such action was passed to send to Reprsentative Kettner in W a s h ington,^ after another resolution had been passed earlier in favor of the Eighteenth A m e n d m e n t . E v e n the passage of the Volstead Act did not end the battle, for the next two state elections were marked by attempts to render

21

Church, Bulletin, Annual Report Number, November

10, 1918. 22

Church, File, Letter from Dr. Boardman to the church members, December 1 2 , 1 9 1 8 , ^

Church, Bulletin, March 21, 1920. Church, File, Resolution of May 24, 1919*

^

Church, Records, November 25, 1917*

91 prohibition unoperative, and members of the church were urged to cast their votes against the liquor interests at the polls . 26 Especially during Mr. Day’s pastorate,

the church

played an important part in the work of the Southern California Baptist Convention.

He was in frequent demand

as a speaker for the various rallies of young people’s and other groups, and together with other members of the church he served as an officer in the convention.^7

Dr. Boardman’s

previous experience as a college president was put to use by his fellow Baptists, and he served as a trustee of the University of R e d l a n d s . A

high point in cooperation with

other Baptists was reached in 1920 when the church oversub­ scribed its $68,000 quota in the "New World Movement” of po the Northern Baptist Convention. ^ If the church was active In its associations with other Baptists, it was no less active as a vital part of the city of Riverside.

Twice during these eight years the

annual Memorial Day service was held with the Baptist church

^ Church, Bulletin. October 24, 1920, and October 15, 1 9 2 2 . Ibid., January 18, 1920. 28 Ibid., June 29, 1919.

29 Ibid.. May 16, 1920.

92 --the pastors bringing the message.^®

The Chamber of

Commerce testified to Dr. Boardman*s value as a civic leader by choosing him as its managing secretary in 1 9 1 8 . Mr. Day* s pastorate,

During

the various programs for civic better­

ment received ample attention in the pulpit and in the Bulletin.

When funds were being raised for the Community

Hospital, a part of one Sunday morning service was given to a presentation of that c a u s e . ^

Service clubs were almost a

fad during this time, and when the Kiwanis Club was organized in Riverside, Mr. Day and several other members of the church were charter m e m b e r s . ^ The major denominations in Riverside continued to manifest a cooperative spirit and worked together in many ways.

Union organizations of men, women, and young people

continued to function with groups from the First Baptist Church as participants.

One of the major cooperative pro­

jects was the Protestant work at Sherman Institute.

The

churches of Riverside supported a Christian worker for the school, and Miss Edith Menzer of the Baptist church filled

5 0 Church, Bulletin. May 2 7 , 1917 and May 22, 1922.

^

Ibid., February 21, 1921.

Kiwanis Club Charter Night Program, April 23, 1921, in Walter D. Clark*s scrap book.

95 *7V

the position for some time.-'-'

Later, the need for a "build­

ing was felt, and a fund-raising campaign was held for this purpose, in which the church contributed f r e e l y . ^

During

the war, the pastor of the Congregational church entered Red Gross work, and Dr. Boardman suggested that some of the churches unite nfor the duration.

The Congregationalists

and Presbyterians gave the idea serious consideration, but the Baptists soon withdrew from the proposed union. Riverside Baptists had always been interested in Christian mission work, and one of the biggest projects of the war and post-war era were the schools of missions which the church conducted.

Glasses were held for six Sunday

nights in succession before the evening service.

Interest

was high in these schools, and in 1919 the average attendance was 2 l 6 . ? 6

Besides deepening the interest in home and

foreign mission endeavor, work was accomplished of practical importance to the Riverside area.

A class for men preparing

for citizenship papers was offered, in the 1919 s c h o o l , ^ and

^

Church, Bulletin, March 18, 1917*

^

Ibid., Annual Report Number, November 11, 1923*

^ Newspaper clipping of January 5* 1978* In Clark*s scrap book. Church, Bulletin, December 28, 1919• ^

Ibid., November 20, 1919.

94

before the session was over it was decided to assist in efforts underway among Mexicans at Highgrove, "involving Sunday School teachers and settlement type of social work."58 Various departments of the church continued to carry out work of a distinctly social nature in the community. The Ladies* Aid was especially active in this type of work, giving clothes to the City Home League and helping needy families it contacted in other ways.

During 1922 they had

a representative in the League who gave the rest of the society a deeper interest in the work there.59

The Brother­

hood class seems to have had its ups and downs, but at times it was quite active in helping some of the sick and unemployed . 2*0

In the pages of the Bulletin a note occasion­

ally appears about the Negro churches in town, and one of these is rather informative as to the cooperation given by the First church to their bre t h r e n . ^ On Thursday evening of this week we will hold no Prayer Service, our meeting being merged with the sessions of the California General Baptist Convention, (Negro), which is using this building during the three days, July 1-3• By unanimous and cordial vote we have extended to these brethren the use of our edifice • • • Come Thursday and enjoy the services with them.

^

Church, Bulletin. December 19, 19^9•

59 Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1922. Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1918. lfl IB id., June 2 9 , 1919.

95

The First Baptist Church, 1909-1928

The First Baptist Church Today

uuv\>

Uuuv?

^

Under Mr. Day

the program for young people was en­

larged and seems to have

been filled with new life.

One of

his first proposals was the organization of Boy Scout Troops.^

Thereafter, the church maintained one to three

troops where religious training was added to the general program of scouting.

By 1920 the pastor was able to report

that the church was “literally athrob with young life.“^ Among the groups mentioned at this time were the Baptist Young People*s Union, which has become the second strongest young people*s society in Riverside, an orchestra, the Boy Scouts, and a proposed boys* choir.

In 1919 the church,

foreseeing a future educational addition, bought the vacant lot next to the b u i l d i n g , ^ and in 1921 it was made into a recreation court. ^

One can imagine that it was used freely

by the growing group of young people

and was an asset to the

community as well as the church. During Dr. Boardman*s pastorate the church did not experience the normal growth it had been used to under Dr. Holt, as he was “unable to command the united and

up

Church, Bulletin, Annual Report Number, 1919* Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1920.

^

Church, Records, Associational Letter for 1919*

^

Church, Bulletin, April 24, 1921.

97 enthusiastic following and cooperation of his congregation.*1^

With the coming of Mr. Day, however, a great

period of expansion began. ship grew from 622 to 8 l 7 « ^

Under his leadership the member­ This period was one of great

financial success in the church.

Many appeals for special

offerings were made for unexpected purposes, but they were always met, seemingly without injury to the local budget. An indication of the financial status of the congregation and of Riverside, probably, is the salary paid to the pastor during these years.

The last yearly salary paid to

Dr. Holt was nineteen hundred dollars; this increased to twenty-five hundred dollars when Dr. Boardman came; and it had reached thirty-six hundred dollars by the close of Mr. Day*s pastorate.^®

If the church was not wealthy, it was

at least able to provide for its own needs and give generous support to Baptist missions and other worthy causes.

The

growing membership, good financial condition, increasing interest of young people, and the church*s awareness of world and local needs held much promise for the future.

^ Church, Records, Dr. Boardman* s statement of November 2k, 1918.

1923.

^7 Church, Bulletin, Annual Report Numbers, 1918 and ^

Ibid., Annual Report Numbers, 1915> 1916, and 1923•

CHAPTER VII PROSPERITY AND DEPRESSION The prosperity of the post-war period was obvious in southern California by 1924.

In fact, It was reaching such

a peak that the years prior to 1929 have been compared to the boom years of 1887 and 1888.^

An effort by the Chamber

of Commerce to locate more industry in Riverside seems to have been meeting with some success, for a variety of articles including toy balloons, mattresses, cement and perfume, were being made in or near the city by 1 9 2 6 .^

With

the automobile becoming more and more essential to California economy, the construction of transcontinental highway 60 through the city in the late twenties made an important contribution to its development.5

An Indication of its

prosperity may be seen in the valuation of nineteen million dollars assessed in 1 9 5 0 .^ When the stock market crashed in 1929> Riverside was not as seriously affected as some other parts of the

1 Cleland, Our Time, 126. 2 The Riversider, September, 1926, in Chamber of Commerce File, Riverside Public Library. ^ Gabbert, History. 146 ff. ^ Chamber of Commerce, Facts. 1950.

99 country.5

Some private fortunes were wiped out, but the

depression did not become widespread until about 1 9 3 2 . Economic conditions grew increasingly worse, however, and reached their lowest point in 1935*

During that year al­

most one-third of the population of Riverside County was on relief, and three-fourths of the reliefers were established county residents.

By 1934, the assessed valuation of the

city had dropped to less than fifteen million d o l l a r s . ^ The population of southern California increased by leaps and bounds after the war, and Riverside was able to follow suit.

During the twenties it enjoyed a fifty per

cent advance, going from nineteen thousand to twenty-nine thousand,7 and by 1930 it was the center of a trade area of sixty thousand p e o p l e . 8

Even the depression could not stop

the flow of people to the land of sunshine andoranges, although it did slow down the rate of flow a little.

River­

s i d e ^ population continued to increase, albeit more slowly, and reached 3 3 * 1 5 6 in 1935*9

9

Gabbert, History. 43 ff.

^ Chamber of Commerce, Facts. 1950. 7 Ibid., 1950. 6 G. B, Mangold, Social Survey of Riverside. California. 5 .

9 Gabbert, History. 3 6 .

100 One result of the large post-war influx of industry and population into southern California was the development of a strange society which seemed to he headed many differ­ ent ways at the same time.

The difficulty involved in

finding a native Californian is proverbial, and the fact that such a large part of the population hailed from outside the state means that there was no common background to give unity to the various elements.

Also, the tendency towards

industrialization was certain to produce 3ome conflicts when it came into contact with settled, life such as Riverside presented.

semi-agricultural

As Cleland says, southern

California became a society "diverse in objectives and com­ munity of interests, ,fl° In Riverside about 1930, one of the outstanding social problems was presented by the M e x i c a n s , ^

Delinquency

among their young people was frequent, but it was largely due to the conditions under which they lived.

The Community

Settlement, located near the center of town, was functioning well, but no adequate work was being done in the large Mexican section of Casa Blanca. In spite of the increase of manufacturing, Riverside*s orange industry was still the basis of its economy.

Cleland, Our Time, 212. 11 Mangold, Survey, 5, 12, 13*

In 1929

101 there were more than fifteen thousand acres of orange groves within the city l i m i t s * A s

the grip of the de­

pression increased, citrus fruit continued to be a source of livelihood for many Riversiders, and the value of the crop was more than six million dollars in 1 9 3 2 .^ After the resignation of Mr. Day, the church immedi­ ately set to work to find a new pastor, and the Rev. Mr. W. W. Catherwood of Santa Barbara was soon called.

Shortly

before he was to come to Riverside, however, one of his sons died, and due to this and his own poor health, the church permitted him to postpone his coming for several weeks.

He

arrived in April, 1924, and filled the pulpit for the first time on the first Sunday morning of that m o n t h . ^

The new

pastor soon won his way into the hearts of his people, and in 1 9 2 6 , as a token of their love, they sent him to his old home in Ireland for a visit with his mother.15

His fervent

and effective preaching won many converts, and in 1927 the Southern School of Divinity, his alma mater, conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity on him in recognition of his

12 Carey McWilliams, Southern California Country. 21 6 .

U

Chamber of Commerce, This is Riverside. 1934. Church, Bulletin, April 6 , 1924.

15 ibid., Annual Report Number, 1 9 2 6 .

102 Christian leadership.

1 f.

With the coming of Dr. Catherwood, the church entered a new phase of growth exceeding anything it had experienced before.

During the 1925 church year, the average attendance

at the ninety-one regular worship services was almost seven hundred, a fifty per cent increase over the previous year.17 By 1955 the membership had climbed beyond the fifteen hundred mark--almost twice the amount it had been when the pastor arrived in Riverside.1®

In reality, the church was growing

so fast that the members could not keep up with the visitors who came and occasional expressions had to be made urging all to be

f r i e n d l y .

^9

The population increase and the

pastor*s eloquence were threatening to turn the church into an audience. In civic affairs, the church seems not to have taken too great an interest.

It was largely occupied with its own

flourishing work, but items of moral importance could and did arouse it to action.

During the years when the proposed

repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment was a live issue, the Bulletin carried many announcements of prohibition meetings

^

Riverside, Enterprise. September 50, 1951*

17 Church, Bulletin. Annual Report Humber, 1925* ^

Holliday, First Baptist Church.

”**9 Church, Bulletin. May 4, 1950.

105 and supported Hoover against Smith on the basis of the liquor question * 20

Later, when this battle had been lost,

active support was given to the efforts to provide for local option, and the United Dry Forces met at the church to plan their drive for this legislation . 2 The Christian activities of Hiversiders continued to receive the support of the First Baptist church, and the church building was often used to house union meetings.

A

typical example was the Riverside Community School of Re­ ligious Education for Church School Workers, held in the fall of 1926 under the sponsorship of the Riverside Church Federation . 22

Other examples of participation in coopera­

tive activities were the Annual Week of Prayer in January, and the W.C.T.U.

Although the deacons protested in 1925

that the practice "was not conducive to the best interests of our church,"2^ union evening services were held every summer in cooperation with other churches in the city.

The

church was also active in Baptist work, and the pastor was frequently invited to speak at denominational meetings.

20 Church, Bulletin, August 1 2 , 1928.

2 -*- Ibid., September 20, 193^* 22 Ibid., October 17, 1926. 2^ Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1925*

104 At first the finances of the church continued to be on sound footing, and by 1 9 3 0 , the pastor1s salary had been increased to fifty-one hundred dollars a year.21*" However, mention la made of the fact that a special effort had to be directed towards the raising of funds during that year.

An

evidence of the deterioration of church finances by 1934 is the fact that during that year the Bulletin began to appear in mimeograph instead of printed form on a very cheap grade of paper*

In 1928, when money had been more plentiful, the

church put itself in debt by adding a ninety thousand dollar educational unit to the building, and this burden remained throughout the depression years.25 Interest in missionary activity received a new impetus in 1924 when the church adopted three missionaries as its representatives and undertook to pay their salaries.2^

One

of these, Dr. Lena Benjamin of India, continued to be supported in this way for many years as the church maintained the policy of designating its missionary money for specific individuals.

When these missionaries returned on furlough

they visited the church and told the various church groups about their work.

A partial evidence of growing interest in

2^ Ghurch, Bulletin. Annual Report Number, 1930. 23 Riverside, Enterprise, September 30, 1931* 2^ Church, Records. August 3> and December 11, 1924.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Educational Unit, November 6 , 1927

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Mexican Baptist Church Building, May 2 7 , 19^5

106 missions is seen in the eleven thousand dollar missionary budget adopted in 1929 > and in the departure for China and Africa of some of the church1s own young people in 1935 The increasing membership gave the church an oppor­ tunity to affect the lives of many people in the community and it did this in many ways.

The major emphasis of Dr.

Catherwood has always been evangelism, therefore people were influenced to take the step of becoming Christians.2^

The

Sunday School attendance increased steadily, going from ^82 in 1925 to about 7 5 0 in 1 9 3 5 and through this means people of all ages received systematic instruction in the Bible and Christian living.

To prepare adequate teachers

for the school, teacher training classes were held periodi­ cally.

Another medium of instruction was utilized by a

committee which helped inform mothers about Christian edu­ cation in the home .^ 0 Under Dr. Catherwood, work among the young people received great emphasis and their activities came to occupy a major part of the church program.

During the first two

27 Church, Bulletin, June 2, 1929 and April 7 > 1935* Holliday, First Baptist Church. 29 Ibid. Church, Bulletin, Annual Report Number, 1930.

107 years of his pastorate, the two societies grew into five with an average attendance of 1 3 2 , and directors of young people's work were necessary to supervise them.

One of the

most important steps taken was the beginning of the young people's annual summer encampment in 1 9 2 9 .

These camps

were held for a week or ten days each summer, and they soon came to be the dynamo of all youth work.

They were an

instrument both to deepen the spiritual life of the Christians and to evangelize others, some from families outside the church, who came along merely for a summer outing.

As they

increased in numbers and interest, gospel teams were organ­ ized, and the young people occasionally conducted the worship service in the pastor's absence.51 Work of a social nature was also carried on during these years; however, much of it was primarily for an evan­ gelistic purpose.

Under the heading,

"The First Baptist

Church Believes--," this statement appeared in a copy of the Bulletin:^ We believe in ministering to all the REAL needs of men, realizing that social and community service is not in itself an end, but only means to the REAL end; namely, a personal and vital relationship to Jesus Christ.

51 Church, Bulletin. June 16, 1929 52 Ibid., May 26, 1929.

108 A good idea of local mission work being done about this time is given in a 1928 Bulletin.33

At this time there

were missions at Casa Blanca among the Mexicans, in town among the Japanese, and five volunteer workers were teaching Bible classes at Sherman Institute.

Besides this, regular

meetings were being held at the County Children* s Home, March Field, and the Woodcraft Home for the aged, and young people*s deputation teams rendered occasional service in “outlying districts . 11

Most of this work continued throughout

the period in question and provided a valuable outlet for Christian service. Activity of a more distinctly social nature was also a part of the church life.

Two Boy Scout troops were main­

tained and a Girl Scout troop was active part of the time, and these were a good means of rendering service to the youth of Riverside.

Cordial relations continued with the

Negro churches in town, and in 1926, one hundred dollars was contributed to the building fund of one of them. 3^

Before

I929 the deacons and various church organizations did chari­ table work among the needy, but after the stock market crash this became more of a church project.

A Welfare Committee

was organized to direct this phase of the church*s work, and in 1931 the church donated $5 5 3 * 0 0 besides food and clothing

33 Church, Bulletin, April 1, 1928. 3^ Ibid., Annual Report Number, 1926.

109 which the committee used to help one hundred families.35 In 1924 the golden anniversary of the church arrived, and it was celebrated by special services in which some of the former pastors and older members of the church took part.

36

Within a few years, however, the last charter

member, Mrs. Roe, passed

away,

37 and with her passing, the

church seemed to mark the end of an era.

The older members

were passing on and others were coming to take their places. However, many who were now assuming leadership were new in Riverside and in the church.

They were not acquainted with

all the traditions and customs of the church, and newcomers were arriving too rapidly to be completely assimilated. The community spirit of earlier days was weakening, in both Riverside and the First Baptist Ghurch, and both were being modified in outlook and method by the injection of new blood and new ideas.

^3 Ohurch, Bulletin, Annual Report Number, 1931* 36 Ibid., February 10, 1924. 37 Ibid., September 1 9 , 1 9 2 6 .

CHAPTER VIII CONCLUDING YEARS OF DR. CATHERWOOD*S PASTORATE This, the final period of our history, begins in the depths of depression and ends in the height of prosperity. Although bad times were to continue for several years after 1 9 3 5 # the situation did not again become quite so desperate.

By 1939* fifty-eight per cent of the families in Riverside owned their own h o m e s , a n d better days were just around the corner.

The population continued to increase, even more

rapidly after 19 ^0 , when it reached 3 8 ,2 2 7 , and stood in the neighborhood of 5 0 > 0 0 0 ten years later.2

An average of more

than five hundred new homes have been built each year since the war and the latest assessed valuation is $5 7 *2 8 8 ,7 6 0 .^ Of course, the factor which made most of the differ­ ence in the economic picture was the war.

It brought new

industry to the community and expanded what was already there.

It also expanded the military population and payroll

beyond the imagination of local inhabitants.

March Field

was enlarged; Camp Haan, an anti-aircraft camp, was opened

^ Chamber of Commerce, Facts» 1939* 2 Ibid.. 1950.

5 Ibid. . 1950.

Ill across the highway; and other large establishments for *

servicemen were maintained in the Riverside area*

Thousands

of these men poured into Riverside every weekend to crowd their way along the sidewalks, enrich the local merchants, and present an almost insuperable social problem to the community. The process of industrial expansion has continued in Riverside and several important manufacturers have recently located plants in or near the city.

Besides equip­

ment connected with the citrus industry, manufactured pro­ ducts from Riverside now include:

Venetian blinds, brick

and tile, surgical splints, kitchenware, and air-condition­ ing.^

It is also a wholesale and jobbing center whose net

sales approach fifty million dollars a year.

Since the

war, the building industry has participated in the real estate boom sweeping southern California by averaging six million dollars worth of business a year.

The quiet, serene

city of early days has disappeared, and a bustling young commercial center is taking its place. The coming of war also brought a boom to agriculture in the Riverside area.

All forms of agriculture profited,

but none any more than the citrus industry.

Zl

Chamber of Commerce, Facts. 1950.

Between 19^3

112 and 1945 the value of the citrus crop almost doubled, reach­ ing about twenty-two million dollars in Riverside County during the latter year.5

it provides employment for about

sixty-five hundred people a year,^ but "a consistently unpredictable citrus market, increasing citrus tree and fruit disease, growing competition” and similar consider­ ations are leading citrus growers to seek some other crop as a replacement.7

A Riverside without citrus as its found­

ation is hard to conceive, but such a situation might well be in keeping with the general trend of development. A great transition has been taking place in California since the first World War, and it was partially described in the previous chapter.^

At first, the increasing industrial­

ization had little effect on Riverside, and it could be said in 1935* ”Trade unionism . . .

is unimportant."9

However,

the community spirit has deteriorated considerably in recent years as newcomers moved in and many heirs-apparent of the older families moved away.

”With this infusion of new blood,

5 Marshall Beauchamp, Ed., California Almanac, 517* 6 Chamber of Commerce, Facts, 1950.

7 Riverside, Press, May 12, 1950. ® See above, p. 100. 9 Gabbert, History, 42.

113 something of the compact, colony-insulated, homogeneous character of the appear #4,10

citrus

communities has begun to dis­

It can no longer be said that cooperation is

the key word; not because there is antipathy between the two groups, but because of differing backgrounds and circles of acquaintances. Even before the war began,

the church was taking an

interest in the growing number of servicemen in Riverside. Early in 1941, the women prepared a dinner for them after the Sunday morning worship service , 11 and the same thing was done occasionally by organized groups within the church. Two years later, after several weeks of planning, the C.S.G. (Christian Service Organization) was opened in the social hall,1^ and from that time on it was a popular center for servicemen.

If one was on a weekend pass in Riverside, he

could easily spend his time at the church, for recreation, lodging, and several meals would be furnished to him.

The

G.S.O. was by far the most important wartime activity of the church, but an extensive program was also carried on to main­ tain contact with its own young people who had departed for

10 Carey McWilliams, Southern California Country, 222. 11 Church, Bulletin, March 23, 1941* 12 Ibid., June 27, 1943.

114

One of the Young People’s Radio Broadcasts

Typical A c t i v i t y in the 0. S. 0.

115 military service*

Another example of activity reflecting

the war was the drive for clothing for Europe held early in 1947 . 15 As it was in the earlier part of Dr* Catherwood*s pastorate, the most important endeavor in which the church engaged with other churches of the city was the temperance movement.

A temperance committee was in existence, and

both a city-wide mass meeting and a W.C.T.U. convention were held in the church building. 14

When the local option pro­

posal was on the ballot in 1948, there were constant re­ minders of the issues involved, both from the pulpit and in the Bulletin.

The church participated in the union summer

evening services throughout 1941; But since that time it has held its own services, and they have been well attended.

It

has not been oblivious to the activities of other churches, however, and when the First Methodist Church building was destroyed by fire, an invitation was extended to that congre­ gation to make use of the Baptist building in any way that was convenient.^ The church has not been active In civic affairs dur­ ing the past fifteen years.

^

Before the war however, the

Church, Bulletin, February 9> 1927* Ibid., March 2, 1941, and October 6 , 1946. Church, Records, February 5> 1947*

116 men* s Brotherhood occasionally had civic and political lead­ ers speak to them.

Outstanding examples were the report on

his trip through Communist Russia, given by Assemblyman (now Congressman) John Phillips in 1956, and the panel discussion of civic questions held on November 1, 1958 . 18 Various individuals have taken active parts in the life of the city, but the church as a whole has largely devoted itself to religious matters. The financial condition of the church and the com­ munity was very bad in 1 9 5 5 > and they did not improve rapidly.

The pastor1s salary had dropped to forty-five

hundred dollars, and in 1959 it was set at four thousand dollars.17

The pledges and budget were constantly in

arrears, and special campaigns to raise funds were held regularly at the end of the church year.

The coming of war­

time prosperity altered the situation, and in 19^5 the church again began to print the Bulletin on good paper .-*-8 During the next year an attempt was made to purchase prop­ erty immediately east of the church building for purposes of expansion, but a private party acquired the property

^

Church, Bulletin, January 12, 1956, and October 25,

1958. x7 Ibid., July 50,-1959. 18 Ibid., May 20, 1945.

117 before the church could place an offer with the owner.19 However, a building fund is being maintained for future use. A further indication of the present financial stability is the salary of six thousand dollars now being paid to Dr. Catherwood.^ The church continued to meet its social responsibility in a way consistent with its beliefs.

The women1s groups

continued to support the work of Settlement House,

o" I

and the

Welfare Committee maintained facilities for distributing the necessities of life to those in n e e d . ^

There was much

activity during this period directed towards helping the Mexican people on the east side of town A mission

establish a church.

was maintained for some time, and by1941 a church

was in existence whose pastor received partial support from the First Baptist

C h u r c h .

^3

A building to meet their needs

was erected for them in 1 9 4 5 , ^ and the portable organ used by the church in the early days was loaned to

them .

Con­

cern was also manifested regarding individual material needs,

-*-9 Church, Records, Trustees 1 Annual Report, 1947. 20 Ibid., Budget for 1948-1949. 21

Church, Bulletin, October 18, 1936.

22 Ibid. , October 6 , 1940. 25 Ibid., October 12, 1941.

2lf Ibid., October 21, 1945. ^

Church, Records, Trustees 1 Annual Report, 1947.

118 and occasional gifts were sent for this

p u r p o s e .

With the population increasing all over southern California, some areas began to be peopled beyond the capa­ city of the established churches.

The area in and around

Riverside was not an exception to this development and since the war, the First Baptist Church has helped establish two other churches to meet community need.

The first of these

was in the city of Fontana, where the Kaiser steel mill had brought people and prosperity.

One of the young men from

Riverside acted as pastor until the work was well established, while the church contributed to his support and sent an advisory committee to help provide stability to the effort.27 The other church has been established recently in Arlington, the area originally developed by S. C. Evans, and a building program now in progress should produce the first unit, a chapel, during October, 1 9 5 0 The work started as a mission of the First Baptist church in June, 1948, and it was organized as a church in October, 1949* with another one of the local young men as pastor.29

This type of work seems to

Church, Bulletin. January 2, 1944. Church, Records. May 7 > 1947. ^

Riverside, Press. August 27, 1950.

29 Ibid.. April 11, 1950.

119 have been quite successful, and the church has set up a fund for similar projects in the f u t u r e . 20 The pastor*s emphasis on evangelism has continued through the years, and this statement from a 1937 Bulletin is an accurate representation of his ideal and program for the church: 2 ^ One One Our Our

issue: Jesus Christ, objective: Soul winning. aim: To bring men to Christ, method: To bring Christ to men.

In this effort to make new converts, the church has been very successful.

During Dr. Catherwood*s pastorate more

than two thousand have been baptized, and the total member­ ship has climbed to about three thousand.2 2

This phenomenal

growth has not been without its disadvantages, however, for in such a large group it is impossible for the members to be well-acquainted with each other, and much of the early feel­ ing of unity has been lost.

As early as 1936 an attempt to

promote friendliness was made by dividing the membership into districts for the purpose of holding socials , 22 and during the next year a church caller was employed to assist

20 Church, Records, January 19, 19^9* 2^ Church, Bulletin, May 20, 1937* 2 2 ibid., April 23, 1930. 22 ibid., February 2, 1936.

120 In such pastoral duties as visiting the sick, the new members, and others who needed h e l p . ^ The church has continued to be a leader in the Southern California Baptist Convention, but its opposition to liberal theological tendencies has caused it to lose some of its confidence in the Northern Baptist Convention.

Bap­

tist leaders have spoken from the pulpit at not too infre­ quent intervals, however, and in 19^6 the pastor was chosen to officially represent southern California at the annual meeting of the Northern Baptist C o n v e n t i o n . A n outstand­ ing example of cooperation came after the war when the church made a real attempt to do its share in the World Mission Crusade and Crusade for Christ through Evangelism of North­ ern Baptists.

Dissatisfaction has been most clearly regis­

tered with regard to educational institutions of the con­ vention, although sentiment is divided on this point.

Strong

financial support is now being given to Westmont College, an inter-denominational project, and the new California Baptist Theological Seminary--two institutions representing a con­ servative theological point of

v i e w . ^ 6

Church, Bulletin. October 31* 1937* 55 Ibid, . May 19, 1946.

^ Church., Records. May 5, 1948, and Treasurer's Report for 19^7-19^8.

121 Interest in missionary work has always been high in the church, and even during the depths of the depression about seven thousand dollars a year were given for missions?? However, dissatisfaction with convention activity has caused considerable confusion regarding missionary support.

As

early as 1958 a note appeared in the Bulletin giving assur­ ance that no missionary money was spent on salaries for convention workers , ^8 and in the 1948-1949 church year a large portion of the missionary budget was designated for the reactionary Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society.59 In spite of this, the major share of contribution for mis­ sions continues to go through convention channels, and most of the women's missionary activity is done in support of convention missionaries. The most constructive work of the church has been among the young people, and they are now a strong factor, contributing to its life as well as drawing from it.

The

summer camp continues to be their major source of inspir­ ation, and the enrollment has been around three hundred each year since before the w a r . ^

For almost two years they

Holliday, First Baptist Church. Church, Bulletin, August 14, 1958. ^9 Church, Records, Budget for 1948-1949* ^

Church, Bulletin, August 25, 1940.

122 maintained a weekly radio p r o g r a m , ^ and this project was discontinued only when the station decided to use the time for a different broadcast.

The success of the G.S.O. was

due in a large part to them, for they were genuinely friendly and made the visiting servicemen and women feel welcome. During the early part of this period, Moments of Melody and Fellowship Hour, semi-social meetings for singing and refreshments, began to be held after the Sunday evening service, and they helped both to popularize the evening worship service and to provide recreation for the young people.

After the war, the C.S.O. rooms were turned into

a youth center for craft work, recreation, and social func­ tions.^

The youth program has been providing a steady

stream of leadership, and the facilities and program are possessed to continue the program. Other phases of the church program have been con­ tinued with profit during this time.

The Sunday School

attendance encountered a slump during the war y e a r s , ^ but by the end of the 1949-1950 church year it had gone far

^

Church, Bulletin. August 23, 1942, and March 26,

1944. lip

Church, Records. Youth Center Committee Report of October 30, 1946. ^ Ibid., Board of Christian Education, Report of May 4, 194BT

123 beyond its previous high point to average 1003 per S u n d a y . ^ Vacation Bible Schools have been held during the summer months, and in 1949* sixteen churches were represented in the enrollment of 218.

The enlarged program of the church

made added leadership advisable, and early in 1946 the Rev. Mr. Cyril Reid assumed the position of assistant pastor. On April 2 , 1950, largely as a result of dissension stemming from the more reactionary conservative element, Dr. Catherwood presented his resignation to the

c h u r c h .

^5

Although he stated that it was "for the best interests of the First Baptist Church , 11 the church voted later not to accept it.

However, after two months, he requested that

his resignation be accepted effective October 1, 1 9 5 0 . ^ This time his wish was granted, and an era in the church1s life is drawing to a close after more than twenty-six years under the pastorate of Dr. Catherwood.

The Advisory Com­

mittee is now seeking a new pastor, and another era is about to begin.

^ Church, Records, Board of Christian Education Report of May 3, 1950. ^5 ibid., April 2, 1950. 46 Ibid., July 2, 1950.

Riverside from Mt. Roubidoux, 1950

12 If

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS (l)

The history of Riverside has been accurately

reflected in the life of the First Baptist Church,. In the early days of the colony, the success of each settler depended in part on his neighbor1s success.

Unless

they could support it together, business would die out and living conditions would become almost impossible for people not accustomed to pioneer life. the early newspapers.

This fact is obvious in

There seems to have been no jealousy

over another1s good fortune, and every individual success is reported happily as another step in the development of the community.

The development and success of the citrus

industry only intensified this feeling, for citrus fruit became the crop of Riverside, and the prosperity of the whole community depended on the prosperity of the citrus growers.

It is worthy of note that the first citrus co­

operative was organized in Riverside. This community spirit was carried over into the work of the churches, for the groups that worshipped together on Sundays were composed of the same people who were concerned with each other*s welfare during the week.

The various

churches cooperated in all lines of their work, and in the Baptist church, at least, the prevailing harmony was appar-

126 As the city grew, however, and as new industry has developed, the feeling of mutual concern and friendliness almost died out.

The older residents still feel a mutual

kinship, but the newcomers represent a new and different outlook.

It was not by accident that municipal politics

sometimes assumed an unaccustomed bitterness after the first World War. This development, plus the growth of large, unwieldy congregations, has ended most of the effective cooperation between churches, and this is one of the reasons that the Baptist church has tended to become more and more separate from the activities of the rest of Riverside.

In this, it

is but following a community trend. The writer wonders also if this is not a partial ex­ planation of the present confusion regarding support for Northern Baptist Convention work.

Of course, an apparently

sincere dislike for the doctrines of religious liberalism prompted the original protests and produced the chastening action of withholding support from various convention activi­ ties.

In like manner, those who have favored unlimited

support of the convention have done so in sincerity.

How­

ever, if the community spirit of early days had prevailed, the church would, no doubt, have arrived at some sort of agreement regarding the gravity of the situation and the steps to be taken.

127 (2 )

The outstanding influenoe of the church on the

community has been through evangelism. From the first "notable11 revival under Mr. Bateman in 1878 to the present evangelistic pastorate of Dr. Catherwood, the church has manifested great concern over the uncon­ verted.

Special evangelistic meetings have been held regular­

ly throughout its history, and one of the older members has remarked that it is now the only one of the early churches to continue doing so.-*faster than the city.

Part of the time it has grown much During Dr. Catherwood*s pastorate, for

instance, it has increased about twice as fast as the cityfs population.

Since evangelism has been its major emphasis,

its influence has largely been on individuals rather than on civic or social movements, and such influence is impossible to tabulate. (3)

The church has been one of the effective educa­

tional influences in the community. Ever since the organization of the Sunday School, its program has been emphasized by the church.

During 1949* the

average daily attendance in the public schools was 10 ,2 8 5 and the average Sunday school attendance of 1008 for 1949-50

^ Mrs. Eva Sullivan, in private conversation, July 29, 1950. 2

Chamber of Commerce, Facts, 1950.

128 is about one-tenth of that amount.

When we add to this work

the large Vacation Bible School and the many branches of young people*s activities, we must conclude that the First Baptist Church has no superiors, and probably no equals, as a source of moral and religious teaching in Riverside today. (4)

The church has been important to the community

as a source of other churches. Although most efforts along this line have been carried out rather recently, as early as 1883 we found the church allowing an elder of the Christian denomination to use its building while organizing a church, and we also noticed that some of the charter members of the first Negro church came from the First Baptist Church.

The early Chinese

mission, the Park Avenue mission, and the various mission activities of the early years of Dr. Catherwood* s pastorate all took the place of a church for those who attended, al­ though they were never organized as such.

Within recent years

three churches have been organized in or near Riverside, and as the church is receptive to further opportunities along this line, such work will probably be continued. Further attempts to develop conclusions from the data at hand would probably carry the author beyond the field of history to the realm of homiletics, but perhaps he will be allowed to quote in conclusion a statement prepared by Miss Kate Candee on the occasion of the church* s fiftieth

129 anniversary:^ The . . . years commemorated here will never die, hut will be lived on, and into years to come be woven as a mighty influence for good or ill. We cannot say farewell to them and taking up our task anew go forward into untried fields of thought and life— the Past is always with us. We lift our hearts in gratitude to God that He has blessed and brightened all the way through which these years have led, and praise Him for the blessed teaching which His service brought. We pray His blessings on the years to come, that in its future life this Church may know a fuller, more abiding love for Him and those for whom He died.

Church, Bulletin, February 10, 1924.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY A. 1,

PUBLISHED MATERIAL Books and Periodicals

An Illustrated History of Southern California. Lewis Publishing Co., 1890.

Chicago:

Beauchamp, Marshall, editor, California Almanac. California Almanac Co., 1947•

Los Angeles

Brown, John Jr., and James Boyd, History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. 3 vols. ^numbered consecutive­ ly}" Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1922. Caughey, John W . , California.

New York:

Prentice-Hall, 1940

Cleland, Robert G . , California in Our Time. Alfred A. Knopf/ 1947_______ , Cattle on a Thousand Hills. Library, 19^1. , Wilderness to Empire. 1944.

New York:

San Marino:

New York:

Huntington

Alfred A. Knopf,

_______ , and Osgood Hardy, March of Industry. Powell Publishing Co., 1929«

Los Angeles:

Clark, Elmer T., The Small Sects in America. Revised Edition New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1949* Coy, Owen C., California County Boundaries. Berkeley: California Historical Survey Commission, 1923Dumke, Gerald S., Boom of the Eighties. Huntington Library, 1944.

San Marino:

Gabbert, John R., History of Riverside City and County, n.p.: Record Publishing Co., 1935* Graves, J. A., Out of Doors California and Oregon. Los Angeles: Grafton Publishing Co., 1912.

132 Guinn, J. M . , Southern California, Publishing Co., 1 9 0 2 .

Chicago:

Chapman

Hanna, Phil T., Dictionary of California Land Names. Los Angeles: Automobile Club of Southern California, 1946. Holmes, Elmer W . , and others, History of Riverside County, California. Los Angeles:- Historic Record Co., 1912. Hcrnbeck, Robert, Roubidoux1s Ranch in the 7 0 1s. Press Printing Co., 1913.

Riverside:

Ingersoll, L. A . , Century Annals of San Bernardino County 1769 to 1904. Los Angeles: L. A. Ingersoll, 1904. Lindley, Walter, and J. P. Widney, California of the South. Third Edition; New York: Appleton, 1896. MacCurdy, Rahno Mabel, History of the California Fruit Growers Exchange. Los Angeles: n.p., 1925. Mangold, G. B . , Social Survey of Riverside, California, n.p., 1930. McGroarty, John Stephen, California of the South. Chapman Publishing Co., 1902. McWilliams, Carey, Southern California Country. Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1946.

Chicago:

New York:

Mills, Minnie Tibbets, "Luther Calvin Tibbets," The Quarter­ ly. Los Angeles: Historical Society of Southern California, XV:127-l6l. Rice, George, Southern California.

Los Angeles:

1883.

Southern California Bureau of Information, Southern California. Los Angeles: Bureau of Information Print., 1892. Wood, Ruth K . , The Tourist1s California. Dodd, Mead and Company, 1915*

New York:

2.

Documents

Durand, E. D . , Director, Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce and Labor, Abstract of the 13th Census with Supplement for California. Washingtons Government Printing Office, 1913* Hall, W. H . , Irrigation in California. State Printing Office, l8 8 8 . 3.

2 vols.

Sacramento:

Pamphlets

Holliday, Alice, History of First Baptist Church, Riverside, California. 1935• Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Book of Facts. 1934, 1935, 1939, 1945, and 1 9 5 0 . _______ , Riverside, California. _______ , This is Riverside. 4.

editions of

1919*

editions of 1933 and 1934.

Newspapers

Riverside Daily Press, 1895-1950. Riverside Enterprise, 1890-1950* Riverside Press, June, 1878--December, 1879* Riverside Press and Horticulturist, 1880-1897* Riverside Weekly News, November 2 7 , 1875--July 22, 1 8 7 6 . The Church Bulletin, October 23, 1897, la Riverside History Collection. Weekly Budget, March 2 5 , 1899, la Alexander Grant Collection.

134 5.

Other

First Baptist Ghurch of Riverside, California, Bulletin. 1908 -1950 . Santa Ana Valley Baptist Association, Minutes of the Annual Meeting. 1892-1908. Southern California Baptist Convention, Minutes of the Annual Meeting, 1892-1908. B.

UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL

Gandee, Kate, and others, History of the First Baptist Church of Riverside, California. MS. 1924. Ellis, Ivan C., Origin and Development of Baptist Churches and Institutions in Southern California. Unpublished Master1s thesis, the University of Southern California, 1938. First Baptist Church of Riverside, California, Letters, November, 1905--November, 1907. , Minutes of Officers and Deacons Meetings. 1593— October, 1895. _______ , Records of the Church Cleric. 1946-1950. _______ , Sunday School Record.

April,

1874-1887, 1907-1925,

1898.

(Grant, A . K History of Los Angeles Baptist Association. MS. (I8 8 7 ) at Southern California Baptist Convention Head­ quarters, Los Angeles. Letter from W. C. and Z. W. St. Pierre to I. S. Kennedy, August 8 , 1903 9 in Church, History File. Letter from Wm. T. Dinsmore to Rev. Alex. Grant, December 14, 1906, in the Alexander Grant Collection.

155 C.

COLLECTIONS OF MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL

Alexander Grant Collection, Southern California Baptist Convention Headquarters, Los Angeles. First Baptist Church of Riverside, California, History File. Riverside History Collection, Riverside, California, Public Library. Roe, James H . , Notes on the Early History of Riverside, California. MS. in Riverside Public Library. Scrapbook of Mr. Walter D. Clark. Scrapbook of Miss Alice Holliday. ORAL SOURCES Osborne, Mrs. F. W . , private conversation of August 13, 1950. Sullivan, Mrs. Eva, private conversation of July 29, 1950. (These two women reside in Riverside and have been members of the First Baptist Church for many years. Mrs. Sullivan joined the church in 1883# and Mrs. O s b o r n e ^ late husband directed the work at the Park Avenue Mission during most of its existence.)