Rog Hiemstra’s Blog

It was Tuesday evening, February 28, 1854, in downtown Syracuse. The day had warmed a bit, a little snow remained, but it had turned windy and cooler as 7 pm approached. City Hall was filled to capacity with an anticipatory crowd and hundreds more thronging the building unable to get in but straining to hear what they could. This began eleven such evening debates, ending on March 23, regarding what became the famous Lee-May theological debate regarding the doctrine of the Trinity. Lee and May were friends, but very different in their views of theology.

Rev. Lee, a local Wesleyan (Methodist) minister, believed and supported the notion of a Trinity, i.e., (a) God, (b) Jesus as a manifestation of God, and (c) the ever present Holy Spirit. This was a basis for his religious views and what he called “three persons in unity of the Godhead” (from page 4 of Discussion of the Trinity, Wesleyan Book Room, Syracuse, NY, 1854, available at SU’s Special Collections unit).  Rev. May, our minister, believed in a “God,” and notions of an historical Jesus as a “manifestation of God to men and that God’s Holy Spirit which was so fully manifested in Christ is ever present, the spirit of truth, purity, and mercy” (p. 6).

Subtle, perhaps, but very real differences. Rev. Lee spun out his convictions over the eleven debates fervently believing and defending notions that the bible provided all the evidence needed to support such views. Rev. May, on the other hand, providing support for his views, including many quotations from the bible, that would find much acceptance in our pew today other than views of an everlasting “God” which may differ from many of our own. He disavowed the notion that ministers must believe in the doctrine of Trinity to be legitimate ministers and was convinced that interpretations made by philosophers and religious leaders two and three centuries after the birth of Christ were both incorrect and leading to Trinitarian beliefs still held today.

Debates held in 1854 may have been less contentious than today’s political debates, for example, and we can guess that both Rev. Lee and Rev. May were polite, but passionate, in the defenses they made of their beliefs. At the conclusion of the debates, Sam said, “And here, Brother Lee, after all our disputing, is my right hand of fellowship if you are willing to receive it.” I envision them clasping right hands as Rev. Lee said “I take your hand, and fellowship you as a man and a philanthropist, but I have no fellowship with your theology.” Sam seems to then have had the last word as he concluded with, “Nor I with yours! I suppose that your theology is just as unlike to mine, as mine is to yours” (p. 160).

Those lucky enough to have heard these brilliant men describing their beliefs were no doubt awed, and some may even have changed their personal views one way or the other. Interestingly, the steadfast adherence to a literal translation of the bible today by many continues to lead to misunderstandings and even violent clashes.  Now we just need to find a way to have those who disagree with each other clasp hands in friendship and agree to disagree, but in loving ways.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written August 5, 2008

Even venturing down the road implied by the above title is a perilous one, especially for someone of the male gender. I no doubt will miss many deserving women, some of whom may be your own favorites. However, here are some of the terrific women who have been associated with May Memorial. You can google many of them to find more information.

I start with Harriet May Mills who was born in 1857 and named after Sam May. After graduation from Cornell in 1879, she was influenced by Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone and began active work in the campaign for woman’s suffrage. She later ran for Secretary of State in NY, the first woman to run for a state-wide office. Blanche Weaver Baxter, who was a niece of Matilda Joslyn Gage, had a 30 year career on Broadway and, upon her retirement, returned to Syracuse and worked tirelessly with youth in the arts, even founding the Syracuse Little Theater. Rev. Elizabeth Padgham, whom I have written about before, a successful Unitarian minister who grew up in our church and returned here after retirement to serve our church in many ways.

Dora G. Sedgwick, married to Frederick Hazard, was daughter of abolitionist Charles B. Sedgwick. Dora was an early proponent of family planning and helped develop programs for young Black people (which evolved into the Dunbar Center). The Hazard Branch of the OCPL contains a memorial plaque recalling her public service. The middle of the last century saw RE leaders like Elizabeth Manwell and Jo Gould who not only served this church but also had a national impact.

I can’t forget Verah Johnson, our church’s first woman president, so many leaders of our Woman’s Alliance throughout much of the past century, RE leaders Pat Hoertdoefer and Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Strong, both of whom spent the latter part of their terrific careers working for the UUA in Boston, and current RE Director, Jennifer Hamlin-Navias.

You can see I have left out so many, but I can beg off because of space constraints. However, I must end with our current church leader, Rev. Jean Wahlstrom. Check out her photo in the Memorial Room. Thank you Jean for adorning our Memory Wall and gracing our sacred Hall.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written July 12, 2008

At our annual meeting on June 1 we learned that a committee would be formed whose purpose will be fund raising. As we all know, history repeats itself, in that our church has had financial ups and downs throughout its existence and special efforts to raise funds dot our historical landscape. Here are a few of those efforts that this committee might find instructive where members as well as interested community members contributed through entrance fees, purchases, and donations:

• The Laymen’s League sponsored lectures by the famous minister John Haynes Holmes, a prominent Unitarian minister, pacifist, and anti-war activist.
• The Women’s Alliance presented a Pageant of Shawls with a program of ethnic dancing at the art museum.
• The Alliance coordinated programs for church and community children put on by the Clare Tree Children’s Theatre Troupe
• Church members, including children, put on plays, theatrical performances, and musicals.
• Garden parties were held at the homes of prominent church members.
• One of the money raising events was called the Department Store and in 1905 it brought in a record sum of $256.52.
• The women of the church put on an annual two-day May Faire that used the church and church grounds to raise funds through such activities as an antique sale, bazaar, business men’s lunch, carnival corner, flea market, food sale, game room, garden shop, gourmet shop, pancake lunch, pony rides, puppet show, salad bar, sidewalk art show, and even a stamp and coin booth. [If you would like to see a poster of one of these fund-raising events, see http://history.mmuus.org/mayfaireposter.pdf.]
• The society raised money with a series of roast beef dinners, cooked by John Fuller, that were open the public.
• The Christmas tree sale organized by forestry professor Gerry Lanier became a popular annual fund-raising event that involved a majority of members.

So think creatively when you are asked for ideas on how we best can raise funds in this coming year. There are many ways similar to those above that might be tried, but many wonderful possibilities exist in your minds and experiences.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written June 19, 2008

I have enjoyed a recent opportunity to look through several archival files new to me. I have learned much and will share some of it through this newsletter format. To begin with, I discovered what appears to be all the material related to a wonderful sermon given by Rev. Nick Cardell on October 12, 1997. Entitled Judas By Proxy, in it Nick talks about the School of Assassins (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and the terrible toll visited on people in many Latin American countries by graduates of that school. He mentions both Father Roy Bourgeois, who organized the SOA Watch in 1990, an annual vigil outside the Ft. Benning gates, and Syracuse’s own Ed Kinane. Both Father Roy and Ed had been arrested and subsequently jailed for crossing those gates. The church was honored to award the Samuel J. May Citation for Community Action to Ed in 1997. In addition, Father Bourgeois was our Sam May Day speaker April 1, 2007. You can read Nick’s sermon at http://history.mmuus.org/judasbyproxy.pdf

His words were an almost eerie precursor to what followed. At some point during that service Nick said one way we could use our “response-ability” in closing the SOA was to join him, Dan Sage, Doris Sage, and Ann Tiffany at Ft. Benning on November 13-16, 1997. Many will know that subsequently they all crossed through those gates, were arrested, and eventually served several months in jail because of their convictions. Such courage so epitomizes what May Memorial membership means. For those who never saw it, I encourage you to read Nick’s Notes from Camp Allenwood at this web site: http://www.uuworld.org/1999/0799feat3.html

The second set of files pertains to Rev. Ron Clark who served this church as Associate Minister from 1968-1971. Ron is remembered fondly for the many innovative programs he brought to our Religious Education program. Ron went on to be a minister at two other Unitarian churches and worked several years with the UUA. Sadly, Rev. Clark died nearly two years ago at the age of 70. Here is a site that provides more information, some photos of Ron and his family, and a link to one of his sermons: http://history.mmuus.org/ronclark.html

I end on a personal note of gratitude to the many readers of this column during the past two plus years who have mentioned how much they appreciate it and learn about our church’s marvelous history. I truly enjoy writing these articles and have to come to appreciate even more this church I love. I feel so proud to be a member. Here is a reminder that you can read past newsletter articles in an online archival repository: http://history.mmuus.org/newsletterarchives.pdf

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written June 1, 2008

Almost everything you read about Sam indicates that he was quite “Saintly” in his demeanor. He was kind, respectful of others, and even-handed in the way he dealt with people. Terms like “Peaceful Warrior,” “Christ-like,” and “brother to all” were commonly used to describe Sam. Yes, he supported passionately many social causes and fought vigorously to right the many societal wrongs he saw, but he did so in a way that people still respected and often loved him even in disagreements.

However, Sam finally reached an end to his tolerance level when the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It allowed slave holders to send hired “gun men” into the “free” states for purposes of capturing escaped or presumed former slaves. He was especially irked with some fellow Unitarians who did not stand up to fight the related injustices. From one of his publications he stated, “The Unitarians as a body dealt with the question of slavery in any but an impartial, courageous, and Christian way.” The American Unitarian Association (AUA) tried and failed to deal with the Fugitive Slave Law at its October, 1850, convention. Sam, the following year, having been so appalled that many prominent Unitarian ministers had actually supported the Law, proposed that the AUA condemn both the Fugitive Slave Law and these prominent leaders. He named such people, calling them “unsound” and obedient to the law of not upsetting their wealthy parishioners.

Unfortunately, the resolution failed to carry by three votes. Rev. May expected more because he believed in the power and duty of the pulpit to effect change. He said, “The pulpit has no higher function than to expound, assert, and maintain the rights of man.” He felt that when the pulpit is “false to its charge,” the societal consequences are huge and horrible. In essence, what we all can learn by Sam’s example is that there are times when you simply must stand up for what you believe. It is no wonder, then, that at Sam’s funeral in 1871, Black people in Syracuse put on mourning badges and lowered their flags to half-mast. At his funeral Blacks, whites, and Native Americans sat side by side, a microcosm of integration that took many, many decades to achieve in our country.

As a closing note, I am pleased to announce the outstanding unpublished biography of Sam May that we discovered in our archives is finally all online. It was written in 1947 by SU Professor W. F. Galpin. I heartily recommend it as there is much more to learn about Sam. It is long, but well worth the time. You can read it at http://history.mmuus.org/galpin-may.html

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written May 20, 2008

We know Sam as an outstanding minister, a tenacious abolitionist, and a long time supporter of human rights. We also know a bit about his involvement as an educator throughout his adult life, including the work he did in Syracuse with the School Board during his later years. However, I keep discovering new material by Rev. May, and am especially fascinated by a speech he gave at a meeting of The Normal (Teacher’s) Association in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, August 8, 1855. Entitled “The Revival of Education,” this 153 year old speech has much relevance for educators today.

In his presentation, which must have been at least two hours in length, Sam initially provided a very learned history of youth education throughout Europe and into the United States. I thought I knew a little about this history, but there was much information new to me. Sam also described how he became involved with adult education, my particular field of interest. As a young man he met Josiah Holbrook, the founder of the American Lyceum movement, a system for providing popular lectures, performances, and debates throughout this burgeoning country on various topics by outstanding orators in the 1820s up until the Civil War. Sam worked with Josiah to establish Lyceum opportunities in New England and gave numerous lectures over several years.

Then he launched into a part of his presentation meant to inspire the many teachers in attendance, especially the younger ones. He spoke words that would fit right in with today’s emphases on learning how to learn and helping learners take responsibility for their own learning. He noted, “The office of a teacher is second only in its importance and sacredness to that of a parent . . . The first duty of a teacher is to lead his [sic] pupils to think, to observe and reflect on what they observe . . . Children should be led to use their own powers and opportunities for the acquisition of all knowledge . . . The teacher should be to his pupils . . . not so much a dictator as a guide.”

It is the History Committee’s intent to place this presentation, as well as several other little known publications and little read presentations authored by Sam, on the Web in the near future. The more you find out about Sam, the more appreciative you become of his depth, breadth, and passion for improving life on earth.

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written May 3, 2008

Regular readers of this column have heard me say before that historians get all the fun. Well, it has certainly happened again. Through the assistance of Kathy Cardell and Vicky Schipper, I have been going through some file folders representing Rev. Nick Cardell’s ministry at May Memorial, as well as earlier in his career. This opportunity to gain some new insight into Nick’s thinking, sermon preparation, and work as a minister is both satisfying and awe inspiring. Although I’ve only examined a small percentage of these folders, I certainly look forward to viewing the remainder.

As an example, Nick kept his treasure trove of materials in either labeled folders or thematic collections. I loved how he built his folders with actual finished products and some of the inspirational material he gathered to help him create them. He also had several folders with such intriguing names as “sermon ideas,” “gestating sermons,” “future sermons,” and “seasonal sermons.” I even discovered one folder that provided lists of sermons by titles and dates for several years. This will be very helpful as the History Committee works to compile as comprehensive a collection as possible of his work, especially during his time at May Memorial.

Just as an example of how his mind may have worked, he had a folder that described his work on what he called the four tyrannies. This resulted in a sermon he delivered at the Barneveld church in 1964 long before he came to May Memorial. From that idea seed years later he gestated four individual sermons, some of which long time May members may have heard:  The Tyranny of Freedom, The Tyranny of Peace, The Tyranny of Perfection, and The Tyranny of Words. I even found later sermons where he went further with this “tyranny” notion.

Thus, it is the History Committee’s long-range plan to organize this treasure trove and make some of it available to scholars and others interested in Nick’s work. We anticipate a portion of the material will be housed at Syracuse University, some in our own church, and some on the Internet. Nick, like all of our past ministers, left us with much information to help us understand the growth of liberal religion in Syracuse. We are all that much richer because of it.

Here is an update on Rev. Armida Alexander’s wonderful piece on Sam May that I referenced in the past few newsletters. The information is now available on the alternate web page and I highly recommend it because she presents some fresh new insights into Sam’s life. You can read it at http://history.mmuus.org/armida.pdf

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written April 19, 2008

About a year ago I wrote about one of the true heroines who interacted with Sam May, Prudence Crandall. As a young woman, this plucky lady opened a female boarding school in 1833. It was in Canterbury, CT, a community near Brooklyn, CT, where Sam had his first ministry. Prudence soon enrolled Sarah Harris, a very able daughter of a Black farmer. An uproar began almost immediately because of the inherent prejudice within the community. Leaders demanded she dismiss Sarah. Instead, she not only refused, but soon enrolled additional Black girls whom she believed warranted a good education. Even though Sam was one of the first to offer her help and tried to work with community officials, she and her Black students were harassed so badly psychologically and physically, that she eventually had to close the school out of fear for their safety and probably her own.

She left the community and the story might have ended there. However, I have learned from the material written by Rev. Armida Alexander (I’ve mentioned her previously and her work will soon be available on the Internet), that Prudence eventually was recognized by community members for the positive work she had tried to do.

Prudence soon married and moved west where she opened another school, raised two stepchildren, and, according to Susan Strane (A whole-souled woman: Prudence Crandall and the education of Black women, New York: W. W. Norton, 1990), continued to be both independent and forward thinking in what she did.

Although it did take awhile, in 1866 voters in Windham County, in which Canterbury and Brooklyn both existed, cast a vote in favor of Negro suffrage. The citizens of Canterbury finally repented their behavior in regard to Prudence and her school. Some twenty years after the Civil War, they petitioned the Connecticut legislature to recognize the wrong done to Prudence and, after a few more years, she was granted a small monthly stipend from the state of Connecticut. In this way, Canterbury publicly recognized that Prudence had had a right to run a school for Black children in Connecticut. Prudence is another example of the courageous women who made a real difference in the 19^th Century.

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written April 2, 2008

I recently was reading in a file on the 2003 Sam May Day service in which Rev. Dr. Frank Carpenter, minister of the Cincinnati church, delivered a sermon on Dr. William Ellery Channing, an important and influential Unitarian minister in the first half of the 19^th Century. Our 9^th minister, Rev. John Channing Fuller, was related to Dr. Channing. Dr Channing served somewhat as a mentor to Sam May early in Sam’s training and ministry. For those who may remember that 2003 Sam May Day, it was a remarkable sermon.

Dr. Channing actually had an interesting take on slavery, including what must have been some confusion and conflict as he grew to manhood. On the Channing side, some relatives were involved with the slave trade and his father was decidedly pro-slavery. His angst was no doubt created on the Ellery side, as his mother’s father, William Ellery (with whom he was quite close), was a Customs Collector in Rhode Island who commanded searches and even seizures of suspected slave vessels. Thus, Rev. Channing began developing a few antislavery essays and sermons in the early 1830s.

However, people like William Lloyd Garrison and Sam May believed that he was too mild in such efforts. Dr. Channing, in turn, thought that the abolitionist were too intolerant, too abusive in their language, and too confrontational in their approaches. Sam eventually moved beyond thinking of Dr. Channing as a mentor to that of frustration as he believed the famed Unitarian leader was not using his voice to further the antislavery cause.

Sam eventually confronted Dr. Channing and recalls in his Recollections (1869, p. 174) saying the following: “Why, sir, have you not spoken to the nation long ago, as you, better than any other one, could have spoken?” After a long and embarrassing silence, Dr. Channing finally replied in a kind voice: “Brother May, I acknowledge the justice of your reproof. I have been silent too long.” That began Dr. Channing’s turn around as a more direct and vocal critic of slavery. It helped make a difference in our country’s struggle with slavery. Way to go, Sam, once again!

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written March 11, 2008

Information in this article was inspired from the material written by Rev. Armida Alexander, the UU minister mentioned last time. We all can be proud to know that when the infamous Fugitive Slave Act was signed into law in September of 1850, many people in Syracuse were outraged. As news about the Act and its implications became known, concerned people in our community gathered in City Hall with the Mayor even presiding. Several resolutions denouncing the law were passed and protection was promised for anyone who might be affected. Sam May quickly organized a group (including several in our own church) who pledged to help financially anyone arrested for opposing the law. Perhaps most important, a Vigilance Committee was formed (including Sam) and they quickly established a rendezvous location and a signal (church bells ringing – including our own) for whenever action was needed.

About a year later in October, 1851, the clarion call came when William (Jerry) McHenry, a cooper (maker of barrels, tubs, etc.), was detained by slave hunters and some federal marshals. Sam, already seasoned in facing much opposition pertaining to abolitionism, was ready for this incident. He had long preached on the evils of slavery, had faced angry mobs of people in various locations when he talked about such evil, and counseled resistance to the Law. In one of his sermons at our church in late October, 1850, he noted the following:

A law of the land requiring you, as the Fugitive Slave Law does, to disobey the Golden Rule is, indeed, a far more grievous encroachment upon your liberty of conscience than a law prescribing to your faith any creed, or any rites and ceremonies by which you must worship God. . . . I declare that you are, every one of you, under the highest obligation to disobey this law, – nay, oppose to utmost the execution of it. (May, Recollections, 1869)

So typical of Sam, those fiery words with which he challenged our May Memorial ancestors were put to personal action when he was part of the group that helped Jerry escape from jail and eventually arrive safely in Canada through the Underground Railroad. Most readers of this newsletter know the Jerry Rescue story. More about it can be found on our web page. Suffice to say, Sam personified the selfless courage so needed to resist those who practiced injustice. We all need to find ways of embracing such courage in resisting the injustices we still see today.

Rog Hiemstra, Archivist

Written March 1, 2008