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Show Page 4<br><br>When it was afterwards known that Mr. Brown might be available as his successor, Mr. Thrall became his warm advocate, and it was with great satisfaction that he saw Mr. Brown eventually installed as our pastor. Mr. Thrall occupies the pulpit of the First Congregational church of Albany, N. T., where, it is needless to say, he has made a host of friends and admirers. Mr. Brown's first sermon as our pastor was preached on the last Sunday in May, 1893. In 1894 the church entered upon its existence as a corporation, under articles prepared and submitted some time before. There were forty-eight accessions to our membership during the year. At the end of the year the report of the treasurer, Mr. Edward Merrill, showed our finances during the twelve months past to have been on a solid business basis, and the small deficit was more than 'made up, in a very short time, through the efforts of the treasurer and trustees with the efficient help of the ladies' society. At the present time there is an atmosphere of cheer and encouragement pervading the church. Our pastor, Mr. Brown, is all that could be asked, more than could be expected, and an object of pride and love to every member of his flock. The membership now numbers 308, not including members of the society. Sixty-three have been received since the 1st of January. The officers of the church are as follows: Edward Merrill, treasurer; Chas. D. Savery, clerk. DEACONS. L. E. Hall, C. E. Allen, A. J. Gorham, A. N. Walters, and Russel L. Tracy. TRUSTEES. George A. Lowe, F. D. Hobbs, L. E. Hall, William Bartling, E. L. Carpenter, and James Donelly. Janitor-W. K. Mason. Clarence T. Brown. Born at Chesterville, O., December 23 1860. Graduated from the Ohio [Wesleyan] University, Delaware, O., [PHOTO: C. T. Brown, Pastor First Congregational Church.] June, 1880. For three years instructor in Latin and Greek at the Marionville (Mo.) Collegiate Institute. Student in Yale divinity school 1885-1887. His work in the ministry previous to his coming to Salt Lake City had been as assistant pastor of Plymouth church, Chicago, pastor of the Forestville Congregational church, Chicago, and of the "College Church," Olivet, Mich. ---- Not only is the First Congregational church the handsomest one in the Territory, but its organ as well ranks among the representative instruments of the world. This great organ adds to the worship each time it is touched by the master hand of our organist, Prof. Radcliffe. Such music as this instrument, which in its fine mechanism produces the effect of even more than one orchestra and speaks to us something of the music beyond the skies. The organ was built by Farrand & Votey, following out the scheme furnished by Prof. Radcliffe, who is an organ expert, as well as artistic performer. There are 2700 pipes and nearly seventy stops, thus making it possible to obtain any variety of tone colors. The fugues of Bach are given with the richest of tones, while "The Pilgrims' Song of Hope" comes in sweetest tones of melody. So full of worship is this great organ that we listen and look through the sun-lit picture of Christ appearing on the road to Emmaus, and feel we are very near Him and heaven. Thomas Radcliffe. Mr. Radcliffe was born in the island of Malta, his mother being an Italian, and his father an Englishman. He was educated at the Liverpool college, under the late Dean [PHOTO: THOMAS RADCLIFFE.] Howson of Chester. His talent for music was noticed at an early age, and he was put to study piano and harmony under the best teachers. At 15 he began to practice the pipe organ, and in three years received his first appointment as organist and choir-master at a church near Liverpool, and was soon appointed church organist to the corporation of Liverpool. Amongst some of his noted teachers we may mention Mr. W. T. Best, often styled the "Liszt of the organ;" Sir Henry Smart; Lefebure Wely of Paris, and the great Thalberg, piano virtuoso. In 1879 Mr. Radcliffe came to Boston at the invitation of the late' Tourjee of the Conservatoire. While there he was put in communication with Mrs. F. B. Hamilton of this city, who persuaded him to locate here. He arrived April 6, 1880, commencing his duties as organist to the First Congregational society the next Sunday, and has remained with us ever since. His last public appearance in England was at Liverpool, on New Year's Eve, 1887, where the Festival Choral society selected him to conduct a performance of the "Messiah" at St. George's hall, with Mr. Best at the organ and a full orchestra of fifty pieces and 300 voices. Next day the press pronounced it one of the most perfect renditions ever given there. In 1888 he was invited to Denver to assist at the opening of the Trinity M. E. church with its immense organ, and the Denver Republican next morning highly commented upon his rare skill and perfect taste. In September, 1891, the Irrigation Congress delegates were invited by the authorities to a concert given at the Tabernacle, Mr. Stephens conducting and Mr. Radcliffe the only instrumentalist who performed and accompanied on the great organ and the piano. It so happened that the German geologists arrived here the same day, and were invited to the concert, among whom were two brothers, Herman and Rudolph Credner of the Griefswald University. Rudolph expressed his astonishment at Mr. Radcliffe's performances, saying he knew of only two organists in Europe who he supposed could excel him, one in Leipzig and one in London. After he played the "Evening Song" from Tannhauser as an encore, the Germans rose to their feet in front of the gallery. In 1893 he was selected by the Utah World's Fair Commission to represent Utah in the capacity of concert organist at Chicago, where his playing was so much admired that he was asked to stay over by Mr. Wilson, chief of the Music Bureau, and play for Kansas day, also by Director-General Davis, to play at the Railroad Men's convention. On each of these occasions he performed on the great festival organ in the Choral hall. History of the Sunday-School. THE fortunes of this Sunday-school have always been closely associated with those of the church. In the successes and failures, the advances and reverses [PHOTO: A. W. SMITH.] of the latter, may be read the history of the former. The Sunday-school has grown apace, as the church has increased in power and effectiveness. Under some of its more vigorous superintendents it has kept fully abreast of the church. In the point of time, our Sunday-school occupies the position of pioneer -the first of the Gentile Sunday-schools of Salt Lake City and of Utah. On the 31st of January, 1865, a meeting was held in the rooms of the Young Men's Literary society on Main street, for the purpose of establishing a Gentile Sunday-school in the city. The Sunday-school organized in Good Templar's hall, Fort Douglas, on the following Sunday, February 5th, was the result of this meeting. Thus, the Sunday-school is in its forty-first year. We note that this organization followed close upon that of the church,: which was February 2, 1865. The moving spirit was Rev. Norman McLeod, chaplain of Fort Douglas. Rapid, indeed, in those early days was the growth of the Sunday-school. Four weeks after its organization it had an attendance of 100. By the middle of July of that same year it had an enrollment of 150, a growth quite incredible to us in these latter days and explainable only on the grounds that this was the only Gentile Sunday-school in the city, also that the church was filled with a Sunday-school zeal which has somewhat abated since. Brilliant as were the beginnings of our Sunday-school, it was soon to receive a blow from which it did not recover for six years. In the fall of 1866 Dr. J. King Robinson, superintendent |
