Memories

Editor's Note: These memories were solicited as part of the preparation of the centenary booklet.

From the Trinity Flyer, 1887-1973:
"When "Trinity's history is written at the century mark it will be seen that those who have contributed their services most recently, were all as dedicated as Trinity's earliest members and at that time the greatness of Trinity in modern times will be duly celebrated." James Watt, 1973.

Double digit inflation! A formal invitation to attend a Bazaar on November 29th, 1910, issued by "The Young Ladies of St. Paul's Methodist Church Mission Circle", to be held in the Schoolroom, Avenue Road, advertised as attractions "Booths for Candy, Home-made Cookery, Samples, Dolls, Fancy Work, Aprons, Tea Room": Admission, 5 cents. A subsequent invitation from the same sponsors for a "Sale of Work" on November 25th, 1913, with virtually the same attractions: Admission, 10 cents.

Mary Stott regularly visits Effie Robinson, now a year older than Trinity - St. Paul's and resident in Belmont House on the medical floor where the doctors can keep an eye on her. Many of us recall how Effie usually came early, seated herself in the Narthex and added her own greeting to those arrivals already greeted once at the door. She still has a twinkle in her eye and by way of comment on herpresent situation has produced a short opus along the lines of "Ten Little Indians". The last four lines: "Nine little doctors, all of them men. In comes a lady Doc, then there are ten. Ten little doctors, standing round your bed. Come to a decision, and decide you are dead."

One of the more famous crises that befell Trinity Church was when the Eaton family left and went to St. Paul's Church in the wake of "the great furnace affair". It is well known that the Eatons had put a great deal of money into the construction of the church. As it is told, Timothy Eaton felt that his opinion should dominate all others' in the church. And it is this assertiveness that caused the incident.

In the horse and buggy days when parishioners would come inside from their journey to church in the winter they would be very cold. One cold morning when Mr. Eaton came in he ordered that a furnace be installed under the Narthex. At the time there was a rivalry ongoing between W.J. Gage and Eaton. The next week there was a furnace installed. On the Sunday when Mr. Gage arrived to find the Narthex blasting with heat he exclaimed "You see, I always told that caretaker that the Narthex could be heated" at which point someone responded "Oh no, a furnace has been put into the basement by Mr. Eaton."

Mr. Gage was quite indignant because he was chair of theTrustee Board and no one had told him or asked him about it. Someone else relayed Mr. Gage's displeasure to Mr. Eaton and he promptly sent his men to remove the short-lived furnace. That is why the floor below the Narthex is still so uneven today. Arthur Organ

Figure 11B: Clockwise from top left: Col. G.O. Fallis, CBE, DD; Dr. E.C. Hunder, BA, DD; The Rev. William F. Phipps, BA, BD, LLB; and Dr. Arthur Organ, BA, M.Div, DD.

Ethel Shepherd and Emma McGill, although over eighty, responded enthusiastically when a call went out for volunteer helpers at The Gathering Spot. First time there, they sat down to chat with a copper-coloured gentleman, one of our Canadian Indian clients "And what country do you come f rom?" Mrs Shepherd asked pleasantly The man growled, "Hell, I own this country" 

Speaking of drinking (were we?) In the late thirties the Rev Mr A I Terryberry, who lived in the west end of the city, used to drive some of the ladies home from Trinity Wednesday evening prayer meetings. On one of these occasions as they emerged from the church a man approached, asking for money for food. Mr Terryberry gave him fifty cents. The homeward bound party then got into the car and had reached Brunswick Avenue when they saw the same man entering the Brunswick tavern. Mr T stopped the car, got out and followed the man in just in time to retrieve the coin from the bar counter He said sternly, "I did not give you fifty cents for this'", and left. 

A Child's First Connection with Trinity Church
The Dominion Board of the Women's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church of Canada was held in Trinity Church in the year 1913 On this occasion, one new missionary with a bit more experience than others who may have been appointed at the same time, was recognized in a distinctive way This was Mrs Arthur Hockin, who had gone to China with her husband under the General Board of the Church, in the year 1908 In 1911 came the republican revolution under Sun Yat Sen's inspiration, which brought an end to the Manchu dynastic rule and started China on the troubled beginning of its modern history The missionaries in West China were necessarily evacuated to the coastal area, and Lily Hockin with her infant daughter, Katharine, joined a sister, Jessie Howie, in Japan, while Arthur worked with the famine project in Shanghai His task was to shuttle the money — at that time heavy coinage — to the work project administrators in the nearby province of An-hui Arthur contracted typhus from contact with some of the workers, although he had been warned not to go into the hovels that served as housing, and died shortly afterwards, to be buried in Shanghai.

The young widow returned to Canada, and as work opened in West China again, indicated that she wanted to return In fact, her missionary vocation had been planted in her as a small girl of eight, when she heard a missionary from Japan, Miss Cartmell, tell of her work in that land The General Board of the Church suggested that, since there was a bairn involved, Lily Hockin might return to Szechuan to head up a growing residential community in the school for missionaries' children This she was hesitant to do, as she did not think this was a good situation in which to have her own child, in view of a possible temptation to give special treatment to one missionary s child Eventually, she was transferred to the WM S — a precedent, for all her colleagues were single ladies, and her Katharine was the first — and only — representative of the next generation to find herself in the working company of the W M S (it is a bit remarkable that this strange childhood exposure was not — in the long run — a deterrent to this same child's becoming a missionary of the W M S later under the United Church).

So it was from Trinity Church in 1913 that Lily Hockin was received as a member of the W M S working team, and as a special gesture of courtesy and thoughtfulness, the three-year-old daughter was made a "life member" of the W M S Her status was marked by the presentation of a specially engraved "Star Pin" with the name "Kathenne" on the bar, and the occasion recorded on the back of the star on which the globe is set Reports have it that young Kathenne became suddenly shy, and had to be coaxed down the aisle with a colourful rose—not a very gracious support for a very gracious mother Through the years, the "Star Pin" was always a symbol of something a bit mysterious, but related to a strange adult memory of high ideals and personal commitment It was worn only on special "Sunday" occasions, or to celebrate a high holiday event when one had really been quite good And there was always the reminder that this had been given in Trinity Church. 

It was on a Pentacost Sunday that Trinity - St Paul's United Church officially celebrated becoming a one point pastoral charge. One of the Scripture readings was the Corinthians' passage on gifts.

Norah McMurtry was representing the St Paul's congregation and Marion Kirkwood was representing. Trinity They were responsible for dramatizing the significance of the event of our recently uniting congregations. They stood in front of the communion table, each with arms full of boxes wrapped as gifts. Each kept trying to offer gifts to the other but neither would let go of what they themselves were carrying. Marion insisted that Norah put her gifts down first (this related to the insistence of some Trinity people that all the money from sale of St Paul's be in hand before amalgamation). Norah did put hers down but kept trying to pick them up again to give to Marion while, at the same time, Marion handed gifts to her Finally, both put down all their gifts on the table signifying the congregations' need to place their gifts before God for God's purposes.

When they turned the boxes around, an arrangement of letters on the boxes spelled TRINITY— ST PAULS. Many people laughed during this skit while some shed tears. Still others looked grim. This drama did a lot to heal some of the residual pain felt from the long struggle towards union. By naming the hurts, it gave people an opportunity to own up to these hurts, to laugh at themselves, to forgive themselves and each other.   Yvonne Stewart 

Elizabeth Gundy Stone tells us that her family attended Trinity long before Union. The Mission Band was the "greatest influence in my life, but this was understandable because mother was Superintendent from 1918 to around 1930". After the hour at Mission Band, she and her friend Mildred Rigler moved to the sanctuary but were unable to be as quiet as her mother wished, especially if they could not follow the sermon. Dr Armstrong was fond of using the term "stygian darkness" which for some reason sent the girls into fits of ill-repressed laughter so that her mother had to push them apart and sit between them. She remembers being especially proud of her father one Sunday when she was about thirteen in the middle of his sermon a visiting minister (apparently preaching without notes) suddenly suffered a complete lapse of memory. After a long, embarrassing silence her father stood up and said, in his kindly voice — "It's quite all right, Mr —, you have already given us a fine message". Then someone at last helped the minister from the pulpit.

A Dark Hole
Lottie Vowles, Trinity's congregational visitor in 1952, had a surprise one Sunday morning.

Just after eleven o clock, she found one of our members, Fred Stinson, lying at the bottom of the furnace hole in the Church basement, with his breath knocked out. He had slipped and fallen in the darkness, leading his wife Anne to the front of the Church, and had broken two vertebrae in his back. Lottie got a flashlight, and Bill Bouck with the help of John Caroll and Anne, lifted Fred out. Meanwhile, above, John Linn was playing the first hymn Fred was taken to the Toronto General in a hearse, which was summoned from the McGill Funeral Home, then standing at the Northeast corner of Walmer and Bloor There he stayed for two weeks and was placed in a plaster body cast for the summer.

But the black hole had a silver lining. In hospital Fred met Rev Noel Gonsalves, who was born in Guyana, and was then Minister at First Baptist Church at University Avenue and Edward Streets. They became close friends. Noel spoke at the Trinity Men's Club, they visited each other s families and Fred accompanied Noel to hospital just before he died. There is now a wood fence around the furnace hole If you want to inspect the site of this famous incident, go down by the ladder'.    Anon

John Linn, long-time organist-choirmaster at Trinity, was a musician down to his finger tips. When he came down from Fergus at the age of about twenty-three to try out for the post of organist at Erskine United, most of the other applicants had brought their sheet music, but he had brought none. He just sat down and played - he got the job. Some said he could have gone far in his profession if he had not been just a wee bit lazy, although choristers whom he kept at rehearsal till 11pm may not entirely agree. His other work included being music-master at Upper Canada College and, for quite a number of summers, entertainment director at the Chateau Lake Louise. Privileged friends enjoyed his Gilbert and Sullivan productions at U C C and those of us who witnessed a performance at the Chateau count it an unforgettable experience. CP Hotels thought so much of him that they instituted a student scholarship in his name after his untimely death in the mid-seventies. Many of us gratefully contributed. The Chateau renamed one of its main-floor apartments "The John Linn Room".

Another gifted musician was Mary Morrison. She was once called in as emergency replacement for our stricken soprano lead. She had no time to rehearse the part with the choir, was unfamiliar with the cantata, was simply handed the score. She sang magnificently, as if she had known it all her life.

Future historians of our church should take note of still another fine musician among us — Monica Gaylord, concert pianist. After graduation from the Juilliard and Eastman schools (magna cum laude, would be your editor's guess after witnessing a performance) she moved to Toronto from the United States, making her home practically next door to Trinity and soon coming into membership. This was in Mr Phipp's pastorate. A quiet, friendly person, she attends our service whenever the demands of the concert circuit and the CBC permit.

On one occasion Clanbel and Tom Smilhe, respectively in the contralto and tenor sections of the choir, found other members shifting away from them with a pained expression. After service, Jack Beattie, president and anchorman of the choir, investigated the complaint which was voiced mostly by Harold Norman and Herb Bremner. It turned out that the Smilhes, although entirely unaware, still bore the odour of skunk. Several days earlier, they had ejected the resident family under their backsteps.

Prayer is one of the deep mysteries of religious experience. Some times in church we seem to be touched or to respond more than at others. What has made the difference - a depressed or elevated mood on coming to church, failed or successful mood build-up through music or other preparation'? Why do I view the spinning prayer wheels of oriental monks or the prostrations of the Prophet's faithful in their mosques —so help me — as little more than a tourist attraction or at most a topic for students of Comparative Religion'? However it is, I do remember, as if it were today, the prayers of Clarke Logan no theatrical, no atmospheric effects. He was just speaking directly to God, in the manner of child to parent. And then there was Howard Thurman who can forget those long, pregnant silences in his prayer'? We remained silent with him no hymn-book fell to the floor, not a page rustled. The effect was electric. St Paul's people seem especially to remember Dr Tom Hazelwood, he disclaimed any role as faith-healer, yet he led sessions of congregational prayer which seemingly resulted in remission of terminal disease in two cases where he was approached as a last resort. But all this is not to downplay the simple, sincere prayer prepared for an occasion. Here is one made by Connie Denison to open a meeting of the WA (of which she was then president) back in the 1950's: "Our dear Heavenly Father as we sit down to discuss our plans for the coming year, be very close to each one of us, we pray, and guide us as Thou hast done in the past We ask thy blessing on our work, in Jesus Christ's name Amen "     LBL

When the Casavant organ was being installed at Trinity some of the choir pews had to be moved so Trustees Jack Carroll and Bill Bouck came in overalls one Saturday to do the job. Sir Ernest MacMillan also soon arrived to rehearse his organ recital. He wished to be undisturbed but workmen didn't matter, in fact, he made some use of them. Then Jennie arrived and, getting past the guard greeted Sir Ernest, "I don't think you have met my husband get up, Bill". Bill rose from the floor, wiped the dirt off and shook hands. Sir Ernest was embarrassed, Jennie and Bill were unflustered and Jack Carroll shook with laughter under one of the pews. 

Connie Denison tells how she and some friends, after finishing their war service sewing one evening, packed everything away and made off leaving the church in darkness. They hadn't proceeded very far along Bloor Street when someone suddenly asked, "Where's Laura?" Not present. They returned to the church, no key. So down Major Street to the caretaker's house to get the church open and to switch on the lights. And finally, there was Laura it had been so dark that she couldn't even grope her way out of the washroom'. 

How many remember that it was Dr Crossley Hunter who offered Trinity as a shelter to Dr James Endicott at a time when storms were battering him because of his stout defence of MAO's revolution in China? Not only a shelter but also a platform from which to tell his side of the story. The storms ultimately played themselves out and apologies were offered and accepted. Throughout, Dr Jim has been an honoured member of our congregation. 

John Hetherington remembers the occasion in 1935 when the Rev G O Fallis asked him if he would, in the absence of the usual official, mind, for this once, marshalling the Elders to serve Communion John readily agreed, but G O must have forgotten to switch him off. He has been fulfilling this duty to our eminent satisfaction ever since, missing only the odd time. He says he really prefers the traditional rite. 

From Dorothy (Ker) Young and Ryerson Allen Young: Our connection with Trinity dates back a long way. Allen's paternal grandparents, Egerton Ryerson Young Sr. and his wife Elizabeth (Bingham) Young lived on Spadina Road near Lowther opposite Timothy Eaton's 1890-95, and were members of Trinity Methodist Church. Mrs. Young was the first president of the Women's Missionary Society when Trinity met in a tent. Allen's maternal grandpartents, Edward Allen and his wife Mary Jane (Marks) Allen, were members at the turn of the century. Lilian, eldest daughter of the Rev. E.R. Young, was married to R. Newton Helme of Lancaster, England, at Trinity Methodist Church at 7:30, Tuesday May 9th, 1890 or 1891, by her father, assisted by the Rev. Hugh Johnston, pastor of the church, Bridesmaids were her sisters, best man her brother, E. Ryerson Young. In May 1903, Egerton Ryerson Young Jr. and Edith Ella Allen were married at Trinity Methodist Church. Here is the picture: I can identify a great many. (A clear picture, to be kept in our archives Ed)

Figure 12: The marriage of Edith Ella Allen and Egerton Ryerson Young Jr., May 29th, 1903, both from Trinity families.

In September, 1903, my parents, Allan Ker and Lillie Maude Lund, were married at Carlton Methodist Church, bought a house at 841 Bathurst Street and joined Trinity as bride and groom. I was on cradle roll and a member of Sunday School all my childhood and a member of church until my marriage to Allen Young 1936.1 grew up knowing Allen's grandparents, aunts and cousin but didn't meet Allen until our second year at Victoria College. He became a member at Trinity and was Elder and president of the Badminton Club when we were married. He was also Superintendent of Sunday School at Lansing United Church which we had joined after marriage. My father, Allen Ker, died in 1909. He had been Assistant Registrar, Ontario Department of Education. My mother went back to millinery and started her own business in her home with many of the ladies of the congregation as her customers Mrs. Allen, Miss Allen, Mrs. Bryce, Mrs. Chant and her daughter Bessie Chant Robertson, Mrs. Chown, Lady Eaton, Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Lang, Mrs. Pemberton Page. The latter was with my mother in hospital when my father died. My mother lived at 841 Bathurst Street 1903-1964 and was a member of Trinity all sixty-one years. She gave the altar in the Memorial Room (Chapel?-Ed). She was expropriated for the Bloor-Bathurst subway station and it killed her.

I have many pleasant memories of Trinity. When I was two, I was afraid of Mr. Kent and his long white beard. I remember the baptism in Trinity of our eldest daughter by her grandfather E.R. Young Jr., just before my husband Major R.A. Young left for overseas in 1942. 

I came from Barbados to Canada in 1956 where I had been raised as an Anglican. My first visit to the United Church was at the invitation of a friend in the early 1960's. I attended evening services a few times and was very impressed by the friendliness and warmth of the congregational members. After service there was always a social hour held in the Memorial Room which took the form of singing familiar hymns accompanied by Jennie Bouck, coffee and conversation. There was really a Christian attitude: so after much thought I was received into fellowship in 1962 and have been very happy since then. Later I became a member of the United Church Women's Organization which is a group of ladies dedicated to the cause of the underprivileged whose lives they touch touch through their prayers, gifts, and social services. With the support and assistance from the men of the congregation, we all, as a group, strive hard to do the Will of God.

Christine Mayers