^ i J ^ Cfiapel m €berp ^ome LIBRARY OF THE University of California. OIFT OF Class CA. m ^i: •■^:^ f V Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/chapelineveryhomOOwilsrich ^ Cfjapel in Cberp ||ome By JOSEPH R. WILSON, LL. B. OF TKE \ '^ OF UNivERsny OF J^M. 1 ' Copyright, igog BY JOSEPH R. WILSON Registered at Stationers' Hall London, Eng. This work is dedicated to the greater glory of God and the bringing of man into a closer relation with his Creator 187256 All humanity is hungering for Religion Let us make it a permanency in the household *'A place for prayer implies a time for it " Let us consecrate one room in our homes, no matter how small, to the worship of God **The Church and the State both depend for vigor and stability upon the home" "If Pagan Rome had domestic shrines for household gods, surely Christian America ought to have domestic shrines for the one God" A Chapel in Every Home To All Who Worship God, Irrespective of Creed or Denomination : " If pagan Rome had domestic shrines for household gods, surely Christian America ought to have domestic shrines for the one God." So wrote my dear friend, the late Dr. George Dana Boardman, of Philadelphia, in response to my request for his opinion on an article written by me over ten years ago setting forth the thought that every home, no matter how humble, should have in it a little chapel ; a room sacred to the worship of God, into which any inmate could retire at any time and commune with his or her Maker. I submitted the article to other prominent churchmen, inviting their opinion thereon and many responded. On October 30, 1898, the article was published simultaneously in the New York Herald and the Philadelphia Press with the opinions attached thereto, including those of the late Bishops Potter, of New York ; Coleman, of Delaware, and Neeley, of Maine. Since that time the words, "A chapel in every home," have been beckoning me on — in the daylight, in the darkness, on the street, in my office and in my home. At the last named place it has long existed as a reality, the most loved spot in the household, consecrated by the Church and used daily by the members of my family for their devotions. "A chapel in every home " rings in my ears like the voice of God calling me to deliver His message to His people — in the homes of the rich, in the homes of the poor — a place for prayer, dedicated to Him, and I predict that the time will come when no house will be considered a Christian habitation unless it has its little chapel specially constructed for worship, and that future generations will look back with pity to the days when the chapels were only known in the homes of the wealthy or of the clergy. Before me, however, looms the problem of the crowded tenements, the densely popu- lated flats and the hovels where humanity is huddled together in poverty and rags, where every inch of space is vitally necessary to life itself, to breathe in, eat and sleep in. Where is there any room for a chapel, no matter how small, under such conditions ? My answer is, there is no room in such places as they exist today. A place for prayer was not in contemplation when they were built. Let us not then exclaim " impracticable " because physical conditions are not ideal for the immediate adoption of the chapel in the home, in every home throughout the world. Let us commence where the ideal conditions do exist. The present tenements, flats and hovels cannot last forever. New and modern struct- ures for the poor are being built all the time, affording the opportunity for owner and architect to combine investment and utility with work for the Master, for " where God has given a roof, there he expects an altar." My own little chapel is less than six feet square, yet so far it has been large enough for all our needs. When I moved into my present home some years ago, there it awaited me already built, at the head of the stairway on the second floor, with a colored glass window in it, just as if I had designed it. It was probably intended for a sewing room or some other domestic purpose. I accepted the mute invitation and it at once became the chapel. We 5 fitted it up, had it consecrated, and have used it daily ever since. There are similar rooms in many homes all over the world waiting their consecration and dedication to Almighty God. The chapel in every home must come in time ; it will come, and its effect will be to bring the presence of God into thousands of homes in which He would otherwise be unknown. The late Bishop Potter wrote me, "a place for prayer implies a time for it," and since he sent me that message I have learned its truth by experience, and can add that in addition to the place and the time, my own little chapel has proved an invitation so irresistible that I have found myself on my knees within its portals as many times outside the regular hours for prayer as within them. A row of houses for workingmen will be built by some pioneer with a little chapel, say six feet long and four wide in each house, with a colored glass window at the end to suggest an atmosphere of sanctity, the sill of which may constitute the altar. Some may use it as a store room or for any other profane purpose, but some one in the row will use the little chapel in the home as a place for prayer and others will copy. It may take hundreds of years to bring man to a realization that he is behind the pagans in his attitude toward his God ; but again, I predict that the time will come when people, in looking for a house to rent or buy, will ask, "What kind of a chapel has it?" and the chapel in every home will be sweet in the eyes of the Lord. I cannot let this thought die — I could not if I would — for it must henceforth reverberate down the avenue of time, the closer relation of man with his Maker in his everyday life, the invitation to God to dwell in the household, the chapel in the home — every home — henceforth and forever. When the hot blood of anger surges through the veins and the words which cut like a knife accompany the cruel blow, when husband and wife forget their vows made at the altar and in the presence of their little ones turn on each other like wild beasts — in the tumult and agony of human weakness and suffering, the open door of that little room sacred to God will utter "peace." Many a harsh word will be suppressed by a sight of that open door and the presence of God within. Many a one bowed down in grief and tribulation will find comfort there — kneeling alone with Him who will help if we will only let Him, and a great joy will be born to man from a closer personal communion with his God. It has been born to me, and often on my knees in that sacred spot in my home I have prayed alone against despair and death, and though death prevailed and took my loved ones, I understood — it was all right — and peace came over my soul so sweet that I would I could give it to all my fellow men. And in the daily battle of life I have found my strength and inspiration from a brief communion in the morning with my Heavenly Father. The day's toil has been lightened and the shadows have dissolved before the bright confidence I carried out with me from that brief communion. What has been the effect of the Chapel in the Home on the attendance of my family at Church ? It has been to intensify the desire for congregational worship, to create a joyous anticipation of the Sabbath when the worship in the home expands into worship with all people in the greater houses of God, and if a member of my family misses Church it is with a feeling in the heart that something has been lost which will never return. The Sabbath is 6 a glorious day in my home. My children have been raised with God in their midst, and it is love and not fear that takes them to Church or Sunday School. The peace and sanctity of that little chapel in which they have assembled so often is reflected in their lives. If I could tell all that Chapel has done for me and my loved ones, there is not a man who believes in God who would allow another day to pass without planning one for his own home. Some of the great and good men, whose letters on this subject I have had reproduced for the benefit of the world, have passed beyond the Great Divide, but their words of encouragement and approval are already cemented into the foundation of this movement for all time. Others, whose letters are reproduced, still live to help in the work of making the Chapel in every Home practical and universal. Let the Bishops, High Priests and Elders of the world unite with the Clergy to bring the thought home to every congregation, and by this means it will have the spiritual force through human channels which will hasten that day which the Almighty God intends to come when a habitation will be provided for Him in every home. After years of waiting, I feel, at last, that the world is ripe to again receive the message. All humanity is hungering for religion. The hand of sickness, sorrow and death is leaning heavily on many households, and it is at such times that eyes are cast heavenward for comfort. If our eyes were as often cast heavenward in times of health and prosperity as they are in times of sickness, we would be better men and women, and there would be more charity in the world. If we had God in our hearts as much as in our heads, domestic devotion would not be dying out, but would be a loving daily communion with Our Father in Heaven. Again, I refer to that sentence In Bishop Potter's letter, "a place for prayer implies a time for it." Let us consecrate one room in our home, no matter how small, to the worship of God, and make provision hereafter for the chapel in every home. Whoever reads these lines I invite to come forward and help me in this generation in carrying the thought and suggestion as far as we can. The " Chapel in every Home " will indeed " deepen the religious life and be a safeguard against irreverence and wrong doing in the family," and become a tower of strength among men in developing a loftier purity in domestic life, and greater love and charity toward all. I am unable to print more than a very limited number of this message, but there will be sufficient, I hope, to reach the leading churchmen and all rulers. From everyone who receives it I ask an expression of his views thereon, as it is my intention that when the message goes forth for the third time it shall speak with the eloquence of the world's greatest minds, and the suggestion of a chapel in every home will no longer be the thought of an individual, but the acclaimed demand of the civilized world for a " closer walk with God." Your comrade in the Lord's service, Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A., October i, 1909. COPIED FROM THE PHILADELPHIA PRESS, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1898 Copyright, 1898 A religious atmosphere is so essential to a true home that it is strange the thought of incorporating a small chapel in every house has not presented itself before this to the Christian world. In most American homes a room no larger than a bath room would answer all requirements. Its sacred character could be imparted by a colored-glass window, tiny altar, prie dieu and other religious emblems, in consonance with the views of individual worshipers. It is quite probable that the existence of a spot thus hallowed in every house would have a decidedly beneficial effect on the inmates, for there are times when, either in trouble or sickness, the heart longs for communion with God in some quiet chamber, from which the garish light of day has been excluded. With a room specially created for this purpose, dedicated to worship and flooded with a tender atmosphere, breathing of sacredness and tranquillity, a yearning would be satisfied and a custom established that would find many sympathizers. The nearest approach to this is perhaps found in the homes of devout Christians who have dedicated a corner of their bed rooms to worship, and placed there the symbols of their faith, before which they kneel while offering up their orisons. Up to the present day a chapel in connection with the households of private individuals has been confined exclusively to those born to high estate or to the wealthy. In England and on the Continent, each royal residence has its chapel, in some instances dating back centuries, and many members of the nobility and landed gentry have copied the example and erected within their castle walls or on their large estates private chapels for the exclusive use of the members of the family and the tenantry. The idea, which dates back to the medieval ages, has also impressed itself upon a small percentage of those who have amassed or inherited wealth, and there are instances, both in this country and abroad, where in the construction of the modern palatial residence as much attention has been paid to the chapel as to the art gallery. Colleges, universities, large private schools, hospitals and like institutions may be cited as a half-way step between the church and the private dwelling. They afford an illustration of the advantages derived from having a private place of worship in connection with each institution. The addition of a private chapel gives a fullness and completeness to the institution, affording a religious influence essential to the realization of its noblest objects. But to go back to the idea of a chapel for every house, apart from its usefulness in providing a special chamber for spiritual communion, it would mean the introduction of an entirely new atmosphere in a household, and distill a purity and dignity unobtain- able from any other source. It could be made a little temple into which one could retire at any time and feel as far removed from the sordid interests of life as in the precincts of the church. Further, it would be a universal acknowledgment of the supreme value of religion in the activities of everyday existence. With such a foundation to build on, one need not go very far out of his way to make the suggestion an accomplished fact and become the possessor of a private chapel of more or less beauty or simplicity for the use of his household. As with every radical innovation of sweeping character, it is not only necessary to prove its value, but to find some vulnerable point in the armor of old-established custom and tradition through which the shaft of light can pass. The history of most innovations will show that they were first praised, then opposed and condemned and finally accepted by all. In this instance the question resolves itself into one of appeal to those whose condition of enlightenment makes them amenable to that which would elevate and ennoble ; in other words, bring religion closer to them by establishing a private place of worship in their house. At first thought, it would almost appear that such a suggestion was intended to interfere with the prerogatives of the Church by inviting people to worship at home instead of congregating together in the larger edifices. On the contrary, the suggestion of a chapel in every house is intended to strengthen the love for religious worship by providing a link between home and church, in which the teachings of the Sabbath may be digested throughout the week days, and continually suggested by the presence of sacred symbols. Add to this the absolute necessity of a place of worship for those who are confined to the house by sickness, and for the early association of little lives with the sentiment and atmosphere of religion. The reality of such surroundings could not fail to have an impressive effect, and it is reasonable to suppose that it would aid the young in concentrating their minds upon the prayer or hymn selected for the morning or evening devotional exercises. In this home chapel, children could be trained from early infancy. But the allurements of such a retreat are so manifold that the subject opens the way to a volume of reasons why a private chapel should exist in every household, whereas it is the intention of the writer to simply suggest such an innovation. A practical beginning could be made in this direction in the many new building operations now going on and being formulated. Plans could be altered so as to include a small chapel, and it is to be hoped the day is not far distant when house seekers will not be satisfied with any house unless one room, no matter how small, is specially constructed for private worship. JOSEPH R. WILSON. 9 A proof of the foregoing article was submitted to distinguished Churchmen throughout the United States and abroad, prior to its publication, with a request for their views on the suggestion, and among replies received were the following : lO II ^-^^A^ Z§^i^^<^^^-€2^^ c^.^'i^e^^''^^^.^^1^J^^ 2^ou4i^,^o/^ ,..Me4^^-J. lotu^, o\ h^^-^-J^-^ ^ ^r^^^ . ^ h^-^^ T" ^ 64- t^A/U^ i^^ ^ , ^^.^^^-rW *X^^. — ^ 4^- 12 The late Right Rev. Henry C. Potter, Bishop of New York. THE GENERAL CONVENTION House of Bishops Washington, D. C, October 24, 1898. My Dear Joe : Your article as to private Chapels or Oratories is admirable and most timely. We are losing the habit which was so powerful an element in the life of our fathers of domestic devotion. A place for it implies a time for it, and a devotional atmosphere recalls, sobers and uplifts. In creating such an atmosphere, fit environment is a most important factor. Yours ever, H. C. Potter. Joseph R. Wilson, Esq. 13 ^.-m^^^mrx- >*y ^^^L^f'^-<^iL>'ii^ ^^uk^ ^^'^^"-•y^ .-*- ^^?L-.*«t.-<--^5^C'^ .^i:^f;sy<-f^-^ 14 c=^ yC^€,»^y»J^ '^fCc^ ^=^^x ^ ^■?-^~^**' ^7^/^^^^^^ry.^iy&i^ IS i6 The late Right Rev. Leighton Coleman, Bishop of Delaware : The subject upon which I have been asked to write is one in regard to which I have always felt much interest and anxiety. I have always felt this great interest because the matter is one of such vital concern to all the families of the land. Hardly anything, indeed, is more a matter of vital concern. It has to do with our most intimate relations with God, and with one another Family Prayer is one of the three great divisions of Prayer — Private, Family and Public. Negligence concerning it in any one of these parts is sure to entail great spiritual loss. My anxiety arises from a belief that there is a widespread neglect of family worship. In this respect there has been, I fear, a marked decadence during the past few years. Anything, therefore, that will to any degree conduce to a better observance of this duty, as I esteem it, has my warmest sympathy. It is as believing that the reservation in every home of an apartment, or the erection in connection with every home of a chapel, where family worship may be regularly held is a distinct gain in this direction that I would advocate such an arrangement with all my heart. Having at my residence at Wilmington such a chapel, I can write all the more emphatically of the many advantages belonging to such a building. The setting apart of some particular edifice, or portion of edifice, for this purpose is a distinct addition to the spiritual power of every household and to the religious education of every member thereof I would further recommend that every one in his or her bed room have a particular place where one's private prayers shall be said when the chapel is not so employed. If, in addition, a prie dieu, not by any means a costly article of furniture, were set up in every chamber and used exclusively in one's devotions, much comfort and profit would be found to follow such an arrangement. I am writing in the midst of exacting duties at our General Convention and, therefore, can by no means do justice to this most important and interesting subject of whose public presentation I am very glad to hear. Leighton Coleman, Bishop of Delaware. House of Bishops, Washington, D. C, October 20, 1898. 17 The Right Rev. John Scarborough, Bishop of New Jersey. THE GENERAL CONVENTION House of Bishops October 24, 1898. My Dear Sir: " The Church in the House " is as old as the New Testament and is not unknown in this day. I know a good many homes that are now supplied with " Oratories," or places of prayer for the family. If all homes could have such a room set apart, it would be most desirable. But, of course, only the homes of the well-to-do could be so enriched. The homes of the poor are too often crowded and cramped. Where it is possible, it would be most desirable that your proposition should be carried out. Yours, etc., John Scarborough, Bishop of New Jersey. Mr. Jos. R. Wilson. 19 HOUSE OF BISHOPS. /^ ^V. ^^fS 1 ^ ao The late Right Rev. H. A. Neely, Bishop of Maine. HOUSE OF BISHOPS October 24, 1898. Mr. Joseph R. Wilson. My Dear Sir : I can think of no more wholesome provision for any Christian household than that of a Chapel in the house. Many considerations could be urged for it, of which I name but one, viz. : that it would go far to assure the maintenance of family worship, which I fear is becoming sadly neglected among us. In haste. Truly yours, H. A. Neely. ai ^^^ e IBroteslant dBnisfODal (JChnrch ^ %\i General Conbtnlion ^\\i |roteslant OEpisro^ai CJnrc^. HOUSE OF BISHOPS. ^^,^'^^^^^M-<>^<..x^6^./^^*-t.<^2{i?^-u^ ^ — "^Cvt/ -'^^<..yt^ //^<3t„t,i22^2Sa&£uA "(^iai l^A.^^^^'^C^ ^^^'^ i^Wb, jcMiMii^^ 39 The Right Rev. Daniel S. Turtle, of Missouri. Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. THE BISHOP'S HOUSE 2727 Chestnut St. St. Louis, Mo., November 11, 1898. Mr. Joseph R. Wilson, The Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia. Dear Sir: — Many thanks for yours of the 5th and for the Press with your article therein. The Church and the State both depend lor vigor and stability upon the home. Anything, therefore, emphasiz- ing the vital connection between the "Church" and the "Home," as your suggestion of a "Chapel" does, is of value. Gratefully yours, Dan'l S. Tuttle, Bishop of Missouri. 3f» ,^:^^i^ f^^^^^/"^:::^^ 3» \^j'^^c^^>i!iltr'^^ The Right Rev. William F. Nichols, Bishop of California. THE CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL San Mateo, Cal., November 19, 1898. My Dear Sir : I am in receipt of your note and also of the copy of the Philadelphia Press containing an article on "A Chapel in Every Home." An American home may mean a mere dwelling. The inmates may have a common table, common night keys and up to a certain extent common bills. In such a home a chapel would probably be somewhat like family plate, kept in safety deposit vaults — for use only on great occasions. But in what I believe is the far more typical American home, where the hearth stone is cemented and sanctified by religion, a place set apart simple and sacredly would tend to make some member of the family resolute, and that oftentimes is what is needed in a Christian family — to sweeten the daily life with at least a few devotional words from the family as a whole, blessing the joys and soothing the trials as they come. With the provision of such a spot in the architecture for a Christian home there might well go the custom, which I have ever found welcomed in California, of having a special service of benediction about the time of the opening of a new home. I am. Yours very truly, William F. Nichols. Mr. Joseph R. Wilson, The Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia. 33 ^^ritJ^ ^ ^<^^^/^ £^-^^^^^^ ^'-^n^r ^^-^ ^^s^ ^ 'yti. .^x^ ^f^lc^ /^^ /VW2^ CitiCjfi ^fi-A^A^ /^t^^~C4^\A~^^ic.- /^^ X) *) ♦^-•L-OJt -^^■*-a_a^ .Ju »--*^ «.. v_oo A -^ i>» .f^^,-eV^4 / OF THE ^ X I UNIVCK3iTY I V Of / 47 HADDON HALL Atlantic City, N. J. Mr. Wilson's idea of a " Chapel for Every House" is exceedingly happy. Were the idea carried out, it would tend to make every home a sacred establishment ; it would make worship a daily privilege instead of a weekly ; it would make worship more intensely personal ; it would help us to obey our Master's precept of unostentation in worship, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who sees in secret." If pagan Rome had domestic shrines for house- hold gods, surely Christian America ought to have domestic shrines for the one God. George Dana Boardman. 48 -3 300^.^5^^-'""'" PAY AND TO *'■"" ^^^^^^^ OVERDUE. ^ ^^gJla^lfil^V— ' 31_100m-12,'« (8796s) YE 06004