In 1899 I was once more called to the English Lutheran Church to
direct the choir, with salary. I had twenty picked voices thoroughly
placed and true. We occupied the upper gallery and all was in
readiness to begin the new undertaking by the first Sunday in March,
1899. The church was full and also the Sabbath school rooms were
required to seat the people who were anxious to hear the new choir.
The rehearsals had been thorough and we had no fear of failure, and
the people were not disappointed at the new order of things. How well
they all sang--how beautiful was the service of those young voices,
and what praises were showered upon them for their work by the
congregation for their anthems, chants, hymns and offertories! For
three years this order of things lasted and all the time the voices
were fully developed and giving weekly more satisfaction. The Easter
and Christmas services were efforts worth remembering in history, and
I write with great pride because of the good work I was able to
produce with these young voices in the service of song. On December
30, 1900, I sent in my resignation, which was very reluctantly
accepted. I was now sixty-five years of age and my many pupils and two
services on the Sabbath with necessary rehearsals became too
strenuous. I had been in the active life of song long enough to lay
down the baton.
On January 6, 1901, I sang for the last time in regular active
service. Later in the year I assisted at different times the Fruitvale
Congregational chapel, Eighth Avenue Methodist Church, Brooklyn
Presbyterian Church, churches in Alameda and other small struggling
churches when they needed a helping hand.
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