Knox’s steeple towers over a burgeoning Toronto.

View of Toronto, c. 1854. Published by Charles Magnus & Co., n.d.

(Courtesy of The Winterthur Library)

Controversy

Dr. Burns’ frequent absences on missionary trips over the years cause concern among those who accuse him of neglecting his responsibilities to the congregation. He also creates controversy over his handling of a drawn-out dispute in 1851–53 surrounding the fundraising efforts of the American Society for Meliorating the Condition of the Jews. He regards the organization as fraudulent and is proved right in the end, but the passion with which he pursues his condemnation alienates those who had in good faith supported the charity, including many members of the Knox congregation and a number of prominent local clergy. Dr. Burns is also engaged in a lengthy feud with G.A. Piper, superintendent of the Knox Church Sunday School. In 1856, Piper and one of his key supporters are elected to Session, but Dr. Burns refuses to ordain them on the grounds that they are unfit to serve as elders. All of the ruling elders resign in protest and the congregation is split. At about this time, Dr. Burns is offered a post as Professor of Church History and Evidences at Knox College. He seizes the opportunity to extricate himself from his difficulties at Knox Church and resigns as minister effective June 17. These controversies should not overshadow the role played by Dr. Burns in building up the church. For a time, during his pastorate in the early 1850s, membership rose to nearly 600, making Knox the largest Presbyterian congregation in Canada. After his death one who knew him said: “He did for the Presbyterian Church in the British Provinces what no other man could do. We owe much to him under God. He loved his Church, he knew every corner of the Church, and his life was bound up in the success of the cause of God in the Dominion.”

1861

The Canada Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church of Canada (of which Knox is a member congregation) joins the United Presbyterian Church to form the Canada Presbyterian Church.

1870

The Path Toward Presbyterian Union

Momentum has been building since the mid-1860’s toward an amalgamation of the four Presbyterian denominations in British North America. Dr. Topp is a strong proponent of church union. Canadian Confederation in 1867 provides a major stimulus. The creation of a Dominion stretching from sea to sea seems to make a “national” Presbyterian denomination a necessity. Proponents urge that a unified church will be a more effective force for evangelism. In 1870 Dr. William Ormiston, the retiring Moderator of the Canada Presbyterian Church, calls for a conference of all four Presbyterian bodies in Canada. Each of them proceeds to appoint a Union Committee to investigate the prospects for amalgamation. The “Committee on Union” named by the Canada Presbyterian Church includes Dr. Topp (Convenor), Dr. William Taylor of Erskine Church in Montreal, and a member of the Ontario Legislature. A Joint Union Committee including representatives from all four denominations then convenes in Montreal in September 1870. Dr. Topp is appointed Secretary and serves in this capacity until amalgamation is finally achieved in 1875.

1871

The Duchess Street Mission

The Duchess St. Presbyterian Mission Chapel is built in 1871 as an outreach ministry of Knox. Located on what is now Richmond St. E. in a working class area where poverty is prevalent, the Mission hall contains a large room used for worship services with three classrooms opening into it. On Sundays the pulpit is supplied by students from Knox College. In 1886 the journalist J. Ross Richardson reports that worship services attract an average of 100 on Sundays and 50 on Thursday evenings. There are 7 officers and 18 teachers in the Sunday school, with an average attendance of 200 children per week. Lectures are delivered on weekdays in the assembly room; there is a sewing class for girls, a Young People’s Association, and a penny savings bank to encourage people to save a portion of their incomes at a time when most working class people did not have bank accounts. The Mission hall is built on a portion of the old Duchess Street Burial Ground. There had been no interments there since the early 1840’s and the cemetery became overgrown, with most of the wooden grave markers toppled or gone. Remains are mostly unidentified because records had disappeared, possibly destroyed when the original Knox Church burned in 1847. When a basement is dug to install a modern furnace in the Mission Hall, a quantity of human bones are found, which are re-interred in the Toronto Necropolis.

1875

Formation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada

After the successful 1870 meeting in Montreal, Dr. Topp is optimistic that union will occur within a few months. Unfortunately, doctrinal differences arise which delay the process. A Basis of Union is agreed upon by the four Presbyterian denominations in Canada, and sent to the Presbyteries in 1873. Revisions are then made to the Basis to disarm some of the opposition, and the amended document is referred back to the Presbyteries in 1874. At last, agreement is reached and Presbyterian union comes into effect on June 15, 1875, in a ceremony at Montreal’s Victoria Hall Skating Rink. On that date, the Canada Presbyterian Church, the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces, the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of the Maritime Provinces, and the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Canada merge to form the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The new PCC has 6,000 members and 600 ministers. In recognition of his role in bringing about union, Dr. Topp is unanimously elected as the second Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCC in 1876. He also serves on the General Assembly committees overseeing French Canadian evangelization, foreign missions, and the PCC periodical, Home and Foreign Record of the Presbyterian Church.

Despite suffering from heart trouble, Dr. Topp visits Scotland in 1879 and, against medical advice, preaches from his old pulpit in Elgin. On his return to Toronto his condition worsens and he resigns his pastorate. Before Presbytery can act on the matter, Dr. Topp dies suddenly on Oct. 6 while carrying out a congregational visit. On hearing of his demise, Toronto City Council passes the following resolution:

This Council desires to record its deep regret at the sudden death of the Rev. Alexander Topp, D.D., who for nearly a quarter of a century has been a prominent citizen, and one of the leading clergymen of the Presbyterian Church in Toronto, who during all that time, has been active and earnest in assisting and promoting the benevolent and charitable institutions of the City. The Council desire to offer to his bereaved family an expression of their sincere sympathy and respectful condolence.

The Organ Controversy

In 1881, the Knox sanctuary undergoes major renovations at a cost of $9,000. The pulpit is lowered, the straight pews replaced by curved ones, and the interior embellished. Among the changes is the installation of an organ, which is extremely controversial. Presbyterian congregations began acquiring organs in the 1860’s, but among those of strong Free Church background the use of musical instruments in a worship service is regarded as idolatrous. Opponents deride the organ as a “kist o’whistles” (chest of whistles). Those in favour argue that Presbyterian services have become stodgy and antiquated, such that a more contemporary style is needed in order to attract the younger generation. In 1875, Knox Session agrees to purchase an organ for the Sunday school. In 1878, after several years of struggle, the congregation votes to allow an organ into the sanctuary. Several elders resign as a result. Dr. Topp is against the innovation, and not until his successor is in place can an organ be installed. Several elements of the 1881 renovations are still with us. Some of the pews from the Queen St. church were brought along when our present sanctuary was built, and may be found in the gallery. Internal components of the original organ were also recycled into our current instrument, and the decorative 1881 organ pipes were brought to Spadina Ave., where they can be seen today at the front of the sanctuary.

1880s

The Residential Schools

Presbyterian mission outreach to Canada’s Indigenous peoples begins in the 1860s. Education, including religious instruction, is an important aspect. At first, day schools are established on reserves, but from the 1880s onward federal government policy focuses on setting up a system of off- reserve “residential”—or boarding—schools for the education of Indigenous children. In 1894 an amendment to the Indian Act makes attendance at day schools, industrial schools, or residential schools compulsory for First Nations students. A partnership is devised whereby churches are made responsible for operating the residential schools, while the government provides base funding and oversight. From the mid-1880s onward the PCC runs a total of 11 such schools, although not all of them exist at the same time. By 1969, the two remaining PCC-run residential schools are transferred to the federal government and both are shut down in the 1970s. Throughout the time that residential schools operate, allegations arise regarding a variety of abuses suffered by students. It is not until the 1960s that the General Assembly begins studying its history of interaction with Canada’s Indigenous peoples and considers what remedial action it will take to address its history of injustices toward them.

See 2008, Healing and Reconciliation in the timeline.

1888-90

Sending Out to the World

Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth

In 1887, the Presbyterian Church in Canada founds the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. One of their goals is to set up a mission station in North China. At the General Assembly of 1887 a Knox College student, Jonathan Goforth, is appointed as their pioneer missionary to the North Henan Mission. Goforth marries Rosalind Bell-Smith at Knox Church in the same year. Dr. Parsons is a strong supporter of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, and Knox establishes a fund to support Goforth’s work. On Jan. 19, 1888, Jonathan Goforth is commissioned and “farewelled” at a Knox service which includes Principal Caven of Knox College and W.H. Howland, the Mayor of Toronto. A crowd of at least 1,000 people escorts the Goforths from Knox to Union Station as they set out for China. They will remain there until 1935.

Hudson Taylor

Dr. Parsons is a strong supporter of the China Inland Mission, established by Hudson Taylor, who has been a missionary in China since 1854. In 1888, Taylor tours North America to recruit missionaries. He speaks in Toronto at the Y.M.C.A. on Sept. 23 to a capacity audience. Dr. Parsons is a member of the organizing committee. Thirteen young adults take a pledge to serve in China. The new recruits plus friends and supporters partake of the Lord’s Supper in a special service at Knox before proceeding to the railway station, escorted by several hundred well-wishers.

Knox in 1890

In 1890 Dr. Parsons preaches a special sermon to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of Knox and the tenth anniversary of his pastorate. Summing up the events of his ministry, he notes that since he came to Knox there have been

• 347 baptisms

• 260 marriages

• 244 funerals

• 528 prayer meetings

• 700 classes for religious instruction

• 1,860 meetings addressed outside of Knox “in connection with church, benevolent and charitable institutions”

• 7,000 pastoral visits made by the minister.

At a time when the P.C.C.’s focus is on church planting in the frontier areas of the rapidly-expanding Canadian west, Knox is supporting overseas outreach, funding two missionaries in China, one in Korea and one in India. Average attendance in 1890 is 695 at morning worship and 725 at the evening service. Congregational givings over the ten years total $187,821 (over $4 million today, adjusted for inflation), with $83,794 designated for missions and benevolent projects. A separate fund for the Henan Mission of Jonathan Goforth has accumulated $4,500. These are quite significant sums for that era, and indicate that by now Knox is a relatively affuent church with a predominantly middle and upper middle-class congregation.

1895

The Simpson’s Fire

In December 1894, the Robert Simpson Company opens a new department store on the southwest corner of Yonge and Queen Sts., next door to Knox Church. It is the first steel-framed commercial structure in Canada. On Mar. 3, 1895, less than three months later, the entire structure is destroyed by fire. The sound of collapsing walls is heard as far away as College St. Flames spread to the spire of Knox Church, and thousands watch as it burns. The intense heat melts the bell which hangs in the tower. Fortunately, the main body of the church is untouched, except for water damage. The spire is never rebuilt, but repairs are made to the tower and Knox carries on at its Queen St. site.

The following is an extract from an account of the 1895 Simpson's fire which originally appeared in the Toronto Globe edition dated Mar. 4 of that year. It gives an eye-witness report of the burning of the Knox steeple:

Toronto Globe, Mar. 4, 1895 ... one of the most absorbing features of interest about the fire was the burning of the steeple of Knox Church. The steeple of the old church was destroyed in a manner that kept an immense crowd in a state of excitement for two hours, and made up a scene of wonderful beauty and impressiveness. To see the fire smouldering high up on the steeple during all that time, a fire so small that a pailful of water would have extinguished it, but with no possibility of getting anywhere near it, was painful to the spectators, and must have been exasperating to the brigade... The terrific heat from the upper storeys of the Simpson building first ignited a small wooden ornament on top of the stone tower of the church, but this was of little consequence, as it was hardly possible for it to ignite anything else. A tiny jet of smoke coming from the small wooden window frames thirty feet higher up, which appeared after 1 o‘clock, was the real source of danger, and some of the officers of the church and insurance men appealed to the firemen to try in some way to extinguish this fire before it should spread. But the firemen realized how helpless they were in the matter, as they had no appliances at all suitable. Finally at 2 o‘clock a fireman with a Babcock extinguisher made an attempt to ascend the tower on the inside. By this time the fire in the steeple had become brighter, and it was feared that if the fireman could not get up the steeple the whole church was doomed. The crowd watched with intense interest his slow ascent, as shown by the light of the lantern he carried shining through the large front window. When he reached the belfry he endeavored to pass the bell, and in so doing pulled the hammer, the bell giving out three strokes, that sounded weird and pathetic under the circumstances. Then followed a period of suspense while the people strained their eyes to catch the first sight of him at the summit of the tower, but soon the lantern was seen descending again, and it was evident that he had failed and that the tower was doomed. From this time on the fire very slowly increased, until about 2:45 o‘clock it had blazed out fiercely, looking like an immense torch. The wind sent the flames curling around the steeple, and as the fire spread upwards and downwards great forks of flame stretched out to the east. Then the firemen brought hose to play upon the church as the falling embers were a source of danger to the body of the building. The moment the stream was turned on the crowd set up a cheer with a distinctly derisive note to it...

The Baraca Club

In 1898, Dr. Emma Leila Skinner, a very early woman graduate of the University of Toronto medical school, starts a Bible class in conjunction with the Merton Street Gospel Mission, of which she is a co-founder. Many of those she evangelizes are youth regarded as unreachable -- street-involved, habituated to petty crime, and often with police records. She joins forces with Harry E. Cooper, who had started a boys' football club as an outreach for Christ. The great evangelist C.H. Spurgeon suggests that they call the amalgamated organization the Baraca Club, "baraca" meaning "blessing" in Hebrew. In 1907, Dr. Skinner marries H.B. Gordon, a Toronto architect who had done missionary work in Korea. Mr. Gordon, who would go on to serve as a longtime Trustee at Knox, becomes Secretary of the Baraca Club and assumes responsibility for teaching the Bible classes at the club, an undertaking which he would fulfill for forty years. Our Knox gym is named in his honour. Funds are raised to build a permanent clubhouse just off of Bancroft St. The Baraca Club boys donate their labour by wheeling bricks and carting cement.

In 1911, the new building opens. It includes a gym, swimming pool and bowling alley. Mr. Harry Cooper, a Knox member, becomes the club manager in 1918, a position he will fill for 39 years.

The Decision To Move

When the Queen St. church had been built, the surrounding area was a mix of commercial and residential properties. By the close of the nineteenth century, the neighbourhood has become entirely commercialized, which is a great disadvantage to Knox in an era when most people walk to church. Attendance begins to drop off. It is increasingly clear that in order to remain viable Knox will have to move. Moreover, the Simpson’s Company, which quickly rebuilt their store after the 1895 fire, wants to expand their premises and is eager to buy the Knox Church site.

At the 1899 Annual Meeting, the Trustees are authorized to apply for legislation to sell and dispose of the site of the church. A special Act is passed by the Ontario Legislature allowing the church lands to be sold, provided that the sale is approved by the congregation and the Presbytery of Toronto. The proceeds are to be held by the Trustees for the purchase of another site in Toronto for “the erection of another church or place of worship.” The Simpson’s Company makes an offer of $120,000 for the church site on Queen St. The Trustees recommend acceptance, but the congregation votes it down on the grounds that the price is too low. Simpson’s rejects a counter-offer of $160,000 made by the Trustees.