Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (23 July, 1793 – 3 April, 1870) was an American Unitarian
minister and pastor of the First Church of Boston from 1815 to 1850. Frothingham was opposed to Theodore Parker
and the interjection of transcendentalism
into the church. He also wrote sermons, hymns, and poetry.
, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin School
under the charge of Samuel Hunt. He graduated from Harvard College in 1811 at the age of eighteen and gave a commencement speech entitled "The Cultivation of the Taste and Imagination," which was described by Dr. Pierce as "written with purity and pronounced with elegance."
On March 15th, 1815, Frothingham became an ordained Minister of the First Church in Boston
. He remained there until March 1850.
Frothingham had been five years in the pulpit when the Unitarian
controversy broke out. The American Unitarian Association
was formed in 1825. In March 1835, the twentieth anniversary of his settlement in the First Church, he preached:
The dependence was on miracle. Frothingham said, in a sermon on the "Manifestation of Christ":
In a sermon entitled "The Ruffian Released", preached in 1836, he said:
He disagreed with the philosophy of Les Misérables
, Victor Hugo
's famous novel, which seemed to imply that a change of outward conditions would effect a change of character, that the social arrangement was radically wrong, and that the "paralysis of the person" was contingent on "the narrowness of the lot", which ran counter to his beliefs.
The following is from Parker's journal:
He corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson
, and was a thorough student of the German language
when such scholarship was rare in America.
and Charles Francis Adams, Sr.
They had three children, all born in Boston. Octavius Brooks Frothingham
was born November 26, 1822, and became an author. Ward Brooks Frothingham was born November 16, 1828, and resided for a time in Burlington
, serving in two town offices. Ellen Frothingham
was born March 25, 1835 and became a translator (German into English).
Ann Frothingham died on July 4, 1864, in Burlington, Massachusetts
.
In 1859, on a third foreign tour of eighteen months, in Europe with his wife and daughters, Frothingham first became aware of a defect in his vision. He could not enjoy picture-galleries, and saw distorted figures and blurred colors. He consulted oculists in Paris and London, but no disease was visible in his eyes. When he returned home in the autumn of 1860, the dimness had increased.
In 1865, he underwent an unsuccessful operation on his eyes and became totally blind. His disease was of the nature of glaucoma and was incurable.
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
minister and pastor of the First Church of Boston from 1815 to 1850. Frothingham was opposed to Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker was an American Transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church...
and the interjection of transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
into the church. He also wrote sermons, hymns, and poetry.
Early Life
Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham was born on July 23, 1793, in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
under the charge of Samuel Hunt. He graduated from Harvard College in 1811 at the age of eighteen and gave a commencement speech entitled "The Cultivation of the Taste and Imagination," which was described by Dr. Pierce as "written with purity and pronounced with elegance."
Career
In 1812, Frothingham became the first Instructor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard.On March 15th, 1815, Frothingham became an ordained Minister of the First Church in Boston
First Church in Boston
First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building is on 66 Marlborough Street in Boston.-History:...
. He remained there until March 1850.
Frothingham had been five years in the pulpit when the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
controversy broke out. The American Unitarian Association
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
was formed in 1825. In March 1835, the twentieth anniversary of his settlement in the First Church, he preached:
The dependence was on miracle. Frothingham said, in a sermon on the "Manifestation of Christ":
In a sermon entitled "The Ruffian Released", preached in 1836, he said:
He disagreed with the philosophy of Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
, Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's famous novel, which seemed to imply that a change of outward conditions would effect a change of character, that the social arrangement was radically wrong, and that the "paralysis of the person" was contingent on "the narrowness of the lot", which ran counter to his beliefs.
The following is from Parker's journal:
He corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, and was a thorough student of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
when such scholarship was rare in America.
Family
In 1818, Frothingham married Ann Gorham Brooks, daughter of Peter Chardon Brooks and sister of the wives of Edward EverettEdward Everett
Edward Everett was an American politician and educator from Massachusetts. Everett, a Whig, served as U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State...
and Charles Francis Adams, Sr.
Charles Francis Adams, Sr.
Charles Francis Adams, Sr. was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat and writer. He was the grandson of President John Adams and Abigail Adams and the son of President John Quincy Adams and Louisa Adams....
They had three children, all born in Boston. Octavius Brooks Frothingham
Octavius Brooks Frothingham
Octavius Brooks Frothingham , was an American clergyman and author.-Biography:He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham , a prominent Unitarian preacher, and through his mother's family he was related to Phillips Brooks...
was born November 26, 1822, and became an author. Ward Brooks Frothingham was born November 16, 1828, and resided for a time in Burlington
Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
, serving in two town offices. Ellen Frothingham
Ellen Frothingham
Ellen Frothingham worked in the United States as a translator of German-language works into English.-Biography:She was born in Boston, the daughter of Nathaniel Frothingham...
was born March 25, 1835 and became a translator (German into English).
Ann Frothingham died on July 4, 1864, in Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
.
Illness
In the summer of 1826, Frothingham was afflicted by weekly violent headaches.In 1859, on a third foreign tour of eighteen months, in Europe with his wife and daughters, Frothingham first became aware of a defect in his vision. He could not enjoy picture-galleries, and saw distorted figures and blurred colors. He consulted oculists in Paris and London, but no disease was visible in his eyes. When he returned home in the autumn of 1860, the dimness had increased.
In 1865, he underwent an unsuccessful operation on his eyes and became totally blind. His disease was of the nature of glaucoma and was incurable.
Sermons
- Deism Or Christianity? Four Discourses, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, (1845) reprint (March 4, 2009), ISBN 9781104116125
- Two Hundred Years Ago: A Sermon Preached to the First Church, on the Close of Their Second Century, 1830, Printed for the Society
- God with the Aged: A Sermon Preached to the First Church, Jan. 7, 1849, J. Wilson, 1849.
- Christian Patriotism: A Sermon, on the Occasion of the Death of John Adams, Munroe and Francis, 1826.
- Sermons in the Order of a Twelvemonth, 1852.
Hymns
Poetry
In the introduction to a translation of the first of the Elegies of Propertius, a writer in the Augustan Age of Roman poetry, Frothingham says:- Xenia epigramXenia epigramA xenia epigram is an epigram attached to a gift, sometimes as represented in a xenia mosaic. Originally found in Latin literature, it was revived in the nineteenth century.An example:-With a Mosaic "Forget me not":...
- "The Crossed Swords", Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. An American Anthology, 1787–1900, 1900
- "Sartor Resartus", Christian Examiner for September, 1836, N. L. Frothingham.