The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-17

Anafgu alton Meeting Against its Proposed
Hs Hsmoval-xIistory or the Old Church. DC.

The members and congregation Of the Old John street
Methodist Epscoi al Church. adverse to it's expropria
ton and others in fvor Of retaining that place of wor-
ship as such met last evening in public meeting TO lis
ten to history of the church and Of the existing dif
cul.es in connection with ts proposed sale The follow
irgis the call BY which the meeting was convencd:
! (ip Joas Srnsar NJ +. CnrRcH, AND Fmsr IN THE
lanfD STA1n.-The members and congregation OF
this church and all who are In favor of retaining
that time honored sanctuary in its present location will
hold public eetng in the Greene street NJ f. church.
between Broone and Spring streets Thursday even
the church including the existing ditsealtes o,cs
the clergy Of the city invited attend r s-sut-
able accommodations for the press. BY order Of the
JAMES T BARNES, chsirlnan.
Fnocsos, Secretary.
seatendance numerous and influential. Over
re pulpit or reading desk hung drawing In water
colors, of the old church II originally stood Tho
ing presided by Mr. Noah Warren and tho fol-
lowing gentlemen named Vice Presidents and Score
tary2-l
Vice Presidcnts-w. W. Cornell, John Stephenson W.
b. s0dmore G. B, IiSsosway, Anthony Cune.
Secretary-1ohn A. Smith
The 2rooseeinss were opened BY prayer BY thRsv G.
The Re Or. MITCHELL then addressed the meeting He
said-
The first Methodist Society in New York and in Amer
was organized in 1866, by few Methodist immigrants
frtm Ireland, one OF whom-fhilip Embury-was a Wes
laay nen recently from Ireland who found several q
her newly arrived friends engaged in game Of after
houss Mr. rmbary and e.hcTeS S to %se
all his influence and efforts TO reclaim her straying
sisnas He ssesd to hold meeting in his own house
lady pledgng herself TO collect the congregation. Six
only attended the arst meeting, Who after suitable
in a class and resoyeds to attend regularly at his
house for religious instruction. Shortly after
While worshipping in this room, during singing one
occasion, man in fun military uniform made his ap
hs proved to be Captain Webb, of the Roya
American troops and barrack master Albany who had
been converted in England, under Mr. Wesley, in l7as
and shortly after appointed to his post at Albany He
labored with great rvor and In the infant
cety at New York. TO whose aid he had hastencd ypon
learning the facts OF Its formation Military men tha
time appeared at all times in their regimcntals.
Tie appearance in the pulpit of man thus attired,
attracted great attention and excited curiosity Soon
after the commencement Of the labors Of Captain Webb,
stret-was secured for the better accommodation Of
their increasing numbers There Mr. Embury and Capt
Msbb continued TO preach with great success About
for public worship. shcssrs Lupton, Source, Newton,
white, Jarvis, and few more were the persons engaged
in erecting the first Methodist church In America Or
these, William Lupton very respectable merchant,
proved hmsefthe chief agent and support whose maxim
Through the interest Of Captain Webb they procured lots
on Golden Hin, which was rising ground near the bor
was q BY 90 ee The projectors Of tbs enterprise en-
couns.sl great opposition and yet crowned
their encffs the 10Th day of October, l76S, Mr. En-
himself constructed desring that the be dedication Of
church the minister can make, is to preach in IT
society rapidly inercassa and ~ sssh sSssel Me.ho,
'9 ah Souse ocsue a ne ans
stood partly before the front Of the church, and
Il also contained the Methodist brary. Two adaonai
lots The LEFT side purchased after the Revolnton
for eco Tie interior cina'ned many years uniinhcd
tn epht tn a.
Eoys however would mount by ladder, and sit there
upon the platforms The audience for long time
lad only beaches without back piece to recline
against. 60 homey was the place which the Almighty
degned to honor in the commencement Of the glorious
work that has resulted in the building church
nearly million and half Of communicants, extending
all the United States and Tcrritorie and through
out the British Provinces aud which nov nearly
onethrd OF the church edces Of this great nation.
According TO the colonial Law hut the established
church. snd places for public Worship belonging dis
sentcrs bad therefore TO have appendage about
them, which should cause them to be classed among
dirary dweiDgs-when II necessary 10 aiix a fire.
place and chimney 10 the Methodist church, merely
for the purpose Of euding tyranicai regulation
In vaults beneath the basement, bodies Of the dead
deposited wesleys Chapel a. they called IL, bore
upon the whole an appearance As plain and simple as
Webb wrote to N.Y. Wesley in insIand for as.i.sues
who In 1850 sent Mr.. Richard Boardman and Mr. Joseph
liman to their assistance, and fifty pounds sterling
(over t24o), TO Aid them In paying for the church
Captain Webb the largest subscriber the funds Of
the church. His subscription $50, that Of William
number Of others ON f6 los. TO IL. d. The following
motto was inscrbei the tablet placed its front-
According to this time IL shall be said what hath God
wroughts--Num xiii 23n The church was rebuilt in
1871; and in 184l, after the street wdened the
edhce vas erected on the old ate with the FOL
This Ia my rest orever-here win dwelln This
most unequivocsI avowal on ths part Of the trustees
who then held this church IN trust for the people who
shipped within ts cvnsecrated walls that they made no
other arrangement than that II should tin the latest day
which, for iew years past has seized with results 80
fatal nearly all tie lro'esant ehurchc had not at this
the board of trustees d this venerable old church Here
win dwell the motto 4 each II them II IL pro-
bable that not Of them for moment indnlged the
Thought Of devoting this TING honored God honoted ell
Ace to secular business and money making artce The
dazzling phantom Of magnificent metropolitan church
BE Christian men. They no doubt te tas. though
FRI that time the residents of the lover wards
te composed mostly Of the poorer CLASSES. yet 70 them
site where the first Methodist church consecraed
Ny time win not allow me TO pursue further this mper
Methodist churches question of lastly greater mo
eni must now occupy tn attention Of this audience Is
emphatcaly II Is. At the time the original cdidce
erected the city nearly all below the Pax and con-
iainsd in 1855 o,as1 souls aud in l773 Il contained
n $40 showing an annual increase for seventeen yrs
DC church v: ssii,~is ~ The ih't wsrd which
1870 10 754 souls or l. 2o more Than the population Of
The entire city when the John street church erected
Tie Second ward, east OF Broadway. lying between
Maiden lane and Spruce street contained In 1850 d55
lie Third ward west Of Broadway and between Liberty
and Reade streets contained In 1880 355 the
total population the territory occupied BY tho city in
f1C5 36764 Is 271 In the three wards In 1850
than In the entire city st the time the John street
church was erected Admitting tina, small portion Of
the leople In the Third ward would naturally attend the
Duane street church In preference 70 John and
yet must be apparent 20 all who Win examine the
| figures that there are now nearly twice ntuy
| persons 10 be reached through the ministry and
Efforts Of the John street church, existed in the
city u New York ~ the date Of its erection.
But not the demand for the church much greater IN
la 1871 than This question win be best answered.
by comparing the statistics 81 the population We have
already that the population Of the three lover
wards in 1850 30 7e4 In 1870 the firs. sard con.
ianed 10 G2p souls the fecond ward 83es and the Third
II Jstotal In three wards 20 80s loo 1es- than At
pre- ent admitting there has been increate 1850
But N the increase OF population has continued In the
ratio since 1880 between 1910 and 1850 thea the
increase In the three wards since 1870 amounts 10 H.
2tO total NJ this time 10 84i The fact must not be