The New York herald., 1869-01-26
FREE CHURCHES.
,ree,,,..~ Las, Nish. a. 81. Ann. ohur

Mefsss~ Lust nigel AT 5ts AIMS Church.
meeting. no. largely attended, was held las,
night 10 the has snent OF st. AIMS church. West
/ eighteenth stree. near Fifth avenue. under the
auspices OF the "free AID open Church Association
for the purpose OF considering the question Of abo
ishing the pew system in the Ipiscopailah cAurcn'
the denomination to which this association Is con-
nned. On melton OF Mr.. r. j. Cor,ts, the President
OF the association. Rev. Dr. GalaudeS rector OF 81
Anns, was caiie1 TO the chair and opened tie meet
ing with prayer
The potoGal exercises concluded, The Oh Nfinan
gave an account Of Tie rise aud present cordicu OF
the church with which ne IL now connected. HH1'
originally founded Tor mo benefit Of the deaf mutes
and from .he necessities of the case II was free
church The deaf rluIes couId never lire pews and
the speaker said he did not want them 10 have
second interest giving them sort OF charity IN the
afternoon. The pew doors were not yet Off, be said.
but that was owing 70 the peculiar construction OF
the pews, not because the doors themselves we're
held In esteem. The average receipts by contribu-
tons were $3.50 sunday At first the speaker SAID
he was committed TO the free church policy only be-
cause OF its relations to the deaf mutes, but that he
was afterwards educated up to q free church man
from principle.
Mr.. X. ]. Cortis, the President OF the Free and
open Church Association, was the next speaker lie
gave an account OF the origin OF the association,
ts present prospects. and urged its claims upon the
sympathy ard co-operatOn OF all Christians. He
SAID that The longer he belonged TO tree church the
better he liked Il. ~. Marys church BrooAlyn of
which he was a member he pronounced great
success The longer he belonged to Y the more he
saw It's great beauty. They were getting on ineiy,
having abundant means for all their current ex-
penses. when they were suddenly ,.apprsed
that pew church was TO be built within
4 few hundred yards OF their meeting
house, As soon as this church was
opened number OF people, representing about five
hundred dollars year. let them; OF the scced-
crs however, had been sixmonhs members, or their
church, aud never been fully won TO the faith q the
neshpos. Soon after 1t was found that another pew
church was going io be built ID their ysinily this
OF the free church felt bad TO many of ihcir
Der leaving them 70 Join the pew churches. MATTERS
look out the finances Of the church. lie had been
reading OF The Workings Of the Free and Open Church
association In England ana III December 1857, he
called few Of the congregation together TO consider
The question. The meeting was called down town
ana Dr. Ltleloha presided. There % were len Clergy
month OF April last free and opcn church associa-
tion was formed. at that time there were three
free churches In BROOKLYN; but one of them G5t
Matthew's) has abandoned the system and the de-
sertion was great blow to the free church cause.
The triennai convention about to assemble and
letters addressed to the different bishops upon
The subject, from whom most encouraging replies
were generally received. The convention assembled
preached upon tne subject In Brooklyn and his
sermon made most profound impression. When
OF the church where the sermon was preached
said to the speaker: An We do is for
"ay associates VIVA, do we do for TIE poor What
do we do Tor the mass OF the peoplef do feel that
understand that any sucn worship Is acc ptable on
any such conditions. shall belong TO that church
unti next a Easie and snep 4 unless IN n Tree
mons OF the same spirit as that OF Dr. Atkinson
were preached by other bishops who were present
at the convention, and there was great interest
awakened in the matter bat soon q reaction took
place. People began to say, There & f. no G mistake
nS ase TINS scp ~eer Of the wa aDon
at ss we enS o we r ouu Msp M psp
for church accommodation for the poor What more
is requircdr 1--WE have heard a great deal about
our church we always give them seat .'Do the
mass OF The people go 70 your churchY' asked the
tie reply. "They do go 10 the free church. said
the speaker to him. Another point OIL which the
envelope system"-a plan OF sending to each regn.
lar attendant at the church fity-two envelopes at
the beginning of the year with the understanding
that one was 10 be returned each Sunday with a
contribution OF some kind, whether tie persons 20
whom they were sent were present or not. 70
consistent free church man said the speaker, would
ever pay n new rent. Il there IS no free church
IN the neghbornooa he should put hls.ccntributons
upon the plate As far as bringing the great mass
OF the peopIe into the Church the Church here and
In England had been most miserable failure.
Unit. The churches @ occome free thcrs ca. can De no
the people never viii conc. A pew chnrchman sail
10 the srcakcr:-..rhs free church Is all very well
in theory, but IL won't work in practice" Nhat IS
your debt' asked The speaker OF him. "Iwenty-seyea
Thousand dollars was the reply. The speaker |
tnen said that he treasurer OF st. Marys church.
and that he would undertake to pay ali Its debts for
s4oo ST. Marys church had built a parsonage fof |
the rector for $4,000 aud given $4,000 tor the land.
The actual money expended upon the church and
rectory was not lcss than 100000 The
total amount raised last year was $4,000.
The estimate of the rector was that
seven-eightns OF his congregation were laboriag
men, that OF the speaker threeiourths. The speaker
said the lberality of the iaboring men and women
wgs astonishing 10 him. II was not the poor tlat
got the benefit OF the free church system; II was the
rich l.ich people know nothing OF the poorer
classes until they are brought thus into constant
contact and COMPARISON with them. the speaker
tnen spoke OF the organization OF the choir. tie
SAID that he hel cader Of II, and hsway was be-
set with difficulty long he tried TO depend upon
the so-calied cultured aud rcnned bat when lie
adonted the plan OF taking any person into the choir
who seemed 10 have fitness Tor IL he got on admi
rably. out OF d cior OF twenty persons there are
but two who do not earn their living b. some kind
OF manual labor or by teaching.
Rev. DR.. Peters, OF ~. Michael's church, was the
next speaker and related his experience wisi free
churches Dr. Ceer, OF st. rimothy's church. save
some UNITS upon the same point Several other gen
ilemen also spoke upon the subject, and the meeting
adjourned.