The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-09-15
''GRACE CHURCH BROWN"
The story OF the Carpenter who became
Leading sexton and an Engineer OF
New York Fashlon.


the late "Grace Church Brown" the
noted New York sexton: Mr.. Brown
was born in this city, in Duane street,
near Chatham, in 1912. After attaining
a common school education he was ap-
| prenticed to carpenter, and worked at
that trade until 1886, when Grace church
was completed. He received the ap.
| pointment of sexton under Rev. DR..
| Thomas II. Taylor, the predecessor of
Mr. Potter. and from that time up 10
the present year was seldom absent from
| morning service in the church.
MANY humorous anecdotes are told of
Mr.. Brown, in connection with his bust
ness. On one occasion he was in charge
of reception to Baron Rothschild, dur
ing the visit of the latter to this coun-
try The affair took place in Eighteenth
street. Mr.. Brown also had charge of
another reception on the same night
Immediately opposite the house where
the baron was being entertained. The
latter desired to attend the second re-
ception, but when he reached the curb
stone there was no carriages to be had.
Mr.. Brown took the nobleman on his
back and carried him in safety across
the muddy street. The late Peter Stuy-
vesant was an attendant atGrace church,
and had a thermometer hanging imme-
diately over his pew. One cold morn
ing Mr.. Stuyvesant arrived at the church
porch. The heater did not work prop
erly, aud the old gentleman shivered
with cold. Mr.. Brown knew that Mr..
Stuyvesant would consult the ther-
mometer as soon as he reached his pew,
and, unobserved, cunningly put his fin
ger on the bulb of the thermometer and
sent the mercury up to about ninety.
When Mr.. Stuyvesant reached his pew
he looked at the thermo meter. and con-
Guiding the church must be warm
enough, sat down without making any
remarks.
Mr.. Browns portly figure and slow
and solemn pomposity of step have fur
nished the theme OF more satirical dog
gerel probably than ever fell to the lot
OF mortal man before. One of the clev-
crest Of these squibs, by William Allen
Butler in his witty Nothing to Wear"
style, recalls the ther mometer incident
with laughable truth to nature.
In certain circles 1dr. Browns word
as to what was en- reggie in the conduct
OF wedding or an entertainment was
about as absolute as that Of Worth in
matters of costume.
In the period when so many large for
tunes were made suddenly there were
hosts of new people who wished to get
into society of some sort or other, and
for the fashioua BILE crush invented about
this period Mr.. Brown, probably more
than any other h1an, was responsible.
His office was besi eyed by fashionably
dressed women WITH whom to get Mr..
Brown to manage an affair was to be
sure Of ''crush," done in the latest
style. Tomeet the emel 'gency, tue popu.
lar sexton effected the organization OF of
corps of handsome young fellows, clerks
in wholesale houses-some times styled
" Browns Brigade" and sometimes
" Browns Five Hundred" They were
bound to dress fashionably.. Good dane
inc was necessity, and there were GER
tain nles that had to be OBJ erved. They
were not, for instance, to o resume upon
an acquaintance formed at party to
which the invitation had conae through
Mr.. Brown, and must not lift their hats
to ladies on the street merely because
they had waltzed or fiirted with them
little the evening before. The 81 range
ment was perfectly understood and
when Brown could be induced to u. nder-
take the affair the lady was sure G t an
array of handsome young fellows that
would make her "crush" the envy of
her next neighbor. But abuses final ly
crept in, undesirable acquaintances wei e
formed, and the brigade was disbanded.
OF course the members of the brigade
were never by any accident smuggled
into the draWing-rOoms of the old tami-
lies. For the new people Mr.. Brown
would not undertake an affair save on
his own conditions, and no man could
snub q suppliant in velvet more gor-
geously than he.
But he never snubbed blood; his
reverence for =" family was unbounded.
1t was a boast of his in his old days
that no plebian could deceive him on
that score. 1t was something to see
him, years ago, encounter Livingston,
for instance, and mark the courtly grace
with which he bowed almost TO the
earth, and to hear the respectful saluta-
tiCn, uttered in tone 50 elevated that
every bystander distinctly caught the
name. He was discreet, too, in an
nouncinG the names of arrivals at
party or reception, and while distin-
guished guests were sure to be trumpeted
in tones that could be heard to the
furthest corner of the drawing room,
the obscurities were allowed to slip in
without undue publicity. At one time,
before fashion deserted the district
south of Union square, the sexton of
Grace church was reputed to have
amassed a large fortune; and it is Ger
tdlu Ludb III buOS6 early blluSS u0 was
often paid fabulous prices to manage an
entertainment. Mr.. Browns list of
funerals was scarcely smaller than his
wedding list, and many curious anec-
| dotes are told of his mingled shrewdness
and solemnity. He had q set formula
of sympathy, in which the social stand
ing, splendid physique and many virtues
of the deceased were enumerated. While
| he took the measurement he now and
| then, in undertone, suggested double
| plated trimmings, extra diamond
screws, etc. though he regretted
extremely to descend to these trivial
details. Thus mingling his eulogy with
practical suggestions in parenthesis, he
took his orders without appearing to
come down to prose at all. He was the
very ideal of q master of ceremonies at