Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-09-10
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

Should you, as a stranger, visit the city
Of New York and ask one Of its twelve
hundred thousand inhabitants where old
Trinity church is, he would probably tell
you con Broadway, at the head Of Wall
street; everybody knows that" Should
you further ask him Of its history you
would doubtless be met with a look Of
blank amazoment, and perhaps have 1t
strongly intimated that it had no history.
Yet the present building and its predeces-
sors have seen nearly two centuries growth
Of the second city OF the world.
Let us wander through the old-fashioned
graveyard, checkered with brown and
white headstones, with here and there u
monument Many Of the stones bear
quaint devices and eptaphs-some are legi-
BILE and easily read, while others, the
changing hand Of time has chipped and
worn away to but a skeleton.
Away back in 1886, the whole Of New
| York was upon the extreme southern end
| Of Manhattan Island. To keep the Indians
| out OF the city a wall OF wood and earth
was built across the Island upon the line Of
| what is now Wall street. This wall had
six gates, which were duly locked each
evening and the keys thereof given up Ia
the "Shout," or Sheriff, with great solem-
nifty.
This was in the good old times when
money was little known, and Indian wan
pun was the circulating medium Of the
colony. All church collections were paid
in wampum, six To eight beads OF which
were worth "stiyer," about two cents OF
our money. The contribution box of the
time consisted Of bag upon the end Of {
long pole. The collector stsod in the cen
tire Of the church in such position as t
be able to reach each member Of the con
gregation. Woe unto the man who slept
or appeared to sleep, for this shortcominl
was provided fora small bell was SIS
pended from the bottom Of the bag, anC
II the contribution was not immediatel,
forthcoming the bell was shaken about hi
ears until he rendered up his mite.
In 1887 the wall which guarded the tow
was removed and o wide street, "thirt,
feet wide" was laid out In its place. Thi
street was bordored on either side by beau
tiful trees, and was the great promenade
on bright afternoons for the bellies anC
beaux OF the period.
, In 1893 the Assembly Of New YOrl
passed an act Providing for the building
of church in the city OF New York, II
which was to be secured a Protestant min
ster." Protestant being understood a
meaning Episcopal. This was the origil
Of Trinity Church.
The site chosen for the church was tn
garden OF the West India Co., then one O
; the most beautiful in the colony, rich wit
flowers, fruit and vegetables. The frs
building was erected in 1896, and was on
of the few churches in the city not desc
Grated by the British while they occupie
New York during the Revolution. 1t wa
destroyed by fire in 1876 again rebuilt j
1888. The latter building was torn dow
in 1880 and replaced by the present edihc,
opened In 1916.
, It might bO we'll il the present church
like the first, had pew set apart in it fo
the Mayor and Common Council Of tn
city, to whom special sermon was annua
= ly preached on election day,
Could some Of those who's remains hav
reposed for years in the once quiet churcl
yard step out OF their graves, what chang
they would behold. On Broadway the rusf
roar and turmoil Of unneasing trafil
passes unheeding the city OF the dead
} while upon the other hand the cars OF th
metropolitan eleNhItu IOhu ClhbLbI anu Hlt
almost OVER the brown headstones
Near the center Of the grounds is tn
grave OF Jas. Cook, the small headstonC
bearing his name, the date 1901, and th
following:
"Behold, and see as you pass by,
As you are now so once WAS
AS am now so must you be,
Prepare for death and follow me-"
All, mol He never lived in perpetual Il
yer, or saw the incessant struggle en-
a fight for existence that is now going o
[ where he lies. And the preparation fc
death-how different to the mass Of mar
kind from the age In which he lived Nea
Broadway, in front Of the church, is tn
o tomb Of James Lawrenoe-the young NJ
val hero Of the war Of 18l2-who's las
= words "Don't give up the ship" have bI
come watohword in the American Navy
, Upon the south side OF the church is III
! monument OF Alexander Hamilton-th
father of American finance, aud the viz
tim OF "principle" and Aaron Burr. PEI
haps ii Is fitting that a monument shoul
he reared to him here within stone
throw Of the financial centre OF the Unite
States, but II his spirit ever interests itse
In the affairs Of Wall street, the pompar
son between his own and the present tim
must be anything but fattering to th
Bulls and Bears that daily congregat
there. p.