New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-11
VACATIONS FOR MINISTER'S
HOW THE PRACTICE ORIGINATED.

" You want to know how the custom of closinG
churches in the Summer originated, do youl
Well, l don't know, and / donbt II any
one does" The speaker was Robert Kelby
the librarian of the New-York Historical
Society, aud his remarks were addressed to ho
and tired reporter Of THE TRIBUNE. who, after call
ing at the residences of half dozen eminent clergy
men only to find that they absent in the coun-
try, had applied to him for solution of the problem
81 think you may be sure of one thing" he
continued and that is that the churches
didn't have many vacations when New.
York was known as New-Amsterdam. Sun
day was observed in those days. You will
find laws of that period which forbade not only
work of all kinds. bnt pleasure rides in
boats carts and wagons, trapping, fishing, hunting
trading, and gathering nuts and berries. A
late as 1927 there was law passed
which gave congregations the night to put chains
across the streets during the service in front OF
their churches which would serve to keep the un-
godly from passing and disturbing them.
Here is strange law" he continued, pointing
to a statute passed about 1850, which prohibited
the inhabitants of the New-Netherlands from SELL
ing liquor on Sunday using small and foreign
measures, which tended TO the dishonor of religion
and the ruin of the State"
Rather an odd combination, isn't it Though I
touched in his most tender spot if you shortened
bis beer"
The reporter next visited the Rev. DR.. Samuel ID.
Burchard, Of the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church,
who has been actively engaged in the city for forty
years. In speaking of closing churches during the
Summer he said
Il don't suppose anyone could tell you when this
came in vogue. II my recollection is right. il has
become general only in the last ten or twelve years.
| remem Der that when first began to preach min
listers used to have two three weeks OF vacation
August. l generally stood by the ship the
year round. however, and it is only within the last
six or seven years that have taken my vacations
regularly. Men like DR.. Hall and DR.. Taylor, who
are of foreign birth and education. have adopted
the habit OF returning to their native land, which
makes their vacation all the more pleasant TO them'
"Do you think these vacations good thngp
"Yes; really think minister needs a rest every
Summer Still think provision ought to be made for
supplying all people with the means of grace.
church ought to be kept open IN every neighbor-
hood"
How did this custom originate ~
"It is due to the rapid change which has
been taking place In the character of tho
people during the last twenty years. They
live more luxuriously than they did before,
and great majority Of them prefer to spend their
Summers in the country. Forty years ago the mer-
chants lived over their stores, and stuck to New
York the year round"
The Rev. DR.. Thomas Armitage, Of the Fifth
Avenue Baptist Church., was found at his house in
West Forty-sIxth-st,, vainly endeavoring TO keep
himself cool. DR.. Armitage celebrated the thirty.
third anniversary of his pastorate~l last Sunday.
When 1 first began to preach" he said. Il
used to have two or three weeks vacation in Au'
gust. This not, however, so much for the sake
of giving me a rest, for getting some
time when the church could be thoroughly
cleaned and repaired think II
was in this necessity for having some
time each year for house-cleanin0 that the custom
People then You Know, did not migrate to the
country in hordes every :, Summer, aud
those that dd go nssay s.,hIy.a went som: r.:
LIST of September. Now they begin leaving New
York by the 1st of May. aud think they are doing
we'll if they get back by November.
" There Is one mistake which is very commonly
made which ought to be corrected. Ii is commonly
| thought that the churches are closed during the
summer because the ministers desire IT. Now.
| think that IL a mistake. For example. / told my
church the other night that was perfectly willing
| to preach to them all the year round Ihey sald
| said the great majority of the congregation were
going away, and asked why should stay ana
| preach to empty benches"
II have noticed" he said, Every little change iq
regard to closing the cha6G99s ou whe@ wears
Contract / signed that | should have have, the
Of August S %ees "ss suce hen
as / suffer from the hay:-fever and l
do not generally recover IRON TINS un,
til about the third week in August ! have mol
tom of other churches in regard 70
vacations 50 that os"r cannot Wss SPek sSSs sxSsp'
customs there we're then IN some, parts of the
country about observing Sunday remember leo
turlug one Saturday night at Lynn, Mas, Mas,
da,p''Grt dia not reach reach y" Eudover until O'clock
in the morning wrote up an account oi my ,", 40.
ward Boston editor took me 10 task for desecrat'
ing the Sabbath. Then you remember, sum
saturday night. Right alongside of it. IN
| Massac husetts, Sunday began the morning
alter They would have all kinds Of festly.
ities on Saturday night IN Massachusetts, aud Fght
across the line, III Connecticut it would be as SUI
as a grave. Ii used to he very lndecorous to laugh
| or make any loud noise on Sunday. you know"
| Mr. Talmage SAID that he had not noted
much change in the custom of closing churches
| q / remember he continued, % had weeks vaca
ton when began preaching twep,y-fou,
don't think our forefathers enjoyed many vacations
| however. l remember one old clergyman who op
posed my having six weeks He ,i SAID TWO ssi Week;
:. to oiye me SIX weeks on the advice of Of them
| members who said Give the young man all ne
| wants. He is just ont of the seminary and needs
it," a..
Are YOU in favor of closing the churches, then "
Certainly, some of them. The minister needs q
| rest. and then the congregation Is thoroughly
| broken up. We even lind 1t necessary To
| close our Sunday school now for two OK
three weeks. There SO many of the teachers
who are In the country that We lind II almost I'M
poasibe TO carry the school on. Then they seem u
work better after two or three weeks vacation"
"Don't you think that clergymen have 10 furnish
better sermons than they used and that that u
one reason why they need rest more than they
did fnrmerIys"
mot bit oft. There is no class of people now
so hard TO preach TO old church goers They were
| people of but one book and that WAS the Bt-
| hle. hut fhey Xera fhOrOuRhiY posted IN lt