Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-10-16
The United Church Extension.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
It seems eminently desirable that the city
authorities and the public also should right
ly understand the facts of this case. 1t is
presumable that the circular printed i'll your
issue of yesterday could not have receiv-
ed the signatures of but few if any of those
who are represented to have put their names
to it.
In the first place the United society have
petitioned for an extension of their lot so
that the rear line shall be exactly the ex-
tended line of that in the rear of the Trinity
church extension.
Secondly they need this extension of their
lot solely for their proper use as religious
society, such uses are universally recog-
nized as legitimate public uses; uses in part,
indeed, not included in the regular formal
worship on the Lords day, but for the uses
common to ''chapels, SO called, by reason of
which as public uses such structures are
not taxable. 1t is not proposed to meet
these uses by a separate building but by an
architecturally tasteful enlargement as in
the case of Trinity church.
Thirdly, these uses are, as the proper uses
of religious society, the very uses to which
the Green was appropriated by the original
proprietoIs. 1t was set apart by them for
public uses, and the highest and most com
prehensive of those public uses was in their
understanding and intent religious. They
accordingly planted their earliest church edi-
fee in the very head and center of the Green,
and afterwards, when another religious So
ciety had arisen and asked for site on this
lot reserved for public uses, they granted to
the society known as the United church, as
they had before granted to the First OF Center
church, the use of such land as was needful
for their proper purposes as a religious
society. They did this, contemplating en-
largement in the future, without defining OF
limiting the quantity of land to be taken.
These grants were both made long
years before the city as a
corporate community came into existence.
Whatever rights the city has in the Green
are therefore posterior and secondary to the
rights thus previously granted. The city au-
thorities have in the recent grant of an ex-
tension to Trinity church asserted the right
to extend the grounds previously granted to
these three religious societies, and done this
under the carefully prepared advice of legal
learning and Judgment. No precedent is to
be set in dealing with the United society in
perfect fairness and impartiality as it has
dealt with Trinity church. 1t would be most
discreditable to the authorities to refuse an
exactly similar request with equal, If not
more urgent, needs in furthering the very
uses contemplated in the original grant.
Lastly, the best interests of the public jus
tify, rather demand, that these religious soci-
cites should be in every proper Gay encour-
aged in their endeavors to meet in the best
manner the uses for which their edifices were
planted on the Green. Their structures are
even now in themselves, and in their synlnlet-
rical relations to each other and to the whole
Green and SO to the city, true ornaments, not
to say leading ornaments, to this boasted
city of beauty, and in the indefinite future
they may be transformed into the most ad-
vanced exemplars of architectural beauty
But, vastly more than this, they symbolic
the truth that the heart and central princi-
pie of life in this community from the begin
ming, now and, it is to be hoped, as
long as it may exist, is religion and
piety New Haven would lose its
highest, best and most attractive feature
from its outward appearance if these struc-
lures, and thereby the lives of the societies
that regard them as their homes, should be
moved or be suffered to decline or decay
The possibilities of abuse from following the
precedent already set in the grant to Trinity
church are but weak and inconsiderable ar
gument The authorities on whom has de-
volved the management of the trust in keep
feared. The proper use, the extent of ground
required for such use, they can be trusted to
determine. The principle of the closest re-
striction undoubtedly will ever prevail.
There is now certainly systematical COM
pleteness in the three existing church socie-
ties, and the extent of ground they seek is in
all reason moderate. Two or three citizens,
and of them the writer of this paper as much
as anyone, will suffer little in the obstruc-
ton of view. But such little personal sacri-
fee who would not cheerfully make for a
great public interest? REASON.