The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-05-16
BrOadbrin'S New York Letter
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE.

1
Opposite the Park, on the corner Of
Beekman street, a mighty building /.
being reared on the site of the old
World Office, the building of which was
destroyed by fire about two years AGO,
On the other end of the block is the Of.
flee of the NelC York Times and sand
wiched in between are advertising agen-
cies for religious and scientific papers,
patent agencies, ETC., etc. 1t NAV be
called the centre of that busy hive which
Is sending forth its messages and mes.
senSers day and night to all quarters of
the world. Near at hand and towering
to the sky are the offices of the Netc
York Tribune and Sun; within pistol
shot to the south are the offices of The
World, the Mail and Express and Eren-
ing Post, the Herald, the Telegram and
others; but the block occupied by the
Nelo York Times and formerly occupied
by The World, as / said at first, is the
centre of this whirlpool, the waters of
which never rest night or day. Here
the newsboys centre, and from here
swift wagons dash, followed by hun
dreds OF clamorous young arabs, when
the morning and evening papers are is
sued. On this block, forty years ago.
sheltered by tall elms and naples. stood
the church of Reverend Gardner Spring.
giant in Israel, whose pulpit eloluence
is still remembered with grace and
thankfulness by thousands. Around
the church lay the honored dead, whose
graves antedated the Revolution. IL
was decent, quiet place and the home
OF great and aristocratic CONGREGATION.
which numbered In its vestryinen. trus-
tees and deacons, some of the oldest and
bluest blood of Manhattan. Even in
those days, this grave old church found
user IN strange company; scarcely fifty
yards away was Tammany Hall-and
whatever faults the .Tammany Hall of to-
DAY may have, It Is the pink. of aristocra-
cy compared with the Tammany Hall of
lS4o or lS4o- The Empire club was
then In It's glory and prize fighters and
soap-locked fire laddies ruled the city
with a rod of iron. In front of the
church was Clinton Hall, a famous
meeting-place In those days for all sorts
OF free thinking people. It was here
that Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phil
lips thundered against slavery, and
around It's doors came bowling thou
sands, thirsting for their blood because
they dared to speak for freedom. Close
by Clinton Hall was the old Park Thea
tire, the great fashionable amusement
centre Of the city-whose stage had
echoed with the tread of George Freder-
lex Cooke, Edmund Kean and Junius
Brutus Booth. A grand old manager
was William Simpson, fayorite with
the elite of New York, whose most hon
ored representatives could be found
every evening around the hospitable
table Of William Windust, whose beau
tifA tomb is one Of the glories Of Green
wood. AIhe World and Times were not
yet born, the Tribune, founded a short
time before, had then only local repu-
tation aud Its great editor was more
noted for his whims and his cranks than
Tor the ability which Afterwards dis
tingnished him. New. FORK then had a
population Of about $50, QUO, and was
about one-half the size Of the present
city OF Brooklyn. To realize the change
which has taRerr place, one feels as II
he was looking back thousand wears
instead Of1orty. Cornelius Vanderbilt
was then4,a successful steamboatman
nothing. more, and few suspected that
he was worth more than one or two
hundred thousand dollars. assell
Sage was unknown In finance: Mr..
6ould had not yet invented his mouse
trap; Jim Fisk Was baTefoOted, farm