The Republican journal., 1885-08-27
NUMBER 80.
Boston Churches.


One of the most interesting subjects for an
earnest student of the tendency of the times is
the growth of the American churches. As
Illustrating the various religious changes that
| the country has undergone since the days of its
early history, Boston is a typical city. Some
churches there are which are landmarks, point
| ing the busy present back to the days that are
| gone A step over the threshold carries our
minds back into the remote and traditional
| period of colonial history, before the CONNER
cial spirit, promoting the onward march Of
! business, had demanded their removal to give
| place to palaces of trade. The new gods of the
American people cannot be worshipped in the
| old temples. but demand more modern places
| for devotion. The Old South still lives, but was
saved by hard fighting, and stands, a relic of the
past, in one of the busiest parts of the city.
What is gained by its preservation, it is hard
to tell. There is nothing to admire about 1t
but its historical associations. There are
abundant ways of preserving records and
history without making it fetish and keeping
it where it is no longer in harmony with its
surroundings. This will doubtless be criticised,
but let me remind my critic that We should
worship 9 cd and not brick and stone.
| Another of the ancient churches that has
preserved its original character, is Christ church
at the North end. 1t is the oldest church
edfce now standing in the city, and disputes
| with the Old North Church, which has been
| demolished, the honor of being the one in
whose steeple the lights were hung that warned
Paul Revere of the march of the British on
Concord and Lexington. in this church was
placed the first chime of bells ever hung in
| America They are eight in number, each
| bearing motto or historical Inscription.
| Kings Chapel is, perhaps, the greatest of
these ancient structures. 1t was first built of
| wood, the present structure of dark coored
granite having been finished in 1754 The front
is ornamentcd with Ionic columns supporting a
| square tower 1t was the first Episcopal church
| In New England. Before its erection the few
members of the English church wUr>hipped in
| the town house, and later by the arbitrary order
| of Gov. Andres, the Old South was given up to
them for the first half of the day. This act did
not tend to alIay the unfrieldly feeling existing
among the Congregatonalists toward the Epis-
copalians. In l7S2, pastor and people professed
a new faith and the first Episcopal church be-
| came the first Unitarian these three churches
stand as representatives. OFT the past ecclesiastical
history of Boston. Could one of the early
Puritan dwellers in the city return and look
upon it now, we can imag ne his wonder, aud
fancy, too, that he would deny his ancient
dwelling place. In his day Il Romanist was
unknown, while to-day their many and mag
niticent churches attest their wonderful growth
| I-l.,
ganizcd, and in 1925 there We're but two priests
in the city. Now there are over thirty churches
attended by hundred priests. Their number
of wor>hippers, churches, clergy and amount
Of church property far exceeds any other. The
Congregational Trintarim is next in number of
ehurch organizations, having nearly as many us
The Catholics, but less than one third as MANY
wor>hippers. The Bapti-ts stand next to the
Catholics in church atten lance, the former
being one third of the latter. The MetnouI,t>
have nearly as many churches and chapeI> ID,
they, but only one fifth as many worshppcl.,.
The first century Of the Organization Of the
Methodist Church has just closed. Its growth
is vigorous and it has great future before IL.
Boston illustrates in its history the various
phases of religious federation. has Wesley
was here and preached upon the Cummon. Tho
police and court records contain nothing to
show that they were arrested or tined. A sin
gular episode in recent Boston history had a
different termination. as the reader, Of this
article will remember. When the first Aletho-
dist preacher came to organize Il church lac
was denied access to the regular puIpit4, but
that sect is powerful in number, and Influence