The Donaldsonville chief., 1885-06-20
OUR L LE1TER FROM BRoADBRiM.


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OUR LETTER FROM BROADBRtM.
A CITY of Churches and Saloons-Dedica-
ton of the Stewart Cathedral at Garden
City-Memories of the Dead millionaire
Political Confusion - Another Bank
Robbery A Mysterious Murder-Wed-
ding Bells, etc.
NEW YORK, June Is, 1885.
EDITOR CHIEF:
According to the report of the Bishop OF
Long Island, in Brooklyn, called the city
of churches in contradistinction to the un-
godly city of New York, there is one church
to about every 250O of the inhabitants.
Now, when We consider that the everage OF
the congregations is not over 800 the ques-
ton arises as to what is the chance OF the
other twenty two hundred for the bread OF
life. If all the churches in New York CITY
we're crammed to suffocation, from the
door to the altar or pulpit, they would not
contain one-half of the population. Not
| many churches can seat over five or: six
hundred people, and exceedingly few that
will comfortably hold a thousand. There
are some churches that are always full
Mr.. Beecher's, DR.. Talmage, DR.. Halls and
few others-but the great body of them are
not half full, and many of them have not
more than a corporal's guard as regular
attendants at divine services. The Rev.
Richard S. Storrs is one of the most elo-
ouent divines in the United States to-day.
He is not only eloquent, but learned, and
for solid worth and christian character
stands the peer of any minister of his time,
and vet it is no uncommon thing to- see
his Church of the Pilgrims only partially
filed, while the ushers are bothered to lind
seats for the congregation in Brother
Beecher's and Brother Talmage's. Statls-
tics are hard things to face, but there are
ten rum-shops to every church in New
York and Brooklyn, and while there is not
single minister represented in either
Board of Aldermen, there are over twenty
proprietors of rum shops or men directly
engaged in the liquor traffic as potential
factors in those distinguished bodies.
This has been a most interesting week to
the Bishop of Long Island. The Episcopal
residence is fixed at Garden City, the beau
tiful cathedral of which was raised as q
mausoleum to the late A. I. Stewart, and
was on Tuesday passed over to the Episco,
pal Church by his widow, to remain the
property of the Church in perpetuity TIL
the iudRment-trump. All that art and de-
yotiou could do to swell the imposing pomI
, and make the ceremonial grand and lm
pressive was done. The sweet music OF 1t:
silver chimes was mingled with the roar o
artillery, the deep diapason of its magnlh-
cent organ and the swelling chorus OF
thousand voices. 1t was a sight rarely wit
messed in this land and never before mad
so impressive. The reverend clergy cam
e from all parts of the United States to wit
mess the congregation. It was rich man
feast and q rich mans offering. In tn
crowd that clustered around the sacre
edifce we're the representatives OF neari
a thousand millions-wealth, beauty an
learning were there, everything to charn
the eye, to ravish the ear and enthrall tn
senses; the admission to the Cathedral wa
n by ticket-Dives passed in but Lazaru
II stood at the door. The poor man VIII
wandered out at night into the sorrowft
y y garden of Gethsemane nineteen huudre
', years ago would scarcely have recognize
"a his friends in that surpliced and belewele
= throng; it is almost certain that they woul
have passed him by, rs the priest and tt
Levite did the poor man that went dow
: to Jericho.
Garden City was founded by Mr.. Stewa
and it is one of the most beautiful and pc
feet suburbs in the vicinity of New Yor
,a It may be said to have been reclaimed fro
lg the barren Hampstead plains and is an 81
4 during monument of what can be accon
n plished by energy and genius when COZ
- bined with capital. The estate is So
~ ~ rounded by beautiful residences, and
to the centre of the city is a magnificent hot
ay ,ay where the traveller is we'll cared for.
id the west the college rises, and it is said
~ ~ he more nerfectly adapted to the use t