The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-01-06
Letter from New York.

of the Connecticut, some twelve months
ago, to write a letter from this great cosmo-
politan city, should find anything of suf-
ticient importance to write about, and which
might be of sufficient interest to the numer-
Gus readers of the WATCnMAN, | now at
tempt to execute my purpose. The readers
of the WATCHMAN must Judge of the interest
and importance of what write.
And first-how best to reach this great me-
ropolis from Eastern Vermont and Western
New Hampshire. There are several availa-
BILE routes-some by all rail and some by
rail and by steamboat. All are easy and
rapid enough, provided no accidents occur
or no snow-bound Instructions interfere.
OF the several routes by which the writer
has visited the city he has found the rail
way line from Brattleboro over the New
London Northern railroad and the Long
Island Sound boats the most easy and pleas
ant From Montpelier, Rutland and points
on the line of the Passumpsic road one may
easily reach Brattleboro, where he can take
q mid-afternoon train that will carry him to
New London, landing him close alongside
of fine steamer between nine and ten
O'Clock z. M, where he may find comforta-
BILE bed and wake up in New York early the
next morning, for a seasonable breakfast,
and have the whole day before him for bust
ness or pleasure The all-rail line is more
fatiguing, and, in summer, more dusty, and
takes you into the city at too late an hour in
the night, unless you stop over night on the
way and make two journeys of the trip. 1
MOuutT more people from tne COnneCtlCuU
Valley do not go to New York by the New
London route. There is a large patronage
on the boat line from Boston and Massachu-
sets and Connecticut.
Religious work among the Protestant
churches of New York has been very active
the past month or two-the Episcopal
churches taking the lead Early in Novem-
Der or late in October the Presbyterians laid
out programme of active work for Novem-
Der, arranging for series of weekday
1f g1,,,,., hoo
ing to their aid Moody and Sankey. The
meetings held by these evangelsts in one of
the churches were attended by good results.
| The Episcopalians took a new departure.
Early in the fall they made elaborate prepa-
ration for holding series of daily meetings,
called advent mission services, beginning on
the last Friday or Saturday in November, to
continue some nine or ten days, four serv-
ices to be held each day in most of the
twenty or more churches where the meetings
were to be held. Ladies from the most re-
spectacle families visited from house to
house. Unfortunately, notifying and in
viting all to attend, as far as they could con-
veniently. In some parishes 1000 visits
were reported Clcrgymen from distant
parts of the United States, from Canada
and England were invited to be present and
conduct the services. The visiting ladies
informed us that it was a new thing for
the Episcopal churches, and the meetings
were intended to be what Methodists and
Presbyterians would call revival meetings
The visiting clergymen were called " mis-
sioners and the object of their mission, as
announced through printed circulars and
from the chancel was to awaken and quicken
the churches and to save souls. One clergy
man-Rev. Mr.. Belts of St.Louis-said that
he was not ashamed of revivals, but that he
9CdS ashamed of those who were ashamed of
revivals. On the Sunday preceding the
commencement of the advent mission the
writer attended the church of the Holy
Trinity on Madison Avenue, corner of Forty
second street, Rev DR.. Wilbur +. Watkins
rector. He announced that the Rev. Mr..
Warren of London would conduct the
mission services in his church, and preached
an earnest and eloquent discourse from this
| text in Isaiah: "Awakel Awake! arm
OF the Lord; put on thy strength as in the
| ancient days" 1t was well calculated to
prepare his people for the coming of the
| evangelist. This is one of the favorite and
most prosperous of the Episcopal churches.
| The editice has a seating capacity of about
| 1000 and the church has a membership of
1,2O0. The mission in this church was so
successful that the meetings were continued
week or ten days beyond the allotted time.
The great audience-room was frequently
filled and all the services were largely at
tended as they were in all the other
churches. Rev. Mr.. Aitken of England held
noon-day services and preached to business
men daily in the great Trinity church on
Broadway, opposite Wall street. Here bust
ness men crowded into and filled the church
at midday and listened with close attention
to the earnest discourses of Mr.. Aitken.
These Episcopal services have awakened a
very general interest in the community, and
have been highly approved and commended
by such leading religious newspapers as the
New York Observer and christian 1dCOcdte
The usual form of service as given in the
prayer-book was mainly omitted, simple
gospel hymns, familiar to Congregational
Methodist and Baptist prayer-meetngs Were
sung, and the preaching was simple but
earnest, and of the most practical kind, the
preachers dispenS sing with manuscript notes
altogether and enforcing with fervid elo-
quen ce the great doctrines of the atonement
the necessity OF change of heart and of a
pure Christian life
There are in round numbers about three
hundred Protestant churches in this city,
should say more rather than less. OF these,
in round numbers, the Episcopalians have
eighty, the Presbyterians seventy, the
Methodists little more than sixty, the
Baptists nearly or quite siXty-the Re-
formed German and Dutch), the Congrega
tionalists, Unitarians, Universalsts and 6
few other still smaller bodies making up the
balance The Congregationalists have six
churches-three of which are small and fee.
BILE, and one (the Broadway Tabernacle
very large and influential. The Methodists
are hold ing extra services, and much inter
est has been manifested in several of theil
churches. But these more than three hun
dred Protestant churches, TO say nothing o
thV iNoIhdh tdtHpllt ORGANIZATIONS, nave dl
they can possibly do to keep in check tn,
monster vices and immoralities that are
flooding the city. Some idea of the enor
nifty of these evils may be formed from the
facts that there more than 10000 licensed
liquor saloons; that over 1900 arrests
We're made during the past year, of which
10000 and over were for disorderly conduct
and more than 5000 were for drunkenness
More than 10000 women were arrested ant
nearly 5000 mere boys. Add to these tn,
social designations that more or less disturb
the community, but which do not come un
der the notice of the arresting officers, an,
then one has only a faint indication of tn,
evils the churches have to contend against
Over SGO,00O,00O worth of intoXcatin!
liquors are annually sold here. And ye
the churches and benevolent societies are
doing an immense work to counterfeit thu
degrading influences of the evils alluded to
Millions of dollars are annually expended
and an army of Christian and charitable
workers are constantly employed to lesser
and mitigate the distress of poverty an,
crime, and am not without hope that tn,
tide of evil is already materially checked
by these voluntary associations, and tina
under their wholesome and restraining in
tiuences legislation will lend its helping
hand. r. H.
Orange County Court.