New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-18
DIR. STANGER RESIGNS.
HIS vEsTRY MAKES NO OBJECTION.
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH HARLEM, LOSES ils
RECToR-CAUsEs WHICH LED TO THE
SEPARATION.


SEPARATION.
A big surprise is in store for the members Oh
Holy Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church, OF
| Harlem. in the shape Of the resignation OF the
rector the Rev DR.. !. Newton Stanger, when
| will be announced at the services this morning
Their surprise will be considerably increased wheh
they learn that the rectors resignation mas oeeh
/ accepted by the board OF vestry of the churcn.
The decision Of DR.. Stanger was made suddenly
and the board of vestry acted promptly upon MS
] letter of resignation On October IL Dr. Stanger
wrote the following letter to the vestry:
| Holy Trinity Rectory, No Is "ese one'nsn VI .Sn,
twenty second-st, New-York, OCT. lZ' io'i.
To tho w.rdens and yestrymen of Holy Trinity Church.
Harlem. -,
| Gentlemen: Within the last ten days report mas
reached me that there is dissatisfaction with my aumn
,,,on q, This parish with certain individuals Of this
congregation confess this has taken me periec"y
| by surprise. Having an abiding interest III VI" - -.
work centred here, into which have poureu o'ei i
wears OF hard labor and life and feeling profouhoy o
absolute necessity for unity OF sentiment anu pupS
among YOU and order free the corporation ro" '
possible embarrassment, in the present OF '"e i'
far "a am concerned hereby present TO you my resis
nation NJ the recorshp Of this church, from dse' an"
s, :, 70 no taken as final Thanking the corporation
for its kindness support under many ana srea. u
eultes during the four years beg TO remain
| faithfully l. w" iO-' ,raso, md
This letter reached the vestry on TUESDAY anu
|
cburchwardeps and vestrymen of the church arc
1ohn Christensen. Edward Townsend, Robert W.
Smith J. II. Hiltner, F. A. Black, Thomas W.
| pobnson Alexander Wilson and l.. NJ Grail
Fridov nj chit the following resolution was unanl-
orsIv odonted upon Dr. Stangers letter OF resigna-
| ton: , ..,o,.,ro
Tho wsrdens and vesrymen, while sincerely regre'Ons
the circumstances which sctuated their rector, ueno
accepng his resignation TO express hsiF h'sn p
ton OF his labors this parish his manly qua,V .
Christian virtues, and offer to him their pes. " s
r,,ure success in any field which he may DC caeu'
resolved That the action OF the vestry on resignation
OF the Rev. 1. Newton sanger D. d. De 0"i''"' ~
municated him by the clerk. 80. ,,,rr
| A conv Of these resolutions was sent TO d.
Stanger Yesterday A Tribune reporter saw d.
Stanrer at the rectory connected with the church
at Icuox ave- and neutrality-suspicious.
Ct last night. He said that he could not auo
ANYTHING to what he had said In his letter ol
| ~as;,,notiop He did not care to say what was
the nature Of the reports which had reached him
ord caused him TO send in his resignation.
Tbore is n rumor current in Harlem, however
| ,bot members of Dr. Stangcr's congregation were
| dissatisfied with him as q preacher Ihey bhou@he
ba was not eloquent enough as pulpit orator
W ono could be found last night who would pos
itvelv affirm that this was the reason OF d.
Stangers retirement.
4 reporter saw F. A. Black at his home' NO.
10 West ne-hundred-and-twenty-s -slNth-s'' ias'
.iah+ uo was asked il he knew what the rumors
| were which had reached Dr. otahsers eais anu
,od couspd him TO resign. lie replied that there
80 oIvovs reope who were dissatisfied in any
oororegation. They expected too much some
+;nos &c the ractors were not all Huntngtons ana
potters As for the vestry, they held DIR. Stanger
in tho highest esteem He was plain man ana
hool. IN nlain truths. -.-It-the members Oh the
church would follow DIR. Stanger's teachngst tney
would keep close TO the narrow path. AS Ior thc
vcstrv they would be glad TO have Dr. Stranger
with them always
"But the vestry accepted DR.. Stangcrs resigna-
tion promptly" suggested the reporter Would
Won he clad to have him reconsider II?
Mr. Black replied TO this question by pointing
to the fact that DR.. Stanger had expressly saiu
in his letter that he wished the vestry to take
his resignation as final
DIR Stanger is sensitive man, contlhueu
Mr. Rlaclx "and when he heard that there was
some dissatisfaction with his preaching he sent III
his resignation
"Tben there was some dissatisfaction" ?" asked
the reporter. ., ,
well, some of the members IeiU 'ne o"ui0n'
was the reply.
| ITnon being asked how many had left the churcn
for this reason Mr.. Black fastened to say that he
did not know that any of them had left 1t Tor TINS
reason. particularly. A good many OF them had
moved out of town and TO other parts of the city
and he did not know that ore OF them had gone
because of any dissatisfaction with the rector
Alexander Wilson was at tine home of Mr.
Black when tie reporter called lie was en-
phatic in his declaration that DIR. Stanger
was held in the highest esteem by the members
of the vestry.
HOLY Trinity Church is about twenty-three
years old, and Dr. Stanger was called to u loui
years ago. He came from Christ Church, OF Cln-
cinnati, where he had been the rector for ten
and n half years Holy Trinity congregation
at that time occupied the church on the north
western corner of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and Fifth-ave. One year after Dr. Stanger became
rector the property on the southeast corner OF
Ienox-aye. and Observation-Disclosures -second-st
was secured, and fine, new church was pullt.
The new building is of the finest church
structures in Harlem, but it put the congregation
heavily in debt Over year ago Bishop Potter
h11e das as Of Pa4 two OF weak 4rs
suggested the adyisability Of consolidating
Uoly Trinity, of Harlem, with st. stephen 4
Church in West Forty OF whiTh h t9g MreU heU
ceIieDt caIsDS neighborhood and g9Od-si7YeSd =
| CONGREGATION, DuJ IL was WIZ
SE"s an exceedingly heavy debt which it had great
difficulty in taking care Of 81. stephen oh ;oi
oenty Is Of valuable property and an exceedingly
small congregation. 1t had, it was thought prac-
ticay outlived its usefulness IN that qqar'er, a.
there we're so many more Protestant Episcopal
churches in that immediate neighbOrhoOd. The
plan seemed feasible ALSO because many q, OF ua tt
parishioners of St; stephens hao moVeo " ii'i
lem and attended Holy Trinity. 49, o,noLo
This attempt to combine the two churche'
plunged them into mae OF litigation. from whict
r they have not vet been extricated. There were
, | nuSber of men i'm ST Stephens who strongly or
, posed the proposed consolidation; Among thes
was the church treasurer, James Bl.ckhurst; III
had charge of the corporate seal of the church ant
70 afx the seal TO the consolidation agree
ment between the two churches. The slmpl
I aGixing of the seal was all tha
was needed to complete the consolidation