New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-19
ND STANGERS RESIGNATION.
- MAKES THE FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
.r errppR1sE To MANY OF HIS coNGREGA-
uoN-THE CHURCH INVOLVED IN
rJTTGATION

A
uoN-THE CHURCH INVOLVED IN
LITIGATION.
rsere were few dry eyes in Holy Trinity Ohul.n'
lam when the rector the Rev. DR.. J. newton
..rcer had ceased speaking at the services !estei-
80 mornng AS announced in The Tribune !e9'oi
Gay Or sanger sent his resignation TO the vestry on
saax and il was accepted at a meeting on fruaS
s'.nt which did not break up until after nnullisnU
os, few OF the members of the church knew Oh Vio
N',.o-s resignation until yesterday morning. as ho
"a determined upon his action suddenly
xss,ly every seat in the lower part OF the churVn
"a many OF those in the galleries were occup'eu 0"
h~ serylces began at IL O'Clock yesterday n'orhns'
49, WAS no intimation OF the announcement Dr'
sanger had to make until the epistle for the gay was
"a This was significant. 1t was from IL Alnho'"s,
=, hecinnlng with the fifth verse watch then IN al
,rs endure aflicton, do the work OF an evangelist
make full proof Of thy ministry. FOR am now reaoy
~ no onred and the time of my departure Is al manu-
have fought a good fight, have finished my course
I have kept the faith,' etc.
ror his sermon Dr. Stranger took his topic from the
psalms {" BE still and know God" His sermon was
..ad with these words 81 dare not choose my lot
xonh not Choose thou for me, Lord"
Then Dr. Stanger said that he had report TO make
The contributions, he said, had amounted IN ue
,hch during the four years which he had been rector
IN $50 OOO During the same time the number OF com
nnicants had increased from s13 TO 1883, there mad
been 1913 baptisms, 100 marriages and 2o1 buriais.
BESIDES the contributions in church, the sum of sl5OOOo
had been raised 70 pay for the church property. Dr.
stancer said that he knew these were not spiritual
tafors but they indicated good deal Of hard work ana
seudenal on the part of the congregation lie pre-
sented them because that day ended his ministry In
The church. Then he read his letter of resignauoh'
which had been sent the vestry last Monday ana
the resolutions OF the vestry in accepting the resgna-
hat he ad
10 Cye him his salary for six months from the time
his ministry ceased.
Continuing he said that the act had been done SUD
denly, but with due elaboration. lie had nothing 10
add to his letter Of resignation in explanation OF MS
act Who the dissatisfied ones he did not Know
nor did he wish to know. What he had done ne Gun.
sidered the wsest and best course. But he Wouu no0
be true to himself If he did not admit that it gave MIN
great pain to lay down the duties of that church,
What had brought about the situation was iii""
tehal. II was there, and they must meet ~ d"
Christians. lie told the congregation tha' u'S
thought his could take up the heS'S Ouiuo"
of that church and carry IL with an ar u i"u'i0'
ence they were expecting the Impossible Inc o'i-
eregaton would need unity said, to enable 1t sue
cessfuly TO carry the load which was upon Its Shout
ders. "The Lord be with yOu all Amen and fare
WE'LL he added solemnly and slowly, as he finished
speaking
None Of the members of the church who were seen
upon the reason for Dr. stangers retirement, more
than that given in The Tribune yesterday. The sug
geson had been made that OF the causes for dis
satisfaction the fact that Dr. Stanger together with
several other Protestant Episcopal cergymen, had in
vited ministers Of other denominations to occupy his
pulpit in Lent last spring. These cergymen were
harshy criticised in quarters for this, but it is
not believed that this action DR.. Strangers part had
anything to do with his resignation.
Probably No church i'm he cty Ia received much
attention from the newspapers within the last year
has Holy Trinity Of Harlem, IN connection with the
attempt to consolidate il with ST. Stephens Church Of
West Forty-sxth-st. The legal middle in which these
two parishes have become involved would turn the
head ofthe proverbal Philadelphia lawyer From nine
TO dozen distinct lawsuits and proceedings have been
begun in the different courts and they have occupied
less Of the attention of all the courts in the
scale from the district city courts to the Court Of
Appeals
The legal fight was precipitated by the carrying
out OF the plan OF Bishop Potter TO siren ,then the
city parishes by uniting two weak churches into
strong ST. stephens Church in a neighbor-
hood where there n good many Protestant
Episcopal churches. and its congregation hal grown
exceedingly small. The fact was alleged in court
that It had only twenty-five thirty regular members
1t had plenty Of money and much valuable property,
however
on the other hand Holy Trinity was in part Of
church and a bigger debt The conditions seemed
exactly right for consolidating the two parishes. The
proposition seemed feasible, too, because many of the
old members of ST. stephens had gone to Harlem TO
live, and attended Holy Trinity Church. The plan
was submitted TO the two churches, and meetings Of
the vestres Of the two parishes called 10 take
action upon it.
Two OF the members Of the vestry Of st. stephens
did not attend the meeting, and consequently those
uhn fovo fip
majority. Among tie minority who strongly pro-
tested against this plan James Blaclhurst, the
treasurer Of the church. lie refused TO aihX the
corporate seal % the consolidation agreement ana
without this seal 1t worthless The other members
Of the yeStry began replevin suit in district court
and secured an order requiring Mr.. Backhurst % give
up the seal The treasurer refused comply with the
order, however. and appealed the case to idsHcr
court Meanwhile those in favor OF the consolidation
asked Judge Andrews in the Supreme Court Chambers.
for mandamus 10 compel Mr.. Backhurst to afhX the
corporate seal TO the consolidation agreement.
Again the anti consolldationlsts got the better of
their enemies They had begun 10 consider them
active enemies by this time. The Blackhurst party
went into the Court of Common Pleas and got an
Injunction order from Judge Allen staying All pro
eeelnes under the proposed cons0ldat Oh agreement.
After this order had been issued Judge Andrews
found himself unable TO issue the mandamus without
putting Mr. Blackhurst in contempt OF court. whatever
acton he took. ii the mandamus had been issued and
M Blackhufst had Obeyed II he would have been
w contempt OF Uie court OF common Gleas, ana Decn
liable to hne and Imprisonment. on the other hand
be had obeyed the Injunction order he would have
eeeh In contempt Of the S2Greme Court. In this
dilemma Judge Andrews denied the motion for
mandamus.
Inc fight was becoming hot that personal asper-
Sohs We're cast right and left The Rev. DrS. Hart
anG sanger were charged with conspiracy. in fact,
pssh9p fOtter found IL necessary send letter to
~ hart, IN which he took the responsibility upon
scheme
Inc time for the annual Easter Monday election OF
S SltuVh "NneIs and vestrymen came, but DR.. Hart
rauseu 10 announce II, upon the ground that there
VA va , no long any St. Stephens Church. and that it
s1 VCeone par oil Holy Trinity. Again the courts
cNiri,r 's ny 70 aho mandarDus issued re-
yXala ctSS pr har TO announce the election Mr.
Inc Snnnsv Se, cauSeo good deal OF excitement
from his e os''e Easter by announcing the election
hOlnce II. ~ Halt lEd refused 10 all
enttIed a. 70 who was member Of the church and
OF Common Pleas. so the lsyossa Jury IN the NouIt