The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-01-11
THE AWFUL BACK PHVS
1t Was There That the Flirt-
ing Young People Con-
gregated.
GREEEVILLE CHURCH SENSATION.
Two Of the Offenders Are Sons of
Church 0fficersFour of the
Young Girls Went Away
Crying.

The story which was exclusively pub
hshed in last nights JERSEY CITY NEWS
about the sensational remarks made By
the Rev. Mr.. Bruce. the pastor of the
GreenviIle Reformed Church. at the close
of the prayer meeting on Friday night
was the sole topic OF conversation In that
section last night.
The Greeuviile Reformed Church, on
Ocean and Linden avenues. is one of the
handsomest church edifices in Greenville.
The congregation is composed of the bes t
families IN town.
Ocean avenue Is the principal promen-
AIDE in Greenville. On every Sunday
evening the thoroughfare is crowded.
There are the usual number of young
women and their escorts. and there are
yonng women without escorts. 1t is said
land there appears 10 be no doubt that
it is a fact-tha6 when some Of these
young women got tired of promenading
the avenue they entered the church.
THE GIGGLING GIRLS.
Their conduct there has been notorious
on these occasions. The girls who came
in without escorts we're not as q rule
members OF the church. although others
were. They would take seat next to the
last row IN the church. The last pc " WIS
always crowded with young men and at
once a desperate filtration would be
started By the young fellows.
They would whisper loudly enough for
the girl to hear and the girl wsuid giggle.
One Of the young men would catch the
eye of one OF the girls and he would
wink. She would tell her companions
and there would be more giggling. And
although MI Bruce, the pastor, saw all
this, he was afraid to make the matter
public, as among the young men who
were the wild sons OF deacon aud an
elder Of the church. But at last patience
ceased to be virtue with the pastor. and
ON Friday night at the close of a prayer
meeting which had been rudeiy dis
turbed he made the remarks that are
now the talk Of Greenville.
TWO OF THE BOYS.
On Friday night the church was
crowded with w0rshippers. The pastor
was Just about TO start an exborHatiOn
when Toal Reid and Rob Shultz entered
the church and took seat ID the last
pew Reid is the son of deacon and
Shultz's father IL an elder. just before
Reid and Schultz entered four young
women had walked IN and taken the pew
right above where Reid and Schultz sat.
With grave forebOdings the pastor COM
menced his discourse. He knew bow
Reid and Schultz had acted on previous
occasions and he determined to admin
lister fitting rebnks il they repeated
them.
The congregation noticed the preacher
had his neck craned in the direction
of where the young men sat while he
spoke He stopped several times in his
sermon.
THE FLIRTATIoN.
In the meanwhils Reid and Schultz
were having great fun with The girls As
soon AZ they had been comfortably seated
they put couple Of toothpicks 10 their
mouths, crossed their legs and at once
started their antics.
They sissed and winked at the girls.
The girls laughed. One OF them put her
muff up to her shoulder and then she
shook her handkerchief under the pew
All the while the pastor Was watching
them, and when the service was over Mr..
Bruce arose and administered a singing
rebuke in which he said that he had
preached before fallen women and
thieves in New York and had never wit
messed such conduct before. He also said
that he would resign if something was
not done TO stop the actions in the back Of
the church.
FOUR GIRLS ARE KNOWN.
Mr.. Harvey, one of the consistory, took
the names of the four young women who
had been flirting with REID and Schultz
and after the meeting he spoke TO them.
The four girls. who are very respectable.
left the church crying bitterly. Mr.. Har-
vey said last night that the meeting of
the consistory held soon after the sermon
on Friday night was not called on ae-
count of Mr.. Brnce's remarks but was for
the purpose of continuing the prayer
meetings.
Mr. Bruce was not at home when I
called at his residence last night. His
brother, pleasant-looking young man.
told me tnat his brother had gone TO Fort
Plains, n. Y. TO preach today. Mr..
Bruce's brother said that flirting had been
going on In the rear pews of the church
for some time The flirting he said was
principally done by young people who
did not belong to the church.