New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-18
THE BROADWAYTA TABERNACLE
NOT DIsINTEGRATING BUT IN SOUND AND
VIGOROUS CONDITION.
CRITICISMS OF DIR. sTIMsoN ANswEREp bf
FACTs-A LETTER or ". y. iIENDhlE p''
sEcTED by CALEB b. KNEVAl.S'
SECRETARY or THE BOARD


sEcTED by CALEB h. KNEvAiS'
SECRETARY OF THE BOARD
OF TRUSTEES.
Criticisms of the condition Of the broadway lap,'-
nacle and also 81 the pastorate OF inc NV
Henry A. Stmson nave recently been r,''' ',''.,
ana public notice OF them seems Justihed H. "''''
son has been the pastor over year INC" 80,
ports have aroused the resentment Of nearS al INC
congregation. and have called forth many VAN
defcnccs of the pastor. Dr. william NJ. TASi"' i"'
many years was the pastor 81 lhiS '""h''s"'D'
and attracted many people by MS h"""h
atty and his ability as preacher i'' ".'
Gently after II lingering Illness OF many 'n""'"'
iittlo over year ago It was decided mat u" "''H'
permanently retire from active NO. ana W. '''"',
4 Sumson of a. Louis, became MS H"o''''"''
THAT Dr. Atmnon does not can out NO '"',"
prevail Of u low members OF h'H ''"h'"' y,
perhaps truc but that ho has tho hearty H"pp''' ~
tho great majority Of tho congIck"uo" '''''' w. w.
established. a., =,
m, ,r,ihu,c has received "A letter from W. ~
ucndrlc Of No 50 rultonst. which vol''s nv
sentiment about the broadway T"pfn"c'' '"'
letter ~ as follows. " .. ,s,.
S,r r"' some time ago statement appeared In yor
valuable paper regarding me lro. WV n,asn move
mont was affecting tins GA laiIln"nm nm, /, ia "A
looked upon as ely nsrtn'on ~ ~ he society
for tSe. has been In circulation for several molhs
and VIII show from IL ,nas ,' raplv increasing
I'm debt, and also shows n heavy decrease III ,ia,
buttons FOR benevolent PURPOSE IL SENS ,i,enron
that there must be some 3ther Ihuse 10
this state OF affairs and TINS sudden cha.s ei I'm
Tho uptown movement" for the report lSsu,' ~
1881 che last full year OF the aie an, S where.
as The report Of 1894 gives membership Of Si' PROV
Ing the uptown m0yv"sn $50, mao n ask what is it
that has affected this church 80 seriously anu 20
suddenly in 50 short Tine how can u, ia ISs, onIy
thirty Joined from other churches. ANA bui hve OF
these from churches In the city. on the other manu-
eighty-four members withdrew. foriy-eght OF these
going to churches below FIFTY nlnth-st ne major
~ ~ , la UPTOWN movement Is the OF the
exodus the reason why 50 many are eass AZ, an
going to churches not far distant ana so ie" jon"
During the last full year OF Or. Taylors plstor2te
seat rents realized $500 N-@v was raised , 10,
benevolent purposes. and the society was re IRON
d.bf What do We find in the report for 1891? scat
lent purposes. and there was debt 81 Soyo on tls
church. that the mortgage Tor Sp"D eIe,1,' a.,
secured. and II ) only question o, a s' og
short time when another VII have to be taH.h on
the expenses FOR $3.50 s. 43o the income at S-ly
q deficiency u $3.50 making the d'bt a, 'eo' ,,
81 1896 $i293J. From these hsures. al taken rom
n' be .uptown movement is not the OF
The decline OF the broadway Tabernacle. which -
further proved by several prosperous chur,l's ~
a Location further uptown assist the Tabernace out
II n. present cmbarrassments. ask again what -
4, mat has caused such change In that time non
"rei INSTITUTION. the Broadway Tabernacle Church.
during the last two years!
This letter was shown TO Caleb -. Kncyals at
his office. No % East Twenty-,hiri-s'. by
n Tribune reporter Mr. Knevals IS one OF
tho Oldest members Of the Broadway Taber-
nncle and is the secretary OF It's Board OF Trustees
He said: Il consider that i very cruel ana unklni
attack on the church. exceedingly regret H.
There has been some dissatisfacton expressed on
the part Of some members OF the church about III
stlmson's style OF preaching. They say that 1t Is
not what IL should be-. but tho measure OF success
in church work IS not TO be- Judged solely by plat
form preaching The church ia some departments
has prosrered under Or. Stimsons pasiorate az il
never has before. The letter signed W. y henire
processes to be based the official reports Of the
church officers, but close inspection IL VIII be
found that the figures have been arranged very
unfairly and evidently with the deliberate purpose
or misleading the public. Ia one case the hsHFes
are entirely Inaccurate. The writer says that The
membership has been reduced from 10? 70 'si hh,e
1891 ON the face OF IL this - true, bat no fhHH 10
state that the committee has Just hreh over tN'
sshho h ho.s I ean tcn OF long eso some Of
these names are those OF dead people, Nhlft',l
INK DR. TaylOr's pastoratc. The church roll has
been neglected long time and under me niiinn'.p
81 "A new pastor the committee went 10 Work 10
purge the ron 81 all supcrhlous names 30 a. 10 r't
Il down 20 a sold basis me wiIt'i 81 'h' ''''''
falls TO state this very important ihct ,
Then the writer tries 10 show that me member
ship OF the church is steadily decreasing, lie -ay'
ana correctly, too, that III 10 ohY thitP j,,"''
from other churches. ana only I'VE OF these NON ,
chnrches IN NJ ,'y ne I sois ." yhnrn forty-
eight 81 these going to 'huf,h'H n,,'W ZIP,
%"w Ri. iS a Very unfair way Of putting II. Doe.
cause the writer says nothing about NE ihIH' mum
Der who have been added to Tho chnfeh q" 'o"''''
"Dr siimaon has heard Of this dissatisfaction on
much rainod by H. Ne spoke 20 me on ~" sub
jcct and pcrtincnty asked: What - to b. 'hr
IL HfItn
all The severe adverse circnmstanc"a 81 coming mo
position made vhcnn, 10y ih1 I'S s ~ -, ac
cOmpIshed Wonders. Large acrrsslona hay" been
mnIr ~ our memborship on confession Of faith.
ana that certainly IS better than Increasing our
members hy drawing from other churches. The
na hanr is"ors work "f the i1dics socciy
raised 500 for The fiscal year JUST .niri "hloh
pose iIer'ire fors.is 10 state that many ~ those
who LETT the church after Or Taylors d.a,h u,i
80 before Dr. Siimson began ms reg u'ni p .
There WAS a ong period when the cnurcn Wns
without REGULAR pas''r, Wh,." ~ , I,rnadwn1
Tabernacle has suffered little loss Is evidence ct
uastor Then again there are always a number 81
people In "A congregation who are attracted by me
dles they usually leave the church. This was the
case with DR. Taylor Dr. stimson undoubtedly. IN
TIM % s'G o say i n %"s rSseS in the
last fun OF pr Taylors pastora,e FOR bsney"
lent purposes The sum was not Tar from VI"
IT is to be regretted that the feeling In the
church has been made public Dr. SImaon is DOING
a great work and has the support OF the majority
Of his people"
When seen by "A Tribune reporter yesterday
Dr. Stimson said that he never replied 10 per
sOnal attack.
Cornelius ~ Bliss also seen by Tribune
reporter but he refused to discus, che matter iur
Their than to say that he considered tho Criticisms
a very unknd and unjust attack the church ana
a great dscOurtcsy 30 It's pastor -, -
A prominent member Of the churcn sald' an
free TO confess that | don't Ike Or Stmsons syIc
OF preaching altogether myself but ~. must r.i',
her that ne has exceedingly difficult place 10 M
He IL In the second year Of his pastoratc pc
licve In giving him full three years trlh ne ch'nr
AT a time the strength of the church ha1 b'c
put to the scvercst test by the protracte Illness :"
Or Taylor DR. Stmson has been IhborlnB uH",,l
many adverse circumstances. but think he -
coming out all right, and should AZ least nave -
fair three years trial before judgment ~ pronounce
against him. No man can Ill the pace, hair
vacant by tho death Of Dr. Taylor. pr. StimSon
Internationally is an able preacher, although ih'L"
arc some I'm the congregation who mink INA, ~
IL u leaIIDl gtnnMarI