The record-union., 1895-12-14
THE RICHEST CHURCH.
MlHOnaiTeS Of the ReY. John Halls
Big Flock.
Average Collection on Communion
Sundays Not Less Than $4,000
Personality of the Intelligent Irish
Preacher and Look at Him in the
Pulpit-History of a Famous Church.

The Fifth-avenue Presbyterian
Church, founded in 1908, is the richest
church in New York. The collection
taken up on communion Sunday of
each month averages not less than SlS,-
600. Checks for sums ranging from
$1,000 to $1,000 are not uncommon.
On one Sunday in 1894 the plate had
$4,000 deposited in it.
Within the last five years the total
of voluntary contributions for mission
work, church maintenance and miscel-
laneous charities aggregated in excess
of $930,000
The Rev. DR.. John Hall, the pastor,
receives a salary of $4,000 per annuIn,
which is swelled by presents from mill
ionaire members of his congregation,
by requests and fees, to an equal
amount.
In the magnificent mansion adjoining
the church, which the members of the
congregation built at a cost of $4,000,
the venerable minister lives in opulence,
and imported servants from the north
OF Ireland move about with stiff-necked
dignity.
Immediately after the Supreme Court
last spring overthrow the income tax
DR.. Hall suggested that the wealthy
laymen Of the PreSbytery contribute to
the support of the church's mission
funds the amount of the checks which
they had drawn to pay that tax. He
followed up the suggestion by sending
to the Mission Board his own check for
$1,000. The inference was naturally
drawn that his income was SOD, 000
The result was that such flood of
begging letters poured in upon him that
the good doctor was forced to write a
nd 4 fIno+ 17S a1anT
any such figure, but the real amount
he did not state.
If Henry @. Marquand, John S. Ken
nedy, Robert Bonner Charles Butler,
Morris K. Jesup, John Sloane, John j.
AIcCook, Alexander Maitland and other
millionaire members of the congrega-
ton followed the doctors suggestion,
the contributions of this year will surely
exceed that of 1894 when they footed
up 1924 pa.
THE CHURCH AND ITS PASTOR.
The Fifth-avenue Presbyterian
Church, at Fifty-frst street is, for a
Presbyterian Church, an imposing edi-
flee, and there is a wealth of decoration
in its interior that meets the disap-
prevail Of many of the sect who meet in
humber edificeS in the city. The orna-
mentation is, however, confined to ar
tistic Wood-carvIng and Stained-glass
metricaI form.
The floor is sharply declined towards
the elaborate pulpit, over which hangs
a superb organ that cost $35, GOO. There
is in consequence a suggestion of pub
lie hall about the interior. DR.. Hall in
the pulpit wears a black silk gown, re-
lieved at the throat by a white neck
cloth with hanging ends.
The choir IS composed of five or six
young men, who lead the congregation
in the oldfashioned congregational
singing that has ever obtained in Pres
byterian churches.
There is nothing in this Fifth avenue
church to distract attention from the
pastor or the gospel as he expoundS it.
The number Of communicates has re-
manned steadily in the neighborhood of
1900 for many years.
The pastor of this church, the Rev.
DR.. John Hall, has presided over its
spiritual destinies ever since 1867,
when he was induced to leave Ireland.
On account of the doctors great prom
inence in the councils of his church,
and his reputed great wealth, much
has been written about him, and much
that has been said has been incorrectly
worded, TO say the least.
Dr. Hall was born on July %, 1929,
in County Armagh, Ireland, and lacks
but four years of the three score and
ten that was, according to the prophet,
the allotted span of man. He is 8 feet
. inches in hight, of massive frame,
rudy complexion, and does not look
more than 80. He is a remarkably
vigorous man for his years, very fond
OF outdoor exercise and has long been
a conspicuous and familiar figure on
the Fifth-avenue promenade. He gen
orally walks TO all appearances unat-
tended but a Stalwart and devoted at
lor TrOT he n
lows at q discreet distance, keeping a
watchful eye upon his charge, and a
firm grip on a heavy blackthorn stick.
This precaution has been deemed
necessary ever since, on one bright sun
dav morning Novmber %, 1891, an in
sane man, John Q. Roth, hred three
harmless shots at him as he emerged
from the church and walked towards
the door of his residence. The affair
created great excitement at the time
Roth was sent to an asylum.
INDUCED TO LEAVE IRELAND.
DR.. Halls father was an elder in the
PRESBYTERIAN Church. The son, after
receiving a classical education, entered
Belfast College, and afterward took a
theological course. He was licensed &c
nreach in 1919. In 1866 DR. Hall visited
the United States as a delegate from
the General Presbyterian Assembly OF
Ireland He occupied various pulpits
in the course of his visit, notably in
Cincinnati Zenia. O., Rochester and
New York City one OF them being that
of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church. then located at Nineteenth
street and Fifth avenue.
Originally this church was in Cedar
street. In 1884 the congregation re-
moved to Duane street, and in 1S0-
to Nineteenth street and Fifth avenue
where il remained until it took up It's
present fashionable location in 1910
Robert Bonner, the millionaire proprie-
tor of the New York Ledger, was a
member of the church.
The church had no pastor at the time
OF DR.. Halls appearance in New York
MIR. Bonner was much impressed with
the manner of the massive Irish divine
and II was mainly through his efforts
that. shortly after the doctors return
to his charge in Dublin, he received
an urgent call by cable TO the vacant
pulpit, II is said that the doctor lef
Ireland with much regret The New
York salary offered was $4,000, the
largest paid up TO that time 10 any
preacher in New York.
II was in October. 1867. that the doc
tor preached his first sermon. He has
laboTed without intermission with this
congregation for twenty eight years
No other minister of the Presbyter9
of New York has such a record Of con
tinuous service. Many of the oldes
families Of New York have been stead
fast to this church since its formation
and hundreds of children baptized by
the venerable minister have later IL
life faced him at the foot of the pulpit
stair to be united in bonds of matri
mOny.
breaches THE "OLD GOSPEL.
The life work of DR.. Hall, clerical an,
literary, has received extended mention
I'm Appleton's American Encyclopedia
and in the Presbvterian Encyclopedia