The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-16
IN MANY TONGUES.
The Strange Languages In Which Services
Are Held In New York.


The Strange Languages In Which scrvices
Are Held In New York.
No loopholo of an excuse for not attend
Ing religious services on the plea of unfa'
miliarity with the language in which they
are held is now left open for the foreigner
In New York. Lot him come from what
ever country he will, he can be taken, al
most without exception, to some church
or mission in this city where the tongue OF
the preacher will not be strange to his
ears Some of these foreign congregations
are well known and have been many years
established, while others are obscure little
bodies, almost never heard of In general
way, and many of them are of recent
formation. German, French and Swedish
churches have long existed in New York,
and many of them have made their influ
ence powerfully felt In the charitable work
of the city. The great number Of Hebrew
synagogues forms class by themselves,
but in addition to these there are several
Christian mission churches In the different
Jewish quarters where the services are
conducted In Hebrew.
The majority of Italians, being Roman
Catholics, attend the various churches OF
that faith which happen to be In their
neighborhood. There are, however, q few
Protestant Italian communities, one oi
the most fiourishing being the church IL
Broome street. onder tho control of the
New York City mission. The services, en-
tirely In Italian, are under the charge OF
the pastor, Antonio Arrighi. The Judson
Memorial Baptist church and st. Barna
bas' chapel, Episcopalian, have regular
italian services and the Methodist demon
ination maintains two congregations, one
In Bleecker street and the other in East
One Hundred and Twelfth street, the
heart of Little Italy"
The Armenian language from the pulpit
may be heard In Second street, near the
Bowery, where the Olivet Memorial church
has mission, and at st. Bartholomew's
Parish house, in East Forty second street.
Services in a modern Syriac dialect are al.
SO held in the latter place for little colo
ny of Syrians from Mount Lebanon. An.
other Armenian mission is under the
charge of the Adams Memorial (Presbyte-
rian) church and is at Thirtieth street and
Third avenue. This neighborhood, by the
way, has become the rallying point foi
most Of the Armenians In the city, and
large numbers of them live thereabout
within a few blocks radius. While the
Spanish are as a nation Roman Catholics
there arc at least two Spanish Protestant
in this city. The Congregations,
and Presbyterian denominations have each
a sturdy Welsh congregati6n, where the
peculiarities Of the Gaelic tongue sound
strangely to American ears. Religious in
I'm Arabic TO little hand oi
Christians who speak that as their native
tongue goes on every Sunday down in
Washington street. The Russian Orthodox
church in Second avenue Is attended by
tho few Russians and Greeks in New York |
Regular preaching services in Chinese are |
carried on at st. Bartholomew Parish |
house, and probably elsewhere, In connec |
ion with the many Chinese Sunday |
schools. And even after this list, which |
seems a considerable one, has been given,
here doubtless remain other places in the |
;ity where Christian religious worship L. |
leld in languages yet more unfamiliar
New York Tribune.