The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-07
PRESBYTERIAN AMENITIES.
DIR. PAXTON MUCH AT HOME IN DIR.
CHARLES s. RoBINSoN's PULPIT.

was q Rumor re WA 20 succeed-Dr. Rob-
inson Corrects Him Publicly when ne Says
HOS There By the Courtesy OF the Pastor.
That there are some contrary forces at work
within the New York Presbyterian Church. at
Seventh avenue and 12sth street, was made
apparent for tho second time last Sunday at the
public service. The Rev. DIR. John II. Paxton,
for SO many years Russell Sage's pastor at the
West Presbyterian Church, preached there. 1t
has been rumored that DR.. Paxton would be
called to the pastorate OF the church. The pres.
ent pastor is the Rev. DR.. Charles S. Robinson,
for many years pastor Of the Madison Avenue
Presbyterian Church. and widely known for his
hymnal. DIR. Robinson is we'll along in years.
but he has no desire to relinquish work perma-
nently.
Two weeks ago Sunday DR.. Robinson In his
pulpit, In giving out some notices. remarked
that a meeting had been held In his absence on
vacation at which he. as the pastor OF the
church, should have presided, and he only. In q
voice that quavered somewhat, especially
as he spoke Of himself IS "the pastor of
this church." he declared his regret that
the meeting had been 80. held. the moro so
as an announcement that proceeded from
It regarding a church meeting had been given
out and the whole procedure was irregular and
void. He reminded his hearers that In the case
of another church that had done similarly, the
Harlem Presbyterian, where DIR. Ramsay
preached for twenty-eight years, the Presbytery
had ordered the election Of six church officers to
take the place of those engaged in the Irregular
action.
Last Sunday morning DR.. Robinson and DR..
Paxton sat together on the pulpit platform. DR..
Paxton got there first. He took the lead in con.
Quoting the services, and invoked O blessing on
the venerable pastor OF the church. When it
came to giving out hymns and reading the
church notices DR.. Paxton, pleading I'M
familiarity with the customs Of that church.
said that DR.. Robinson, the pastor, by whose
courtesy he. the speaker. was there. would
make the announcements. He referred pleas
antly to DR.. Robinson as one to whom his hymns
DR.. Robinson, taking care. as he had done a
pastor Of this church" said that he had not
known that DIR. Paxton was to be there at all:
a as wsn @ls Sa to to say sse that bat P be Tas' m nSvs ser isme aS Of
greater than any he. DR.. Robinson. had at.
tsinSd. He |. added a p,i;Gus : wish sln, that Dr.; Paxton PAT On
Harlem;" something, he said, that no hadn't
aThere Wouldn't 30 these saloons here if you
meeting Of tho church for tO:@orroW evening:
his relationship to the church and the report
that DR.. Paxton was to become the pastor:
no thought Of resiening. / came here 1--we years
axe at has a promised Sean na;d Sai Az s OF sSioS o1e none ne of OF
600 as a loan from the Presbytery for the
church. but they weren't even able to pay the
s ssn to p SR y' thc d ksiy 'e Sou sGp 6stt 81 n sSs% print Hst
snif in and shf Z bS siieEs e was i tho a0es aet.l sound shns
interest on tho debtt, llms after time; also set
They had promised to pay it and d.. Hail said
the church show $1,000. pastors salary. paid
son. donation. 5000 There got to be a aes,
perate monotony about this after a time, that
Ss1en H'nf Pe 81 I But t hss Ism isn't r s msn moro !
married In Utah than l am resigned to all this.
more or ff for a ywh sn,a a that Dr.. P BG",Sn, wa pFis n%iie% sp ~
preach here at the instance Of Kiliaen Van
Rensselaer,. who was in the war with DR.. Paxton.
The session met rregularly-for the law requires
ings Of the session and c~hurch-and called a
church and pastor. / heard OF this and was
obliged to go 70 the church and stop
had been disorderly. and even the cali for The
church meeting was illegal, for It was promul-
morning. The law puts everything, in the
hands Of the minister now. and II Is all he can
to- folG Tl the tn' / lr dia 0 Sot st a1S i iS t dss w sSo Of i" their /; +
calling DR.. Paxton, but any action must be
regular, They were surprised that 1 knew OF
Yesterday when I went to the pulpit DR..
Paxton said that it gave him great pleasure to
10 see my old friend Paxton but suggested that
tones repeated his welcome to the pastor. by
pit well, it was excruciatingly funny to me.
But said was glad to have him there, al
In the morning when i went around 10 tho
church sgain he snid: Hello, Are you here
ssFs c1m,n si1 b so~P Pax ! 5a't T isis: 'p aTs in mt the eb habit
How would It do for me to ask you to sit
Of shadows" He said that some sort Of a list
iist E WIZ R %as still tStre eH but bic sIes TIE Il he s1 dr. a
Roblnsonl could read It. Referring to the
G SeSSte an e ' Sis contin@ea en sHSTss I. to RBs siGpV do s ses
until he got somewhat discouraged. the doctor
Boys oys say ~yh sSd SH fey 70 had II the s0g Gam I'll msi a is 1ns
rance to call it laying down. They understood
what ri 4 meant; n thSSf Ihym And, perhaps they
He said that there WAS nothing to prevent the
church ealing another pastor, as q church
pastor was often called before the dismissal Of
the old one; in the meantime the two usually
e added. '"
Dir. Paxton said yesterday that he had con.
Rensselaer,, who act d, as he understood. for the
session of the church. He agreed to preach on
four Sundays in November and Deccmbcr-and
he had already preached on two OF them. He
didn't think he'd preach the other two Sundays.
He didn't come there to have trouble. He had
declined to take any money for his services.
What he had hoped TO do was to raise some
money for the church among his friends and try
TO put the church on it's feet, partly at any rate.
He did not wish 10 undertake n regular pastorate
again, although no did like to preach.
III this Harlem, church were without a pas
tor said he. 81 should like to stay there per
ing OF the debt and starting IL toward pros.
perity, for that would be IA good work. But that
Is all. I should then wan, to get back to fishing,
his church last Sunday and then went away
just before DR.. Paxton's sermon. telling the con
Rregation he was going to communion. One oi
his scores against Dir, Paxton is also marked
against the Rev. Robert Russell Booth. who
conducted the services Mt which DIR. Paxton
preached a week ago Sunday. DIR. Robinson
charges that neither Of his brother clergymoT
prayed for him. DIR. Paxton confessed the i'm
parchment and begged mis- clerical brother's for
giveness. 1t is said by those who heard hi
prayar for rho naatOr last Sunday that its farvnl