Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-11
CHURCHES TO
CONSOLIDATE
The New Plan of the New York
Presbyterians
MOVE IS A NECESSARY ONE
AS Some Of the Churches are no! Self
Observation-Disclosures Among
The Members.
MOVE IS A NECESSARY ON

New York, May 11.-An extraordinary
movement is on foot looking to the con-
solidation of Presbyterian congregations
in this city some Of them among the rich
est in the United States, according to the
Tribune. The congregation of the Madi-
son avenue Presbyterian church last
night unanimously decided in favor of
consolidating with the Philips Presby-
terrain church.. the former church to be
sold. The Tribune says:
Conditions which have existed in the
church for some time past have rendered
it imperatively necessary that there shall
be some radical changes and general
strengthening. Probably at no time in
it's history in this city has Presbyterian
ism been so unrestful and perturbed as
it is at the present moment. Internal
variances have depleted the congrega-
tions and consequently the wherewithal
of existence of many churches of this
sect in New York. Moreover, the con-
stantly increasing migration up town
have left the churches which remain in
the lower portions of the city with sadly
diminished financial The ma
jority of them in fact find it a hard
struggle to hold on and it is no secret
hat a number of them are laboring un-
der monetary difficulties of more or less
degree.
1t was this state of affairs which led
to the Fourth avenue church inviting the
Phillips church to Join it. Should this
fail there is every likelihood that nego-
tiations will be launched for the bringing
together of the Spring street church and
~. =: %,o~ l,r1 Nh NNSfp1 u
street church is without a pastor. But a
combination of the Madison Square
more import is that being quietly urged
by influential Presbyterians for the
comination of the Madison Square
church, of which DR.. Pakhurst is pastor.
the Brick church, which Dr.. Van Dyke
will leave in the near future to take up
the professorship he has accepted at
Princeton. and the Fourth avenue
church. The properties upon which the
churches stand, it is pointed out, are ex-
tremely valuable and could be sold for a
sum that would provide for the building
Of a great central Presbyterian church
and support branches in various parts
of the city such as Trinity church is en-
abled to maintain with the rich funds it
has in it's possession.
The establishment of a great church
movement of this character is being
urged BY prominent Presbyterians for
the reason, as they assert, that it would
tend not only to lessen the financial
strain of the other downtown churches,
but would give Presbyterianism the
, strength and impetus which it is agreed
it now stands much in need Of. That a
consolidation of the three churches will
come bou some time, perhaps in a short
time, is beyond question. Work has al
ready begun to that end n it is only a
matter of certain conditions as to how
long it will be before it is pushed to COM
pletion.
1t is equally certain that in time the
Metropolitan Life Insurance company
will succeed in purchasing the Madison
Square church. 1t now owns the whole
side of the block in Twenty-third street
from the Academy of Design to Madison
Square and when the lease of the Lyceum
theater runs out it will also acquire that
site. The company's aim is to secure
the whole block and 1t is generally
agreed that it is only a question of a little
patience to realize it's purpose.