The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-14
NOW A BOYS CLUB
Residents Of Boyd Avenue
Up In Arms Against MrA
Scudder's New Or
ganization.
SPIT TOBACCO FROM WINDOWS
So Says Mr.. Van Wart, and
Spoil Neighbors
Don't Like Noise.
!. SPIT TOBACCO FROM WINDOWS

That the ,,ntown branch of the First
Congregational Church has troubles Oh
it's own was royen last evening at the
quarterly meeting of the society, When
considerable objection was raised to the
BOYS Club, a new feature of the Boyo
Avenue Church..
The meeting was not as large as was
that of a week ago, and the representa-
ton from the down town branch was
very small. There was not much business
to come before the body, the only things
which concerned the Tabernacle being a
resolution that as a large proportion OF
the congregations live on the Heights,
future meetings be held in the Boyd Ave-
nue. Church, and an appropriation to tne
down town Music Committee. Mr.. II. -.
Sperry was elected trustee, to fill the va
left by the death of Mr.. Cooper
It was then moved to adjourn, when
Mr.. Post arose and said there had been
a great deal of complaint lately about
the noise coming from the buildings up
per floor which is used for the Boys
Club, ana wanted to know who authorlz-
ed its use as a gymnasium. Mr.. Han
replied thai the trustees had sanctioned
it. and explained how the carpet had
been taken up so that there might be a
floor. and how the club had grown
from a membership of thirty-three to
sixty. He further said the gymnasium
had been equipped with horizontal bars
and other apparatus, but if there was OBJ
lection to the gymnasium they could be
Il guess there would be plenty of OBJ
... . = - tho nthAy+ Cfda nf
the building said n man. The gym
is at the northeast end OF the
church.
1.-The objection to it is this exclaimed
a gentleman who lives next door; L
can't sit in my piazza without getting
tobacco cuds or cigar stumps thrown out
of the windows
Other residents complained of the dam
age to their lawns, and several more OBJ
jected purely on the ground that the noise
was annoying. MIR. Craig thought it i'm
paired the value of property. IF | want
to sell my house." said he, II must lose
$500 dollars and if Mr.. Van Wart, (the
man who lives next the church), wants
to sell his, he must lose $1,000.
One lad here got up and said that
all the OUJ6ctOTS IldQ III DOyS. OhC SPOH
of the bad boys who had been taken off
the Boulevard in the vicinity of her house,
her remarks with, 'and we have
certainly had peace in our neighborhood
since the club started"
Somebody else thought the cause for
complaint could be removed and the club
continued.
Mr.. Howard Grifiths, president of the
club, Il want to admit some of the com
plants and deny others. There has been
considerable noise, but | do not believe
any tobacco cuds have come out of the
windows of this church. If they have
I do not know about it, and I think last
Friday night, which was the third meet
ing of the club, there was less noise than
BEFORE
Mr.. Post then suggested that there was
a basement room on the other side of the
church which might be utilized, but Mr..
objected on the ground that the cell
ing was not high enough for the gymnas-
tic exercises, especially on the horizontal
bars.
I'D like to ask him where he got those
bars" said a down town member, but she
didn't. 1T seems these bars together
with some other gymnastic outfit and a
billiard table were taken from the
Peoples Palace.
MI. Hall further said that Mr.. Crasg
was present when the matter was
brought before the trustees and did not
say a word then.
.'That meeting was called in a hurry
one Sunday afternoon said Mr.. Craig.
Il was in a hurry for Sunday school and
did not now anything about the noise.
DIR. Parsons then made a strong plea for
the club saying, 1T is our duty to uphold
this work" and Mr.. Scudder followed
with another speech, in which he said
there was just such a club in the West
Avenue Church, where the boys had
been in the habit of going. And / do not
said he, ito let our boys go out
of our WI church for legitimate
1t was then moved that the club be con-
tinued, which motion was unanimously
carried, though half the people did not
vote at all.
The club was started about three weeks
ago by Mr.. Frank Hall. Mr.. Howard
Grifiths. who had charge of such a club
in Brooklyn, becoming President, with Mr..
Harry Rossell taking the Evolutionary,
and Mr.. Steven Lewis the musical end of
the organization. The boys meet every
Friday evening, for which privilege they
pay five cents a week. The room is fitted
up as a reading room with all the comic
papers and various games on hand, as
well as a gymnasium, and the boys are
never allowed the use of the club unless
one or all three of the governors are
present.