New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-14
ASCENSION FUND GROWS.
CELEBRATION OF THE PARISH's SEVEN
Ty-F1FTH ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEK.

TY-FIFTH ANN1V ERSARf THIS WEEk-
r,a tbousand dollars more was added yesterday
to the fund which is being raised to insure that
the Church of the Ascension at the northwest
corner of feminist. and Fifth-ave-. shall remain
nerr,anentIy where II Is and has been for 40 many
wears The sum needed TO bring about this result
is s25oo10 of which $4,000 has been pledged In
this and the next week the seventy-hfth anniver-
sary Of the formation of the parish OF the Ascen-
sion will be celebrated in various ways. and 1t -
generally thought that many former and present
narfshioners and friends of the church will mani
fest their appreciation of the great influence LOT
good exerted by the parish and their desire 10
help to preserve church as permanent fixture
its present location by contributing 10 tle IN
dowrnent fund
The anniversary services will begin at p m to-
morrow with a reception for members OF the
parish This reception will be held at the chapei
of the Comforter. No 10 Horatio-st- which Is
mission of the parish The anniversary day II
really Sunday. April 90 and on II at day appro-
pirate services will be held at the church at II
a. NJ D. and p. m At the morning service
on Sunday the Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
the rector. will deliver an historical discourse Al
&, D. m on the day a musical festival VIII
be held at which the Rev. Walter h Chfton
Smith will deliver address on Christian Churcn
Life and Thought During the Last Seventy-hFe
Years" At D. n. Sunday there Will De
uefghborhood service. at which the speakers VIII
be the Rev. Drs. William r. Huntington. George
Alexander and Howard Duffield. the clergy OF the
parish and others.
It is said that large number of active Christians
think that the usefulness of church situated as
the Church of the Ascension yearly grows less This
view is strengthened by the fact that many
churches that for years in downtown districts
are now in uptown sections and that these churches
would not have moved there not better fields
for them elsewhere These charges, however. have
not Iessened the scope of the work TO De done oy
the Church of Ascension. it is said but mas IN
creased its field of labor considerably Many mem
yrb{c r1Ov
live in the districts in which the churches once
were Finding it impossible to travel every sun
day to the houses OF worship of the consresa-
lions with which they identified. they became
members of churches still in the downtown DIS
tricts- Many such people have for some time at
tended the Church of the Ascension
Another faIIacious idea about the district in
which the church situated is that the population
of the district is rapidly falling off. On the con-
trary it is conteuded by many that twenty years
ago there were fewer persons in the district than
now and is expected that the population OF the
nsighborhood will be much greater ten years later
than at present. Many owners or private dwelling
houses have sold their houses to builders ana nave
moved uptown The builders have erected apart
ment houses the sites. and many similar build
ing operations are being considered These changes
bsva induced many families to make their homes
there.
In the snring of 1se7 personal friends OF the Rev
Manton Eastburn suggested the idea OF forming a
parish for him. He at that time assistant
minister at Christ Church. in Anthony-St- Held
ing to their persuasions he resigned his charge 70
become rector of the Parish OF the Ascension The
first service of the new church was held on Easter
1877 in the French Church OF St Esprit. then IN
Pine-st east of Nassau-st- The congregation OF
the Church OF the Ascension worshipped for some
time in this French church. 1t later became evf-
dent that the parish should uptown. and a
site selected the north side OF Canal-5t-s
east of Broadway it in a residential section
and within easy reach Of the majority OF the con-
rinu On re- cornerstone
Church of the Ascension parish was laid by Bisnop
Hobart on Tuesday afternoon. April ID, lS2s In
October 827 the church had been ai admitted United INTO
that time only ten Episcopal parishes were IN the
thousand While the home for the church was
being built large room on the third door e OF , the
! west corner OF Broadway and Howard-st- was
on MAY 2s 1s29 the building in Cana-st- was con-
on Sunday afternoon. June 90 1888 a fire broke
out in carpenter shop in the rear Of the church
ana before lne C9lls ~ bIrne,, =, tba 9ror,nd
! The Reformed Dutch congregation offered to the
~ the C6urcb of the Ascension once again
The vestry selected on August l. 1883 ihe site at
and metf PePaFa ag r were fs J9T
Of erection the congTegatSn T9TshiPpeGv IN Ine
| ton Square. On November .: 1si1; the church was
Tector resigned to Become rector OF Trinity Church
Boston and Bishop of Massachusetts. In January.
1913 the Rev Or. Gregory Thurston BedeH became
rector. He remained until October 1852 when he
/ became assistant bishop Of Ohio He later sue
ce-ded 10 bishOprtc Of Ohio
The Rev. DIT. John Cotton Smith succeeded d.
Peieu as rector OF the church December % 1859
/ DR. Smith remained until his death. in lS2 The
| Rev r Winchester Donald took charge OF the
parish on April > 1SS2. and continued there until
November 80 1892. when he resigned TO become the
rector of Trinity Church Boston. The Rev Percy
s Grant became rector Of the Church Of the Ascen-
sion on October 1898 and still in charge AT the
| request OF the Rev. Mr.. Grant the pews OF the
/ church made free
Charles Heinroth is the organist OF the church