New-York tribune., 1902-12-21

NJ Poston's real first families, 20 Tempora! o
Moresr' the Bostonian may cry, indeed
But grief should not prevent the recital OF the
Park Street legends. Barrett Wendell VIII doubt
less be to the fore with his statement that in the
first quarter of the nineteenth century the UNI
tarians of Boston managed to freeze over he'll but
the congregation the Park Street Church aDiy
assisted by their pastor broke a hole through the
ice and let the flames up again And there Is the
legend of the Devil and the East Wind
The Devil and East Wind. so the story runs. long,
long ago met at the waterfront and wandered up
statest past the site of the present City Hall to
..t2rinostone Corner" The Devil looked inside the
Park Street Church. "Ah." said he to the East
Wind "yon congregation seems ripe for discord'
let us enter
You go in" said the East Wind, land I will
wait here on the corner. 1t seems nice, cold
place"
So the Devil went inside and the East Wind
waited on the corner. and they have both been
there ever since
The Park Street Church began it's life as the re-
suit of a revival meeting and church strife, IN
truth and has kept up the record ever since. In
1909 the Rev. Henry Kolock Presbyterian min
lister from Georgia. held series or revival meet
ings iii Boston which convinced twenty-six MEM
bers OF the historic Old South Church that the
rest of the flock were on the broad road. and the
twenty-sx seekers for salvation boited the older
body 1t is a curiously ironical fact that they
held their first meeting for organization in mousse
on Beacon Hill that occupied the very site where
! stands The first minister chosen after great
difficulty. He the Rev Edward Dorr Gfr1frn'
| Bartlett professor at the Andover Theological
Seminary an institution In its inception also pro-
test against the liberazing tendency of the times
He gave the church its strong missionary fervor
that has ever since characterized ii, and he also
gained for It, or for the site where IL stands. the
| name Birthstone Corner" The next pastor was
| the Rev Serene Dwight. of DR.. Timothy
! Dwight and the DR.. Edward Beecher,
! brother of Henry Ward Beecher.
II ALWAYS took the church many months to choose
| a new pastor and fierce controversies over the
| music the frequency OF revival services and the
like were never lacking but the first great break
| came in the pastorate of the Rev. w. H Fl. Muir
| raw since famous as Adirondack Murray Be
cause he could see no sin in having fast horses and
| urging them to go faster than other fast horses
| going forward in the same direction, and because
he could not resist Jest deacon, he was
forced out But he took 129 members with him.
and for some time held services in the old Music
Hail. the church of Theodore Parker He has
since run a sawmill in Texas, cafe in Montreal
and brought up two daughters in Guilford' Conn.,
without allowing them to go to school OF 20
The last revival services in the Park Stfeel
Church were held year ago oy oody o. me- me-
who from some otnsr CITY anu u sTu na-yn. t
excitement by leaping and yeIlns ana 1oEt.hs @ Oh
the platform that public sentiment lorced tns pew
holders to forbid them further use OF tHs J,i
The nresehl pastor is DR.. John L Witnrow; VINO
viii 20 with the congregation to their new cnureh
home wherever that may be- An once ouito!ns n
will he erected on Birthstone Corner. one OF tne
what is historic value this other estimate after