New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-06

Stately and beautiful churches serve as wit
nesses TO the unseen and hreakwater against
the ever encroachlng inflow OF materialism. Such
buildings St. PauIs. London. and Trinity. New
York. merely by standing where they do have
soDering influence upon the ci;y's Iife feed the
spiritual Imagination OF hundreds OF thousands.
and simply as object lessons pay for themselves
and over again.
The value Of really good church architecture
cannot be reckoned in dollars and cents. and any
city which holds otherwise stamps itself as semi
civilized worse"
The Rev. Or. J. Lewis Parks rector of Calvary
Episcopal Church. said that in the first place he
could not foresee the possibility of proposition
10 erect Office apartment building on the site
OF Calvary Church being made. There is no neces-
sity now for such a thing be thought Of" he de-
clared If there were such a necessity that would
be a different matter. But It would be most unde-
sirable for church to be in business for Il would
necessarily detract from the reverence. And so.
too. from the point OF view OF business. It would
be very undesirable TO have any business so close
TO a church. Grace Church and Trinity Church.
and. should say. Calvary Church also stand as
great object lessons"
The Rev. DR.. William r. Richards, pastor OF the
Brick Presbyterian Church. thought II a question
chiefly Of expediency and adjustment. Against any
proposition. however for a church to own and oc-
cupy Office apartment building. renting the
space not needed for its work. there should
result "one reason" declared Dr. Richards "for
having church building at all is that you may
have distinct impressions. helpful 10 worship. and
not fnterfered with by anything incongruous TO
that worship. New. II your church building is
merely an adjunct TO a business establishment, 1t
would be difficult 20 keep these impressions
clear. Furthermore, in the very act OF defeating
valuable property like that of Trinity Church
simply to the worship OF God. the eostliness is
thing that makes II impressive. Everybody who
wunar rFv.Fe~
Church Is likely to remember that there are peo-
pie IN the world who think IL worth while to set
apart land of such immense value for purely
Hgious purposes.
"But, on the other hand there might easily be
conditions where IL would not be so important that
Impressions Of this sort be maintained. but where
II would be of immense importance that practical
facilities for religious worship be secured without
tying up large amounts of property. In certain
parts of the city the need of institutional work
and other costly accessories of worship might
make IT desirable to secure revenue from the
churchs real estate that this consideration would
outweigh the other"
Il would not greatly deplore the removal OF
church situated like my own" declared the Rev.
Thomas R. Sllcer. pastor OF All Souls Unitarian
Church. at Twenty-hrst-st. and Fourth-ave..
though I should deplore the removal of Trinity
Church. for instance. from its present site. II 1
had 20 choose between building a cathedral and an
institutional church should choose the latter. II
the proposition made to me TO raze AL Souls
Church build a very simple edlhce An a good loca-
ton an edihce suitable for worship. and put the
money left from the sale OF present site into
active social work. I would favor it. We are now
three miles from the geographical centre OF our
parish But I would be very little disposed TO
entertain a proposition for TO raze cur church.
erect a big Office apartment building on the site,
and use part OF that building for worship. renting
the rest. In general. turning church property
into an asset by business methods is a bad thing
because no mere business plant the purposes
Of religion The atmosphere Of worship can't be
brought into an office building The office building
makes no appeal to the reverential part Of mans
nature But Christianity means not only the bring
ing OF the individual to God. but the readjustment
on better basis OF the conditions of the world and
this socializing purpose OF religion is OF vast inn
portance. There are things that only worship can
do and should be very 20 change that
would leave out the aesthetic side Of worship; but