The San Francisco call., 1904-04-11
RAISE MONEY
FOR BUILDING
Congregational Church OF
Alameda Secures Nearly
the Entire Sum Necessary
MEMBERS BUY CROOKS"
Rev. DIR. Hitchcock, the Pas
tor, Presents an Unique
Plan of Securing Funds
MEMBERS BUY "ROCKS"

ALAMEDA, April 10-Twenty-f1ve
thousand dollars was subscribed to-day
toward the building fund Of the $685.
900 house of worship to be erected by
the First Congregational Church. OF
this amount s22, $50 was contributed at
the morning services and the remain
der at the evening exercises. 1t was
the largest church subscription ever
recorded in a single day in the history
of Alameda, and the pastor Of the First
Congregational Church, Rev. l.. Potter
Hitchcock, and the trustees are highly
pleased with the moral and financial
support given the project, to the pro-
motion of which they have devoted
their undivided energy for two years.
To-days munifieent cash offerings
mean that it will be but short time
before the cornerstone will be laid.
DR.. Hitchcocks method of acknowl-
edging the subscriptions as rapidly as
they were made was a novel and strik-
ing one. Near the pulpit he had rest
ing on an easel a 6x4-foot picture, rep
resenting a pile of rocks. Each rock
bore on its face values running from
SIS to $4,000. When a rock was pur-
chased with a contribution it was re-
moved, and as the pile Became smaller
there was disclosed behind the rocks a
perspective of the proposed new home
for the congregation. When the con-
tributors ceased buying rocks this
evening the pile looked as if it had
been blasted with dynamite. There is
not much of it left, and what remains
can be secured cheap, as the higher
priced rocks have all been disposed Of
Before soliciting donations DR..
Hitchcock delivered an address lead
ing up to the point and the pile Of
rocks. He said in part:
Reading my Bible the other day. 1 came
across a secret by which make dream
of a new church possible. This secret leaked
out in a meeting of the trustees two months
nous belief of the board. II this secret be
manifest among the people, then we viii build
wrong for me to withhold the secret, and 80,
even II incur the displeasure of the board OF
trustees, am going to dlvulge that secret.
During the last few months Alameda has
been awakening from sort of Rip Van Wrinkle
slumber. Grand things have been done in the
past TO make our city a delightful place. and
the oftener you stray away the thankful
you are that Alameda belongs to you. But we
have been resting on past laurels and others
have been outstripping us in the race. and
many blessing of prosperity has slipped by
us and gone to another But now with the
railroad matter settled, we have unearthed
the talent rolled up and buried in a
pkin of indifference years ago, and we
have begun to put it to use and on all sides
we are hearing, Alameda to the fore! Now
we are looking over what we have dons in
the past and studying means for future better
ments.
Among the donors to the construc-
tion fund of the new church are the
trustees, $1,000; George w. Scott, $4,000;
General NJ. H. Sherman of Los An
geles, $1,000: Ladies' Aid Society, $4,000;
Sunday school, $1,000; Mrs. Augusta
Fletter, $500. Mrs. G.. ". Scott, $500;
Sunday school classes, $500: Mrs. L. P.
Hitchcock. $500: G. NJ. Alexander, $3.50;
Miss Maud Scott, 5000: Miss Rena
Scott, $500: j. r. Knowland, 800;
Kings Daughters. 800; Mrs. Whit
man, 500; Mrs. Charles Tyson, 800 and
George H. Tyson, 800.
This evening DR.. Hitchcock gave an
illustrated lecture. showing some of
the noted buildings of the world and
what they typified. Among them were
the citadel of Cairo, built to ambition;
the pyramids, typifying death; the
coliseum, standing for passion and
pleasure; the Louvre in Paris, the
home Of art; the Claus Spreckels build
ing in San Francisco, typifying busi-
ness, and the new church for his con-
gregation, representing a fitting home
for the Christ.
The First Congregational Church was
founded in a hayloft at the West End
twenty-five years ago by the Rev.
George Morris, who is still a resident
L. III