Semi-weekly herald., 1909-01-18

month. On the contrary, it has taken
on increased value through the uliii,
zation of much property for n ch
there was no use year ago and which
will be covered with costly buildings
before the expiration of the new year
During 1906 permits were issued for
1000 buildings at cost of $220. .Oo6.-
900 This was the banner year in the
history of New York. During vt9Q7
there were 10000 permits for build.
ings TO cost $3.50. 1000 900. and during
1908 there were permits for 1850
buildings to cost s160.0O0.OO. Already
provision has been made for the CON
struction during 1909 of 100000
worth of office buildings alone, and
nearly all of them will be skyscrap-
ers. Five of these buildings will be
erected in the downtown district be-
low the city hall; ten are to be erected
between Chambers street and Fourt-
| teenth street, and fnEeen between
Fourteenth street and Twenty second
street.
During the year 1906 there .y6ne 32-
| 900 transfers of real estate iSdan-
haitian and the Bronx; in 1907 there
were $1,000 and in 1893 there were
| 1900,
During 1906 the value of mortgages
recorded in Manhattan and the Bronx
was $5S,OOO.0O in 1907 the total was
s378,000,000 and in 1908 1t was $780,
100000.
| Tne year 1909 is expected to be a
recordbreaker in building.
| One of the most interesting fea-
lures of building in New York is the
number of churches that are being
erected in different parts of the city
1 met IA woman the other day who
told me that the people of New York
and other cities were abandoning their
religion; that the churches had lost
their hold upon the community; that
the pews were empty; that the in
terest in suiritual affairs was dying,
and that a tidal wave of rationalism
was sweeping over this part of the
| country She asserted that the peo-
pie of New York were giving them
selves entirely up to pleasure like the
| population of Babylon and, as evidence
pointed to the number of new theaters
that were being erected.
Inquiry at the building departmNpt
proves that the contrary is the case.
The record show that there is no
ground for such pessimistic opinions.
During the year 1908 building per
msts were issued for fourteen new
churches and for only three new the
aters, and the average cost Of the
churches was greater than for any
previous year. since the records have
been kept, with the exception of 1905
when permit was granted for the
erection of the Cathedral OF st. John
at cost of $5,000,0 900. Omitting that
year there has never been much
money expended for church in New
York City = this modern Babylon
as during the panic year of 1908, when
every other enterprise and industry,
If you may call it SO, except religion,
was depressed. While 1t is not possible
to get the exact figures for several
weeks yet, the treasurers of three of
the great denominations assure me
that the contributions for church, mis-
sionary and benevolent purposes in
1908 were as large as they ever were
before, Notwithstanding the panic.
The most expensive churches
are now being erected by the Christian
Scientists. and that denomi 6i1n is
growing in numbers as well as in
wealth. faster than any other. They
now have seven splendid, solid, sym.
metrical temples, none of them cqsting
less than 100000 and some Of them
as much as a million. and they Me1
tnl htrf h. -sv~I4 80
Baker Eddy in this city during the
last u years. The eighth will soon
be erected at a cost of million
dollars on 100000 lot, fronting 179
feet on Riverside drive, 151 on One
Hundred and Tenth street. Cash was
paid for the land and the money for
the building has already been sub
scribed. This new church is branch
of the First Church of Christ, whose
congregation moved into million
dollar temple on Eighth avenue and
fronting on Central Park, only five
years ago. For two years its pews
have been overcrowded, and last fall
1t was decided to build another TEN.
pie equal In dimensions and magni-
ficence to accommodate the worshf&
ers who live farther up town.
| 1t is true. as suggested, that some
or the downtown churches, are not
well attended. The pews are only half
filled. and the congregations continue
to grow smaller, but that is due to
the migration of the members farther
uptown, where anyone who cares to in
vestigate this question can find abund-
ant evidence every Sunday. That is
one matter about which there is no
mystery and no deception Anyone
| who cares to know whether religion
Is dying out in New York can visit
any one of the churches above Thirty.
fourth street and witness unmistak-
able signs that the contrary is the
case. The churches Of New York are
as well filled as they ever were, not.
withstanding their rapid increase In
numbers and comparison of statistics
will show that the congregations have
increased quite as rapidly as the popu-
lation, while the mission wark has ex-
panded much more rapidly. It must
be taken into consideration that q
L..