The sun., 1909-01-21
ST. JOHNS TO REMAIN OPEN
As AN EVANGELISTIC CENTRE
FOR WORKING PEOPLE.
The Hev. william wilkinson. Called "the
bishop OF Wan street." 10 Have
Charse-Corporstion Also Has Big
Plans for Real Estate BettermentS

Bishop OF Wan street." 10 Have
Charge-COrporati0n Also Has Big
Plans for Real Estate BettermentS
A special meeting Of the vestry OF Trim
ity parish at which there was practically
full attendance was followed last night
by the announcement that after May 1
St Johns Chapel in Yarick street will
be given over TO evangelistic work under
the conduct OF the Rev. William Will
kinson, "the bishop Of Wall street. This
Is the official statement OF the rector and
vestry issued last night:
As already announced, the work Of st..
Johns Chapel will be discontinued on Feb
rIary and the work which has been car
ried on there will be transferred to St.
Lukes
The conditions In the nei ghborhood Of
St. John 3 no longer justify the continuance
Of regular parochisl work there, but 1t
Is proposed by the rector and vestry to
make st. Johns centre OF evsngelistic
work to meet the needs Of workers en-
ployed in the warehouses and factories
Of that section.
This work has been placed In charge OF
the Rev. william wilkinson. whose services
for men in Wall Street are so widely known.
| 1t is hoped that in connection with the
MONDAY services other departments Of
welfare work will be developed in the build
ings adjoining the chapel.
This evan gelistic and practical work In
connection with St Johns Chapel will be
commenced in May. at which time Mr..
wilkinson will be BILE TO come 10 New York
to take charge OF II
Trinity never announced that St. Johns
would be torn down. The resolution re-
garding the matter which was drawn up
by DR.. Morgan Dix merely called for the
appointment Of a committee ito con-
sider' the expediency Of the removal OF
st. Johns Chapel to new site or the
consolidation Of st. Johns and st. Luke's
ohapels, with all matters connected with
the subject
From February TO May there will
be no services Of any kind at the chapel,
which will, however. probably he open
daytimes for rest, meditation and prayer.
The salaries Of the clergy, the Revs.
Charles l.. Gomph. the vicar. and the
Revs. Edgar II. Gould and j. c. II. Sauber,
the curates. will run on for six months
after February /. There is no present
indication that they will be connected
with Trinity after August /.
The evangelistc work is in itself largely
an experiment 1t will have a thorough
trial, and il at the end Of a reasonable
length Of time il does not seem to I'll! the
spiritual needs Of the locality something
else may be devised
Whether the Rev. Mr.. Wilkinson will
he regularly attached member Of the
Trinity clergy was not learned last night.
He will, however, receive a stated salary
from the corporation and will be amenable
to its discipline He arrived in this city
day OF two ago and will visit the rector
of the parish. the Rev DR.. Manning,
this morning to % over the work with
him
Under the established method Of run
ming the church st Johns ran behind
about $50 900 a year
At the same time with the issue OF
last nights statement opportunity was
taken to make the unofficial announce
rnent that Trinity has extensive plans
in contemplation for bettering its prop
critics. The precise nature of these inn
provcments was not stated. but they
probably include the tearing down Of
its many small two and one-half story
buildings and the erection of warehouses
instead
The officials os Trinity Corporation
-
their capacity az landlords" said their
Spokesman last night, but no one
besides an Official OF Trinity knows the
terrible problem before the corporation
70 work out Fifty per cent. of it's realty
is leased, and the worst Of the structures
are on this leased land and cannot be got
at by the corporation until the lease ey-
piTes In every case, when the property
reverts to the corporation, the buildings
are put in shape again This has been
going on until Trinity has wiped out
all but three q! It's rear houses, There |
will he som' startling changes in the old |
Ninth warl when Trinity comes into it's
land again. and the changes will come
soon. for the majority OF leases now have
but one. two or five years TO run Even !
as liuliGb aiS '''N' doh tAlt htitCl ltnd uls
OF Trinity whether the church is a bad |
landlord. Why. when this agitation |
started up. our own tenants offered to get !
out a memorial protesting against the .
unjust attacks. Detractors say that the /
church never sells its holdings | tell .
you the church will sell TO any one who |
will improve the land 1t sold the site OF |
the Butterick Building. among others,
and of the Heide Building as well
UNvERIFIED REPORT OF AN ATTACK on
TRINITY CHARTER.
A report was current yesterday that a
bill to repeal the charter Of Trinity Church
Corporation or otherwise to undertake
some regulation OF its affairs would be
brought before the Legislature next week.
Slas MoBee. editor of the Churchman,
which has been bringing up the easibility
Of legislative interference, said that he
had heard nothing OF the bill, Neither
had I. N. Phelps Stokes, who has been
active in the campaign to save st. Johns.
State Senator j. Mayhem Wainwright,
who was one Of the signers Of the open
letter of protest against the closing Of st.
Johns. was in Albany for time yester-
day He said that he had heard Of no such
bill. None had been submitted to Gov.
Hughes either
Failing Ice Closes Bridge omensde.