The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-19

TREDERICK @. BOURNE. merchant.
r. yachtsman and clubman. gave
i SSOO.OOO the other day as fund to
endow = choir b. ho.l for the Cathe-
ttral Of st. John the Divine. This probably
Is the largest gift Of the kind in the history
Of the world. II over before choir WIS
30 richly provided for the fact Ia not Of
record. There was one condition attend
ant to the gift That was that MIR. Bourne
should be a member Of the choir-sn
honorary member.
Behind the gift and the provision that
he shall be member of the choir there is
q story known TO various old churchmen
Of New York which they love to tell at
times.
1t centres about Alfred Corning Clark.
who was one Of the riohe~t and least known
Of the big men Of New York Of the latter
half Of the nineteenth century. He
was the last surviving con OF Edward
Clark and inherited an estate valued At
moro than O.OOO 100 and which included
control Of the Singer Sewing Machine
Company and ownership Of largo parcels
Of improved and unimproved property on
Manhattan Island.
With all his wealth and power Mr.. Clark
was a. modest and retiring as nun. He
had passion for music. for the stage and
for all forms Of art He sang remarkably
we'll ard might have achieved fame as a
tenor had 1t been necessary to use his
talent for profit. but he shrank from
public notice and rarely Gang outside Of
the Mendelssohn Glee Club. his own homo
or the little club he had OF his own on the
lower West Side
Sacred music had great appeal to Mr..
Clark. The choir Of Trinity Church had
some good voices. and MIR. Clark. who was
q member Of the old church. gradually
came to know the singers. He prol ably
knew more about music than all the
members Of the choir combined and per-
haps was the best tutor the singers ever
had, but some Of tho choristers never
realized 1t. for he made his suggestions
80 quietly that their force and virtue were
lost to the self-satisfied.
Trinity Ia away down town. Most Of
tho members Of tho choir lived uptown.
Transportation was not 90 good then az
now. To attend rehearsals wss almost a
hardship for some Of them. One day
Mr.. Clark proposed that II It would be a
convenience the members might Use .
house Of bis on the West Side for their
meetings.
II the whole city had been search cd
over house better fitted for the purpose
could not have been found. There. at
least onoe . week. for ysars Mr.. Clark
and the choristers gathered regularly for
. night Of song It was their club After
the singing they had bite to eat and they
told stories or expressed their visws q
70 the happenings Of the world. They
were comrades. friends. and brothers In
art
One Of the most youthful membsrs Of
the choir was Frederick @. Bourne He
sang beautifully. II WA not for his sing
Ing alone that Mr. Clark soon Game to
admire the youngster. but for his good
sense. mental alsrtness. good nature and
general oapability He offered . place In
ths Singer company 70 Mr.. Bourne. . rather
small one 81 arst. and The young man
accepted. Mr.. Bourne did not hold the
small place long. He bad better head
for business than any one Of his age around
the establishment and promotion came
rapidly.
Within . few Year, Mr. Clark Dame "a
look upon him - equal to almost any task
put upon him. II was about this time
almost coincident with the extension of
the elevated system north Of Ffty-ninth