Evening star., 1915-05-22
Trinity Church of New York
Has 8,944 Communicates

Trinity parish. New York. whose
church at the head Of Wall street
and whose historic st. Paurs Chapei
is opposite the old post Office building.
has just issued Its annual report which
shows it to be. In point OF both mem
bership and income, one Of the very
largest Christian churches in the world.
II not the largest.
Its communicates number S,944, which
means a population identified with the
great parish Of not fewer than $4,000.
Contrary to the general notion. Trinity
is a parish Of the poor. and its benevo-
lence. its schools. its hospitals. ex-
ceed in numbers OF people touched and
helped, especially the very needy. large
proportions OF dloceses. synods and
conferences OF other bodies.
Much is said OF Trinitys vast wealth,
but compared with Its work it is SO
poor that it was last year compelled
to borrow money. This money was not
borrowed to put into buildings to rent.
but to carry on religious services, re-
Hgious schools and nelp the poor in
the parish S name.
Its income from invested funds last
year was $711.94o. and from pew rents,
most OF its pews being free, Sll, 400.
The people contributed S10y.s27. Here
was ss3s.230-a large sum for one par
places OF worship. none OF them for
the wealthy people like st. Thomas, st.
Bartholomew the Fifth Avenue and
Brick Presbyterian, and $z63,8UU was
needed to pay bills OF all OF them. ON
schools $4l.6UO was expended There
went into new chapel $l92.0OO. and
$22b.00O was required to keep up in
coming producing estates. More than
$1S0,OvO was paid out in interest on
borrowed money, and more than $4,000
nh
tenancs Of cemeteries and to other
charities.
The value of Trinity's property that
brings in its income is put at Sic, ,40S,-
wy. out VINO shall say. it Is declared.
what il the value Of famous ceme-
terles, familiar to all who visit New
York. that surround old St PauPs
chapel and lie along Broadway near the
end Of Wall street? The city estimates
the former to be worth $500. 900. the
latter at $14.50O,00O.
Nobody, 1t rs declared, supposes they
could be purchased at the assessed
valuation. Nobody nowadays supposes
they can be purchased at any price,
but 1t is only within the last few years
that periodical attempts to buy these
properties have ceased. There was re-
Gently before the New York legislature
proposition to tax such property, and
trinity pointed out that it would be
compelled to sell these breathing
church property. 1t also pointed out
that so far from being indebted to the
city 1t is, because of its maintenance
OF open spaces where needed and its
vast charities. the city's benefactor.
The alleged bad tenements of Trinity
nave long since disappeared. They ex-
listed at one time. it is declared, only
because Trinity land was leased. The
moment the leases expired and posses
sion was possible. the parish brought
the old conditions to an end. Today
the tenement population Of the parish
IL about 5000, a fair-sized village. OF
the 5000 sittings in churches and chap
els. 5000 are wholly free.
Finally. the locations of the eleven
places of worship are SO scattered in
strategic locations throughout Manhat-
tan that they reach the largest pos
sible numbers Of people at a cost that
is among the least in the entire city.
The downtown places, Trinity itself
and st. Paurs. are entered annually by
worshipers vastly greater in numbers
than any churches in any cities in
America or England that are situated
In residential distEictA -