The sun., 1918-02-18
Madison Square. Old First
and University Place
Will Be Merged.
EACH HAS EARNED FAME
Dr. Parkhurst One of Most
Widely Quoted Minister'S
in All America.

SD the influence they have weloeQ
tave served as living expressions of the
advance OF the Presbyterian faith In
America Yesterday served notice on their
ronCrega tions that the long fight to
tain;ain their Identities has ended. The
MADISON Square Presbyterian Church,
.ron, the pulpit Of which the Rev. DR..
Charles H. Parkhurst waged eighteen
years OF picturesque and unrelentinS
warfare upon Tamnhany Hail the First
rte.b, terian Church. in Fifth avenue
t.,ween Eleventh and Twelfth streets,
',d First" founded in l1l7. and the
University Place Presbyterian Church.
VI Ten,a street. have agreed through
t7.ir pastors and committees Of lay
members to consolidate. The merger
viii be passed upon by the congregations
February -. and after that by the New
York Iresbytery and the Supreme Court.
TIE committees that have been at
work on the plan for Consolidation for
several months have decncd upon y
s'on Of the three congregations in one
,Hc existing churches. Which one re-
ans to ne selected. The consolidate ton
vii give the union church large mem.
tershlp and financial resources OF mag
Nttude. The endowment of the ConSo,-
.daied church will be Sl.sSo,0o0. and In
sdtlon 10 this it will come into the
> eat sum that will be realized from the
t-ie or lease Of the two church prop.
uues released for commercial purposes.
Thus fortified the church will con-
suue its work among the people its e.
sting parts have come TO regard as their
,1nHS kaA lsH~
r's to retain living quarters in that
'a-. Of New York that ia called down
-lun
Stay With own People.
Perhaps the one thing that will make
'he loss Of their church Identities easiest
- hear among long time members will
y the knowledge that the work is to 70
- in the neighborhoods the churches ~
;ou< have occupied---that when the tlnu
came when the Madison Square Church,
".d First and the University lf1ce
"ni-ch had 20 reorzAnixe the change
vas rot a mere movement up town in
We wake Of churchsoins people
The analsamation. II the plan goes
'nroush. probably Will not take pla &c
Until autumn Until then things will GO
tong as at present. with DR.. Parkhurs:
- the Fifth Avenue Church and DR.
George Alexander at the University
lace Church. each filling his pulpit
With consolidation the three pastor:
retire All are of advanced age
sad long have wished to give up active
Work. Dr. Parkhurst is rs years old
n. Duff!eld - and Or. Alexander az
A, three read from their pulpts yester
ds% an announcement Of the proposet
roTsolidation with the call for congrega
oral meetings.
During the years between 1880 anf
lahS the Madison S1uare Presbyterian
'"ar,h was a world famous centre o.
~ IN 1885 there came 10 ii from
Ne" England. to be its pastor. the Rev
'7"'Hs n. Parkhurst then 40 years OH
a 'a'nous in scholastic circles as AZ
t.H7r's OF Sanskrlt.
WRs Censor Of Morale.
'he first years of the new minister
9@s'ora:e were quiet but II 1891 he he
me president OF the Society for III,
syerton Of Crime and unofficial censo
~ ne morals Of the city. He came y
lose grip at once with Tamman,
WALL The contest was long and bitter
Sometimes Tanlmany won in the ties
az came with every city election
S1s'iIues the reformers won But vii
lose, Richard Croker could no: Re
irsv from the bitter oral lash.ngs tina
'cre administered Sunday after Sunda.
IN the pulpit Of the Madison Squar
Church
In those days the newspapers re
ta"ded this church as just As reliable
S'I~s Of news as Police Headquarter'
ID the m'rister had an audience tina
a. world wide. He forced the Lexoy
'esl'gstion OF 1894. with its stirrin
a.e.alions Of vice and political corrur
'on In 1897 one Of his vehement de
irsia'ors Of Croker drew from tn
AMMAN boss reply.
Dr. Parkhurst did not limit his atteu
m solely to Croker and Tammany Hal
however, Other people and other inst
'l'ions drew his hre at times. Thoma
P'at', the Westminster Confession
hanss law hotels. former Gov. Odell an
''rne- Police Commissioner Ringhar
7"'e subjects Of wrathf1ll discourse a
Mad son Square church at variou
nc, durirS the active participation &
To Pa-kAurst In current matters o. cor
0}o-sv
Did Not Fscspe Ccnaure.
"e minister did not escape cens,p,
~ common scold' his enemies calle
W and IN his own denomination voice
we're .Snd rot infrequently in conden
s'.or
~ i'os DR. Parkhurst resigned froI
''e presidency Of the Society for tn
T"ror'iOn or Crime. The society an
. former president ceased to be regula
'N':ihutors 10 the news columns simu
'n""nsN. III the spring Of 1915
hgured IN the news as an unfortunat
.'V"stor in the American Candy Con
''r He testified at a hearing befos
To'"'ee in bankruptcy that his ventus
.o the commercial world cost hi
~" 400, lie lives now at the Hotel Al
N'0,a
ben Dr. Parkhmst came 10 the Mad
square church it was the large
wea!thlest Of the city's churche
l"'ng his vice crusades Il was una b
y accommodate the throngs that hockt
4, to hear his Sunday sermons III
''Gnal church was built on the site
'H Metropolitan Tower In 1853. TT
81 church was opened in 1905
The original First Presbyteria
I"A. mutt IN l7l7 was at Wall ar
a'sap streets, The Fifth avenue bull,
va built IN 1916 The site w;
fn n the mids. ~ The exclusive fasI
'.j'." lle nnJth of Washington So q,aJ
Ishinuod on Fourth PoQe.