The sun., 1919-05-25

the work of the church for seamcn
that was due to Christian A. Borella
He was missionary of the American
Seamcn's Friend Society for twenty
one years. stationed at the Sailors
Home in Cherry street. Borella never
came to church or prayer meeting
alone. He always had men in tow.
He was the right hand of DR.. Hop
per, rewrote records and generally
made himself useful. But in his older
days he became restless, and as no
mission board would take man of
81 he went, after DIR. Hopper's death,
to Africa at his own expense CHs
modest fortune had been made in Cali
fornia in 1S49.) He soon attached him
self 10 Bishop William Taylor, and
with his masters certificate ran the
missionary boat Anne Taylor on the
Congo He died in 1891
Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn
writer. used to attend church meet
ings in the sos. and many of her
hymns were first sung there. an those
days Market and Henry streets had
many two story and attic houses, ana
in almost every sue Of those about
the church people lived who went
there Activities of young peoples
committees resulted in the develop
ment of congregation and neighbor-
hood social and literary societies,
meeting in the church building and
consistory. Conservative church men,
Ders looked askanCe at these innoVa-
lions, but out of them grew the pres
ent neighborhood service OF the cid
stone church.
In 1899 the New York Kindergarten
Association was allowed TO use the
church, rent free. Anna L. Crawford
was the teacher, and THE fairy god
mother as Mr., Bruckbaucr calls her.
was Mrs. Francis G. Shaw, who named
the kindergarten after her son, Col.
Robert Gould Shaw. hero and martyr
Of the assault of the First Colured
Regiment on Fort Wagner
Second Financial storm.
A little later began the second period
OF financial storm and stress in the
church buildings history. This time
the congregation was not languishing;
1t was thriving; but according to the
historian uptown churches needed
money. their pastors were influential
in the denomination, and it seemed to
many good business to dispose of the
Market street church" In 1898 the
presbytery ordered the sale. The
church protested, pointing TO it's con-
dition and good record, but the salary
of the minister, the Rev. Alexander W.
Sproul, was cut Oft and he was forced
to resign.
At that dark moment legacy from
Rorclla, who had just died on the
Congo, eased the tension, and the news
Lapcrs were taking up the cause OF
THE downtown church that insisted on
living. There were illustrated arti-
Giles on the ChurCh's history, caustic
editorial comments, letters from CORE
spondents. and everybody talked about
the church. The ash barrels and the
church doors had bills posted on them
announcing that the Church of the
Land and Sea would be sold at auction
on April 10, 1898. The property, how
ever, was withdrawn when the best Of
fer was $4,000 short OF what was eX-
pectcd."
But the following year an uptown
Presbyterian church was in trouble,
facing foreclosure, and a mortgage on
Sea and Land was proposed to help
raise the needed sum. The church
trustees when they heard OF IL de-
feated It, Then without their knowl-
edge sale was again ordered in 1895.
Meanwhile Sea and Land had affiliated
with Or. Parkhursrs church. which
after a year had withdrawn from
the affiliation. Various Presbyterian
churches more or less convenient were
suggested in which the Sea and Land
congregation when evicted might find
church home. The suggestions were
not welcomed. and Mr.. BruCkbauer
points out that none of the churches
mentioned now exists, whereas the
Church Of the Sea and Land goes on
A fruit OF Alexander +. Irviue's re-
gime of nine months in 1893 Is the
Sea aud Land i'onthly, then started,
which records tiFe history Of the con-