The New York herald., 1921-08-06

Mrs. Lydig lived at 3S East Fifty
second street In 1915 she took on
lease her present city home. IA Wash
ington Square North. at the Fifth avenue
corner. for many years the home of Miss
Serena Rhinelander. In 1917 she caused
a collection of the paintings of zuloaga.
the Spanish painter. to be brought TO
this country The Spanish Ambassador
was one OF her guests at private
showing.
Her interest in the New York lnfirln-
airy for Women and Children caused
her, In 1918, to be one Of those who
started a campaign for a 100000 en-
dowment for that institution. At the
same time she kept up her agitation for
Intelligent treatment of drug addicts.
and made quite a stir in a meeting at
City Hall by estimating that one In
every ten persons in New York State
was drug user. Several years ago she
studied In France with Nine. Bernhardt
for recreation and education in the art
OF the stage. II was rumored that she
intended going on the stage, but this
was quickly denied.
Since obtaining her divorce decree two
years ago she has been known formally
as Mrs. de Acosta Lydig.
Rated High nv Pulpit Speaker.
At. trTaHl Is rated as one OF tne pest
OF pulpit speakers. and he Is a humani-
tartan worker and social reformer, but
in the public mind he is best known
for the controversies into which his ad
vanced economic and religious views
have led him
He was born in Boston In 1860. was
graduated from Harvard and the Epis-
copal Theological School In Cambridge.
His first full rectorship was over the
Church of St Marks. in Fall River.
Mass. For several years he worked
among the cotton mill workers OF Fall
River In 1898. when the Rev. DR. II.
Winchester Mcdonald was called from
the Church of the Ascension In New
York to the pulpit of Phillips Brooks in
Boston DR.. Grant succeeded him here.
He made the Church of the Ascension
very much of an institutional church."
and by reaching out enabled the parish
to maintain itself with a centre at Fifth
avenue and Tenth street long after
many other congregations had moved
uptown.
His Sunday night forum, to which all
sorts of speakers were invited who
seemed to the rector to have anything
worth while TO say. was started and in
corporated in 1907. In twenty-five years
he increased the endowment Of the
church from $500 to s225.000 with an
average income for that period OF $780,
900 year.
The late Bishop Burch. acting on com
plants of radical utterances in DR..
Grants pulpit, called attention to the old
doctrine of the conservation of the
churches and objected to the presence OF
lay speakers. The controversy was sup
posed to be at an end when Bishop
Burch approved plan submitted by the
vestryrnen Of the Church of the Ascen-
sion whereby the Forum was to be
purged OF RED radicalism.'' nr. Grant
agreed to submit the name of each pro-
posed speaker to a committee of YES
trymen in advance
Forum Plans Modified.
The custom of permitting various
persons in the audiences to deliver brief
addresses at the close of the principal
talk was abandoned. But some of DR..
Grants speakers continued TO offend
the conservatives of the diocese, and
the matter finally got into the diocesan
convention, where IL was decided that
forums would be permitted but must
conform to the principles upheld by the
diocese.
Bisop Knows of Engagement.
Or. Grant has long contended that the
laws of the Episcopal Church as to d.
vorce should be lberalized. He said In
a sermon in 1875 IF marriage is
founded on tho affection Of two persons
for each other with the disappearance
OF such sentiment disappears the only
ground for marriage. II the only basis
for marriage is love. why in the event
Of that love being changed to loathing
should the marriage continue? Woman
Is no longer a chattel. She has attained
an economic independence which gives
her tine privilege OF remaining unmar-
red IL she SO chooses, without sacrifice
of dignity. and she Is no longer forced
to remain married 70 a man who is alb
horrent to her in order to be supported.
As the Episcopal Church recognized
only one ground for divorce, and sane
tions the remarriage of a divorced per-
son only il that person was the inno-
cent party, this expression provoked
great opposition. Bishop Greer's reply
was that he believed in stricter, not
easier, divorce laws.
''Dr. Grant is free TO say anything he
likes.' said Bishop Greer, but when he
gays divorce should be made easy he
does not represent the Church, and |
do not believe that he represents large
element OF church members"
The marriage Of Dir. Grant and Mrs. /
Lydig will not conflict with any law
OF the Episcopal Church. but In view
Of the fact that he is a rector he was
asked last night II the present Bishop.
DR. William T. Manning knew Of the
engagement. Or. Grant replied that he
did. and asked to be excused from
further questions along that line.
Adopted Baby 10 Justify Faith.