New-York tribune., 1921-08-09
Money Bags and j. p. M. added
70 81. Thomas Gr0uen .Jests
Choir Stall Rail Other Sculptures, Including
Downfall of Bacchus, Approved by Officials

George. Marshal Haig, Admiral Beatty
Marshal Joffre Edith Cavell, Cardinal
Mercier, Burgomaster Max, General Al
lenby, Herbert Hoover, General March,
Marshal Foch. General Pershing, Pad
erewski and Woodrow Wilson,
1t was recalled that at the time the
church was built, more than ten years
ago Mr. Morgan was one Of the
wealthicst and most influential lay
he was not connected with St
Thomas's, bu. was a vestryman of ST.
Georges.
It was learned yesterday that the
officials of st. Thomas's have no in
tcntion of removing either the Fifth
Avenue types 'so-called, on the arch
over the main entrance, the rotund
choir boy or the dollar sign over the
brides door, because, it was said, it is
quite the custom in Europe for
churches to be decorated with curious
and often grotesque carvings. The
famous gargoyles on the two towers
of Notre Dame in Paris were pointed
out as striking eXample9
No one was at the church yester-
day to explain what would be the at
titude toward the throngs Of visitors
who nave called to see the architec-
tural quips since their discovery sew
eral days ago. DR.. Stires is out of the
city, the pulpit being filled each Sun
Gay by visiting clergyman.
A caretaker, weary with questions
put to HIM by scores of callers, re-
luctantly abandoned his chair in the
shade of a side door to show a re-
porter the spot where the money bags
and initials j. P. NJ were supposed to
be carved.
Of ,nfr a.,
ject this mentor, speaking in an unof-
fetal capacity, said he wished to an
nounce that all the things Mr. Robb,
the architect, had put into the church
edifice by way Of joke had been we'll
known to him, the caretaker, for the
last ten years, and that so far as the
"discovery" OF the dollar sign and of
the caricatures Of the heads were con-
cerncd. the joke was on the public for
not finding it out before.
Common Enough in Europe
"why shouldn't they be here?' So
liloquized the guide, leading the way
toward the railing of the choir stall
"Such things can always be found on
churches. If You go to Europe you
will find on churches astronomical
clocks that disclose queer mechanical
figures every time the hour strikes, and
you will find peeping Toms. What if
we do have few Fifth Avenue types
pictured on our church ~
Standing before the carvings on the
stall the carctaker said he would not
deny or affirm that they stood for
money bags or any particular initials
What were said to represent the money
bags consisted Of three small panels
so arranged as to form a triangle. The
initials were declared to be hidden in
some intricate scroll work about the
panels. SO far as the reporter could
determine the scroll work might repre-
sent any initials
''They say those are tho initials, J. P.
NJ, and those are the money bags
said the caretaker, leading the way
out. $50 far as / am concerned they
are just what people say they are. /
don't deny people any pleasure they
may get out OF what they think they
see, whether they actually sec it or
not
A vestrynan Of st. Thomas's agreed
that no steps would be taken to re-
move the architectural features. per
sonally look upon them as a harmless
joke, since | have passed them for so
many years without noticing them
he said. 81 have since learned that
their presence was known to some of
the caretakers, who have pointed them
out to tourists 1t would be imprac-
ticeble to make any changes in the
architectural decorations. Doubtless
time Will tend to make them less OBJ
eervahie -