Year: 1873

The growing corruptions Of the Methodist
Church have been cause for great grief among
some of her purest and best members. In
crease of numbers and wealth has brought
with it luxury and ease, religious dissipa-
ton and loss of manly integrity and upright
ness In different quarters. We saw few short
years ago how the whole Methodist Church


was scandalized by the revelations published


concerning the corruptions existing in the


Book Concern in this city. Again last Winter


certain politicians, also prominently connected
| with the Methodist Episcopal Church, were


shown up in rather doubtful, if not disrepu-


table, relation to the country in the Credit


Mobilier and other well-known corrupt


schemes. And now we have another scandal


which in its local aspect promises to outrival


the famous Book Concern frauds. 1t appears


to have originated also where that scandal was


hatched-in the Book Concern building.


There would seem to be some fatality about


that magnificent structure. else why so much
trouble arise there within the brief period Of


its occupancy? It should be understood,


however that there are many departments of


church work conducted in the building and


that each is independent of the other so that


scandal originating in one department does
not necessarily taint another. Indeed, the
heads and attaches of the different depart
ments have hardly as much intercourse with
one another though in the same building and
sometimes on the same floor, as outside
parties have. This explanation may be needed
in vindicating the editor of the Christian
Advocate (who steadily and strenuously op-
posed DR.. Lanahan in the Book Concern fraud
case and as steadily opposes modern camp
meeting schemes) from any odium which may
now threatens to disturb the peace and har-
mony of the Concern, if not of the churches
OF this city and vicinity.


The case is briefly this: About two years
ago four persons-two ministers and two lay
men-having an eye to the main chance, pur-
chased nearly two hundred acres of wood and
meadow land near Glen Cove, on what is now
known as Sea Cliff. They subsequently organ
lied an association known as the s'Sea Cliff
Grove and Metropolitan Camp Ground Asso-
ciation," to whom they transferred their right
and title to the property, reserving to them
selves, however, a few acres for personal
use Books were opened and stock sold,
and on certain day in the Spring
of 1872 the stockholders and few
others took ride up the Sound to see their |
property and select their lots The lots were
sold, not to the highest bidder, as justice and
the wants of the association would seem to
require, but were selected by the purchasers
of stock in the order in which their names
appeared on the books of the association. At
o previous meeting Of the stockholders fifteen
trustees were elected, and these men selected
each for himself two choice lots in lieu of
salary for the trust and responsibility imposed
upon them. These, however, did not satisfy
the greed and the longings of the fifteen, and
at a subsequent meeting they voted them
selves each one choice lot more in lieu of fur
ther compensation for their trouble and care
Roads were at once graded and laid out !;
magnificent tabernacle was projected;
reservoir was constructed and water was dis
tributed in pipes and tanks throughout the
grounds. Another plot of some seventy acres
of land was added by purchase to the original,
and the entire cost was over eighty-two thou
sand dollars. The various improvements
made cost over one hundred thousand dollars
more, and since last year the trustees have
expended other sums, which increase their
entire expenditure to nearly three hundred
thousand dollars. Last Fall they had sold,
according to their own estimates, lots enough
to pay the running expenses, and, provided
they should sell all the lots surveyed and
offered for sale at the rates then asked, they
would clear over half million dollars profit.


But there came q hitch in the sale of lots,
and thereby hangs the tale which is now likely
to bring some of the trustees to grief. It
became known that there remained mortgage
of twenty-nine thousand five hundred dollars
on che original purchase and further mort
gage of six thousand dollars on the second
tract bought by the Association, and pur-
chasers who had invested threw up their lots,
while new comers looked shy of the mortgage
and showed no disposition to invest. A happy
thought struck one or two of the trustees.
They would remove these ugly membranes;
but how? The assistant editor of the Christian
Advocate appears to have matured very
simple plan, in this wise Mrs. Elizabeth
Langdon, wealthy Christian lady and q
widow, residing at Thompson Station, L. l.,
who had previously been brought under
religious convictions at Sing Sing and had
determined to consecrate herself and her prop
erty to the Lord, was to be the unconscious
victim How she could do the most good
with her wealth became problem to her.
She was the owner of q fine mansion and four
hundred and thirty acres of land These,
together with additional buildings which she
reared, she converted into homes for orphans
and aged persons, schools, church, &c, and
L. 4laa di-oatiasa 1,E tlc