Year: 1875

Tho Church Doors OF Now York.


When we are told by the Scriptures that the
gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church
it seems unfortunate that church gates should
sometimes cause the destruction of believer.
1t is with the hope of safety that most of
us enter holy temple, and the expression
''as safe as o church has become one Of the
household phrases of the language. No doubt
this popular phrase is derived from the GUS
tom that anciently existed by which churches
were made sanctuaries and in which the
fugitive, whether criminal or innocent,
was safe at the foot of the altar, and could
only be dragged thence against the will of the
Church by an impious and defiant hand. But
though this custom no longer prevails we
still retain the expressive phrase. We seek
spiritual safety in our churches, and sinners
are especially invited to attend them. But
it would be no benefit to church.
attending sinner to be suddenly cut
off in his sins before his CONVEX
sion was completed. In such o case,
by singular paradox, religion itself might
seem to be the cause of his destruction. The
church should be made physically strong. so
that it should be spiritually secure, and SO
that people who seek safety in the next world
may not meet with sudden annihilation in
this one.


'As safe as q church" could not be
said of St. Andrews, in which the
recent terrible disaster occurred. It
had been for six weeks in continual
danger-danger known but disregarded. How
many other churches in the city are in similar
condition? There are other dangers than
those of falling walls, and one of the most
common is that of fire. The panic which fire
almost invariably causes in crowded
place OF assembly results in reck-
less, senseless, fierce rush for the
doors. in which men struggle like brutes with
each other, and women and children are
been instances enough, both in theatres and
churches, and we need only state that the
loss of life has been often increased by the
criminal error of making the doors open in
wardly instead of outwardly. This method
of construction resembles that of the
mousetrap, and, in fact, frequently re-
suits in q mantrap. This was the
case in the Richmond Theatre fire,
and it may be so at any time
in our New York churches. The first effect
of crowd struggling for egress in buildings
with doors opening inwardly is to make the
opening of the doors impossible. The weight
of hundreds pressing upon them makes them
immovable. and if they are strong enough to
resist the pressure they become like parts of
the walls. For this reason, and because in
wardly opening doors are impediments to
egress at oil times and in all cases, we hold
such construction in public buildings to be
almost equivalent to criminal offence.


We give to-day the results of thorough
survey of the churches in New York, which
was made by the HERALD with special refer
ence to this question of ingress and egress
1t will be seen with surprise that very large
number are supplied with doors inwardly
opening, and with indignation that
few are even equipped with sliding
doors. If there should ever be loss
of life resulting from this recklessness
we pity those who, after the warning of
st. Andrews, are guilty Of continued neglect
If the city authorities do not take action upon
the facts we lay before them we trust the
people will, for it is their business, after all, to
consider whether, when they enter the house
of the Lord, they are not really trusting them
selves in human trap.