TRINITY PARISH.
Trinity Parish was laid off in 1697. The first church was a plain,
square edifice, with an ugly steeple, in which were conducted the first
services of the Church of England in New York. The site is now occupied
by a magnificent Cathedral, the most beautiful church edifice in the
city.
The parish extends over a large part of New York. It includes the
following churches, or chapels, as they are called: St. Paul's, St.
John's, Trinity Chapel, and Trinity Church. It is in charge of a
Rector, who is a sort of small bishop in this little diocese. He has
eight assistants. Each church or chapel has its pastor, who is subject
to the supervision of the Rector. The Rev. Morgan Dix, D. D., a son of
the American Minister to France, is the present Rector.
Trinity takes good care of its clergy. The salaries are amply
sufficient to insure a comfortable support, and a well-furnished house
is provided for each one who has a family. Should a clergyman become
superannuated in the service of the Parish, he is liberally maintained
during his life; and should he die in his ministry, provision is made
for his family.
The wealth of the parish is immense. It is variously stated at from
sixty to one hundred millions of dollars. It is chiefly in real estate,
the leases of which yield an immense revenue.
TRINITY CHURCH.
[Illustration: Trinity Church.]
Trinity Church, the Cathedral, is situated on Broadway, at
the head of Wall street. It is built of brown stone, and is the most
beautiful and magnificent church building in America. It is very large,
and is capable of containing an immense throng. Its services are very
beautiful and attractive. They resemble those of the Church of England,
as they are almost entirely choral. The music is the best in the city,
and hundreds are drawn into the church by it. At Christmas and Easter
it is grand. On Christmas Eve, at midnight, the chimes of the church
ring in the blessed morning, thus continuing an old custom which is
observed now only in some parts of Europe.
The church is kept open from early morning until sunset. In the winter
season it is always well heated, and hundreds of the poor find warmth
and shelter within its holy walls. It is the only church in New York in
which there is no distinction made between the rich and the poor. The
writer has frequently seen beggars in tatters conducted, by the sexton
and his assistants, to the best seats in the church.
The rector and his assistants are alive to the fact that this is one of
the few churches now left to the lower part of the city, and they
strive to make it a great missionary centre. Their best efforts are for
the poor. Those who sneer at the wealth of the parish, would do well to
trouble themselves to see what a good use is made of it.
The ultra fashionable element of the congregation attend Trinity
Chapel, or "Up-town Trinity," in Twenty-fifth street, near Broadway.
This is a handsome church, and has a large and wealthy congregation.
THE CHURCHYARD.
A long iron railing separates the churchyard of Old Trinity from
Broadway, and the thick rows of old gravestones, all crumbling and
stained with age, present a strange contrast to the bustle, vitality,
and splendor with, which, they are surrounded. They stare solemnly down
into Wall street, and offer a bitter commentary upon the struggles and
anxiety of the money kings.
The place has an air of peace that is pleasant in the midst of so much
noise and confusion, and is well worth visiting.
Near the south door of the church, you will see a plain brownstone
slab, bearing this inscription: _"The vault of Walter and Robert O.
Livingston, sons of Robert Livingston, of the Manor of Livingston"_
This is one of the Meccas of the world of science, for the mortal part
of _Robert Fulton_ sleeps in the vault below, in sight of the mighty
steam fleets which his genius has called forth. A plain obelisk at the
extreme southern end of the church yard marks the grave of Alexander
Hamilton; and James Lawrence, the heroic commander of the Chesapeake,
sleeps by the south door, his sarcophagus being the most prominent
object in that part of the churchyard.
At the northern extremity of the yard, and facing Pine street, is the
handsome monument erected to the memory of those patriotic men who died
from the effects of British cruelty in the "Old Sugar-house," and in
the prison ships in Wallabout Bay, the site of the present Brooklyn
Navy Yard.