History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 29

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II > Part 29

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Meetings were not kept up during the next year, but the seed that had been sown was coming forward, and the sentiment against the liquor traffic and in favor of active work by the ladies in the temperance cause was taking deeper root. In the carly part of 1878 the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Yonkers was organized. Their business meetings were held weekly and the work of the union was pro- secuted with much zeal and perseverance.

What was doue exerted a healthful influence upon the community, and gave good impulse to the cause of temperance in the city. The work was carried on through different channels and in various forms. Temperance literature was introduced into the Sun- day-schools, and placed for free distribution in the railroad station. A weekly prayer-meeting was kept up. Sabbath afternoon servicecs were regularly held, and also a great many meetings for lectures, Bible readings and song services. Special prayer-mectings were added to the regular ones. The pledge was cir- culated, the poor and needy were visited and sup- plied with garments, furniture, shelter and other necessaries. A Band of Hope was organized November

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15, 1878, consisting of youth who were pledged to abstain from the use of intoxicants, from tobacco and from the use of profane language. The Band reached a membership of about two hundred and fifty, and held weekly meetings. The association also main- tained "social evenings " at their rooms four or five evenings in the week (at which an average of seventy- five was regularly present), sustained a coffee-room and assisted persons out of employment in procuring situations. The "social evenings" drew men and boys, mostly of between ten and twenty years, who were provided with means for social amusement, games and reading, and for a part of each evening with hymn-books and musical leading and singing. During the first two years the pledge of abstinence from intoxicants, tobacco and profanity was signed at these gatherings by one hundred and forty-nine per- sons. The coffee-room was kept open daily from six A.M. to nine P.M. Various articles of wholesome food were supplied at cheap rates or given to the des- titute and deserving. In a single year the sales were 6877 cups of tea, 16,630 cups of coffee, 26,921 rolls, 36,884 slices of bread, 4445 plates of pork and beans, and many other articles besides. The total amount received from these sales was $3905.70, and the amount paid out from what was sold was $2824.76.

The place occupied was on South Broadway. The building had been known as "Grand Army Hall." It has since been removed to make room for the sta- tion of a proposed elevated railroad. The Women's Union occupied it jointly with another organization, composed of men only, and known as the Temperance Reform Club. When it was torn down the work of the Union had for a time to be largely suspended till the present new hall on Broadway was completed. The prayer-meetings, however, were in the interim con- stantly held in the various churches, and the Band of Hope's meetings were maintained in Humboldt Hall. During the first two years of the Union Mrs. Mary Hughes, Mrs. Rev. Alexander McLean, Mrs. E. A. Hill, Mrs. M. Haviland Smith and Miss M. J. Barnes were prominent in carrying on the work.

In 1880 the erection of a special building for the Union and its work began to be agitated. A lot on South Broadway, sixty by seventy, was offered by Messrs. Trevor and Colgate (the lot on which the Mount Olivet Baptist Church had formerly stood), and in March, 1881. a fair was held in Warburton Hall for the starting of a building fund. The fair was contin- ued four days, from the 15th to the 18th inclusive. It netted one thousand dollars for the fund.

During 1880 the receipts from the coffee-room were $1652.78 more than those of the preceding year, and the other departments of the work were sustained with success. The receipts and expenditures for the year ending April 1, 1881, were nearly equal, the for- mer being 85701.80, and the Intter $5703 40.

The officers of the Union in 1881 were a president, ten vice-presidents, a secretary, an assistant secretary

and a treasurer. The vice-presidents, one front each church, were Miss Helen A. Rollins, of the Reformed Church ; Mrs. G. B. Balch, of the First Presbyterian ; Miss Caroline H. Tripler, of the Baptist : Miss E. C. Howe, of the Broadway Methodist; Mrs. Cyrus Cleveland, of the Unitarian ; Mrs. A. C. Benedict, of the Westminster; Mrs. A. T. Kerr, of the Central Methodist ; Mrs. Samuel Granger, of the Dayspring; Mrs. R. E. Prime, of St. John's; and Mrs. E. Krah, of the German Methodist. The president was Mrs. M. H. Smith, the secretary Miss J. Van Pelt and the treasurer Mrs. E. A. Fredenburgh. There were also three standing committees-a devotional committee of fifteen, a visiting committee of ten, and a coffee- room committee of twelve, two for each secular day in the week.

For the year 1882 the officers were Mrs. M. H. Smith, president ; Mrs. G. B. Balch, corresponding secretary ; Miss Emma Van Wagner, secretary ; Miss Emma L. French, assistant secretary ; and Mrs. E. A. Fredenburgh, treasurer, with the usual vice-presi- dents and committees. The building project made good progress. Intimatiou being made to the Union that the building lot would be deeded to it as soon as the sun of ten thousand dollars should be pledged for a building, a subscription was circulated which brought five thousand dollars to the fund, and a stock company was planned to raise the other five thousand dollars by the sale of five hundred ten dol- lar shares. This plan did not succeed, and so the subscription method was further pushed. The " so- cial evenings " were kept up from October to May on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every week. The coffee-room was still maintained, and the expenses for this and the various other branches of the Union's work amounted to $6500.92 for the year end- ing April 1, 1882. During that year a lecture by Hon. P. T. Barnum was given for the benefit of the building fund, the proceeds of which were $91.80. That fund had now amounted to fifteeu hundred dol- lars in hand, besides subscriptions pledged. During 1882 it became certain that the necessary amount to se- cure Messrs. Trevor & Colgate's generous offer could not be raised. So the building committee accepted a twenty years' lease of the ground, with the privilege at the end of that time of removing any building they might erect. In the latter part of that year, the Grand Army Hall being unfit for use, the "social evenings" and the coffee-room were given up, the latter becoming under the circumstances too heavy to carry. The building fund in 1882 amounted to nearly four thousand dollars, including the pledged subscriptions. During 1883 the foundation of the new building was put np, and on Monday, March 31. 1884, the corner-stone was laid with appropriate cere- monies. The foundation was meant for a building to cost eight thousand dollars. At the laying of the corner stone addresses were made by Rev. William E. Ketcham, of the First Methodist Church, and by Rev.

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Dr. Miller, who had been the first pastor of the church once standing on the site occupied by the foundation of the new hall. Under the stone was placed a box containing a copy of the constitution of the W. C. T. U., copies of the reports of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and copies of The Union Signal, Our Work, The Crystal Fount and the Yonkers newspapers.

The officers of the Union for 1883 remained the same as in 1882, except that Miss Lilian Dealing was made assistant secretary, and the officers of 1883 were also continued in 1884. During the year 1885 the building was completed. Down to April 1st a little more than six thousand dollars had been paid out on it. About one-third of this had been raised by subseription during the year. We give the names of all who gave fifty dollars or over. Mrs. E. S. Cochran gave $500; Hon. S. J. Tilden, $500 ; Messrs. J. & G. Stewart, $200 ; Mrs. M. H. Smith, $105; Mrs. Alexan- der Smith, $100; Mr. W. F. Washburn, $60; Mr. S. F. Quick, 853; Mr. Win. A. Butler, $50; Mr. Ethan Flagg, $50; Hon. G. Hilton Scribner, $50; Mr. R. Barnes, $50; Mr. William H. Bradford, of New York City, 850; and Mrs. E. J. Moore, of New York City, $50.

Meetings are held at the hall every Sabbath. The coffee-room and lodging-rooms and rooms for " social evenings" are now in use. A reading-room and library will be features of the Hall. The present officers are Mrs. M. H. Smith, president ; Mrs. Dr. Balch, corresponding secretary; Miss Emma Van Wagner, recording secretary; Miss G. A. Hicks, assistant secretary ; Miss Helen A. Rollins, treasurer for Union ; Mrs. C. P. Bynon, treasurer for Building Fund, and Mrs. Dr. Balch, treasurer for Coffee Room. The vice-presidents, one from each ehurch, are Miss H. A. Rollins, of the Reformed Church ; Mrs. Dr. Balch, of the First Presbyterian; Mrs. J. E. Van Vorst, of the First Methodist; Miss C. Tripler, of the Baptist; Mrs. Cyrus Cleveland, of the Unitarian ; Miss G. A. Hicks, of the Westminster ; Mrs. A. Rad- cliff, of the Central Methodist ; Mrs. R. E. Prime, of St. John's; Mrs. W. D. Mills, of St. Paul's; Mrs. Louis Genzlinger, of the German Methodist; Mrs. Wm. Schmeckenbecher, of the Dayspring; and Mrs. Lyman Cobb, Jr., of Christ Episcopal.

The various departments of work, in each of which superintendents and committees are appointed, are, juvenile work, Sunday-school work, temperance lit- erature, prison and station-house work, statistics of liquor traffic, legislation memorials, influencing the press, on unfermented wines, mothers' work and parlor meetings, influencing physicians not to prescribe al- cohol, evangelistic work, women's exchanges, social evenings, entertainments and coffee-room.

THE YOUNG WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION is a branch of the Woman's Christian Tem- perance Union first described, and holds kitchen garden classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

afternoons, from three to five o'clock. Its officers are Miss Florence J. Parsons, president and superinten- dent, and Miss M. J. Barnes, seeretary.

THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION .- The first movement towards establishing this associa- tion was made by Rev. John Dixon, then pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Yonkers (now pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Tren- ton, N. J.), and Mr. Ralph E. Prime. These gentle- men called a meeting of pastors and others for the evening of December 29, 1880, to consider the subject. The meeting was held, but did not result in the adop- tion of any practical measures. Several other meet- ings succeeded, but for a considerable time no definite end was reached. In August, 1881, Mr. Jolin C. Havemeyer, a resident of Yonkers and a member of the State Committee, brought it up again. At a meet- ing held at his residence on the 29th of that month, it was decided that an association was necessary for Yonkers, and a call was extended to Mr. Frank R. Wardle, general secretary of the Rochester, N. Y., Association, to take the position of General Secretary. Mr. Wardle was exceptionally adapted to that post. He accepted, and began his work here September 1, 1881. A meeting to take steps for organization was held September 5th, at which were enrolled as first members ten gentlemen who were present, and seven- teen others who had signified their deep interest in the movement. The following temporary officers were elected : President, J. C. Havemeyer; First Vice- President, G. Livingston Morse ; Second Vice-Presi- dent, Dr. R. O. Phillips; Recording Secretary, Walter A. Drinkwater; and Treasurer, Lyman Cobb, Jr. The rooms at No. 2 Palisade Avenue, still used by the Association, were at once rented till May 1, 1882, at the rate of six hundred dollars per year. A con- stitution was adopted on the 10th of October follow- ing, and on the 24th the following permanent officers were chosen : President, John C. Havemeyer; Vice- President, Walter W. Law; Recording Secretary, Col- gate Hoyt; Treasurer, Lyman Cobb, Jr. The officers for the second year, eleeted October 1, 1882, were : President, John C. Havemeyer; Vice-President, Col- gate Hoyt; Recording Secretary, Walter, Graves ; Treasurer, Charles F. Cox. The report of the work of the first year showed that the association had held de- votional meetings for young men every Sabbath at 4.30 P.M., meetings for Bible study every Friday evening, a business meeting on the second Monday evening of every month, a directors' meeting on the first Saturday of every month, familiar talks to young men on Wednesday evenings from January to April, four social receptions, a lawn party and a college re- ception, besides the annual business meeting and a week of prayer for young men in November. At the first anniversary meeting, hield in the First Presby- terian Church, Wednesday evening, October 25, 1882, Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D., of Brooklyn, address- el the association.

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The need of such an association in Yonkers is appar- ent from the fact that there are at least three thousand young men living in the city. Many of this number are attracted here by the industries of the place, the extensive carpet, hat and silk-factories especially. Many others are clerks in New York City, who find it to their advantage to board in Yonkers. Many young men in many employments are without their family or home influences, and peculiarly exposed to the temptations that beset life in cities. The objects of the association are to develop the Christian character and usefulness of its members, and to im- prove the social, mental, physical and spiritual con- dition of young men. Besides the officers already mentioned, the association has a board of twelve directors, with executive and finance committees ; also department committees on Christian work, mem- bership, entertainment, visitation of the sick, em- ployment and boarding-houses, receptions, rooms and library, and boys' work. The whole number of mem- bers at the close of the first year was two hundred and five, of whom one hundred and seventy were active or associate members, whose dues were two dollars annually, twenty-four were sustaining members, pay- ing ten dollars a year, and eleven were honorary members, made so by the payment of one hundred dollars. The expenses for the first year, including furnishing the rooms, were $3534.07. The receipts were $3554.79. A balance of $19.92 was left in the treasury. During the year eight lectures on familiar subjects were given by men capable of treating these subjects profitably, and these lectures were attended by an average audience of seventy-six.

The association was incorporated according to the laws of New York, May 3, 1882, by the filing of the necessary papers, and so placed on a proper foundation to become permanent, and to hold prop- erty whenever it may reach the strength to erect a building of its own. Its work in its various brauches was from the first encouragingly successful. Mr. Wardle, after doing a most excellent service, resigned, July 1, 1883, to enter a larger field, the State Secre- taryship for Ohio. He was succeeded here by Mr. Myron W. Sendder, who held the secretaryship just one year, till July 1, 1884, retiring from it on a recall. to a principalship of the public school of Fort Plain, N. Y., from which he had been called to this secre- taryship in 1883. Mr. Seudder is of the celebrated inissionary family of that name, and was himself born in India during the missionary service of his father, Rev. Ezekiel C. Scudder, D.D., in that country. He is a graduate of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J., and a young man of great promise. His popu- larity in Yonkers was great. The association, after his resignation, was without a general secretary more than six months. Mr. Asa B. Bixby, the present general secretary, entered upon his work on the 15th of January, 1885. Mr. Bixby was educated in the seminary for young men at Binghamton, N. Y., and

from that institution went at once into special traiu- ing for general secretaryship of a Christian Associa- tion. Before coming to Yonkers, he had served seven years as general secretary, first at Knoxville, Tenn., and next at Atlanta, Ga., from which latter place he was called to Yonkers. In his short career here lie has proved himself eminently fitted for his work and placc. The officers of the association elected besides those already mentioned, have been,-Presidents : G. Livingston Morse, from October, 1883, to February, 1884; Lyman Cobb, Jr., from February, 1884, to April, 1885, Rev. Henry M. Baird, D.D., LL.D., from April, 1885, to April, 1886. The president now is Mr. John T. Sproull. The vice-presidents have been Lyman Cobb, Jr., October, 1883 to Febru- ary, 1884; Chas. R. Otis, elected April 14, 1884; John C. Havemeyer, elected April 13, 1885, and Samuel B. Hawley, elected April, 1886. The record- ing secretaries have been Walter Graves, elected October, 1883, Robert M. Reevs, April, 1884, and Harold Brown, April, 1885; and the treasurers, Rafaelle Cobb, October, 1883; George Stewart, May, 1884, and Lyman Cobb, Jr., from the latter date. The present directors arc Geo. Stewart, John T. Sproull, Walter Graves, Dr. E. I. Harrington, John T. Horton, James S. Fitch, C. R. Leflingwell, W. H. Belknap, W. A. Drinkwater, W. W. Middlebrook, Wells Olmsted, James Kellock, Frank B. Hickey, S. L. Cooper, W. W. Ellsworth and Ralph E. Prime. The total membership is now 410. For the year ending May 1, 1886, the expenses were 83350. The average daily attendance at the reading-room was 159, and at thepar- lor 62. Four lectures on travel and science were given during the year also 15 "familiar talks " on healthı subjects, and eight musical entertainments and monthly and special receptions. The evening classes in German, vocal music (two classes), book-keeping, penmanship and arithmetic were attended by an ag- gregate enrollment of 161.

The cost of newspapers, periodicals, etc., for the reading-room was two hundred and fifty dollars last year. The parlor is supplied with games for amusement. A young men's mecting is regularly sustained at 4.15 P.M. on the Sabbath, in the hall above the reading room. It has an average attend- ance of 55. A workers' training-class and a Bible- class are held every Saturday evening. Thesc together have an average attendance of 24.

A department of boys' work was started October 23. 1882, and this, in April, 1884, was organized into a distinct branch of the association. It occupies the room on the third floor and is open for the entertain- ment of boys, daily, from nine o'clock to six o'clock, except on Sabbaths and at hours when the publie schools are in session. Boys from uine to seventeen, having a good moral character and being members of Sunday-schools, are admitted to membership at an annnal due of fifty cents, and, when once admitted, may remain members till they reach twenty years of

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age. The object of this branch is the social, mental and moral improvement of the boys of the city. It has a membership of 136. Its room is supplied with a library of one hundred and seventy-four volumes and the leading boys' papers are kept on file in it. Boys' prayer-meetings are held; every Sabbath after- noon, talks are given to the boys two nights every week, except during the summer, and sociables and occasional excursions are provided. The total at- tendance at the room during the year ending in April last was eighty-six hundred and eight.

The Association is now forming a library. It has already collected about 500 volumes, all presented to it by its friends.

SECTION XVIII.

Libraries, Literary Associations and Reading-Rooms.

IN the tower of St. John's Church, more than thirty years ago. lay a pile of old books, labeled as the property of a Young Men's Library Association. No one now can give an account of that association, but there is a tradition that, finding itself in a decline, it had turned over its books to St. John's Church for any use to which the church might choose to put them. As far as is now known, no other movement towards a public library was made till 1854, one year before the village was incorporated. The Getty House, whose history, including that of its famous lyceum or concert-room, we shall give further on, had been built in the winter and spring of 1851-52. In 1854 one of the most vigorous, interesting and successful efforts ever made in Yonkers towards general culture was inaugurated, whose first report, published in 1855, lies before us, and of which we must give an account. We take our sketch partly from the report and partly from our own and others' memory of the library, which continued to exist till 1866.

Early in the year named a few resident gentlemen conferred with each other on the propriety and feasi- bility of establishing a library and reading-room, chiefly for the benefit of the young men of the place. A preliminary meeting was held January 30, 1854, and arrangements were made for action. On the 1st of March a public meeting was held at the Getty House. Mr. Thomas O. Farrington was appointed chairman, and Mr. Henry W. Bashford secretary. Mr. Josiah Rich made an address, practical and stim- ulating. A constitution was adopted, and several gen- themen promised to join the effort. On the 13th these gentlemen met, subscribed the constitution, organized a society and elected Josiah Rich, president ; Thomas O. Farrington, vice-president ; Henry W. Bashford, secretary ; William N. Seymour, treasurer ; and Henry M. Coffin, librarian. The other first managers were Samuel D. Rockwell, George Macadam, Frederic S. Cozzens, Augustus N. Smith, Lemuel W. Wells (who resigned during the year and was succeeded by Jere- miah Robins), Samuel B. Cowdrey, A. Robinson, Henry F. Devoe, Robert F. Bucklin and Thomas C. Cornell. ii .-- 12

Rooms were hired in the building, now 21 South Broadway ( Wheeler's Block), and fitted up for the use of the association, which began simply as a library association, but soon took the additional character of a debating society, and, later on, became famous as a lecture-providing association. In each of these re- spects we shall speak of it. The opening year of the society was also the opening year of the Yonkers Gas Company, and the society, in the rooms we have men- tioned, had, during its first winter of experience, the advantage of the new artificial light.

The library department of this association's work was inaugurated on Monday evening, May 22d. P'res- ident Rich and the clergymen of the town delivered addresses to a large audience.

Eleven life and one hundred and eleven annual members were enrolled the first year, and several hill- dred books were donated by societies and individuals, of which the following were noteworthy : St. John's Church gave one hundred and twenty volumes (said to have been the volumes in its tower, to which we have referred) ; William N. Seymour, fifty ; Ilenry Durell, twenty-seven ; John Stevens, thirty ; George P. Putnam (the publisher, then a resident of Yonkers), two hundred ; J. A. Underwood, thirty ; Rev. Robert Baird, D.D., thirty ; Nepperhan Lodge, a large Bible ; Josiah Rich, Lewis Gaylord Clark (of the Knicker- bocker Magazine, a visitor in Yonkers), Russell Smith and others, several more. With these donated books the library was begun. At the same time several magazines and newspapers were supplied for a read- ing-room. Mr. Putnam was deeply interested in the association, and, in addition to his large gift just mentioned, gave many periodicals. Mr. Underwood, too, gave another and very choice donation of books during the first year. These books were catalogued and put in charge of the librarian. The librarians throughout the whole history of the library to 1866 were Henry M. Coffin, John Vail, W. D. Carpenter, Alonzo Bell, Mrs. R. J. Grace (now Mrs. Abram C. Mott) and Miss Anna T. Bate.

The library society was incorporated on the 9th of August, 1859, with the following board of trustees : John M. Mason, Robert P. Getty, Cyrus Cleveland, Justus Lawrence, Bailey Hobbs, George Leeds, J. H. Stedwell, William Bell and J. Henry Williams.

The presidents, from the beginning to the close of the library's history, were, in succession, Josiah Rich, George Macadam, George P. Putnam, John Stevens, John M. Mason, Rev. Darius R. Brewer and John M. Mason again.

During its first five years the library was volun- tarily supported. The act of incorporation of 1859, however, defined the society as "The Yonkers Circu- lating Library Association," fixed the number of its trustees at nine, and the annual day for their election as the first Wednesday of May, provided for shares of stock at five dollars cash, paid down, and made the annual fee on each share one dollar, each shareholder

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 29

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286