Mott street, near Prince, 25 by 94 feet each, the price of which was $2,250, and interest from the 1st of January preceding. The lots were approved, and the necessary steps to have the deeds executed were ordered to be taken, and the treasurer directed to borrow the money for the payment.

At the meeting of the board held on the 5th of April, a letter was received from the trustees of the Bethel Baptist Church, complaining of the conduct of the Society in purchasing the property for the erection of a school-house in Mott street, and charging the board with an improper interference with their plans. The secretary was directed to reply to this communication, and furnish the complainants with a copy of the original resolution passed in 1821, appointing a committee to procure suitable lots for a school site, and also to inform them of the proceedings already taken by the board.

It was further resolved that a committee, consisting of John E. Hyde, James Collins, and Lindley Murray, be appointed to prepare a remonstrance to the Legislature on the subject of the law giving exclusive privileges to the Bethel Church in the distribution of the school fund.

The collision of interests which had been anticipated between these two boards had now assumed a positive form. The discussion gave rise to important subsequent legislation, and is made the subject of review in the following chapter.

CHAPTER III.

THE BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH CONTROVERSY.

Sectarian Influence-Church Schools-The School Fund-The Bethel Baptist Church -Privileges Granted-School No. 5-Memorial to the Legislature-Memorial to the Corporation-Proceedings in the Legislature-Hiram Ketchum Elected a Trustee, and requested to proceed to Albany-Negotiations Between the Two Boards of Trustees―The Bill Laid Over by the Legislature-The Bethel Schools-The “Trustees of the Fire-Department Fund "-Certificate of Mr. Andrews-Certificate of Mr. Buyce-Certificate of Mr. Farden-New Church Schools-Proceedings in the Common Council-Memorial Adopted-New Memorials to the Legislature-Proceedings of the Legislature-Report of the Committee on Colleges, &c. —Adjournment of the Legislature-The Extra Session-The Bill Amended-The Common Council to Apportion the School Fund-The Bill Becomes a Law-The Controversy Closed.

THE Free-School Society had been in successful operation for fifteen years, and had encountered no other obstacles than those incident to the progress and development of a system of far-· reaching benevolence and philanthropy. A movement of a disturbing character, however, arose from the rivalry and jealousy of other institutions, but particularly in the efforts made to obtain peculiar privileges for the benefit of the schools connected with the Bethel Baptist Church. The controversy and the legislation growing out of these attempts form an interesting feature in the records of the Society.

By the law of March 12, 1813, it was directed that the portion of the school fund received by the city and county of New York should be apportioned and paid to the trustees of the FreeSchool Society of New York, the trustees or treasurers of the Orphan Asylum Society, the Society of the Economical School, the African Free School, and of such incorporated religious societies in the city as supported, or should establish, charity schools, who might apply for the same. In 1822, the institutions which drew from the school fund in addition to the Free-School

Society, and those already named, were the Female Association, the Hamilton Free School, the Mechanics' Society, and the Roman Catholic Benevolent Society. By the sixth section of the law, the several societies therein named were prohibited from using the school fund for any other purpose than the payment of teachers.

The privilege of participating in the fund granted by the law to religious societies was peculiar to the city of New York, no religious society in any other part of the State being allowed such participation. This privilege was probably granted them at the time, because the number of schools under the charge of these societies was small, and, with a single exception, confined to the education of the poor of the respective churches to which they were attached.

The Lancasterian system of education having been successfully practised for a number of years in the schools of the Society, the number of pupils increased to such an extent, that the amount drawn from the common school fund was more than sufficient for the payment of teachers employed. Application was therefore made to the Legislature, which, in 1817, passed an act containing, among other things, a provision allowing the Free-School Society to appropriate the surplus of the school fund, after the payment of teachers, to the erection of buildings for schools, the education of schoolmasters upon the Lancasterian plan, and to all the needful purposes of a common school education. This peculiar privilege was granted the Society because it was organized for the sole and exclusive purpose of educating the poor; and, consequently, all the buildings which it should erect would forever be devoted to this object.

In 1820, the trustees of the Bethel Baptist Church in the city of New York opened a school in the basement of their church, in Delancey street, for the reception of poor children of every denomination; and, the next year, received an apportionment from the common school fund, under the provision of the law of 1813, granting that privilege to religious societies. In 1822, the trustees of the Bethel Church obtained the passage of a law* granting them permission to appropriate the surplus

* An Act for the Relief of the Trustees of the Bethel Baptist Church, in the city of New York.

I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate

money received from the school fund, after the payment of teachers, to the erection of buildings for schools, the education of schoolmasters, and all the other needful purposes of a common school education-a privilege nearly similar to that before granted to the Free-School Society. The passage of this law immediately excited the alarm of the board, and several religious societies in the city. It was perceived that it opened a wide door for the perversion of the fund, and that there would be a strong inducement offered to the church for the employment of teachers who would work cheap, that thus there might be a surplus to be used in the erection of buildings, which would not belong to the public, but to the church, and would probably come to be used for other purposes than the education of poor children.

It has already been stated, that the trustees of the PublicSchool Society, as early as 1821, had observed the want of a school in that part of the city bounded by Broadway and the Bowery, and Bleecker and Grand streets, and had made some inquiries for the purchase of lots for a school site, which had been unsuccessful, and the effort was abandoned for the time. The passage of the law above named revived their interest in this locality, which was stimulated by the efforts making on the part of Mr. Chase, the pastor of the church, to find a field for a

and Assembly, That it shall and may be lawful for the trustees of the Bethel Baptist Church, in the city of New York, or their successors in office, at any time hereafter to sell and dispose of two lots of ground, with the meeting-house thereon, now belonging to the said church, situate on the south side of Broome street, in the Eighth Ward of the said city, and to execute conveyances therefor in fee-simple to the purchaser or purchasers thereof.

II. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the said trustees, or their successors in office, to mortgage, in fee or otherwise, all those certain lots of ground, and the meeting-house thereon erected, belonging to the said church, situate at the corner of Delancey and Chrystie streets, in the said city, or any part or parcel thereof, for such sum or sums as the said trustees, or their successors in office, shall think proper; which mortgage or mortgages so made and executed shall be valid and effectual in the law.

III. And be it further enacted, That if any moneys be now remaining, or shall hereafter remain, in the hands of the said trustees, from the school moneys received by them for the support of the Bethel Free School, after a sufficient compensation to the teachers employed by them, it shall and may be lawful for them to apply such moneys to the instruction of schoolmasters, to the erection of buildings for schools, and to all other needful purposes of a common school education, but to no other purpose whatever.

new school under his supervision. A consideration of the matter was therefore had at a meeting on the 13th of March, 1822, when a resolution was adopted directing the purchase of lots in the vicinity of St. Patrick's cathedral, and appointing Isaac Collins, Rensselaer Havens, William T. Slocum, John L. Bowne, and James Palmer a committee to superintend the undertaking, and to procure estimates for the erection of a building.

At a meeting held on the 5th of April, a letter was received from the trustees of the Bethel Baptist Free School, stating that they had purchased lots in the vicinity of the Roman Catholic cathedral, and making a complaint that the purchase of lots in Mott street by the Free-School Society was an improper interference with their plans. A reply was directed to be sent to the complainants, and a committee of three, consisting of John E. Hyde, Isaac Collins, and Lindley Murray, was appointed to prepare a memorial and remonstrance to the Legislature on the subject of the late law.

On the 2d of August, the trustees adopted the following resolutions:

Resolved, That, in the opinion of this board, the last section of the act of the Legislature of this State, entitled "An Act for the Relief of the trustees of the Bethel Baptist Church in the city of New York," passed on the 8th day of February last past, is calculated to divert a large portion of the common school fund from the great and beneficial object for which it is established, and to apply the same for the promotion of private and sectarian interests; and; believing that the passing of said section was procured either from the want of information, or from some other cause not known to this board, they will use all the means in their power to procure a repeal of the last clause of said law.

Resolved, That the secretary send a copy of the preceding resolution to the trustees of the Bethel Free School.

At the following meeting of the board, a committee was appointed to confer with the Corporation, the commissioners of the school fund, and the directors of the various institutions entitled to participate in the school moneys, to secure their cooperation in procuring the repeal of the law, and to prepare a memorial to be presented to the Legislature. The committee. consisted of Charles G. Haines, John E. Hyde, Isaac Collins, Gideon Lee, and Rensselaer Havens.

At the meeting held on the 6th of December, the committee