When I heard that Trinity Church was not particularly keen on hosting the Occupy Wall Street protestors, I was not overly surprised. Years of watching Louis Rukeyser's "Wall Street Week" with the opening scenes of Trinity Church, and a reading of Thomas Shearman's 1889 article "The Owners of the United States" (below, posted on October 6),passed through my mind. Shearman was the co-founder of Shearman and Sterling law firm, and was a highly respected legal scholar of the late 19th century. He also wrote some fine books
Here are some relevant paragraphs:
The figures indicate the wealth believed to be possessed on the average by each of the persons whose names follow:
| |
$150,000,000 |
J. J. Astor, Trinity Church |
| $100,000,000 |
C. Vanderbilt, W. K. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Leland Stanford, J. D. Rockefeller |
|
| $70,000,000 |
Estate of A. Packer |
|
| $60,000,000 |
John I. Blair, Estate of Charles Crocker |
|
| $50,000,000 |
Wm. Astor, W. W. Astor, Russell Sage, E. A. Stevens, Estates of Moses Taylor, Brown & Ives |
|
| $40,000,000 |
P. D. Armour, F. L. Ames, Wm. Rockefeller, H. M. Flagler, Powers & Weightman, Estate of P. Goelet |
|
| $35,000,000 |
C. P. Huntington, D. O. Mills, Estates of T. A. Scott, J. W. Garrett |
|
| $30,000,000 |
G. B. Roberts, Charles Pratt, Ross Winans, E. B. Coxe, Claus Spreckels, A. Belmont, R. J. Livingston, Fred. Weyerhauser, Mrs. Mark Hopkins, Mrs. Hetty Green, Estates of S. V. Harkness, R. W. Coleman, I. M. Singer |
|
| $25,000,000 |
A. J. Drexel, J. S. Morgan, J. P. Morgan, Marshall Field, David Dows, J. G. Fair, E. T. Gerry, Estates of Gov. Fairbanks, A. T. Stewart, A. Schermerhorn |
|
| $22,500,000 |
O. H. Payne, Estates of F. A. Drexel, I. V. Williamon, W. F. Weld |
|
| $20,000,000 |
F. W. Vanderbilt, Theo. Havermeyer, H. O. Havermeyer, W. G. Warden, W. P. Thompson, Mrs. Schenley, J. B. Haggin, H. A. Hutchins, Estates of W. Sloane, E. S. Higgins, C. Tower, Wm. Thaw, Dr. Hostetter, Wm. Sharon, Peter Donohue |
Trinity Church is included in this list because it is practically an individual owner. For the purpose of estimating the distribution of wealth, it is obvious that this corporation, which has no stockholders, must be treated as a unit.
So which side is the church on? Which side is the Church on? The side of the poor, or the side of the wealthy?
How do we judge it? By its words, or by its actions? The Episcopal Church, in some places, is known as the Frozen Chosen. In many places, it is a very welcoming community, but with some exceptions, it does not seek to find the structures that create poverty, or to challenge them when faced with them. It is good at charity, but not as good at justice. It asks prayers for seekers after justice, but doesn't otherwise encourage them.
"Faith, hope and charity ... but the greatest of these is ... justice!"
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church (then known as the Ninth Church Congress), in 1884, heard an address by Henry George, entitled Is Our Civilization Just to Working Men?
The founder of the (Episcopal) Order of the Holy Cross, the Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington (1854-1935), was very active in the Anti-Poverty Society in NYC. See James Kiefer's article on the Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington, which gives a fine account of what Henry George's ideas are about.
I guess I don't expect too much of Trinity Church, a/k/a The Republican Party at Prayer. They know where their bread is buttered, and aren't going to have a lot of interest in the folks who rely on margarine. But I hope their theology works for them; it doesn't work for American society. But that's what freedom of religion is about: give them tax exemptions to spread whatever they call their theology!
PostScript: I'm led to wonder about how there can be vacant land in lower Manhattan, and second, what sort of harm it would do to its owners to permit someone to put it to use for a while. I'm sure the church isn't paying property taxes on that vacant land. Why should that be? And for whose benefit is it being kept vacant?
Comments