SPEECHES & WRITINGS FILE [Park Temple Church]

Brief reminiscence of Park Temple.

On December first 1897 1896 a company 
of people gathered together in our little
house on Fourth St to consider the establishment
of a church which should be 
institutional in character and should 
occupy a building on Sixth St, in which
a Congregational mission had been held
for eight years. Rev Sterling N Brown, our present pastor
had conceived the idea, had spoken to those
whom he wished to interest in the proposed
work and had attended to all the business arrangements
necessary to the transfer of the
mission to the new church which he wished
to establish. So earnest and
enthusiastic had he been as he laid his plans before
the company that had gathered to consider
the matter, that there was not present in the little room
a man or a woman who did not 
enter heartily into the proposition and 
sincerely wish it success. What has
happened since, how University Park Temple 
was born, how it has grown and has 

2
prospered is so well known to us 
all, that even though I had the time to give
in detail circumstances of great
interest to the church, it would be unnecessary
to do so. Though from December first 1896
to Mar 17, 1899 is really a short time in the 
history of an individual, much less a church,
still many things have transpired to
encourage us and some few to sadden, as
we review our short life. The church has
constantly grown in membership and the
interest in the work we started on and to do has
gradually increased. Though neither pastor nor membership
feel that we have done what we should 
like to have accomplished, we have neither
been laggards nor shirkers. That we are not satisfied with ourselves, and 
wish we had done more is
to me one of the most encouraging features of our
church work and one of the purest signs that
we shall wrest success from circumstances
however adverse and formidable . How [?] to
the individual or the church that wraps itself
up in comfortable satisfaction and lies
down to pleasant dreams. To be sure our [rewards?]
are small in compass, and yet work of great good has been

3
done in them -- In them there have been mothers meetings [have
been held], a class for training kindergartners,
a kindergarten, a reading room and last but not 
least a kitchen, where good bread and cakes are baked.
Situated as we are only a stone's throw from a 
section in which are so many of our people [live]
who need to be taught the A. B. C of life, how
really to live and not to vegetate, our church 
feels that it can be and ought to be instrumental
of much good among them. With money, 
we might establish a sewing school, a cooking
school, a day nursery, a kindergarten and 
do much other work of a practical nature.
About one year ago there was taken from
our midst by the hand of death, one whom
we regarded as a tower of strength, a man 
whom we respected highly and mourn[ed] 
sincerely to night.  When the Honorable B. K. Bruce
was called to his reward, Universaly, Park Temple
lost a member who had been faithful [for the] in the 
discharge of his duties, had sympathized deeply
with every plan proposed that would enlarge the 
sphere of usefulness, and who [as all the church members] was sincerely
attached to it. In the absence of Mrs. Bruce,

4
who was president of the Woman's Auxiliary
we have lost our most useful member of our 
church, whose place it is difficult to fill.
Upon the perfect accord and harmony
that have reigned in our mind we
congratulate ourselves heartily.  Neither unpleasant
disagreements nor unchristian squabbles
have disturbed our serenity or impaired 
our usefulness for good.  Behold how
good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity in a scriptural
test of whose truth and beauty we have thus far
had a blessed experience.  Upon the membership
of the church the pastor has never called in
vain whenever it has been in our power,
to advance any phase of the work which he 
is struggling so valiantly to accomplish.
If we have a fault as a church, it is that
we believe too literally in the text that he that have
blith himself shall be exalted, and as practical
working of strict obedience to this scripture is that many
of us are inclined to stand back too modestly
and let somebody else push to the front 
and take the lead of affairs in which

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we are all equally interested, and for
whose success we are all equally concerned.
Still we are young yet and shall doubtless
feel more and more our responsibility as 
individuals.  We shall realize more [?] [?] that the of raising [?]
of originating and executing plans for the advancement of
our work, and of giving the fact that as
we are, dare not rest upon one or a dozen mem-
bers of the church, but upon each and every man
woman & child, who by the very act of uniting
with the church has pledged himself to do
all this.  In conclusion, I feel that one can
truthfully say that the Community Park Temple, as an infant 
not yet three years old, give evidence of
growing into such strength, and beauty and grace
as shall unfurl sweetness and light into many a cor-
ner, and into many a life - which but for us might 
remain in darkness & sin.  We all
wish it God speed, I am sure, and shall
redouble our efforts in the future to [?waher?] 
it the bulwark of strength and the haven of rest
and refuge that it was planned to be.

Like Minerva Park Temple seems to have 
sprung full armed  out of the head of the 
all powerful.  From the day of her birth she 
was strong.  She was an exception to the [general] 
rule that babes must crawl before they 
walk.  From the first day of her existence she stood right up 
to the duties that lay before her and walked along 
paths that some supposed were too much for
her to tread. As I think of the small
beginnings of the little church once known
as University Park Temple and reflect upon the
numerous and arduous kinds of work the
members [pledged themselves] promised to undertake for
the benefit of those who need help most its growth
and success seem nothing short of a miracle of modern times.[modern
miracle.] When Rev Sterling N Brown first told
me that he felt an Institutional Church was
needed in the community and confided to me
his plans for founding one, if he could
enlist the sympathies and secure the aid
of suitable persons, I was so impressed, not only
with the wisdom of the suggestion, but with the
the earnestness of the man, that I immediately
pledged myself to render [him] any assistance
in my power. And so, when a sufficient
number of persons had been found who were
zealous for the work and who were willing to
cast their lot with a church whose



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distinguishing feature was that it should be institutional
they were asked to come together
to discuss ways & means of putting these plans into
practice and giving their ideas material shape.
Pursuant to a call by Rev Brown, on the 1st of Dec 1896
sixteen men and women met at
our little home, 1936 4th St to take definite
action with reference to establishing a new
church whose aim should be not only to minister
to the spiritual well being of its flock but to promote the material
interests of the race as well. The sixteen present
were Rev. Sterling N. Brown
the late Sen. B.K. Bruce, then registrar
of the Treasury and his wife, Mr and Mrs
James L. Child, Mr. Walter S. Welborne, Mrs.
A.A. Smith, Miss Louise Smith, Mrs. Edna
Gillam, Miss Linnie Waring. Prof. & Mrs L.B.
Moore, Mr. P.M. Mitchell, Major J. Bonner,
Mr. Terrell and myself. [*Over*] [It may be in 
accordance with the etiquette of the occasion
to state what I shall now say but I shall]
[*Begin*]
As often as I look back upon this meeting I wonder
at the rapidity with
which the business before us was dispatched
at that 1st meeting and I can never seem to regard the unanimity among
the sixteen present as a marvel.
No doubt was entertained by anybody to the success
of the new enterprise. The consensus of opinion


at the risk of violating the laws of etiquette
for such an occasion, I wish to call attention
to what I consider the commendable courage
and worthy zeal of Mr. Terrell. Of all
the sixteen present at that first meeting he alone had never
been a member of any church, and yet, [he]
no one present outstripped him in [zeal]
ardor for the new church, and from the
day he united with it until the present his
interest has never flagged. And here I cannot
refrain from speaking of the faithful services
rendered by another woman's husband, know
as James Childs, who has come through
rain & shine, braving heat & cold as regularly
as the Sabbath came to discharge the obligations
which he so cheerfully assumed,
and so creditably performed. It is a temptation
to talk about the work done by Mr.
Welborn & others, members of what was once a P. T. but I should keep you
too long, if I should attempt to pay a 
tribute to these which I know they so
richly deserve.

3
nor that such a work as had been planned
by Mr. Brown was needed, therefore it was plainly somebody's
[should] duty to undertake it, and if the work
were undertaken in the right spirit by conscientious
consecrated Christians, it could
not fail of success. Those of us who [felt] knew
that felt our spiritual lives had been neglected in the past
[? to] felt this was a qlorious opportunity of
consecrating ourselves anew. Before that
first meeting was adjourned a Society was 
organized. Known as the Temple Society
with Mr. Terrell as president, Prof L. B. [Warner?],
Sec. and Registrar B. K. Bruce [as] Treas.
[Those] All who were present became members of the
new society, and pledged themselves to do [all] everything
in their power to further the interests of the 
new church. The women organized themselves
into a Ladies Aid Society, to further
the material interests of the new church.
Mrs. B. K. Bruce was made president, 
Mrs. John M. Langston, treas. and Miss A. F.
Smith Sec. The name of the woman's society was afterward changed
to the Temple Circle. Mrs. M. M. Holland
and myself have [been] succeeded each other as presidents since Mrs.
Bruce's departure from Wash. Every week after
our first conference together, weekly meetings
were held at our home on 4th St. till June,

4
3, 1897, when morning and evening services
were conducted at the chapel, and thereafter
regularly till Jan, 24-1897 when the organization
of the church was duly effected with a
membership of  53 - From that day forth until
last sabbath, when the union of these two churches was effected the members of N.P.T were
a unit in every thing that tended to promote
the interests of the church.
The harmony which was so noticeable at the
first meeting was simply an augury of what
the future attitude of the members toward
each other would be. Mark you, I do not
say that mentally we have all followed [mentally] goose
fashion one after the other without using
each one his own brains for himself. For those who
are acquainted with the members of our 
church now gone into history will admit, I am sure, that there
were some strong minded men and women
among us, who will hold as tenaciously
to their ideas as a crab does to your
finger, and who like the crab can only be [shocked] shaken from
them by the thunder of powerful logic.
But the cause of the continuous harmony
that existed among us was the [willingness] determination
of [the] each member of the church to bow to


5
the will of the majority. But even that attitude
on the part of the members but cannot [scarcely] entirely
account for the unity which [has] characterized 
our church life during an existence of nearly 5 years. [To make] The explanation
of the remarkable harmony is not complete [one must] if one fails to refer
to the part that the wisdom, [and] the courage, the christian
tolerance of everybody's views, which have
been employed by our pastor coupled with a
natural power possessed by him to bring order out of chaos
and to reason or soothe discordant minorities [factions]
into accepting conclusions which the careful majority
has reached. In spite of lack of means
and a certain undercurrent of opposition
from some who should have given us
their hearty support, U.P.T. has been able
to run successfully several departments of work which have
proved to be great blessings to those whom they
were intended to help. We have had a school
of needle work in which more than 30
members have been enrolled and from which two
classes have been graduated. Those who know
most about the school are loudest in its
praise. It is a [with] pleasure therefore to announce
that the facilities of this school will be increased
this year and it will offer more inducements
to those who need instruction in sewing than it
has ever done before. [As Mr Brown said
recently In speaking of this school] In no sense

6
[?] this school run counter to what the new Manual
Training School expects to do. We wish to 
gather into this school young people who
desire the courses offered but who are beyond school
age and are therefore not eligible to school
privileges. [The] Boys + girls have been organizing
into clubs which have been fruitful of much
good. [Marked] The change in the conduct of some
of the youth in these little clicks organized by P.T has been
marked and gratifying indeed. It is unfavorable
to estimate the good our reading room has
done, although it has by means reached
the standard of efficiency and usefulness that
was set for it. Looking after the welfare of our
boys and girls has been a conspicuous
feature of the work [as] planned by U P. T.
And now that some good, staunch Christian friends
have been enlisted in this movement, we
have a right to hope that a crusade against
the temptations set the [?] laid for boys
+ girls will be more vigorously conducted than
ever before in this city. The salvation of the
race consists in saving colored youth from
the manifold follies into which all youth are likely
to fall but into which colored youth for various reasons
are especially easily lead. The Mother's Meetings
held in our little church were at times well
attended and were a source both of instruction
and encouragement to the mothers who came
[attended]. All sorts of things have been attempted

7.

by U.P.T in the effort to be of real practical service to
the community_ A bakery on a small scale 
was once conducted in one of our little rooms,
which was at times savory with the odor of
freshly baked bread and cake_
It can be truthfully said of U.P.T that
whatever its hands found to do, that it did with
its heart, soul, mind and strength.
[Bu] And now that U.P.T has past into history
it is fitting that [this] due credit should be given [which was due]
a church that struggled so heroically -
overcame [conquered] so nobly many of the [of] obstacles
which lay in its path_ [From 53 the
number that united with us swelled]
No account of U.P.T would be complete without
a reference to the choir which aided so materially
in building up the church_ The harmony
of sound which has gone forth from their
hearts & lips to touch and uplift those who
have heard their songs of praise has been no more delightful and no
more rare than the harmony of action which
has always characterized the men & women
who composed it. It is generally conceded that Good singing is as necessary
to the spiritual & material welfare of a church as good preaching
and indeed I have heard it said that the
success of several churches whose congregations
are especially large & positive was to a large great extent due 
to the spirited music rendered by their
choir. Financially U. P. T has achieved remarkable
success. For it not only met its obligations

faithfully & well, but mainly [through the efforts of our
pastor] the lot on which was once U.P.T. built
on which Lincoln Mission shall henceforth
stand has been practically purchased by
us. The ?


8
$2000 due on it, have already been [raised] subscribed by friends
who were interested in the matter
and were induced to contribute largely through the efforts of our pastor.
[Financially U.P.T. of the past has nothing to be
ashamed of for it met its obligations faithfully
and well.]
And now that the little church which from
such small beginnings grew so strong has joined
with another sister organization, it is only
reasonable to expect that its members will bring
into the new organization the same order and
zeal [with] which they worked in the past. It is
right to expect that they will pull together as
harmoniously in this beautiful structure with our newly acquired brothers & sisters  in christ
as they did in their [homely] dear, little home 
of the past. None but the weak kneed and the
fainthearted need have any fears for the success
of the new Church which as now known as Lincoln
Memorial Congregational Temple. When the
spirit of Christ dwells among men all things
are possible. It is too much to expect that
we shall all think alike, and I for one should
be sorry if this were true. For when there is
no honest difference of opinion among men,
there is very little progress. We may differ
as widely as we choose and no harm can come
so long as we are honestly open to conviction and
are willing to abide by the will of the majority.
Emerson says that fools alone never change
their opinion. The wisest man is he who
acknowledges that he is mistaken when his

9
error is shown. [When] Already in this very
room only a week ago we had
a beautiful exhibition of the true spirit of
Christ. None but a man who is honest
and strong & good, would have arisen as did a member
of what was formerly the Lincoln Memorial Church, and
publicly [?] to make unanimous a measure
which he had vigorously opposed, because
he [had seen] saw that it was the wish of such a 
large proportion of the membership.
If the example of this one man is followed by
the rest of us, there will be a union making
us powerful enough to sweep away any
obstacle that may arise. Nothing has encouraged
me so much for a long time as the
union of these two churches. There is no doubt
that many of our mistakes and much of our 
weakness as a race can be traced directly to an unfortunate
tendency to dissipate our energies,
instead of focusing them upon a single
point of endeavor. This church has set an
example of union which will bear fruit in the future,
for sure. There is hope for any race whose representatives
join hands and unite hearts in 
any worthy endeavor. It is not only an evidence
that they have confidence in their own ability to
achieve success but it is the surest possible way
of commanding the respect of others. Brethren Gods
hand is in the sermon of U. P. T and L. M. C. C.
What God has joined together let no man 
put asunder.

The Inner Life of Park Temple.
Once upon a time in the capital city of a
great nation lived a man who had an idea
which possessed him. Ever since the beginning of time
men have lived with ideas possessing them, so that
was not[hing] change that this particular individual
should have had such an idea.  But there
was something striking after all about this man
with the aforesaid idea, for he actually put it into
execution.  For a long time this man had nursed
the idea carefully in his brain, had cherished it
in his heart, [and then] until at last he determined to make
it a living breathing reality by dint of hard work
and indomitable courage  Many people in the
city of Bathington in which the man lived with the idea had their own private
opinion which they publicly expressed concerning
the probable success of this enterprise on which he had
set his heart.  Most of the [?] who condescended
to notice the prospective enterprise
at all prophesized that it would not live
If it is ever actually launched upon the community,
is will surely go down, they said.
Such an enterprise can not possibly have
strength enough to breast the waves of opposition,
and of hard times, which it will [necessarily] of necessity meet
they said. [It wasn't the fault of] Now the measures

2
shouldn't be blamed for
[who] delivering themselves of this prophesy, mind
you, for they couldn't help it. It was what they
had seen through their prophetic vision and it
was plainly their duty to give the dull, blind public
the benefit of their clearer insight into the
future, so that it might be prepared for the crash of the enterprise
when it should come.
What on earth is Nathan Sterling thinking
about, said Deacon Wisdom who was one of the
pillars of the leading Presbyterian Church of the 
city. I hear he is trying to establish another [congregational] presbyterian
church here. What we do need is more money, and more workers
and fewer churches. Well, there's one good thing
about it, if he ever gets sufficient following
to establish the church, it wont live a year.
If it pulls through the [winter] 1st season the cold and frost
of the second winter will freeze it to death, I'm sure.
And it will deserve such a fate too. [And] Now the
good Deacon wasn't the only person in the [?] of Bathing
who entertained such an opinion of Nathan Sterling's
new church, neither was he the only person
who expressed it when the opportunity came.
Some went so far as to say harsh things [about]
both about the man with the idea, and the people
who[m] [he] had become so interested in seeing

3
it put into execution that they were willing to
follow Nathan Sterling if need be to the
bitter end.  And so the new church which
had been bitterly opposed by some, ridiculed
by others, and doomed to a short life by all
was actually born into existence one [fair]
night in November. Not many of the people
who pledged themselves to the little church
were especially blessed with this world's goods.
Most of them were what would be called poor
as men reckon riches.  The chapel in which
the services were to be held was quite a small
one story frame building which had been divided
into three rooms, two very small ones and
the main room the largest of all.
The little chapel was christened Meadow Temple
In remarking upon the smallness of the temple
a wag was heard to say, Of course the Temple is
small, but the Meadow in front of it is so
large you know.  Meadow Temple had been
originally built by a large and wealthy church in [the] a section
of Bathington in which many poor people
lived.  In the small rooms a sunday school
had been conducted, a Kindergarten held and
sewing classes for the poor children in the neighborhood
formed. Nathan Sterling's idea was

4
such a good one, and seemed so well 
suited to the needs of the particular neighborhood 
in which Meadow Temple was situated. 
[said] Nathan Sterling was himself so 
filled with enthusiasm with the work 
which he longed to do and so infected with zeal every body 
to whom he confided his plans that 
the owners of the little chapel decided 
to let him use it free of charge. 
What kind of church has Rev. Nathan Sterling 
established, asked little Miss Chatterfield 
one day, when the subject was up for 
discussion. Theres some new fangled, notion 
connected with it, I know, but I don't 
understand exactly what it is. This question 
was addressed to Mr. Stillyer, who though he 
was a member of no church and had no 
special interest in this new one which had 
just been formed, knew that the principles 
on which it was founded were solid, and 
believed that methods as planned by Rev 
Sterling were practical and sensible. Unlike 
some of the [good] pious members of the orthodox churches 
Rev. Stilyer was anxious to see Meadow Temple 
succeed and never missed and opportunity 
of speaking a good word for it. Rev Sterling 


5
has established what is called an Institutional 
church, Miss Chatterfield, said Rev. Stillyer. 
His idea is to carry on work of a practical 
nature as far as possible- In addition to the 
regular church services, and the eclesiastical routine 
common to all churches, Rev Sterling wishes to engage
in secular work which is to be carried on
under the auspices of the church. "For instance,
said Mr Stillyer", if Rev Sterlings idea is carried
out, there will be a kindergarten, a training class
for kindergartners, sewing classes both for
children and adults, a reading room and
many other practical [methods] institutions for educating the masses
improving their condition generally.
And what Mr Stillyer outlined as the work in
which Rev Sterling would engage was actually
carried on in little Meadow Temple.
And not only did the Temple survive the frost and
cold of one, or two or three winters but it lives
on and on going from one degree of perfection
till another, till the wise and all seeing
prophets who had forecast[ed] its certain and
swift destruction literally fizzled and fried
in the blushes of mortification and shame
which covered them from the crown of their
mistaken heads to the soles of their now

6
lying feet.
I dont understand the success of that little
Meadow Temple said Mr. Roland Faithless, who
had [early] predicted that the new church would
vanish like a dream from the face of the
earth before its infancy should have been
fairly completed. There are more churches in
Bathington now than the people can support
decently. The people of Meadow Temple are as a
rule either poor, or are only in ordinary circumstances,
none of them are wealthy, and yet they
dont seem to have such a hard time to pay their
pastor's salary and meet the current expenses
as does this fifth St. Methodist church most
of whose members receive plump salaries and
are what you would call well fixed.
But said Mrs Mildred Trustus, you forget
one thing in connection with Meadow Temple,
It isn't surprising to me that this new
church has succeeded beyond the expectation
of its most sanguine well wishers. Why almost
each and every member of Meadow Temple is
as much interested in the work of the church,
and is as anxious that the institutional
idea should be carried out as is the pastor
himself. While I myself did not dream

7
that the church would grow as fast and become
as strong as it has in three years, I never thought
as you did, Mr. Faithless, that it would be
crushed under the weight of its own hopes and
endeavors in a season or two. Meadow Temple
is composed of people who are not only thoroughly
in earnest, and thoroughly in sympathy
with the pastor, but it is made up of
a company of people who seem really fond
of each other. I venture interrupted Mr.
Faithless that Meadow Temple has its dissensions
and quarrels just like other churches
but it is smart enough to keep them from
the public. It seems strange said Miss Trustus
that a man of your wisdom should
make such a statement. Did you ever know
a congregation whose members were at war
among themselves to [?] hide their disagreements
from the world. It is just as impossible for
a church to conceal its dissensions as it is for
a man to keep a secret, Mr. Faithless.
Meadow Temple is poor enough from a money
standpoint, continued Miss Trustus, but it
is rich in one thing without a shadow of a
doubt. It is rich in the harmony and peace [and
perfect sympathy] which [?] over it and

8
Its chief wealth consists in the perfect sympathy
which exists among the members, one
with the other, and in the loyal support
which they give their pastor. Now some
churches are rich in this world's goods, you
know Mr. Faithless, but they poor in the
spent often to charity which should characterize true Christians.
It is not strange to me therefore that there are
many churches whose members are wealthy
which do not really thrive and increase
their power for usefulness. It seems perfectly
natural on the other hand that a little
church like Meadow Temple should succeed
and grow continually because its
inner life so sweet and pure.
There are no bickerings among the members.
There is no constant dread on the part of
any member that somebody else is being honored
more than himself, that he is being
snubbed and cut by any set. There are no
sets in Meadow Temple, Mr. Faithless,
said Miss Trustus. Did you ever think of
that. Mr. Gilds who is one of the most
active members of Meadow Temple told me
that when an election is held, instead of
[weaving?] a disgraceful scramble for office,

9
as is sometimes the case in churches where
a different spirit prevails, the members
of Meadow Temple are anxious only that
those best fitted to fill the offices shall have
them. Whenever Rev Sterling calls upon the
membership for any special work they always
cheerfully respond. Whenever he presents a
proposition which he wishes them to accept,
it is always cheerfully taken.
The confidence which Meadow Temple reposes
in Rev Sterling enables him to do much
better and more work than he could possibly
do, if there were distrust or disloyalty
among the members. I heard Mr. Welbirth
and Mr. [Hornton?], who have both entered
heartily into the institutional idea of the
Temple say Rev. Sterling had never asked the
members to take up any work, not matter how
difficult it seemed to be, that was not attempted
by them. The women of Meadow
Temple are earnest and enthusiastic helpers
of their pastor. It is through their assistance
mainly that Rev. Sterling has been able to put
into execution some of the plans which have
done most to uplift those for whose elevation
the Institutional Church was founded.

10
according to my opinion said Miss Trenton
who found it difficult to stop talking, when 
she was over wound up, it would never have 
been possible for Rev. Sterling to build that 
magnificent white stone edifice in less
than ten years, if it had not been for the 
loyal and hearty support which the members of his church
have always given-- The little frame building
from which Meadow Temple first started
out its mission of mercy would still be standing,
just as it was in years ago, if the membership
had not upheld the hands of the pastor 
and given him an opportunity to put 
into material form the desire of his heart. 
This magnificent new structure which has 
just been completed & have been an impossibility 
of the inner life of Meadow Temple
had not been as peaceful and as free from
guile as it always has been. Without the loyal
ardent and constant support of the membership, no 
matter how earnestly Rev. Sterling yearned to 
put into execution his large and beneficent 
plans, no matter how strong he [might have] was both
menally and physically, Meadow Temple could 
never have thriven and [waxed] become as powerful
as it has, if the the inner life of the church



11
had been characterized by strife & discord and the support of the 
pastor luke warm and halfhearted. 
If Meadow Temple had not exemplified in
its life the truth of the scripture which says 
Behold how pleasant a thing it is for brethren 
to dwell together in unity, it would 
have gone under long ago -- The prophesy
of the wiseacres who scout in horoscope and
foresaw our early death would have been 
fulfilled to the letter. Instead of this magnificent 
stone structure which is such a 
power to good, the little frame building
in which the church was started would in all probability either be a habitation for mice and
bats with broken windows, decaying timbers and battered walls, [or it would long ago
have been converted into a grocery or a stable]

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.