In the Bouwerie

In the Bouwerie Maidens in "gowns of a flimsy character," dancing, prancing lightly in the nave of St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie, glorifying God and the American girl, with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John looking on. They are gone. The famed "eurythmic ritual," so notable a feature of the afternoon services in the Manhattan church last year, will be dispensed with this season, announced the Rector, Dr. William Norman Guthrie. His reasons for discontinuing the dances were described by Dr. Guthrie as "rather physical than spiritual." The difficulties of their preparation, together with the necessity for cutting down the Church's budget, has made it unwise to keep them up.

The dances, it is said, were never supported by the older parishioners. When, last Easter, A. Van Home Stuyvesant went to inspect the grave of his ancestor, Peter Stuyvesant (TIME, June 23), he and his family departed without leaving their individual checks for $900 at the Church. The eurythmic ritual also brought upon Dr. Guthrie the Episcopal admonition of Bishop William T. Manning. "In disregard of my counsel . . . you used eurythmic or other dancing in said church. . . . Therefore I hereby notify you that I decline to visit the congregation and parish of St. Mark's (TIME, Apr. 7). Bishop Manning was shown in a cartoon quoting the words of a once popular music-hall melody:

The things they do and the things they

say

In the Bowery, the Bowery! But I'll never go there any more.*

*But Bishop Manning did visit St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie last week. A member of the Stuyvesant family (Miss Catharine E.) died; and, at the request of the Stuyvesants and of Dr. Guthrie. Dr. Manning officiated at the funeral.