t in the War of 1812 with his father. The
Sunday school reported 213 pupils at the time of his coming, which
soon increased, for Dr. Ferris paid special attention to the school.
He was president of the New York Sunday School Union and first
president of the Foreign Mission Board of the Dutch Church. The church
had 600 communicants, and was described as "a fashionable church in the
aristocratic Seventh Ward."

His son, Dr. John Ferris, spent much of his earlier life with his
father. Dr. Isaac Ferris died June 13, 1873. He was tall, broad
shouldered and of commanding presence.

In 1841 the organ was ordered and finally completed in 1844. It was
built by Henry Erben, of New York, whose son became admiral in the Navy.
Experts tell of the amount of lead used in the construction of its
pipes. It is still pumped by hand as in the olden days. John Pye was
the first man to do this. George Loder was the first organist, and
P. A. Andri the first chorister.

[Illustration: Organ]

In 1843, on the land back of the church the "Consistory Building" was
erected. It was a plain brick building with a high stoop and heavy
wooden shutters. The upper floor was for the Sunday school and provided
with circular seats for classes. In an alcove on one side and closed by
glass doors was the library railed off from the rest of the school. On
the main floor was the lecture room, the floor of which rose in the
back. Between the stairways leading to the next floor was a platform
with two heavy Greek columns and a reading desk between them. It was a
bold boy who would run back there thru the dark when the "infant class"
met in the room. The columns were removed in the seventies and later on
the rounded stiff seats went too. Then the floor had to be leveled so
that the room could be put to general use. Before that it was possible
to reach most of the seats only by passing between the "leader" and the
audience.

[Illustration: Platform in Old Consistory Building]

In the basement in dingy quarters in the rear lived the sexton. He had
the great improvement of having water brought into the house in June,
1847, by a sixty-foot hose. Six years later the hydrant was put up in
the front church yard, remaining there until quite recently.

To the right and under the stoop there was a hallway, which later was
changed to the "pastor's study," in which all smaller important meetings
were held. It was in this little room that the session received members
a