PLYMOUTH CHURCH                  153
 

QUAKER   CITY EXCURSION

V^^^^HE plan of the Quaker
M w I City Excursion, made fa-
^^^^^ mous by Mark Twain,
originated in Plymouth
Church, when Mr. Beecher contem¬
plated writing a Life of Christ. He
expressed a desire to visit the sacred
places of Palestine, where our Lord
lived and where He was crucified, and
wanted several members of Plymouth
Church to go with him. A committee
was formed to arrange for the jour¬
ney, composed of Captain C. Dun¬
can, John T. Howard and Rufus R.
Graves. A very beautiful and sub¬
stantial side-wheel steamship, the
Quaker City, was chartered for the