Edward Hagaman Hall

“ The Spirit of the Cathedral The Real Cathedral
On Morningside Heights, in the City of New York, on ground consecrated by the blood of our forefathers in the War for Independence, stands a trinity of institutions which represent with singular completeness the three-fold nature of man: Columbia University, which ministers to the Mind; St. Luke’s Hospital, which ministers to the Body; and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which ministers to the Soul. ”

“ John the Divine first impresses by its size. Its magnitude is not only becoming to its rank as the chief church of the great Diocese of New York and necessary for the accommodation of large congregations, but it also has a spiritual purpose, for it gives one the feeling of something bigger than one’s self and of a Power greater than one’s own. “The Cathedral gives me a feeling of humility,” said a man to Bishop Greer one day. ”

“ John the Divine is a Protestant Episcopal Cathedral, its ministrations are not restricted. “Our democratic age,” said Bishop Henry C. Potter, “demands a place of worship that will not disregard the teachings of the Founder of Christianity. In this Cathedral there will be no pews, no locked doors, no pre-payment for sittings, no reserved rights of caste or rank, but one and the same welcome for all.” And what Bishop Potter prophesied when the Cathedral was first planned is literally true to-day. ”

“ When the ushers started toward the Altar with the offertory, the bird soared across the congregation and alighted on the hat of a woman dressed in mourning who was sitting near the middle aisle, its snow white plumage contrasting strikingly with the sombre attire of the bereaved woman who seemed not to be disturbed by what perhaps she regarded as a happy omen. In a moment the dove flew to another part of the Crossing. It remained in the Cathedral a few days longer ”

“ It is a reminder of the relatedness in which men stand not only to one another but also to those who have preceded them, to all that is still memorable in a not quite vanished past.” And looking to the future he spoke of the meaning of the Cathedral to coming generations when it should have become adorned with associations growing like ivy over walls made venerable by time. ”

“ Here, in the great cosmopolitan Diocese of New York, this idea has appropriately been carried a step further in these chapels to include the idea of all the nations of the earth gathered around the Altar of the Saviour of Mankind. They recall the cry of the multitude in Jerusalem at Pentecost: “How hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born ... the wonderful works of God” (Acts ii. 8, 11) . Among the interesting services held in these chapels are those in the eastern (St. Saviour’s) chapel for the Japanese and Chinese in their languages and for colored people in English. ”

“ In a general way, it may be said that the Cathedral will be finished as fast as funds are provided;—and no faster, for the authorities have rigidly maintained the provision of the statute, building only what can be paid for, and worshippers are therefore not kneeling on any debt. Anyone desiring here to enshrine a loving memory or to embody the offering of a grateful heart may place a donation to the Building Fund in the alms-basin or in the box at the door, or send it to the Dean at the Cathedral offices in the old Synod House, at Amsterdam avenue and 112th street, New York City. ”

“ Under the roofs of the north and south aisles runs the triforium gallery; and there are many beautiful details of ornament, including the tracery, panelling, capitals, niches, pinnacles and sculptures. A light and cheerful effect is produced by the illumination through 32 stained glass windows—eight in the aisle and eight in the clerestory on each side,—and the great Rose Window in the west end. ”

“ The Nave is urgently needed, not only that the great ideal which the building embodies may be carried forward, but that there may be room for the people who come for spiritual help, and that the Cathedral may meet its unequalled missionary opportunity. ”

“ Its appeal to the latter was particularly contemplated when Bishop Potter said: “The person in the period of suspense as to certain fundamental beliefs needs something larger, higher, wider and roomier, more impersonal for the time being, than the parish church.” It is hardly necessary to add as a corollary of the foregoing that there are no “strangers’ pews” in the Cathedral; and nobody, however unaccustomed to the Cathedral service, needs to feel any timidity or hesitation about attending. The large proportion of men in the Cathedral congregations is particularly noticeable. ”

“ And the Trustees not long ago said: “New York is the chief city of the Western World. It impresses the imagination at every turn by visible evidence of the power and splendor of material achievements in American life. Such a city should be dominated by a building which, in its greatness, dignity and beauty, bears witness to those spiritual forces without which material achievement is valueless because soulless.”
A Sign of Stability
This ever-changing city also needs the Cathedral as an evidence of stability. ”

“ When preceding the Bishop he carries his staff upright at his right shoulder, but when going before the other clergy he carries it in the hollow of his left arm. The organist and Master of the Choristers, wearing the gown and hood of Doctor of Music, is usually invisible, being seated at the console in the gallery on the screen at the south side of the Choir. At extraordinary musical services, an orchestra is seated in the Choir, between the stalls, and then the Master of the Choristers stands in the Choir, from which point he directs the singers, orchestra and assistant organist. ”

“ When they leave the school, they are followed by the interest of the Cathedral organizations which endeavor to secure scholarships for their higher education. The men of the choir, of whom there are about 20, do not reside at the Choir School. The usual number of choristers, men and boys, in the Cathedral services is about 60, except during the summer vacation when the number is somewhat reduced. There is probably no finer choir school in the world, and the Cathedral music is the highest expression of this form of musical art in this country. ”

“ In the upper part of the north wall is the gallery of the organ, which is independent of the great organ of the Cathedral. Choir Stalls near the Altar are a distinctive feature of this chapel. Two clustered columns divide the south aisle into three bays in the middle one of which is Bishop Potter’s Tomb, of Siena marble. On the tomb is a recumbent figure of the Bishop in Serevezza marble, by Mr. James E. Frazer. The Bishop is represented in his episcopal robes, and the execution is so fine that even the texture of the lawn sleeves is apparent. ”

“ The things which endure the longest are generally of slow growth, [10] and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is no exception to this rule. It is not a steel-frame structure, but is of massive masonry in the best traditions of Gothic architecture and is being built to stand for ages. Its physical construction must therefore necessarily be slow. ”

“ In the spring of 1918, some weeks after the great German drive of March 21 had begun and before the beginning of the counter-offensive of the second battle of the Marne in July, the large stained glass window in the clerestory of the Choir above the entrance to the Chapel of St. Boniface arrived from England. All the ventilation openings in the Cathedral windows are screened to exclude birds, which, however interesting in their natural habitats, are a practical nuisance in the Cathedral. ”

“ Boys are admitted to the school at the age of 9 and remain until their [107] voices change, which is usually between the ages of 13 and 14. They come from all parts of the United States and possessions, two boys recently having come from Alaska. An applicant is first received on probation, and if he manifests a good character and disposition, and gives promise of a good voice, he is accepted as a chorister. Until they become full choristers, vested with cassock and cotta, probationers sit in separate choir stalls in the Cathedral services and wear only their black student gowns. ”

“ Above the central portal is the great Rose Window, flanked by the mullioned Gothic windows of the towers. Above these, a gallery of niches containing statues extends entirely across the façade, after the manner of the Gallery of Kings at Rheims Cathedral. Above this rise the belfries of the two towers, each surmounted by pointed turrets at the four corners, while between them, just above the gallery, appears the gable of the Nave. The West front is 220 feet wide and 80 feet deep, including the buttressing. ”

“ The Eight Great Columns standing in a semicircle around the Sanctuary and forming seven interspaces opposite the seven Chapels of Tongues, are among the marvels of the Cathedral. They are approached in size only by those in St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Petrograd. The shafts of light gray granite from Bear Island, near Vinal Haven on the coast of Maine, were quarried as monoliths and turned on a special lathe which cost $50,000. ”

“ I hope that our people, and especially those who have the stewardship of wealth, will keep this great spiritual and missionary enterprise in mind, and that many may be moved to aid it. The building waits only for the necessary funds. And in the revised drawings, we at last have plans which by their majesty and beauty worthily express the aim and ideal of this great structure ... ”

“ As the primary ranges of piers and columns rise to the spring of the arches which support the roof of the Nave, instead of being shortened to support the clerestory, an effect of great spaciousness and lofty aspiration is produced; and this arrangement, together with the rhythmic alternation of great piers and relatively small clustered columns, allows a play of light and shade surpassing that of any mediaeval cathedral. ”

“ Occasionally an ancient shrine grew into a great church in consequence of some tradition or superstition which caused a continuous stream of illustrious persons to shower wealth, privileges and honors upon it. Pope Honorius prescribed collections in all Christendom for the building of Rheims Cathedral. ”

“ The foundation of the Cathedral is of Maine granite. Although the bed-rock of Morningside Heights (Manhattan schist) lies near the surface, it is so disintegrated near the top that it was necessary to go down 72 feet in some places in order that the Cathedral might rest securely on the “living rock.” The excavation and foundation alone cost a quarter of a million dollars. ”

“ A Bishop’s crozier is usually in the form of a pastoral staff, or ornate shepherd’s crook; an Archbishop’s staff has a cross instead of a crook at the upper end; and a papal staff has a double cross at the upper end.
[45] The founder of a see is usually represented holding the model of a cathedral. ”

“ It represents a dead Crusader, such as those who went from Cambridge, Eng., in the 12th century, and gave their lives for an ideal, lying upon a cross with his head pillowed in a woman’s lap. According to the traditional position of the feet of the Crusader, he was one of those who never reached Jerusalem, those who did so being traditionally represented with their feet crossed. The woman may typify Alma Mater as well as those women who gave their best to a great cause and made their lonely grief their glory. ”

“ I believe that for the carrying forward towards completion of such a building as this, of which the whole country may be proud, and for the upholding of the spiritual, social and civic ideals which it embodies, not only the people of our own Church but many others in this metropolis and elsewhere will be glad to make their gifts and to have their part and share with us. ”

“ The walls are lined with Rosato marble. On the under side of the marble archway at the entrance are reliefs representing the Three Persons of the Trinity with angels, as follows: (Left) the Father in human form [36] , with triangular nimbus, holding the globe of sovereignty; angel with lute; angel with lily; (top) the Holy Ghost in form of the dove; angel with trumpet; angel praying; and (right) the Son in form of the Paschal Lamb. The false perspective of the side walls is similar to that in the Sacristy of the Cathedral of Siena. ”

“ On His left, (in order from center to spectator’s right) are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Moses, representing the Old Testament; and on His right (in order from center to spectator’s left) are St. John, St. James, St. Peter and John the Baptist, representing the New Testament. The scale of the Cathedral may be judged from the size of the figure of our Saviour, which is seven feet high. Those of Moses and John the Baptist are 6 feet 10 inches high. In smaller niches on the front and sides are 16 angels holding various emblems—palm, sword, shield, swinging lamp, crown, trumpet, etc. ”

“ Verger and the clergy in inverse order of their rank. The Bishop, if present, comes last, and is immediately preceded by the Verger and an acolyte bearing the Bishop’s pastoral staff. [5] If the Bishop is absent, the Dean comes last, preceded by the Verger. If neither Bishop nor Dean is present, the Verger precedes all the clergy. The Verger (in black gown with purple facings) , carries a silver staff surmounted by the figure of an angel holding a tablet on which is engraved the symbol of St. John the Divine, the chalice with emerging serpent. ”

“ During their residence at the school, the boys are under strict but gentle discipline and have the finest education and musical training that can be given them. Their board, education and musical training are free, in return for which they give their services as choristers. ”