The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-10-17
DEDICATION HYMN.

Lsrdi thou hast said where two or three
Together come TO worship thee,
Thy presence. fraught with richest grace,
Shall ever fill and bless the place:
Then let ne feel, as here we raise
Temple to thy matchess praise,
The blest assurance of thy love,
As is felt in realms above.
Here teach our falterng tongues to sing
The glories of the Heavenly King,
Aud let our aspirations rise
To seek the Saviour in the skies
And when the everlasting doors
Flung wide shall show the starry foors,
May we, OH Lord, enjoy with thee
The Sabbaths Of eternity!
The singing of the hymn succeeded by prayer
by the Rev. Mr.. Love, after which Rev Mr.. Moore
read the following hymn, 499th Of the Presbyterian
book of Psalms aud hymns:
And will the great eternal God
On earth establish His abodel
And will He from His radiant throne
Accept our temples for His owni
These walls we to Thy honor raise,
Long may they echo with Thy praise;
And Thou, descending, fill the place
With choicest tokens of Thy grace.
Here let the great Redeemer reign
With all the graces of His train
While power divine His word attends,
To conquer foes and cheer His friends.
And in the great decisive day,
When God the nations shall survey,
May it before the world appear
That crowds were born tor glory here
After the singing of the hymn, the pastor, Rev.
MI Moore, preached most mastery and eloquent
sermon of more than hour in length, from the LIST
chapter of 1st Corinthians 2lst verse: For nfter
that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe" After taking
up the ndel objection brought against christianity
account ofits of unversaity and showing thatt
would prove too much, because it would show that
many other blessings health strength, talents, &c,
were not from God, being also partial In their dis
l IN
ject under the following two heads the inetciency
of human systems of religion and the efficiency Of
that which is from God closing with some dedicatory
remarks of deeply solemn touching and pertinent
character and repeating some beautiful verses appro-
pirate to the occasion in most eloquent and grace.
full style. 1t is net purpose to give sketch OF
the sermon but we may briefly say that it the
best we have ever heard even from Mr.. moore, TO
whom we never listen without wondering at the
bright perennial flow of his genius, and feeling that
behind this great orator there good generous and
high-souled man, whose moral qualities enlist our
love much as his talents do our admiration ,
After a prayer by Rev. MIR. Calhoun, the benedIc-
ton pronounced by the pastor, and the vast con-
gre gaticn dismissed to their homes.
We append description of the building remark
ing that TO be fully appreciated it must be SEEM
The church is in Byzantine stylea style of archi-
lecture bordering on the Romanesque-which pre-
Nv ages of Christianity The building presents front
81 feet Capitol street, directly opposite the Cap
tol Square. The flank extends III feet along Tenth
street where it terminates against building ton-
tanning lecture and Sunday School roorn-thas
occupying three fronts Capitol, Tenth and Broad
sire cts The base of the tower which sustains the
Epre forms vestibule porch to the principal en-
trance while had to the side asles and gale
RES from doors each side of the main buildings in
front and also from the vesbule, lecture roonl and
stair case in the rear
The interior is divided into and aisles by the
tagonal iron shafts which bear the galleries and sup
port the roof being carried up and surmounted with
rich Byzantine capitals, from which springs crisped
spandes archvolts giving the ceiling vaulted ap-
pearance. An arrangement has been made with pan
neled behind the pulpit by which the audi
ence chamber of the church and lecture room can at
any time be thrown together. The entire wood work
inside and the window frames and doors outside,
tpainted in imitation of oak the platerng rescoed
he walls imitation asher; the ceiling panel work
and the columns with their capitals and the wall COR
balls in imitation of bronze.
The whole exterior is succeed with James River
cement-a mat erial which when thoroughly hardened
will be little inferior to the stone dressings. We
should have said before that the entire height of
the spre about 1G0 feet from the level of the street
The architect of this novel and beautiful church is
John M'Arthur jr of Philadelphia; and we think all
who have it will admit that in drafting the plan,
he did himself great credit. The wood work was
ecuted by Messrs. John and George Gibson of this
city, who were the contractors for the building VIM.
Thorn did the stone-work-Glenn Davis the brick
work-Russell 4 Kennedy, the plastering-Charles
H. Langley the tin roofing-S. Landrum the paint
ing-David Wilson, who is in Mr.. LIS employ, doing
the reimbursement Pae, the iron castings-Geo.
Swan the carvins-and VIM. Booth the uphoistering