, 1874-01-04
Opening Of the Fourth Presby.
terian Church.
Description Of the Building---Histoffy
Of Pastor and Congregation.
The Views Of the Religious
Press.
Discussions Of The Labor-Qucstion---
Prayers for Editors.


OPENING OF THE FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Fourth Presbyterian Church, recently
completed, at the corner Of Rush and Superior
streets. is buils in the early English style OF ar
| chitecture, and is OF Atheus Stone, rock faced,
with chise1ed edges, with dressings Of the
samo material. The plan is Latin cross, the
transepts extending but little beyond the walit
OF the church. The northern eud ID terminated
by FIVE sides of an octagoD. containing the or
gan. On the southeast corner Of the building il
the tower, which is to be surmounted bJ 8 stone
spire, rising $50 feet from the ground to the
point, and in which is the principal entrance to
the auditorium. There are, besides the princi-
pal tower entrance, two porch entrances to the
auditorium. Tie whole width OF the nave is GO
feet. and the depth 120 feet. The distance across
the transepts is 81 feet by 4s in width.
On entering tho vcstibule through the tower,
there are two entrances to the audience-toom.
This occupies the entire main story OF the build
ing. It has senting capacity Of 1900. The
seats are arranged 10 semi-crcular order facing
towards the north. The pulpit is situated on
tho north side Of the edifce. It is raised four
stops above the floor of the naye, and back Of it
is placed the organ, separated from the pulpit by
beautifully constructed and tastefnlly carved
pHuel-HOIA VI u GElAI-t!1Eu4dI 6uApE Ak llH
| south end OF the nave, is q gallery The materi-
al Of which the pulpit, the seats, and tho gal
! lery are made is black-walnut. In tho finish OF
the interior, soidty, beauty, aud durability have
have been happily combined. The root is open
clear to the ridge-polo, exposing to view all the
timbers. TIE trefoil windows in the tran
sept have been made to accommodate
themselves to the form of tho gables. There is
hrt
pie majesty Of tba interior loads = charm which
greater elaboration would fail to produce.
In the basement Of the building, occupying
tho entire space Of the tranEept, is tue Sunday
school room, with two separate entrances from
the east side, and connected with two spacious
class-rooms by large sash sliding doors. The
PASTORS study is also this floor, and ia entered
from the hall to the Sunday-school room. I'm
u1edlaiely adjoining the west classroom is a
ladies' parlor. private entrance on tile north
side of the church leads to tie kitchen. The
entire cost of the church with all it's appurteu-
ances is about 330,000. It was built after the
plans Of u. Netf, architect At the request OF
the Building Committee, Bauer l. Loebni!z,
architects OF this city, superinteuded the work,
after the church was rooted.
Although this is model OF 4 convenient
clusch-edi6ce, it is 8 matter Of so,na doubt
whether it will accommodate all who desire to
hear the pastor regularly. The Society deserve
great praise for what they have done in this
work, but 1t mus: be matter OF regret that tue
accommodations ale not on larger scale. THIS
portion Of the city is rapidly filling up, and the
time will no doubt soon come when Prof. Swing
will fnd his new church too limited in it,
capacity.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
The Fourth Presbyterian Church appears on the
horizon as double star, both If which wero OF
the first magnitude, to wit: the North Presbyterian
and the Westminster Church. the former being
~. - 81
churches were consolidated just before the fire,
and the name assumed was the Fourth
Church." The Rev. D. c. Marquis, pastor of
the North Church, having received q call to the
Central Church. Of Baltimore, at the time Of the
consolidation, Prof. Swing, who WAS at the same
tlne pastor OF tho Westminster, received and
accepted q cali to the uewlv-united churches.
The new Society under his administration con-
sisted OF four hundred members, was rapidly
growing. and WAS prosperous in all respects,
when the great fire came and swept everything
away. leaving with homes only two or three fam
lilies, residing in the South Division. Under
these sad circumstance, however, neither pastor
nor people were willing to Weld to despondency,
in Standard Hail. and the house WAS soon over
flowing. McTicker's Theatre was secured, and
this has been filled almost every Sunday for the
last fourteen months. The new church edifico
on the corner Of Rush and sn perio,r streets, was
planned and is now complete. The congrega-
ton las become one OF the largest in the coun-
try. One of the pleasant episodes in the history OF
the church il the services held in the theatre.
They have been truly spiritual pleasures to the
thousands who haze attended At the closing
i meeting last Sunday, hundreds could not OBJ
tain admission. aud those who did, will never
forget tho occasion.
PROF. SWING
is bv birth Cincinnatian, aud is now about Al
wears Of age. His early Life WAS spent among
tho song Of birds and the music Of waterfalls on
farm near that metropolis. He is B child OF
nature in her noblcst moods, and no wonder the
element Of poesy predominates in both his life
and flowers for the university, wnere he is said
to have studied fifteen hours day. At %, he
united with the Old School Presbyterian Church,
and at about the same time began the study Of
law in private, but soon made up his mlnd that
theology was prefeable. and became student
in this department, under the Rev. Dr.. n: L.
Rice, known in Chicago circles as the ?" Old De-
fender F" OF Ca1vinism. When preparing for the
ministry, he vas elected as {. Professor in Miami
University. While performing the arduous
years ago, he received call to the pastorate OF
the Westminster Church Of this city, which ho
accepted and where he lahored until tho union Of
that church with the North, which now forms
tie Fourth 2rcsb8tcrian Church. Unlike Robert
Collyer, he never worked at the anvil, but he al
ways studied at nights and SUNDAYS until he was
II years Of age. As preacher Prof. SWING IS
too well known to need any comment. dis
friends and admirers are numbered nv tbousands
III this CITY and elsewhere. It can be truly said
of him, ITO know him is to love him" It is
safe to say that Chicago likes him, and that he
likes Chicago, and that this mutual love ls not
ant to diminish, but rather to increase. He is
confesHedly one of the greatest preachers, not
only in this city, but in the United States,
PROMINENT MEMBERS.
Among the prominent members Of th,s ehaTeh y11
lam A. Ewing, H. L, Lewis, 3: C. Turner: Will
lam sprague, George Chandler, 4; II. Pence
r. S. Chard, A. Keith, Albert l. Munger. ).
Hall Dow. Edward Hemsted. Or. r. N. lsham,
Henry W. King, Charles A. Spring, Senator
Waite, John MeLandburgh, 7: g. MAYNARD, the II.
Hon. Leouard SWEET, Dr.. II. G. Heydock,
e. smeeth, J. Al. Durard, Il: s. Brown.
l. B. Colt Horace 4 Hnrleu G Goas H. Mall;aSa, seo3f
Gen. Webster, O. H. Lee. B. Merrill. l. T. ball,
@. ". Potter, c. c. Webster, 0. F. Fuller, 3. Y.
Pagc, and others. -
THE RELIGIOUS PRESS.
The religious proEs without exception, extend
10 their readers the compliments Of tho season.
s.Tno Week Of Prayer " is another theme gener-
air commented upon. as is also the Commune