St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-02-25
The main partitions are

with brick. The main partitions are
also of brick.
Sept. 10th, the corner stone was laid.
Before another winter set in the chapel
walls were up and covered, and those
of the main building had reached the
caves.
That thousand legged scaffold was
now set up, which for nearly two years
made promenading here periIous, and
baffied sightseeing. The season of
1879 saw the whole rooted and closed
in, and the stone work completed, ex-
cept the tower from the belfry upward.
Furring and lathing were pushed
during the winter. The plastering, be
gun in April, 1880, was laid in three
coats throughout most of the building.
The frescoing occupied the midsummer
weeks. The scatfolding was taken out
Sept. 18th, after which the flooring
and ceiling proceeded rapidly.
October LIST, cauvassing committee
was set at work with subscription pa
pers for the furnishing. They report
ed some $1,000 raised, which, with the
avails of the organ concert will prOba
bly, cover that outlay.
The dimensions of this house are as
follows Length of audience room, on
the floor, 76 it,; including gallery, 90
#. breadth, Sc it,. do. including tran
septs leach 35 by 81, "a it.; height, 40
fit. Dimensions of chapel, including
parlors, 20 by 35 #. All these are in
side measurements. Entire length out
side, 1872 TT. Height of turret from the
ground, $40 fit.
Tho ruantitiac of fba tarialc
plOyed foot up as follows formulation
PC, 0lS cubic it., 2643 tons, or 239 car
loads. Number of brick, S34 $50, or
over five-sixths of a million lime, 1856
bbls. cement, 265 bbls. calcined plas-
ter, 25 bbls. slate, 200 squares (of 100
feet of, spruce, 379, 1913 cherry, Al 1856 !;
pine, %, 422; birch, hemlock, and hard
pine, 1928; lath Sc, 240; total SIC, APO.
For most of this lumber we have drawn
upon the general market, but the ash is
from our own forests. The cherry also
grew within thirty miles of this spot,
and has been picked up stick by stick
since the enterprise was begun. The
organ case, however, is of western cher
ry. The audience room and all the
front part of the house are finished in
the native cherry. By its clearer grain
and variety of complexion, it shows the
harder soil and climate with which it
has had to contend. The lower story
of the chapel, and its entrance are fin
ished in ash.
As to the labor of brain and hand
that have entered into this work, our
local pride is not little gratified that
we have been able to furnish it so large
| ly at home. 1t is no secret here that
there has been vast amount of study
and painstaking back of the architect,
and that ideas in church architecture,
decoration and furnishing, have been
collected and sifted from all directions,
the old world as well as the new.
The architect and general superin-
tendent is one of our own citizens.
This design, so unique and striking, is
chiefly his own, carefully wrought out
by study of books and examination of
the best models in New England and
out of it, yet none the less an inspira-
ton. Knowing well the minds of his
principals, he has spared no time or ex-
pense to make the work perfect. The
result is before you. | will not speak
of it as a work of art. There are bet
ter critics here to-day than |, and am
set not to praise but to narrate. We
omit much of descriptive detail of the
method and material of the church
building, for want of rOom.-Ed.
The frescoing and the glazing are
almost the only work belonging to the
building itself for which it was necessa-
ry to send abroad. These designs and
work, are from the establishment OF
Mr.. w. j. Mcpherson, of Boston. Next
to their intrinsic beauty and delicacy,
and their harmony with the rest of the
interior. they are noticeable for their
lack of all ecclesiastical symbolism.
There is not a cross, dove, lamb, a
crown, a book, a cup, heart, a line OF
scripture to be found. Why not so,
for change? At least there will be
this advantage, that when the eharac-
ter of Paul is held up from the pulpit,
Peter will not present himself for con
sideration from the wall and while
the preacher is endeavering to rouse
his hearers interest in the education OF
the Freedmen, his hearers will not be
set bordering on the doctrine of the
trinity by trefOil or a text.
The bell of the old church crack ed
last spring. This bell in the tower,
weighing little over 5000 lbs, was
put up instead by the contractors, as il
it had been in the agreement that they
should make good all losses, with in
terest.
The glorious organ, as you know,
built by Messrs. Hutchings, Plaisted &
Co., of Boston, was the gift of Mr.. Chas
i g l. al, ,NI
Tunbridge Wells, England, as mOnu-
ment to his father, Gov. Erastus Fair
banks, of wide and fragrant memory
Under the touch of our visitor Organist
it has told its own story, beyond the
need or the reach of any words of mine.
Its bellows is operated by a powerful
motor driven by water from one of OuI
village aqueducts.
From this beautiful Pulpit Bible the
husband of the donor will to-day preach
Ithe Dedication sermon.
4 Out of His blessed promptings a beau
tiful new church is at length ours, the
fruitiOn of over four years plannings
self-denials and labors. Here it stands
finished and paid fer,-at least provid-
ed fOr,-to the last dollar, owned by
this church, its seats free. We enter it
with all gratitude and humility. We
view it not as our desert, but as Oul
privilege; not as our possession, but as
our instrument. We take it in hand
not for self qualification but to use fol
the Master and his work. We are here
to-day to promise him that and in his
strength to undertake it, as the signifi
cation of Dedication service.
vi