The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-22
i ROOSTER on THE CHURCH.
View York worshipers Dislike st,
Peters symbol.
Eng .h Eoosfrs May b R1igioas
Bat It's = ct so In a mrsca-
The Bird Mast &C..


ge~ York sun-
The Protestant Episcopal church Of
st. Mark Ia Adelphi street, near De
KaIb avenue. Brooklyn. is one OF the
most fashionable churches in that
part of the city The membership Is
large. TIE rector j. the Rev. Spencer
s. Roche. an able pulpit orator and .
tireIess church worker. Last summer
the old church building was torn
down. and g new structure on the old
site is expected to he completed by
Easter. The new building win be one
OF the most graceful church ediices in
Brooklyn Its architecture is OF that
character known as the transition be-
tween the early English and the dec
GRATED styles. The church has Eaas-
sIye front of Carlisle red sandstone, the
material making fine show; particu-
larry in the large octegonai tower,
which rises az the southeastern corner.
In the interior the cezlingis of polished
grained oak The stained glass win
k&VNss Hill <&sE 1Ayy1& W EAk &lf " IA
he costly and beautiful.
Everything about the church is sat-
isfactory To the members with one ex-
eeption. but this exception has stirred
the feelings OF the parishioners OF st.
Marks almost to rage Right on the
top of the fine octagonal tower, sur
mounting the curved arms OF q
weather yane, there has been placed
the figure in gilded iron of big zoos
ter. The rooster Is nearly two feet
long and is foot high. He is only
about $50 feet from the ground. He
stands perched III an important and
self-eompiacent attitude, and he seems
from the street TO be rooster of as
tonishing size and dignity. But his
glory viii be short lived. Almost be-
fore he can greet another sunrise he is
to topple down, never 10 rise again.
He is TO come down in obedience to
the unanimous and indignant request
of the rector and parishioners of st.
Mark s, who have been shocked and
scaadalized at the idea of putting
rooster on their church. They wor-
ship at present in the Sunday-school
chapel attached to the church, and
theg have had TO see the odious roos-
Ter every Sunday for a month now, be-
sides on week days seeing passers-by
stare for while at the bird on the
weather vane and go away wondering.
Ii all came about in this way. The
architects of the new church editice
are Messrs. Marshall q Walter
of 81 New street in this city. When
the committee of che church inspected
the architects plans for the first time,
they noticed that drawn in faint, blue
lines above the end a weather vane on
the tower was the figure OF rooster.
They didn't think much about this.
they say, and had no idea that the
architects really meant to surnount
the church with a rooster. One of the
committee said at the time that the
drawing was probably in Jest. and
then the committee forgot all about a
rooster, and about the weather vane,
too, for that matter.
In the committees subsequent ex-
animation of the plans. the sheet con-
tanning the drawing of the tower never
happened TO be unrolied to its full
length, and as the top of the tower in
the drawing came very nearly to the
edge of the street, and the drawing of
the rooster on the tower was a very
minute one, the rooster was not again
seen on the plans.
As they have been erected, the arms
OF the weather vane are curved, but In
the drawing they were made straight,
so that some, if not all, of the church
committee mistook the weather vane
for cross, and didn't have any idea
there was To be weather vane upon
the church at all
The emotions of the parishioners of
st. Marks may be described as those
of simple horror when, one fine morn
ing about month ago they diseov-
cred the rooster serenely twirl-
,ng about on the handsome
tower. The parishiouers held
many inpromptu little indignation
meetings. 1t was universally agreed
that the rooster must come down. and
Rector Roche wrote letter TO the
architects. He expressed his surprise
that such an object should have been
erected upon the church. In reply
Architect Walter, who drew the plans
for the church, said it was a custom in
Europe and England to place upon
the steeples of Roman Catholic and
Episcopal churches the cock and
weather yane. Mr. Walter is an
Englishman. He added that the cock
is an emblem of ST. Peter. and, as
such. had a fitting significance upon a
church.
To this letter Mr.. Roche replied that
whatever might be the custom abroad
1t was entirely unprecedented to place
a rooster upon church in this coun,
try. Mr.. Roche said that people were
not in the habit of connecting q
rooster with religion, but rather with
the dung-hill, and that so far from the
bird being considered an emblem OF
81. Peter. everyone knew that the KEYS
were st, Peters symbol. Mr.. Walter
promised To take the rooster down.
The rooster was still on the church
yesterday afternoon, but Mr.. Walter
said yesterday that he would have il
down in day or two, He said that
10 take the cock down was consider.
able of a job. In place of the cock and
weather-vane there viii he placed upon
the church a fine large gilded cross, in
accordance with the original inten.
ions of the church commit tee.