Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-12
A>l6DEL CHURCH.
What Religious Paper Says of the
FirsttBaptst Church of Fort Worth.
", u /;
Utility, Elegance and Beauty Rival Each Other
in Every Part-The Stained Glass Win
dows and 104O-Pfpe Organ.
Texas Baptist and Herald.

AS q representative of the religious en-
terprise and muniicence of the citizens
of Fort Worth, stands the splendid, new
structure of the First Baptist church.
For taste, elegance and convenience it is
without q rival in the Southwest and
without superior in the entire South,
or, indeed, in the whole country. 1t is
just right in every particular, and in
this judgment all who have seen it
agree. On this sentence the Southern
Baptist convention, the most imposing
religious body in Christendom, will
pronounce judgment next May. We
cannot describe in these limits its SUI
preme beauty. Suffice it to say that
after seeing many of the beautiful church
buildings i'll the old world and in the
new we never saw one in which all the
parts were so tastefully and economic
ally employed; utility, elegance and
beauty rival each other in every part.
In color, shape and proportion
every feature constitutes a
charm. From the chaste tint of
the stained glass windows, the pleasing
effect of the terra Gotta frescoing on the
walls to the somber limestone rock of the
exterior wall, every part is most pleasing
to the eye. The building is not like some
structures in the great cities of very great
cost, but every corner seems to have.
been equally divided between utility mad
taste. The cost of Che edifce, furniture,
carpetipg and all will not exceed $780,
900.
To get an easy, comprehensive IDEA of
this well-designed church edifice, con-
ceive of a square plot of ground measur-
ing ninety feet on side. This is an ap-
proXimate to the actual dimensions, be-
ing 82X96 feet, aggregating about four
hundred feet of wall, broken by four
towers. Divide this ground space INTO
two parasitic larger for audience room,
rObing rooms, PASTORS study, etc,
and the smaller for Sunday-school
room. The partition between these
adjoining parallelograms, is made of
movable doors, resembling, when closed,
a beautiful, paneled partition wall. The
audience room is an exact square-55x55
feet-capable OF holding 500 persons on
the floor and $50 in the gallery, actual
count. In one corner IS the new organ,
to be described later on. In front of that,
is the pulpit, under which is the..bap-
tistry, so entered as to present the can
didate at sthe proper depth before the
audience. The ceiling of the audience
room is composed of concentric, grOined.
arches, tinted light blue, and presenting
a mostpleasing effect. Above tbs mani
audience-rooIn floor is'a gallery, sweeping
two thirds around the room in front of the
pulpit. The Sunday school room is to
the right of the pulpit, beyond the nova
bic partition, as before stated. The seat
ing capacity is, by actual count, HOO
800 on audience-rOOm floor, $50 in GAL
lery and $50 in Sunday-schoo room.
Each space is entered by three entrances;
hree to the main floor, three to the gal
cry and three to the Sunday school
room. Above the Sunday school room
are three large parIors, which may be
thrown into one large reception room by
means of sliding doors, with a floor space
OF 55X34 feet. Besides these main rooms
there are committee rooms, robing
rooms, kitchen, and all the departments
of a modern church. The whole is
lighted both by gas and electricity.
The carpet in the main au-
dience room is of body Brussels
and cost about $1,000. The roof is of
Welsh slate, and the pipes and joints are
all of Spanish copper. The stone was
quarried.at GTanbury. The most beauti-
full feature of the house is its stained
glass windows. There are 104 openings
in the walls, most of which are filed by
stained glass. In the main room there are
two opposite each other, which measure
Skip feet each. The one in front of the
audience and Left of the pulpit is baptts-
NAL scene, and the one behind the audi
ence is the pathetic parting of Ruth and
Naomi Each window is composed OF
three 3 gothic sections symmetrically
arched, With the larger in the center
The other scenes are historical in scrip
thral representation and are a study in
themselves.
Z The organ was manufactured especial
" for this church and cost $1,000. It
contains the following stops: Sixteen
feet, double open diapason (resonant,
full tone) lower notes wood stopped, 50
pipes; s feet, open diapason grand fulks
tone), metal, IS pipes; s feet Gambg#
(soft sweet tone), metal, 50 pipe,
eight feet, Melodia (rich round to4E)
wood, tifty-eight pipes; four feet, flute
harmonic very orchestraD metal, fifty
eight pipes; four feet, principal (brightS
chorus tone) metal, ffty-eight pipes
three feet, Nasard bright chorus toneE
metal, fifty-eight pipes; two feet, Pic
coli bright chorus tone) metal, fifty
eight pipes: eight feet, open Dlapason
(full round tone metal and wood, fifty
eight pipes; eight feet, Clarina soft
string tone) metal, fifty-eight pipes;
eight feet, Aeolina very del
lcate) metal, fifty-eight pipes: eight
feet, Lieblich Gedacht Gull flute tone)
metal and wood, ffty-eight pipes: four
feet, Violino (clear tone metal. fifty
eight pipes; two feet, Flageolett (clear
tone), metal, ffty-eight pipes; two TX.
Cornet brilliant tone) metal, I16 pipes;
eight feet, Trumpet Smooth, mellow
tone), metal, fifty-eight pipes; eight
feet, Bassoon Smooth, mellow
tone), metal, ffty-eight pipes;
Tremulant; sixteen feet, open
Diapason grand, deep tone) twenty
seven pipes; sixteen feet. Bourbon deep,
subdued tone) tTenty-seven pipes; swell
20 great manual; great manual to pedal;
swell manual to pedal; bellows; forte to
great organ; piano to great organ; bal
anced swell pedal; doppel flute, solo stop.
Summary: Twenty-four registers, three
pedals. l040 pipes.