Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-08


ing ministers, on Wednesday next at 1
o'clock pm.
The New Church organization in this
country dates back over a century The
movement In this vicinity began in West
n:oreland county, Va, and in Baltimore.
chiefly among members of the Church of
England, notably among these being the
Rev. Jacob Duche, the first chaplain of the
Continental Congress. Sermons were
preached at the national Capitol in Wash
ington before the President and Congress
in the years 1902 and 1904 by the Rev. John
Hargrove, the pastor Of the newly formed
organization in Baltimore. The Washing
ton Society of the New Jerusalem was
formed in 1871, and has enjoyed the sue
cessive pastorates of Rev. Rufus Dawes.
Rev. Jabez Fox. Rev. Z. d. Daniels and
the Rev. VIM. B. Hayden.
The present pastor, Rev. Frank Sewall,
who is also the general pastor of the Mary
land Association, is a native of Bath, Me.
Graduating at Bowdoin College, he spent
several years in Europe in study, chiefly
at the Universities of Berlin and Tubingen.
At the latter he enjoyed the society and
special direction of the learned DR.. I'M
manuel Tafel, professor of philosophy ana
librarian of the university, who was the
chief editor in Europe of the writings of
Emanuel Swedenborg. Returning to this
country and receiving his ordination in
1863, he accepted a pastorate near Cincin-
lati for several years. and then was called
to the presidency of the New Church Col
lege in Urbana, Ohio, where he remained
for sixteen years, during which time he
raised a considerable endowment for the
college and extended its buildings and
teaching equipments. Resigning the presi-
denCy in 1885, he accepted call to tenn
porary pastorate in Glasgow, Scotland, and
from there he went with his family to the
continent for a season of travel and study,
a
torate of the New Church Society in
Washington. The same year-lSS0-the
former edifice of the society on Capitol
Hill was burned to the ground and the gen.
eral convention of the New Church in
America, meeting that year in Washing
ton, took measures looking to the erection,
by cooperation of New Churchmen
throughout the country, of a new house
of worship. During the five years that
have since elapsed fund of nearly $780,,
600 has been raised for the new structure
and fer the purchase of the valuable site,
which has a frontage of So feet on 10Th
street and runs east on Corcoran 10 feet
to an alley. The massive foundation of
Potomac blue stone is already laid, the
ground having been broken for the excava-
ton on Wednesday, October "A.
Meanwhile. the church has been wor-
Shipping under the Rev. Mr.. Sewalls minis
try in the rented chapel on Dupont Circle
until the present winter. 1t has removed
to a commodious hall in the National Law
School building on 18th street just below 1.
Description Of the Building.
The style of the New Church edifice will
be English perpendicular Gothic, and the
material Indiana limestone of light gray
tint. The frontage on 10th street Is 30
feet. and the depth on Corcoran street 10
feet. The ground plan shows an auditor
ium, 47x64 feet, with three spacious YES
tibules, an eastern apse for chancel, 20x24,
and a transept to the south, 1Ox3O. COM
municating with Sunday school building.
The tower will be on the northwest COR
ner, IS feet square, % feet to top of par
apet, and los feet to top of spire. The
tower vestibule will contain a stairway to
gallery, across the west end, which will
open into the auditorium by three large
circles The height of the auditorium under
the ridge will be i45 feet, and to the caves
20 feet. en- the north of the chancel will
be the pastors room and committee room,
and on the south VIII be an organ space.
A transept gable on the north will con-
tain a high triple window The chancel
will have q yaulted roof of buff brick, with
stone ribs and seven lancet windows and
at the west. admitting light over the gal
lery will be large triple window, with
rich tracery. All the tracery of the win
dows will be of stone. and all of the ar
chitectural features of the church, includ
ing piers. capitals, corbels and ribs, the
wainscoting of the interior and the walls
and groined arches of the vestibules will
be of stone and buff brick. The walls will
have a sand finish and will be decorated
in warm tint. The stairs. doors and
screens will he of oak, and the open-roof
trusses and ceiling of pine. The floor OF
vestibules and of the chancel will be tiled
The spire will be of copper on an iron
skeleton The building will be heated by
a system of steam pipes and fan and will
be lighted by electricity.
The plan embraces also a Sunday school
addition the south of the transept, ISX
80 feet, in front of which will be an octag
onal vestibule and staircase hall 16 feet
deep. The basement will contain a refec-