Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-08
TT WILL NE YEARS nuuLDINe.
Cathedral that when Completed WIZ
he The Lnrgcat I'm ThIs Country.

Cathedral that when Completed VIII
he the Largest In This Country.
Up on Morningsde Heights, in New York,
on the crest OF ridge commanding view
OF buildings uncompromsingly modern,
there is in process OF construction a cathe-
dral of the medieval time. reports the New
York Herald. The great Cathedral OF St
John the Divine, the largest ecclesiastical
cdifce In the United States. Is now beyond
the stage Of foundations and OF stone dress
ing. The cathedral churches OF the Protest
ant Episcopal church, the Trinity cathedrals.
the Christ church cathedrals, scattered all
over the country, are Chapels compared to
the majestic pile which men are rearing
I on the heights which command the region
OF the Harlem.
The crypt of the Cathedral Church Of St
John the Divine is as large as many houses
of worship accounted to be by no means
small.
Many have looked admiringly at the tail
arch which stands out against the sky line
up there on Mornngsde. They have taken
the measure OF its great height and COM
mented upon the magnitude Of the work
which Is going on under the lee OF St Luke's
hospital. The arch, the keystone of which
was recently fitted in place, stands 14O feet
high and has a span OF eighty-six feet. 1t Is
Insignificant compared with the cathedral
which is being built. 1t is only bit OF in
terror construction, the beginning Of the
spire which will tower for 440 feet The
giant arch now seen is less than one-thrd
the height the topmost final will reach
when this great temple of the Christian re-
ligion is completed
BY standing on top of the arch the best
view may be obtained OF the work which
lie =,
bounds the grounds of the cathedral. The
photographer is able to make manifest the
possibilities of the work.
The plans contemplate building 500 feet
long and 200 feet across at the widest point.
The cathedral will be a cruciform church.
The trustees expect to finish the choir and
transepts in 19O3 but it is probable that
they will not make that much progress.
The choir, which alone will cost 5000 900,
may be finished next year. The trustees do
not expect, however, to carry the task on
rapidly, for the. diocese of New York, rich
and influential as it is, cannot spare enough
of ready money to prosecute the work of
cathedral building as though it were an ordi-
nary structure.
Two decades from now workmen may be
putting finishing touches here and there upon
the Cathedral Church Of st. John the Divine
The ornamentation may be carried on
through many years 1t may be that the
walls and the seven towers of the structure
will be in place ten years from now, al
though IT Is extremely difficult to determine
the amount of time required to complete such
a work.
1t is recorded that the wise man, taking
thought on the building OF a house, first
counted the cost. 1t is impossible to esti-
mate the amount of money required for such
an edifice as this as the prices for labor and
materials are variable quantities. The cos,
of the cathedral will be 10000 OOO accord
ing to conservative estimates.
While the house is being built the spiritua
life which Is to abide in the splendid pile il
developing. Services are carried on every
week in the crypt buried deep In the but |
tresses of stone. The primitive church wor-
shipped in catacombs and finally reared |
stately temples. The life of the cathedral on |
Morningside Heights is developing the same
way Within a few years hundreds will b. |
telling of the days when the Cathedral |
Church of St John the Divine was just begun |
and the faithful worshipped amid the piers |
of the giant arch.
This crypt, although it is covered with a |
wooden roof, is place of worship which |
appeals to the aesthetic sense. 1t has six |
stained glass windows and the walls are |
hung with tapestries which were made for |
Pope Urban VII. 1t contains the Tiffany |
chapel, yeritable work of art.