The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-02-16
USES OF A CATHEDRAL.

In his sermon last Sunday morning at
Old ST. Pauls Church Baltimore on the
National Cathedral of the Episcopal
Church in Washington Bishop Satterlee
of Washington, set forth the value and
uses of great free church in the National
Capital. He spoke of the influence always
exercised by great building and of the
mysterious moral influence of the great
cathedrals in particular, an influence
which gains in force with the increment
of years.
The question is often asked" he said,
"'What is the use of cathedral in our
modern civilation?' A cathedral must
first of all fulfill Christ's command-it
must be Il house Of prayer. The kind of
church service which does not inspire
people to be better men and women, bet
ter parents, better citizens, must have
some inherent defect Our ideal of wor-
ship should never obscure Christ's ideals.
The house of God should not only be one
to which all are welcome, but in which all
Cau tdhc pau. Anu tueie 10 pClHapS III
book except the Bible which brings a
deeper sense of the saints than the Book
of Common Prayer.
"a national cathedral should stand as a
witness of Christian unity. 1t should be
the house to which statesmen and COM
mon people alike may come realizing that
it is their common Fathers house. Our
national cathedral should stand as a fear
less defender of the belief in the separa-
ton of church and the state; it should be
the defender of that which dares not be
fettered by the state. Religion always
exercises tremendous power over the
spirit of men. The union Of church and
state engenders a sort of doublcmindcd-
ness among those who believe that the
church of Christ should exercise temporal
influence, so that they use without hesita-
ton questionable methods to gain politi-
cal aggrandizement."
The tremendous moral influence, the
Bishop said, in the National Capitol Of a
national cathedral whose preacher would
dare hold up the mirror of Christ's gospel
to those servants of the public who forget
thata public ofliiceis a public trust whose
preacher would not hesitate to serve as Il
modern Savonarola in rebuking the
wickedpc ss in high places, could hardly
be estimated
There are rising in Washington other
ctr TO h., l;,;,
the educational, the aesthetic interests of
the nation" the Bishop continued rs
there to be no monument to show that the
first settlers in this county were religious
menu In this connection he said it was
Interesting to recall that the plan of erect
ing a national church had been approved
by George Washington. The national
church proposed at that time was to have
been erected, he said, upon the present
site of the Patent Office. 1t was intended
to be the building in which union and
memorial services were to be held and it
was also intended to contain the monu
ments voted to be erected by the CONT
mental Congress.
In conclusion Bishop Sattcrlee bespoke
the hearty support of the movement. He
spoke of the purchase of the resent site,
known as Mount Adams, an lid that Il
debt Of 100000 remains upon it. He also
described the first service held after the
purchase-the unveilny of the Cross of
Peace-during the general conve ntion
about two years ago. The fulfilment of
the promise made that day for the cree
ton of cathedral which should be nation
nal in its influence and comprehensive in
its aims, he said, rested with the church
throughout the country.