Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-06-06
CLERICAL HANDY MEN.
In England Parsons Not "A Few Build
and Decorate Churches with
Their Own Hands.

Clergymen who have painted,
| lately have been much to the fore dur
| ing the last few weeks. 1t must not,
however, be imagined that a new de-
gelopment in church work has arisen
because during the past ten years the
handy parSon" has been very much
IN evidence 1t is only of late that his
work has been apprecia ted, says the
London Mail
Some five or six years ago, for in
stance, Rev. r. Y. Whytehead, who is
| now vicar of CampsaH, in Yorkshire,
built his own parish room when he
was vicar of Madingley, in Cambridge
shire. Funds were short, and Mr..
Whytehead bought the matrials and
with the aid of the local policeman
erected the parish room. The main
room is 40 feet long and 20 feet wide,
and in addition there are two small
rooms, all of which are fitted with fire.
places and chimneys. The policeman
undertook some of the carpentering
work, but the actual building was done
oy the vicar.
Rev. S. Wild, vicar of Langworth,
in Lincolnshire, is another handy
parson." His parishioners were in
need of a church, and Mr.. Wild, hearing
of an iron building for sale, purchased
the same for the villagers. With the
help of a youth he took it to pieces
and fixed it in position at Langworth.
The vicar, however, was not satisfied
with the structure, and in order to
make it look more imposing than the
ordinary iron church, he built choir
at one end and added porch, sur
mounted by belfry.
Lincolnshire possesses another
handy parson" in the person of Rev.
G. W. Macdonald, vicar of ST. John the
Baptist church, at Spalding. The
church was badly In need of coat of
paint, and the vicar decided to under
take the work himself. The sight of
the vicar with the paint brush excited
some comment, and eventually the
news of the clerical enterprise got into
the paper, with the result that one ad-
mirer sent the vicar hundredweight
IF paint, and another sent quantity
of Varnish. Other people sent cash to
the zeal displayed by Mr.. Macdonald
received suitable encouragement.
At Northampton not so very long
ago a remarkable sight might have
been witnessed on Saturday after
noon. The members of the congrega-
ton of Christ church, Northampton,
assembled in goodly numbers and
helped in the building of new parish
room. Many of the workers were pro-
fessional men, but they ably assisted
their vicar, Rev. Charles Bach, I'm brick
laying and other necessary duties.
It is very difficult to find such enter
prise ten years back, but 1t will inter
est many to know that the English In
dependent chapel at Buckley, near
Chester, though not actually built by
the congregation, was partially made
by them. To save both cost and time,
the minister and the attendants as
long ago as the year 1870 made the
bricks for the building, and there are
many members of the congregation
who can see their own handiwork as
they worship in the little chapel.
Other clergymen have made pulpits
and altar screens. The rector of Led
bury some years ago made the first de-
parture in this direction by carving
his own pulpit. One of the latest en-
terprises of this kind was carried out
by Father Allan, who is priest of the
Roman Catholic church at INVERSION.
The pulpit is considered one of the
best carved in the neighborhood, and
to show that Father Allan is an all
round man it is only necessary to state
that he erected an altar screen, the
panels of which he carved in marble,
and also himself painted the pictures
in oils which may be seen in the
reredos. Rev. Charles Kerry, rector of
Upper Stondon, in Bedfordshire, is the
only clergyman who can make stained
glass windows. This busy cleric in the
intervals of his ministerial labors
made his own ovens and furnaces. In
working out his designs on glass he
burns in the necessary colors himself.
His windows are well known in the
neighborhood.