The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-05-03

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"Thc owner of G Glastonbury Abbey,
Mr.. Stanley Austin, was most courte-
Gus to the American bishops, and since
then he has taken particular interest
in the welfare of the diocese Of Wash
ington.'
After reading the above remarks of
the Bishop of Washington, it is no hard
matter to trace whence the inspiration
came which has now found its realiza-
tion in the Glastonbury Cathedra.
When Mount St. Alban was first pur-
chased for the site of the Cathedral Of
Washington, the bishop wrote to Mr..
Stanley Austin to acquaint him Of the
fact. About year later Mr.. Austin
had very interesting communication
to make to the Bishop of Washington.
1t was to the effect that after consulta-
tion with the Bishop of Bath and Wells
and the diocesan architect he was pre-
| pared to make present of twenty
stones from the ancient abbey to the
Cathedral of Washington for the ex-
press purpose Of erecting bishops
| throne or chair. These ancient and
hallowed stones which have been
brought over the stormy pillows Of the
broad Atlantic tell in their silence their
own eloquent history. The stones
themselves have the characteristic
carving of Glastonbury Abbey, and
have been taken from that part of the
edilice which was erected upon the
ancient foundations, about the late
Norman period of English architecture
that is to say in the twelfth century.
These stones form Q) The lower
part of the chair. that is to say the
seat or cathedra proper; also (2) the
two pillars that rise from the arms of
the chair on either side, forming thus
two pedestals. On the panel forming
the back proper of the chair is in
scribed most appropriately the terms
Of the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral
expression of the faith, namely: Holy
Scripture and apostolic Creed, Holy
Sacrament and apostolic Order.
AS the American Church derives its
episcopate from the Mother Church of
Britain, that Church, which unites in
itself the episcopal succession of the
Ancient Kettle Church of the British
Isles, and the Church of post Angus
tinian days. so this Glastonbury Cathe-
dra will represent as visible symbol
and as silent and unerring witness
for coming centuries and for our child
rem that are to be, the unbroken con-
tinuity Of the Orders of the Christian
Ministry in the AngIo-Catholic Com
munion
No more belittlng use could have
been made Of these historic stones from
the Old Land. Shall we not say that
'these stones shall he for a memorial'
unto the Church of America for ever?
And when the children of future ages
shall ask their fathers, What mean We
by these stones? then they shall an
swer-"Look unto the rock whence We
were hewn, and to the hole of the pit
whence ye were digged."
The panel Immediately above the
seat proper will very fttingly bear
names which are all historical land
marks, tracing the Catholicity and de-
scent of the American Church-such
as Eborius, Bishop of ork, Restitutus,
Bishop of London, and Adeltius, Bishop
of Caerleon, the three British bishops
who attended the Council of Aries in
Gaul in A. D. 3l4; S S. Dubricius (or
Dyfrig) Bishop of Llandaff, David,
Archbishop of Menevia, now St.
David's; Patrick the Apostle of Ire
land; COLUMBIA the Apostle of Iona;
Aidan of Lindisfarne, who, in the words
of the great Bishop Lightfoot of Dur
ham sis the true Apostle of England;
Chad, the great Missionary Bishop Of
the Church in Mid-EngIand, and
founder of the diocese of Lichfeld and
Coventry-and Augustine, the con-
verter of the heather English in Kent.
The cathedra has been designed by
MIR. X. w. Gibson, the architect of
the Church Mission House in New
York. 1t is only just to say that Mr..
Gibson has discharged most difficult
task with rare skill and success, dis
playing both great taste AMI judy
ment as well as an intimate knowl- |
edge of Norman and Early English |
architecture. 1t was of course neces-
s ~ to bring in some new material |
i the construction of the cathedra. |
But tn s. additions are few in num-
b,r and are principally in the upper
portion of the chair. The CORES
pondence between these and the older |
parts (the ancient stones) are care
fully preserved, as will be noticed in
the Norman pedinent of the cross
which forms the final Of the chair, in
the round billet moulding, and in the
zig-z.g ornament around the central
panel. Above the ancient Glaston-
bury pillars Oh each side of the cathe-
dra arises a bishops pastoral staff,
and the mitre is conspicuous, occupy
ing as it does the angle below the final
of the chair and above the central
panel.