The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-29
To Be Dedicated BY Special Ser
vices At the Church Of the
Unity This Morning and Eve
ning-A Fine Program
A MEMORIAL TO
MRS. ALICE M. RICE
Her Legacy of $4,000 Furnished
Means for Renoyating Church,
Building New Organ, etc.-Sen-
ator Hoar and Rev. DR.. Hale
Will Speak

VIII OPCdN
A beautiful tablet to the memory
of Mrs. Alice Miller Rice was set up
yesterday in the Church of the Unity.
1t was made by Tiffany & Company Of
New York and is the gift of Mrs.
George F. Hoar who was a sister of
Mrs. Rice.
The tablet is rectangular in shape
and is made of glass mosaic of many
tints of green, finely blended. 1t is set
In an oak frame with a decorative gilt
border. The inscription is I'm loving
memory of Alice Miller Rice. July %,
1S40-March 81 1900" The tablet was
placed on the wall at the front of the
church between the pulpit and the
pastors study 1t was said last night
that there would be no special eXer-
else of unwilling the tablet.
At the service this morning Rev. DR..
Edward Everett Hale breaches the
sermon in memory of Mrs Rice and
will doubtless allude to the tribute
paid her in such an appropriate way
by her sister Mrs. Hoar. In the even
ing the service will be commemorative
Of the completion, the alterations and
improvements in the church which are
now ended with the installation of the
pipe organ. The speakers will be DR..
Hale, Rev. Frank L. Phalen, the pas
tor of the church, Rev. Austin S. Gar
Yer of the Second Parish Church, Rev.
V. E. Tomlinson of the First Univer-
salist Church, and Senator George F.
Hoar
Though the new organ at the Church
of the Unity will be played for the first
time today. there still remains work to
be done upon it. A force of five men
has been busy at the church for the
past three weeks. under the supervis-
ion of A L. Barnes, the organ expert
from Utica, n. Y. Mr. Barnes re-
manned in Worcester until the latest
possible hour yesterday, when he had
to leave to occupy his position as or
ganist in the Baptist Tabernacle,
Utica.
The new organ at the Church of Uni
ty was built by ]. w. Steere & Son Or
gan Company. Springfield. This firm
bought the rights for this organ in the
United States from Carl G. Weigle of
Germany, the inventor, The action is
the new tubular pneumatic. Other in
struments of the make are those in
the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Minneapolis, Mimi; the new Methodist
Episcopal Church of Pasadena. Cal;
the Baptist Tabernacle in Utica, N.
Y. and the First Congregational
Church in Pennington, CT.
The organ has three manuals or key
boards. The novelties in the system
are the simple pistons the arrange
ment for combinations. and the Gre
scendo pedal which, as now operated,
is almost entirely noiseless in drawing
registers and in making combinations.
Water is the motive power. the sys-
tenn being the Spencer. made in Hart
ford. CT. The distinctive feature is,
that in place of numberless small bel
lows a fat leather membrane Is en-
ployed, which works in two wind pres
sures The organist in playing re-
moves the pressure from one set of
membranes and pressure is restored
instantly when the key is released.
There are about 2200 pipes of various
sizes and materials in the organ. There
are no crackers as in the old fashioned
Instruments In place of that wooden
apparatus to carry the motion of the
key back to the valve, the new organ
is sR1plied with tubes.
Besides the new organ there are 9TH
err changes in the interior of the
church Handsome stained glass win
dows have been put in place where the
old organ stood, and the gallery has
been supplied with seats taken from
the front of the auditorium to make
place for the new study prepared for
the pastor This is at the left of the
front of the auditorium and offsets the
organ which is at the right in front as
one enters the church. New windows
of stained glass have been set in the
sloping sides of the roof. Walls and
ceiling have been frescoed and the
black walnut wainscoting has been
done to match the general furnishings
of the church. The new carpet laid
some time ago is in red and black.
The carpentry was done by f. J.
Cross; Barker & Nourse were the arch
fleets. and Stenberg & Co. did the fres-
Going.
The committee in charge of the
church improvements was made up of
the heads of the several departments
of church work and was as follows
Albert H. Waite, chairman, Gen. Rock
wood Hoar, Rev. Frank L. Phalen,
Mrs o. F. Rawson.
The improvements at the church
We're made possible by the legacy of
$40, 900 left by Mrs. w. w. Rice. A
beautiful tablet in glass mosaic with
appropriate inscription will be unveiled
today to the memory of Mrs Rice. The
tablet was prepared by Tiffany of New