The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-01-24

stone, it was one of the late Emperor
Williams last commands that the
cathedral should be built by ''the ruler
and people of Prussia to commemorate
the victory over the French in 1871 and
the foundation of the new German
empire" The share of ''the people
of Prussia in the enterprise seems to
be confined to providing, through their
parliamentary representatives, the re-
quired money.
The building is to be in the style of
the Italian renaissance. 1t has been
much criticised, and it is certainly of
a type that would not find much APP
prevail in this country at the present
time. The emperor, however, pursues
the even tenor of his way unmoved by
criticism, and the Prussian diet has
been induced to vote $4,000 900 for the
carrying out of the work, but on the
understanding that no further sums
are at any future time to be asked for.
The foundation stone was laid by the
emperor in 1894, and the work is adj
vancing steadily, but without the signs
of popular interest and the incidents
of Jealous self-sacrifce ant voluntary
effort which, in more democratic COM
munities, sometimes make the story
of the building of cathedral SO at
tractive and impressive. The COM
pletion of the building is looked for
some time in 1904.
The seventh of this list of cathedrals
Sc +b ono ,,o1x, ~, Na,r Norly
city. Though placed as seventh in
order here, it is by no means the least
of the number, either in point of at
Effectiveness or cost, but in both these
points is classed ahead of all the 9TH
ers. The cathedral of st. Johns, New
York, will be one of the largest in the
world, and by far the largest and finest
ecclesiastical building in America. In
city of tall buildings'a lofty structure
was inevitable; as matter of fact,
the central tower of New York cathe-
dral will be, with the exception of Ulm
Minister and the Eitfel tower, the high
est structure in the world. From the
height will be AS feet, or about half
as high again as the campanile of new
Westminster, which now forms such
conspicuous landmark in the west of
London. AS the cathedral is being
erected on commanding site on the
Washington Heights, it will as COM
pletely dominate the city of New York
as st. Paul's cathedral dominates the
city of London.
The foundation stone was laid in
December, 1892, though nearly 20 years
before that committee had been
formed and some money collected.
The architects, Messrs. Helms G. La
Fargo, whose plans were selected in
an open competition, have designed a
building on the most magnificent scale,
and one which is calculated to cost,
before it is completed, more than
$5,000,000. Of course, it will be very
long time before the great work is
fully accomplished. The progress dur
ing the past ten years has not been
very rapid, but chapel under the
choir has for some time been open for
public worship, and the erection of the
superstructure is being steadily pro-
ceeded with.
The style adopted by the architects
is a modified form of Romanesque.
The most striking feature of the ex-
terror design is the group of seven
towers, two at the west front, four
smaller ones at the angles of nave and
transepts, and the great central tower
with its spire rising high above them
all. The choir ends in an apse, into
which open seven chapels, each ac-
commodating $50 worshipers. The in
tention is that in these chapels divine
service shall be conducted every Sun
day in seven different foreign lam
guages-French, German, Spanish,
Italian, Swedish, Armenian and Chi
nese. Such feature, which is prob
ably quite unique, is an interesting
indication of the spirit in which the
enterprise is being carried out; mod
-ern and local needs are to be kept in
view, rather than ecclesiastical tradi-
ton. New York is one of the most
polyglot cities in the world, and al
ready, in different parts Of the city,
services in connection with the Epis-
copal church are held in nine different
languages. HUGH B. PHILPOTT.