Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-11
EPISCOPAL SERVICES
ASCENSION DAY OBSERVANCE BY
LOCAL CHURCHES.
Annual Meeting Of Cathedral Associa-
tion-Dedication of Jordon Font
at Cathedral Close.

The Episcopal churches of the District
wifi keep the festival Of the Ascension to-
morrow, and on that occasion the diocese
of Washington will celebrate Cathedral
day." the exercises for which will consist
of the annual meeting of the National Ca
thedral Association, corporate communion
in the Little Sanctuary on the cathedral
site, Tenleytown road; the dedication OF
the Jordon font. now temporarily placed in
the newly erected baptistry. and the first
open-air evensong of the season.
The evensong will begin at PM, after
the meeting of the Cathedral Association
and the celebration of the holy eucharist.
During the service the font will be conse-
Grated, and Immediately following the first
baptismal service with the JordOn font Will
occur. This will be an immersion, and 1t
is believed the presence of the great con-
gregation that will assemble will make 1t
memorable.
Bishop Williams of Marquette has ac-
cepted an invitation to preach the sermon,
and all the clergy of the diocese will be In
the procession Music will be provided by
several boys choirs of the city and the
Marine Band. 1t is expected that Mrs.
Roosevelt will attend the service, and pos
sibly the President also, if his official du-
ties will permit.
Description of the Font.
The baptistry is situated near the CEN
ter of the cathedral grounds and in what
will be the angle formed by the north wall
of the nave and the north transept of the
future cathedral This building Is about
fifty feet in diameter and has been erected
as temporary structure, so that the font
may be used as occasion requires and also
to protect this beautiful and costly work
of art from injury
The font Is made of pure white Carrara
marble. 1t is Octagonal in shape, fifteen
feet in diameter. and raised on three steps
In the interior there are stone steps for de-
Scending into the water when the font Is
used for immersion. In the center of the
font stands the figure of the risen Christ
with appraised hand. giving the command
recorded in the last chapter of st. Mat
thew's Gospel go We therefore and teach
all nations. baptising them in the name OF
the Father. and CT the Son and of the Holy
Ghost" While in His left arm He holds q
little child symbolizing the command that
ton, Feed my Lambs" In His hands an6
side are the wounds made when He was
upon the cross.
There is no halo about the head because
| it is said, the figure tells it's own story
showing that it is the risen Lord who was
crucfied and now is alive forever. The
| figure of Christ stands on a rock. out Of
which the waters of baptism flow, thus
symbolzng the living water, so continu
| ously empha sized by the primitive church
| The interior of the font is lined with stone:
| gathered from the river Jordon
The Sculpture Work.
| The principal events of Christ's life, es
| pecially those recorded in the Apostles
| Greed, are sculptured on the eight exterior
! panels of the font, as follows: The Birth o.
| Christ, the Baptism of Christ. the Calling
| of the Apostles the Crucifixion. the Resur
! rection and the Ascension of Christ. thu
| Day of Pentecost and the Coming of Chris
| to ransom His own at the Judgment Day
| At the corner of the octagon stand the fol
| lowing apostolic figures: st. Peter, st. Paul
| st. John, Joseph of Arimathea. st. jaime:
| of Jerusalem, st. Mark, ST Matthew ant
| ST. Luke. All the writers of the New Tesla
| ment are here represented. except st. Jude
| His place is taken by Joseph of Arimathea
| who gave his new hewn sepulchre for thu
| entombment Of the Lord
| Few, if any, baptismal fonts large enough
| for immersion have been built since the ris
| of Christian art. and this font stands, 1t Il
| said, as witness to the right of ever,
| Christian to have the sacrament admins
| tered either by immersion or pouring, a!
| provided by the book of common prayer o
| the Episcopal Church.