The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-09-23
ST. JosEPH's TO HAVE ALTAR.
Ogden Artists Are Working on Beau
tifuI Structure.

There is a little unpretentious look
ing carpenter shop on Twenty third
street straight through the block from
the court house. over the door is a
slab bearing the inscription, A. r.
Richter, carpenter. There is nothing
about the sign or the appearance of
the building that would cause passer-
by to look more than once. Dust and
cobwebs cling to the windows; a
glance through the slightly opened
door reveals spiral shavings, pieces of
wood cut out at all angles, and the
many other things that litter the floor
of busy woodshop.
The door of the shop is opened
every working day and three men
with carpenter aprons tied around
their waists enter. The door is closed
again at o'clock in the evening and
the men go home with an intelligent
days work to their credit. Day after
day the little shop has rung with the
sound of the hammer upon nail and
plane rasped over the surface of the
yielding wood. Results, material. must
follow after labor hard and sustained,
and the results of this work being done
so quietly will be a beautiful addition
to st. Joseph's church.
Pillar after pillar, domes, frescoes,
Greek crosses and the miniature
spears of a beautiful altar have grown
under the direction of ]. F. Canadian
builder; R. Jepperson, wood carver,
and A. a. Richter, carpenter, who are
working on the new altar that was or
dered for the st. Joseph's church some
months ago.
Mr. Canadian comes from Chicago.
He studied wood carving for several
years, and is real artist with the
chisel and the soft poplar wood. j. F.
Canadian and A A. Richter are well
known locally, and the elegant con-
struction of the altar has been guided
by their intelligence.
The original designer of the artistic
piece must not be forgotten, and the
Woods e Co., architects. Local work
men. local money, the altar for a local
church, together form quite testino-
NAL for the city
The altar proper consists of three
parts, the base, the tabernacle and the
surrounding spires. When set together
it will stand thirty feet high and will
cost in round numbers $1,000.
In the middle of the base four pillars
of highly polished onyx support mar
BILE Stag of emerald hue, which rests
directly under the door of the taber-
nacle. Below the marble and within
the compass of the four columns OF
onyx, some rich woodwork makes a
beautiful background. The center of
the figure is resting lamb, emblemat-
ical of purity, to the left of the lamb,
a heart pierced with a two-edged sword,
depicts the agony of Christ. on the.
right an embellished heart, typifies the
transformation of the resurrected Lora.
Around this figure and without the
compass of the columns delicately
f.o,- a
whole.
The tabernacle is fashioned after the
Gothic style. Within the walls are lined
with white satin, without the door is
plated with gold. Clusters of three pill
lars of onyx the height of the taber-
nacle stand at either side, and ancient
designs carved in the wood set off the
whole. Farther removed to the right
and left some higher than the top of
the tabernacle are two domes Ador1ng
angles from the top of these look down
upon the door of gold. Surrounding
the domes are single small pillars of
white onyx.
Above the whole, making the entire
altar we'll balanced and rich with the
best classical and modern wood art,
stands a central spire surrounded by
smaller spire of similar design Greek
crosses cap each spire and put
finish both typical and elegant.
Two smaller affairs at each end of the
main altar form nearly half circle.
They are made of wood. carved to
blend we'll with the general style. These
two, together with the central altar,
will be painted pure white and tinted
with gold.
Christmas night has been set for the
of the masterpiece. Sur
rounded with twinkling candles. the
light made mellow by the blue of the
alcove in the church, the altar will be
a sight that would gladden. the heart
of an artist.-Ogden Standard.