Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-02-14
BOB eURDETTE's CHURCH.
Where the Famous Humori.t Preaeh.,

on Sundays In los Angeles.
Rev. Robert j. Burjette. best known
as Bob" Burdette. humorist, poet, lee.
turer, newspaper editor and now pas
Tor, breaches on Sundays in one of tho
nnest auditoriums in the country, IA
nous for its engineering departures
ana used six days in the week for
grand opera and the performances OF a
stock company. Temple Baptist church
was organized by Burdette's friends SO
that he might take the passionate.
The congregation moved from one
place TO another in the first wear of its
life, paying reut to others because il
had no church Of its own. Then one of
the members of the congregation.
Charles Il. Harris, conceived the plan
or combining an office building, church
ana playhouse under one roof, and the
people took 1t up.
The result Is one of the greatest
church buildings In the world. one of a
FEW that pay a large income to the
church itself. The building Is built en-
tirely of reinforced concrete. TWENTY
thousand barrels Of cement We're used
In its construction, and seven times
that much sand md gavel. Imbedded
In the building throughout are 200 tons
or twisted Steel laid in the cement to
hold 1t In place in spite of strain.
Engineers said that IL Svould be I'M
possible to build the immense dome OF
cement alone. The architects plans
called for span of twenty-five feet
high and 125 feet across. But it was
done
Another engineering feat that was
thought impossible was the construc-
ton of the immense galleries, two of
them, without the use of pillars. Can
talevers twenty-seven feet in length
were required, and when they were
done and tested with five times the
weight they would ever be called on
to uphold they sagged only an eight
zenith of an inch. There are many
.other features of the building that
architects and engineers consider won.
derful.
In way the metamorphosis Of the
preacher is quite as wonderful as some
OF the engineering feats In the build.
Ing. Bob Bur1ette was humorist.
writer and lecturer, but none of his
friends ever thought of him as a
preacher.
Until he came to California, six years
ago, after giving up the editorship of
the Burlington Hawkeye, which he
made famous, he was thought of as n
successful joker, that was all. But In
his more serious moments Bob Bur-
dette had always been recognized by
nature as good church man. When
he settled down in his handsome Pasa-
dena home on Orange Grove avenue
he turned more seriously than ever TO
church work
The result was that he was duly or
daincd II minister of the Baptist church
three years ago and since that time has
developed INFO n preacher of remarka-
bic force ana power. From 1900 to
5000 persons listen to his morning SER
mons every Sunday. lie takes time to
do certain amount of writing also.
travels extensively and reads omnlvo-
rouSly.
Added 10 the interest attaching 20
every one OF Durdcttc's sermons is the
music rendered from that great organ.
one Of the largest In The world. that is
built into the auditorium. This organ
Is one Of the three largest and finest I'm
the world and has sixty stops and 900
pipes.-Los Angeles Cor. Washington
Star.