The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-14
HERE IS 4 CHURCH WITHOUT DOGMAS A Novel Solution Of Religious
 Problems WORK OF MRS. E. VI. BRUCE The Words Dogma" or Greed" Have Never Been Uttered or Collec- ton Taken In This House
 of Worship.
WORK OF MRS. E. VI. BRUCE
From Inc Roston Post


 From the Boston Post.
 A church without denomination and with the money side of the question elim- mated Is the solution of the religious prob lem, says the Rev. Elizabeth M Bruce Of Maplewood.
 To this end she herself, with her own money, had a chapel erected on an ad- dition to her home and never within It's portals has there been a collection taken up or the words dogma" or "creed' Esed.
 Every day for IS years there has been a service held in the chapel at which the Rev. Mrs. Bruce has presided. Fifteen minute sermons are one of Mrs. 1 Bruces hobbies and her one rule is Love God and love your fellow man.
 Besides being pastor of the church Mrs. Bruce has with her own hands completed and beautified the interior. She has painted en the walls series of allegorioal pictures illustrating the flow of the "River of Life" Bible texts and | flowers are embroidered on the cushions | of the settees, both embroidering and upholstering being done by Mrs. Bruce. The chancel with it's masses of flowers, it's prayer cushions and its flight of
 
 window were all designed and executed by Mrs. Bruce.
 She herself Is slim little lady now, with her cameo-lfke face framed with soft white hair, although her hands are ] still slender and tapering with their old time rings and jewels. She wears simple black stuffs that fall about her figure and a little cap of old lace on her head.
 Began 3s Years Ago.
 Thirty three years ago l chose this location and had a house built" she explained as she lay on her couch the other day. T was born and brought up near Niagara, and until I found place where I could hear the water I was not content.
 'I knew everybody around here and l was called when there was sickness or death, and when people wanted to talk their affairs over and get some advice
 Even in those days l officiated at fu- nerals. I had preached at various times Tn Massachusetts, and when my husband held a pastorate at Lynn Regis In Eng land I was called upon to take his place one Sunday morning through a complica- tion of circumstances. You may imagine my surprise when those same English men who are so averse to women preach CTS asked me to take the Sunday evening l service in the future.
 'I wa5 not a regularly ordained min ister until had this chapel erected, how ever. i
 Tt came to me after my acquaintance and friendship with so many of the fam lies around here, that there was no place | where all could meet and worship as friends. Dogma and creed sticks out at right angles at so many churches, and then there is always some sort of fight l about money questions. People can't sln- | In
 q thought it all over and then de- cided to build chapel up here on the hill, attached to my house, and those | who wished to come would never be al lowed to give cent or would they find the clashes of denominations. I had some money and an aunt of mine gave me some to put with it, and then l set to work to design the chapel.
 Decorated Building.
 q oversaw the building and directed | il, and after it was finished I started to decorate it."
 That decoration is one of the most in- teresting sights in New England. There are three memorial windows of the usual type, but the frescoing of the walls the Iainting and upholstering of the settees and even the carpet on the floor repre- sent the labor of love of this unusual woman The frescoing Is a succession of allegorical pictures painted in oils, which l she calls "The River of Years" There are sprghtly, playful little sailboats on the rlver to indicate childhood Further on another picture shows the icebergs | and formidable obstacles which beset mid dle life, and passing to the end there is | the harbor of rest, from which rise the l white doves of disembodied spirits that l fly up the shining stairway to the golden gate where the angel Is waiting to greet them.
 l Even the upholstered settees are em- hroidered with lilies and inscribed with the love texts of the Bible, and the re- markable thing about 1t Is that the paint ing. embroidery and upholstering- l thing has been done by that versatile woman herself
 | "The first service I had" she said, lem hraced, Presbyterians UniversalIsts, Uni | tarians, Swedenborglans, Baptists anu | Congregationalists, and we soon added i Fplscopalians and Catholics. We have at | present some Jews also
 "The services are at o'clock, so not to interfere with other services. Week | days children from 10 to r come, and | on Sundays every age is represented | "I believe in short sermons. One does | more good by a short sermon containing one or two good points forcibly brought I out than by a long sermon which tires l people out Mine 1 make between 15 anG l 20 minutes usually.
 T believe that in time denominations will be done away with. and when the money question Is also kept out of the church a good deal will have been done to eliminate friction from the human race
 r. The Marriage Question.
 "Tbere is another very important thing ! that believe ministers don't pay enough ! attention to, and that is the marriage l question: People are getting so that their 1 marriage vows don't mean anything. If | every minister took each couple they marry and talked to them plainly and | frankly and seriously before the ceremony l I believe that great deal of good would i be done" i Mrs. Bruce's nome is decorated from 1 attic to basement Every door panel in 1 the house is decorated, and the room in 1 the basement is decorated with mural l paintings Illustrative of Mrs Bruces life. l The blue room upstairs has hand-paint- l cd frieze Illustrating one of her favorite poems, and her study has an illuminated poem over one of her bookcases which is also illustrated on the walls. In the | studio are over 300 paintings The room where Mrs. Bruce does her writing IS rose-colored and rose-gray and there she | wrote many or the childrens books TOT 1 which she Is so well known. | From the tower of her house can be seen 28 cities and towns, the Blue Hills and really wonderful water scene talk 1 ing in the ocean.
 HER NEWSPAPER ACQUAINTANCE