Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-29

The city of Washington, although not
one of the largest cities of the world, is
one of the most beautiful Its broad
avenues, its artistic circles, and It's al
mirable public buildings give TO II
charm all it's own.
Every year it becomes more beautiful.
The erection of the congressional library
few years ago added much to the at
Effectiveness of the city, and 1t has peen
followed by the building of other struc-
lures as beautiful in their place as II Is
in it's place. The completion OF the new
Union Station marks distinct advance
in the improvement of the city.
Tne capitol is superior 10 any parlla-
ment house in christendom. The house
OF parliament in London is not to be
compared with it in beauty and impress
siReness.
But even to the casual observer there
is a blemish on our capital which ought
to be speedily removed. It's churches are
not in keeping with the other public
buildings of the city; they are painfully
inferior to their surroundings.
This fact is not creditable to us. For
eigners who come to Washington on di-
plomatic and other missions can not fail
TO note 1t, and the insensible effect up
on the minds of our own people who go
there must be injurious 10 their rellglous
convictions. The visible institutions or
any religion express in some measure the
value which a people puts upon its faith
A great capitol, a great library, great de-
partment buildings, and great railway
station, with no adequate houses of wor-
ship in sight, give the impression that
we hold our religion as distinctly fnfe-
rior to politics and commerce. 1t is an
ominous statement in the history of Sol
omons reign in Israel when the sacred
writer informs us that the King took
seven years to build the temple but spent
thirteen years in increasing the splen-
doris of his own house. q Kings vi. 81
and vii -. Very different was the
thought of his father David, when he
said unto Nathan, the prophet, See now,
1 dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark
of God dweIleth within curtains" The
temple which Solomon built was much
better than the tabernacle in which Is
rael worshiped in David's time, but Sol
omons palace was sim more superior
to David's plain house.
The houses of worship of people
sh ould not be below the level of their
own dwellings and their governmental
structures Their religion is deprecated
when it's visible ms ,utlons are mean
and inferior. While Israel wanders in
the wilderness the nation may worship In
O. tent, but not so when Canaan is occu-
pied and ceiled houses are the homes of
the people. A scattered population on
the frontier may come together under a
''bush-arbor" but when the land has be-
come populous and cities have sprung
up, such place of worship would be
shame.
So with our national capital; 1t is
blemishej by it's churches because they
fall so far below the public and private
buildings by which they are surrounded.
Our case in this particular is without
parallel among the great capitals of the
world. In Edinburgh one sees old st.
Giles; in London Westminster Abbey and
st. Pauls are more impressive than the
house of parliament or the British Mu-
scum; in Paris nothing overtops Notre
Dame and in Rome ST. Peters dominates
the city. In the City of Mexico the
great cath edral overshadows the palace
in which the congress meets and towers
above any other building in the city.
Even in Japan the Buddhist temples of
Kioto and Toxic are superior to the pal
aces of the Mikado in those cities. But
in Washington there Is not one great
church which can be compared with the
poorest of the public buildings. 1t is
said that the congressional library cost
more than all the churcnes Of the city
are worth.
Of course there are some explanations
which can be made which go FAR TO ex-
tenuate this state of things. We all
know tn lat many of the great churcnes IN
other capitals of the world, to which al
fusion has been made, were erected by
funds taken from the national treasu-
ries of nations in which there is, or was,
an established religion, while in our
country religion is entirely separated
from the state and altogether dependent
upon the voluntary offerings of the peo-
pie. 1t goes without saying also that
the historic structures to which refer
ence has been made were in process OF
construction for centuries In some cases,
while our country is but young repub
lie. Other plausible excuses for our
fault in this matter might be offered;
but when all is said that can be said