The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-04-21
CATHEDRAL OPENED
CHOIR OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
IN NEW YORK is
CONSECRATED.
CEREMONY Is MOST IMPRESSIVE

CEREMONY is MOST IMPRESSIVE
Many Distinguished CIergymen and
Laymen Are Present-T.vo Beau
tifuI ChapeIs That Are Com
pleted Also Dedicated.
New York, N. Y. = Distinguished
clergymen, both of this country and
from Europe, and persons prominent
in public life, took part in the for
NAL opening of the greatest church
edifice on the continent-the Cathe-
dral of st. John the Divine. Though
the great structure on Morningside
Heights may not be fully completed
for 70 years to come, the completion
of the crossing" has given between
the colossal granite arches of the
tower a space where 5000 people may
congregate. 1t is this part, the choir
and the two finished chapels, that
were consecrated.
The largest and most distinguish
ed procession ever assembled in an
Episcopal church in this country was
seen at the opening service. Among
J those who participated in the cere-
monies were 26 bishops, 400 other
clergymen and the delegates to the
diocese convention. Among promi-
nent laymen who attended the eXer-
cises were Mrs. William H. Taft, and
| Governor and Mrs. Dix. President
Taft could not arrange to be present.
Bishops Who Participated.
Among the bishops who took part
in the ceremonies were: Warrell of
Nova Scotia, Olmsted of central New
York, Millspaugh of Kansas, Vincent
of southern Ohio, Lyons of Newark,
Burgess Of Long Island, Harding of
Washington, Mackay-Smith of Phila-
delphia, Grafton and Coadjutor Bishop
Weller of Fond du Lac, Wis; Talbot
of Bethlehem, Pa; Whitehead of
Pittsburg, Brewster of Connecticut,
Kinsman of Delaware, Lawrence of
Massachusetts,, knight of Cuba,
Sweeney of Toronto and Morris W..
Libert, head of the Moravian church
in this country.
The formal opening service was at
1880 o'clock, for which special cards
of admission had been distributed. The
bishops and other clergy, lay trustees,
convention delegates, visiting clergy
Of other bodies and representatives of
educational and similar institutions
made up the procession, which march
ed from Synod hall into the south
door of the Cathedral, at the eastern
end of the choir. The professional
hymn was Christ Is Made the Sure
Foundation" and other hymns were
Rise, Crowned With Light" and "On-
ward, Christian Soldiers" the last
named being the occasional. The
was sung by the augmented choir Of
half hundred men and boys, among
them some of the best known of New
York's soloists. The sermon was
preached by Bishop Greer
Choir and Two ChapeIs Opened.
Much of the structure thrown open
for use is temporary. Parts conse-
Grated are the permanent ones only.
These are the choir, although that is
not yet wholly complete, for much of
the interior marble lining is not in;
and two of the chapels, both perma-
nent, the one erected by August Bel
mont, which is the middle one, and is
known as st. Saviour's chapel, and the
one given by Mrs. Edward King, i'm
mediately adjoining and known as
the Chapel of st. Columbia. The other
five chapels are not yet finished.
The cost of the cathedral to date
has been between 100000 and $4,-
100000. Some money has been set
aside for endowment, and there is no
debt. 1t is expected that the COM
pleted structure will cost total Of
$15,000,O00. So elaborate and colos-
sal are the plans for the edifice that
more than one notable feat of en-
cheering had to be performed and
others are yet to be solved. One I'M
precedented achievement was the
placing of the keystone in the central
dome, the largest all-granite dome in
the world, without the use of scaffold-
ing or false work.
The idea that New York should
build a mighty cathedral, fit to be
compared with any of the world, orig
mated with Bishop Horatio Potter,
uncle of the late Bishop Henry Cod
man Potter, who, when he came to be
head of the church in New York,
pushed the plan with energy. The
cornerstone was laid in 1891, and
work has since been carried on stead
lily. When st. Johns is completed it
will rank as the fourth largest ca
thedral in the world. First comes st.
Peters nearly twice as large as any
other church covering $4,000 square
feet; then Seville with $4,000 feet,
Milan with 100000, and fourth, St.
John the Divine, with about 100000.