Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-04-25
GREAT CATHEDRAL
FORMALLY OPENED.
CHOIR OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
IN NEW YORK IS
CoNSEcRATED.
CEREMONY is MOST IMPRESSIVE
Many Distinguished c'ersyren and
laymsn Are Pressnt--Two Beau
tifuI ChaPels That Arc Com
pieted Also Dedicated.


New York, April 19.-Distinguished
elergymen, both of this country and
from Europe, and persons prominent
h public life. took part today in the
formal opening of the greatest church
pdiace on the continent-the Cathe.
aral Of st. John the Divine. Though
he great structure on Morningside
Heights may not be fully completed
for Is years to come, the completion
u the Crossing has given between
The colossal granite arches Of the
lower space where 5000 people may
eongregate. It is this part, the choir
md tho two finished chapels. that
we're consecrated today.
The largest and most distinguish
ID procession ever assembled In I'm
Episcopal church In this country was
zen ct the opening service. Among
hose who participated in the core
monies were 2s bishops. 400 other
elsrgymen and the delegates to the
diocese convention. Among promi-
lent laymen who attended the exer-
.isss were Mrs. William H. Taft and
Governor and Mrs. Dix. President
TAFT could not arrange to be present.
Dishops Who Participated.
Among the bishops who took part
b the ceremonies were: Warrell OF
Nova Scotia, Olmsted Of central New
York. Millspaugh Of Kansas. Vincent
n southern Ohio, Lyons Of Newark
Burgess Of Long Island, Harding Of
Washington. Mackay-Smith Of Phila-
lelphia, Grafton and Coad1utor Bishop
Weller Of Fond du Lac, Wis; Talbot
II Bethlehem, Pa; Whitehead Of
Pittsburg. Brewster Of Connecticut,
kinsman Of Delaware, lawrence q
Massachusetts,. knight Of Cuba.
sweeney Of Toronto and Morris w.
libert, head Of the Moravian church
n this country.
The formal opening service was at
1880 O'Clock, for which special cards
]. II admission had been distributed. The
bishops and other clergy. lay trustees,
convention delegates, visiting clergy
II other bodies and representatives Of
educational and similar institutions
made up the procession, which march
I'd from Synod hall into the south
loor OF the Cathedral, at the eastern
md Of the choir. The professional
. hymn was Christ Is Made the Sure
Foundation" and other hymns were
Rise, Crowned With Light" and "On-
4 ward. ,Christian Soldiers" the last
named being the occasional. The
anthem was Unfold. Ye Portals" and
res 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 chspeIs Opened.
Much Of the structure thrown open
.or use today IL temporary. Parts con.
secrated are the permanent ones only.
These are the choir, although that is
aot yet wholly complete. for much OF
he interior marble lining is not In;
md two Of the chapels, both perma-
aent, the one erected by August Bel.
mont, which IL the middle one. and is
known Is st. Saviour's chapel, and the
me given by Mrs. Edward King, i'm.
nediately adjoining and known a.
he Chapel of st. COLUMBIA. The other
I've chapels are not yet finished.
The cost Of the cathedral to date
las been between 100000 and 49,
100000. Some money has been set
lside for endowment, and there is no
lebt. It IL expected that the com
,leted structure will cost total Of
I15,O0O,OOO SO elaborate and colos-
,al 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 UNI
precedented achievement was the
placing of the keystone in the central
aome, the largest all-granite dome in
The world, without the use of scaffold-
ing or false work.
The idea that New York should
build q 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 II
Will rank as the fourth largest ca
khedral in the world. First comes st
Peters nearly twice as large as an!
other church covering 227,000 square
feet; then Seville with $4,000 feet
Milan with 100000, and fourth. st
Ii. Ah> nix,ino with ah0nf Inn (0A