The Washington herald., 1911-12-10
Mystic Plant, Ancient as British Christianity
Itself, Will Bloom During Yuletide in
Washington Cathedral Close.

dence was a spacious colonial mansion
on what is now Cathedral Hill, or Mount
| st. Alban. It is called. Near the house
was a secluded grove OF tall oaks, and
! here, in the splendor of the quiet wood
| life, through the Gothic arches Of whose
trees the sun shone in softened light.
! Joseph Nourse. like a prophet OF old, a
man OF God, would pray and mediate
| for hours.
Saw the Future Mount.
| As he looked down from the heights
Of Mount AIban on the infant Washing
ton rising out of the mud, the spiritual
possibilities OF this latest child Of the
nations stirred within him a desire to
! see erected in the Capital a fitting wit
ness Of the Gospel OF Christ, Of that
kingdom which existed in the republic,
the kingdom of Christ.
After the death OF Joseph Nourse his
residence on Mount st. Alban was fitted
! UP as a church school for boys An up
per room" was reserved for a chapel
and here the pupils and church folk OF
| the neighborhOod gathered Sunday
for prayer and praise. faithful at
tendant on the services was the grand
daughter OF Joseph Nourse, Miss Phoebe
! Nourse, who labOred steadfastly in the
ministratlons Of the little chapel until
| her health, always delicate, failed. For
many years she was an invalid, and then
! ii was that the tradition OF her grand
| fathers prayer led her to strike the
spark that lighted the reality Of this
prayer. For. invalid as she was, day
after day she patiently sewed and sold
her handiwork to friends and relatives,
silent as to what use she was making
! of the proceeds. Often when her frall
body was racked with pain she would
\
seemed to find much happiness therein.
In 1S49 she was called to her reward.
and afterward among her effects was
found a small hairpin box. On opening
| It. IL was found to contain $40 in gold.
| the proceeds of her needlework, and
marked simply, For free church on
Alban Hill" The beautiful sincerity OF
| this Offering so touched a number of
! friends that a fund was started to carry
out her desire, and with the precious
| gold coins earned by a womans love
and devotion they built a little church.
| Her brothers and the boys of the school
personally laid the foundatons. and on
| May 3, 1857, u was consecrated by
Bishop Whittingharn, OF Maryland. the
I first free church in all Washington.
Thus was started the cathedral in the
little Mother Church OF St AIban, which
is now the proud possessor of the title.
The Little Church Within the Cathedral
Gate
| The first donation toward a cathedral
foundation in Washington was the pro-
posed gift of Miss Elisabeth Mann OF a
property valued at 10000. On the Feast
of the Epiphany, January G. 1893, a date
| destined to be historic, a Protestant
Episcopal Cathedral Foundation was es-
! tablshed by act Of Congress. and the
charter OF the Cathedral of SIS. Peter
and Paul granted. Then the question Of
Miss Mann's offer of a site was found
unadvisable, and. as II in direct answer
to Joseph Nourses prayer, nearly 1OO
years later the woodland scene OF his
petition 20 heaven was finally selected
as the site Of the future National Ca
thedral Of IS. Peter and Paul.
On September I. 1898, the Mount St AL
! ban site was purchased for $245, 600 a
large portion OF which was paid in cash
and the rest held in a mortgage. Time
| has since evinced the wisdom of this
choice of a site from a worldly stand
| point. as we'll as a religious and his
torical one. The city is rapidly growing
| in northwesterly direction, and in the
! forty acres or more of the Cathedral
| Close there is room for vast cathedral
| institutions of colleges, charitable instltu-
| tions, as well as for the stately cathedral
| itself. In October Of 1885, the stately
| Peace Cross was raised in the presence OF
q vast concourse of people, including the
general convention Of the American
church, then in session in the Capital, the
President Of the United States, the be-
loved Mckinley, and thousands OF citi-
zens Soon afterward Mrs Phoebe A
Hearst founded the Cathedral School for
Girls. On Ascension Day. 1901. were in
nugurated the first cathedral services in
the open air evensOngs held in the nat
ural amphitheater down the slope from
the Little Sanctuary" Religious gifts
have come to the Cathedral Foundation,
rich with the associations Of the historic
Church Of England and the Holy Land.
On Ascension Day. 1902. a Little Sane
tuary." a memorial gift, was erected on
the site together with the All Hallows
Gate.
The Jerusalem Altar.