Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-04-22
By FRANCEs GoRpoN DENNY.


Historic Washington is getting more
than its usual share of attention from
national organizations Of women just
now The Continental Congress of the
Daughters OF the American Revolution,
. which has been in session this week,
3clOSes IN time to afford the delegates an
opportunity 10 e to Baltimore for the
PanAmerican Conference of Women and
the national convention Of the League of
Woman Voters, but all viii join in the
return 10 the capital for Washington day,
which is to be celebrated April IS
The beauties OF Washington always
find an important place in the reports
that u. A. X. delegates bring home from
their annual convention, as do the points
of historic interest to which official and
unofficial pi E-lmages are made. Letters
from Indianapolis delegates this week
dwell vii enthusiasm on the Easter
service they attended as a body in the
''.-, Sanctuary OF the new Episcopal
-.;hedral of 5. s. Peter and Paul, now
.nOwn as the Washington Cathedral.
Since this part of the cathedral has
been built ii has been the custom TO have
a special service with patriotic sermon
on the sunday preceding the sessions of
the Continental Congress Of the D. a. K.
and as Easter fell on this Sunday this
year, IL was an occasion OF more than
/
this patriotic service lies in the fact that
the history Of this cathedral is linkeo
with the plans thar Gen. George Wash
ingtOn outlines for the capital city Of the
United States when he specified that they
include "a great national house of
prayer for ali the people In Difference
to this wish IF General Washington,
Maj. Pierre L'Enfant. the French engi-
neer who laid cut the city, planned a
State church 10 be built on the present
site Of the Patent Office. 1t was to be a
sort Of American Westminster Abbey, but
not denominationaL He describes it as
"a church TO be erected for national pur-
poses, such as public prayer. than
Thanksgiving, funeral orations. etc"
OF course, such a State church was
nnever built; but the idea was not wholly
lost Among Washington's intimate
fiiends was Joseph Nourse, first reg
istrar OF the treasury. He lived on
what is now Mount st. Alban, the site
of the present Washington Cathedral.
He was a man Of deep religious eonvic-
tions and was accustomed to pray that
the wishes OF our first President might
be realized, and that 4 church might,
indeed, some day he built on this height
overlooking the city. Years later, upon
the death OF his granddaughter, Phoebe
was found among her effects. with a
request that it be used to start fund
for a free church on 81. Alban Hill
In accordance with this wish. a small
chapel was finally expected there and
vas called ST. Alban.
It was not until 1895 that the idea
took shape Of building in Washington
& great cathedral that should stand as
national monument of religious aspira
ton: and then, By an odd coincidence
the choice Of location fell upon st
Alban HILL" the very spot where Jo-
seph Nourse had prayed nearly a cen
fury before that a church might be
built Bishop Henry Yates Satterlee Of
the Protestant Episcopal diocese OF
Washington. was largely instrumental
IN concentrating this plan. In sos q
great stone cross, called the Peace Cross
was expected to mark the site Of the
cathedral and at the unwilling Presi
dent Mckinley made an address.
Only the apse, OF what is known al
the little Sanctuary" Of the cathedral
is as vet finished. but the design o
the whole great structure has been mad,
familiar to US through the fine collec
ton of drawings and photographs tina
n were exhibited at the Heron Art In
~ stitute last fall It's general architectu
raj features are along the lines Of thu
cathedral of Cologne, but the porchet
resemble those Of the cathedral o
Amiens, France. Stones from the quar-
RES Of Solomon and from the ledge O
rock in which the Holy Sepulchre a
Jerusalem is hewn have been brough
to this country and fashioned into thu
high altar which Will ultimately b.
placed in the cathedral proper. Their
is also Il pulpit made Of stone takeI
from Canterbury Cathedral England, snC
bishops chair made of stones from
Glastonbury Abbey. where, according Il
tradition, Joseph Of Arimathea estab
lished his mission and founded his church
among the ancient Britons.