Evening star., 1924-09-21
CATHEDRAL final
/ TOMB FOR WILSON
First Question of $500
Visitors Weekly Is
Answered.

Naming a curator this week for the
National Episcopal Cathedral Will
emphasize the great strides the cathe-
dral has made as a center of tourist
and local interest, for an average of
$500 visitors weekly is recorded
there now that it has become the rest
ing place of the body of Woodrow
Wilson, and also is being pushed to
completion.
The curator will give visitors more
than a conventional tour of the edi-
flee. In the concept of Bishop James
T.. Freeman, and of the National
Cathedral Foundation. which, inciden-
tally, has moved all its offices out to
Mount st. Alban from downtown, the
curator will try to widen the popular
understanding of what the cathedral
stands for, in itself and in the his
torical setting of cathedral building.
1t Will be among the worlds five
greatest cathedrals.
Body There Permanently.
With the number of visitors rang
ing from $500 up to 1000 weekly, at
a $500 average, the whole plan of
supervising the cathedral has had to
be changed and enlarged. Two
.Nergers are on duty constantly in
sBethlehe m Chapel. under which the
war Presidents body lies. to answ er
.
which is asked more frequently than
any other is this:
Will the body of Mr.. Wilson remain
permanently III the cathedral?
The answer is that it will, but not
in its present location, according to
those at the cathedral. When the
cathedral is completed, the body will
rest in a specially prepared shrine
which undoubtedly will be on a mag
Ia in
edifice.
New Marker Planned.
In the near future it is the plan OF
Mrs. Wilson to place a more fitting
tablet in Bethlehem Chapel than the
one which now bears simply her hus-
bands name and the dates of his
birth and demise. Measurement
were taken this week for the new
tablet. The present stone usually has
some flowers on it, placed there by
admirers and many interesting scenes
and facts are recorded as a result.
. Sometimes one or two daisies a
few vicletS or a single flower of some
other variety will be laid reVerently
on the stone, while again gorgeous
wreath will adorn it. The cathedral
attaches keep careful record OF
these tributes in a book for the spe-
cial benefit of Mrs. Wilson. 1t is un-
from such manifestations of affection
and admiration for Mr.. Wilson. on
Defense Test day there was a notable
percentage of visitors who made it
an occasion of hororing him.
The visitors are from all parts of
the United States, and the world, too,
for that matter. Mrs. Wilson herself
is frequent visitor. Many sign the
visitors book. which, as fast as one
is filled up, is put in the cathedral
archives. This book is not to be con-
fused with the Book of Remembrance
for donors TO the cathedral building g
fund, which is made of special parch-
ment and written in with India ink
and will be kept in the main cathe-
dral.
Final Cost Estimated.
What visitors see now Is a general
view of the new construction. the
chapel. the library being erected east
of the cathedral and the bishops wall.
The next question most frequently
asked is: How much will the cathe-
dral cost? From $4,000, 900 to S13,-
100000 more. according to present
estimate, though, as the edifCe is
going up piecemeal, no precise figures
are possible.
The present contract calls for build