Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26

The ancient law Of cathedral construction pro-
vides that the glass for great church must he
of a particular kind. 1t must be part OF the
doctrine which the cathedral Is to teach in
terms Of symbols. 1t must tell part OF the
gospel story 1t must be specially made, spe-
cially colored or stained, specially wrought from
first to last 1t must be shaped and placed in
obedience to a special design. Weeks of thought
and labor required for the construction OF
each individual section in each window. No
machine process will serve the need. 1t Is all
handwork. The builders Of Washington Cathe-
dral have established q studio and laboratory
of their own to produce the lovely windows they
realize they must have in their beautiful house
OF prayer. They are obeying the ancient law
in so doing. The work is arduous and exacting.
but the men who are privileged to perform 1t
are placing the American people under an OBJ
legation almost unparalleled in this century.
Multitudes, in time to come, Will appreciate the
results of their toll, and the thoughtful pilgrim
will feel q deep and poignant gratitude toward
the names, remembered or forgotten, OF the
creators of the ir1descent glories Of the COM
pleted church. Visitors to Chartres. in France,
or to Leon, in Spain, today lift grateful eyes
to windows filled by workmen centuries dead.
co, too it is with every other phase Of
- cathedral enterprise The stone, for exam-
pie is cut and shaped, set and decorated &C.
cordng TO principles Of great antiquity and OK
particular architectural and Topographic sig
nihcance. Obviously one stone differs from an
other. So a pattern must be made and executed
for each. I have seen stone for which 20
patterns were made-a stone, so to say with
20 facets. Each stone has particular function,
occupies particular place in the design, just as
each syllable has particular value in line
of verse and each line a particular value in
complete poem. Perhaps We might agree that
an Office building or a hotel is prose" while a
cathedral is "poetry-a glorious hvmn. mag
nificent anthem Of praise to the Master Bu2Aee
Of the universe.
There can be nothing ready made" about
cathedral Only the principles, the laws, the
ideals of cathedral building come down to us
from old time. The translation Of these ideals
into accomplished fact Is a business OF infinite
creative detail. There is no factory to which
cathedral architects may telegraph for thou
sand carved bosses or a hundred carved PIN
nacles Each detail must be executed to par
ticular order.
And from this fact derives part Of the CONF
Polling attraction Of cathedral-building Moth.
ing the visitor sees today in the cathedrals Of
Liverpool, New York and Washington is COM
monplace. Everything is novel and unique. Not
for many generations has there been any work
of construction comparable with these. The
technique we see is one that has not been used
since the old cathedrals of Europe were built in
the Middle Ages.
We glimpse the difference in a dramatic man.
ner when we understand that, though this is
the age of steel, there Is no structural steel
being used in the construction Of Washington
Cathedral. For such an edifice solid masonry
Is imperative. 1t was solid masonry the builders
Of the old cathedrals used. That Is one reason
why the old cathedrals have survived the wear
and tear of centuries.
Not ordinary materials then, nor ordinary
methods are employed in the making of the
beautiful fabrics of this new cathedral age in
which we live. In no other way could the
unique results desired be obtained than by
faithful adherence to the highest architectural
ideals The builders of the cathedrals of the
twentieth century are building for all time.
They are building for beauty. They are build
ing for service. They are building, they believe.
for God. So it has been said that the making
Of great cathedral Is q miracle miracle Of
God at work in man.