Evening star., 1932-04-02
DEAN MEEKSL|STS
CATHEDRAL AMONG
GREAT CHURCHES
Will Take Its Place With
Notable Edifices of the
World, He Says.
GIVES STRIKING VIEW
OF 'WOMEN'S PORCH
Sir Willmott Lewis Delivers Ap-
peal for Assistance in It's
Construction.

washington Cathedral will take its
place among the great churches Of
the world" in the opinion Of Everett
Victor Meeks, professor of architecture
of Yale University, and dean of the
Yale School Of the Fine Arts.
Delivering the last of a series of
lectures at the Mayfiower Hotel yester-
day afternoon, on the general subject
of Historic Temples" Dean Meeks
climaxed with stirring tribute to the
Washington Cathedral. He concluded
a series of beautiful illustrations CT
temples Of the New World with several
striking views of the Washington Ca
thedral, and finally the Women S
Porch, for the benefit of which the
series Of lectures was presented.
Praises Splendid Plan"
Your own great Cathedral" he de-
clared. will take its place among the
great churches of the world" The
speaker praised its splendid plan,"
which he described as having the "es-
sence" of other great cathedrals.
They have all the plans Of all the
past" he said. 1T Is no wonder that
sign" One interior view the speaker
described as furnishing a thrilling per-
spective," while the crossing" itself,
he explained, will be so large as to
present one of the most interesting
features. Dean Meeks expressed the
hope" that the Women's Porch may
be built very soon."
An eloquent appeal to those who had
attended the lectures to assist in the
building of the Women's Porch was de-
livered by the presiding officer of the
series Of lectures, Sir Willmott Lewis.
Reviewing the series, Sir Willmott said
I'VE have moved around the world to
come back to our own temple" He
praised the builders as constructing
temple adequately to express "the faith
and ideals of the American people"
In these five lectures on ancient
temples" said Sir Willmott, I'VE have
girdled the world-like the man in
Chesterton's story. we have had to go
around the world to find the way
home. The road has brought us back
to Washington, to our own Cathedral
and to the purpose for which the lee
lures have been given.
They will have told us nothing If
they have not told us that all the great
buildings which have passed before lis
on the screen were more than an appli-
cation of changing modes and meth
DDS in the history of architecture
they were an expression Of the faith
and the ideals of the men who built
them. The life of communities is re-
corded in their monumental structures,
and architecture-the matrix of civili-
zation-is and always has been born
of some need, of body or soul, so that
all true building touches depths of
feeling and opens the gates Of wonder
An Expression Of Faith.
THE men and women OF this Nation
who together are building Washington
Cathedral do not look forward to its
completion as something which will give
to the country either the biggest or the
most beautiful temple In the world. 1t
Is their purpose and their reverent am
bition to erect here an expression as
fit as artist and craftsman can make
1t OF the faith and ideals of the United
States, as temples before it have been
the fit expression OF the faith and
ideals of other times and countries. They
think of it as an epitome, mystical and
physical of their aspirations and their
belief in the fulf1llment of these aspira-
tions.
In our small way we can each be a
builder of the Cathedral and when it
stands finished and splendid we shall
recognize that We have builded better
than We knew. 1t is the hope of all
those who are directly concerned in
the work that small annual subscrip-
tions from a large number of people
may be received that 1t may be remem-
bered that no gift can be too small and
no host of givers too large in a cause
which is national rather than local"
Dean Meeks, in his lecture, discussed
the development of church building in
the New World. concluding with his i'm
pressive tribute to Washington Cathe-
dral
while the aboriginal races of Cen
trail America did develop an architec-
ture," said Dean Meeks, 1t had little OF
no effect on later architectural form
perhaps unfortunately-and little or no
influence on subsequent ritual. And,
as for the American Indians, they have
left no architectural remains, properly
so called, nor has their form of worship
modified our own. SO that 1t Is to Eu-
rope that we shall have to look for our
ecclesiastical inheritance, both OBJ
JeCGlNGly DIS W dlSlllOCCIuIc ana SUD-
jectively as to belief, practice and
ritual"
Discusses Mayan Temples.
Referring to the Mayan temples, Dean
Meeks characterized them as "a form
of religious architectural art which
marked high development of civiliza-
ton already existing when our own
came to replace it,
Ecclesiastical architecture in Amer
ica," he explained, has naturally been
derived from two main sources, renais-
sance Spain and renaissance England"
Tracing the Spanish influence Dean
Meeks showed how it had permeated
California, finding expression in what
we call the mission churches"
Explaining the growth of the influ-
ence from Northern Europe. the
speaker showed how there were GER
tain architectural differences along the
length of the coast colonies"
The colonial of the north" he said,
was a more meager, barren architec-
ture, principally of wood, rejecting
the lesser resources of the northern
settlers, who found themselves bound
to take the materials ready at hand
for the labor of working them. GER
tain auSterlty was the result, Whlcn, IL
must be noted, was due as well to the
stiff backed Puritanism of the settlers
themselves an expression in the build
ings themselves not only of their pro-
testing but their dissenting program.
Whereas the settlers along the more
southern portions of the Atlantic sea-
board, from Philadelphia to Georgia,
came more often from a more affiuent
background. So that even quite early
we find more masonry architecture,
principally of brick. And this more
generous standard of living Is reflect.
ed in the architecture Of the churches
themselves. The early Bruton Parish
Church at Williamsburg and st. Mi