"For All Christendom"

In the vast, unfinished Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, a magnificent commemorative celebration was held. The occasion was the 50th jubilee of the concrete idea of building the Cathedral and the 31st anniversary of that Day of St. John the Evangelist when the cornerstone "of the greatest cathedral in the English-speaking world" was laid. The religious services of celebration started in the morning with Holy Communion administered by the Rev. Henry Van Dyke,--as celebrant, Suffragan Bishop Lloyd as deacon, Suffragan Bishop Shipman as sub deacon. At the beginning of the afternoon an elaborate luncheon was served in the crypt of Synod Hall, after which the remainder of the afternoon was spent in meetings of committees and commissions charged with bringing about the completion of the nave, trancepts and towers of the Cathedral. When evening came along, a procession of clergy was formed in which were represented many sects of Christendom; it composed 100 ministers of other churches, 75 Episcopal clergy from the New York diocese and seven visiting bishops of the Eastern Orthodox Church, resplendent in gorgeous robes and glittering jewelled crowns. Bishop Manning, who pontificated, used the new pastoral staff which was presented by the diocese of London, England. In his subsequent address he predicted that "the Cathedral would be a creation of art and religion in which our whole country will take pride. It will be one of the greatest buildings in the world, it will be a witness for God, and for the things of the Spirit, the power of which will be felt not only in this metropolis but in our national life. It will stand before our people a visible evidence of the power among us of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that faith in Him upon which the future of the world depends."

Many other speakers of note followed Bishop Manning, including George W. Wickersham, quondam U. S. Attorney General. It was noticed that there were gathered into this one fold, the Fundamentalists and Modernists. The Conservative and Liberal Christians of the Church of the Lord, were peaceful as lambs, having shed their lion's raiment. In connection with the finishing of the Cathedral a drive for $15,000,000 was started by a national committee, of which Franklin D. Roosevelt is the acting head. Money will not be spent while building prices are at their present sky-high level. In any case, about 15 years will be required to complete the building. Certain features of the finished Cathedral will be unique. The interior of the proposed nave, as designed by Architect Ralph Cram, will have columns 100 feet high--the tallest single columns in existence.

Another interesting detail is the parapet showing the "19 greatest figures of the 19 completed centuries of the Christian era." The problem of choosing them took an ecclesiastical body in New York two years. They are:

1) St. Paul, the greatest figure of early Christianity after Jesus.

2) St. Justin Martyr.

3) St. Clement of Alexandria.

4) St. Athanasius.

5) St. Augustine of Hippo.

6) St. Benedict.

7) St. Gregory the Great.

8) Charles Martel, "the hammer of the Franks," who turned back the heathen hosts of Attila.

9) Charlemagne.

10) King Alfred the Great.

11) Godfrey of Bouillon who led the Crusading knights to Palestine.

12) St. Bernard, who stands for the spirit of that endeavor.

13) St. Francis of Assisi, who stands for the gentler spirit of the love of nature and of mankind.

14) John Wycliffe, the "Father of the English Bible."

15) Christopher Columbus.

16) Archbishop Cranmer.

17) William Shakespeare.

18) George Washington.

19) Abraham Lincoln.

It is planned that the finished Cathedral will have in the front a rose window above which will run a gallery of niches, to contain statues, extending entirely across the fac,ade after the manner of the Gallery of Kings in Rheims Cathedral.