C. Potter, “demands a place of worship that will not

disregard the teachings of the Founder of Christianity. In this Cathedral there will be no pews, no locked doors, no pre-payment for sittings, no reserved rights of caste or rank, but one and the same welcome for all.” And what Bishop Potter prophesied when the Cathedral was first planned is literally true to-day. The charter of the Cathedral requires that “the seats for worshippers in said Cathedral Church shall always be free;” and the Cathe- dral welcomes everybody to its services, irrespective of denominational affiliations, nationality or worldly estate. The Cathedral also welcomes those who belong to no denomination. Its appeal to the latter was particularly contemplated when Bishop Potter said: ‘“The person in the period of suspense as to certain fundamental beliefs needs something larger, higher, wider and roomier, more impersonal for the time being, than the parish church.” It is hardly necessary to add as a corollary of the fore- going that there are no “‘strangers’ pews” in the Cathe- dral; and nobody, however unaccustomed to the Cathe- dral service, needs to feel any timidity or hesitation about attending. The large proportion of men in the Cathedral congregations is particularly noticeable.
A Civic Institution
In its present state of incompletion, without Nave and Transepts, the capacity of the Cathedral is taxed
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to the utmost by its ordinary congregations, and on special occasions thousands are turned away unable to enter. The completion of the Cathedral is therefore imperative; and this is so for more than denominational reasons, for the many notable special services held during the past few years and participated in by people of all denominations already indicate the position which it is destined to occupy as a great Civic and National Institu- tion. The Board of Trustees recently said: “The city re- quires a religious edifice where people can gather together in large numbers to express in a corporate way their re- ligious promptings and to find spiritual interpretation of great events.” Such were the gatherings—to mention but a few typical instances—on several occasions follow- ing the World War, such as the Thanksgiving for peace, the Thanksgiving of the twelve Liberated Nationalities, the Lusitania memorial service, the memorial services for the dead (Gounod’s “Life and Death” and Dvorak’s “Requiem”) ; also the services in memory of Presidents Harding and Wilson and, more recently, in 1924 and 1925, the services for the Grand Lodge of Free Masons, for the Y. W. C.A., for the Gold Star Mothers, for the Trained Nurses, for the Firemen of the City of New York, for the Letter Carriers, and for the Patriotic So- cieties; the extraordinary series of Evangelical services in Lent, 1925, and the remarkable Labor Sunday service for workingmen in September, 1925. In these special services, clergymen and lay speakers of other denominations fre- quently are invited to take part.
People rarely think of the English cathedrals as belong- ing to the Church of England or of the French cathedrals as belonging to the Roman Catholic church. They are re- garded as belonging to everybody. And such, it is believed, is the place which the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will occupy in the minds of the people of the city and nation. ly
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A Great Symbol
‘The symbolism of various details of the Cathedral will be mentioned hereafter; but it should be said here that the Cathedral as a whole is a great and wonderfu! symbol. “The religion which is inwrought with all the history of the American people,” said Bishop Potter, “stands for certain lofty ideals of truth, purity, honesty, loyalty and self-sacrifice. Every ideal must have some visible expression or symbol, and this ideal of our religious faith from the very nature of it demands expression, in- carnation, visible and material utterance worthy of its majesty and grandeur.” And the Trustees not long ago said: “New York is the chief city of the Western World. It impresses the imagination at every turn by visible evi- dence of the power and splendor of material achievements in American life. Such a city should be dominated by a building which, in its greatness, dignity and beauty, bears witness to those spiritual forces without which material achievement is valueless because soulless.”
Q@ Sign of Stability
This ever-changing city also needs the Cathedral as an evidence of stability. Business structures and apart- ment houses rise and disappear in a generation under the exigencies of the city’s growth. Even parish churches give way under this seemingly irresistible pressure. There is consequently little upon which to fasten permanently one’s memories, affections and historical traditions. Amid the changes and uncertainties of human life, man in- stinctively looks to the Church for something of per- manence—something after all to which he can fasten his faith and upon which he can anchor his hopes. ‘The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, resting in its massive solidity upon the ancient rocks of Morningside Heights, gives an idea of firmness and stability in contrast with
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the fleeting changes around it and symbolizes Eternity as nearly as anything erected by the hands of man can. It will stand for unmeasured time as an eloquent memorial of the best and noblest of human effort and will serve as a visible bond to bind together generations of high ‘endeavor. “A cathedral,” said Dean Robbins in a sermon on December 17, 1916, “is a symbol of continuity of life through the ages. It is a reminder of the relatedness .in which men stand not only to one another but also to 'those who have preceded them, to all that is still memorable in a not quite vanished past.” And looking “to the future he spoke of the meaning of the Cathedral to coming generations when it should have become “adorned with associations growing like ivy over walls made venerable by time. “Perhaps they will be greater ‘memories, more glorious associations, than our best hopes can now forecast. . . . Who can tell what the hid- den, wonderful, all-possible future may have in store ‘for our Cathedral, what hopes and purposes and sorrows ‘and rejoicings will receive their consecration within its slowly aging walls?”
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(49 ¥ [Coy 1104D) LSA MHLNOS DNIMOOT ‘DNISSOUD GNV STAdVHO ‘YIOHO SHL JO YOWALXA FHL
Part Two Che Fabric of the Cathedral
Name and Namesake
The legal title of the Cathedral is “the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York.” ‘The adjective “cathedral,” commonly used as a noun, is derived from the Greek word “‘cathe- dra” which means “seat.” In the Cathedral is the - cathedra of the Bishop of the Diocese of New York. It is not a parish church and has no members in the sense in which a parish church has members; but persons de- siring to assist in cathedral work may join the auxiliary organizations mentioned on page 130 following. The Cathedral is the chief church of the Diocese which em- braces 294 different parishes and missions.
The Cathedral is named after the author of the fourth Gospel, the three “epistles general” bearing the name of John, and the book of “The Revelation of St. John the Divine.” The word “Divine” in the title is not an ad- jective* but is a noun in apposition with “St. John” and is rendered in the seal of the Cathedral by the Latin word “theologus,” meaning “theologian.” St. John was one of the twelve Apostles, and a brother of St. James the Great. He was “the Disciple whom Jesus loved”’ (John xiii. 23), an expression implying exceptional sweetness and lovableness of character. He founded the
*The quality of divinity appertaining only to the Deity. 19
seven churches in Asia referred to in the Book of Reve- lation. ‘Toward the end of his ministrations, in which he suffered many persecutions, he was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. When he returned from this exile, he continued his work until he died at the advanced age of over 90 years. His traditional grave is at Ephesus. The two principal sym- bols of St. John are the eagle with book, (explained in connection with the symbols of the four Evangelists on page 50) and the chalice, the latter sometimes having a serpent issuing from it. The sacramental cup without the serpent is sometimes interpreted to refer to Christ’s reply to James and John: “Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of’ (Mark x: 39). The cup with the serpent refers to the tradition related by St. Isidore to the effect that at Rome an attempt was made to poison St. John in the communion wine, but that by a miracle the poison vanished from the chalice in the form of a serpent. The Memorial Day for St. John is kept on December 27.
Location and Access
The Cathedral is located between Cathedral park- way (110th street), Amsterdam avenue, 113th street, and Morningside drive.
The Cathedral can be reached by taking the Broad- way subway to 110th street and walking one block east and two north; the Broadway surface line to 112th street and walking one block east; the Amsterdam ave- nue surface line to the entrance at 112th street; the 6th and 9th avenue elevated line to 110th street et walking two blocks west and two north; or Fifth avenue omni- buses marked route “4” via 110th street, or ’buses trans- ferring thereto.
Morningside Heights being 100 feet above the level of the adjacent Harlem Plain, the Cathedral commands a sweeping prospect toward the northeast, east, and south-
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east, over the roofs of the city and past the trees of Cen- tral Park to the regions beyond the Harlem and East rivers; while from the main entrance at Amsterdam ave- nue and 112th street, one can look westward to the Hudson and see the columned Palisades on the New Jersey shore beyond. Morningside Heights is the modern name for the ground on which the battle of Harlem Heights was fought on September 16, 1776. Washing- ton, whose figure occupies a niche in the Choir Parapet (page 54) and adorns the entrance to the Synod House (page 128), personally directed the troops in this en- gagement. At that period an old colonial road ran through the Cathedral site and down the Heights of Morningside Park to the ancient King’s Highway or Post Road. When the Americans evacuated New York City on September 15, 1776, those who escaped by way of Bloomingdale probably passed over this road. A British map surveyed that year by Claude Joseph Sauthier shows that a column of Hessians marched over this route going to the attack on Fort Washington November 16, 1776. During the War of 1812, the Cathedral grounds were immediately within the lines of defence erected in 1814, one of the blockhouses of which stood on the bluff ' on the eastern side of Morningside drive just northeast of 113th st.*
The Cathedral grounds,—called the ‘“Close,” from the practice in olden times of securing the privacy of ‘the cathedral precincts by enclosing them with a wall and gates,—comprise 11%4 acres. Upon them are sit- uated, besides the Cathedral, the Old Synod House (brick with columned portico, formerly the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum), the Bishop’s House and Dean- ery, the Choir School, the New Synod House, and St. Faith’s Training School for Deaconesses. See plan
* This was a stone tower similar to the one so well preserved in Central Park. The remains of another are at the northern end of Morningside Park.
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and. descriptions of buildings hereafter. "The Close cost $850,000 and ithe buildings other than the Cathedral about $1,000,000. A portion of the Close is set apart for recreation grounds for the boys of the choir; and a portion of the lawn as a playground for small children.
Administration and Clergy :
The affairs of the Cathedral are in the hands of a Board of 25 Trustees which constitutes the Cor- poration, and is composed of the Bishop of New York, 12 other clergymen and 12 laymen. The Bishop is President of the Board.
The Clergy of the Cathedral are the Bishop, Dean, Canon Bursar, Canon Sacrist, Canon Precentor, and the Honorary Canons, not to exceed seven in number. The Bishop is elected by the Diocesan Convention and the election must be confirmed by a majority of the Bishops and Dioceses of the Episcopal Church. ‘The Dean and Canons are nominated by the Bishop and elected by the Trustees. The Bishop, besides his dio- cesan duties, has general direction of the services of the Cathedral, which direction he expresses through the Dean. The use of the Cathedral for worship and for charitable and benevolent work is entrusted to the Dean and Chapter. The Chapter consists of the Dean, the Bursar, the Sacrist, and such other Canons as may be elected. The Dean is Chairman of the Cathedral Chap- ter and the executive head of the Cathedral, leading and co-ordinating the various branches of its work. The Canon Bursar is the agent of the Treasurer of the Corporation, receives the offerings and sees that they are applied to their proper objects, and is Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds. The Canon Sacrist has the care of the Cathedral as a place of worship and is Master of Ceremonies on all occasions. The Canon Precentor is responsible for the fitting performance of the musical parts of the Cathedral services.
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Following is the Cathedral Staff: Bishop of New York The Right Rev. William Thomas Manning, D.D., DCoLe5LL.D. Dean The Very Rev. Howard Chandler Robbins, D.D.
Canon Bursar
The Rev. Robert Ellis Jones, D.D.
Precentor
The Rev. J. Mark Ericsson, B.A.
Staff Assistant The Rey. Cranston Brenton, M.S.
‘Honorary Canons The Rev. George Francis Nelson, D.D. The Rev. George William Douglas, D.D. The Rev. George Frederick Clover, M.A. The Rev. Harold Adye Prichard, M.A. The Rev. Pascal Harrower, M.A.
Head Master of the Choir School William Lester Henry, A.B. Organist and Master of the Choristers Miles Farrow, M.A., Mus. Doc. Head Verger Thomas Meatyard
The post-office address of any of the above men- tioned is “The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, N. Y.”’ The Bishop’s office is in the Synod House.
The offices of the Dean, Canon Bursar, etc., are in
the old Synod House. (See page 9.) Seals of Diocese and Cathedral
The seal of the Diocese is in the form of a pointed
oval, or vesica,* and is as follows:
* See note on page 131.
93
Quarterly gules and argent, over all a cross counter- changed of the same. In dexter chief the American eagle with wings displayed or, in sinister chief and dexter base the sails of a windmill proper from the arms of the City of New York. In sinister base two swords in saltire or from the arms of the see of London. Surmounted by and episcopal mitre proper. The arms surmounted on a field purpure and enclosed by a bordure azure lined (or edged) or bearing the legend “Seal of the Diocese of New York MDCCLXXXV” or.
wy
Diocesan Seal Cathedral Seal
The red color (gules) and the swords are historically reminiscent of the fact that prior to the Independence of the United States the church throughout the American Colonies was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of London. (See historical note on page 28.)
The seal of the Cathedral, also vesica-shaped, is as follows:
Tierce in pairle reversed. 1st, from the arms of the City of New York: argent four sails of a windmill in saltire, between the ends in chief and base a beaver
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couchant, in fess dexter and sinister a barrel of flour all proper. 2d, from the arms of the State of New York: azure in a landscape the sun in fess rising in splendor or behind a range of three mountains the middle one the highest, in base a ship and sloop under sail passing and about to meet on a river bordered below by a grassy shore fringed with shrubs all proper. 3d, azure seven six-pointed stars argent between as many candlesticks or. Surmounted by an episcopal mitre proper. Enclosed by a bordure gules edged or bearing the legend “Sigil. Eccles. Cath. S. Johann. Theol. N. Ebor.”’ or.
The seven stars and candlesticks refer to the Reve- lation of St. John the Divine, i. 20.
Serbices
The Cathedral is open for private prayer and medi- tation every day of the year from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The Holy Communion is celebrated in one of the chapels every week-day at 7.30 a. m. The principal Sunday services are at 8 a.m., ll a.m.and 4p.m., the latter two being with full choral service and sermon. Other ser- vices are held on week-days and Sundays as announced from time to time. As before stated, all seats are free, and residents and strangers of all denominations are cor- dially welcome.
The Cathedral service is neither “high” nor “low.” It is the prescribed liturgy of the Church, with a fully choral rendering and congregational participation. Ex- cept during the vacation season, there are usually about 60 persons in the procession. The processional hymn is begun in the Ambulatory, through the south gate of which the procession* enters the Crossing and goes to the
*The processional cross, a memorial of the late Walter D. Davidge, Chairman of Ushers, is overlaid with pure gold, and mounted upon a carved mahogany staff. In its center is a large topaz jewel with many facets. It was made by Messrs. J. & R. Lamb.
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Choir. First comes the crucifer, followed in order by the boys of the choir, the men of the choir, the Head Master of the Choir School, the Verger and the clergy in inverse order of their rank. The Bishop, if present, comes last, and is immediately preceded by the Verger and the Bishop’s chaplain (or an acolyte) bearing the Bishop’s pastoral staff. If the Bishop is absent, the Dean comes last, preceded by the Verger. If neither Bishop nor Dean is present, the Verger precedes all the clergy. The Pastoral Staff was given to Bishop Manning in 1923 by the Bishop, clergy and laity of the Diocese of London, as a symbol of the love and fellowship which bind together the two great branches of the Anglican Communion and which, it is hoped, will ever unite the English-speaking peoples, and has especial significance in view of the historic relations between the Diocese of London and the Diocese of New York. (See reference to the Diocese of London on page 24.) The staff is a beautiful work of art in silver, overlaid with gold and enamel, five feet and eleven inches long, modeled after the crozier of Bishop Fox of Exeter, later of Winchester. The original, made in 1490, and now preserved in Corpus Christi College, Oxford, is said by Jackson’s “Illustrated History of English Plate” to be “the most splendid ex- ample of the goldsmith’s work which has survived to our time.” In the head, or whorl, of the staff, under a gothic canopy, are figures of St. George and the dragon and St. John with the chalice. Under these is an angel with book hovering over a pelican and nest of young. The sides of the whorl are also ornamented with pelicans. Below the whorl are two groups of six gothic niches, arranged hexagonally, containing figures of the Twelve Apostles, each with his appropriate symbol. Below these are two groups of four bosses. On the upper four are . the arms of the See of New York, the arms of the See of London, the arms of the Bishop of London, and the initials of Bishop Manning, “W.T.M.” On the lower
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THE WEST FRONT (From Architect’s Model)
four are the arms of George Washington, the arms of Charles Inglis (Assistant Rector and Rector of Trinity Parish, New York City, 1765-1783; first Bishop of Nova Scotia and first Colonial Bishop of the English Church, 1787-1816) ; the arms of Henry Compton (Bishop of London, 1675-1714*) ; and the initials of Samuel Pro- voost, “S.P.”, (first Bishop of New York, 1787-1815). The Verger (in black gown with purple facings), carries a silver staff surmounted by the figure of an angel holding a tablet on which is engraved the symbol of St. John the Divine, the chalice with emerging serpent. When pre- ceding the Bishop he carries his staff upright at his right shoulder, but when going before the other clergy he carries it in the hollow of his left arm. The organist and Master of the Choristers, wearing the gown and hood of Doctor of Music, is usually invisible, being seated at the console in the gallery on the screen at the south side of the Choir. At extraordinary musical serv- ices, an orchestra is seated in the Choir, between the stalls, and then the Master of the Choristers stands in the Choir, from which point he directs the singers, otchestra and assistant organist. The recessional is in
*It may assist the reader to understand the allusion to the Diocese of London in the description of the Diocesan Seal on page 24 and the reference to Bishop Compton above and on page 111 to recall that when New Netherland was conquered by the English in 1664, the Hstablished Church of England naturally be- came that of the Colony of New York. After the conquest, the Dutch and English congregations in New York City worshipped at different hours on Sunday in what had been the Dutch Church of St. Nicholas in the fort. This practice continued until 1693, when the Dutch congregation began to use its new church in Garden street. Soon thereafter steps were taken for the organi- zation of a regular parish for the English and for the erection of a new church for them outside of the fort, and on May 6, 1697, William III. granted a charter to Trinity Parish, constituting “our right trusty and well-beloved the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London, and of our Privy Coun- eil, the first Rector thereof.” Bishop Compton never became resident Rector of Trinity Parish, but on August-2, 1697, he or- dained the Rev. William Vesey for that position. The present Bishop of this Diocese was the tenth Rector of Trinity Parish in succession to Bishop Compton and upon his election to the episcopate became the tenth Bishop of New York.
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the same order as the processional. After entering the Ambulatory, the procession halts while a dismissal prayer or hymn is said or sung there, and the solemn service ends with a far-away “Amen” from the unseen choir.
Wisitors
Visitors may see the Cathedral at all times between 7.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. except during the hours of service. he Verger is usually in attendance. On Sun- days, after the 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. services, the Ushers conduct groups of visitors through the Cathedral and explain its details.
Architecture
The architects of the Cathedral have been: Messrs. George L. Heins and C. Grant LaFarge from July, 1891, until Mr. Heins’ death in September, 1907; Mr. La Farge from September, 1907, until the completion of the Choir in April, 1911; and Messrs. Cram & Ferguson from April, 1911, to the present time. Mr. Henry Vaughan was architect of three of the Seven Chapels of Tongues, Messrs. Heins & LaFarge of two, Messrs. Cram & Ferguson of one and Messrs. Carrere & Hast- ings of one, as mentioned hereafter. Messrs. Cram & Fer- guson were also architects of the Baptistery.
The prevailing style of the Cathedral will be French Gothic. The north of France, it will be remembered, is the birthplace of Gothic architecture. There, in the region so recently devastated by war, Gothic architecture rose and reached the flower of perfection in such monu- ments as Amiens, Rheims, Notre Dame _ (Paris), Chartres, Beauvais, and Rouen Cathedrals and many other churches, great and small. But, while certain fea- tures of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine suggest the older Gothic cathedrals of Europe, it is not, as Dr. Alfred