THE COMPLETION OF THE CATHEDRAL.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10954, 2 May 1901, Page 4

THE COMPLETION OF THE CATHEDRAL.

In the current issue of the "Church Ne-tvs" appears an article on- the compbtion of the **» Cathedral, which will probably cause a good deal of discussion in the ranks of these more particularly concerned in the matter, and is of some interest to those outside the Anglican Church. As our rssders a.c, no doubt, aware, tlie amount so far collected and promised for the Completion Fund does not reach the total required by several thousand L pounds. The sum so paid and promised is, we are told, over £10,000; the ccst of the complete work, on the estimate of the tenders received at the beginning of the year, would be some £17,000. Since then fresh tenders have been called for, and also alternative tenders for the completion of the transeptalone. The writer of the article alluded to E refers to this action as showing that "some i- of the committee are disposed to spend the money, so laboriously got together, as far as it will go, and there leave the whole afo fair." It is admitted that by pursuing this n course something would be done, "but the :, Cathedral will not be completed, as was proposed," which is as obvious as any proposition- of Euclid. The writer further regards } it as certain that such a course would mean, unless soma munificent donor came to the rescue, or the Synod mad. a large grant, that _ the completion of the Cathedral would be f left in abeyance for this generation. , Having pointed out the evil results likely, in his opinion, to follow the adoption of a policy of half a loaf being better than no 1 bread, the writer goes on to suggjst to tha committee tho propriety of postponing the ! whole work for at least two years. For reasons which he gives, he thinks that by the end of that time the work could be done for a sum neai .r the architect's estimates than is at present the case. The money in hand, if invested, would "increase considerably," subscriptions could/be meanwhile sought, and if at the end of the two years there was still a deficiency cf a thousand or two, that ought not to paralyse the diocese. "It is a question," add. the writer, "of building a portion of what remains to b_ finished in the most costly manner, with the prospect of the ruins that are left standing as a witness against us of unfulfilled pledges, possibly for tbe next twenty years; or by waiting two or three years and showing some pertinacity , of purpose, securing ths completion of our . noble Cathedral in its entirety." . .Wo sincerely hope that this cotinsc-1 will | < not be accepted by the committee who have ! ' th. completion of the Cathedral in hand. ' For we believe that if it is ace?ptcd the work ! will be long delajcd; possibly for the twenty years contemplated by the "Church News." . The task of collecting th? £10,000 already . subscribed or promised has been no i I light one, but it will Live been * mere play computed with the dif- C ficulty of raising the balance required, if the building is postponed for two or three I t years. There has been, and is still, a con- | t sidarabie amount cf interest in th_ project, j v stimulated as it has b.an by the hope of soon j r seeing the builders at woik, but once Ist that j V . interest drop and the completion of the •• Cathedral will be hung up indefinitely, and n wa shall. m all probability, have a ' the niins, "witness of unfulfilled a pledges" for another generation. The s argument against going on with the work an- . n p?ars to us to utterly lack logic. If the balance of the money required can, as the i S i writer believes, be raised during the next > ti two or three years, when, if he had his way. tl the building would be postponed, why in the ! J name of common sense should it not ba raised I while ths work is in progress, and when the j public can see with their own eves that they fi aro being asked to support a live scheme? a The "pertinacity of purpose," which th. t<: writer urges in one case, could surely ba ap- | Vl plied in tha other with equally good results. : The completion of the transepts only would, of course, leave untouched an important part tc of the work that ret remains to be done, but th on the other hand their completion would ** also ba a great step in advance, not only w supplying a guarantee of th* determination ™ a! oi the committee and their trust in the generosity of the public, but giving much- hi seeded additional space for Cathedral congre- ep gations. We can only repeat in conclusion c. that in our opinion, and we "have even* reason cv to believe in that of many church people, a S . U fatal mistake will be committed if, as sue- • * 0 in. gEsS-d. a work in whk-h not only the Angli- th

Canterbury is intere-ted, is allowed to ba postponed because all the money ia not in .hand. Such was not tho spirit in which the Cathedral buildsrs of ohkn days went about their task, or there would be very few Cathedrals.