THE AMERICAN METHODIST CATHEDRAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 186, 10 August 1869, Page 2

THE AMERICAN METHODIST CATHEDRAL.

*\\Th£ magni^^ Jbas been erected at by., the. Me-''', th<^ last day of /February. ' v Toward the! cost of the enterprise.nearlytwahunared .thousand, dollars have i^een. ■contributed^ . but r the ""building,; whenV;fuljy,.cp.mpieted-— and this completion inTolyes.tEe introduc--tion of a chime of bells-^will^ave-'costi a quarter qf a million of , dollars. the contributions of, individuals .Jhere;are none exceeding s, : QQPjdoliars.;,so"mi ".'of these', are rather remarkable: one such sum was given by Mr Kelso, a wealthy merchant of .Baltimore,; which was by his direction put dow,n to the name, of -General Grant; Mr Daniel Drew, "the great steam-, V boatman of New York, gave a like amount to be accredited to the Hon. "Si P. Chase;, and -Mr Berry, of Maryland, 1 furnished;.. a, similar, contribution, on IJresidenjfc; Johnson. 'The design, of the church is pure Gothic. ..The building is about fifty feet in height, the tower and spire rising to a, height of 240 fee'f. The, principal audience-room of the building is said to be by far the handsomest and most elaborate of the many fine churches in' Washington. , A suitable organ was presented by Mr C. Pierce, of Boston. The sixteen windows of the church have been beautifully filled in with stained glass, each being ;ia memorial of some person or party distinguished in the history of Methodism. One of the principal windows, for instance, has for its design " The Death of Wesley, "the mo ttp/ is, " Our people die well," and the inscription records the, names . of Coke, t'Asbury, and other pioneer bishops of (the Methodist Episcopal Church; - The: windows of the Sunday-schoolroom are also. "memorials,; : and contain designs.ill.ustratiVe pfScripture'i ' 'incidents.- . ", ;,■ /.-..'• ■^■-■' ■,/.-.•■■ : ;''-:-- The dedicatory services were attended by vast'congregations. The newly-elected President of the United States, General Grant, was there, with Chief- Justice Chase, Speaker Colfax, and a host of Senators and Representatives. The Revs.* Bishop Simpson, W. Morley' Punshon, Dr. Eddy, and others occupied the pulpit. As is usnai with' the American Methodists, a short form prepared for such occasions was read *at the opening of the service. The grand,, hymn, "Before Jehovah's awful throne," was then sung to the tune "Old Hundred.", Bishop Simpson's discourse was: founded on Ezekiel xlvii. 9, " And it shall come to pass that everything , that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live," &c. The discourse was one of great beauty, and power. -; ; { In the afternoon the: church 'was ev.ea more crowded than in the morning/ Mr Punshon was the preacher, j and his text was " To whom coming as .: unto &■ Hying v stone, disallowed indeed of men, -but chosen of God and precious^- ye also as living stones are. built up a, spiritual house, au holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable tp'God. by- Jesus* Chript," tA,> writer in the National '/ItepuhUcan that " the preacher, in words of :burnirig ' eloquence, held his^ audience enraptured^ for yearly an hour. In conclusion he spoke of the honor doriie him: in: selecting him as one of the preachers for the dedication d&y. For some months past he had been looking " with widening wonder upon their great country ; and in beau tiful language he spoke of the future of the TJnited. States, and" what it would become provided the people " kept near to God and his laws." ' The sernion* was followed by a£L address-'fromDr. (De *Haas,wbo reviewed^jthe progress; of , the i enterprise, t and.said^thee s edifice shad been built ? airthe 'people of the United }V: States," anl3 ifcbe stranger would ever be ; i welcome. The ? .yenerable y j'thje travelling companion of Bishop Asbury,- , '*pron!ounced ...the .B^nedictio^ preapher 'w'sik- -tfie <Reyj >Drl^||ly^p^^fei cagol ..■■'• J ,' : 'Ai'f-\}-&.-*ssli : \ „' , ]r...'A.K- .--,'}' •■>*-, '--'• .