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Show Church Sets Good Example Imposing Sacred Edifice Being Erected in New York Is to Be Conducted Along Democratic Lines, Its Sponsors Have Announced. details and the richness of Its materials ma-terials and color." When, completed, the interior of the church will be "of utmost richness rich-ness of color and materials. The four great columns of purple Levant marble, the high paneling of precious pre-cious marbles in various colors, and the mosaics that some time will cover cov-er the upper walls and arches, should give an effect of great splendor." The arrangement of the chancel is of the primitive form, though most unusual in this country. The altar and clergy stalls are In front of a richly carved and gilded screen, partially par-tially open, behind which, In the "hemicycle," are the seats of the choir and organ console. It Is not intended to have stained glass in the windows, "but to depend on the rich design and Iconography of the future fu-ture mosaics both for teaching purposes pur-poses and to serve as memorials." The windows are to be filled with "bull's-eye" glass, similar to that used In St. Mark's, Venice. The total Investment is about $3,000,000. (From the Literary Digest) Usually in New York when a church congregation moves to a Fifth or Park avenue location, it becomes "exclusive." But to prove the rule by the exception, the Madison Mad-ison Avenue Methodist Episcopal church recently moved into a new liandsome structure on Park avenue in the midst of the elite residential area and became more democratic. It changed Its name to Christ church, eliminating the denominational denomina-tional title, and took steps to do away eventually with the outworn system of renting pews to members. It has thrown open its doors to all Christians and made its choice seats available to visitors. In removing the denominational Methodist title, the church followed the example set a few years ago by Rev. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, whose Park Avenue Baptist church became simply the Riverside church when it moved Into the Rockefeller-built Rockefeller-built temple on Morningside heights. The subsequent action of Christ church Is not surprising in view of the fact that its dashing and Immaculately Im-maculately dressed minister, Rev. Dr. Ralph V. Sockman, was a pupil of Doctor Fosdick years ago at Union Theological seminary, and has since followed closely In his liberal footsteps. Through tart, epigrammatic sermons ser-mons delivered to consistently large congregations and over a large radio network, Doctor Sockman has become be-come recognized as an outstanding Methodist spokesman in the country. His books and lectures have added to his followers. Instigator of the Methodist world peace movement, and a liberal in his social and economic eco-nomic views, he is a well-known figure fig-ure on the Monday morning sermon pages of New York newspapers. He has been minister of Christ church for 17 years, and for two years before be-fore that was the associate minis- so-called decent 'man on the street' " "Living conditions affect religious belief just as truly as belief in God affects conditions of life." "The danger of the machine age lies In men having authority over great mechanical forces but with the moral conceptions of a pigmy." "In this depression we have begotten be-gotten a wartime spirit of co-operation without a wartime spirit of hatred." Just how far apart from the traditional tradi-tional old white frame or red brick Methodist church the new Christ church has gone roiy be seen from the description of the edifice furnished fur-nished by the architect, Ralph Adams Cram. As the designer of the Gothic cathedral of St. John the Divine, Bishop William T. Manning's mammoth Episcopal structure In New York city, and other buildings, build-ings, Mr. Cram had long advocated Gothic as the truly Christian church architecture until he made a trip some years ago to the East. This tour convinced him that Byzantine "is much more nearly an artistic manifestation of the early and undivided undi-vided church," and that -Gothic and Renaissance churches "are essentially essential-ly Catholic styles, and were developed devel-oped for the definite purpose of expressing ex-pressing the Catholic religion, philosophy phi-losophy and ways of life." So the design for this new Methodist Meth-odist church became Byzantine, created cre-ated along the lines of the art which found its first great expression in Constantinople about 600 A. D. and which has been expressed In such buildings as St. Mark's in Venice and the Capella Palatina and Mon-reale Mon-reale in Palermo. After the example exam-ple of Doctor Posdick's Installing of Gothic statues of saints and an altar al-tar with a gold cross In his Baptist church, It was not so difficult for Doctor Doc-tor Sockman's congregation to permit per-mit gold leaf domes, mosaics and handsome marbles in their new tern- pie. "Another reason for choosing this style," Mr. Cram explains, "was that there are a large number of other churches In New York, similar in general dimensions, whereas such Byzantine examples as exist are found only In large structures. Moreover, More-over, a Gothic church should properly prop-erly dominate Its surroundings, which, In a large city, Is Impossible. Christ church, however, has been designed rather as, so to speak, a jewel, both outside and in. That is to say, a building that will command attention and create a sense of reverence rev-erence through the delicacy of Its ter ; he has held no other pulpits. To distinguish further his ministry he moved his congregation Into the most lavish and ornate though yet uncompleted edifice of the Methodist Method-ist church. It Is a marked departure from the staid bareness and simplicity simplic-ity of the old-type Protestant church. Tall, mustached, sleek and only forty-four years old, Doctor Sockman Sock-man is known for his pointed comments com-ments on topics of the day. A few of his epigrams delivered in sermons are : "We have pork barrels in congress because we have hogs at home." "Our exportation of Christianity is hindered by the Inferior quality of the home product." "It Is unfortunate when a revolt against convention becomes extended extend-ed Into a convention of revolt." "Our trouble with philanthropy Is that It Is de-personalized." "Dangerous as are the currents of lawlessness, even more sinister are the social inertia and evasions of the |