The deaths of WNC’s first set of architects, Bodley and Vaughan, led to the Cathedral’s last architect, Philip Frohman, who immediately set about making certain changes that created the final architectural wonder the Cathedral now is. Christopher Rowe has already laid out Frohman’s architectural philosophy, including a philosophy of Gesamtkunstwerk, or “complete work of art.” The focus of my project is not on the specific works of art; rather it focuses on the national narrative the art of the Cathedral speaks as natural and necessary and as part of the Cathedral’s theology as a national cathedral, specifically the Washington and Lincoln Bays.
Frohman’s dedication to the Americanizing of the Cathedral is attested in his belief that the idea of a “national church” is best communicated through the use of physical space: “place [sh]ould be made for statues, bas-reliefs, and other works commemorating great American he- roes and statesmen of the United States, and historical incidents of Colonial times and after the Revolution, which are dear to the hearts of the American people” (Harrington, 1979, p. 15). Because of this, WNC is home to statues, stained-glass windows, carvings, and kneeling cush- ions devoted to American life. The Presidential bays created for the statues of Washington and Lincoln on either side of the nave near the Western entrance represent national upheaval and optimism (Kendig & Llewellyn, 1995). This dedication to the two most famous Presidents plain-
ly illustrates the incorporation of Americana, metaphorically, as anchoring the front of the Ca- thedral facing the Capital City.
The Cathedral is built in the traditional cruciform manner (Appendix F). WNC is built east to west in the form of a cross. The arms of the cross are referred to as transepts running north to south; the top of the cross is the apse at the eastern end of the Cathedral, while the long bottom of the cross is the nave ending at the Western entrance. The apse holds the sanc- tuary and altar. The nave holds the congregation. The glory of a Gothic cathedral is its use of pointed arches and flying buttresses since this allows for soaring heights. This Gothic structure allows for large window spaces and the use of natural light. Natural light streaming through large stained-glass windows creates an embellishment that cannot be imitated using artificial light. The high-ceilinged vaulting and the supporting buttresses, then, serve as the bone struc- ture that supports the total experience of a Gothic cathedral. The eyes are forced upward as if to underscore man’s insignificance and God’s glory. At the same time, there is much to behold at eye level in the many bays70 along the nave.
Cathedral architect Frohman kept a philosophy in his personal style of design that a building could only achieve its greatest potential if all the elements, both structural and decora- tive, worked together the way the architect envisions the entire project (Rowe, 1999, p. 227). For an office building or a home, this is highly likely to occur. For a cathedral, with layers of bu- reaucratic control with various committees and ecclesiastic levels of power, achieving
Gesamtkunstwerk is far more difficult and unlikely. No doubt, while the building was on-going,
the arguments over arches, towers, windows, carvings, statuary, and ironwork were tense and
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A bay is a division or compartment in the arrangement of the building by space between piers. In WNC, bays usually have a theme, which is told in the carvings, statues, and windows, related to a person, place, event or idea.
terse; but the end product is beautifully blended, even with the many differences that time in- evitably demanded. The Cathedral now stands as a monument to the many changes of style, philosophy, and values that the nation withstood over the course of the last century, and na- tional narratives are an essential part of the Cathedral.
That there should be statues of and dedications to Presidents Washington and Lincoln should come as no surprise as they are the giants of our heritage. George Washington, as Fa- ther of Our Country, and as the initiator of the need for a representative religious aspect of so- ciety and government, is given prominent display in the south side of the West Entrance of the Cathedral. There is another statue of George Washington, an equestrian themed statue, dedi- cated in 1957, outside in the Cathedral close; however, that statue will not be covered in this project because it is not residing as a part of WNC proper.
Representing upheaval and redemption, President Lincoln’s statue is located on the north side of the West Entrance. Lincoln’s statue is accompanied by the Civil War stained-glass window. A second Lincoln statue resides in the Parclose staircase located just south of the north transept. This smaller statue is Lincoln kneeling in prayer. Both Lincoln statues will be discussed here because they are a permanent part of WNC.
Planned space in Frohman’s blueprints, and modified from Bodley and Vaughan’s plans, the two presidential bays were not finished until the late 1970s when the nave was finally com- pleted. The statues, however, were dedicated and temporarily placed until their respective bays were complete, and their conception long pre-dates their placement.
The statue of George Washington (Appendix G) was given to WNC by the Supreme Council 33° Freemasons of the Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A. in 1947. Created by sculptor
Lee O. Lawrie, Washington stands atop an octagonal pedestal, each side engraved with a titular heading: First Citizen, President, Churchman, Patriot, Free Mason, Farmer, Statesman, and Sol- dier. Tricorne hat in his right hand laying across his belly toward his left hand, Washington looks up, his face determined, his eyes look gravely forward as if resigned and humble. Lawrie dressed Washington in his Sunday clothes in order to show “not the soldier, not the president, but the man Washington, coming into Christ Church, Alexandria, pausing a moment before go- ing down the aisle to his pew” (Hodapp, 2007, p. 250). Of the eight titles carved into the pedes- tal, only one has additional writing carved with the title. Lined with Washington’s front is the title of “First Citizen.” Carved below is the inscription stating the statue was donated by the Masons. The inscription reads: First Citizen, Given by the Supreme Council 33° Mother Council of the World, A.:A.:S.:R.:71 of the Free Masonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, 1947. On the wall behind Washington are three Masonic symbols: the Masonic square, compass, and gavel. 72
The Cathedral owes much to President Washington and this is clear in all rhetoric com- ing from the Cathedral. On the event of Washington’s bicentennial in 1932, WNC’s National Women’s Committee published a booklet entitled “For Church and Country” that began with the statement, “George Washington was a spiritually-minded man, and a loyal churchman, as well as a soldier, patriot, and statesman, and it is highly appropriate that a national commemo- ration of his birth should include a great religious service in the Cathedral at the Nation’s Capi-
71
A.:A.:S.:R.: is the code for Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Per David Bindel, Free Mason in personal corre- spondence.
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I leave the idea of masonic influence alone as it is not an essential aspect of the narrative this dissertation co- vers. Yet, I acknowledge that it is intriguing.
tal.”73 A service was not held since the essential portions of the North and South transepts could not be finished in time; however, this evidence of the long-term planning of the proper place for Washington’s commemoration shows his importance to the Cathedral. Often quoted, Washington, by the 1930s, is now a permanent part of WNC’s narrative, just as much as he is in the national narrative. Intertwining the narratives is in near constant refrain. Not only is George Washington our nation’s “first citizen” and national father, he is at the same time seen as a spiritual man, and for the Cathedral, the man representing a spiritual heritage. In today’s terms, we could say he was spiritual, not religious, and this spirituality is firmly embraced by Washington Cathedral. Dreading the vices of capitalism and materialism, Cathedral spokesper- sons keep Washington and his views for a moral society, guided by the hand of religion, ever in the dialogue.74 The presence of Washington in his bay serves as an obvious reminder that WNC is an American cathedral and holder of American ideals. More subtlety, however, Washington’s statue, with his octagonal titular pedestal, located on the south side, or the side closest to the seat of government, the White House and Congress. His positioning there represents not only leadership, but importantly, moral direction. In his place in the Cathedral, Washington leads his fellow Americans into the nave. Facing the Cathedral altar, Washington symbolizes not only a
73
For Church and Country: A suggestion of the opportunities for religious and patriotic service offered by the Na- tional Women’s Committee for Washington Cathedral. WNC ChA: j. 102, b. 5, f. 1.
74 An excellent explanation of the George Washington persona, built almost to cult level, can be found in an article by Adam Greenhalgh’s “’Not a man but a god,’” Winterthur Portfolio, 41 (4), pp. 269-303. This article centers on Gilbert Stuart’s Athenaeum portrait of George Washington. Following David Morgan’s thesis that Washington rep- resents America’s original father of civil religion as a way to find American commonality among the nation’s di- verse population and religious affiliations around the time of Washington’s bicentennial birthday in 1932, Green- halph offers that this portrait served as opportunity for Protestants and Catholics to form a sort of integration. Catholics found integrating the image of Washington in Catholic symbolism helped form an imagined community wherein Catholics could also claim an American heritage. This Catholic packaging and dissemination of Washing- ton as a cult figure bridged the gap between Catholic and American cultural spheres in the mid-1930s.
place, but a seeing of direction. That direction is toward a higher authority than the seat of government, which is located behind Washington.
Keeping President Washington company in the bay is a small window honoring his wife, Martha, and a large window featuring “The Founding of a New Nation” in abstract form. That Martha Washington is honored, small as the token is, is remarkable and there are no extant public references to her window. No other patriot honored in the Cathedral is accompanied by his wife, except of course in the case of crypts. Lincoln stands alone in both his statues; Mary Todd does not reside at WNC.
The Lincoln bay, located on the opposite side of the Cathedral from Washington, holds a statue of Lincoln carved by Walker Hancock, and the text of his Farewell Address to the people of Springfield, Illinois on February 11, 1861 (Appendix H). The speech represents that moment when he left behind all that was familiar and supportive and moved into the treacherous arms of the political world found in Washington, D.C. at the cusp of the Civil War. The text reads,
My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washing- ton. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot suc- ceed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and re- main with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be
well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
That this speech accompanies the Lincoln statue, as opposed to others wherein he calls upon the power of the Almighty, is curious. He states here that his job ahead carries a greater bur- den on his soul than even George Washington carried in getting the nation started. Washington began a country from scratch, so to speak, while Lincoln must keep the country Washington started from splitting in half amid a combination of moral and economic problems.
The Cathedral, in giving the Lincoln bay this tone of the dire need of reconciliation to- ward a more moral society, clearly states the case of the religious purpose of WNC. The gov- ernment, without the aid of the Almighty, is doomed. It should be noted that President Lincoln was ambivalent, or at least reticent, about religion. He is quoted as saying, upon the question of his religious views and faith, that “I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disre- spect of religion in general.”75 It seems fitting that Lincoln and his obtuse reference to the Al- mighty resides in the anchoring place opposite Washington. Lincoln, however, is presented with his eyes lowered and with solemn expression as if the weight of his presidency defined his total person, even though the statue is of him as he leaves for the presidency rather than years into the presidency. Unlike George Washington, Abraham Lincoln expresses the modern man and his hesitancy to claim a higher power, especially in the face of such a looming civil war over the issue of slavery. The Cathedral’s decision to place Lincoln so near the front lays witness to the willingness of the Cathedral to see the problems facing modern man, his fallen nature, and
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the strength required for endurance. The story of Lincoln’s assassination, the ultimate sacrifice for any patriot, of course outlives his religious beliefs, but that sacrifice also speaks to martyr- dom, the kind that all presidents must face.
Like his fellow president on the other side of the Cathedral. Lincoln’s back is to the seat of government and facing the altar. In front of Lincoln, embedded in the floor, is a star; inside the star, at each point and in the center, are Lincoln pennies. At the base of Lincoln’s speech are basket offerings of food (although the offerings periodically change). Located on the north side of the Cathedral, Lincoln is forever connected with the War Between the States. If analo- gous to the North Star, or lodestar, Lincoln’s statute on the north side acts as a form of naviga- tion. The North Star, or Polaris, has since the beginning of time served as a beacon and tool of navigation. Known not for its brightness but for it static location, the North Star is steady and reliable. Wisconsin politician, Carl Schurz, known for his integrity, siding with Lincoln during the Lincoln-Douglas debates stated that “Ideals are like the stars. We will never reach them, but like mariners on the sea, we chart our course by them” (Chamberlain, 2002). Lincoln came from a humbler background than Washington, he lived a more difficult life, and he was the necessary man the nation needed at this time to navigate the nation through one of its darkest hours. Lincoln represents what is constant, sturdy, and reliable—a mirror to that which is so reasonable and natural about the Cathedral’s existence.
Lincoln’s second statue of him kneeling is located in a small stairwell, called the Parclose Stairs, close to the high altar in the southern part of the eastern transept. The sculpture is by Herbert Houck and was rejected for the Lincoln Memorial located on Washington Mall. The Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter, in a sermon, noted that the statue’s inspiration came from Houck’s grand-
father, who (allegedly) saw Abraham Lincoln kneeling in the woods just before delivering the Gettysburg Address (Baxter N. D., 2002). At a lonely moment, Lincoln, feeling small and un- loved, went to the only place he had to find strength and solace—his knees.
These two statues, one tall and confident showing one hand ready to receive the world, the other small and unsure, hands closed together, act as witnesses to the need for a national spiritual home born of hope and prayer. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, is noted as saying that while it was true that Lincoln thought about religion more often after their son Willie died and at the time he went to Gettysburg, but that his spirituality was “a kind of poetry in his nature, and he was never a technical Christian.” 76 Poetry seeming fitting, there is also another inscrip- tion in the Lincoln Bay of a poem that simply confirms what the two statues convey:
Abraham Lincoln Whose lonely soul God kindled
Is here remembered By a people
Their conflict healed By the truth
That marches on
The poem sums the totality of the Lincoln statues reinforcing the need for more spiritual and moral guidance in those dark moments. The Civil War uncovered so much national confusion and moral decay regarding slavery. That the war led to the religious philosophy of Social Gospel
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ought not be a matter of great enlightenment. The evangelical impulse that soon followed led to the understanding that rugged individualism and the Calvinist-Protestant work ethic were accompanied by the “view of society as being unified under God’s moral government” (Marsden, 1973, p. 14). Men were individuals and members of nations making national judg- ment hinge on how well each man, individually and collectively, lived God’s law. This is that truth in the American and Cathedral narratives that marches on. Reminiscent of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,”77 the Lincoln poem epitomizes those lonely, wretched and dark years of