,,stained ,,glass ,,windows ,,an ,,essay ,,with ,a ,,report ,,to ,,the ,,vestry ,,on ,,stained ,,glass ,,windows ,,for ,,grace ,,church ,,lockport ,,new ,,york ,illustration ,,by ,,william ,,frederic ,,faber ,illustration ,illustration ,,lockport ,,new ,,york ,,mcm ,,note4 ,the first edition of the ,report on ,stained ,glass ,windows for ,grace ,church1 ,lockport1 which appeared in ,january1 #ahig1 is now exhausted2 as there is a constant demand for it1 a second is deemed necessary2 and the occasion seemed favorable for a little further talk about ,windows and ,glass4 ,hence this pamphlet4 ,the project of four years ago is no longer an insubstantial dream4 ,since that time eleven windows and three mosaics have been placed in ,grace ,church2 in them all the adopted scheme has been followed1 with results more and more obviously satisfactory4 ,although intending this pamphlet1 in the first instance1 simply for a guide to his own people1 to lead them to a more discriminating appreciation3 the author is encouraged to hope1 by many expressions from the outside1 that it will1 even more than the earlier ,report1 be of service beyond his parish2 that it may perhaps stimulate elsewhere also a study of ,church ,glass1 and the erection of true ,church ,windows4 ,w4 ,f4 ,f4 ,grace ,church ,rectory1 ,lockport1 ,all ,saints'1 #aijj4 ,,stained ,,glass ,,windows4 ,the subject is certainly one of present interest4 ,the advertisements of firms who produce stained glass windows are numerous and conspicuous in our ,church weeklies2 glowing accounts of memorials just erected in this place and that make up a large part of our 8,diocesan ,news40 ,to say nothing of the fact that we are in danger of forgetting what the real business of the ,church is1that it is not primarily to build and beautify edifices1 but to save men and to establish righteousness in the earth2 the uncomfortable question is forced upon us3 ,for how much of this 8embellishment0 of our churches will posterity thank us8 ,a revival of religious art we welcome with profound gratitude4 ,but when for the moment it threatens to take the form of an epidemic of stained glass1 our joy may be turned to apprehension4 ,stained glass is simply becoming fashionable2 everybody is beginning to want some of it because #8all the other churches are getting some2' commercial enterprise stimulates a well-meaning zeal1 taking advantage1 too1 of a vulgar spirit of rivalry2 and the end thereof must be painful to contemplate4 ,individuals are often given a free hand in ,god's ,house on the ground that thus several hundred or several thousand dollars will be secured for 8enrichment20 and so the work goes merrily on4 ,and such things can be because there is a lack of knowledge4 ,persons may have the best intention in the world2 their experience in other1 different fields may have been very wide2 in a general way they may have good taste2 moreover1 they may possess a long purse and a liberal disposition2 perhaps they may think to save themselves from going wrong by putting the whole matter into the hands of strongly advertised window-makers4 ,but none of these things will supply the lack of a knowledge of stained glass4 ,there is nothing for it but study and education4 ,the clergy first of all1 and after them the vestries1 must inform themselves on the subject as thoroughly as possible4 ,in the meantime1 let them be slow to lend themselves to anything which they later1 or those who come after them1 might bitterly deplore and be helpless to remedy4 ,nor is it to-day so forbidding a task to get this knowledge as it was but a few years ago4 ,then one had to go to the libraries in our largest cities1 and laboriously gather from rare works the history and principles of this art4 ,now there is fortunately at least one single volume1 easily obtainable1 which may serve as a text-book to all who desire to study the subject4 ,mr4 ,lewis ,f4 ,day has given us in his ,windows3 ,a ,book about ,stained and ,painted ,glass1 published in ,london1 #ahig1 by ,b4 ,t4 ,batsford1 imported by the ,scribners1 just that information which is needed4 ,no vestry that has the matter of ,stained ,glass ,memorials before it should permit its rector to be without this book2 he should read1 mark1 learn1 and inwardly digest it2 but not he only2 they also1 at least the members of any committee responsible for such work2 and intending donors likewise1 who desire to have a controlling voice in regard to memorials to be erected4 ,this is too important a thing to enter upon recklessly or at the dictation of mere fancy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,meanwhile it may not be out of place to tell briefly and simply what stained glass windows in a church ought to be2 and what stained glass itself is4 ,stained glass windows are still1 after all1 windows3 and windows are essential component parts of a building4 ,if in a church1 the axiom applies the more inevitably3 a church is a building presumed to conform rigidly to a certain type2 and therefore1 the idea which the whole is to exhibit and impress must not for a moment be hidden or dissipated by any component part4 ,our dwelling houses may be often built in a haphazard way1 with a view simply to utility1 regardless of style1 laying no claim to architectural art4 ,but to build a church so is an offense1 an offense to art1 and1 we believe1 an offense to religion also4 ,a church building is presumed and expected to have a certain character1 technically called 8style10 dignifying and elevating ,god's ,house above our common houses1 even though it be small and plain and not costly2 small and plain it may be1 and not costly1 but it must not be tawdry or incongruous or mean4 ,now a window is1 as we have said1 a component part of the building4 ,in a church well conceived1 the window is inevitable just as it is3 to make it larger or smaller1 to close one up where now there is one or to make one where there is none1 is just so far to do violence to the building4 ,if such a change does not violate the integrity of the building as a whole1 the fact simply goes to show that the building had no plan worthy of honor4 ,the window-space is therefore always to be preserved for window usejust such and just so much as the architect gave us4 ,the use of a window 7barring for the moment the unscientific one of ventilation7 is to give light while still affording shelter4 ,and this light-space is also to serve artistically as a kind of balance to the dark space of the solid wall2 hence this light-space is to art sacred1 and must be permitted to the end to assert itself as just what it is and such as it is1 so much rightly apportioned and correctly proportioned translucent wall-space4 ,when this window-space has been first filled with a plain glass1 which is then to give way to stained glass1 the new treatment must say1 just as obviously1 only more beautifully1 what the old said3 it must still be a windowletting in light1 though now the light is coloredand in its architectural value it must be just what it was before1 asserting the shape and the design of the structural window1 plainly and faithfully4 ,in other words1 the true stained glass windowin a church building worthy of that nameis not now to give the beholder the impression that he is looking out through an opening and seeing1 of something beyond1 so much as the size of the opening will permit3 in a word1 the spectacular impression of looking into some beautiful out-door world through a hole in the wall4 ,the beholder must be conscious still of looking at the wall itself1 the translucent part of it1 which confines him within the edifice as much as the stone or the brick4 ,nor yet is the true stained glass window merely a colored glass picture covering so much wall area3 the outline form is to be so obvious1 and the treatment so non-realistic1 that the architectural idea may never for a moment be in danger of submersion under some other idea4 ,for1 as is true in general of decorative art as contrasted with pictorial art1 the true church window is to be designed without perspective1 without shadow1 without attempt at realistic effect4 ,it is to be conventional1 symbolical2 with that intent it may utilize as it will forms1 colors1 attitudes1 postures1 accessories1 fearless of the criticism that #8this saint or that scene never in the world looked like that4' ,no intelligent person standing before decorative painting would for a moment think of demanding a representation of the actual4 ,that1 frankly1 was not its object4 ,and the stained glass church window will further fulfill its particular end if all round the figure or group1 or whatever be the subject matter of the composition1 there runs a clear line or border of differently colored glass1 making a clear demarcation from the stone wall2 drawing again1 as it were1 the architect's line of his window construction4 ,all of which is but to say that windows were made for the sake of the building1 and so must remain2 not that a building was made for the sake of windows1for the sake of furnishing so much space for so many square yards of somebody's beautiful glass4 ,which ought to be self-evident1 though to many persons it is not4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so regarding it now1 the further question naturally occurs as to the treatment of the several windows of one particular church4 ,for1 each individual window might be in itself correct according to the above principles1 and yet the total effect sadly lacking in unity and harmony4 ,there is first of all the consideration of style3 a difficult matter to define1 yet not1 after all1 so difficult to determine4 ,what ought certainly not to determine it is the chance ability of some wealthy donor or donors to pay for the costliest work that could be produced2 nor1 on the other hand1 the limited ability of others who could give only something inexpensive4 ,the style of the building and its general character must determine the degree of splendor and ornateness which will be right for each and all the windows4 ,if there be wealth to do still more1 then exercise sober self-restraint4 ,if there be available means only to do part of what the building demands1 better do just so much as can be rightly and adequately done1 though the scheme should wait many years for its entire completion4 ,in building a new church1 let this also be thought of in advance4 ,then there is the question of a single scheme of subjects for all the windows1 so that all when completed shall tell1 chapter by chapter1 one great story1 or part by part1 one great truth3 say1 the ,christian ,faith1 or the ,redemption of ,man1 or the ,sacramental ,economy of ,grace1 or the ,history of ,religion1 or the ,mission of the ,church in the ,world4 ,thus again1 as in old time1 will the church windows instruct the people1 and the sum total of that instruction will be a unity1 with harmony and interrelation of parts1 of the utmost value to sound ,christian thinking and feeling1 and to symmetry of ,christian character4 ,for it is just this which our modern religion so much lacks3 the sad result of sectarian thinking and teaching1 where each hath a doctrine1 a truth1 and few the whole doctrine and the wholeness of truth4 ,individualism1 let us realize1 is not what the ,church should foster3 though individuality1 in its rightful place1 be precious and sacred4 ,the application here is not fanciful4 ,sadly absurd examples there are1 where ecclesiastical art has been pressed into service by sectarian minds 7not among the sects alone7 to teach some one portion or fragment of truth through the eye every time the eye gazed upon the interior of the house of worship and fell upon the favorite symbol or picture4 ,but not this alone4 ,individualism is rampant in our day in the form of utterly arbitrary choice of subjects1 as well as of their mode of treatment in point of material1 color1 scale of drawing1 andexpensiveness4 ,a ,babel of confusion is the result1 and that in some of our foremost churches1 which have become thereby rather picture galleries or museums adapted to the study of all schools and all tastes1 than restful1 devotional1 solemnizing and uplifting temples for the worship of ,almighty ,god4 ,a low motive ruled1 and how can one help feeling it as one looks upon the performance8here the wealthy donor1 or the ambitious so-called artist1 forgetting ,whose this ,house was1 demanded worship for himself4 8,verily1 they have their reward40 ,therefore let those who have such things in charge study first of all what a church should be1 and then what their particular church1 such as they have received it in trust1 is4 ,it will often be found that a building very little esteemed has something to say for itself1 and is worthy of respect as originally conceived1 in its own structural character as designed by its architect4 ,and if not1 and if it must be borne with1 then all the more reason1 in planning to do anything further in it or upon it1 to 8abhor that which is evil1 and cleave to that which is good40 ,and after such careful study1 determine 7before the first enthusiast has an opportunity to put into some one window chosen at random a 8most superb0 production of the much advertised glass man7 determine in advance what should be your total result when every window shall have been filled with stained glass3 what story the whole shall tell1 how best its parts may be distributed1 what each part shall be1 in what style1 what design1 what scale of drawing1 scheme of color4 ,and when this has been determined1 in the fear of ,god1 in soberness of judgment1 in conscientious fidelity to a sacred trust1 with a willingness to be judged by a wiser posterity1then let such a plan be adhered to as a law of the ,medes and ,persians which altereth not4 ,to sacrifice one window to the seductions of some alien grandeur is to sacrifice the whole principle at stake4 ,the plain glass patiently awaiting its time to give way to the right thing is more eloquent of a truly reverent and truly artistic intention than a medley of incongruous splendors4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now1 what is stained glass8 ,this simple question it is of the utmost importance to answer1 because a little familiarity with the materials and the methods of workmanship will itself serve as a guide to the choice of good windows and to the avoidance of bad4 ,stained glass1 then1 is simply glass which has been colored in the pot1 glass which has its color within itself3 while painted glassa term sometimes used as synonymous with stained glassis properly glass which has had the color painted upon its surface1 and has then been fired so that the colored or enameled surface has been vitrified4 ,some stained glass is of so deep a color1red1 for instancethat a thin coating of it blown over the surface of a white 7that is1 colorless7 glass is sufficient to produce the desired color effect2 if the entire thickness of the pane were of the colored glass1 the effect would be much too dark3 such glass is nevertheless true stained glass1 and is called 8flashed40 ,in the early period of the art1 beginning in the eleventh century and running parallel with the development of ,pointed 7commonly called ,gothic7 ,architecture1 only true stained glass was used4 ,the use of enamel paints applied to the surface to produce a different color marks also the beginning of the decadence of the art2 for the glory of true glass is in its jewel-like quality1 its color being within itself and all absolutely translucent1 while a painted glass will always be necessarily dull in comparison4 ,the temptation to paint color upon the surface of glass is readily understood3 it was an easier method1 it promised wider scope1 greater variety1 in a word1 the opportunity to make pictures somewhat as the painter may upon canvas4 ,but glass is not canvas1 and church windows are not to be pictures4 ,retribution has overtaken this work1 and the latest and most ambitious more speedily than all2 the enamel-painted glass has not stood the test of time1 becoming muddy and perishing while the true ancient stained glass is still the joy and wonder of all who gaze upon it4 ,for1 as we have said1 the glory of true stained glass is in its rich1 jewel-like color4 ,its reds1 which the makers called 8ruby10 its blues which they called 8sapphire10 with its 8emerald0 greens1 its 8gold0 and its 8pearl10 never entered the field to compete with the achievements of the painter's brush2 to compare the delight they afford the beholder with that derived from a painting would be in a sense as impossible as a comparison between the fragrance of a flower and the cadence of a song4 ,the early makers of stained glass windows contended with great1 to moderns they would be intolerable1 limitations4 ,they were almost absolutely restricted to the primary colors4 ,they had not at first the art of blowing glass1 but cast their pieces in small panes of at most four or five inches in diameter4 ,the use of the diamond in cutting was not known till the sixteenth century4 ,hence their work was simply mosaic4 ,for variety they depended upon an arrangement of geometrical patterns1 or patterns of familiar architectural form and of common ecclesiastical symbols4 ,to construct these they leaded together their pieces and bits of glass1 elaborating their treatment as time went on1 but always in the main upon the same lines4 ,when they began to portray1 in panels on their windows1 the forms of ,our ,lord1 of ,his apostles1 of saints and angels1 sometimes in crude settings of scenes or incidents from ,holy ,scripture or ,church legend1 their color principle was still the same2 and it was still the same in the elaboration of the merely ornamental borders with forms of leaf or flower or fruit1 or of sacred emblems and inscriptions4 ,the brown pigment with which they produced faces and features1 hands1 feet1 outlines and ornamentations1 was not a color1 nor intended for a color1 but simply a means of definition or delineation when this was too minute to be carried out with leads4 ,and the stained glass it was1 still1 which addressed the eye and compelled attention and admiration4 ,no more than in heraldry did the forms and emblems pretend to be pictures of the actual1 realistic representations of men1 or of scenes or incidents4 ,the makers of early stained glass were1 in one word1 simply makers of ornamental windows of rich color and religious symbolism4 ,we have said that their pieces of glass were small4 ,this is but to say that their windows were a network of leads4 ,for there is but one way to hold together such pieces of glass in a window1 and that is by leads4 ,these leads are not a misfortune4 ,a square yard of simple red stained glass is artistically more beautiful if composed of a hundred pieces leaded together than if it were in a single sheet4 ,the differences in texture themselves produce a better result1 and the black leads1 scarcely discernible individually1 contribute an additional element of pleasure4 ,and in arranging pieces of different color side by side1 intelligent leading design was itself the artist's drawing1 and effected results altogether admirable4 ,so far was this art of leading carried in ,france1 for instance1 that windows mainly of white glass were produced1 of rare beauty by simple virtue of their structural design4 ,all this was changed by the men who in a later age ground up their enamel pigments1 glazed windows in large panes1 and daubed upon them their muddy colors1 with a sublime contempt for the crude laborious mosaic work of their predecessors4 ,would they have a representation of the earth for their figure to stand upon8 it must be carpeted with grass1 with green grass1 and they can paint green grass upon a colorless surface2 red flowers also1 upon the same1 with red paint1 if such were desired4 ,the ,renaissance was coming2 ,gothic was barbarous anyway2 antiquated crudities must give place to refined work worthy of the new enlightenment6 ,paint a picture on canvas1 then paint that picture on your glass4 ,it can be done1 certainly1 if you will not allow yourself to be bothered with the nuisance of leads1 but just get an ample pane of glass1 unobstructed1 and go at it with your brush and paints6 ,this miserable travesty did not long hold sway1 it was scarcely permitted to go its own theoretical length4 ,there came great political changes1 great religious changes1 and for a long time few churches more were built1 nor even those standing kept in repair4 ,the course of ,ecclesiastical ,architecture suffered an interruption for several centuries1 of which ,mr4 ,ralph ,adams ,cram has told us feelingly in his recent writings on that subject4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but within the memory of men now living there has also come the beginning of a true revival4 ,the awakening of the ,catholic spirit in the ,anglican ,communion has been accompanied by an eager desire to recover lost treasures and to restore sound traditions to their former honor4 ,and naturally all this has shown itself in the cultivation of ,stained ,glass also4 ,as we have said1 what is needed above all else is knowledge1 to guide us to what is really good and worthy4 ,no sooner is any want of the public made evident than enterprising trade springs up to supply that want4 ,if you want colored church windows1 you can have them to-day at a trifle per square yard by purchasing a beautifully printed paper1 of genuine ecclesiastical design1 and pasting it upon your present windows4 ,from this most abysmal horror of vulgarity you may pass through various successive gradations of so-called stained glass1 all supplied by trade4 ,if you pass on to the costliest1 you are not thereby sure to obtain what is not horrible and vulgar1 when regarded from the point of view of true ,stained ,glass1 of ,architectural ,art1 and of ,religion4 ,there are at this moment three rather diverse schools of ,stained ,glass most in evidence before those who seek and are willing to pay for honest art work2 the ,english1 the ,german1 and the ,american4 ,their comparative merits are nowhere1 to our knowledge1 presented in a fair minded way2 the makers of each claim superior excellence for their own1 of course2 if1 indeed1 they ever intimate to the public that there is any other kind at all4 ,it should be said1 however1 that there is great merit in the best examples of each school2 and that none of these schools can fairly be judged by the inferior stuff which is put out under its name1 for each of them is defamed by such stuff4 ,the ,english school naturally had1 and still has1 great prestige among ,churchmen4 ,taking it at its best1 as for instance in the work of ,mr4 ,henry ,holiday1 it is simple and vigorous in drawing1 varied and harmonious in color1 churchly in spirit1 while free from medivalism4 ,the ,english artist believes in stained glass1 glass which has its color within itself2 and good glass1 the best he can obtain4 ,his glass is flat1 that is1 of even surface and equal thickness4 ,he believes in painting upon this glass1 and upon1 one may say1 every piece and bit of it2 but he does not paint a color upon it1 he simply shades it1 draws folds of drapery1 patterns of fabrics1 details of ornamentations2 always1 however1 aiming to leave it1 however much so painted1 with the color of the glass gleaming and glittering3 that is1 he does not daub over the surface1 but puts on mere lines1 and picks out lights1 so that his painted piece of green glass1 let us say1 is still green glass1 only with design upon it1 or texture1 or light and shade4 ,he feels that only in this way has he done all which as an artist he is conscientiously bound to do2 and he accounts a piece of mere stained glass which has not felt the brush at all1 which has not had the touch of the conscious art of the maker1 a poor thing1 in a sort1 crude and barbaric4 ,in the hands of a masterand there have been great masters in the ,english schoolthe results of this method have been very fine4 ,but even so the fact remains that every line and every particle of even neutral pigment upon the surface of glass obscures so much light2 which is to say1 it detracts so much from its brilliancy and splendor4 ,the fact is undeniable that the total effect of some great window of this school will be charming1 but withal just a little dull2 the richness which gleams and glitters from it is yet half hidden as by some fluttering veil before it4 ,such work at its best is exquisite2 it is devotional2 it is soothing2 but hardly gives one a thrill of gladness4 ,in the hands of a master1 it is a fit medium for strong individuality of a good kind1 as witness ,burne-,jones' windows executed at the works of ,william ,morris4 ,in the hands of the common multitude of ,english makers1 it degenerates into a wearisome1 conventional repetition of stiff figures1 draped in the same damask stuffs1 with the same wooden little flowers growing up around their feet1 the whole surrounded by the same easily managed conventional border4 ,of the ,german glass1 commonly called ,munich glass1 it is sufficient for our purpose to say that it is in principle the same as the ,english4 ,it relies much upon the brush4 ,it is more in the medival spirit than the ,english2 its feeling is that of a simply traditional1 not a modern1 devoutness4 ,its inspiration is ,italian4 ,its colors are more predominatingly the old primary colors4 ,its decorative features are strictly conventional1 and applied in a mechanical spirit4 ,in warmth1 in splendor of color1 ,german windows at their best are superior to the ,english4 ,american glass is not simply glass made in ,america4 ,the term denotes a new method1 which yet is1 in the main1 a restoration of the very oldest method1 reinforced on its own lines by modern resources4 ,mr4 ,john ,la ,farge is its distinguished pioneer4 ,american glass is true stained glass2 but it is not glass of even surface and of equal thickness4,a ,by its inequality of thickness the ,american artist effects what the ,english artist accomplishes by brushing dark lines upon his even glass2 or he leads strips and pieces of glass on the back of his window to intensify and deepen his color1 as in folds of drapery and the like4 ,he paints nothing except faces1 hands and feet2 all the rest he binds himself to obtain by the mosaic method4 ,he cannot obtain by the mosaic method everything that the ,english artist obtains by the brush2 but he feels that he obtains all which in a window is necessary1 and by patient1 thoroughly artistic work he obtains what upon study proves marvelous2 and he has all his glass free to exhibit the full glory of glass4 ,his very necessities compel him to compose in the true way1 that is by lead lines2 he is back upon first principles in this respect4 ,the lead lines mark the structural lines of his drawing4 ,but he has still to contend with the necessity of painting his flesh parts2 and of overcoming the break between their flatness1 between the dull hardness of painted faces1 hands and feet1 and the splendid jewel-like strength of all the rest of his window4 ,the best he can do is to make this transition as little abrupt as possible4 ,a ,the earliest glass was not glass of even surface and equal thickness4 ,therein lies one of its charms4 ,needless to say1 the ,american school has its dangers4 ,the ease with which an ignorant eye may be imposed upon by great pieces of folded glass instead of conscientiously selected and leaded strips and pieces1 is a snare1 into which it is not necessary for an honest artist to fall4 ,when1 however1 a customer demands something cheap1 he can obtain it in so-called ,american glass1 and it will be cheap enough4 ,there has been also a deplorable tendency among some prominent ,american glass makers toward startling theatrical effects4 ,of unchurchly windows1 windows hopelessly and utterly unchurchly1 the great majority doubtless are of the ,american school2 nor are they the windows which have cost the least money4 ,novel and indescribable colors1 as far removed as possible from all sober1 reverent1 devotional feeling1 have been employed2 effects have been sought which actually destroy all the value of the window as what it was designed by its architect1 a window in a sacred edifice4 ,and by the wide heralding of such performances1 as if ,american glass meant simply this sort of thing1 ,american glass has forfeited that just appreciation which in its essential principles it so richly merits4 ,let the ,american school remember that a window in a church is and forever must remain just a window1 subservient that is1 to the architecture of the church2 let it design in the spirit of worshipful1 reverent1 dignified1 sober devotion2 let it compose with technical conscientiousness and love its leads and spare no labor2 let it choose thoroughly good glass1 and glass of predominantly the glorious colors so long honorable1 eschewing startling and meretricious effects3 and there will1 to our mind1 be no doubt of its being the ,stained ,glass of the future4 ,but1 to our thinking1 one thing cannot safely be done2 and that is the placing of ,english and ,american1 or ,munich and ,american glass side by side in the same building4 ,let it be the one or the other2 when you have chosen which it shall be1 adhere to that4 ,to mingle the schools in the same edifice will be sure to prove fatal to the best effects of each4 ,and before placing any permanent stained glass1 again let us say1 study the subject2 see all the windows you can2 and make haste slowly4 ,illustration ,,stained ,,glass ,,windows ,for ,grace ,church1 ,lockport4 ,a ,report to the ,vestry of the ,parish by its ,rector1 ,january #e1 #ahig4 ,after many months of inquiry1 reflection1 special study1 and such visits to churches as opportunity afforded1 we are at last in a position to bring together the facts bearing upon this important project1 and to submit the results for your consideration4 ,grace ,church1,b ,lockport1 is an edifice which though not striking or ornate1 is in point of architectural merit1 of conspicuous importance in the community1 in probable permanence and enduring interest second to none in our city4 ,erected more than forty years ago1 of stone1 its interior chastely beautified and enriched at successive periods2 its nave alone over one hundred feet long1 forty-six feet wide1 fifty feet high2 its lofty chancel with a window twenty-two feet in height1 nearly ten feet in width3 it impresses the educated eye on entering it as beautiful and churchly1 characterized by simple grace and reverent dignity1 and the exclusion of the tawdry and incongruous4 ,we may honestly admit some faults4 ,what building1 religious or other1 is without them8 ,but it is a church which grows upon us the longer we worship in it2 it becomes homelike to us1 and yet excites our admiration the more as we become better acquainted with it4 ,b ,the design was one of ,richard ,upjohn's4 ,this is the building which is committed to our care4 ,not only that we keep it clean and in repair1 warmed and lighted1 not only that we preserve the fabric as a valuable piece of property2 but that continuing to labor in the spirit of those who have preceded us1 we secure such further additions to it as will tend to make it complete in its kind4 ,we say1 complete in its kind4 ,and it is our sacred duty1 therefore1 to understand what it is that we already have1 as well as to ask what further gifts and further embellishments might add thereto4 ,for to add1 with the best intention and with lavish generosity1 but without an understanding of the conditions and limitations imposed by the existing edifice1 might easily result in such disastrous incongruity as a future generation1 if not ours1 would deplore4 ,the land is full of warning examples1 and one is at times appalled to think of the vast sums embodied in worse than waste1 from which our better educated descendants after us will suffer in the years to come4 ,knowledge is bound to grow2 travel and study cannot fail to make an understanding of these things the common property of intelligent ,church people as time goes on4 ,and it is a grave responsibility to be at the head of a parish in which permanent work is undertaken and executed1 work on which the future is to pronounce judgment4 ,this responsibility1 let me add1 your rector for one feels very seriously and deeply4 ,a very common form of architectural enrichment in this day of growing wealth and of increasing commemoration of the departed is that of stained glass windows4 ,no memorial can be more beautiful than this when wisely planned and well executed4 ,none can be much more painful or incessantly offensive when inartistic1 incongruous1 or lacking in the true devotional spirit4 ,and as touching our own case1 it is reasonably certain that offers will be made to place such windows in ,grace ,church4 ,it would be ungenerous to decline them4 ,moreover1 we cannot escape the moral obligation of directing what such memorials shall be1 so far as the building itself1 its style of architecture1 its uses1 and its history1 shall impose the conditions4 ,it is not a question of dictating to intending donors3 for the vestry to decline to exercise such control would be for us to fail of a sacred trust4 ,our church1 we may be most thankful to bear in mind1 is built in a style pure and self-consistent1 plain as it is4 ,it is ,early ,english1 of the first and simplest of the periods of ,gothic4 ,to treat it as if it were of some other style1 in any changes or additions we might see fit to make hereafter1 would be to do violence to the edifice1 to wrong its intelligent and loving builders in the days of good ,bishop ,de ,lancey1 and those who shall inherit it after we are gone4 ,there is meaning and purpose in it1 as it is3 in every line of it1 in every arch1 every dimension1 every grouping and distribution of parts4 ,we are not at liberty1 therefore1 to change the window openings1 in size or form1 unless indeed we wish to rebuild the church4 ,we may at our taste reconstruct the windows in the houses in which we live1 but we cannot alter the style of these windows without destroying the style of the architecture4 ,the series of long narrow lancets1 no matter how long or how narrow1 are right2 and with all their severe simplicity1 their beauty of outline and their grace and dignity grow upon one the more they are studied4 ,medival builders had a meaning even in putting such windows in pairs2 it may seem to us a little fantastic1 but as they made everything symbolical1 so in this grouping they symbolized our ,lord's sending out ,his ,apostles two and two4 ,apart from such a consideration1 there is a quiet grace in this long succession of lancet pairs which may safely be left to speak for itself4 ,the development of window forms is itself very interesting1 and should be understood before an attempt is made to treat any church windows in particular4 ,mrs4 ,van ,rensselaer1 who has done so much to make the ,english cathedrals known in this country1 thus traces the successive steps from style to style3 8,fancy first a plain tall window with a round-arched head2 then the round exchanged for a pointed head2 then two1 or three1 or five perhaps1 of these pointed windows set close together2 and then a projecting moulding in the shape of an arch drawn around them1 including them all and thus including1 of necessity1 a plain piece of wall above their heads4 ,then fancy this piece of wall pierced with a few small openings1 and we have a group of connected lights in which1 as a plant in its embryo1 lies the promise of all after-development4444 8,the small lights in the upper field enlarge and multiply until they form a connected pattern which fills its whole area1 and the jambs of the main lights diminish into narrow strips or very slender columns4 ,the great arch1 which in the first place did but encircle the windows1 thus becomes itself the windowthe #8plate-traceried' window which was richly developed in early ,french ,gothic1 but less richly in ,english1 owing to the persistent local love for mere groups of lancets4 ,then all the stone-work shrinks still fartherthe columnar character of the uprights is lost1 and the flat surfaces between the upper openings change into mouldings of complex section4 ,thus the original tall lights and upper piercings surrender their last claim to independence2 the uprights are no longer jambs or bits of wall but mullions1 the arch-head is filled with genuine traceries1 and all the elements of the design are vitally fused together within the sweep of the great window to form its multiple yet organic beauty40 ,the art of making stained glass windows went hand in hand with this development of architectural forms through the eleventh1 twelfth1 thirteenth and succeeding centuries4 ,it has indeed been called the 8principal branch of ,medival ,art20 but was always treated as absolutely subservient to the particular architecture itself4 ,a most eminent authority denies that the art of glass-staining has ever been lost4 ,glass itself was used by ,christians in their churches from the earliest church-building times2 the distinct art of painting on glass emerges1 one might say1 with the springing up of pointed architecture1 though the beginnings show themselves in ,norman architecture in the eleventh century4 ,four centuries the two arts flourished side by side2 with the decadence of the greater came also the decline of the subsidiary2 a poorer taste in building was naturally accompanied by a poorer taste in glass4 ,with the revival of interest in those long-neglected periods of noble achievement1 the ,oxford movement of ,church ,restoration giving men the religious guiding principles for an intelligent appreciation of the forms of ,medival art1 church building and glass staining were brought back again1 the one with the other4 ,and whether such restoration can leave us satisfied with the mere recovery of the riches of by-gone ages1 or must mean also1 as ,i believe1 the development of what the present can contribute in a reverent but not slavish spiritcertain it is that the first step is to understand the past1 to find out what was done in the great formative and classic periods1 why it was done as it was and not otherwise1 in a word1 to master the models before we proceed on our own course2 and1 as ,i said before1 to remember to which period and style our own edifice belongs4 ,it was my good fortune when recently in the city of ,philadelphia1 to obtain access to a rare work over which ,i spent some very delightful hours4 ,its author was a ,william ,warrington1 himself a designer and producer of windows1 and a reverent student of ancient examples1 who published his great folio in ,london1 in #ahdh4 ,from him ,i learned many things about the beginnings and progress of the art4 ,great were the difficulties of the eleventh century pioneers4 ,they had to contend with defective methods of manufacture2 not understanding glass-blowing they fused their glass in pots and crucibles1 and cast it to about the required shape1 in pieces not more than four or five inches in diameter4 ,cutting with the diamond was not known till the sixteenth century4 ,they designed and made and erected their own work4 ,when great orders were to be executed1 artists were brought together from the different countries1 and by a sort of 8free-masonry0 they worked together in perfect agreement as to styles1 rules1 and principles4 ,in the course of time1 different countries produced slightly differing schools4 ,as in heraldry1 the colors of the glass were intended for colors of precious stones2 the representations of figures and objects were not meant to be pictures1 but being also strictly symbolical1 the drawing was conventional1 with no intention to reproduce nature in color1 or form1 or position and perspective4 ,the figures which excite ridicule on the part of one who is without the clue1 justify themselves by this principle2 nor is it quite true to say the men of that time did not know how to drawtheir ability in this respect was not that of artists to-day1 but if their object had been to produce a figure or a scene for the sole purpose of a picture1 they might certainly and would certainly have given us something very different from what they did4 ,while the small separate pieces are often very minutely pencilled1 all such work being afterward burned inthere is no 8shadowing10 as in a picture1 supposing the light to fall from a certain direction2 but a kind of 8relief0 shading1 making the view suitable to any aspect4 ,in a word1 the drawing is the same as in ,,mss41 tapestries and heraldic designs4 ,ruby and sapphire were the ground colors4 ,and in all the work the primitive colors were adhered to4 ,in ,york ,minister there is to be found the largest and finest specimen of thirteenth century glass in ,england in a group of lancets known as the 8,five ,sisters40 ,the lancets are each six feet wide and fifty feet high1 and each divided into thirteen compartments or squares of different patterns4 ,their designs being largely of an ornamental character1 they escaped destruction by the ,puritans4 ,it is a curious fact that ,english stained glass at no time had large figures4 ,in the thirteenth century ,continental art in this respect diverged from ancient and ,english1 under ,italian influence4 ,in the ,cathedral of ,bourges there are one hundred and eighty-three stained glass windows1 executed from the thirteenth century downwards4 ,the early lancets have figures occupying the larger part of the window1 sometimes fifteen or twenty feet high2 over each figure a sort of canopy or tabernacle disproportionately small1 and under it a kind of pedestal or base about a foot high4 ,around the margin is the finest work in the windows1 in a broad band of mosaic4 ,cologne ,cathedral has four lancets each eleven times its width in height1 filled with early glass of this period2 the figures in the windows are in height one-third the height of the lancet1 with a canopy above them4 ,the developments of the centuries following are of less interest to our present purpose4 ,suffice it to say that even in the rich ,decorated ,style of ,architecture the treatment of individual windows was not what we might term ambitious3 the effect was secured by not attempting too much in a single window1 but by producing a rich harmony with subordination of each to the whole4 ,in the ,perpendicular ,style which followed1 in the fifteenth century1 while there was a very abundant production of glass1 its quality was inferior1 and much white glass was used4 ,figures with canopies were used when the single openings were one foot wide and upward2 panels1 when they were considerably larger2 and to fill the extreme length1 story upon story4 ,and there begins to appear a tendency to conform the glass less to the architecture itself4 ,from the sixteenth century on there is marked decay4 ,the attempts to treat glass like canvas prove an entire failure4 ,a voluptuous and sensual school of painting came in1 debasing a religious art1 which thus became secularized1 and almost disappeared4 ,the destruction of fine ancient examples in the ,puritan revolution left ,england very poor1 and the little that remained came to be less and less appreciated4 ,curiously enough1 large importations of glass consequent on the ,french ,revolution with its destruction of churches1 put into the hands of ,english churchmen what the religious revival of the ,church soon taught them to appreciate once more1 and so it is that to-day ,england is enriching her cathedrals and churches with restorations and new windows2 and from her the impulse has naturally come to our own land also4 ,but the production of stained glass is in ,america of very recent date4 ,from facts like the foregoing we may conclude that the subject is one of importance and involving so much that it is well that we should proceed cautiously in the placing of stained glass in ,grace ,church4 ,but shall we encourage such a movement at all8 ,it seems to me that this is the moment supremely opportune for us to inaugurate a scheme of window treatment such as shall glorify our house of ,god more and more till it reaches completion4 ,how long it may take to reach completion is in a sense immaterial4 ,that we should begin now1 and make every step a right one1 is the great matter4 ,the practical question is1 ,shall we choose to admit one or a few striking windows into this edifice1 windows which may have no relation to each other1 produced possibly by methods or on principles entirely at variance1 in color-schemes discordant1 in scale of drawing entirely dissimilar and unequal3 or shall we guide intending donors to such gifts as shall be a satisfaction and a delight forever1 beautiful each in itself1 but more beautiful still when assembled8 ,this ,i take it is the question4 ,for ,i believe windows will be placed1 whether we encourage it or not1 within a decade1 possibly much sooner4 ,and when ,i put the question thus1 it appears to me there is but one answer possible4 ,let us then get down to the practical details in the matter4 ,leaving the great chancel window entirely out of consideration1 we have five pairs of lancets of equal size on either side of the nave1 and a sixth1 smaller pair over the doors in continuation of the series up to the chancel4 ,we have further1 the magnificent group of three lancets at the foot of the nave1 with a fourth lancet a little smaller1 and still much larger than those in the pairs already referred to4 ,here is a considerable number of windowstwenty-nine when we count in the chancel window2 what an opportunity for discord and artistic anarchy6 ,let us say1 rather1 what a remarkable and rare opportunity for the production of a rich and hallowed splendor1 fitted not only to express the consecration of man's gifts to ,god1 but to instruct the minds and quicken the devotions of generations to come4 ,the objection which most readily offers itself when stained glass is proposed for ,grace ,church is that the twenty lancets at the sides are so extremely narrow and so very high that nothing can be done with them4 ,if by #8doing something' is meant putting in scenes with several or many figures1 it is most true4 ,the breadth of wall between the two windows constituting the pair is so large that the scene could not be carried from the one to the other4 ,but surely that does not exhaust the possibilities4 ,the openings are wide enough to permit the treatment of single figures in full life-size if desired2 figures with canopies1 borders1 and panels at the base1 as in the best periods of ancient glass4 ,the breadth of these openings is twenty-one inches2 six inches more than that of the small pair erected ,all ,saints1 #ahie1 at the side of the pulpit1 in which the figures are certainly of dignified stature1 and by no means poor in back ground and accessories4 ,if such results are possible in a space fifteen inches wide and six feet high2 how much more in a space twenty-one inches wide and thirteen feet high4 ,single figures1 therefore1 are demanded by the conditions which govern us1 for the side lancets2 unless we rest content with geometrical1 or flower windows1 or windows bearing emblems1 more or less ornately bordered4 ,i venture to say that at this stage of our history1 when we are not pressed to fill our window-openings with whatever may be obtainable1 we desire the best that can be had4 ,this best1 for the side lancets is1single figures1 with canopy1 border and base panel4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,s4 ,lamb of ,new ,york1 who designed the beautiful work erected a year ago1 has prepared and sent me two pairs of colored sketches1 suggesting a noble and beautiful form which in the execution would1 of course1 far surpass what appears in the drawings4 ,they are submitted for your careful study1 and may be seen at any time in my library4 ,what then shall the figures be8 ,shall they be chosen at random8 ,artistically speaking1 this might not be so disastrous1 provided the same artist drew all the designs and controlled the execution1 so that the scale of drawing and the scheme of color were kept in accord4 ,and that is a great deal more than can be said of some of the principal churches in our greatest cities1 where immense sums have been spent on these works4 ,no2 there is something better still1 open to us4 ,it is a serial treatment1 with unity1 and progress3 so that the whole1 when complete1 shall tell one great story1 each part a chapter therein2 the whole impress one truth1 each part contributing somewhat to the cumulative force of the great lesson4 ,and1 not to detain you with all the processes of thought and long reflection by which at last we reach our conclusionthe figures we suggest are those which are conspicuous and representative in the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,our ,divine ,lord ,himself should be1 as ,he is1 exalted in the great window over the altar4 ,beginning from the angle of the chancel arch to pass around the church1 we come first to the pair of small windows next to the organ1 from which now the light is excluded by the parish building4 ,they may be taken as in a sense going with the organ1 and scarcely a part of the general scheme4 ,let them be treated1 at some time1 in mosaic1 with ,,singing ,,angels1,c thus corresponding to the ,angels directly opposite in the corresponding small windows4 ,then we pass to the first pair of lancets of uniform size1 ,,melchizedek and ,,abraham3 the latter the great father of the faithful1 the head of the covenant people2 the former even superior to him1 a priest forever1 without beginning or end of days1 type of our ,lord's own ,highpriesthood4 ,melchizedek appears before ,abraham1 bearing bread and wine1 foreshadowing of the ,holy ,eucharist4 ,what more suitable1 as we look up to the altar and see above it the figure of ,our ,blessed ,lord1 than to turn to the head of the nave1 and find here1 at the dawn of religious history1 standing out as type of the ,christ in whom the course of the ages shall culminate1 this ,king of ,salem at the very beginning8 ,c ,recently placed4 ,we pass on4 ,the next pair will be ,,moses and ,,samuel3 both conspicuous as appointed of ,god to lead1 to rule1 to judge the people whom ,god had chosen2 ,founders of ,israel as a nation4 ,surely these1 if any1 we must commemorate as among the greatest in the covenant history4 ,this brings us to the third or middle pair4 ,woman1 too1 bears her conspicuous part in the spiritual history of mankind4 ,,deborah,d judged ,israel for forty years in a period of disorder and confusion1 and led the way to victory3 ,,ruth1,d a very different type1 beautiful and gentle1 became one of that line of whom ,david1 and ,david's ,greater ,son1 were born4 ,other women might have been chosen1 as well as other men2 but on the whole1 none more typical1 none better fitted to instruct and to impress4 ,d ,now in place4 ,the fourth pair continues the narrative4 ,,david and ,,elijah1 each so striking in his way1 bring back the kingdom in its glory and the kingdom in its disaster2 religion sweetly ministrant with music1 and religion sternly denouncing national sin2 the royal harp1 and the prophetic mantle4 ,and finally1 the fifth pair on this side1 ,,isaiah and ,,malachi3 the greatest of all the prophets1 called the ,evangelist of the ,old ,testament2 and the last of seers1 who most clearly foretold both ,messiah and ,forerunner4 ,thus we arrive at one of the entrances1 and turning the corner1 we stand before the first of the windows at the lower end4 ,it is large enough to admit more than one figure4 ,it continues the story from ,malachi1 to him who went before the face of the ,lord3 it presents to us ,,st4 ,,john ,,the ,,baptist1,e baptizing at ,jordan2 and close by it stands the ,font with its summons1 as of old1 to the washing away of sins4 ,e ,to be erected in the near future4 ,a splendid opportunity is presented by the great group next in order1 the three associated windows piercing the end wall of the nave4 ,majestic in their simple dignity of outline1 what will they not be when filled with stained glass as they should be8 ,here is space1 indeedample room for that scene treatment of which the side-wall windows are incapable4 ,let the middle one1 which is much the largest1 be the ,,nativity2,f that on the right side 7next to ,st4 ,john ,baptist7 the ,,presentation ,,in ,,the ,,temple1,f with ,simeon's ,nunc ,dimittis2 that on the left side1 the ,,epiphany1,f with the ,gifts of the ,magi4 ,thus will this entire end-wall set forth the ,incarnation1 up to which the ,old ,testament has led us1 and out of which proceeds the ,new1 and all the history of the ,christian ,church4 ,f ,now in place4 ,turning again1 and passing on1 back once more toward the chancel1 the first and second pairs of lancets on the ,cottage ,street side are devoted to the four ,evangelists1 ,,sts4 ,,matthew1 ,,mark1 ,,luke and ,,john4 ,no explanation is needed of the propriety of putting these figures here4 ,not only as the biographers of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 but as chief ,founders of that ,church which is builded upon ,historic ,factsmen of deeds as well as writerswe commemorate them4 ,the middle pair is again given to two great women of the ,new ,testament1 mothers both and as mothers supremely great3 ,,st4 ,,elizabeth,g and ,,st4 ,,mary4,g ,of the son of the first one it was said1 ,among those born of women there hath not appeared a greater than ,john4 ,to the other the ,angel's word was1 ,hail1 thou that are highly favored3 the ,lord is with thee2 and blessed art thou among women4 ,no two characters can lay more claim to our gratitude and reverence than these two women to whom an ,allwise ,god entrusted the tender formative years of the ,forerunner and of the ,messiah4 ,there is indeed a glorious company of ,apostles1 and a noble army of martyrs1 whom one would gladly set forth1 two and two1 in goodly succession4 ,two pairs must suffice us3 first ,,st4 ,,andrew,g and ,,st4 ,,stephen2,g next ,,st4 ,,peter,g and ,,st4 ,,paul4,g ,we begin with ,,st4 ,,andrew1 for he readily obeyed the calling of ,christ and followed ,him without delay1 bringing his brother also3 type of self-devotion and personal service1 forever4 ,,st4 ,,stephen1 set apart for the ,church's charitable work1 filled with the ,holy ,ghost and a mighty preacher1he was the first ,deacon1 and became the first ,martyr4 ,,st4 ,,peter and ,,st4 ,,paul bring us to a climax in the ,church's realization of the great commission2 prince apostles1 the former first led to the ,gentiles but afterward distinctly charged with the ,gospel to the ,circumcision2 the latter sent out to the ,uncircumcision1 truest champion of a ,catholic ,faith and uncompromising leader of a ,catholic ,church4 ,he brings us1 as we pass the two ,angel figures over the door1 up to the pulpit1who fitter than he to be set always before the preacher8and thence again we see before us the altar and the figure of ,our ,blessed ,lord from which we started on our circuit2 ,g ,now in place4 8,christ is the end1 for ,christ was the beginning3 ,christ the beginning1 and the end is ,christ40 ,this is the scheme which is hereby recommended to your attentive consideration1 your criticism1 and if worthy1 your adoption4 ,when adopted1 each opening will be available only for the subject assigned to it1 treated in the best style1 under the direction and approval of the vestry4 ,windows may be erected in any order1 provided these conditions are complied with2 though it is highly desirable that not less than a pairwhere there are pairsshould be placed at a time4 ,it is immaterial how many persons join in donating a window4 ,the use of the windows for memorials is very beautiful and very desirable2 but there is no restriction to such use1 by anything in the scheme4 ,and in closing let it be added1 that ifas undoubtedly they willthe vestry and parish shall feel sincerely thankful to those who participate in this pious work1 it is not there that the gratitude should chiefly lie4 ,it is an unspeakable privilege to be permitted to place a memorial like this in the house of ,god1 bringing ever new comfort and joy to hearts bereaved1 and satisfaction to the donors2 yes1 if there is need to say it1 it is an honor to be permitted to do it4 ,moreover1 in the nature of the case1 it is a privilege very limited as to the number of those who can be so favored2 and with every window that is taken1 the number remaining available becomes rapidly less4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the above ,report with its ,recommendations was adopted1 entire1 by unanimous vote of the ,vestry at the regular monthly meeting1 ,january #e1 #ahig4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,text in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74 ,punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected4 ,archaic and variable spelling has been preserved4 ,variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved4