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CHAPEL AND CHURCH 
 
 ARCHITECTURE, 
 
 WITII DESIGNS FOE PARSONAGES 
 
 KEY. GEORGE BOWLER, 
 
 ROXBURY, MASS. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN P. JEWETT AND COMPANY. 
 ' CLEVELAND, OHIO: 
 
 JEWETT, PROCTOR & WORTHINGTON. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 SHELDON, BLAIvEMAN & CO. 
 
 1856 . 
 

 LITUOTYPED BY THE AMERICAN STEREOTYPE COMPANY, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 We offer to the Public no apology for the present issue. The works which have preceded the present on the same 
 subject, seem-to us to have failed in meeting the wants of a large portion of those for whom they were designed; and 
 desirous, if possible, in some degree to meet the lack, we have ventured to open our Portfolio, and present it to those 
 who feel an interest in the improvement of our styles of Church Architecture. Whether we have succeeded better 
 than those who have preceded us, is not for our own decision. We do not claim a greater knowledge,—more perfect 
 taste,—better judgment or superior professional skill, to our compeers. We therefore expect that some deficiencies 
 may be discovered, and that others will criticise our humble efforts, and perhaps condemn them. The need of a work 
 on this subject is so patent to the author, that he considers it beyond controversy. Having made the science of 
 Building a study for some years before entering the ministry, he had gained some knowledge of the principles of 
 correct taste in constructing the different styles of private and public buildings, and in common with others he could 
 not fail to notice the great want of taste and skill which is so fully manifest in every village and hamlet throughout 
 the land. Awkward—ill-constructed—unventilated and incommodious public buildings, and equally awkward private 
 dwellings—not without form, but devoid of comeliness—stand before us wherever we turn. Glaring with white paint 
 and unrelieved by contact with any green thing, (for all trace of God’s beautiful handiwork is obliterated in their 
 vicinity,) there stands, in almost every village, some church, constructed without any reference to beauty, convenience, 
 or any thing else save a “meeting-house,” in which the people may convene for an hour or two on the Sabbath,— 
 without ventilation—adorned with rusty stove-pipes running half their length—with a better adaptation to any thing 
 else than that for which they were designed,—these houses have been dedicated to the God of Heaven, as temples for 
 His praise, when we would neither accept them, for our own purposes, or suffer our children to live therein. After an 
 experience of some years in the ministry of the Gospel, the author has yielded to his own convictions and the wishes 
 of his friends; and while engaged in parochial duties, has plied his pencil at every leisure hour, in the attempt to cor¬ 
 rect the public taste in this direction, by showing forth his own. There may be a show of vanity in all this; but in 
 justification we need only repeat what another has well said, viz., “ He who would correct the taste of others, or their 
 skill, must have a good opinion of his own.” These designs are entirely original, with the exception that the steeples 
 of Nos. 7 and -8 are altered from churches already erected-—No. 7 from a church in West Cambridge, Mass., and No. 8 
 from a church in Roxbury, Mass.-—the architects of which should have the credit of the original idea, although so 
 greatly altered they might not be willing to own them ; but they are unknown to the author of this work. In all 
 other respects the designs are new. We have made no attempt to supply plans for costly churches, but have devoted 
 our skill to the attempt to supply something applicable to the wants of religious societies of moderate means. We 
 cater for those who would build, not merely to admire or to excite the admiration of then’ neighbors, but who with 
 sincere hearts and humble desires seek to provide a place in which to worship in quietness, free from the influence of 
 worldly pride and worldly ambition ; who worship not Art, but God. The lack of taste is not more unseemly to such 
 than the excess of ornament; we have therefore tried to preserve the right medium, coupling at the same time con¬ 
 venience with beauty, and economy with taste ; banishing from the house of God whatever might offend against the 
 proprieties of a true heart-worship, and adding whatever might aid the true educational power and influence of the 
 associations which cluster around the sacred spot. How well we have succeeded in this, we now leave with the public 
 to judge. 
 
 May Is/, 1856. 
 
 
It may be that many persons, who purchase a work of this character, will be disappointed in not finding a com¬ 
 plete set of working plans connected with each of these designs ; and specifications, estimates, and every variety of 
 detail sufficient to enable them to build, without the necessity of having recourse to any architect for further counsel 
 or advice. All this we would gladly have embraced in the present volume, could it have been practicable. In such 
 a case, however, the expense of the work would have been very great—exceeding fifty dollars per copy—thereby 
 restricting its sale, if not completely prohibiting all hope of reaching the class for whom it is designed. We have 
 therefore pursued a course which we deem preferable. Excepting in the case of our small chapel plans, the services 
 of an architect will be needed. Our design proposes simply to give to building committees, and others, a series of 
 plans in different styles, adapted to different localities, embodying all the modern improvements, and accompanied by 
 such suggestions as we think necessary in order to a right carrying out of the projects which may be formed for the 
 convenient accommodation of the people,—so that any man. or body of men, may decide upon a plan and style of 
 building, and be able to satisfy themselves in regard to what they need, before they attempt to estimate the expense 
 of building. We have however designed to have the working plans prepared for each of these designs, so that any 
 who may need them can have them without delay, by applying to the author of this work. All these designs are 
 susceptible of modification and enlargement, so as to meet the desires and demands of any congregation. In regard 
 to the estimates of expense, we can give nothing reliable. Such is the diversity in the prices of stock and material us 
 well as labor, that a sum amply sufficient to build in one locality would fall far short in another. The expense of 
 building in the city is greater than in the country :—in New England far greater than in the West. But we have 
 endeavored to reach such a conclusion (with the various prices of stock and labor before us,) as will approximate the 
 actual cost in New England or New York. With this explanation of our design, we shall not need to enter into any 
 lengthened description of our drawings; but shall bring to view in few words the more noticeable features of the 
 different designs, occasionally adverting to the details of exterior and interior finish and ornamentation. 
 
 We do not deem it necessary to add any farther explanation of our purpose and design; we shall, however, add 
 some suggestions in the chapter following. 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SACRED ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 Architecture, as a science, lias a higher claim than it has ever 
 received among us as a nation. Not only as being prior to all 
 other sciences does it commend itself as a study, but as giving 
 occasion for the encouragement of every other branch of the 
 fine arts. In itself it is a combination of science and art. It 
 demands the taste of the painter and the skill of the sculptor. 
 Some one has well said that “Without science, architecture is an 
 effeminate and useless pastime, and, without the higher feelings 
 of art, a mere constructor of huts and cabins.” To be an archi¬ 
 tect, in the highest sense of the word, involves a profound mind 
 stored with knowledge of mathematics and mechanics, of geol¬ 
 ogy, chemistry, and philosophy, and capable of adapting all the 
 knowledge possessed to the great ends which it purposes to 
 accomplish. Hence is it that we have so few great architects. 
 He who aims simply to furnish a neat and chaste design for a 
 cottage ornee or a village church, will hardly apply himself to 
 those studies which are needful in order to the accomplishment 
 of great designs, and will not be likely to leave behind him any 
 very superior monument of skill to tower in its beauty long 
 centuries after his footfall shall cease to be heard on earth. 
 There are laws and governing principles which belong and 
 cleave to every department of the fine arts, yet every law 
 which is applicable to any one of them is a law and rule of 
 architecture; for, in design and construction, whatever violates 
 good taste as pertaining to any branch of art, violates the true 
 principles of design. Thus, whether it be the grand cathedral 
 or the humblest cottage of the humblest artisan which the lover 
 of the science would attempt to produce, he must bring into 
 play all the knowledge which he possesses. 
 
 There can be no doubt but that sacred architecture first had 
 its rise in the more primitive styles of monumental architecture; 
 and it would require no great stretch of imagination, in the 
 absence of any direct proof, to trace out the progress from the 
 simple memorial which Jacob erected to commemorate his vision 
 to the grand cathedral, 
 
 “ Whose frette<l roof, with lofty column stayed, 
 
 And arched with mighty skill. 
 
 Now towers high and grand, a monument to God.” 
 
 What could be more natural than for him who would offer 
 sacrifices to his gods, to select some one of the many monu¬ 
 ments of remembrance on which to lay his offering and spill its 
 blood? What more natural than for another to do what had 
 once been done? And, when many had made this the place 
 of habitual offerings and sacrifices, the most natural thing to 
 
 follow would be the enclosing and Covering of the place, form¬ 
 ing a sort of tabernacle in which the priests might minister 
 and the worshippers assemble together. It is said that the ear¬ 
 liest temple erected expressly as such was that of Ninus, who 
 ordered the people to worship his own father under the name 
 of Jupiter Belus. This temple Herodotus declares to have been 
 splendid in its dimensions and design, and contained the brazen 
 statue of Jupiter Belus, otherwise in the Scripture called Baal 
 and Baal-Peor. It Was only some two hundred years after the 
 Flood that this statue was cast and this gorgeous temple erected. 
 About this time architecture was cultivated in other countries, 
 and in all places the most splendid edifices were the temples 
 of the gods. Thus, even in very remote ages, sacred architect¬ 
 ure flourished in a peculiar sense, the temples of the gods being 
 much more beautiful, massive, and stupendous in their dimen¬ 
 sions than any of the other edifices erected by a nation. 
 
 In our brief limits we cannot go into any detailed description 
 of the principal monuments of sacred architecture erected among 
 the ancients, however pleasing it might be. From Assyria the 
 knowledge of the science of which we speak .spread rapidly to 
 other nations, and soon there rose in Egypt the stupendous evi¬ 
 dences of the skill of those who had made themselves masters 
 of the principles of this science; and in every country over 
 which the conquering arm of the Assyrian was reached out 
 there were to be seen the evidences of progress in knowledge 
 and science which the victors imparted to the vanquished. 
 
 “The first temples,” says Wren, “were, in all probability, in 
 the ruder times, only little cellm (cells) to inclose the idol within, 
 with no other light than a large door to discover it to the people 
 when the priest saw proper, and when he went in alone to offer 
 incense, the people paying adoration without doors, — for all 
 sacrifices were performed in the open air, before the front of the 
 temple. But in the southern climates a grove was necessary, not 
 only to shade the devout, but, from the darkness of the place, to 
 strike some terror and recollection in their approaches; there¬ 
 fore, trees being always an adjunct to the celke, the Israelites 
 were commanded to destroy not only the idols, but also to cut 
 down the groves which surrounded them: but, trees decaying 
 with time, or not equally growing, though planted at first in good 
 order, or possibly not having room, when the temples were 
 brought into cities, the like walks were represented with stone 
 columns, supporting the more durable shade of a roof, instead of 
 the arbor of spreading boughs; and still, in the ornaments of 
 scone work, was imitated, as well as the materials would admit, 
 

 both in the capitals, friezes, and mouldings, a foliage or sort of 
 work composed of leaves, which remains to this age.” 
 
 In this connection perhaps we cannot do better than to give a 
 short extract from Elme’s Dictionary, which will give us some 
 idea of the art or science of architecture among the Egyptian 
 nations. He says: 
 
 ‘i Few nations of antiquity cultivated sacred architecture with 
 greater devotion or with more splendor than did the ancient 
 Egyptians, particularly in that part of their country called The- 
 bais, or Upper Egypt. The chief pride of this country was its 
 principal city, Thebes. The Thebais is the most southerly part of 
 Egypt, nearest to Ethiopia, and was nearly as large as the other 
 two parts of Egypt together, including in its boundaries all the 
 country on both sides of the Nile down to Heptanomis. 
 
 “ At the time of the Trojan war Thebes was reckoned the 
 most opulent and the best-peopled city in the world. Among 
 the principal edifices of the Thebais was the magnificent palace 
 and temple of Memnon, which, according to Strabo, stood in the 
 city of Abydos, the second city to Thebes, about seven miles 
 and a half to the west of the Nile; that a celebrated temple of 
 Osiris was near to it; that it was also famed i'or a deep well or 
 pool of water, with winding steps all round it; that the stones 
 used in it were of an astonishing magnitude, anti the sculpture 
 on them excellent. 
 
 “ Among other principal structures which embellished this por- 
 tiou of Egypt was the palace of Ptolemy, at Ptolemais, a city 
 which he decorated with many costly sacred buildings. Under 
 the Ptolemies the style of architecture in Egypt sustained a 
 complete revolution, and their buildings approached the style 
 which was afterwards so beautifully refined by the Greeks, who 
 brought it to complete perfection; yet they never reached that 
 pure and noble stylo which distinguished the tasteful inhabitants 
 of Attica. 
 
 “ These works were probably executed by Greek architects, 
 called into Egypt by the Ptolemies and their successors. This 
 conjecture appears the better founded, since a modern traveller, 
 Granger, describes a temple which he had seen of the Corinthian 
 order, and farther observes, in speaking of a palace which he 
 believes made part of ancient Thebes, that the capitals of the 
 columns were of the Composite order, highly finished. 
 
 “ The objects, however, which most concern the present work, 
 are its sacred edifices. Its four principal temples were of im¬ 
 mense size and of a singular beauty of workmanship. The gold, 
 ivory, precious stones, and other costly and valuable ornaments 
 with which they were decorated, were stripped off and carried 
 away by the Persians when Cambyses conquered and ravaged 
 Egypt. 
 
 “ At Cnuphis, a city of the Thebais, so called from the god of 
 that name, was a magnificent temple dedicated to that idol. At 
 Carnac, another large city near Thebes, there are still the re¬ 
 mains of a superb temple of Jupiter, now the most perfect in 
 that part of Egypt. The magnificent temple of Apollo, at Apol- 
 linopolis, was ono hundred and seventy feet long, one hundred 
 and eighty feet broad, and seventy feet high, as appears by the 
 ruins which still remain. The characters of all these buildings 
 bear a close resemblance to each other, and are standard charac¬ 
 teristics of Egyptian architecture. The inhabitants of Tentyra, 
 or Dendera, were great worshippers of Iris and Venus. From 
 the splendid ruins of this city it appears that their temples were 
 
 more beautiful and splendid, and in a better style of art, than 
 any others in Egypt. 
 
 “ The resemblance between many ancient and' distant nations, 
 in their language, manners, customs, architecture, and sculpture, 
 is very great, but, when first causes are investigated, by no 
 means surprising. Sir William Jones, in his invaluable dis¬ 
 courses, which are the concrete of many volumes, observing on 
 the language, manners, and antiquities of the ancient inhabitants 
 of India, comes to the indisputable result that they had an imme¬ 
 morial affinity with the ancient Persians, Ethiopians, and Egyp¬ 
 tians; the Phccuieians, Greeks, and Tuscans; the Scythians, or 
 Goths, and Celts ; the Chinese, Japanese, and Peruvians.” 
 
 Thus these examples prove a most interesting fact in the his¬ 
 tory of mankind. But we must leave these ancient memorials, 
 making reference only in this place to one somewhat curious 
 example of sacred architecture, to which some reference is had 
 in the Bible. Tyre was built some 10G0 years before Christ. 
 In its midst stood the temple of Dagon, which was destroyed by 
 Samson, who, we are told, by applying his immense strength 
 to the columns against which he leaned while the worshippers 
 of Dagon made sport of their captive, overthrew the whole 
 edifice, burying himself and those who mocked him in one vast 
 ruin. How any temple could be or should have been so con¬ 
 structed as that by applying his strength to a single column 
 Samson should have been enabled to overthrow and destroy the 
 whole vast fabric, has been a matter of speculation to many 
 ingenious minds; but Sir Christopher Wren, a man of vast and 
 varied knowledge, and whose profound research in the sciences 
 was equal to the skill which he displayed in architecture, has 
 given a very clear elucidation of the manner of constructing 
 such a building. He conceived a vast oval building or amphi¬ 
 theatre, whose roof of cedar beams, of immense weight, rested 
 upon the walls and centred upon a short architrave, which 
 united the two central columns. So largo a number of beams 
 could not all concentrate at one point, but all might rest upon 
 the architrave which bound two columns together. By his 
 miraculous power pressing one of these beams from its basis, 
 the whole building must tail a mass of ruins. 
 
 Having made this reference to the early days of sacred archi¬ 
 tecture, we shall only farther remark, that the greatest successes 
 achieved in this direction were by the Greeks, to whom we are 
 indebted for the pure styles which have been handed down to 
 our own day, and from which the chaste ornaments which adorn 
 our temples have been derived. One style alone would not 
 suffice for the Grecian architects, for they were very careful that 
 whatever of decoration should relieve the nakedness of their 
 buildings should accord both with the character of the building, 
 the design which it was destined to fulfil, and the situation in 
 which it was placed. To enter into a description of their styles 
 and orders would weary the reader, inasmuch as it would be an 
 “ oft-told story; ” and any description of the principles on which 
 these styles were founded would involve an amount of space 
 which we cannot afford in a work of this character. 
 
 But we cannot leave this subject without a slight reference to 
 another style of architecture, and some modifications of it, of 
 which we have furnished a few plain specimens. Some one 
 has defined the Gothic, quite contemptuously, as “anything 
 which is not Grecian;" while others claim for it the name of 
 Ecclesiastical architecture, as being peculiarly fitted for temples 
 
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. 
 
 7 
 
 and churches. We may be allowed to differ from both. A 
 beautiful style in itself, it seems to us to be adapted to church 
 building wherever we desire to ornament and beautify to a 
 greater extent than is admissible in the more chaste and severe 
 Grecian and Roman styles. The elements of which it is com¬ 
 posed are buttresses and pinnacles, spires and lancet windows; 
 its lines are vertical rather than horizontal, giving a lofty appear¬ 
 ance, and pointing upward the gaze. While Greece is the classic 
 soil of the ancient orders, the Gothic belongs to England, and 
 its finest specimens are to bo found on her soil. Throwing 
 aside all trammels and trampling upon all system, this style 
 of building admits an almost infinite variation, and every archi¬ 
 tect adds and alters as he may please, modifying to suit the 
 limited means and amplifying to reach the highest altitude of 
 ambitious pride. From this style has been derived the Byzan¬ 
 
 tine, the Norman, and the Romanesque, — all very similar, yet 
 slightly differing; a difference, however,which we could scarcely 
 define. The absence of the pinnacles, as seen in comparing 
 plates 22 and 23 with plates 26 and 27, the round window-heads 
 in place of the lancet-shape, and a few minor details of finish, 
 together with the circular in place of the pointed arch, wherever 
 arches are necessary, are the principal points of difference. In 
 design No. 12 we have a specimen of the Gothic; in No. 10 of 
 the Romanesque; in No. 9 of the Byzantine; in No. 15 of the 
 Norman: all of which are modified to meet the limited means 
 of churches composed of persons belonging to the middling 
 classes in life. 
 
 With these few remarks, we leave this chapter, to consider 
 some things more intimately connected with our present design. 
 
 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. 
 
 Ecclesiastical Architecture admits of almost an infinite 
 diversity; and, on the part of some, especially “ the old enthu¬ 
 siasts,” who made this branch of art a life-long study, an attempt 
 to adapt some outward form to the expression of each inward 
 type of Christian emotion and every phase of Christian character 
 has been made. A great variety of styles has thus been pro¬ 
 duced, not greatly differing from each other, to be sure, but yet 
 sufficiently distinct to gain a name and classification. Yet, after 
 all, there are, comprehensively speaking, but the Grecian and the 
 Gothic styles. These are modified in peculiar forms, some of 
 which have attained the rank of distinct orders, and yet are, 
 nevertheless, to some degree in subjection to the rules of the 
 two principal divisions named. These two principal orders are 
 almost entirely opposite to each other, differing in all their essen¬ 
 tial parts, and producing entirely contrary effects on the mind; 
 and at different periods in history there may be remarked a 
 change from the enthusiasm for the one, in the minds of men 
 of taste, to an enthusiasm for the other. The popular taste, 
 never fully satisfied, oscillates from one extreme to the other; 
 so that, as taste changes in respect to dress, and the arbitrary 
 rules which govern the change are styled the laws of fashion, so 
 is there in taste, as applied to architectural designs, a regular 
 operation of laws, which, in perpetual motion, brings us now 
 to one extreme and now to another. But in works of art, 
 where long years are necessary to the perfecting of a work, 
 these changes are gradual, requiring ages to oscillate to the 
 extremes. Perhaps we cannot better express the idea than by 
 inserting an extract from the sixth volume of the New Eiujlander, 
 written by Dr. Daggett, who evidently understands the subject 
 on which he has so well written. 
 
 “ Comparing, or rather contrasting, a Greek and a Gothic 
 edifico, each being a favorable specimen of its kind, an observer 
 finds the difference pervading every part, extending to the 
 minutest device or ornament, and carried out into the general 
 effect; each building rising as it were from one conception of 
 the mind, according to its own laws enlarging itself, and, by 
 coherence and unity, coming to that harmonious result which is 
 called, according to the position from which it is described, 
 either the expression or impression of the whole: as two kinds 
 
 of trees grow, by their respective laws, each into its proper 
 beauty. For example, in Gothic architecture the lines are per¬ 
 pendicular or else slanting, the curves intersect one another as 
 if all aspiring to greater height, and, by mechanical contrivance, 
 one part surmounts another to a great comparative elevation; 
 and, besides giving the pleasure of ingeniously overcoming dif¬ 
 ficulty in the construction, the whole has an air of loftiness, 
 grandeur, and natural solemnity, and sometimes of grace com¬ 
 bined with vastness. In the Greek architecture, on the other 
 hand, the lines are for the most part horizontal, and the pro¬ 
 portions of all the parts are nicely adjusted, both for strength 
 and effect on the eye; the whole making the impression of 
 solidity or massiveness, and repose, and serenity; the Doric 
 order having also the charm of the utmost simplicity, and the 
 Corinthian of rich yet chastened decoration.” 
 
 And again he says: 
 
 “ Upon what is called the revival of learning in Europe, after 
 the mixed Roman models had long prevailed in the more south¬ 
 ern countries, and the most eminent examples of Norman and 
 Gothic architecture had already grown venerable in England and 
 Germany, the public taste in England, as well as elsewhere, 
 turned strongly toward the purer Greek forms, which in turn 
 became objects of too exclusive admiration. More or less mod¬ 
 ified, they entered into the ideal of artists and amateurs, to the 
 undue disparagement of all later models. The Gothic style 
 began to be reckoned fantastic and well-nigh barbarous, like the 
 superstitions of the ages that produced its most wonderful 
 examples, in comparison with the Greek orders and their Roman 
 derivatives. Sir Christopher Wren may be regarded as an exam¬ 
 ple of this tendency. Within the present century a chauge in 
 this respect has been going on in Great Britain and in this 
 country. In architecture, as in poetry, the classic and romantic 
 tendencies seem to have been in competition, the one or the 
 other prevailing in both arts at nearly the same periods; and of 
 late the latter seems to have been regaining in turn its old as¬ 
 cendency. Pointed arches and clustered pillars now attract the 
 eutliusiasm of church builders more than nicely-adjusted columns 
 and entablatures. And human nature still carries its partialities 
 into extremes, for in some parts of this country we see barns 
 
and sheds made to look like Gothic chapels or monastic enclo¬ 
 sures, as formerly in England they aspired to resemble Greek 
 temples. Now the caution we believe to be needful, is, against 
 exclusiveness in this or in any other direction, and in behalf of 
 that more liberal habit which recognizes beauty under all its 
 variety of forms and expressions. Judging from the notices 
 and comments in some of the popular journals and in fashion¬ 
 able conversation, and from the zeal with which one congregation 
 emulates another in copying the same class of models, one might 
 suppose that really no costly church ought to be built, or can 
 ever again be admired, unless it is made to look like some old 
 English example; and that the imitation is only the more to be 
 admired if the original was constructed piecemeal at successive 
 times, and hence had a propriety which in truth never can be 
 transferred to any copy.” 
 
 Every building erected, and especially if it be of any preten¬ 
 sion and calculated to attract notice, as a church must do, should 
 conform to the rules of one or the other of these styles. It will 
 never do to erect a building merely to please our own fancy; 
 but conformity to the rules of art should invariably be observed. 
 Excessive adorning degenerates from ornament into bad taste, 
 and becomes a monument of folly rather than an incentive to our 
 admiration. But while we ornament and beautify our own 
 homes, we should not fail to add whatever would make more 
 attractive the house of God. It should at least compare well 
 with our dwellings in everything promotive of the finer feelings 
 of the soul. Never should we be content in allowing the wor¬ 
 ship of God to be conducted in a mere barn-like edifice, under 
 a plea of poverty, unless we are really poor. It is a practical 
 lie, when, living in ease ourselves, and supplied with every com¬ 
 fort which the hand of a kind Parent can bestow upon us, we 
 say we cannot afford to give of our substance for the better 
 arrangement and accommodat ion of the services of .religion. 
 
 Great blame has been laid on many churches because they 
 have erected costly edifices; but, if we rightly interpret Chris¬ 
 tian duty in this regard, there is no sin inhering in this fact, but 
 the sin lies more in the exclusive character of the houses which 
 we dedicate to the purposes of worship. Too often it is true 
 that pride would exclude poverty; that, while ostensibly the 
 
 wealthy erect beautiful and costly church edifices for religion’s 
 sake, it is in reality only for pride’s sake; and hence whatever 
 in the garb of poverty and lowliness offends the eye must be 
 excluded. Religion possessed in the soul presents the claims 
 of charity to the conscience and enforces the demands of benev¬ 
 olence ; but, when these demands are met and the coffers are yet 
 full, and our paths are strewn with luxury, she teaches that a full 
 portion of our pleasures and the rewards of our industry should 
 be bestowed on the temple of our God. With one who has 
 written eloquently on this subject (Mr. Ruskin), we say, “We 
 cannot understand the feeling which would arch our own gates 
 and pave our own thresholds, and leave the church with its nar¬ 
 row- door and foot-worn sill; the feeling which enriches our own 
 chambers with all manner of costliness, and endures the bare wall 
 and mean compass of the temple.” 
 
 While, then, we urge a liberal expenditure in all cases where 
 it is possible, we would especially urge that, whether appropri¬ 
 ations for this object be large or small, they should be expended 
 in such a manner as that harmony and good taste should be 
 preserved; for we hold it possible to construct the simplest 
 chapel as truly in good taste and as perfect in design as the 
 grandest cathedral. Every building should on its very exterior 
 indicate its design. We never confound the store of the mer¬ 
 chant with the dwelling of his family (except perhaps in the 
 case of Stewart’s dry goods palace); and we never should erect 
 an edifice for church purposes which should bo confounded by 
 any one with a schoolhouse or anything else but what it in 
 reality is. As a general thing, we urge the erection of spires 
 as fitting symbols of the Christian temple. The plain tow-er 
 seems stunted and unfinished without a spire, and it is almost 
 impossible to give the idea of a church without this appendage; 
 and if it be surmounted by the cross it is no less beautiful in 
 our eyes, though no symbol can be more offensive in the eyes of 
 many people. But either the cross or a plain finial should be 
 used in the finish of a church, rather than the common weather¬ 
 cock. 
 
 But we leave this chapter to say a word on other important 
 topics. 
 
 L 0 C A 
 
 In considering the subject of church-building, no one tiling is 
 of greater consequence than the decision of the question, Where 
 shall it be located? The question, Where shall we build? is 
 even of greater moment than What shall we build? It is the 
 extreme of folly to buy a lot of ground for such a purpose 
 merely because it is cheap, or even to accept as a gift a portion 
 of land which is not eligibly located for the purposes proposed. 
 In the selection of a site, the first thing to consider is, For what 
 purpose do we design to build? Is it a temple of Mammon, to 
 be filled with the tables of the money-changers? If so, place it 
 on the busiest street of the village, in the very heart of the 
 throbbing current of trade, where every surrounding influence 
 is calculated to press the mind iuto tin's one idea of gathering 
 gold and heaping wealth together. Or would you build a land¬ 
 mark to catch the eye ol every traveller and give direction to ! 
 
 LITY. 
 
 his wanderings? Then select the highest summit, as the fathers 
 did in early days, “the bleak hill-top, bald and shorn,” and here 
 erect a monument, without regard to the convenience of any 
 man, on a spot to which age can repair only with extreme diffi¬ 
 culty, and which shall serve constantly to remind the worshippers 
 who may climb up thither that while “ the way to heaven is free 
 to all,” there is nevertheless a stern necessity to labor and put 
 forth exertion in order to attain “ the prize set before them.” 
 
 But if it be solely for purposes of solemn heart-worship, then 
 retire from the mart of trade, and from every position to which 
 “ ambition, pride, and show ” would point, and seek a spot con¬ 
 genial to the humble spirit ot a true worshipper of the living 
 God; not far away from the homes of the people, but amid the 
 1 cheerful and hallowed associations of the dearest earthly joys, 
 
 , and yet away from the noise and bustle and confusion of the 
 
ADAPTABILITY. 
 
 9 
 
 busiest streets of trade. The man of business has an eye to a 
 corner store or a corner lot as most eligible; and, though such a 
 position might be very desirable in some country village for a 
 church, it is most certainly one of the very worst localities in a 
 large town or city, for the noise and rush which invariably are 
 met in such a place, even on the Sabbath, will, to a greater or 
 less extent, disturb the worshippers who assemble there. 
 
 If there be a public park or village green within a convenient 
 distance, this would perhaps be the most desirable; but if not, a 
 shady grove, or a lot where trees and shrubbery may be planted, 
 and all the surroundings may be made attractive rather than 
 repulsive, would seem to us to be the next best thing. At least, 
 we can but coincide with the following extract from a recent 
 work on this subject, published by the Congregational Board: 
 “ The church, in its site and by its surroundings, ought to be as 
 attractive and pleasant as any spot in its vicinity. It should 
 speak a welcome by its very look as well as by the sound of its 
 bell. It should have such a position, one so commanding and 
 attractive, characterized by such breadth and generosity, and 
 should be aided by such tasteful adornments of architecture and 
 grounds, as not to suffer in comparison with other structures 
 around it.” Well do we remember a most beautiful church, 
 thoroughly finished, with a fine clock and bell, and which we 
 have often passed, but which is so badly located that it has been 
 completely deserted for the last fifteen years, and probably 
 
 not one religious service has been holden in it for ten yearSj 
 But the lot was given for the purpose, and a large donation 
 towards the building, and, influenced by these considera¬ 
 tions, the great folly was committed of building where only 
 one man was well accommodated. Far better would it have 
 been to have declined the offer, even at the risk of losing the 
 favor of the most influential man in the parish. Alas ! how 
 many churches have died a lingering death, how many to-day 
 scarcely live, because of disabilities imposed upon them by a 
 lack of judgment in those to whom was entrusted the selection 
 of a site on which to erect their temple. 
 
 Nothing can be more plain than that a true and enlightened 
 policy would dictate the selection of the best spot, without any 
 regard whatever to its cost. Better far a plain house in the 
 right place, than a costly and gorgeous temple in a poor locality. 
 ’T is not the most gorgeous and elegantly furnished church that 
 attracts the greatest number of worshippers, but it is the one 
 most pleasantly situated for purposes of devotion. We are 
 free to admit that it is always much easier to talk and write 
 than to practise what we recommend; but we do hope to see a 
 greater attention paid to those things which are the very bases 
 of all our efforts. Do not, Christian brethren and friends, give 
 all your attention to the adorning of a house of worship, and at 
 the same time forget that its very locality is its greatest adorn¬ 
 ment. 
 
 A D A l 3 T A 
 
 The purposes to be subserved by the buildings we erect are 
 various. Wo want not only a shelter from the sun and the 
 storm, but a convenient place for many to hear the utterances 
 of the divine message. This is the first great object in view. 
 Every person should be able to look upon and hear the speaker, 
 and the speaker who occupies the desk should be able to put 
 his eye on every person in his audience; and at the same time 
 the whole arrangement should be such as to give the very best 
 facility to him for speaking with ease to himself and his hearers. 
 The audience-room should be as free as possible from all those 
 ornaments which affect the transmission of sound. Heavy 
 plaster cornices and stucco-work, clusters of columns, and every¬ 
 thing of this kind, beautiful as they may be, and very desirable 
 to the eye, destroy to a great extent the clear intonations of the 
 voice, so that it is a question to what extent they should be 
 admitted. Arches in the roof, if they are high, do not so much 
 affect the sound, neither would the other ornaments named if 
 they were carried up far enough; but in rooms of the most 
 common form, with flat ceilings, they are certainly objectionable 
 so far as the ear is concerned, though adding greatly to the 
 general aspect of the structure. For the same reason galleries 
 are always objectionable, unless the house should be very broad, 
 and even then they should be as low as possible, so that the 
 voice may rise above them without being broken in its force 
 and volume. Attention to these things is necessary if we would 
 adapt the house to the purposes of public worship. 
 
 Nothing can be of more importance than a good ventilation 
 in every church; but of this we shall speak elsewhere. 
 
 Another important thing, which is often overlooked in build- 
 
 BILITY. 
 
 ing, is a good, convenient vestry, and small rooms for Bible 
 classes and business. No church edifice can be adapted to the 
 true idea and-purpose of worship that is not thus provided with 
 the necessary accessories of the house of God. We take it for 
 granted, in these days of Sabbath schools, that no associate body 
 of men will so far forget the duty they owe to the young as to 
 neglect to make provision for their religious instruction. Hence 
 we have a necessity for a large and commodious vestry, even 
 if we do not feel such a necessity in reference to the stated 
 religious services of the prayer and conference meetings. To 
 hold the services of the Sabbath school in the audience-room 
 of the church is? an impropriety to which the holders of pew 
 property will not usually submit, inasmuch as in most cases there 
 are unruly children connected with the schools, who will deface 
 and injure the furniture and books of the pews. An equal impro¬ 
 priety would it be to throw open to public lectures the body 
 of the church, as many people have so little reverence for the 
 house of God as to indulge their vicious habits even in the 
 sanctuary. No church, then, in our view, is complete without 
 such conveniences as are afforded in a separate room for these 
 purposes. So, too, there should be several small rooms for 
 various uses. Our Methodist friends need class-rooms; our 
 Baptist brethren want retiring rooms contiguous to the baptistry 
 for changing robes, Ac. Others need business rooms or Bible- 
 class rooms; and all should have a small retiring room for the 
 pastor, in which to compose himself for the solemn services of 
 his ministry before entering the pulpit. All these conveniences 
 we may have in a properly constructed basement; but it should 
 be usually entirely above ground, so as to be light, airy, and free 
 
fVyyr'rr, 
 
 from dampness. The idea of building a separate vestry, either 
 away from the church or connected with it, involves a much 
 greater expense with less convenience, and, though strongly rec¬ 
 ommended by some, is in our view a mistaken idea. But in any¬ 
 wise we conceive it necessary to provide all these things, and, 
 whether in connection with or separate from the church edifice 
 itself, we think no body of Christian men can afford to dispense 
 with them. In tho work from which we have already quoted, 
 published by the Congregational Board, we find the same thing 
 enforced in these words: “ A church should as studiously and 
 willingly provide all those conveniences which will promote its 
 welfare and efficiency, as our great business corporations do the 
 various offices and equipments conducive to their advantage. 
 It is the true policy and the true economy every way to do so. 
 Tho first requisite of a workman is to have a place to work and 
 tools to work with; and just iu proportion as place and took 
 are properly adapted to the work in which he is emplt 
 be his success, and his advantage, also, over those who pay less 
 regard to such considerations. When, therefore, the church, the 
 spiritual body of believers, undertakes to secure to itself a 
 house of worship, it should regard the matter with a compre¬ 
 hensive view, and make a resolute endeavor to procure an edifice 
 as complete as possible for its appropriate purposes.” 
 
 Another thing which we recommend may doubtless be consid¬ 
 ered by some an innovation, though we are glad to find there 
 are some who have adopted the idea; — we refer to the con¬ 
 venience of the preacher and the effect of his preaching. The 
 custom has been for long years to build a narrow box against 
 the back wall of the church for a pulpit, and hero the minister 
 has stood to read forth to the people an essay which he had 
 prepared, and under tho influence of which very little good has 
 been or could be effected. What effect could be produced in 
 the senate or at the bar were such a custom to obtain ? What 
 lawyer would hope to gain an important cause were he thus 
 boxed up in a narrow space in which he could scarcely turn 
 himself? While the writer himself must plead guilty to the 
 use of the manuscript, he would nevertheless avow, as he often 
 has done, his readiness to throw away the manuscript whenever 
 he can find in the place of the old-fashioned pulpit a good broad 
 platform on which lie may find room to move, and, by the use 
 of the appropriate “ arts of the orator,” strive to enforce the 
 appeals of divine truth and plead with men to bo reconciled to 
 God. In this point we say there is a lack of adaptability in our 
 churches to the object which is had in view. Whatever arrange¬ 
 ment or facility can be introduced which will give additional 
 force to the ministrations of the Word, ought to bo attended to, 
 whatever may be the expense which it will involve. In this 
 case, however, it is a saving of expense. No greater folly can 
 
 there be connected with the erection of churches than to expend 
 five hundred or a thousand dollars, as is frequently done, for a 
 rosewood or mahogany pulpit, when the plain, simple platform 
 is, after all, much better in every way. We would earnestly 
 recommend the candid consideration of this thing to every min¬ 
 ister and to building committees. Let a platform be raised, not 
 over three and a half or four feet from the floor, ten by six¬ 
 teen feet, or as near this size as may be, entirely open, or with 
 a balustrade twelve inches in height surrounding it. On this 
 platform a plain table for the Bible, and a few chairs for such 
 as may occupy it, and we venture to say that a fair trial will 
 satisfy both preacher and people that this is far better than the 
 old and common methods of arranging these matters. For c 
 Baptist brethren we would construct a baptistry beneath the 
 platform, and for our Episcopalian and Methodist friends a spa¬ 
 cious altar in addition, or, if this would require too much space, 
 the balustrade may be the altar-rail, approached by broad steps 
 from the aisles. 
 
 But there is one thing more which we must not omit from this 
 chapter, — adaptability to the promotion of harmony in music. 
 Music has become, and with great propriety, an essential part 
 of public worship. No service can be complete where the human 
 is not attuned to praise. “ The pealing organ’s notes ” 
 are a mere mockery if there be no soul in the strains which flow 
 from beneath the musician’s touch. It forms a glorious accom¬ 
 paniment to the human voice, but, without this, it is valueless 
 for all purposes of worship. But too often we construct < 
 churches without reference to the effect of music. We crowd 
 the orchestra together in a narrow gallery over the vestibule, 
 and push the organ back into some recess, and enclose it in a 
 tight case, in such a manner as to deaden and destroy all the life 
 and melody. Now we would urge that the very best arrange¬ 
 ment is to have the orchestra as near the main floor as 
 convenient, say about the height of the speaker’s platform 
 named above, so that there may be height for the music to 
 swell in, and, instead of enclosing the organ in a tight case, let 
 it have a light open-work screen, through which the softest strain 
 may diffuse itself to all parts of tho house. Many of our churches 
 have been so constructed as that the music from the choir 
 seemed to flatten against the blank ceiling above them, and 
 came down dead and lifeless to the ears of listeners, when in 
 fact the fault was not so much with the singers as with the 
 house. But we need not multiply words on this point. We 
 leave this chapter, hoping that the few remarks we have made 
 will lead all who contemplate building to give due attention to 
 those things which best adapt a building to the purposes of 
 public worship, and render it most convenient for all tho various 
 uses and usages to which it is to be applied. 
 
 CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 Whatever may be the material employed in building, great 
 care should be taken so to adapt it to its uses as that the design 
 may not only be well elaborated, but also may have a good degree 
 of permanence. In these days of haste, walls are erected too 
 frequently with so little regard to the permanence and solidity of 
 the whole structure, that in a few years they must be strength¬ 
 ened, or taken down altogether. From the window near which 
 
 we are now writing may be seen a church, nearly new, and of 
 somewhat costly design, whose steeple leans so far from the per¬ 
 pendicular as to cause great apprehension that the next high 
 wind might throw it over upon the roof. The cause of its insta¬ 
 bility doubtless lies in tho imperfect construction of those parts 
 on which the tower and roof are based. 
 
 The mode of construction will of course depend in a great 
 
HARMONY 
 
 measure on the material which we employ; and we contend that 
 it is not so much a question of economy as it is of fitness and 
 propriety, what material shall enter into the composition of the 
 house which we build and dedicate to God and his service; for 
 the difference between the solid stone and the flimsy scantling in 
 actual cost is not so great as many would suppose. Let us look 
 for one moment at the difference. A building of wood, erected 
 hastily, of half-seasoned stock, its frame of the smallest possible 
 dimensions, covered with hemlock boards and clapboarded in 
 the usual form, may serve for seven or ten years the purpose 
 for which it is designed,—but very few modern-built wooden 
 churches do more than this; then they must be remodelled, 
 enlarged, or in some way cut up, so as to destroy what little 
 strength and stability they had originally, and after a few more 
 years must fall and give place to another; and during the time in 
 which they are in actual use they must be painted over once in 
 every two years, at a large expense. On the other hand, if more 
 liberal ideas prevail, a church will be constructed of stone or 
 brick (stone being preferable), which will last a hundred years, 
 never being in want of paint on the exterior, and costing but a 
 trifle more originally than the wooden building. Surely the dif¬ 
 ference of one or two or five thousand dollars ought not to be a 
 question debatable at all in such a connection. To say nothing 
 of the economy, the idea of propriety itself would urge the selec¬ 
 tion of stone as the material for all our churches. And we may 
 urge this thing the more because there is no material so widely 
 diffused over all the land as this. Our timber-lands are being 
 destroyed, the prices of lumber are being enhanced with its scar¬ 
 city, and we must send long distances to obtain dimension stuff 
 suitable for large buildings. But under our very feet we find the 
 best material, which may be blown up at small expense, and with 
 little labor be fitted for the walls of any edifice; and, with all due 
 deference to the taste of others, we contend, even in its rough, 
 unhammered state, making the most beautiful wall of any known 
 material. In New England we have the beautiful blue granite of 
 Quincy and Rockport, the rough Roxbury stone, the brown free¬ 
 stone, and the beautiful Vermont marbles, either of which 
 beautiful enough for a palace or cathedral when properly laid; 
 and in other parts of the land there may be found other varieties 
 of stone as suitable as any of these. What folly, then, to build a 
 
 frail structure, which the winds may fell or the flames destroy in 
 an hour, and which, while it stands, is a constant expense, when 
 nature herself lays at our doors an imperishable stone, which, 
 once laid up properly, needs no repair and involves no new ex¬ 
 pense. 
 
 There has of late been manifest a disposition to build houses 
 of brick, and so disguise them with plaster as to form a sort 
 of imitation of freestone. No greater mistake was ever made, 
 in our opinion, than this; for, in the first place, it deceives 
 nobody, and if it did, nothing is gained by it; and in the second 
 place, it costs more than the stone itself; and beside all this, it 
 will not stand our northern climate more than five or six years, 
 and when it begins to peel off the whole must come, for it can¬ 
 not be patched up to look as at first. There is before us at 
 this present writing a fine specimen of this work, a church 
 costing some fifty thousand dollars, having been built less than 
 four years, and already beginning to peel off in more than one 
 place. It stands before us a gorgeous lie, and the wind and 
 storm are commissioned to expose it to all who pass by. 
 
 Now, if we turn to the interior construction of our chuiches, 
 we may remark, as in regard to the exterior, that economy and 
 propriety both suggest the use of a material such as will not 
 require a perpetual whitewashing and painting. We havo an 
 abundance of beautiful woods for finishing, some of which, to 
 be sure, are expensive, but others of which are cheap and easily 
 obtained, and which need no painting. What more beautiful 
 than the common chestnut, or the live oak, or the black walnut? 
 And yet most men will rather pay fifty dollars a thousand for 
 pine boards, and finish with these, covering over their imperfec¬ 
 tions with two or three coats of white lead and oil. Either 
 of the woods named above are beautiful with no other applica¬ 
 tion than a coat of varnish, and even the pine itself is much 
 handsomer simply varnished than when painted. But if we must 
 paint, let us not, “ for conscience’ sake,” try to deceive ourselves 
 or others with a bungling attempt at imitation of rosewood, 
 mahogany, or marble; and at the same time let us beware of 
 blinding ourselves with a staring white on walls and pulpit, but 
 rather adopt some modest, unobtrusive shades of color, two of 
 which combined will give a sufficient variety and relief to the 
 view of the whole interior structure. 
 
 HARMONY. 
 
 Every part of a church should harmonize not only with its 
 design as a place of worship, but also with every other part 
 of the building. The interior should harmonize with the exte¬ 
 rior ; the pulpit with the pews; the gallery with the main floor; 
 not only as regards the style of the design, but also as to the 
 tone of coloring. To illustrate our meaning: A certain church 
 near us has a mahogany altar-rail, a pulpit in imitation of rose¬ 
 wood, with crimson trimmings, white paint on the pews and 
 drab cushions in them, a yellow panel back of the preacher, 
 green blinds to the windows, and a mahogany organ-case with 
 gilt pipes in front. No one thing in the whole house harmon¬ 
 izes with any othor thing, except alone the altar-rail and the 
 organ-case. So we sometimes see all shades of color in the 
 cushions of the pews, red, green, blue, drab, mingled indiscrim¬ 
 
 inately through the whole, while a carpet of flaming pattern 
 covers the chancel and one of an entirely different character is 
 on the aisles. This is all wrong. There should be harmony of 
 tone and coloring throughout as Well as of design and pattern. 
 We may have an almost infinite variety as regards the desirable 
 effect of beauty, fitness, and taste, without discords of this char¬ 
 acter. We have already in the preceding chapter spoken of 
 the materials for constructing such edifices as are suitable for 
 places of public religious worship, and we contend that beauty 
 and harmony of design are most apparent in those buildings con¬ 
 structed of the most solid and most simple material. Just as the 
 frailty of the tender house-plant detracts from its beauty, and the 
 pale, sickly look of the delicate-featured beauty detracts from our 
 admiration, so does the frailty of any building detract from the 
 
 V . , .VAA-VvWYVvViV* VVVVK-.VVVVV,-. - ; ' l • = : A 
 

 12 
 
 SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 harmony and good taste which otherwise might bo manifest. So 
 whatever of ornament is added to any building should be of 
 like material with the building itself. We think there is little 
 danger of adding too much by way of adornmcut, and yet it is 
 sometimes done. Whatever is iu excess by way of ornament 
 destroys the whole design and changes ornament into defect. 
 
 There should be harmony, too, in all the surroundings of the 
 place of worship. A softened and soothing influence is felt 
 upon the heart as wo approach the house of God when it is 
 surrounded by nature’s beautiful adornings, — when we find it 
 located amid green trees and bright flowers, in a quiet, shady 
 grove, or retired from the hurry and bustle of the busy street. 
 To us there seems a harmony and propriety iu locating the 
 church, as in other days, in the midst of the “ God’s acre,” as the 
 fathers were wont to term the burial-place of their loved ones. 
 
 Solemn associations cluster around such a spot; the busy world 
 is excluded; quietness and solemnity mingle with devout grati¬ 
 tude, and the thoughts return from their wandering when we 
 stand among the dead and commune with those who have 
 passed on before us and whose footfall has died on our ears. 11' 
 a man is ever devout, it is when he is surrounded by associations 
 which enforce on his mind the idea of his dependence on God. 
 But how can lie be devout amid the rattling of carriages on 
 the busy street? How can he restrain his thoughts and cluster 
 them around the little point of present duty when every sound 
 of the street falls upon the ear and breaks in on his quiet rev¬ 
 erie ? ’T is almost impossible. All the surrounding associa¬ 
 tions, then, of the church of God, should harmonize with the idea 
 and design of a true hearWorship. 
 
 
 SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 There are various things of importance which are too often 
 overlooked in the desire to reduce the expense of building to 
 the smallest possible figure. To some of these we wish to call 
 attention; and first of all to the importance of a full set of 
 Working Drawings. It is not enough to decide on the size and 
 style of your building, but true economy will direct you to apply 
 to some competent architect for all the drawings and specifica¬ 
 tions necessary for a full understanding of what you are going 
 to attempt, before you strike the first blow. It will never do to 
 trust the matter to the taste and skill of your builder, for there 
 are very few of those who call themselves practical men and 
 practical carpenters who are competent to design with taste and 
 skill, and to combine all the details of an edifice in the best 
 manner, and in right proportions, as we have said in a former 
 chapter. A carpenter may be able to hew well, to saw straight, 
 to plane smoothly, and to put his work together in a workman¬ 
 like manner; but his business is to carry out plans, and not to 
 make them. The combination of lines in order to the most 
 pleasing effect, the grace of au arch, the effects of light and 
 shade, the strength of different materials, all these are in the 
 province of the professional rather than the practical builder, 
 and to these points lie devotes the entire energy of his mind 
 and his whole time and attention. It is therefore to be supposed 
 that he cau do this work better than the other. Nothing will 
 be likely to escape his mind that is essential to the completeness 
 of an edifice, either as regards its beauty, its convenience, or its 
 adaptation to the purposes for which it is to be erected. But 
 if the whole be left to the carpenter, who has never had the 
 opportunity to study thoroughly the principles of design, in 
 most cases there will be serious defects. Of course his own 
 interest will have something to do with the selection of materials 
 and the disposal of the whole work. What would be considered 
 essential by an architect may be omitted; cheaper stock be se¬ 
 lected ; the ornaments and mouldings most easily worked, rather 
 than those most appropriate, may be used; and in various ways 
 there will be a liability to change and alter from what should 
 be to what is most convenient. But we are happy to know 
 that there are but few of this class of builders. 
 
 Most men will prefer to have the advice of a competent 
 
 architect, if they have to pay the bill themselves, rather than 
 attempt to estimate upon a job without full plans and specifica¬ 
 tions, and knowing that without a thorough knowledge of the 
 science he cannot produce the fine lines and subdued effects 
 of the best specimens of the different styles of architecture. 
 Such a one will be slow to make an attempt which will almost 
 certainly result in a complete failure. Hence we urge upon all 
 committees the great importance of securing such drawings and 
 such specifications as shall fix the whole arrangement definitely 
 in the mind before commencing the work. 
 
 Prospective Demands should be considered in the very outset. 
 The practice which has become so common of building small 
 houses, with the idea of enlarging them whenever more room is 
 needed, is one which should be condemned. Houses which are 
 either made longer or wider by cutting in twain and inserting a 
 section can never be made to look well; the proper proportions 
 of the building cannot be maintained, and all harmony is lost 
 at once. If it bo proposed to draft a plan in view of subse¬ 
 quent enlargement, then the first plan must be a discord which 
 never can be brought into harmony until the enlargement is 
 effected. It is altogether better not to build so hastily, to wait 
 until you are able to build what you really will need, rather 
 than to throw away money on what will simply answer for the 
 present. Another difficulty which presents itself as an argument 
 against such a course lies in the fact that it is almost impossible 
 to insert a section or add to the main body of an edifice so but 
 that, like a patch on a coat or a piece of new cloth added to a 
 garment, it will always be manifest. And certainly thero is no 
 one thing that detracts more from the general taste and beauty 
 of a room than the marks of such an addition. We therefore 
 urge the building of a church large enough to meet the pros¬ 
 pective demands of the people who are to occupy it. 
 
 Basement Accommodations. — We have already referred to the 
 necessity of providing suitable rooms for all the various pur¬ 
 poses demanded by a congregation of worshippers,— class-rooms, 
 prayer and conference rooms, retiring rooms, &c., — and we have 
 recommended, as a matter of economy, that all these should be 
 under the same roof. We would not, however, be understood to 
 favor what have sometimes been called “underground vestrieB.” 
 
SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 All basements designed for such purposes should be entirely 
 above ground, otherwise it is often impossible to protect them 
 from dampness and an unhealthy atmosphere. At least eleven or 
 twelve feet should be allowed for the height of such rooms, and 
 this, if the room above bo properly proportioned, will not appear 
 awkward or otherwise than in harmony with good taste. We 
 have, however, given two designs in which the basement story 
 is lower than the surroundii% surface. If such a plan be 
 adopted, there should be a cellar of three or four feet in depth 
 beneath the basement floor, in which case, with proper openings 
 to the air, the whole basement may be free.from any unpleasant 
 or unwholesome dampness. 
 
 Ventilation. — Too much stress cannot be laid upon the idea 
 of a proper ventilation for any building; but we conceive that 
 there is a peculiar necessity for the thorough ventilation of all 
 our churches. The simple sliding of a portion of the windows 
 is not sufflcient; and indeed this often becomes a greater evil 
 than that which wo desire to remedy; for, creating a draught 
 of air through the room, it becomes a fruitful source of colds, 
 if not of greater evils. Neither do we subserve the purpose by 
 opening one or more places in the upper ceiling of the room; 
 for if there be no opening to the outer air there is no real ven¬ 
 tilation. Even when this is done we may breathe over and over 
 the atmosphere about us, till we have exhausted all its vitalizing 
 property, and perhaps wonder, as we retire from the church, 
 what it is that always makes us so drowsy and lifeless when we 
 go to church. Many a man has charged his pastor with being a 
 dull preacher, and attributed his own listlessness to the sermon, 
 when in fact it was his own fault, because he and those asso¬ 
 ciated with him have never attended to the matter of procuring 
 a pure atmosphere within the walls of the house of worship. 
 Perhaps no one thing so exhausts a preacher, and renders his 
 ministrations dull and without point and life, as the attempt to 
 speak for a half-hour in a vitiated atmosphere. And, in addition 
 to all this, how many there are of those who have the care of 
 our church edifices that shut them up immediately the Sabbath 
 service has closed, and never open them again until the hour 
 of service on the ensuing Sabbath. All the complaints of drow¬ 
 siness and heaviness and headache, or at least nineteen twen¬ 
 tieths of them, are chargeable to this one thing. Indeed, the 
 whole moral influence of the Sabbath service, as well as the 
 comfort of both preacher and people, is affected by it. We 
 know of no better system of ventilation than that to which we 
 call attention in connection with our tenth and eleventh designs, 
 plates 22 to 27. In these plans the buttresses are hollow, each 
 forming a shaft, with an opening at the top, under the offsets, to 
 the open air, and with openings by means of registers near the 
 floor and ceiling of the audience-room. Unless the buttresses 
 should be uncommonly large, the interior of the shaft must be 
 small; but where there are several of them on each side, they 
 will be found to afford a sufficient quantity of pure air, and to 
 carry off the impurity that otherwise might accumulate. Where 
 there are no buttresses, open pilasters upon the 'interior of 
 the house may subserve the same purpose, the boxes being 
 carried to the plates and opening to the outer air under the 
 eaves of the building. But we cannot more minutely dwell 
 upon this subject. Every architect will make this an impor¬ 
 tant consideration in building, and be able to make such 
 suggestions as experience has proved to be the best and most 
 practicable. 
 
 On the subject of Heating a church in cold weather, we need 
 not say anything, as by this time every man must be convinced 
 that the use of the furnace, properly constructed, is beyond con¬ 
 troversy the most feasible plan, not only giving a more uniform 
 temperature, but also removing that greatest of all deformities, 
 a black and rusty stove-pipe, from the sight. A variety of 
 furnaces are in the market, from which a selection may be 
 made. 
 
 Light .—Another very important matter in the proper construc¬ 
 tion of a church has reference to the admission of light. We 
 need light as well as air; but it is by no means necessary that we 
 should have the same quantity of it as for many other purposes. 
 We shall, however, contend that a sufficient quantity of light is 
 needful to give a cheerful aspect to the whole interior of the 
 edifice. There may be for aught we know a great deal of 
 poetry in the dusky gloom of old cathedrals, and in the “ dim 
 religious light” of the ages when the ideas of religion were 
 associated with monkish cloisters almost exclusively; but in 
 these days of a more cheerful and hopeful Christianity, when 
 the purer forms of religious worship and the liberty of a 
 nobler faith have dawned upon us, we do not need to excite 
 our superstitious emotions by contact with gloomy associations; 
 rather, we hail the light, in all its diffusive beauty, as an emblem 
 of our holy hopes. Still, we would to some extent subdue the 
 glare of the mid-day brightness, and by proper shades or lattices 
 so arrange as to admit or exclude it. It is a great mistake, of 
 which no architect in these days will bo guilty, to place windows 
 in the wall against which the pulpit is placed, and we think it 
 almost as great a mistake to admit it from the opposite end. 
 Certainly a sufficient light can usually be had from the sides of 
 the building. 
 
 Construction of Pews .—With all due deference to the opinions 
 of others, we believe that the usual style of building pews is not 
 the best, especially where, as in many congregations, a large por¬ 
 tion of the people kneel in time of prayer. The practice of turn¬ 
 ing round to kneel in the pew is always awkward and inconven¬ 
 ient. If the upright division which separates two pews, and 
 usually comes close to the front of the seat, were placed directly 
 under the centre of the seat, there might be allowed room for a 
 kneeling-board, so that all could kneel conveniently toward the 
 minister while he vocally addresses prayer to God. There are 
 some objections, perhaps, to such a method of constructing pews, 
 and we would not be strenuous in regard to it, but simply sug¬ 
 gest such a change, that those who build may consider it. We 
 have already spoken of the convenience of arranging the pews in 
 a circular form, or rather in a segment of a circle. Such an 
 arrangement involves nearly double the expense of seating the 
 house, but is so much more desirable that we think most soci¬ 
 eties will adopt the form rather than the straight pews. We 
 have, howevex - , suggested another form in plate No. *10, which 
 comes between the two, giving the advantage of the one without 
 adding greatly to the expense of the other. We have also given 
 drawings of sevei'al different styles of pew ends. But beyond 
 all other arrangements, though rather more expensive, wo greatly 
 prefer, both for beauty and convenience, the newly constructed 
 church sofas, which have been introduced into a few churches 
 in New England, and which we think will yet supei-sede all other 
 plans for seating churches. We cannot now refer to the manu¬ 
 facturers of the article, but will endeavor to obtain the informa¬ 
 tion for any who may desire it. 
 

 Galleries. — It will be found oftentimes desirable to construct 
 galleries on three sides of the audience-room. In this case care 
 should he taken not to have them too wide nor too high. It 
 will hardly do to gain room above by overshadowing the pews 
 below, as is done if the gallery is too broad; and, unless the 
 house itself is wide, the whole arrangement is awkward and 
 unsightly. The whole construction of a gallery should be light 
 and tasteful. The columns by which it is supported should be 
 small, so as to interrupt the sight as little as may be. The para¬ 
 pet should uot bo too high, if possible not over thirty inches, or 
 thirty-six at the extent; and if a light iron panel of fanciful 
 design is used in place of the solid wood it will give a much 
 more graceful effect to the whole. The scats in the gallery 
 should be constructed in equal good taste and convenience with 
 those below, in which case it will bo found that the front pews 
 are in fact more desirable than any of those below, and will sell 
 or rent to as good advantage as any in the house. 
 
 Our plaus generally contemplate an organ loft, as it is usually 
 termed, or, in other words, a choir gallery; but this is all wrong 
 in reality. The true method is to have the organ facing the 
 congregation, and not behind them, — back of the speaker’s 
 platform, and not too high above it, so that all can easily see the 
 chorister, and the whole congregation can join with him in chant¬ 
 ing the hymns of adoration and praise. But with many this will 
 seem like an innovation. The time, however, it is to be hoped, 
 is not l'ar away when congregational singing will bo introduced 
 very commonly among our people. 
 
 We have thus briefly noticed some of the points most likely to 
 be overlooked in the construction of houses of worship. They 
 may seem to be minor points, and so they are; but it is the little 
 things, the conveniences and comforts,-the appropriateness of 
 every part to the great design which it is to accomplish, that gives 
 to the place of worship a power and influence of its own, aside 
 from the ministrations of the pulpit. It is the little specialities 
 of the place which make their appeal to the instincts of a higher 
 nature. The baptismal font and the table of communion have 
 each a living voice, and a solemn hush comes over the spirit 
 when we come within the sphere of these voices. The busy 
 activities and the engrossing thoughts of worldly business can 
 hardly dare intrude even on the week day into the solemn sanc¬ 
 tuary, because it is a place unlike all others,— it is the house 
 of God. 
 
 Organs. — We should be glad to add a few words upon the 
 choice and selection of church organs; but this does not really 
 come within the limits of our design. The style of the case 
 or screen, however, is a matter to which notice should be called. 
 In every case there should bo care to have the same general 
 style carried out in all parts of an edifice; the organ should 
 correspond in style with all the other arrangements of the 
 house. Perhaps we may venture to say that it is a great mis¬ 
 take to buy a second-hand organ because it is cheap. It may bo 
 cheap, and yet not economical. Many of the instruments thrown 
 into the market are entirely worn out, with pipes not much 
 thicker than paper, and yet looking as solid and substantial as 
 ever. It may not be generally known that pipes wear out by 
 the simple passing of wind through them; yet such is the case, 
 and those who purchase should bo careful not to be deceived. 
 Better far to buy a new instrument, even if the cost be a trifle 
 more. Care should also be taken in adapting an instrument to 
 ihe size of the house: one too large is about as bad as one too 
 
 ! small. Wo append a description of an organ in every respect 
 large enough for a church seating from six hundred to one thou¬ 
 sand people. 
 
 It should have two complete manuals, from CC to G in alt., 
 
 I fifty-six notes, and a pedal organ from CCC to D, fifteen notes, 
 and the key-board should project at least two feet in front 
 of the instrument. It may embrace the following stops : 
 
 Great Organ. — 1. Grand Often Diapason. 2. Dulciana. 3. 
 Viol De Amour. 4. Clarabella. 5. Stop Diapason Bass. 6. 
 i Principal. 7. Hold Flute. 8. Twelfth. 9. Fifteenth. 
 
 Swell Organ. — 1. Bourdon. 2. Open Diapason. 3. Viol 
 Di Gamba. 4. Principal. 5. Hautboy. 6. Tremulant. 
 
 Swell Bass. — 1. Stopped Diapason Bass. 
 
 Couplers. — 1. Swell to Great. 2. Pedal to Great. 3. Pedal 
 to Choir. 4. Bellows Alarm. 5. Pedal Check. 
 
 Pedal Organ.— 1. Double Stop Sub Bass, sixteen feet. 
 
 Such an instrument can be had, of the very best manufacture, 
 for one thousand dollars. 
 
 Builders' Specifications and Contracts .—Every building com¬ 
 mittee should see the importance of securing very thorough 
 specifications of all the work to be done before making any 
 contract. It will not do to trust to any man, and say, “ 0, he 
 is an honest man, and will do the fair thing;” but, from the 
 lowest stone of the foundation to the top of the finial, every¬ 
 thing, small and great, should be included in the specification. 
 If this be not done, and any alterations should be made by the 
 committee after the work is commenced, the whole contract is 
 vitiated, and if the contractor finds that he is not likely to make 
 a good job for himself, he may compel the committee to pay for 
 all materials and allow him and his men the regular wages, as 
 though they had contracted to work by the day. All plans 
 should be drawn long enough before commencing the work to 
 make all alterations on paper before contracting with the builder. 
 And in every case it is better to insert in your contracts the 
 clause, “ To be finished in a faithful and workmanlike manner, 
 and to the satisfaction of the architect," — not of the committee, 
 but of the architect, for then you give authority to one who 
 understands how the work should be done to change whatever 
 is not in accordance with the specifications. Forms of specifica¬ 
 tion and contract are so common that we need not insert them 
 here. 
 
 Lightning Bods .—Too great importance cannot be attached 
 to the matter of protecting churches from the effect of lightning. 
 The occurrence of thunder-storms and discharges of lightning 
 cannot be prevented, but they may be disarmed. The principle 
 of lightning rods is in all modes the same, and consists in offering 
 to the lightning a conductor for which it. has a greater affinity 
 than for the building which they are intended to protect; but 
 this object is much more completely secured in some modes than 
 in others. A perfect lightning rod must have the following 
 requisites: 1st. A continuous close connection from the top 
 throughout the whole track to the earth; 2d. As many sharp 
 points as possible; 3d. These points should be presented at 
 different places over the building; 4th. The points and rods 
 should be arranged on the building with especial reference to 
 the metal both inside and outside of the building, and also to 
 the various discharges of lightning, and should connect in the 
 earth with somo good conductor. This last requisite is one that 
 depends entirely on the skill and fidelity of the contractor. The 
 I other requisites are best obtained by the following mode: The 
 
SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 15 
 
 rods are square, thus presenting four continuous sharp edges; I 
 the different pieces of which it is composed are screwed firmly 
 into a nut, having a nice discharging and receiving point, of 
 metal, not liable to get out of order; thus making in eflect a 
 continuous rod throughout, and at the same time offering an 
 easy reception of the fluid at any part throughout the whole 
 track. Rods are also placed at two or more parts of the build¬ 
 ing, according to its size, position, and the surrounding objects, 
 and connected by other rods, and prominent points are put in 
 all other exposed parts of the building, which points are con-,, 
 nected with the main rods. 
 
 Some other systems are in use in this vicinity, but they are all 
 less perfect than the above. Those systems which use the hook- 
 and-eye joints for connecting the rods are essentially defective, 
 for the connection is never in such rods very close, and when 
 the lightning passes there must of necessity be explosions at 
 every such joint. Glass insulators are adopted in some systems, 
 and the systems recommended for that feature. These might 
 be used if any advantage could be derived from them. Their 
 liability to breakage is obvious. In a building which had them 
 and which was struck, it was found that they had all been 
 broken. But, moreover, glass is a non-conductor only when dry, 
 and then not a perfect one. It is only effectual in small exper¬ 
 imental discharges through a dry atmosphere. To a stroke of 
 lightning its resistance would be absolutely too small to be 
 appreciable. 
 
 This is fully shown by the fact that in almost every thunder¬ 
 storm the electric fluid passes over the glass insulators on tele¬ 
 graph poles, to get to the earth over even so poor a conductor as 
 the posts, often shivering great numbers of them at a stroke. In 
 consequence of this, in India they dispense with telegraph insu¬ 
 lators entirely. 
 
 Dr. Franklin advised its rejection. Moreover, it is sometimes 
 the case that lightning needs to be drawn from within the house 
 to the rod, and iu such case the glass (if it has any effect) tends 
 to prevent this result, and compels the lightning to pass through 
 the house instead of leaving it for the rod. In Dr. Franklin’s 
 Works,by Sparks, vol. v., p. 417,we read the following language: 
 
 “ The rod may be fastened to the wall, chimney, &c., with 
 staples of iron. The lightning will not leave the rod (a good 
 conductor) to pass into the wall (a bad conductor) through those 
 staples. It would rather, if any were in the wall, pass out of it 
 into the* rod, to get more readily by that conductor to the 
 earth.” 
 
 Notwithstanding these facts, which are well known to all sci¬ 
 entific men, the impression is very general, among all persons not 
 conversant with the laws of electricity, that glass is a protection 
 against lightning; and advantage is taken of this to foist on the 
 public rods with glass holders. Hence we have inserted the 
 above remarks to guard against that error. 
 
 Any person who has examined the effects of lightning on build¬ 
 ings must have noticed the fact that all the metals of any extent 
 
 outside, and often inside of the building, form a conducting me¬ 
 dium for the electric fluid, even when in detached pieces, and 
 the fluid will jump considerable distances from one piece to 
 another, fracturing the building between. These and many other 
 effects are in strict accordance with the laws which govern the 
 fluid. The building itself, of whatever material, becomes electri¬ 
 fied by induction, and in most cases conveys away a portion, 
 according to its capacity and circumstances. 
 
 In some discharges the moisture in the atmosphere is the me¬ 
 dium for the greater part of the fluid, giving it a luminous 
 appearance. Persons and animals have been prostrated and killed 
 near and at considerable distance from the building struck. 
 Such is the pervading nature of the fluid in discharges of light¬ 
 ning that no substance known as a non-conductor can be of any 
 service as a protection; on the contrary, a full supply of metal, 
 of any kind, judiciously arranged by a person qualified, may be 
 relied upon to protect life and property. 
 
 Electricians in Franklin’sAime understood this, and experience 
 has proved that it is of the greatest importance that lightning 
 rods should be judiciously connected with such metals, and be 
 arranged over the building with especial reference to them and 
 to all the ever varying circumstances, — to do which is difficult, 
 even for a person of the most experience. Hence the useless¬ 
 ness of glass, which only increases the expense, and, if fully 
 carried out, the danger. 
 
 In the year 1772 the Royal Society of London appointed five 
 of the best electricians of the age, viz., Benjamin Franklin, H. 
 Cavendish, William Watson, J. Robertson, and Benjamin Willson, 
 a committee to examine the situation, structure, and circum¬ 
 stances of the powder magazine at Purfieet, with reference to 
 the best mode of protecting it from lightning. In their report 
 they say, among other things, as follows : “ Each rod in passing 
 above the ridge should be strongly and closely connected by 
 iron or lead, or both, with the leaden coping of the roof, whereby 
 a communication of metal will be made between the conductors 
 of each building for the more free and easy passage of the light¬ 
 ning. We are further of opinion that it will be right to form a 
 communication of lead from the top of the chimney of the proof- 
 house to the lead on its ridge, thence to the lead of the corridor, 
 and thence to the iron conductors of the adjacent end of the 
 magazine.” They further say: “To these directions we would 
 add a caution, that, in all future alterations and repairs of the 
 buildings, special care should be taken that the metallic connec¬ 
 tions are not cut off or removed.” 
 
 The above system of protection is carried out in all its parts 
 in the lightning rods and conductors of Mr. William A. Orcutt, 
 of No. 77 Cornhill, Boston, to whom we refer those who wish 
 such protection for the churches in which they are interested. 
 
 With these brief suggestions, we now present our plans, with 
 short descriptions, hoping they may meet with favor from those 
 who examine them. G. Bowler. 
 
 Roxbury, May 18th, 1856. 
 
DESIGN No. 1. 
 
 This neat little chapel was originally designed by the author 
 of this work for the Superintendent of the Massachusetts State 
 Reform School for Girls. Neat, chaste, and ornamental, it com¬ 
 mends itself at once for its simplicity and its beauty. The little 
 bell-turret which surmounts it at once defines the character of 
 the building; and such is its general appearance, that no one 
 would mistake it, simple as it is, for anything else than that for 
 which it is designed. Its size is thirty-six by forty-eight feet, and 
 twenty-five feet post. Its proportions may, however, be retained 
 if a larger space than this needs to be enclosed for the accommo¬ 
 dation of the congregation. As it is, it will seat two hundred and 
 fifty persons. The sectional view represents a small gallery with 
 a bracketed entablature, and also shows the beautiful rose win¬ 
 dow which adds so much to the outside finish. The interior fin¬ 
 ish rises nearly to the ridge of the roof, giving a lofty appear¬ 
 
 ance to the room, adding greatly to the ease of the preacher in 
 his address, and to the effect of music. The seats being arranged 
 in semicircular form, every person will find himself eligibly 
 located to see and hear the speaker. The outside aisles next the 
 wall give convenient access to the windows, and although a little 
 more room is required than where the pews abut the wall, yet 
 the greater convenience will amply repay the loss of the little 
 room required. The outside of the house, as the plan desig¬ 
 nates, is to be boarded vertically, the joints being closely 
 covered by battens. As a whole, wo think this plan will com¬ 
 mend itself to the good taste of any congregation wishing to 
 erect a small chapel or lecture-room. The entire cost of the 
 building ought not to exceed fifteen hundred dollars in any 
 locality, while in some places twelvo hundred would finish it 
 complete. 
 
DESIGN No. 2. 
 
 This design for a church in the rustic style will commend 
 itself, we think, to the good taste of all men. Standing by itself, 
 as any village church must do, there seems a necessity for some¬ 
 thing in the general aspect of tho structure which will attract 
 the attention. A perfectly plain building, in a situation to which 
 this building would be adapted, would appear more than plain, 
 rather, absolutely naked; but here tho projecting roof, with its 
 ornament, at once relieves the eye; there seems a look about the 
 building as though it were finished. The vertical lines of the 
 siding give the appearance of height. The peculiar form of the 
 window-heads, with their caps, also adds greatly to the general 
 contour of the whole exterior; while the turret, with its gables, 
 complete the whole structure. Tho size of this building is 
 thirty-eight by fifty feet, the lower story finishing eleven feet in 
 the clear, and tho audience-room finishing eighteen feet at the 
 sides and twenty-four in tho centre. In the lower story may be ft 
 
 finished a fine lecture-room twenty-eight by thirty-six feet, and 
 two or more Bible-class or business rooms, such as are needed in 
 every church. In the audience-room the pews will be arranged 
 as in Plate No. 5, fifty-two in number, seating about three 
 hundred persons. A gallery should extend across tho front end 
 of tho room, over the entry, with flights of stairs over the stairs 
 to the entry from below. The whole arrangement is simple, 
 neat, and convenient. If a larger number of pews should be 
 desirable, the building might be lengthened to sixty-two feet, 
 making the number of pews seventy-two, and accommodating 
 about four hundred persons. Such an extension of its length 
 would add six hundred dollars to the expense of the house. The 
 estimated expense, in its present form, is twenty-six hundred 
 dollars. This, of course, is not reliable for all places, but it will 
 not probably cost more than this in any locality. 
 
"ttm 
 
I ;.''HU H U 11 Hi?/ ! I i/i / 
 
- - — ■ ■ — - - 
 
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 .. 
 

 
DESIGN No. 3. 
 
 A small, perfectly plain, yet chaste and pretty chapel, 
 designed for a small congregation, of limited means. Without 
 offering any great pretensions in its outward appearance, there 
 is, nevertheless, something in this structure which is pleasing to 
 the eye. Much ornament would be out of place here; but the 
 heavy finish of the little porch in front, with the moderately pro¬ 
 jecting roof, with its supports, give a sort of dignity to the whole 
 appearance, while the hood moulds of the windows relieve what¬ 
 ever nakedness might otherwise appear upon the sides of the 
 building. The size of this building is thirty-eight by fifty, the 
 walls being twenty feet high, and the finish in the centre twenty- 
 four feet. This chapel has fifty-six pews; will seat three hundred 
 
 persons below, and fifty in the gallery, which covers the entry. 
 The sectional view given on Plate 6 shows the altar-rail and 
 pulpit, with a slightly depressed recess, surmounted by a hood 
 moulding, which gives a pleasing effect. The projection of the 
 chimneys may be made an ornament, rather than a defect, by 
 breaking mouldings around them, as in the plan, representing a 
 plain capital to a column. The estimated cost of such a building 
 is eighteen hundred dollars. In Plato No. 9, we have this same 
 building raised up, and a basement constructed beneath it, and 
 also a small tower, changing its character from a simple chapel 
 to that of a small and neat village church. The cost of these 
 changes would not be far from eight hundred dollars. 
 
DESIGN No. 4. 
 
 We have in this design a church of the Anglo-Italian style. 
 Its size is forty by sixty-six feet, with a tower projecting eight 
 feet. The whole height of the wall is thirty-eight feet, giving a 
 clear finish of twelve feet for the lecture-room, and twenty-four 
 feet for the audience-room. The extreme height of the steeple, 
 from the ground to the finial, is one hundred and twenty feet. 
 A band runs round the entire wall, with blocking beneath it, at a 
 distance of twelve feet from the underpinning, which, together 
 with the blocking .of the cornice, gives an air of elegance to the 
 structure. The circular window and door-heads add a pleasing 
 feature; and the simple finish of the tower, breaking into a semi¬ 
 circle to make room for the clock-face on either side, is a still 
 greater addition to the general view; while the peculiar method 
 of finishing the spire completes a design, which, for simplicity 
 and economy of cost, united with beauty of appearance, we 
 
 think can hardly be surpassed. Such a building as this would 
 do honor to any village in our land, and in any situation would 
 maintain its simple pretension to good taste and beauty. Amid 
 a cluster of spreading forest trees, in some retired portion of the 
 village, or on the village green, it would prove attractive to both 
 old and young, — not destroying devotion by fostering pride, but 
 aiding in its simplicity the simple devotion of an humble heart. 
 The same simplicity which marks the exterior should be main¬ 
 tained in the interior. A neat plaster cornice, a simple recess in 
 the wall back of the pulpit, painted in fresco, a plainly panelled 
 gallery-front, with simple blocking and mouldings, constitute the 
 entire adorning, if we except the window architraves and the 
 ■altar-rail and pulpit, which may ,bo slightly ornamental without 
 violating good taste. This church will seat about five hundred 
 l persons, and can be built for about four thousand dollars. 
 


DESIGN No. 5. 
 
 We present in this plate a perspective view of a church in a 
 modified form of the Gothic order of architecture. It is calcu¬ 
 lated to meet the wants of those who have good taste but 
 scanty means. We have therefore adopted the plan of vertical 
 boarding, giving the appearance of height to the structure and 
 affording the opportunity of ornamenting the exterior at small 
 expense. The boards of the siding should be matched and thor¬ 
 oughly nailed, and should not exceed eight inches in width. 
 They may be left in their rough state if desirable. Tho base¬ 
 ment is entirely above ground, twelve feet in height; the whole 
 post is thirty-six feet. The size is forty-four by sixty-six feet, 
 
 seating about four hundred persons. The clock tower is finished 
 in a style more common in England than with us, but which 
 serves to give a very good finish without involving great ex- 
 The extreme height of the structure is designed to be 
 one hundred and thirty feet. The windows are somewhat 
 peculiar in form, set with diamond-shaped panes of glass. The 
 interior will be finished with chestnut and varnished without 
 painting. The roof will be slightly arched and finished with 
 ribs and mouldings, giving the effect of more elaborately-finished 
 ceilings. Tho cost of the building will be sixty-eight hundred 
 dollars. 
 
A very large number of our country churches are built upon 
 a model somewhat similar to this which we now present. Plain, 
 neat, chaste, appropriate to almost any situation, a style similar 
 to this is perhaps the most practicable for societies in moderate 
 circumstances. But, while there are such countless numbers 
 of buildings in a similar style, there is also an almost infinite 
 variety of simple ornamentation applicable to the style, and which 
 serves to break up the monotony of the design, when properly 
 arranged and applied. The drawings here given are slightly 
 different from anything heretofore presented. In the front ele¬ 
 vation the pilasters and the panelings of the projection have a 
 very good effect: the ornamented capitals of the pilasters, the 
 blocking of the cornice, the simple balustrade beneath the clock, 
 the carved supports of the dial, and the pilasters of the third 
 section, with the broken cornice above them, all serve to give j 
 
 a good appearance to the structure. The size here represented 
 is forty-six by eighty-two feet and thirty-six feet post, the whole 
 height from the ground being one hundred and forty-four feet. 
 The size, however, may be increased if care be had in maintain¬ 
 ing a proper proportion. As it is, it will seat five hundred and 
 fifty persons with ease and comfort. The arrangement of the 
 interior is given on Plato 14, but is susceptible of modification. 
 Either the straight or the curved pews may be introduced, and 
 the whole of the interior arranged to suit any peculiar wants. 
 In the basement this plan contemplates a lecture-room forty- 
 four by forty-six feet, and two Bible-class or business rooms. 
 As a whole, the plan is very confidently recommended as one well 
 calculated to meet the wants of many churches in moderate 
 circumstances. The whole expense of the building is estimated 
 at six thousand dollars. 
 
 



 
DESIGN No. 7. 
 
 Plates 15 and 1G. 
 
 We have in this design something peculiarly graceful and 
 full-of taste. A portion of the design is copied from memory 
 from a church in West Cambridge, Mass., the architect of which 
 is unknown to the author of this work. The size of this 
 church is the same as No. 6, and the same arrangement of the 
 interior is suggested ; but the general style admits of a much 
 greater display in the decoration both of the exterior and in¬ 
 terior. The basement, which is slightly depressed, may be 
 of brick or stone. The posts of the main body rise twenty-four 
 feet above the basement, giving a good height to the room. 
 The windows and door are ornamented with circular heads, and 
 the broad cornice is supported with brackets thickly arranged. 
 Above the roof we have a very graceful and ornamental bell- 
 tower and steeple, rising to an altitude of one hundred and fifty- 
 six feet, reckoning the vane-rod. On the first section of the 
 tower above the roof we have a very simple yet very unique and 
 pretty arrangement ; the projections, being sawed from three- 
 inch plank, are easily and cheaply formed, and, together with the 
 
 clock-face, make a chaste finish, which we think can hardly be sur¬ 
 passed by anything of equal cost. The spire itself is of only four 
 sides, placed diagonally, and surmounted with a finial and vane. 
 The interior is designed to have an organ-loft over the vestibule 
 for the accommodation of the choir; and, if desired, side galleries 
 may be introduced eight feet in width: this would increase the 
 number of sittings to nearly seven hundred. An ornamental 
 plaster cornice, with suitable centres to match, and ornamented 
 architraves, would give a very beautiful appearance to the inte¬ 
 rior. The pulpit may be of white marble or of simple wood, in 
 a style similar to the one on Plate No. 25. The walls may be 
 frescoed if desirable, but the design should comport with the 
 general design of the whole structure, and groat care should be 
 used not to gather large masses of dark coloring together, as it 
 would destroy all good effect in this building. A better plan 
 would be to give the walls some light tint. The cost of such 
 a church without galleries would not be far from eight thousand 
 dollars. 
 
DESIGN No. 8. 
 
 This design, as we Lave already intimated, is not entirely 
 original. The steeple was borrowed from that of the Mount 
 Pleasant church in Roxbury, but has been greatly altered, while 
 it retains substantially the same features. To those who admire 
 high steeples We think the grace and beauty of this design will 
 commend itself. Great care, however, is necessary in the con¬ 
 struction, lest it should be weakened by the winds, which have 
 great power at such a height, where there is nothing to break 
 their force. The extreme height is designed to be one hundred 
 and sixty-five feet. The main building is forty-six by eighty- 
 two feet, and the posts are thirty-eight feet. The blockings 
 and pilasters of the exterior give a very beautiful aspect to the 
 elevations, and are in admirable keeping with the remaining por¬ 
 tions of the building. The tower is designed to project one- 
 half its width in front of the main building. We have not fol¬ 
 lowed the rules of Grecian architecture fully in this design, -but 
 have modified it by the introduction of some features that, 
 strictly speaking, do not belong to it. The windows are arched 
 and finished with hood moulds, and the door-head is slightly 
 curved. Wo think the introduction of these features an addition 
 to the general style of the building, although we prefer usually 
 pure specimens of style; yet wo know that the great masters 
 
 of the art often did change and modify their designs by features 
 drawn from an entirely different style and order, as in the cele¬ 
 brated cathedral of Milan the windows and doors are strictly 
 Grecian, while the general order is strictly Gothic. These two 
 things are as different as possible. The rounded windows of 
 this design are a modification of the Gothic, and belonging to 
 what is usually called the Romanesque or the Byzantine style. 
 In this plan the entrance to the lecture-room is by the same door 
 as to the audience-room above. A large lecture-room and two 
 or more class or business rooms form the basement story. Two 
 flights of steps from the lower vestibule lead to the floor above. 
 The house will seat five hundred and fifty persons without side 
 galleries and seven hundred with them. The interior finish will 
 be plain, having simply a plaster cornice, moulded window-heads, 
 and ornamented centres in the ceiling above. A recess may be 
 constructed back of the pulpit, which in this design would have 
 a very fine effect; or in place of it a frescoed imitation would 
 be better than the blank wall, as it is oftentimes extremely pain¬ 
 ful to gaze upon a plain wall for any length of time. We 
 estimate the cost of this building, finished in good style; at 
 twelve thousand dollars. 
 
DESIGN No. 0 
 
 The Byzantine style, which we here present, is one of the 
 many modifications of the Gothic, and is very similar in all its 
 features to the Romanesque and Norman styles. Still there are 
 some peculiarities which give it a more tasteful and ornamental 
 appearance than either of the others. The principal peculiarity 
 of this design, however, is in its towers of unequal height. For 
 a corner lot this idea is peculiarly adapted, though in any situa¬ 
 tion it would not violate good taste. These towers are designed 
 to be sixteen feet square, and seventy-two and one hundred and 
 forty-four feet in height ; at the base they will be formed of 
 freestone blocks with belting courses of the same ; all the win¬ 
 dow and door trimmings and the ornaments of the exterior will 
 be of the same material, and the walls, with these exceptions, 
 will be of faced brick. The interior arrangement is somewhat 
 peculiar, approaching nearly the design of Trcmont Temple in 
 
 Boston. A projection in the rear receives the organ and affords 
 room below for the pastor’s retirement, and &bove gives two 
 closets, one on either side of the organ. The orchestra are 
 seated between the organ and the pulpit. On either side the 
 altar a circular flight of steps conducts to the orchestra and into 
 the galleries. Circular flights, also, in each of the towers, give 
 access to the galleries on the opposite end. By a mistake, the 
 projection in the rear of the church was omitted from the side 
 elevation, so that the design does not fully appear on the plate. 
 It was purposed to have a door on either side the projection, 
 loading to the lecture-room and also to the audience-room above. 
 In the basement there may be four small rooms for Bible-classes 
 or business, in addition to a very large and commodious lecture- 
 room. The entire cost of this building would be about twenty 
 thousand dollars, if finished in the best style. 
 

 •?. ► 
 
 mm 
 
 SIDE ELEVATION N° 9. 
 
 Plate 20 
 
DESIGN No. 10. 
 
 We have before us a design in what is sometimes called the 
 Romanesque style. It differs from the Gothic design which fol¬ 
 lows it only in the rounding of the door and window heads and 
 the removal of the pinnacles from the buttresses. This church, 
 as the elevations indicate, is designed to be of brick, with dres¬ 
 sings of brown freestone. The floor plan which accompanies 
 it is only designed to convey an idea of the arrangement, without 
 reference to the size; the scale may be enlarged or reduced, 
 however, to any size desirable. A scale of fourteen fbet to an 
 inch will give a church sixty by eighty-six feet, which, with gal¬ 
 leries on three sides, would easily accommodate eleven hundred 
 persons. In a city or large town it is very desirable that our 
 churches, and indeed all our public buildings, should be con¬ 
 structed of some material .more solid and less combustible than 
 wood. A church of the size indicated above would hardly be 
 needed in any other than a large town; and if the style should 
 be deemed desirable for a smaller village, it might be constructed 
 on a smaller scale, of wood, or of such material as would be 
 most convenient. In many places a beautiful stone may be had, 
 suitably for building, almost on the very spot where a church 
 
 ought to be located, while in other places brick would be much 
 easier obtained than wood even. But, whether built of brick or 
 stone, we think this design will commend itself as a substantial 
 ajid noble plan, having in its appearance nothing to detract from 
 the idea of permanence and stability. There is nothing on the 
 exterior to which we desire to call especial attention, if wo 
 except the peculiar form of the corner buttresses. These, it 
 will be seen, form the corner of themselves, giving a very pleas¬ 
 ing effect to the general outline. The interior will be finished 
 with arches rising to the intersection of the roof trussing. 
 Without the working plans and drawings we can hardly convey 
 any idea of the beautiful finish of which this building is capable. 
 A design for the pulpit we have given on Plato No. 25; finely 
 wrought in marble, we think it would be appropriate and beau¬ 
 tiful. The gallery front we would construct similar to the design 
 on Plate No. 34. The expense of this building will probably be 
 rising fourteen thousand dollars, if thoroughly finished in the 
 manner contemplated. With a plainer finish and reduced in size, 
 or if built of wood instead of more solid material, the price would 
 be greatly reduced. 
 
SIDE ELEVATION No.lU 
 
 ' i!h, Boston 
 
 ./ [J. Bu fjord’s 
 
 Cr. Bowler Arch,. 
 

DESIGN No. 
 
 There is, perhaps, no style of architecture more perfectly 
 adapted to the purposes of church building than that of the 
 design which we here present. The idea has been very com¬ 
 monly diffused that this style is more costly than others; but 
 such does not prove to be the fact. The Gothic is no more 
 costly than others, while it presents advantages which no other 
 style gives for chaste ornament and beautiful effect. Some have 
 claimed beauty for the straight line, while others, with Hogarth, 
 agree that the curved line is the line of beauty. Here we have 
 the gentle curve rising to beautiful points, and forming arches 
 of superior effect; and, though the modified style which is 
 adapted to the moderate means of our common country congre¬ 
 gations cannot compare with the cathedral architecture of past 
 ages, and many may sneer at the idea of pine wood imitations 
 of heavy stone carving, yet, after all, the style is one peculiarly 
 adapted to the wants which we would meet. We present this 
 elevation and the accompanying plans as a model which we think 
 cannot be surpassed in any design of equal cost. The building 
 may be either of wood or stone, or even of brick with freestone 
 dressings, — though the latter, for a building of this character, 
 seems to us entirely out of place. As the design for the exterior 
 speaks for itself, we shall make no further reference to it. But 
 we desire to refer very particularly to the superior advantages 
 which are presented in any plan where the use of buttresses is 
 
 allowable: not only do they strengthen the wall, as their very 
 position indicates, but they afford the very best means for ven¬ 
 tilation. Instead of being perfectly solid, they should be formed 
 hollow, with an opening at the top beneath the offsets; on the 
 interior, openings should be made, at about three feet from the 
 floor, and also near the roof, so as to allow the free passage of 
 both heated and foul air to the boxes thus formed. Thus there 
 is afforded means, which we think superior to all others, for 
 providing one of the greatest benefits desirable to a worship¬ 
 ping assembly. In the interior arrangement the building will 
 finish up into the roof with suitable archings and mould¬ 
 ings. Galleries may be introduced, if needed, so as to give a 
 larger number of seats; and indeed the whole design may be 
 enlarged, due care being taken to preserve the right proportions. 
 If we could do so, we would gladly present the working plans, 
 and especially a design for the gallery front and the supports 
 and framing of the same; but this we cannot do. We must leave 
 the design without further reference, hoping that, as a matter of 
 good taste and beautiful effect, our friends who think of building 
 will give good attention to this design. The size, as here indi¬ 
 cated, is forty-four by sixty-two feet, having seats on the floor 
 for three hundred and sixty persons. The expense of building 
 of wood will be about eight thousand dollars, or, if enlarged as 
 proposed in the description of No. 10, ten thousand dollars. 
 
 
 

This design is of a similar style with No. 8, but is broader 
 in its proportions, and altogether a more massive building, with 
 less height of steeple. Tile frame-work of the steeple rises from 
 the ground, so that it does not bear upon the roof as it would 
 seem to do. The two central columns of the front colonnade are 
 designed to be formed around the main timber of the tower. 
 Nothing could be worse than to rest a heavy steeple and tower 
 like this directly upon the roof-beams; we therefore carry the 
 posts down to the sills of the house. This whole design seems 
 to us peculiarly chaste and beautiful, and, without calling atten¬ 
 tion to the various parts and ornamentation of the exterior, wo 
 submit the plates to those interested, to judge of its fitness and 
 beauty for themselves. The interior is arranged for one hundred 
 and twenty-two pews on the lower floor, seating between six and 
 
 seven hundred, and if galleries are added it may be arranged for 
 nine or even ten hundred sittings. A design for the pulpit is 
 given on Plate No. 30, which wo think, for the convenience of 
 the speaker and the effect of the style, will be equal to the wants 
 and wishes of every man of taste. The side walls of this build¬ 
 ing may be finished on the interior with pilasters between tho 
 windows, which may be formed in such a manner as to afford a 
 complete ventilation to the room, and, if arches be raised from 
 them, a very beautiful effect may be produced. The basement of 
 this building, for the sake of a better effect, is depressed four 
 feet below the surface of the ground. Wo have estimated the 
 cost of this building at fourteen thousand dollars. This provides 
 for quite an elaborate finish of the interior; with a plainer finish, 
 something less than this amount would suffice. 
 
 



 DESIGN No. 13. 
 
 In these plates we give a sketch of a Grecian temple on a 
 small scale. The building should be much larger than the floor 
 plan represents, but want of room compels us to reduce its size, 
 while we try to convey the idea we wish. The scale of the floor 
 plan gives a house forty-four by sixty-six feet, seating three 
 hundred and fifty persons; but the scale of twelve feet to an 
 inch applied to the elevations gives us a house fifty-six by eighty 
 feet, which would seat nearly eight hundred, including the or¬ 
 chestra. This building would perhaps look awkward standing 
 alone by itself, but in the city, surrounded by other buildings, it 
 would have a fine appearance. Its Corinthian columns and pilas¬ 
 ters, with the plain and chaste entablature above them, have in 
 fact a decided richness, which no mere ornament can give to a 
 building; and the plainness of the stone basement, relieved only 
 
 by the heavy doors and a niche on either side, is an addition 
 rather than a detraction from the general good effect of the 
 design.- Wo have surmounted this design with a figure kneeling 
 before the cross. This will appear to many in bad taste, but we 
 humbly submit to such whether we are to blot out and entirely 
 ignore the emblems of our holy Christianity, because they have 
 sometimes been abused and prostituted to an idolatrous adora¬ 
 tion. Something else, however, may be substituted, if thought 
 best, for this place. The interior of this building will be fin¬ 
 ished with the severe plainness of the full Grecian style, allow¬ 
 ing no ornament save the carved capitals of the pilasters and 
 moulded architraves of the windows and the plaster cornice. 
 The probable cost of this building would be eighteen thousand 
 dollars. 
 

 AlJDIENCE- ROOM N° 13 
 
 S cale 10 Ft tu &/<_ Iv.c1t 
 
 SICE ELEVATION 
 

,*'^rv'vv\\v s vc vcvw wwifwyf';• 
 
 DESIGN No. 14. 
 
 This design, as will bo readily seen, is only suitable for build¬ 
 ing of granite, or some solid stone of similar character. It is 
 not often that such a design is called for, because those who can 
 meet the expense of such a building usually prefer a more elabo¬ 
 rate though less substantial style. Still, in the city, where it is 
 surrounded by other large and solid buildings, there can be noth¬ 
 ing more appropriate than a design of this character. Unham¬ 
 
 mered stone may be used, with the exception of the corner 
 blocks, belting course, and window and door trimmings; these 
 should be hammered upon the face, giving a more finished appear¬ 
 ance to the whole design. The size of the main body will be 
 fifty-six by ninety feet, and the height of the towers ninety feet. 
 It will accommodate not far from one thousand persons, and will 
 cost twenty-four thousand dollars. 
 
 .■*•• ■» < - -... ’r'mmw''' '''^ 
 


DESIGN No. 15. 
 
 We conclude our series of designs for churches with the front 
 elevation and ground plan of a church in the Norman style. 
 This should he of brick or stone. The design has some peculiar¬ 
 ities, which give it rather an odd appearance. The octagon 
 tower on each corner gives a very solid and substantial look to 
 the whole structure, while the main tower and belfry, with its 
 highly ornamented finish, gives an air of elegance to the design. 
 The ornamented windows, with their diamond panes of glass and 
 rich surmounting, and especially tho large window of the tower 
 with the cross of stained glass within it, are a very essential 
 addition to the beauty and taste of the building, and the carved 
 
 supports of the dial, tho zig-zag belts above it, the bracketed cor¬ 
 nice, and the curved roof and finial, render to the building a very 
 highly ornamented and beautiful appearance. In the interior 
 arrangement it will be seen that the pews are of different lengths, 
 designed to accommodate either large or small families. The 
 whole number of seats, including the orchestra, will be about five 
 hundred and thirty. The walls are built double, with an air- 
 chamber between, of which peculiarity we take advantage for 
 purposes of ventilation. The cost of a church upon this plan is 
 estimated at sixteen thousand dollars. This amount includes the 
 entire finishing, organ, &c. 
 

We had intended to have closed up our church designs with 
 the last one given, but have concluded to add two more to the 
 original number. These two are in the Gothic style, to be built 
 of either brown stone or granite, and finished throughout in the 
 most beautiful manner. Of the exterior little need be said, for 
 the plates speak for themselves. No. 16 is designed to have a 
 separate building connected with it for a lecture-room and for 
 business purposes. Aside from the large and spacious audience- 
 room, it embraces only the two small rooms on either side of the 
 organ. One of these is designed for the pastor’s vestry-room, 
 and the other may be used for any other desirable purpose. As 
 it is always extremely desirable to have the congregation unite 
 in the praise of God, we have arranged to have the organ placed 
 near the floor, and directly back of the speaker’s platform. Seats 
 are here arranged for a few singers as leading voices, to give the 
 solos or other particular passages, and as a sort of guide to the 
 rest of the congregation. Another object in thus arranging for 
 the singers, is, that the audience need not be obliged to turn 
 their backs upon the preacher in order to join worship with the 
 singers, as is now done in most of the New England churches. 
 This church will have galleries on three sides, supported by the 
 samo columns that support the roof. The whole interior will be 
 arched and panelled, and all the principal timbers will bo 
 moulded. The braces and wall pieces will terminate on largo 
 
 stone corbels above the floor of the gallery. The gallery front 
 will be of open tracery, of a design in harmony with the general 
 style of the edifice. The organ-case will be constructed of the 
 same material and in the same style with the remainder of the 
 building. The house is designed, with the galleries, to seat 
 about thirteen hundred persons. The estimated cost is about 
 fifty thousand dollars. 
 
 No. 17 is a less expensive building, in the decorated Gothic 
 style, sixtj'-two feet by eighty-six, exclusive of the tower, which 
 is twenty-four feet square and one hundred ninety-two feet in 
 the extreme height. There is a basement, which may bo arranged 
 for a very large lecture-room, and such other rooms as may be 
 needed. The interior of the audience-room will be finished in 
 the full Gothic style, with open timbered roof, arches, panelling, 
 and mouldings. The braces will rest on corbels of stone built 
 into the wall. The gallery will be supported by columns run¬ 
 ning up to the roof, and will be ornamented with cast-iron 
 tracery. The organ and choir gallery will be over the main 
 entrance. This church will also be built of stone, and will cost 
 not far from thirty thousand dollars. The size may, however, be 
 reduced, to meet the wants of a smaller congregation, in which 
 case the expense will bo somewhat loss. In its present form it 
 will seat, including the galleries, one thousand persons. 
 
 • - ' 7' • • v : ^ . 
 

PARSONAGES. 
 
 In presenting a few designs for buildings, such as we think 
 will meet the demands of most churches, for the accommodation 
 of the pastor and his family, we feel it necessary to devote a 
 short chapter to some remarks on the arrangement of rooms and 
 the necessity of attending to little things in the construction of 
 dwellings of this character. Almost every individual has his 
 own ideas of convenience as regard his oion dwelling; but too 
 often a dwelling for the pastor of his church is modelled ac¬ 
 cording to means rather than in accordance with his wants and 
 necessities. The idea is taken from some house already built, 
 and the carpenter at once employed, without plans or directions, 
 to produce a copy, and finish according to his own taste. This 
 is all wrong. No house should be built or commenced without 
 a thorough plan of every part on paper, and specifications of 
 everything, little or great, which is to enter into its composition. 
 Even if it is to be a copy from some house already built, no man 
 or body of men can afford to build without a plan. All the talk 
 about relying on practical carpenters rather than upon profes¬ 
 sional architects is mere twaddle. The practical carpenter, in 
 ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, will find it for his interest 
 to say nothing of those little things which add so greatly to the 
 convenience and comfort of a dwelling, and, if these are not spe¬ 
 cifically mentioned by written instruction and jan the plans from 
 which he works, they will be either omitted entirely or made 
 an extra charge on settlement. 
 
 In arranging the plans for a parsonage, particular attention 
 should be paid to furnishing a good, airy, well-ventilated, and 
 comfortable room for a study. This will be the principal point 
 in which this should differ from other dwellings. In all cases it 
 should be on the first floor, removed at the same time as far 
 as possible both from the noise of the street and the noise 
 of the children in the house. Suitable recesses should be con¬ 
 structed in the walls for book-shelves, and a good closet, with 
 both shelves and drawers, for papers and pamphlets. Here is 
 the place in which the studious pastor will spend a large portion 
 of his waking hours, where he will forge out his sermons, delib¬ 
 erate on the wants of his people, meditate on the holy themes 
 so intimately connected with his work, hold communion with his 
 God, and come forth all glowing, as Moses came from the mount 
 after his communings with the Deity, to labor for the good of 
 his flock, and point them to the green pastures and the fiowi 
 waters of a deep religious experience. Hence it should be a 
 
 pleasant and an attractive place, — light, easily warmed in the 
 winter, shaded by foliage in the summer, and having all its acces¬ 
 sories of such a character that the mind may not be distracted 
 by any uncomfortable feeling arising from its connection with 
 other objects. We think too much attention cannot be paid to 
 this matter, for the study, above all things else, is the most impor¬ 
 tant room in the whole arrangement of a pastor’s home. In 
 regard to other rooms, less care may be used in reference to 
 situation, although, if possible, those which are in common use 
 should have a southern aspect rather than a northern one. 
 
 Next in importance to the study is the kitchen. Here the 
 mother of a family must necessarily spend much of her time, 
 unless she is uncommonly successful in obtaining good help, and 
 
 anywise here must be performed a very large proportion of 
 the household labor. Every convenience of closets, shelving, 
 drawers, sink, water of both kinds, pantry for provisions, and, if 
 possible, a store-room in addition, should bo added to or con¬ 
 nected with the kitchen. Too little attention has always been 
 paid to the arrangements necessary for doing family work with 
 ease and comfort, and they who do give requisite care to this 
 matter, in their arrangements for the pastor’s family, will most 
 certainly receive the blessing of both the matron and her domes¬ 
 tics. Better, far, to lay out a larger portion of your means here 
 and a smaller portion in the parlor. Sleeping rooms should all 
 be high and easily ventilated, and of good size, and a bath-room 
 should in no case be omitted. A linen closet should also be 
 constructed, with necessary shelving and drawers for the better 
 preservation of the household linen and bed-clothing. Every 
 window in every house should be double hung, with weights and 
 pulleys. 
 
 In cases where wells cannot be easily dug or good water be 
 obtained, a rain-water cistern should be constructed, with suitable 
 filtering apparatus. This would be better and vastly more 
 healthy in every case than to drink the hard mineral water which 
 we draw from our wells. Various forms of cisterns are in use, 
 two of which are given in the annexed cuts. In the first, A is 
 the large brick cistern ; B is a box connecting.the receiving aud 
 distributing reservoirs, either end of it being pierced with small 
 gimlet holes and having a largo sponge attached to its inside 
 surface, the intermediate space being filled with charcoal; C is 
 the disbursing reservoir, from which the water is drawn, sweet 
 and pure as the dews of heaven. 
 
 —- ' ’ ... 
 
P A It S O .\ A U E 
 
 Iii tlie second cut is a reservoir divided through its entire 
 length hy a partition shutting down into a groove filled with 
 charcoal and gravel, the gravel being at the top. The water 
 from A, the receiving reservoir, is purified in passing through 
 the charcoal at C into B, the disbursing reservoir, from which it 
 is drawn for daily use. The advantage of the first consists in 
 the case of cleaning and renewing the charcoal hy shutting down 
 n. little gate at D and unscrewing the box, thereby detaching the 
 "'hole apparatus, while in the second the whole amount of water 
 must he drawn oil' in order to get at the charcoal. 
 
 In this connection we may refer to another very essential mut¬ 
 ter, to which reference bus been made in various architectural 
 works. Every house should be provided with a-waste water 
 drain; but, as usually constructed, these are a source from 
 whence the most poisonous and unhealthy odors arc exhaled. 
 In constructing these, there should always be a stench-trap at 
 the entrance, formed as in figure 3: a is the box to receive the 
 waste water, b is the drain, e is a partition extending downwards 
 until it cuts olf, by means of the water retained in the box, all 
 air communication from b to a. This will remedy all the diffi¬ 
 
 culties in the way and prevent the rising of any noxious smell 
 from the drain. These, perhaps, are the most important sugges¬ 
 tions; but there are many other little and some groat things 
 which will demand attention, and which ought uot to bo omitted 
 in building a parsonage. 
 
 We add a short description of the accompanying plans. 
 
 PARSONAGE No. 1 . 
 Sco Title-Doec and Piute No. 37A- 
 
 We have in this design a cottage of ono and a half stories, 
 vertically boarded and battened. The main body of the house 
 is thirty-eight by twenty-six feet outside, with a projection of 
 five hy fourteen feet in front, and another nine by fourteen feet 
 in the rear; a large space is thus enclosed, giving a vestibule 
 seven by fourteen feet, a parlor, sitting-room, study, dining-room, 
 and kitchen, each twelve by fourteen feet, with the exception 
 that two corners in each room are cut off, and a largo hall, con¬ 
 taining the staircase, in the centre of the house, eight by eigh¬ 
 teen feet. In the second story there are five large chambers, 
 nearly upright; making a house of ten good-sized, comfortable 
 rooms, with appropriate closets and other conveniences. Every 
 room in this house may be reached from every other room 
 
 PARSONAGE N 
 
 We have a design here of somewhat greater pretence, and yet 
 combining less room than the other. The main body is twenty 
 by forty feet, with an ell in front sixteen and a half hy eight loot 
 
 without passing through any other space than the hall. The 
 inconvenience so common of being obliged to go through some 
 other room in order to reach any part of the house is thus ban¬ 
 ished. A slightly projecting roof, supported by brackets, to¬ 
 gether with the balustrades over and at either side of the front 
 door, give an air of elegance to the whole building. With a 
 sturdy old oak or an overhanging elm, a few rose-bushes, a run¬ 
 ning vine on its trellis, and a little garden of flowers surrounding 
 it, we think any pastor’s heart would rejoice in the pleasures 
 which would cluster about this simple yet tasteful cottage. The 
 expense of its erection ought not to exceed sixteen hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 o. 2. Plate 38. 
 
 outside; a verandah in front, eight feet in width; also, in the 
 rear, a lean-to, of six feet in width, terminating in a verandah; 
 and a porch over the back entrance, seven feet square. The 
 
parlor has a bay window in front, surmounted by an iron balus¬ 
 trade ; and there are two Lutheran windows in the roof over the 
 piazza, which give a pleasing effect to the exterior. The general 
 style and arrangement may be seen on the plan. Hall, eight 
 by ten; staircase, eight by twelve; parlor, fifteen by fifteen; 
 study, nine by twelve ; dining-room, twelve by fourteen, opening 
 by a door upon the verandah ; kitchen, fourteen by fifteen; and 
 the sink-room and entry combined, form the lower story. The 
 chamber story combines three large rooms, bath-room, linen 
 closets, <fec. It will be seen at once that this is a very convenient 
 and desirable arrangement for the family of a pastor. A larger 
 
 PARSONAGE 
 
 A two-story building, boarded vertically and battened, having 
 a flat roof, tinned, of course, and properly painted. The exterior 
 has a pleasing effect. The window-heads of the second story be¬ 
 ing rounded, the roof having plain blocked cornices, the lower 
 front windows having an iron balustrade, and the piazza with its 
 surmount, all combine to relieve what would otherwise be a 
 naked and somewhat homely structure. The size of the build¬ 
 ing on the floor, including the piazza, is twepjy-seven by thirty, 
 
 PARSONAGE N 
 
 We have in this design an upright house with attics. The size 
 upon the floor is seventeen and a half feet by forty-three feet, 
 and an ell seventeen by twenty-two feet, exclusive of the piazza 
 and back entry. The exterior has all the pretension of a genteel 
 country residence, and would be an ornament to any situation. 
 Slightly ornamented, it nevertheless does not depend on any 
 ornament to commend it to the good taste of any man. We 
 have many buildings of this class, and some have chosen to give 
 them the name of the “American style.” There certainly is a 
 sort of independent republican look about it, and an air of adap¬ 
 tation to the wants of a large class of people in the middling 
 walks of life. Entering from the piazza, we have, in the interior, 
 first a hall, six by twenty-one feet; on the right hand, parlors, 
 
 PARSONAGE N 
 
 It will be seen at once that this parsonage is designed for the 
 city, and should bo built of brick or stone. It may, however, 
 with slight alterations, be adapted to a wooden building for the 
 country village. The size upon the floor is twenty-six by thirty- 
 two outside, with an addition ten by ten in the rear. In the 
 depressed basement wo have hall, store-room, kitchen, dining¬ 
 room, and cellar. On the first floor, hall, ten by twenty-two feet, 
 with both front and back stairs; parlors, with folding doors, each 
 . fifteen by fifteen, or one large parlor fifteen by thirty. In the 
 addition is the study, ten by ten feet. On the second floor are 
 
 with an ell nine by fourteen. The interior arrangement i 
 prises the hall; parlor, fourteen by twenty; kitchen, fifteen by 
 seventeen; the study, eight by twelve; and the back entry and 
 pantry combined, with appropriate closets, on the lower floor; 
 and on the chamber floor a bath-room, four sleeping chambers, 
 and linen closet. The expense of this building will be about 
 eighteen hundred dollars. 
 
 fourteen by fifteen and twelve by fifteen, with folding doors, the 
 back parlor being lighted by a large bay window. On the left of 
 the hall, we have a study nine by ten, and a room which may be 
 used for sitting, breakfast, or sleeping room. In the rear of the 
 parlors is the kitchen, fourteen by fifteen, and the back entry apd 
 pantry combined, opening from both kitchen and hall. The 
 chamber plan embraces two large rooms, twelve by fifteen ; one 
 room-over kitchen, nine by thirteen ; two rooms over study and 
 breakfast room, nine by ten; and a bath-room. There are also 
 three attic rooms of large size,—making in all thirteen rooms. 
 Decidedly a very conveniently-arranged and tasteful structure. 
 This house will cost in the neighborhood of twenty-four hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 o. 5. Plate 41. 
 
 large rooms, each with large wardrobes, and two smaller 
 rooms, ten feet scpiare. On the third floor are four chambers;— 
 making in all thirteen rooms. Perhaps as good an arrangement 
 as could be adopted where laud is scarce and hard to be obtained. 
 A lot twenty-six by sixty feet would answer the purpose, although 
 a larger one would of course be desirable. The only ornament 
 which could be admitted here consists of the balustrade and pro¬ 
 jecting door head. The cost of erection would vary from five to 
 eight thousand dollars. 
 
CHAMBER FLOOR 
 
 FIRST FLOOR 
 

Plat e 40