“To the Glory of God ‖ and in loving memory of ‖ Anna Livingston Morton ‖ May 18, 1846-August 14, 1918 ‖ Given by her daughter ‖ Edith Morton Eustis 1920.”
The Parapet at the entrance to the Choir is designed to represent outstanding characters of 20 centuries of the Christian Era. It is in two sections, one on each side of the steps leading from the Crossing to the Choir, each section being 18½ feet long and 4 feet high. It is built mainly of Champville (France) marble, in modified French Gothic style. The twelve marble columns, alternately green, red and yellow, are of Alps Green from Italy, Rouge de Rance from Italy, and Numidian from Africa, respectively. The figures, from right to left, are as follows (authorities differing slightly as to some of the dates given): (1) St. Paul (died A. D. 66) with sword symbolizing his decapitation; (2) St. Justin Martyr (100-165) with axe and block; (3) St. Clement of Alexandria (150-220) holding cross in left hand; (4) St. Athanasius (296-373) pouring baptismal water from a sea-shell, referring to a playful incident of his boyhood which led to his calling; (5) St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) with miter, pen and tablet; (6) St. Benedict (480-543) in habit of Benedictine monk pointing to scroll; (7) St. Gregory the Great (550-604) with slave child in broken shackles, referring to his intercession for pagan children in the slave market; (8) Charles Martel (688-741) with crown, battle-axe and pennant; (9) Charlemagne (742-814) with crown, scepter and orb; (10) Alfred the Great (849-901) crowned, with sword by side, holding three burnt cakes on book;[23] (11) Godfrey of Bouillon (1061-1100) crowned, with Crusader’s sword and shield; (12) St. Bernard (1091-1153) in monk’s habit, holding aloft a cross in his right hand and clasping a book in his left; (13) St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) in Franciscan monk’s garb, contemplating a cross in left hand, and preaching to birds[24] in tree; (14) John Wyckliffe (1325-1384) with book and staff; (15) Columbus (1435-1506) lifting the veil from the globe, symbolizing the age of discovery; (16) Archbishop Cranmer (1489-1556) with right hand thrust voluntarily into the flame, symbolizing his martyrdom; (17) Shakespeare (1564-1616) standing amidst growing laurels; (18) Washington (1732-1799) in civilian attire as President; (19) Lincoln (1809-1865) standing by a burial cross delivering his Gettysburg Address; (20) uncarved block. The basis for selecting the figures was the representative character of the nineteen men selected in conjunction with their contribution to the development of Christian civilization. The Parapet was designed by Messrs. Cram & Ferguson, and the figures, modelled by Ferrari, were carved by John Evans & Co., of Boston. The Parapet bears the following inscription:
“To the Glory of God and in Memory of ‖ Richard Delafield, ‖ Brigadier-General, Chief of Engineers, ‖ Brevet Major-General, United States Army. ‖ Born September 1, 1798, Died November 5, 1873, ‖ This Parapet is Erected by his Children, ‖ Albert, Juliet Covington and Emma Delafield. ‖ Righteousness Exalteth a Nation: But ‖ Sin is a Reproach to any People.”
The Pavements of the Ambulatory and Choir, designed by Mr. C. Grant LaFarge in Romanesque and Byzantine motives, are related in their symbolism. The colors in the Ambulatory are reddish, or earthy; while those in the three ascents of the Choir progress through increasingly rich designs of greens and whites (hope and purity) to greens, whites and blues (hope, purity and heaven) until they reach the pure white steps of the Altar. The risers of the steps leading from the Crossing to the Choir proper are of yellow Numidian marble and the treads of green Pennsylvania marble. The pavement of the Choir is richly inlaid with Numidian, Swiss and other marbles and Grueby Faience tiles. The steps to the Presbytery are of marble from Hauteville, France. In the center of the floor of the Presbytery is a magnificent mosaic rug of tiles and marbles, 32½ feet long and 10 feet wide, with smaller patterns at the ends. In the center is an oval of black Belgian marble surrounded by violet marble from Italy, while Grueby tiles of many colors, and Grecian, red Numidian and other marbles form the rest of the design. The pavement of the Sanctuary, within the communion rail, in addition to its rich designs of tiles and marbles, contains, immediately in front of the steps to the Altar, a red tile surrounded by a square brass border, inscribed:
“Whoever shall have prayed at this spot will have pressed with his feet a tile from the ancient Church of St. John the Divine at Ephesus, built by the Emperor Justinian in the year DXL over the traditional site of St. John’s grave.”
The tile was presented to the Cathedral by Bishop Kinsman of Delaware, its authenticity being attested by Prof. George Weber of Smyrna, who procured it from the ruins on the hill of Ayassolouk and who, in his lifetime, was a leading authority on Ephesian archaeology.
The Eagle Lectern of bronze at the north side of the Choir steps is a replica of an ancient lectern found near St. Albans Cathedral, England, in a lake into which it had been cast when that structure was destroyed in the Saxon invasion. The eagle, standing on a globe, is the symbol of St. John in his capacity as an Evangelist. Around the lectern are the figures of the four Evangelists: St. Matthew with open book, St. Mark with closed book and pen, St. Luke with open book in one hand and pen in other, and St. John with chalice. Below are their respective symbols ([p. 44]). The lectern was made by the Gorham Co. It bears the following inscription, the initials at the end being those of the donor, Mary Gertrude Edson Aldrich:
“In Memoriam ‖ Horatio Potter ‖ Bishop of New York ‖ 1854-1887 ‖ M. G. E. A.”
