THE MEMORIAL WINDOWS
It is the purpose of this chapter to describe our memorial windows. An ancient custom is retained by the bestowal of a gift which honors the memory of a loved one and at the same time attempts to increase the beauty of God's House.
Beauty for its own sake has ever been considered by the Holy Catholic Church as one of the Christian virtues. By the ritualistic communions beauty has, too, always been deemed an aid to worship. Men have felt that they can worship God more easily and more sincerely in surroundings of beauty. Beauty may be considered as a symbol of the character of God as well as a symbol of the aim and ideal for the characters of men." In attempting to make their House of God beautiful, the builders of Christ Church were following an ancient tradition. They could not produce a church building comparable to the wonderful cathedrals of Europe with their architecture and stained-glass windows dating back to the middle ages. But the best which could be obtained was always secured for Christ Church. Hence we find here several types of stained-glass windows, representative of each of the stages of the recent progress of this very ancient art.
We do not know when stained-glass was first made, but it has been traced back as far as the time of the ancient Egyptians. Neither do we know much about its introduction into Europe during the middle ages. But we do know a little about its manufacture after it had reached the stage of its greatest development. It was made by mixing different ingredients, including sand and certain metals and minerals, in a melting pot. This mixture, while in a molten state, was spread and worked into a cylindrical form, then, as it became harder, it was split and rolled. Pieces of the different colors selected
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