Stained Glass for Labor

Come, labor on.

Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain,

While all around him waves the golden grain?

And to each servant does the Master say,

"Go work today."

The choir swept through Washington's Protestant Episcopal Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul with a congregation of Government bigwigs, including President Eisenhower. The processional hymn had been chosen with care; the leadership of U.S. labor was out in force to dedicate three stained-glass windows donated by the A.F.L.-C.I.O. in memory of three labor giants of different faiths:

P: Samuel Gompers (1850-1924), a British-born Jew of Dutch parentage, was a founding father of the U.S. labor movement and first president of the A.F.L. His window, at the rear of the south nave over the tomb of Woodrow Wilson, is dedicated to artisans and craftsmen. Among the eight scenes are Noah building the Ark, the building of King Solomon's temple and the building of Washington Cathedral.

P: William Green (1873-1952) was a Midwestern Baptist, a president of the A.F.L. His window, dedicated to agriculture and the sea, shows Ruth gleaning in the fields, Peter the fisherman, the harvest in Naboth's vineyard, and Joseph as a shepherd.

P: Philip Murray (1886-1952) was a Roman Catholic born to a poor Scotch-Irish coal-mining family in Scotland, helped found the C.I.O. in 1935 and was president from 1940 until his death. His window is dedicated to industrial and social reform--Israelites in bondage; the prophet Amos warning his people; Onesimus, the runaway slave the Apostle Paul sent back to his master as a brother in Christ.

"Cleanse and bless the brotherhood which they sought to build among their fellow laborers," prayed Cathedral Dean Francis B. Sayre Jr. in accepting the windows, "that it may be worthy of their compassion and sacrifice."

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