cultivated and
wealthy people. Still its strength is among the poor. Consequently the
majority of its churches are located in the meaner quarters of the city,
so that they may be convenient to those to whose spiritual wants they
minister. The attendance upon these churches is immense. The pastor of
a church in the Fourth Ward once said to the writer that he had 25,000
persons of all ages and both sexes under his pastoral care, and that
nearly all of them were very poor. His labors were arduous, and they
were well performed.

Some of the Roman Catholic churches, on the other hand, are located in
the most desirable portions of the city, and are extremely handsome
within, even if plain without. St. Stephen's, on Twenty-eighth street,
between Third and Lexington avenues, is an unattractive brick structure
extending through to Twenty-ninth street. The interior is very large and
very beautiful. The altar is of pure white marble, and its adornments
are of the richest description. The church is decorated with a series of
excellent fresco paintings of a devotional character. The altar piece,
representing The Crucifixion, is a magnificent work. The music is
perhaps the best in the city. The church will seat nearly 4000 people,
and is usually crowded.

The new St. Patrick's Cathedral, now in course of erection, will be the
most elaborate church edifice in the Union. It covers the entire block
bounded by Fifth and Madison avenues, and Fiftieth and Fifty-first
streets, fronting on Fifth avenue. The corner stone was laid by
Archbishop Hughes in 1858, and the work has been in progress, with some
interruptions, ever since. Archbishop McCloskey has for several years
past been pushing the work forward with steadfastness, and it is believed
that a few years more will witness its completion.

The site of the church is very fine. It is the most elevated spot on
Fifth avenue. The length of the building will be 332 feet; breadth of
the nave and choir, 132 feet; breadth at the transepts, 174 feet. The
foundations rest upon a stratum of solid rock. The first course is of
Maine granite, the material used in the Treasury Building at Washington.
The upper portions of this course are neatly dressed with the chisel.
The remainder of the church is to be constructed of white marble, from
the Pleasantville quarries, in Westchester county. The crystalline
character of this stone produces very beautiful effects in those portions
w