The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-02-27
A SUNDAY NIGHT-vIEw OF WESTMINSTER


The oopular notion of a Cathedral on Minister II Z
ENGLAND is that Of grand old fossil or mammoth :
church Beaueathed to Us by odd-lashloned lore i
fathers no doubt good enough for their age t'eH !
are pondcrous records of pety in stone, OUTINGS VI
sentiment in endless intrcacy OF lines ana afches'
Beautiful to see or to sketch, to fit into poroho
or light up history of what human use are 'li'!
besides except perhaps. to get persons buried Ill
Yet who that has been locked in, or still oitehef
locked out of their quiet walls but associates me
archolv pleasure with the remembrance? "ho'
for instance, that works in popaious LONDON '"'
has a secret liking for those twin towers VI "esF
minister? Even if he has not played hocNey III 'lie
cloisters or vanduished an impairment lao III 'he
square, or done moonlight exploits IN the precincts,
or in later life passed beneath them Jaded and cola
f,ar n NIGHT Of stormy debate in the house, what
6reIlar in Cockayne but loves them?
We have watched them looming grey and cold, as
tba Young dawn Of May morning shot silvery
arrows along the lake in st. James Park, and came
sparkling under the trees where poor houseless
girl was plying her weary needle within stone
throw of the Palace. Leagues away at sea .he
shadow of the Minister towers have risen up INTO
thoughts of England and its Parks, slowly fading IN
the calm sunset Cannot these grand old edlhces De
made useful as well as poetical? They were useiui
once and out their seryiceableness grew ther SANE
tiy and their attraction. few years ago, If we re-
member well, Cardinal Wseman limited at the use
he would find for Westminster Abbey. And why
rear itself apart from the emotions of our daily HE
Even to stand beneath its freted roof IS to be I'M
pressed with sentiment OF awe ana nuniDieh
Earnest men have said this-or something Ilke .nlS
TO themselves; and the answer Is, that W estmin
ster Abbey is restored to the worship OF the multi
tude.
We will 60 AJanuary night Hali-past I'VE pI
the frozen chimes as we reach the western gate o
the Abbey. The working classes are there, oearlnE
the cold as brave men bear it, after, it is to D.
hoped an excellent dinner. The MAJORITY OF III
working classes, too, are well wrapped up anu y
standing close they will no doubt be able to kee
themselves warm for an hour and man, uh'ii III
Abbey door is opened Whata gulf OF gloom a9ou
the gate, what wall OF gloom IN lhe ai ~
primly the pair of towers stand sooty against u
skv! Below, it is like waiting at the entrance Oh
crypt or expecting to go down coal shaft -,
Why are the doors not open, and why are u
working classes not allowed to sit down? IL
crowd hazard various suppostions. Two chenSS
one to the effect that an hours expenditure OF ig
is a consideration to the Chapter-ahoIier PROM
gated bv a sarcastic working man, to the effect tn
the working classes have tendency to mJure !
tional monuments. I've come mere regularly
five and twenty years, working autnorltN
forms u.s. with a reasonable amount OF pride, "a
knows en-" Wearied and wedgedin, and pune
ed by great variety of elbows, we learn Ire
another gentleman that this isnotm much OF a GROVE
A quarter to six, and then in the haze ABOVE
tie feeble star hangs out light And by that gi
over the southern tower we shall soon ha'e
moon-yes there she is, stealing slowly anu sic
" by. - go. !;
ly from their wrappings of immemorai CRIME a
decay Fourteen arithmetlcal heghDor lhlp t
:" Stand off the pavement, i lei. OF aba Iii
Gentlemen pray stand away!'-slngs 'he Oh
and poeticel police inspector. Gentlemen, pr
stand awav The doors are going to open-h
another quarter OF an hour TO wait,-dlscuss tho
ogv news-watch the fitting lights and the
mems faces glimmering down on us from the orr
sanctuary and at last welcome the grind of the ru
gate-the sudden gush of two jets OF gas hght
up the spandriis of the western gate--and are DO
along into region Of light. How bright and VI
the nave looks, awoke out of its dusty sleep and
cant hierarchical gloom!
vaders. Aoodins all the aisles, irrespective of
memories an9 the sanctities of the place! How d
thi, rush sound BY Elzabeth's grave or in
neacefnp.ss of Poets Corner? To be sure the IN
uuents are unnhabted, but are not famous d
here freezing behind their grim, purgatorial "a
Nave and aisles, north and south, are literally !
Sided with foreign looking rough chairs TO wi
ALL gentle and simple, admit themselves;-and
pendent from the clustered pillars are CARBIDE
copies in bold type, of the Hundredth Psalm
which clear light is shed from the bronze t
that bud forth forth branching arms and circlets of
in the interspaces. The nave is a sea OF hui
faces twisted and quirked in strange eddies
tuating in restless valleys and OCCASIONALLY to
up into reluctant ridges. Choir-wards the gloo
solid and charnel-like. ley gusts sweep from
dreds of hidden doors and passages, marble $
tors and judges and astronomers stand at CHI
the light;-Newton cannot hold the globe, and
seems CONCEALED over the door that is battered
outside with blows that recall that there are
descendants of sturdy Saxons.
The grand din Of the organ swells at last,
there is "a sudden stiffness. Black, stolid f
faced vergers appear, and by-and-by the bishop
canons heralded by pokers Then the gates o
choir open and let out stream of surpliced CT
ters and the service begins-faintly read
scarcely heard 1t is not until the Psalms res
that the sound of many voices is heard-nor
the Creed that find brave old old gentlem
the Sir Roger de Coverly period, who repeat
bly, sad dehantly The Dean reads the Lesson
the Bishop breaches an expressive sermon.
Doxology is sung, and the vast throng slowly
out into the cold night-wiser at the head. wa
at the heart, for Sunday night spent in Yves
ster Abbey