The New York herald., 1870-09-26
Tho spirs Of strasbourg.

eastern boundaries OF France, after having
crowned Mont Blanc with glory and having
gilded tho lesser slopes and SUBMITS OF tho
Alps, thoy do obesauce to Christian symbol,
upllfted far on high, before they touch the soil
OF ''the great nation That symbol Is the
cross upon tho topmost pinnacle Of the grand
old Cathedral Of Strasbourg.
Gould we suppose the eye Of science to be
directed with sufficient appliances Of skill from
some satellite or some other planet OF our sys-
tenn toward that spot on this earths surface
at such moment, 1t would detect in that pc
culiar sign meaning to inform it OF intelli-
gent habitation here, and, perhaps, to guide
the distant intellect by analogy or even by
inspiration, to the ineffable truth. Tho
grander monuments Of human art, when in
spired by lofty faith, have something akin
with the sublimer phenomena Of nature; and
yet they bear within them something that, by
spiritual spell---an intimation conveyed Of a
recent human presence there--seems to raise
them infinitely above the most imposing fea-
lures or productions Of the soil. The Pyra-
mids are not 80 vast as the Great Desert that
on the distant horizons, yet they seem to fill
and dominate the space. The mountains Of
Judea are lost to our view In our contemplaf
ton Of the ruins OF the Temple thai
convey to our minds the image Of 'ths
splendor and the excellency" Of the reign
Of Solomon and Of David the King
and the splendor Of the Incas, as revealed by
the vast monuments that are found in fragmen.
tary remains upon the soil Of old Peru, seem
to dwarf In our imagination even the snow-clad
peaks and ridges of the Andes. The dome Of
ST. Peters is grander than the breadth Of the
Campagna, than the Alban and the Sabine
heights, than the expanse Of the Mediterranean
visible from its roof Thus Strasbourg spire
in the morning or the evening glow, seems
loftier and greater than all that lies beyond il
or around it, from the borders Of the Alpine
ranges in Switzerland or the wooded acclivities
Of the Vosges to the majestic sweep Of the
Rhine, seen winding southwark for whole
days journey from the observers point Of
view
Aud why is thisl May we not, without any
stretch Of fancy, believe that it is because o
the impress that architectural genius has left
character and venerable age? Strasbourg
itself-the ancient city-was an incipent seat OF
Teutonic civilization before the period of con-
quest By the Romans. The latter made it a
city in the time of Augustus and called it theii
Argentoratum. The Huns under Attila, the
Az l. oIxx
history, until, during the Middle Ages, il
emerged into Christian life, and the ecclesias-
tical spirit began to enrich it with monuments
of almost imperishable beauty. The chief o
these was and is its Domkirche, or Cathedra
Church, of which the spire is The noblest and
most beautiful on earth. This pinnacle, rising
four hundred and sixty-nine feet into the
air above the level Of the city,
is twenty-five feet higher than the lofties'
Pyramid, and tue traccry Of its open carving
is 80 exquisite that in the distance it looks
like web of sonbre lacework suspended
midway in tie air. Four and q quarter CEN
uries with all their wondrous annals Of work
and war, rolled away after the commencement
of the building Of tie church ere this graod
construction was completed in l439-a date
1862 years later than that w1ich marked the
beginning of the building of the spre by Erwin
Won Steinbach, its gifted architect. Even to-
day the whole edifice is not complete, for the
towsra should have been of the same height.
In the lapse of the sos years during which
the majestic fame, and of the $50 since the
termination of It's spire, the tomb of Conrad;
the pulpit erected and carved by Jean Ham.
merer; the clusters of pillars wrought like
| Jewel work; tho stained windows and the
| figured floors the matchess pictures of saints
| and kings; the tombs Of warriors and of
| sages, continually increasing In number and
beauty have re-echoed to the footsteps of the
| great and The flanders of war, all Ginning in,
! at last, in the later day, with the sublime
organ melodies of Silbermann. But of all the
| grand mementoes and imposing adornments
which impressed the minds of even Martin
| Luther and ascetic Calvin when they trod the
| streets of the famous ecclesa stcal city none
was more engaging than the wonderful astro-
| nomical clock.
| This piece Of mechanism, which has been
F.! destroyed in whole or in part by the Prussian
| bombardment of Strasbourg, was constructed
| about the year 1870. 1t represented the
motions of the globe, the sun aud the moon In
| their regular circuit. The day Of the week,
the circle OF the sun, the year Of the world and
of our Lord, the equinoctas, the leap year,
| the movable feasts and the domintcal letter
were all clearly exhibited by this clock. The
| eclipses Of the sun and moon and the weekly
motions Of the planets were also displayed
Thus, on Sunday, the sun was drawn about in
| his chariot, and 50 drawn into another place
that before he was quite hidden you had Mon
day-that is, the moon appeared full, and
j the horses Of the chariot 'of Mars emerged