, 1873-07-06
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.

ST. PAUL's CATHEDRAL.
r1cn.urca For Hts Oo1np1ctton--A
es,inspuo ut 1tM Elintory.
Tho London Ne'os Of tho Inst mail containH an
editorial account Of tue origin, progrens. aud
prosont cotsi'ition of tho n1oyomont to iinipi
1T. raul's Cathedral, from which tlo following
"St. fanla Cathodral has gono through many
vlc!ssitudos Mr.. William Longman, Of the
Just published worry w admirably g'Il Illustrated
History Of the throo successive cathcdrhls
dedcatcd to St. Paul which hayo stood on tho
proaent aite A singular fatality Beon,s to hevo
centuries IN which i.onSon has lad ST. 81. P"ui'a,
tho church has boon five tlnlcs destroyed or
nearly destroyed by fro. OF tho first cathedral
nothing ID known. In tho seventh century a
tcmplo. which, having stood for sonlo lyo co,itu-
rios, was destroyed by q fro which devastated
London in tho reign Of William tho Conquoror.
Iho second ct. rauls was begun within fow
first yoar OF Stephens roigu u130) fro ewops
over, London, md tho rising cathedral was
,s9,;ry nGarly dos destroyed. @ In % 1a4a tho sospls,
storm T1s aEsa sy tye Esnf is rsbo,;v & sfss s.d
such da.nago was dono TINT It WAS not completely
repaired Tor oightoen years. nthe ycar 1861 tho
burned down: with tho whole roof. Tho roof
WAS restored but tho stoople was never rebuilt.
Ftful efforts at restoration wore mntlo like those
Of lator ttmog, and King Jamos, taking compass
commission to consider what could bo' done TO
restore It. and lingo Jones Designed his ccte-
bratod Italian portico. Tho effort Of that poriod
was noble one, and puts to tho blush tho zenl Of
nearly EoooOo Noro raised, and but for the
troub!eB. tho building would have boon completed
as porlaps tho most ourioua mixture OF styloa
| that London could show.
Mr.. Longman thinks ii fortunate that lingo
Jones was prevented by tho civil war from carry
| Ing out his achomea. After the restoration Of
Charles u. tho work Was again takon iu hand,
| and Sir christopher Wron wns preparing plans
| for completing tho building when tho grcat fro
swort 1t away, and tho prosont building WAS
erected OIL the ancient elte. Tlio frat stone was
laid in 1875 and tile ast liz 17l0 hut tho interior
WAS never f1niphed. Dean NIilnnn said that the
which Wron Ind pit in til others 1poro suited
to tho dignity Of tho building could tnke. their
place. Tho effort Mt building seemed to havo
exhausted tho zeal Of the public and for 16oycars
was almost usolops. It scen,od absolutely neg-
looted and forgotten, except us place Of bl'rial
for great soltors md aailors. or M place of
a National thanksgiyihg. Even tho restoration
was only undertaken because tho plaster was
nnd dean Milmnn says That tic bolor Thought
| Of attempting to. ornament tho interior rono
gpace under tho dome for public soryico. It was
tho thought of uso which inspired the thought
Of beauty.
"Tho usos to which tho cathedral Inns bonn
p!lt aro among the most curious points in ita
history: an odd glimpse of ancient customs is
givon by Dugdalo. Iii 1876 Sir William 10 Band
gayo 4 yearly buck and doc for twonty-two
acres Of land, and from that time till tho
days Of Queen Elizabeth tho gift was received
by tho canons, clad il, thoir sacred veatn,ents,
! md WIS borne III procession round tho building.
| There are some lntY literature Of the GUS
toms q old st. panrs. Bon Jonson descrbos
1'9aldil IT, as raul's NM; md whom Falstalr
that ho is gono to buy lloraa in Smithfold,
| FalAtnff anBwcrB, I bought him in st. paul'a.'
The middle aislo wna called paul'a Walk, and
wan tho common meeting place, OF tho citizcns,
mongora assembled. Diahop Earlo, in his
1licroeosmography, describes it aa tho ]and's
oritomo, tile 'lesacr isle Of Grcat Britain,
the noiso in which is like that Of bees, q
strange h'lmminG or buzz mixed OF Walking,
tongues, and feet The general mint OF MI famous
1ica; all l1nvcntiona Aro emptiod hore, and not a
few poclotu.' Osborn, writing Of tho reign OF
James, says it wns tho fashion of those times,
aud continued till his OWN, for tho principal gou-
try. Lords CommonH, md mon Of NIL professions
to meet III ST. pa,,l's Cathedral by ii and walk
i'll tho middle aisle till II, and aftor dinner from
5 toG, during Which time some discoursod OF
business, otors Of nows. Outside, tho clois-
terra wero lot to trunkmakers, houses wore
bnilt against tho walls, and III one place a
baker had excaTated MI oven In QUO Of the
bnttrosaes, where ho baked his broad md
pies. Ropo-dancing fonts from the battlomonts
| Sero common, md thoro III legend of a horuo
named Marocco, tho property Of i vintucr, which
! was said to have clinel the Bteoplo
"Vheso dosocrations wero perhaps the natural
| consequence Of tho cathedral being thrown open
TO tic people III unteyout timoB. Tho roaction
from those times brought general exclusion.
Tho ugly wall and hugo railing which hnyo 80
anco WILL in tho coming improvements, bo re-
moved. Tho front will onco more bo opon to
the public Just as it's nervices have beon thrown
opou by holding them bononth tic DOME"