Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-09-12

stranger will not be more offend
ed than in several other European
cities. The French, during their 90
years occupation, wrought great
changes for the better, not only in
sanitary matters, but in religious.
The eccleslastics had absorbed pretty
much all the property worth owning
in the city, and most of the lands
around it. These the French confs-
Gated and sold to the people. The
200 churches and converts were re-
duced to twenty-nine, which have
been found ample to accommodate
the actual religious needs of the pop
ulation. A couple of regiments of
lazy monks were either relegated to
private life, or conscripted into the
army. AS to soldiers, they are said
to have behaved and fought well.
Within the last twenty-five years Co
logne has steadily increased in popu-
lation and business, under the foster
ing care and supervision of the Prus-
sian Government.
The great object of interest to the
traveller is
THE ENORMOUS CATHEDRAL,
which was commenced in A. D.
1858, and has remained up to the
present time unfinished, and at one
time had nearly become a ruin. 1t
took eighty-four years to erect the
walls and put on a wooden roof.
From 1922 to 1909 the work slowly
progressed, and then completely
stopped for 800 years. 1t was not
till 1880 that the original plan was
resumed. Since then $4,000, ,00G or
$4, 100000 have been expended upon
it. The vast columns have all been
reared to support the iron roof,
which is finished; the great windows
have been painted with Scriptural
scenes in the best style of art; the
walls have been embellished with Pi-
Gus paintings and portraits of saints.
The length of the body of the church
is 5ll feet; the breadth is 251 feet;
and the height, from the floor to the
roof, l6l feet. Only the interior of
st. Peters, in Rome, exceeds it in
height and other dimensions, of all
the cathedrals in Europe. The ar
rangement of the buttresses, pima
cles, pillars, arches, chapel, and ex-
quisitely colored windows, added to
the enormous height Of the columns
and size of the windows, impart to
it an air of grandeur that must be
seen to be appreciated, as no de-
scription can convey a proper con-
ception of it. When it is finally
completed, it will be the most stu
pendous Gothic church in the world.
The two enormous towers have now
attained an altitude of about 25O ,ft.
$50 feet more is to be added to each
as fast as the wofkmen can pile up
the stone. aj5y .St 4 f'so..3
w In the chapel Immediately behind
the high altar Is a room set apart fori
relics and jewels, and wonderful 2
OBJECTS. OF WORSHIP. f =
Having heard so much about them,
l paid for self and family=party sew
eral forms to obtain a peep at them.
The portly, good4ooking and pious
old Saoristan watched my face close
ly as he explained the wonderful ma
ture of the holy objects, to see
whether my faith was equal to the
task of credence. l tried to preserve
an aspect of credulity which would
absorb the whole catalogue, but.
thought l detected a twinkle in his
eyes as he presented one astonishing
relic after another. That the read
er may understand what was requir-
ed to be believed, here are a few of
the genuine articles and objects ex-
hibited in this greatest Gothic eathe-
dral in Germany: Athorn from the
crown thrust on Christ's head; a
piece of the cross on which he was
crucifed; a fnger-bone of st. Paul;
part of the napkin with which Jesus
wiped the sweat from His brow
while suffering under the weight of
the cross; the links of the chain with
which Peter was fastened; locket
of the Virgins hair; the leather gir-
die Of st. John the Baptist; one Of
the thirty pieces of silver Judas re-
ceived for betraying his Master, and
finally, as the elimination of the exd
hibitfon, the celebrated golden shrine
of the Three Kings Of Cologne ~,
or Magi who CAME from the West
with presents f0f the Infant SayiorI7
The shrine contains the skulls of
those Kings inscribed with their
names Casper Melchoir and Bal
thazarM written III rubies, which are
shown through an opening in the,
shhneAerowAed, or rather encircl7.
ed, thadiadems.j zItis the back Of
the skulls, and not the grim fronts,
that are presented to the visitor; but
it. is a ghastly exhibition. What
the names of these three medieval
monks were who thus wear the dia-
dems, is forever lost to an inquiring
posterity.) The Saeristan explained
that the Magi were buried in the
Church of St. EustorgiO, in Milan,
Italy, and carried off by the German /
Emperor Frederic Bsrbarossa when
he took that city by storm in 1852
and butchered slB1ts inhabitants
and were by him presented, on his
return from the wars, to the Arch
bishop of Cologne, and since then
they have been sacredly preserved
in Cologne. / observed to him that
the collection of sacred relics was
certainly an admirable one, but that
it did not excel the one which l had
seen in the cathedral in Aix-la-Cha-
pelle; whereupon he shrugged his
and took a pinch of snuff,
and offered me one also, which was
declined, asloud and violent sneez-
.ng in the presence of the Magi
would be undignifed, irreverent and
lisrespectful to their Sacred Males
lies. ia.-A 81 nHEjs iiri=
.-i4r. THE AIx-LA-CHAPELLE
collection of sacred relics contain the
objects of worship for true
believers: A large fragment of the
'true cross" than that at Cologne; a
locket of the Virgins hair; also some
Of the Infants; q string of beads