Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-10-06
THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE.
What is to be Seen in It--SOme of the lie.
gends Connected with Its History


letter to the New York Times from
Grace Greenwood:
It was night when reached Cologne.
E. and A. met me at the station end es-
corted me to hotel near the Cathedral,
and showed off that latter celebrated
building quite with an air of proprietor
ship. They appeared to think there
was danger of my overlooking it. It
seemed nwfully immense and grand in
the pale moonlight-the Carlo Magno of
cathedrals. It cast mountainous
shadow, even with it's unfinished tower;
it looked like an arrested peak of Ten
eriffe. Unable to sleep, from the
fatigues and excitements of tho day, T
walked that night like a perturbed
spirit, going again and again to my win.
dow and gazing out in a vain attempt
to take in the solemn majesty and stu
pendousness of the building. Though
restored from comparative ruin by Pro-
testant power, it is yet wonderful en-
blem of the memorable, intolerant, OBJ
durate old Papal faith. Aspirin g, out
stretching, it is Rome's medieval
dream Of ascendency and supre-
macy in stone. It is yet one OF
her dim sanctuaries from the
searching light of human reason and
knowledge-one of her strong bulwarks
against the rising foods OF lib
erty and humanity. Z went into the
Chathedral for mathis. It hardly
seemed like going indoors, but out OF
the fowery court of the hotel and the
sunny, busy square, into another morn
ing, DINNER, stiller, and oppressively
fragrant, as with the odor of cremated
flowers. I listened to the chanting-a
few sad voices-wandering in lonely,
lost way through the mighty aisles and
arches, and then to the organ
rolling down it's thunders from high
loft and packing the whole vast nave
with heavy harmonies. Stealing quietly
about in tho immense background, I
came upon hideous representation of
the dead Christi carved, life-sized,
wooden image, surrounded by emaciated
saints and very much dilapidated an
gels, all figures that would shame a
New England idol-maker, and yet all
crowned with votive wreaths; and as I
stood there men and women came and
knelt in prayer by the central effigy,
and devoutly kissed it's CHASTITY feet.
More and more these old world cathe-
drals seem to me like mighty architec-
tural caves, Cavernes de Phonanae mort,
in which we find records of
the childhood of the world-fossil
remains of dead idolatries. One may
get discouraged in such places, behold
ing superstition SO blind and groveling,
al &1,o% Il I'LL
ing back into the dark ages-just as
while I fingered there, in the scented
and purple, but chill twilight, forgot
that without was the broad, glad, adj
vancing day. The Church, with it's
dogmas and legends, " stains the white
radiance of eternity" as those gorgeous
windows, set with painted miracles and
martyrdoms, color the pure beams Of
the morning.. Many SAINT stands be-
tween us and Gods sunlight. OF
course, we paid our respects and tina.
Ter, at the shrine of the Three Kings of
Cologne, alias the Magi, Casper, Mel
chior and Balthazar, whose skulls
crowned with jewels, are shown among
the precious relics, many gems, and
much gold of the sacristy. It is won
derfully brilliant show, that little room
under ground, and the Church makes
very good thing out Of it. She wellknows
how to utilize her saints. She has not
only life, bnt death interest in them.
She thrives well on their remains and
works mighty works with their bones,
which fact is triumphantly demonstrate
ed by the church Of the Eleven Thou
sand Virgins, which derives its chief
income from the exhibition of tie os-
seous structure of ST. Ursula and her
great train of maiden martyrs. The
legend is that this Ursula was Scot
fish Princess. and so entitled to be call
ed her Royal Highness the Princess
Ursula, and that she set sail for Gaul,
with her goodly company Of virgins,
but missed her way and landed in Co.
logne, where the barbarian Huns set
upon them, like so many cabmen, and
slaughtered them. It seems that the
royal saint did not head pious pill
grimage, as has been thought, but
brought over her maidens to be brides
to Christian Britons fighting under
Maximus, in Gaul; an enterprise on a
large scale, like that which philan-
thropic English lady with head for
affairs executed more successfully a
few years ago, only she took her
company of young working women
to Australia, and they took their mar
tyrdom in another way. The church is
said to stand on the sight of the massa-
ere. and the exhumed bones are built
into the walls of the interior. in glass
cases, are under your feet, and over
yo1r head everywhere. But the sac
risty, or Golden Chamber" is the
place where they are mostly employed
in the decorative way. Legends are
printed with them, and they appear in
sacred emblems and CHASTITY devices. It
is wonderful how much priests and
monks can do with the bones of young
women when they really set themselves
to work. The Princess Ursula lies in a
sarcophagus by herself, behind the
church altar, but the skulls Of several
of her maids of honor are here enclosed
in silver cases, like casques, and on
shelves are ranged several hundred vir-
orin heads o0vorad with c1rr11 napc