New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-29
space to talk about. Wherever you look, along the

with one, with the features quite melted away.
The inside of the Cathedral corresponds in vastness
and grandeur to the Ousideit is the perfection OF
Gothic in its prime But looked at it rapidly, the
place was so intolerably cold. Itseemed to answer
ones query of what becomes of the Winter when
the Spring chases it away. The Winter hereabouts
has sought an asylum in Chartres Cathedral, where
IL has found plenty of and may reside in state
of excellent preservation until it safely venture
abroad again. I thought had been in cold churches
before but the thought had been injustice to the
temperature of Charities. The nave was full of the
little padded chairs Of the Charities boagoOse whose
faith hope Cor their comfort is of the good old red
hot complexion. In higher temperature should
have done more justice to the magnificent old glass
of the wlndows-which glowed through the icy
dusk like the purple and orange of Winter sunset
and to the immense sculptured external casing of
the choir. This latter an extraordinary piece of
work. 1t is high Gothic screen, shutting in the
choir and covered with elaborate bas-reefs of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, representing
from the life of Christ and of the Virgin Some
of the figures are admirable, and the effect OF the
whole great semi-circular WALL chseed like silver
bowl, is superb. There is also n crypt OF high
antiquity, and, believe, great interest, to be
seen but my teeth chartered respectful negative
to the sacrstan who offered to guide me to it. 1t
was so agreeable to stand in the warm outer air
again, that spent the rest of the day in it,
Although besides its Cathedral, Charities has no
very rare architectural treasures the place is pctur
esque ina shabby, third-rae, poverty-strcken sort
of fashion, and my observations We're not unremu-
nerative. There is little church Of Saint Afghan,
Of the sixteenth century, with an elegant, de-
cayed facade, and small tower beside it, lower
than its roof to which it is Joined, in quaint,
Slamese twin fashion, by a single long buttress.
Standing there with its crumbling Renaissance door
way in kind of grass-grown alcoyc, it reminded
me of what tho tourist encounters in small Italian
towns Most of the streets of Charities are crooked
lanes winding over the face of the steep hill, the
summit Of the hill being occupied by half dozen
little open squares, which seem like reservoirs of the
dulness and stiffness that flow through the town.
In the midst of one of them rises Old dirty brick
obelisk, concentrating TIE glories of the young
Gen. Marceau of the first Republic" soldier at 10.
general at 23, he died at o." Charities gives
impression of extreme antiquity, but san antiquity
that has gone down in the world. | saw very few
of those stately little h6el, with plastered fronts,
which look so we'll in the silent streets Of proyin-
cial towns. The houses mostly low, small, aud
of sordid aspect and though many Of them have
overhangng upper stories and steep battered gables,
there is nothing very exquisite in their quantneSs
was struck, as an American always is in small
French and English towns, with the immense number
of shops and their brilliant appearance, which
seems so out of proportion to any visible
body Of consumers. At Chartres the shop
keepers must all feed upon each other.
for, whoever buys, tho whole population
sells. The population in the streets appears TO con-
sist Of several hundred brown old peasant women,
between 10 and so years Of age, with their faces
cross-hatchcI with wrinkles and their quaint white
- 49,. i I'D.
brows Iabor-stricken grandams all the world
over, are the reverse Of lovely, for IN toll that
wrestles for It's daily bread moFsel by mo7se il not
identifying; but | thought | had never seen the
possibilities of female ugness vagously embodied
as in the crones of Chartres. Some of them were
leading small children by the hanh-littlc red
checked girls in the close blac, caps ami black PIN
azores Of humble French infancy-a costume which
makes French children always look like orphans.
Those who feel very strongly" the subject Of
these little people being put out to nrrsc, as they
generally are, may maintain that there Is truth IN
the symbol Others OF the old women were guiding
along the fiinty lanes the steps of small donkcys,
some Of them fastened into little carts, others with
weil-ladcu backs. These were the only quadrupeds
perceived Mt Chartres. Neither horse nor carriage
did behold save at the station the omnibuses OF
the rival inns-the" Grand Mouarqne" and the Due
de Chartres which glare at each other across the
Grande Place. y friend of mine told me that a few
years ago, passing through Charities, he went by
night to call upon gentleman who lived there.
During his visit it came on 10 ram violently and
when the hour for his departure arrived the rain bad
made the streets impossible. There vehicle
TO he had and M friend was rcsigning himself to
soaking "You can be taken Of course in the sedan
chair" said his host with dignity. The scdan-chair
was produced, n couple of scrving-mcn prtsped the
handles NY friend stepped into it, aud went swing
ing back-through the last cen,ury-to the " Grand
Monarque.' This little anecdotc, imagine, still
paints Chartrcs socially.
Before dinner took a walk on the planted prom
enade which encircles the town-thc Tour-dc-vilc
it is called-nuch of which extremely picturesque.
Charities has lost her walls as whole, but here and
there they survive, and play a desultory part in
holding the town together. III one place the rampant
is really Inagnifccnt-s smooth, strong, aud lofty,
curtained with ivy, and supporting on its summit an
old convent and its garden. Only one of the city
Gates remains-a narrow arch Of the fourteenth
fury, lanked by two admirable round towers. aud
preceded bv a fosse. If You stoop little, as you
stand outside the arch of this hoary old gate makes
a most picturesque setting for the picture of the in
terror Of the town. aud on the inner hilltop against
the sky the large gray mass Of the Cathedral. The
ditch is FULL and to right and to left il flows along
tho basc Of the mOldering wall, through which the
shabby hacks Of houses extrude. and which is gar
nishcd with little wooden galleries, layatones of
the towns s0ed linen. These u. tie galleries are
Gllcd with washcrwOinen, who crane over and dip
their many-cOl0red rags into the yellow stream.
The OLD patched and interrupted wall, the ditch
with is weedy edges, the spots OF color, the white
capped iaundresscs in their little wooden gos-one
fingers to look az II all. TO wind up the day |
dincd the table Gh6c at the "Crand Muna:que,"
IN company Of tOyGgeTs nc commerce, where con
tnu.d ny ObsnrvAtlnns. Tho dinner costs 3 lTancs