The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1878-10-24
TOT TIN TVhT
European Correspondent.

LETTER No. 4.

Inc Id'lU or N'OJb.
There are fcw places 10 Europe which
have been visited ty moro people or
have been often or better described
than Mclrosc Abbey. Happy any
ono Of tho slightest literary protein
tions can DO fosnd who canuot recall
a picture of it from some point OF
view. Probably there are not moro
than three or four ruins in all Europe
which can compare with Mclroso IN
interest. While il isa complete ruin,
for it is unoccupisd and without u
root even, it is yet in 30 perfect a
state of preservation az to show its
wonderful architecture, and to give a
good understanding of what its
beauty must have been before it was
wantonly aud wickcdiy destroyed.
1t has the additional charm Of having
its ragged and crumbliug walls il
covered with ivy, that beautiful m,n =
tic Of nature, that tho harshness aud
desc Iatiou Of tho ordinary ruius are
niircly untiug. aud from the dead
past seems to have aprung u joyous
AMI living present.
The structure whose rnins arc so
much admired, was conmcnced IN
1926, although building devoted To
some form of religious worship had
occupied tho same place in tho immo-
diatc vicinity for eight hundred years
previous. A, first tho Abbey was II
very small bu'l!in. costing no moro
than two thousand pounds of the
money of that period. IL was occur
pied by u community OF Cistorclan
monks, who were cnjoined by the
rules of their order to constant and
faithful labor. Thcy therefore ou-
sagei ia agriculture, in transcribing
aud illuminating manuscripts, and
particularly in the construction aud
ornamontarior of the grani buildings
whose ruins are now found all over
England and Scotland. Thero IL no
better picture Of patience and pcrsc-
yerance, than these paius-taking
monks laboring faithfully year Dfrr
year, with their own hands welding
tho mallct and slowly cutting out
those wonderful ornamental carvings
Of flower, plants, and curious aud
grotesaue figures with which both
tho outside aud inside of tho church
was covered. Much of this work
vet remains, that oven after tho
storms of hundreds OF years have
beaten upon it shows the wonderful
delicacy aud beauty it originally had.
Entering through an iron cato on
the west silo of the grounds we are
at once in tho midst OF tho ruins.
On tho right is q long corridor
which is filed with curious old mon
most of them so worn by
time that their inscriptions cannot
be read. Passing partly through
this and turning to the right we
enter the cemetery by a narrow
doorway under tho south window.
Tho whole south front is tho best
side of any of tho build.
ing and although weather worn and
is grand in its proportions
On one OF the towers can yet be
seen part of the face OF the old
clock, with part of one Of tho hands
yot remaining. The paint has long
since gone from its face and the
boards oven are cracked and wealth.
or worn. The venerable and aged
face, as it wero just dropping into
The tomb, needs no inscription OF
,eupus fugt to impress on us the
fact that time flios. Passing around
10 the cast side we see tho east win-
dow which is q marvel Of beauty as
Il stands in the ruined wall. 1t is
81 feet high by 2S broad and is
divided into Ave parts by perpen'
iicular mullions, and those were
subdivided into large number OF
smaller sections by delicate stone
work much OF which romans until
The present day. On the extreme
right the massive corner Is entirely
with wonderful growth OF
ivy, which completely obscures tho
The stone work and falls 10 grace
iully sweeping curves toward the
ground. On the ruins at the LETT
1rass and flowers are growing, and
On = corner Of the wall Q rose bush
was ia full bloom fifty feet from the
while birde were merrily
singing and flying baek and forth
rom their nests 10 the ivy and shrub
berry on the ruined walls.
From within the ruins are equally |
striking and impressive. Although |
|bs sky is now tho only covering Of
Ihs Abbey one e.naot look doxa II I