Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-21

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Westminster Abbey was probably
first built by King Sebert in GIG but
regularly established by Edward the
Confessor (1049) Westminster
Abbey is church, containing in it
cemetery or burial grounds. It may
be called the Temple of Fame of the
dead, a royal vault, universal sepul-
chre. Here rest the last remains or
monument to them of the great and
mighty dead whose deeds are writ en-
in history and whose renown has spread
over the earth. To be placed in West
minister Abbey is considered to have
received the last highest tribute and
most honored praise that the world
gives to its dead. 1t is, truly. sub
lime sepulchre of great human souls
and rare intellectual qualities. The
numerous epitaphs are Of all kinds
and lengths. The most striking is
go, rare Ben Jonson" who was buried
standing up. The striking mo unment
is that to Florence Nightingale and
husband. 1t represents a skeleton,
death, coming forth, irresistably
through great iron doors to shoot his
dart in her heart. while her husband
vainly endeavors to ward it of. She
was 27 years old at death. Edmund
Spenser has inscribed on his tablet
''the prince of poets of his TYNE"
this sepulchre is that of Beaconsfeld.
Shakespeare monument in "Poets
corner is the admiration of all. The
Abbey is gothic in style and in the
form of Latin cross. 1t contains
many chapels of which the most fam
GUS is Edward the Confessors. In
this chapel is Edwards shrine (d.10-
IS, } the faded splendor of which is
still traceable in spite of the spolia-
tons of relic hunters. The shrine was
erected by Henry III and costs &C
cording to an authentic record 255l.
As. Sd. In this chapel is also the
old coronation chair (and stone under
it brought from Scotland by Edward
[, 1920 on which all menarchs of
England for the past 600 years have
been crowned. Church service is held
in the Abbey daily (Episcopalian. }
The geological Gardens of London
are among the finest in any land.
The monstrous elephants may be seen
daily marching through the gardens
with its howdah strapped on its back
containing s to - children. and
camels and dromedaries move around
with similar loads. The British Mu-
scum is, as whole, the finest in the
world. It would require weeks Of
daily study even to see the names of
the objects. 1t is rich in collections
from every quarter of the globe. 1t
contains the famous Rosetta Stone"
found by Napolean at the mouth of
the Nile and captured by the English
army. 1t has three texts cut in it's
surface, one in hieroglyphics, one in
the Egyptian language and one in
Greek. 1t was by a comparison of
the Greek and the hieroglyphics that
a French savant learned to read the
hieroglyphics
It-also contains cast of the not less
valuable "Moabite Stone" The stone
dates from 900 B. G. It contains an
inscription of "a lines erected by
Mesha king Of Moab. The inscription
gives an account Of the war of Mesha
king of Moab against Omri, Ahab and
Ahazlah, kings of Israel. After the
death Of Ahab, Mesha who had agreed
to pay to the king of Israel can hun
dred thousand lambs, aud an hundred
thousand rams with the wool' G. kings
Ill, 4 rebelled, and Ahab, together
with his allies, Jehosophat. king Of
Judah, and the king of Eden march
ed against Mesha. But Mesha finally
drove back the allies with great
slaughter, there being ''great indigna-
ton against Israel" and Mesha king Of
Moab erected this stone to his god
Kemosh 900 B. G. to commemorate
his victory. It states that he sacrif-
ced his son to the god Kemosh on the
wall of the city in sight of the besieg-
ers IN order to Inspire his army with
courage etc. The characters and
language of the inscription is Phoeni-
clan, close relative of the Hebrew
tongue. The stone was found in the
land of Moab in 1868 and the original
is in Paris. Cleopatra's needle stands
on the banks of the Thames, an object
Of rare attraction.