The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12
WAX WORKS.
a Visit to the Great show in West
minister Abbey.
From Harper's for august

gers through the abbey never refer to It,
and probably not one visitor in a thousand
dreams of its existence; yet there is now
preserved in the sacred editice, and has
been for centuries, a collection Of wax
figures of SURPRISING interest and historical
value, winch used to be counted one of tho
sights OF London, and which any one
who can obtain al order from he dean may
sea to-day.
Until fifty years ago the only requi tie for
admission to the mysterious chamber
they inhabit vas pence, and from this
source the minor canonS and lay Wears
used to reap an abundant harvest. But in
1884 Madame Tussaud set up in Baker street
a waxwork show il brand now clothes and
with a thrilling Chamber of Horrors, which
soon proved formidable rival TO the some
what tattered royal show. With the falling
Off of receipts, doubts grow in the minds Of
the abbey officials as to the proprie5y of
conducting a waxwork exhibition within
walls, and since 1899 the ''Ragg ID Regi-
ment," or PLAY of the Dead NOiksn as 1t
was disresDectfully called by the pcpulace,
has been closed to sight seers and wellnigh
forgotten.
In the early Saxon and Norman times it
was customary, when a sovereign died, to
embalm the body, clothe 1t in tho richest
robes of state and attributes of royalty, and
carry it to the tomb upon
cred. This we know upon the author
ity of various old chronicles and safe
records of TIE period preserved at the
British museum, where one may road de-
tailed accounts of the medimval burials
With the English era which followed
there came a change in the M ner of royal
obsequies. The body of the sovereign was
no longer visible while lying in state, or
he.r, ~
incloSed in a leaden coffin and an image I
the deceased, dressed in the coronation rob s
a d equipped with the crown and regal
was placed up the bier or bOrAe before it II
the procession.
This image, or ''lively effigy" IS the
chroniclers called it, was in theearliest timCs
carved i'll wood like modern ships figure
head and painted; later this improvai upon
by covering the wooden face with boiled
leather artifcially nodded and stretched
over it like skin, which was painted to
resemble life. In Elizabeths day, aud
probably for century earlier. wax was
employed for the face instead Of wood and
leather, and the body was a padded struc
ure Of the sort used to-day by taIlors.
Another feature of ancient funerals was
the 'herse, which had no connection with
the modern vehicle we call by the same
name, differently spelled. The herse was
more splendid than any funeral trappings
of our day.
The herse used to remain in the abbey
for an indefinite period-mOnths or even
years-until it became shabby, perhaps, or
its place was required for another; SO the
church was never without several of these
imposing structures.
When the time came for the removal Of
the herse and It's contents the efiigy was
q OILS oft ,,la,
the tomb of the deceased parsonage, to ser, o
| as monument until permanent one Of
stone could be erected, or deposited in me
chapel or unoccupied space in the abbey.
| By degrees the place became so Gro wded
with accommodating efligies That the Old st
| and shabbiest had TO be drafted off into o
crypt and into q room built over Abb, t
| lshpS chapel, which eventually became
the rece ptac.e for all of them.
! After this passing glimpse into the origin
and significance Of the curly effigies, let us
| betake ourselves to the little room in
| the abbey, where all of them that have
survived are assembled together. OF the
| eleven that stand between us when we reach
the top of the narrow Staircase one, the
| figure of Elizabe h, instantly rivess our at
| tention, and holds us by a spell. In the
picturesque words OF Hare, "She LOOKS
nalf witch, half gh0ul; her weird old head
is crowned by a diadem, and she wears Il g
| huge ruff laden with century of dust, the
| long stomacher covered with level
| the velvet robe embroidered with gold a! d
| supported on paniers, and the pointed high
heeed shoes with rossttes familiar from her
pictures"
The next in point of date of the wax
works collection is the wonderfully charac-
teristic effigy of Charles H., robe in blue
and red velvet, with collar and ruffleS Cf
real point lace
An effigy of Gen. Monk, Duke of Alb
marie, the famous parliamentary genera
who after Cromwells Gea Oh was SO iaauen-
tial in bring Charles to the throne, used 20
stand by bis side in the abbey, clad in full
armor. This figure, which is no longer
SHOWN, mas been in its
time the target for a good deal of pleas
antry, because the abbey guides used to
collect money from visitors in its cap, aid
Goldsmith, III his Citizen of the Word -"
has a shy at it in the character OF q
Chinese philosopher, and in the "InColdsby
Legends it is the subject of some humorous
verses The famous cap is gone, but the
armor-clad figure still exists.
William and Mary stand together in a
large glass case Mary's majestic figure,
nearly six feet high, is arrayed in purplo
velvet and brocaded skirt and loaded with
ornaments of imitation diamonds and
pearls. William is much shorter than BIZ
queen, as he was in life, and this disparity
has been emp asized by propplng him up
on platform.
In the next case sits Queen Anne in plump
and comfortable majesty, her face wearing
motherly look, as BELTS the mother Of
eighteen children. All doubts upon this
point, by the way, were sot at rest a few
years ago by Dean Stanley, who discovered
in vault in Henry V rs chapel the eighteen
small lead collins of Queen Anne's children,
all of whom died in infancy, except the Duke
Of Gloucester, who died mt the age of II ''of
fever occasoned by excessive dancing on
his birthday" In a neighboriug case stands
the very artistic efiigY of the beautiful
Duchess of Richmond LA Belle Stuart in
the court dress she wore at the coronation
of Queen Anne. By her side is her favorite
parrot, which is said to have lived with her
for 40 years and to have survived her onlv
few days. The Duchess is said to hnye
sat for the figure of Britannia on the penny
of her day.
The effigy Of Catbarine, Duchess Of Buck
in ghamshire, which dates from 1743. is
probably the latest of the genuine effigies.
Her little son, the Marquis OF Normandy. is
by her side, aud She wears the robe she wo q
at George II. s coronation. Her husband.
John Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire'
must not DO confused with VillIers, Duke of
buckingham, who died century earlier.
In his youth he was the accepted lover of
Anne, the second daughter of james II.
who was afterwards queen, but married
Catharine, the kings natural daughter. who
proved to be a very eccentric character