Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-19

Protestant not the inclinanon-to hnish the
superb structure 10 had begun In its days Of
Catholic faith
AT A sTASpsruL ron THREE cESruRrsA
For three centuries the work on the cathedral
remained at . standstill, and 10 had begun 10
look quite voefully out upon the world when
there came sreswskening among the Germans
Of the love for the old art OF their country. and
with Il a redirectlon Of attention Go the un-
nnisned masterpiece OF this art that %
Vim; and q movement was started for the
rescue OF the building from decay and the rec
toranon OF II Ludwig Thrsn, builder Of
Ulm, Vas one Of the first 20 favor and urge on
TINS project, and IN ls44 he, with but to
stone masons set himself 10 work on the old
eoince as TO sacred task. and commenced the
most useful repairs At that time the cathedral
mad no choir towers aud no butuesses. the
summit OF the square story OF the tower gave
signs OF going 20 pieces, and the magnificent
entrance TO the church was threatening 20 fall
Ia; sna was 10 be preserved from COM
piete ruin instant work upon IL was necessary.
he was followed by Ludwig schew, Who
constructed charming gallery around the
choir, put up the nying buttresses that support
the sides OF the building. which are the largest
IN Germany, being 60 feet wide. and erected
the two choir towers. 2s2 feet high Upon the
completion OF these in 1877. thoSsve hundredth
anniversary of the commencement OF the
cathedral was celebrated with great eelat II
was determined then 10 carry the great tower
forward TO completion, and
UNDER THE PATRONAGE on TIE Krxo or WE
TEMBERa,
who as crown prince had been much interested
in the work of restoration and greatly aided ID
an appeal was made to Protestant Germany for
funds for the purpose, which was sufficiently
responded TO for the work TO be undertaken,
and August Boyer selected 70 direct
the work, which he has brought 20 q success
full close this year, after nine years OF labor on
his task, in strict adherence 20 the old design
of Boblinger, except that he departed little
from the proportions given by Boblinger by
shortening a little the octagonal story and
slightly increasing the spire, thereby securing
such admirable architectural proportions that
the spire when seen from the ground appears
to the eve TO spring gracefully and freely up
ward from Its octagonal base. There IL always
danger that the most beautiful spire when
viewed from the ground will appear dwarfed
and heavy. This Is unfortunately the case with
the grand Cologne cathedral, and believe
with most others. but has been escaped in the
case OF the Ulm structure, which IL, in oon-
sequence, one OF the most beautiful towers
IN the world. Ii shoots up in graceful and
stately proportions, IN complete harmony with
the rest OF the building, and enchants the eve
with Its nobeness, symmetry aud wealth Of dec
GRAFTON. Ii rises immediately above the vest
front Of the cathedral, and not at the intersec-
ton of the nave with the transept, ~ IL gem
orally the case with the Gothic csthedrsls,
because II has no transept
During the nine years OF work on the spire
not a life was lost by accident although 100 20
40 men were all the time engaged in lofty and
dangerous work.
INTENDED AS A GRAND PARISH CHURCH
The cathedral whose history we have been
relating is said to owe it's erection 70 local
pride and not 10 church zeal Ulm was not the
seat OF bishop. and the cathedral was there
fore not intended for one of the high digni-
taries Of the church or for a minister or abbey,
but simply as grand parish church. The
foundation stone, laid IN 1877, was set in place
by the burgomaster OF Ulm in the presence Of
its town council and citizens amid religious
services performed by the local clergy, and the
.act that the imitation of the cathedral vas Q
peoples work Is very gratifying to the Protest.
| ant sentiment of Ulm and Germany, which de-
lights to think that il was not a creation Of the
hierarchy, but Of high-spirited burghers who
wanted a church that should vie in grandeur
and majesty with the cathedrals of the bishops.
And IL is TO be noted that the cathedral at Ulm
Is the only one of the grand cathedrals Of the
middle ages that has remained in Protestant
hands.
The interior Of the Ulm cathedral IL very i'm
posing but will not compare in artistic adorn-
ment with its rivals. Grandeur In simplicity
is its distinguishing trait. The lighting of ID
ID excellent, and II is as clear day.
1t is richly decorated with statues and reliefs
in stone. The portal TO the church is very
fine, and may perhaps be without q rival
THE INTERIOR.
The chief art objects of interest TO be seen
in the interior Of the church are two celebrated
stained glass windows of 1880 in the choir Of
Hans Wild, whose like cannot be made today,
| and a renowned piece of wood carving by JorG
| Syrlin, the elder, who the finest carver in
wood the middle ages produced Besides some
seats for the priests he made out of oak for the
Ulm cathedral. in the latter part of the fifteenth
century, eighty-nine stalls an the choir which
have since become world-renowned, and are
probably his finest piece Of work. These stalls
he carved in four years. They are y wonder
full piece of work. And over these he carved
in wood in three rows. one above the other,
eighty-nine mastery busts, Of which only o
few show signs of having been worked upon
by his pupils. Ii was a belief OF the middle
ages that the advent OF our Lord was not only
foretold by the prophets of Israel, but by the
wise men and sybils among the ancienh,
and the object of syrlin in this MASTER
piece has been to portray in wood the
prophesiers of this coming. and he gives M
Cicero, Seneca Pythagoras, Ptolemy and The
syblls Of old as well as the prophets. pro-
phetesses and faithful ones of the Old Testa-
ment, and from above the apostles and holy
ones of the Christian church greet the fulfill
ment Of the promise. The sounding board by
Syrlins son, made in 1910 out of linden wood, y
an object of much admiration, 10 also the
pyx, made about l470. which is considered
jewel OF Gothic stone carving. There are alse
some valuable paintings by Martin Scafnsr,
Bartol Zeitblown and other old mastera
THE CITY OF THE CATHEDRAL
Ulm, the city OF the cathedral ID an inter
esting old town on the Danube, with Q populs-
ton Of $1,000, Of whom only one-fourth are
Roman Catholics. 1t ID a strategic point, and
therefore strongly fortified, whose fortihcs-
tions il requires about five hours 10 pass around
The size Of its garrison is 5000 men. IL d one
OF the most important CO numerical places In
Wurtemberg and has a growing trade. Numsr.
GUS beer breweries exist and considerable trade
is done in lumber. The Danube Ia very shall
low at Ulm, but Its people ne ertheless manage
to keep up considerable nsvigas On Flat-bot-
toned boats Of peculiar kind are used 70 osrry
merchandise down the river TO Vienna and
Presburg, from where they never come back,
being broken up there on arrival and sold In
the middle ages Ulm was an important place
and the old quarters of the town still bear
traces of its oIden splendor and some very In
teresting monuments OF the past are 70 be met
with. Seven different railway lines pass
through the town.
The heights of the leading sacred edIfces
now are: Ulm cathedral, 527 feet; Cologne o.
thedral, Sill; cathedral at Rouen, ass, Church
Of ST. Nicholas at Hamburg, Az, and cathedral
at Strasburg 46s. g.
Don't.