Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-12

The close is q city within a city-an ancient
decorous town where the sunlit streets are
bordered by gardens flaming with geranium
and lobelia. where nothing more mundane
than tennis ground disturbs the clerical
primness Of the place. A stray grocer's boy,
carrying his basket demurely and forbearing
to whistle within the precincts. rosy English
child leading a fat pug dog and followed by a
solemn nurse. an old invaded canon creeping
along slowly in the shelter of sunny trellised
wall and an occasional tourist staring at the
neat old houses with their latticed windows
and timbered gables so by from time to time.
THERE Is AN AIR OF PERPETUAL SUMNER
about the quiet place. a scent as of fruit ripen-
ing slowly upon espaliers within the walled
gardens, a Whit Of afternoon tea stealing past
bee-haunted hollyhocks, a glimpse Of placid
figures under the dark shadow of great cedars
cool in the August heat. Once on turning sud-
denly the corner of a street we came upon
open door in a garden wall, within which. in
the sunny greatness of lawn and shrubbery.
close to the footway, but calmly undisturbed
by our propinquity, sat stout old gentleman
eating gooseberries from a dish upon his knee.
II was only seconds glimpse. but it impressed
rs As 9 little vignette of English life.
THE CATHEDRAL
From all this richness Of color Of roseate
brick and golden-green foliage. the pale, jagged
outline Of the cathedral stands apart in the
midst Of its grassy sweep. The chief spire
towers high, high into the dazzling sky above,
ethereal in its lightness and grace as though
made Of lace rather than stone. There is some
thisg perhaps a little disappointing about Sal
isbury; 1t lacks the somber dignity Of Win
chester, the size and richness of Wells or Can
terbury-it seems more of a church than
cathedral In its careful symmetry, the absolute
perfection of Gothic detail, which diminishes
Its apparent size. There is no look Of age
about il; all the white carvings and crevices
and columns are as clean as though nodded
Yesterday. The chief spire, $50 feet high,
seems much less, and the great length Of nave
and depth of choir lost in the general
effect. The magnificent west facade has lost
many Of its images, but in most places the
decoration has been carefully restored.
THE BARE INTERIOR
We went in from the binding sunlight and
were again disappointed. The interior, almost
destitute Of tombs, seemed bare after the
medieval richness Of Winchester. There was
classic GOODNESS about the long nave, whose
innuperable pillars Of black and white marble
had a strangely new look almost Of the nine
teenth century. Ii is said OF salisbury that II
contains pillar for every hour and a window
for every day in the year. We did not verify
this assertion In the nave lie a few stone
Crusaders, sleeping through the ages with q
faithful dog or hare keeping watch at their
feet, and there are some modern brasses on the
walls One We read with interest: it commem-
Grated q whole family, young parents and tiny
children, all butchered together in the Indian
Inutiny, concluding with the strikingly sppro-
pirate verse, And they heard great voice
from heaven saying Come up hither.'"
THE OLD ALABAsTER ToNBs
in the transepts and chapels are disigured
with names cut into them, most Of them two
or three centuries old A high brass rood
screen forms but slight barrier between the
ehsncel and the nave. separating them much
less completely than In many old churches and
beyond 10 clearly seen the richly carved
o1oir stalls, the handsome mosaic flooring and
the ancient marble reredos. Ii added to the
sense OF modernness that when the daily even
Ing service wss held shortly after our arrival
the congregation (rather large one) sat in the
nave and heard the service distinctly, without
being Obliged TO squeeze into the choir as in
most other cathedrals- The singing was some
what lost in the marvellous arches and vault
fngs Of the roof, but the clear, shrill sound
seemed echoed from the ''angel choir" or clois-
tered gallery running around the clerestory
We fancied that the faces of MEDIEVAL choris-
fers peered down at US from behind the little
pillars. joining their voices to the familiar
chant Of the MagnIheat
INTERESTING ToHBs.
There 10 . very interesting little tomb in the
nave representing q young boy dressed in
bishops robes The choir il seems in the
middle ages elected one of their number ss
their bishop or master for q year. and this one
had died during his Office. Other and older
bishops lie solen.nly in state near the chancel.
one Of them with painful likeness Of himself
as a skeleton leering up ct his richly COPIED
form above Much Of the window glass in
Salisbury is comparatively modern. and in some
places the plain loaded panes have been used.
through which the green trees without are
seen, and produce q far more pleasing effect
than much of the last century glass with which
the cathedral Is afflicted
ONE MAaSfFrcESr MEMORIAL WINDOW,
however, blazoned all one side of the chancel
with blots of gorgeous color. II was designed.
We were told.tby Burne Jones, the celebrated
painter and in defiance of his usual psllid