The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-07-26
A PASSION FOR CHURCHES
WHICH MADE SMITH A PRECARIoUS
TRAVELLING COMPANION.
Hypnotized BY Distant Tower Smith
Rushes Off to Explore the Funereal
Old Glasgow Cath hedral-Some Reasons
for Avoiding European Hotels

Glasgow, the second city in the Kingdom,
Is essentially modern in its principal features.
It differs but little from our own cities except
in its having an air Of permanence and stabil-
ity about 1t not found in America. Dickens
in his "American Notes. speaks of the tenn
porary appearance Of American towns, and
think the visitor to Europe will notice this
difference between European and American
cities at once. Glasgow is a stone city, and
one may travel for miles and find nothing but
stone buildings-huge, square structures that
seem to have been built to defy the ravages of
time. We determined to leave Glasgow the
next morning after landing for Stirling. l
explained to Smith that there was nothing Of
any special interest in eGlasgow; sthet it was
much like any other modern city, and that
we would take a morning train for Stirling,
stop there an hour or two, see the castle, and
then go on to Edinburgh. Smith looked dis
appointed and troubled about something. |
could plainly see there was something weigh
ing on his mind. Perhaps had been trife
dictatorial in arranging our next days pro-
gramme without consulting him, SO | asked
him if my plan met with his approval. He
hesitated and fixed his eyes on some distant
object. l followed them, and saw that which
held them. 1t was the cathedral tower [
knew it would be madness to attempt to lure
him away from Glasgow without visiting that
old church. Smith leave city without see
ing all the churches? It's drivelling idiocy
to suggest such an absurd idea. If you are
going to travel with Smith you make up your
mind to examine every church within reach.
l never knew Smith to pass church without
stopping. have tried TO engage him in con-
versation when nearing religious structure
in the hope that we might get by it without
his noticing it, but to no purpose. "Just
wait a little, l want to hear the rest of that
story" he would say as we approached it,
''but really here is an old church can't afford
to miss and he would rush across the street
and disappear. / would have tonwait sforsh him
with perhaps only few minutes to catch our
train. But missing train was trife, so
Smith said compared to missing cathedral.
So knew it was useless to leave out trip to
the Glasgow cathedral. Had we not gone
Smith would have been broken-hearted man,
and life would have been embittered and filled
with remorse and sorrow. | accordingly sug-
gested that we go to the cathedral at once.
There is good deal said about this cathedral
in our guide book, but have forgotten 1t.
The local guides also have good deal to say
about the old structure. The woman who
sells photographs at the door also has good
deal to say about 1t. She Will explain IL to
you in detail, and when she gets through you
will probably remember nothing she said.
There are good many memorial tablets and
other brc-a brac around the sides OF the
church, which add somewhat to the gloom
and funereal air that pervades most OF these
old sanctuaries Smith was In his element.
He leisurely strolled through that cathedral
the picture of blissful contentment. He ex-
amned the transept, the nave, the altar cloth,
the organ, the seats, the walls, the ceiling,
the crypt, the pillars, the windows, and the
tombs. He read his guide book on the sub
ject. He groped around in the dark rooms
of the first structure Il believe three differ
ent structures built one upon the other con-
stitute the present edifice, the first structure
being almost entirely under ground) and felt
his way among Shiny pillars and cold, damp
walls. He would give himself up to reverie
and every now and then he would soliloquize.
s'Where now are the monked feet that once
did tread these sacred stones" | heard him
ask as | came upon him in st. Someone's
crypt | suggested that they might be in the
field near by growing q very good variety of
corn, and he scowled upon me and said was
adepraved and undone man, and totally de-
void of all the ennobling sentiments of the
soul. "The man." he said, ''who can stand
in the sacred shadow of this vast religious pile,
hallowed by the devotion of prosecuted Chris
tians, sanctifed by the blood of sainted
martyrs made holy by the presence Of piece
of the true cross and not be deeply moved is
foe to all the finer feelings of the SOUL"
''Fine, old manp' ! said; ''but do you know
that must have been wonderful cross--that
true cross Nearly Every cathedral In Europe,
you will find, has in its possession piece OF
the true cross, and many of them have at least
half of the original crown of thorns. sac
religious guide told me once that IL all the
pieces of the true cross could be brought
together there would be material enough to
build sacred three-thousand ton ship"
'Ah! malicious maligner Of all that is
sacred and holy" he replied, ''would that at
last man could be raised to that plane of en-
lightenment where spirit reigns over NATTER"
and he looked at me pitlfuly and sighed hope
lessly. "say, old man." broke, in ''do you
know it's about time for another of those de-
licous Scotch meat pies2" "Meat pie {?
Meat pie P'' he hissed, iand in such place 8
this And have you the audaciuy to suggest
meat pie in this time e-honored temple9 And do
you unblushingly profane this sacred shrine
with Scotch meat pies ?" told him had, per
haps, been little too worldly, and while had
most exalted opinion of Scotch meat pie as
suitable proyender for an ordinary hesh-and-
blood mortal, yet as angel food it might be
trife heavy. In fact there is something in
harmonious in the association OF angels and
meat pie. But to my depraYed appetite
Scotch meat pie is delieacy, and how do
relish English steak and warm meat pie after
a long sea voyage And then their coffee,
cocoa, tea, grills and vegetables How de-
licious they all seem after one has undergone
an enforced fast of ten or twelve days. A