The sun., 1891-07-05


] 4 sSsts eouid enjoy country life IN sasssy. h
\ Noyed b. the remains Of villas win ithsir
teessllnted pavementa which are found III DIFF
rlferens parts OF England. Inscriptions. coins.
weapcns, sepuichrai urns. pottery. abound in
she museums. AtRichborough. which was the
fayorite landing place oil Romans coming from
! GAul.. 10000 coins have been found; and
elsewhere great quantities are sometimes
turned up by the spade or plough. In Tho
museum at York is q touching antiauity-a
tress OF a Roman lady's hair. '
Mr.. smith accepts the dlotum Of the late
Henry Parker that the Crypt OF Ripon Minister
is the earliest. monument OF Saxon architec-
ture. a At Lincoln there are two church towers
in Ssxon style. and there is also Saxon work
at Westminster. at Dever, and elsewhere. But
tho Saxon was not great builder, even OF
churches: castles he built not at all! Such art
as he cultivated was rather that Of the gold
smith or the embroiderer. Beautifully chased
drinking CUPS and miracles OF the needle were
the trophies which William took to- Nor
mandy after the conquest OF Saxon tofphs,
burial urns, and weapons there 70 good store.
In the Ashmoean Museum at Oxford there 10
gem which was found on the Isle OF Athel-
pey. where Alfrel took refuge: it besrs the
rams of Alfred and may have bclenKsd to
him. But Mr.. Smith agrees with Mr.. Thomas
hughes In deeminR the White Horse. cut In
the chalk down OF Berkshire the most i'm
portant monument Of the Anglo.Saxon. 1t 10
the trophy Of n great victory gained by the
Saxon over the Dane. by Christianity over
heathonism. and by the moral civilization
bound up with Christianity over the moral
barbarism OF it's pagan enemies. .s.,.
| Tothe memorials ofthe Norman and PlantaR-
enet periods Mr. Smith allots good deal OF
space. OF mediHval piety. England posse ses
noble monuments In the cnthedrals and great
churches. In religious impressiveness they
far excel all the works Of heather art and
even In point OF architectural skill they stand
unrivalled. though they are the creations Of an
nge before mechanical science had attained
much development But as Mr. Smith points
out. we do not fully comprehend the marvel.
unless we picture to ourselves tho cathedrals
rising. as they did. out OF towns which were
then little better than collections Of novels
with but small accumulations OF wealth. and
without what We now deem tho appliances
Of civilized life. Never did mans spiritual
aspirations soar so high above the reali-
ties OF his worldly lot as when he built
the cathedrals. Mr.. Smith considers Salisbury
Cathedral. completed in the early English
style. or at all events In that Of the transition
period the most perfect m monument OF mediR-
val Christianity IA England. In height and
grandeur. however. the palm is borne of BY
York: in beauty and poetry. BY Lincoln. Ely
also is q glorious pile while its site has his
torical interest as the scene OF the last stand
made by tho Saxon against the Norman
conoueror. or the monsstio ruins. the
most perfect is Fountains Abbey. near
Ripon: but in romantic loveliness Of
situation the first place is claimed by
Tintern Abbey. on tho Wye. and the second
BY Rievaux Abbey at Bolton. both Of which
are in Yorkshire. The ruins OF Glastonbury,
also. are most interesting. not only on account
OF the grandeur which the fragments OF the
church bespeak. but because. as Prof. Free
man has said. Tho church Of Glastonbury.
founded by tho Brlton. honored and enriched
by the Englishman, Is the one great religious
foundation which lived through the storm of
English conquest. and in which Briton and
Englishman have an equal share" Here wo
are in the realm OF Arthur. and may read with
enhanced enjoyment Tho Idyls Of tho King"
He who desires to appreciate England from
the historical viewpoint should pursue the
method indicated in this little book. and 60 to
modern London last. Just as the student Of
history. visiting Europe. should enter it not at
Liverpool or Havre or Bremen. but by the
Egyptian gateway through which civilization
entered 1t. We have. accordingly. reserved for
a final paragraph some Rlmpses OF Mr.. Smiths
survey OF the world OF London. as he. revisit
Ing. has found It In the closing years OF the
nineteenth century. What We shall quote
presently Is particularly interesting. because
tho author speaks not at second hand. but Of
men whom he has personally known. BY way
OF preface he reminds us that the vastness OF
the West End circle and the light humor Of
pleasure-loving society. which makes
It impationt OF Intellectual display. have
pn fur iptarfara6 with fho aapandapcv ~
great takers. such as reigned forty or fifty
years ago. OF those takers he proceeds to
give us some delightful recollections. or
Macaulay we are told. for instance. that he |
turned the conversation into monoloeue and
talked diluted essays. wonderful for their |
fluency. finish. and for the stores OF informa-
ton which they displayed. but regarded as q
bore by those who wanted to talk themselves.
and sometimes felt to be a bore even by those
who wanted only to listen and to be amused. !
Macauay had wonderful power OF keeping |
the talk. even iu the largest company to him |
self. and ea'ing avery good dinner at the same |
time" Mr. Smith goes on to say OF Rogers that |
no was teller OF stories which he had pol |
ished to ihe highest perfection. and with which |
at n dinner party he generally entertained tho |
mon. when tho ladies had left the room, amidst
q silence o. attention which 1t wns highly penal |
to break. for never was there a srlf-love moro
sensitive or bitterer tongue" 1t seems that
Milman, also. was q very interesting talker;
he was little learned. perhaps. but his talk
was q genuine outpouring. not Pc
dantic display" Ono is surprised to
learn that Sir David Dundas. now for
cotton. was the most charming Of all: he did |
not declaim. but conversed. and drew out the
company while he displayed his own gift"
Here Mr.. Smith afIlrms. what every experi-
enced person will assent to. that. latter all.
tho most popular OF takers must be he who
makes other people think that they have said
good things" Apropos OF Hayward. whose fit
audience was not 80 much London society as
n party In great country house, Mr.. Smith
recalls that "at the Grange in Hampshire a
party OF this kind used t. be assembled
by Lady Ashburon. whoss name hns
been made familiar TO Americans by |
tho llfe OF Carlyle Mr.. Smith. who