New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-22

ainly visible, is the wavering outline OF the Nal
xrrn Hills In the north. weltering beneath the
soubre rain-clouds of reteating storm. are the
room heights of Welcombe. where once the SaXons
had their fortified camp; while near at hand you
coo the turrets of the Shakespeare Memorial
,,o,elv Avonbank with its wealth OF various trees
and it's fower-spangled terraces, and the old
churchyard Of Stratford in which the roses bloom
so freely over mans decay, and in which the gray
and ichen-covered stones are cold and so fOrorn
AGAINST the brilliant green of the sun-smiten sod.
wide stretch of dark emerald meadow, inter
sected with long, dense hedge-rows Of hawthorn
and wild honeysuclSle, fills the rear prospect,
IN the east, while gently sloping hills extend
into the distance beyond, some wooded and some
hare. and are family enwrcathed with silver mlst
Al the base Of the tower flows the Avon, it's dark
waters wrinkled by fresh breeze. The rocks
are cawing over Avonbank The swifts ana
swallows are twittering around the spire. The
eafy boughs of those great elms that engiruie
shakespeares church toss and rustic in the strong
wind Sudden shafts Of sunlight lllumlne 're
lively pageant, far and near, and soon the glory
Of the west fades into that tender cleaning which
"a the browning charm of the English summer
day. There is surely no need TO roam Ia, 60
when YOU can gaze upon scenes at home tnat are
with association for the imaginative MIND
The renovation Of the Shakespeare Churcn mas
NOT vet been entirely completed; but only lew
IA tbinns in il now remain TO be destroyed anu
a. doubt the final strokes will he delivered "i'niu
short time The glory and the grandeur "a
,hs7 old church cannot indeed, be entlreN ue-
,noiled. even by the superservicable zeal ol WIN"
hoaded bisotrv and the regulative spirit VI 'U'
,on-,nalxing eonventionality. Something OF Ne"ol-
ahla majesty must still survive, IN the gray anu
r0osev stones OF that massive tower ana III 'ie
gloomy battlements Of nave ana cn"ncei' -,
which the winds Of night sigh sadly over '"''"o
.neare's dust The cold suhhmlty OF Vle @nOiou0
fabric. with it's environment OF sou anu eo"'ie
- haor,r and it's associations of poetic re-
- 49,, ro1-e- no dispeIled But almost every
-, hoe baen done that could be done 10 make
,be Mace modern and conventional i"V "P
a.rarca of the church accordingly, especially OF
;,s interior. has been materially changeu' = ""
a very few OF the changes were perhaps Us
ssptial and these may have been nisoe "fSeP
and all of the changes, it ought 10 De s''iu navy
been made with mechanical skill, II not always
with taste. The wOrkmen employed were goou
workmen, and they have made a good loo' lew
more touches. and the inside OF Che anclehV
buiding will be neat and prun as ooA vi
candles That was the avo"ed oDJecO VI 'le
+or,tion--to make the church appear as it used
70 appear when il was bullt-and lhat ooJecV haS
been. 10 some extent accomplished
WIZ all is over and old things have been
r,od. now the devotees of Shakespeare may
rrobab1v be asked what il is of which
H.. .bink they have reason to complain. Their
,oi,. ie simnle They wanted TO have the church
renaired they did not want 10 have 1t rebuilt or
altered Alteration was-in the main-unneces-
sarv. and IL was wrong. The ShaKespeire
Church is a national monument. More than that
If is a literary shrine for all the world Ihere
1ras An Undesirable poetic charm about the
old ediAce which had been bestowed upon 1t not
nv ART. but by time That charm needed only to
no left untouched. Nothing should ever have
been done TO dispel it. The building had ac-
ouired character 1t had become venerable with
age. stored with association, and picturesque
u;,b onaintu.ss. The suns and the storms OF
centuries had left their trace on its walls lhe
actions and suferings, the inspirations ana &c
ceutrcties Of successive generations had lmpreseu
themselves upon its fabric. IL had been maze
individual and splendid, like visage of some
noble old saint Of medieval times-a face hneu
ana seamed witch thought, dignihed with expert
ence, sublimated with conquered passion Above
all il had enshrined. for near 300 years, the
ashes Of the greatest pOet-and therefore the
greatest benefactor of humanity-that even lived
All that was asked was that it should be left
alone. To repair it in certain particulars became
necessity but 10 alter it was TO do II an II
reparabla harm. That harm has been done; and
il is that which the Shakespeare scholar resents
and deplores and he is perfectly right 20 do so.
/ went into the chancel, a few evenings since,
and stood there alone in front of the altar, and
looked around, and was amazed and grieved by
what ! saw The aspect Of that chancel is no
longer ancient, hut quito new. The altar has
been moved from its place against the eastern
wall beneath the great window, and has been
elevated upon a double pedestal. The floor of
the chancel, round ABOUT it, has been pared with
encaustic tiles. of hideous brown and yellow.
Almost all the mural tablets upon the north and
south walls have been taken down and carried
away, and they may now be found dispersed IN
the transepts while their place is TO be filed
with broad expanse of new wooden panels, ex-
tending from the backs of the miserere stalls up
ward TO the sills OF the windows. The stalls
themselves Have been repaired-but this was
necessary because the wooden foundations of
them had become much decayed. And finally, the
stone screens that filed up the window
back Of Shakespeare's monument and the
window back Of the monument of Judith
Combe and her lover have been removed. The
resultant efect-which would he excellent in
modern hotel but which is detestable here-ls
the effect of enterprise, action and novelty. The
pervading air now Is that of the new broom and
al the modern improvements Those improve
ments no doubt, are very fine; but if ever there
was place on earth where they are inappropriate
and offensive that place Is the Shakespeare Church
They suit well enough with it as place Of
ecclesiastic ritual and if the church were merely
1
even Il It were made as bright as brass band
But since it is the principal literary shrine Of
the world no one who appreciates its true value
can fail TO regret that the ruthless hand Of
wanton innovation has beef permitted TO degrade
II, In any degree whatever, 20 the level Of the