Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-16

| glibly write about have been centuries In
| building How can we accomplish, in a
! year or generation, what has required 1000
| years labor for perfection there?"
This would be good argument were 1t
true. But 1t is not There is not British,
or for that matter European, stone road in
existence that was not originally at once
constructed to absolute completion, when-
| ever begun and however long it may have
been maintained. And, with European
governmental and social conditions incon-
ceivably hard upon peasant populations,
wherever these roads exist the condition OF
the people is incomparably more happy
and prosperous than where they do not;
| while land values have invariably been in
creased from 100 to 1000 per cent.
Aus'ria's More Recent Experience.
Not SO many years ago Austria built
nearly 1000 miles of stone highway up and
down and from end to end of Galicia, OF
Austrian Poland. Previous to that time,
materially, a no more wretched, God forsaken
land existed on the face of the earth. What
was the result? In less than ten years
time these roads did more for the 5000, 600
people of Austrian Poland in material and
social advancement than all the churches,
all the books, all the newspapers, all the
battles, all the railways and all the govern
ments had ever accomplished for them from
the days of Mieczyslaw and Boleslas to the
day these roads were done.
Cannot some Of the expensive and high
art trills of that great Columbian Exposi-
tiOn at Chicago be trimmed little, and
thus make room for road exhibit-not in
inaccessible dabs and bits in dozen differ
ent departments, but in one generous and
comprehensive department? The millions
n oif ho
folk everywhere whose health and pleasure
largely depend on good roads. as we'll as
farmers whose betterment and comfort
would be incidentally augmented by per-
feet roads, might thus carry away with
them knowledge and purpose which would
not only add billions to cur national wealth,
but make, in good time, our broad land
bloom and blossom fairer than the sweetest
garden spots in all this old and worn out
Europe
England's Splendid Cathedrals.
With such thoughts as these I came with
the carts and cartmen, along the brow of the
hills skirting the noble valley of the Exc, to
ancient Exeter, which looks far away to the
warm green sea that beats upon the red cliffs
OF Devon.
Coming one by one to EngIand's splendid
cathedrals, you will at least surely remem-
ber Of them all those Impressions upon your
mind and heart which seemed most power
fully characteristic of each.
In the sense of architectural distinctive
ness Exeter cathedrals will remain in your
memory remarkably distinguished from all
other English cathedrals Their plans in
variably comprise huge central tower and
smaller towers at the west end. Here are
towers crowning the transept. This does
away with the usual four cumbersome
arches architecturally separating nave and
choir, and permits the grandest uninter-
rupted view of vault and vista of the entire
nave and choir to be found in England.
Two other structural peculiarities are
seen in this cathedral The choir and the
nave are Of equal length, and throughout
the whole edifice the openings are wide and
low, rather than narrow and lofty. The
latter feature contributes greatly, along
with the emphatic feeling that the structure
is not a hodgepodge of restoration" but
one great design, to a sense in the beholder
OF 1ndescribable breadth and spaciousness.
Whatever else you may feel within Exeter
Cathedral, which has stood here practically
as you now see it for certainly more than
600 and perhaps more than 300 years, it will
remain in your memory as the one cathe-
drsl of England which must stand as the
highest expression in consecrated stone of
perfect dignity and repose.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.