The Republican journal., 1892-05-26
The Cathedrals of England.

he above is the subject OF a most inter-
esting and instructive lecture delivered in
the North Church, by Rev. L. T. Hack on
Wednesday evening, the 18th inst.
The lecture opened by describing the be-
ginnings of church architecture, and mem
| toned
First The Introductory period. As ex-
amples, he referred to the small stone church
of ST. Martins at Canterbury, now 1900 years
old and the church at Jarrow in which
preached the Venerable Bede-the renown-
| ed scholar and teacher, who at one time
| had 600 pupils from various countries sitting
at his feet as humbly as sat the Athenian
youth at the feet OF Aristotle OF the Jewish
youth at the feet of Gamaliel.
Second. The Norman Period. During the
lecturers description of this style OF archi-
lecture there We're thrown upon the screen
most beautiful pictures of the wonderful ca
| thedrals at Durham, Ely and Peterhoro
/ These were ,iescrl bed III detail us examples
| of Norman architecture. They enc begun
| soon after the landing of William the Con-
queror iii 1866, and some OF them We're hum
dreds of years i'll building. Tie Norwich
cathedral was begun in 1904. It's slire is 30
feet high.
Third. Early English architecture. In the
| Norman style the prominent features are the
! round arch, massive piers, and small Win
dows with simple tracery. IN til" early
English we find architecture growing light
CT, piers less massive, arches becoming
| pointed and the windows larger, with more
attention paid to the trarery. Ornament and
| carving become more apparent.
| The Norman period might be characterised
| in the words of DR.. Samuel johnson, by its
| ''rocky solidity, and its indeterminate dura-
tion the early English by its finer tracery,
and the aspiring reach of its arches. As eN-
| amples the speaker described the cathedrals
of Canterbury, York, Lincoln and others diff
| ferent views of both the exterior and nte-
| rior of these wonderful buildings being
| thrown upon the screen. Some of these ca
| thedrals are more than 500 feet IN length.
| The great eastern window in the York Ca
| thedral is Is feet high, and much of the glass
| was made in the 18th century. 1t is the
| largest window in England with its nrigi-
| nal glass. The floors in all of them are of
stone or marble, and in many of them parts
are laid in mOSaics of colUred marble OF tiles
The Liclteld cathedral, for example, has
| the floor Of the choir laid in beautiful en-
| caustir tiles, that is, tiles burned in rulors.
| Fourth. Decorated period. As an exam
| pie, Mr. Hack spoke of the cathedral last
| mentioned, that OF Lichtield. At this time
| church architect IRE becomes rich, almost
| lavish in its ornamentation. The interior
of the Winchester cathedral is 1mrivalled
for grandeur and beauty, and for wealth Of
exquisite decoration. This cathedral, built
in tie Eth and 18TH centuries, has three
spires that make A matchlesS group. The
central one is 25S feet high and is nconpar-
able for lightneSs and elegance.
| As the pictures We're thrown upon the
screen, was Struck Will +he massive
ness Of the stone pillars and arches of SOME
| of the wonderful structures, as wei, us With
the towering heights of others In tine Lin
coin cathedral, inr instance, the ront3llarch-
cs lift ;loft a most beautiful tower 10 feet
| high, The stone ceiling III the York ci,thc-
lral is l00 feet above the marl!,. floor. TEr
Salisbury cathedral was bcgu IN 40 and
finished about 12to. .Ihe sldre is 4od feet
| higil-the highest srire in Engamd"nd is
remarkable for its beauty
Much useful history was woven INTO the
| lecture throughout. For instance, in mrn-
! tioning the cathedral at Canterbury, the lee
turer spoke of its occupying the site oi the
ancient church of the Roman period, DIES
| troyed hy the Danes in l0ll. restored by
| Caulte in 1923, burned in 1867 rebuilt from
1910 to 1889 by l.anfranC the first Norman
| Archbishop. Partly taken down and rebuilt
ON a far grander scale hv AnseIm, the next
Archhishop Dedicated in l1:o. In no it
was the scene of Beck,ts murder. In l4n5
tile great central tower was added. The
| windows are OF the 18th century, and as
works Of art, in drawing, harmony, eoloring
and design, are onsideredunequalled.
| Among the monuments in the cathedral
are those of Edward the Black Prince Hem
ry ~; archbishop Langtun, who divided the
Bible into chapters. and whose name stands
first among the subscribing witnesses t" the
| Magma Charta.
No brief report of mime can du Justice to
this lecture, which held the closest attention
of a large audience for AN hour and half.
a few years ago the Rev. DR.. Cuyer, of
| Brooklyn, spent a summer vacation among
the English ctthedraiS and on lis return,
made each one the ~ithje,t Of IN article in
the independents But those articles-eNceI-
lent as they were, and extensively copied hy
other papers-lac<td what Mr.. Hacks lee
turc supplied. namely the excellent pictures
interior and cNteri"r-arpearing upon the
screen 50 timely, that the subject upon which
the lecturer WAS speaking WAS brought viz
idly before the eye.
| Il. I.
| The Patent Medicine industry.