The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-26

! Mary de Crypt. not fifty yards away
ANY one visiting the old cathedral towns
Of England will be deeply impressed by the
extreme simplicity and almost rural ciiar
\ acter OF their inhabitants. Barring he
nresencc of "A few modern innovations one
seems 10 have come into the atmosphere OF
an old English novel This Is especially
trne In Gloucester. All day long the thor
ouQhfarcs have quiet country market col
oring. The actual inhabitants slip about
and attend 10 their meager Affairs with
emilin0. humble, tOlerative air, as though
fuev had unconsciously taken on the man
ners OF the cathedral vergcrs and rather
stood aside for the more strappinG and
brawny country element.
The latter furnishes many pleasant stud
les. Long coated, heavy jowled buyers are
here. Frocked. listless, open moutbed
women are here. Your genuine English
farmer is here, him with the stnoby'
sandy tabs Of whisSers upon his ruddy
face with bushy brows, and a firm set
mouth that ever opens and shuts with
sound as though a huge cork had been
violently pulled. Snappy eyed farmers
wives are here with ample skirts ana Don
nets, and plumcs that would pique with
envy a London cOstermonger belle. ana
better than all, here are bevies OF the most
radiant faced English countryside iasses
eyes ever bcheld.
A more stirring and quite as character
fnl scene comes with the evening. The
four tuned chimes Of the sweet cathedral
bells have scarcely ceased when thousands
Of Gloucester lads and lasses are upon the
streets. The little shops are ablaze. All
the household marketing Of the day IS now
done for the morrow. One can scarcely
make progress on the narrow walks, ana
the mass overflows upon and fills the car
riaQeways Then it is you will see inno
cent. unabashed, sturdy love making at It's
best There is no secrecy about 1t. The
smacking is resonant, the caresslng I'M
checked the embracing muscular and ar
dent. It Increases in activity and univer-
SALTY until 10 o'clock Then out 20 the
LIGHTS. and away 20 their homes whisk the
Young folk. their heavy hobs beating thun-
drously upon the resounding payements.
Almost in an instant you are alone with
the helmeted roundsmen upon their beats.
and utter silence has fallen upon the old
cathedral town.
However others may feel | never enter
an Old World cathedral without awe in my
heart. apart and distinct from that dirrcl
and instructive reverence which the sacred
character Of the structure impels
This is because ! stand in a spot which
is tomb Of innumerable personages who
have assisted in making or have gained
places in the worlds history; because the
upbuilding, preservation, destruction, re-
Mobilization Of what my hands may touch
or eyes behold have often changed dynas-
ties. impoverished treasures, created pil
grimages and sacrificed countless lives,
and. more than all else, because for century
after century thousands upon thousands Of
great minds have with matchless fidelity
given of their best effort, or absolutely
their LIES devotion, toward the perfection
OF this mighty prayer in stone.
And there are cathcdrals and cathedrals
besides. There are the vast and gloomy
sort like York Minister those Of Doric
ponderosity, ike ST. pauls in London,
and those that blind, if not the spiritual
the physical sight with their vastliness
and ghastliness, like Canterbury.
But il seems tome that whether you con
template this Gloucester cathedral from
without until your minds receptivities OF
form and proportion have brought its fine
outlines and majestic central tower into
the most fitting shape you can conceive
stone TO be set in sacred structure, or have
stood at the side of and just beneath its
west window within the nave and followed
its splendid lines Of depth and height up
and on, up and on. past choir scTeen and
choir the delicate flying buttresses across
The great transept openings above, the
wordrous carvings Of the chancel and the
chantry faces, tie high altar and the hlmy
gothic reredos 20 that marvellous east win
dow, greatest in Britain, behind, you have
here Toasted upon as perfect Christian
temple as the inspired builders have ever
wrought
And for these reasons. Massivencss and
spaciousness have been brought into low
ing proportion Perspective and embellish
ment are here poem in harmony Lott
ness has been, in the delicate grOining
fretwork and tracery ef the roof, so lumin-
ously enwreathed that all the upward as
pect to the beholder is one Of instant and
lasting cxultation. Never elsewhere have
seen such perfect blending Of miracles Of
human handiwOrk with the magic Of dis
tance and the enchantment Of light. IT
can only be likened 10 the arched yaulting
Of majestic forest trees, where innumer
able interlacing branches and leaves SO
filter but do not turn back, the sunlight
that from highest arch TO sward beneath
there is a pulsing, palpable, transccndent
glow
TO the art lover simply there is profound
pleasure TO be derived from visit 20
Gloucester cathedral. The student Of &c
clesiastical art will discover ample exam
pies from the time of the old Anglo-Saxon
builders down past the early Norman
workers. along the development III first and
middle Pointed, Perpendicular and the
modern Gothic. Whoever loves TO dwell
upon ecclesiastical history will find a
world Of material in tradition and fact
from the time of Lucius, in the second
century, 70 that Of Victoria in this. The
antiquarian can come upon no richer
field And he who delyes in civil history
viii find much TO feast upon here where
pariaments have assembled. kings have
been crowned and monarchs lie entOmbed
More unique, splendid and interesting
than those Of any other British cathedral
are the closters. North and south they
are III feet in length, IA feet long in the
east and west alleys II feet wide and IS
feet in height, with the famous chapter
house reached from the east walk. Tie
fan vaulting Of their roof is the earliest
specimen ia England and the most mag.
niicent eXtant. Here IN open, arched and
embattled recesses, overlooking the sunny
cloister garth, the old monks studied and
wrote One viii linger long and lovingly
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