The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-31
SUNDAY In ENGLAND.
Mrs. Custer Attends Services in
an Ancient Village Church.
TEMPORAL POWER OF BISHOPS.
Beautiful Grounds OF . Great Estate
People Driven to the Cities to
Make Room for the Deer.

ing Its site, The village green seemed to
be his selection, where, if people went at
all. it would require no effort to slip into
the doors. But the country fox prevailed
and put it where every one would have a
smart little walk and so have time to
shake themselves clear from the influence
of the wicked one.
As the editice was several hundred years
old, the usual authority, 1.-The oldest in
habitant," could not be produced TO verify
the tradition. The little church, outside
and in, was all that l wished. The square
lvy-grown tower, rose among the old trees
exactly as it does i'll many an ancient
print. The inside was not restored. thank
fortune, or, if it was, it was too skillfully
done to be perceptible. The walls
and pillars We're staunch and true
to the builders of long ago. there was not
sag in the roof nor droop to q cor
ner The walls were well covered with old
marble memorial tablets or bronze and
brass of the latter day. There were busts
of deceased lords and the same quaint col
ored effigies of departed nobility of the
time of Shakespeare, and quite the same
thing as his own memorial in the STRAIT
ford church. l could not resist the temp
tation to steal looks high upon the side
wall next me, over my hostess pretty
nodding helmet of flowers and lace. AS
the clergyman turned the leaves of his
sermon found fugitive eyes and thoughts
centering on much be-ruffied, be-coifed
and be-jeweled pair who were canopied
with a sort of Gothic half-roof, and who
sat and faced each other with shipper
that ought to have been a smile. and thus
ON
another. Their bodies were cut Off at the
waist, so in addition to the tedious
ness of the smile we did not have the pain
Of seeing them standing. Evidently the
walk across the expiatory field had not
banished from my mind his satanic
majesty, for thought as | looked at this
compulsory devotion on the part of hus :
band and wife, that had they been obliged
to SIT and face each other In that way dur
ing life 1t would have ended in such frenzy
they would have been denied Christian
burial at last and so lost their chance of
looking down upon generations of kneel-
ing descendants. The whole atmosphere
OF the place was of antiquity, and it was
some time before | could center my eyes
on the chancel where church royalty was
sitting or kneeiing, for bishop of the
Church of England folded his beautiful
white hands over the purple of some of
his habiliments.
How little some democratic people know
of what dignity hedges round a bishop in
the British Isles! OF course he outranks
every one over there. And as l looked
upon this fine specimen of the English
church remembered the bronZed visage
of our territorial bishops, who, undistin-
guished by knee breeches or canonical hat
make their quiet way beyond railroads to
distant mountain camps or mines on a
linz Ia
of the largest saloon. which is cleared out
for church, or live for months ami hold
service along the route in car which is
fitted up tor one of our interchangeable West
ern workers and called by him the
Roaming Catholic car" They even
found it difficult to accustom themselves
10 the general my-lording to which
they were subjected when there was
such great convocation of them in Lon
don three years ago. And indeed it takes
any American some time to realize that
the supposed to be humblest representa-
tives OF that humblest man the world has
ever seen outrank the oldest peers of Eng
lend. The chancel enclosed another high
dignitary, the dean OF one of the most cell
ebrated cathedrals. The occasion which
brought these distinguished divines from
their distant homes and filled many pews
with the peerage of England and their
families, was q memorial service to the
mother OF the great man of the country; q
woman whose life seemed to have been
SO given over TO the good of her people
that they rose up and called her blessed
After the service was ended all passed out
through the churchyard toward the vii
lage green As we stood III groups about
great purple canopy which was sus-
pended from two oaks where two roads
met, the sound of chanting reached our
ears, and through the field came q process
e Il.
the village choir, the bishop, the dean, the
parish clergyman and curate, all with I'M
covered heads, and singing as they
marched:
The sower went forth sowing,
The seed i'll secret slept
Through weeks OF faith and patience
Till out the green blade crept.
As this procession reached the group
where the distinguished representatives of
England's nobility stood beside the hum
best smock-robed tenant, all heads were
barred as the dean of York read the service
The lord of the manor stepped forward
then and took the rope attached to the
canopy. The sun shone on as proud and
fine a head set on shoulders, we'll poised to
carry it. as England need ever wish TO see
No dwindled specimen OF shriveled nobii-
ity, such as our scoiing papers often lead
us To believe Is all that is left of effete aris-
tocracy. | could not help thinking that
had the romancers who describe noble
lords of high degree" wished a model for
a nineteenth century novel. they could not
do better than to follow about this rever-
ent son of a sanity mother who. many
years after her death, took this occasion to
honor her memory,
The great violet folds of the enshroud
ing curtain swept away and a lovely carved
cross with drinking fountain for man,
horse and dog was thrown into high relief
against the background of purple and the
green of the foliage.
The bishop OF Ely dedicated the monu-
mentsto one who loved and sought to let
all ner fellow creatures share in all that
was good and beautiful, in the hope that
here, beneath the shadow of this cross, the
weary may find rest and the thirsty drink
the water"
Filled with the pssthos and sim plicity of
this tribute TO good woman, we turned
again into the Struggling village street
and then into the fields 10 walk over an
other path through the woods and pas
ture, back to the rose-scented home. We
fingered by the wayside, and | found new
views still prettier than those of the morn
ing and they included SO much OF
meadow and wood and village and graz
ing cattle / was sure that | would never
wonder rs | had done at what seemed the
crowding of the canvas on the part of En-
glish artists. As We came into a paddock
near the house the footman walked swiftly
toward US. agitated as no English lackey
ever permits himself TO be for anything
but death or destruction or a title. 1t was
only his way of taking the peerage. He
took il very hard. The coachman had
been sent by her iadyship 10 fetch us 70
luncheon So the dust was brushed from
our feet and We stepped into the wagonette
10 be driven through the winding road o.
he 4. =