The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-15

dows, tiny-paned, little, big, broad, narrow,
long, short, round and square. with lead
cased intels and they furnish the quaintest
collection of gables eyes ever beheld. Per-
haps the primmest and tidiest OF them all is
the half-timbered home and printing house
of Robert Raikes, at No. Is Southgate street.
| The body of the grand old philanthropist
lie in the Church Of st. 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 char
acter of their inhabitants Barring the
presence Of few modern innovations, one
| seems to have come into the atmosphere of
an old English novel. This ia especially
true in Gloucester. All day long, the thor
oughfares have a quiet country market COLI
! orlng. The actual inhabitants slip about
and attend TO their meager affairs with a
| smiling, humble, tolerative air. as though
| they had unconsciously taken on the man.
| ners of the cathedral vergers, and rather
stood aside for the more Swapping and
| brawny country elements.
The latter furnished many pleasant stud
les. Long-coated, heavy oweled buyers are
| here. Frocked. listless, open-mouthed yeo-
men are here. " our genuine English farmer
! is here, him with the stubbY, sandy tabs
OF whiskers upon his rudy face, with busy
brows, aud a firm-set mouth that ever
| opens and shuts with a sound as though
hugo COEA udu D66u suuu6uly pulled. snap
| py-eyed farmers wives are here. with ample
skirts and bonnets. and plumes that would
| plque with envy London costermonger
| belle. And better than all, here are bevies
of the most radiant-faeed English country
| side lasses eyes ever beheld.
A more stirring and quite as characterful
| a 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
| being done for the morrow One can
| scarcely make progress on the narrow
walks, and the mass overfows upon and
| fills the carriage ways. Then it is you will
| see innocent, unabashed. sturdy love-mak-
| ing at its best. There is no secrecy about it.
The smacking is resonant, the caresS-
| ing unchecked, the embracing mus
cular and ardent. 1t increases in
| activity and universality until 10
| o'clock. Then out go the lights and away
| to their homes whisk the young folk, their
heavy hobs beating thunderously upon the
resounding pavements. 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, I never enter
| the old-world cathedral without awe in my
| heart apart and distinct from that direct
and instructive reverence which the sacred
character Of the structure impes.
This is because l stand in spot which is
tomb of innumerable personages who
have assisted in making, or have gained
! places in the worlds history; because the
| upbuilping. preservation, destruction, re-
Mobilization, of what my hands nay touch
| or eyes behold, have often changed dynas-
ties, impoverished treasures, created
pilgrimages 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 life's devotion toward the perfection
Of this mighty prayer in stone.
And there are cathedrals and cathedrals
besides. There is the vast and gloomy sort
like York Minister; those Of Doric ponders
| osty. like st. Paul's in London; and those
| that blind if not the spiritual, the physical
sight with their vastliueSs and ghastliness,
like Canterbury.
But ii seems to me that whether you con-
| template this Gloucester cathedral from
without, until your minds receptivities Of
form and proportion have brought its fine
| outlines aud 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 win
dow, within the nave, and followed its
splendid lines Of depth and height, up and
on, up and on-past choir-screen and choir,
the delicate flying buttresses across the
great transept-opeuing above, the wondrous
carvings of the chancel and the chantrV
faces, the high altar and the hlmy Gothic
reredos, to that marvellous east window,
greatest in Britain, behind-you have here
Toasted upon as perfect Christian temple
as the inspired builders have ever wrought.
And for these reason MaSsiveness and
spaciousness have been brought into embel-
lTlF lnFNf hama fyN
Loftlness has been. in the delicate groining,
frstwork and tracery OF the roof, so Iumi.
nously enwreathed, that all the upward as
pect to the beholder is one of instant and
lasting exultation. Never elsewhere have
seen such perfect blending of miracles of
human handiwork with the magic Of dis
tance and the elchantment of light. Is can
only be likened to the arched vaulting Of
majestic forest trees, where innumerable
interlactng branches and leaves SO filter,
but do not turn back, the sunlight, that
from highest arch to sward beneath, there
Is pulslng, palpable, transcendent glow.
To simply the art lover there is profound
pleasure to be derived from a visit to
Gloucester cathedral. The student of
ecclesiastic art will discover ample exam
pies from the time of the old Anglo-Saxon
builders down past the early Norman
workers along the development in first and
middle pointed, PERPENDICULAR and the mod
SA II oOShASs w uOSJ6N6I lOt6a 10 uWeIL upon
ecclesiastic history will find a world of
material in tradition and fact from the
time OF Lucius, in the second century, to
that Of Victoria in this. The ANTIQUARIAN
can come upon a no richer field. And he
who delves in civil history will find much
to feast upon here where parliaments have
assembled, kings have bsen crowned and
monarchs lie entombed.
More unique, splendid and interesting
than those of any other British cathedral
are the cloisters. North and south they are
LA feet in length, 147 feet long in the east
and west alleys, 10 feet wide and IS feet in
hight, with the great chapter house reached
from the east walk. The fan vaulting of
their roof is the earliest specimen Of Eng
land, and the most magnificent extant
Here in open. arched and embatted recesses,
overlooking the sunny cloister garth, the old
monks studied and wrote. One will ljuger
long and lovingly in these. And, could
have my wish, with the chapter house for a
dormitory, in these noble cloisters | would
idle aud dream, and in restfulness and peace
work out some grand design.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN