The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17

early spring months, prefer to rssentfully
brood over their filed and rotting granaries
ries and build new political parties rather
than build good roads, both retort:
"Ah, but the grand English roads you SO
glibly write about have been centuries III
building. How can we accomplish in
year or generation, what has required
1000 years labor for perfection herep
This would be good argument were 1t
true. But it is not. There is not British,
or for that matter a European, stone road
In existence that was not originally at
once constructed TO absolute completion,
whenever begun aud 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 Incompatible more happy and
prosperous than where they do not; while
land values have invariably been increased
from 100 to l 200 per cent.
Not SO many years ago Austria built
nearly 1900 miles of stone highway up and
down and from end to end Of Galicia, or
Austrian Poland. Previous to that time
materially, a no more wretched, God for
saken land existed on the face of the earth
What was the results In less that 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 news
papers, all the battles, ali the railways and
all the governments 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 frills of that great Columbian exposi-
ton at Chicago be trimmed little, and
thus make room for q road eXhibit-not in
inaccessible dabs and bits in a dozen differ
emit departments but In one generous and
comprehensive department.! The millions
of visitors, including city and suburban
folk everywhere whose health and pleasure
largely depend on good roads. as well as
farmers whose betterment and comfort
would be incidentally augmented by perfect
roods, might thus carry away with them a
knowledge and purpose which would not
only add billions to our national wealth,
but make, in good time our broad land
bloom and blossom fRirer than the sweetest
garden spots in all this old and worn out
Europe.
With such thoughts as these came, with
the carts and cRrsmen, 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.
1t was in ancient days an old British
town, built long before Caesar, and called
Caer Isc, or the city on the river. Anti
quarians observe that, like most Celtic trad
ing towns, 1t was built for safety some little
distance from the sea, and lust beyond
where the river Exc ceases to be Dsvigable
Discovered coins Of the Greek dynasty in
Syria and Egypt prove that Phenician
merchants must have come here many years
before Christ to trade for Cornish and Dart
moor tin. Then the Romans marched in
and made it a great station. Lastly the
Saxons fortified the town on the Exc, and
traded here with the Cornish Britons across
the lamar.
The Exc was the frontier then for the
Damnonians, hut Athelstan came aud
drove them pellmell into Cornwall aud re
built the walls of Exeter The Cornish Brit
ons, oooped up among the rocks OF Corn
wall, soon had their avengers. The Danes
came crowding up the Exc with their black
sails and black banners and wintered In
Exeter in S76, rejoicing in Saxon beeves
and ale. The old red tower, still seen in the
Rougemont ruins Of to-day, was al
ways getting beaten abo ut by stone
from military engines and chipped by cross
bow bolts. William the Conquerer besieged
it, wishing to sieze Githa, mother of Har
old. and her daughter, but they escaped
safely to Burgess, while Perkin Warbeck, as
Richard w, when joined by the Cornish
men Of Bodmin. besieged the place but I'M
successfully, and was finally hanged at TY-
burn
And SO on and on runs the grim story that
has left just enough scar and hardness on
| the lovely, leafy old city to add a mellow
charm to all you may see aud
know. Fifty thousand folk do not live to-
gether in a more winsome spot in England.
| The EMPOWERED Devon hills which surround
it, the glorious valleys which reach their
greens and blooms to Its very doors, the
grand sweep of the Exc vale to the sea, the
city's noble old antique its beautiful streets,
| halt in the shadows OF remote architectural
| past and half in the sunshine of modern ele-
gance and adornment, give everything upon
| which you look a sweet and w1nsome face.
1t all blends in that fine sunset glow
which some of these old cathedral towns
take on so httingly. The pleasant seeming
smiles back to you from polished panes
| from snow white old arches, from bright
red roofs and brighter red banks of roses,
! from marvelously clean stone steps and
areaways, from bits Of ancient things from
| doorknohs and brasses glitteriug like bur-
| nished gold, from the snuRgest and trim
NEST of shop windows; indeed from all
things that can tell substantial, we'll kept
age without the semblance OF a wrinkle or
| frown upon it.
You feel this sense OF radiating hearth
ness and amplitude again in Exter around
the market places on these pleasant market
days. All the country folk gathered here
are well garmented, comfortable and
| CHEEKY. They all look as though they had
stepped out of the ''merrie Old England"
of the books, now SO hard to find outside
the covers Of those books. Pride glows Ia
their faces for old Devon and Exeter its
capital, and in themselves. They do say
| Dickens found his Fat Boy Of Dingley
Dell, among them. And well he might, for
they are fat and fine and stanch, one and
all. Rosy. overlapping jowls and big
pauncheS, suggestive Of plum buildings and
| the famous ''clotted cream" of Devon, are
everywhere among them.
You are thus in love with Exeter long
| before you have many times wandered up
and do wn Queen and High streets. saun-
! tered through the arcade Of Chapel street,
peering into the old half-timbered struct-
ures that cluster in stately fashion around
the wide cathedral close, aud have at last
come among the silences within the great
cathedral walls. A pedant can alone tell
| another the exactitudes and measurements
of such a messy, massive, marvellous edt-
| fee. Coming one by one to highlands
splendid catbedrsls you will at least surely
| remember of them all those impressions
upon your mind and heart which seemed
most po werfully characteristic Of each.
| In the sense Of architectural distinctive
| ness Exeter cathedral will remsin In your
| memory remarkably distinguished from all
other E1glish oathedrals. Their plans in"
variably comprise huge central tower and
smaller towers at the west end. Here are
towers browning the transept. This does
1 a.