The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1893-09-21
DELAY-NOT DENIAL.
1T EVELYN Upton.

DY EVELYN J2T0N.
CT Ill the eager slghtseers who daily
and annually stream n admrIpS
cro,~ds through the magnificent pile OF
Cologne Cathedral, how many are there
who realize how slowly it grew to per-
fection, or are aware Of its pathetic
storyi
His name was Albertus Magnus-
that monk who more than 6JO years
AGO first conceived the grand design.
Perhaps the Archbishop Engelbert'
Who cherished the idea of building a
new cathedral on the site OF the old
one, recently burnt down, may have
contideG his wish to him, as they two
walked together, little dreaming OF the
outcome of that momentous talk.
.Aad so, in the silent watches OF the
i.;ght, tie inspiration came TO this
monk in his lonely ceil-for it was
nothing less than az inspiration All
the most lofty ideas and conceptions OF
the beautiful are an inspiration direct
from HIM who is q source OF all beauty
and truth.
Albertus would design temple more
marvellous and glorious than all the
temples in Cnristendom. And through
its wide western portalsl men from all
the known lands Of the earth should
pour, drawn tLither by the fame OF It's
exceeding magnifcence. Or perhaps
the vision came to him as he paced
beside the stately. Rhine, flowing all
those long centuries ago as grandly Us
it does low.
We can picture him in his monks
garb as, with bent head and glowing
eyes, he follows the course OF the
noble river, seeing before his soul the
details of the splendid structure which
shall in the dim distance be the land
mark for miles around. Against tie
crimson glow OF the evening SKY he
could see the crocketed towers of the
mighty Dom stand ont with startling
11stinctness. And then be returned TO
his cell, and began 70 trace on the I'M
perishable parchment the never to be
effaced outlines Of the grand Gothic
design burning in lis fervid brain.
We may be sure it was labor Of love.
No fatigue or weariness did this zeal
GUS artist know as day by day he
worked on at his congeni ! task. And
at length the plan was finished, perfect
IN every detail. 1t wus submitted to
The Archbishop, and, being approved
of by him, arrangements were made
for commencing the hulliing. But
those Middle Ages wera dark and
troublesome times. Archbishop En-
geibert WIS killed by an assassln's
band before he had time to see even
the first stone laid. Here was death
blow to the monks hopes! Now the
idea would probably be abandoned,
and the cherished creation of his brain
would never be wrought ont IN stone.
But sspatience IS powerful" The
Archblshop's successor, Conrad Won
Hockstanden, undertook the erection
Of the cathedral. Twenty-tlree years
is q gooi slice out Of tie life OF ally
man or woman, yet twenty-three years
past between the time the monk first
began to draw the plans and that day
in 124S, memorable fcr ever in the lie
Of this unknown man, on which the
foundation stone of Cologne Cathe
dral was laid.
He must now have been N middle
life. IF he ever had dreamed Of seeing
bis hope realized, Lis great design
worked out, he must long since have
given it up. he died without the sight!
" hat matter? He had wrought for pos
terity and his work would remain for
endless times. He only lived to see
some of the chancel built. Like
David Of old, be would never behold
the temple rise in it's beauty. He bad
made the preparations, but generations
yet unborn must carry out his plans.
The monk Tas laid to sleep IN side
chapel under the very floor of his loved
cathedral, and it seemed as if with his
death there would be stop to further
progress. A sluggishness fell on men,
and during that first century only q
part of the choir was completed and
eonsecrated, after which the Dort .ern
transept wes begun, and then the
foundation stone iuid OF the south
transept. So much was accomplished
by the munlfcence of Bishop Conrad
and the gifts Of plous men. But at
the end of the fourteenth century the
enthusiasm of the people of Cologne
died down altogether. The west frc0t
had been begun, and Just enough OF
one tower had been built to h1ld the
bells. The whole having been rcofed
IN, services could now be fead in the
incompleted cathedral.
And tnen for four long centuries
nothing more was d>ne. Funds were
not forthcoming. md faith and hope
burned low in mems breasts. Kings
and potentates busted themselves with
wars and the gaining of earthly lands
and territories, and had no thought to
give to the unfinished temple of their
God. Generations came and went.
Men passed by and wagged their heads
eering at the sorry outcome Of the
brilliant dreams of the poor monk.
He had aimed too high, they said. In
their arrogance and pride they de
,lared Cologne Cathedral would not
be finished before the end cf the world
came. And this was repeated from
one to another, till ct length it passed
into a proverb. But
In that great cIoIster's stiffness and
secluS!cn,
BY guardian angels led.
Safe from temptation, safe from
sn's pollution.