The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-15
Another Letter From Across the At.
lentIC.


Europe are those that have history.
The beauty Of a building or monu-
ment has its value enhanced because
it has witnessed the coronation OF a
great monarch, the burning of a mar
tyr, or because it contains the bones
Of some noted dignitary. For these
reasons Churches are of the highest
interest to traveller in a country that
has an old civilization.
When we contemplate one Of the
great Churches ne are amazed on ac-
count Of its vast proportions, and the
immense amount Of time and labor put
on apparently the smallest details.
We, in America, where few months
are considered sufficiently long to
complete our largestbuildings, are sur
prised to learn that many of the ca
thedrals Of Europe were more than a
century in building. 1t was very SELL
dom that an architect saw the last
stone laid on Church that he plan
ned.
The reason Of this great expense Of
time and money on edi6ces of wor-
ship is not difficult to find. During
the Middle Ages, which is pre-emi-
nently the period of Church building,
education was confined to the priest
hood, and the people had to be taught
by painting and sculpture instead Of
by books. The illiterate mass could
not read Of the crucifxion, for exam
pie, as given in the Bible; but who
could not read the story when it was
given in some moral painting, or in
carved wood or sculptured stone I?
We find not only religious subjects
thus treated, but, since the Church
had possession Of all learning, all
other branches Of knowledge, We
find taught in this manner astronomy,
botany, zoology; the details on stone
were lessons on hygiene, on good en-
ployment Of time, on agriculture,
all Of which composed an encyclope-
dia read by all. In those days the
Church was everything, the. institu-
tion that claimedalmost every thought
and the talent of all geniuses.
When we consider these facts we
can. better appreciate these great
buildings, whose equal the world has
never seen. After these predatory
notes I procede with my journey.
Our route from London to Paris lay
By Newhaven, Dieppe and Rowen.
The latter, manufacturing city Of
i1O7 900 inhabitants is historically one
of the most interesting places in
France. Lying in the northern part
of the country, it has seen many wars,
especially those waged between France
and England. It will be remembered
that it was here that Joan of Arc was
tried and burned in 1431. The place
where she was executed is marked
with a statue and a fountain. Joan
Of Arc is the most popular historic
character at the present to be found in
France. The reader knows how the
simple maid, whose vocation was to
mind her father sheep, believed she
was called by God to go and conduct
the Dauphin TO Reines and crown him
king. After accomplishing this, how
she was captured and put into the
hands Of the English. how these, with
the assistance of French eccleseasti-
cal court, tried her for witchcraft,
and-an everlasting shame on the
Catholic Church !! condemned her to
death. The most astonishing thing
of all is that the Church is loud at
present in it's praise of the Maid, and
has alread beatifed her, looking to-
wards placing her on the calendar as a
saint. The infallible institution
burning at one time and beatifying
the same person at another She was
a,good Catholic, and since the whole
world admires the courage and virtue
of this heroine, as we'll as wonders at
the revelation of the divine to her,
the Church now thinks it must come
in for its share of the honor. Oh,
consistency! The royalists also try
to make capital for their cause by say
ing that she was good royalist and
fought to place the king on his throne.
The republicans use the incident of
her trial and death as an apprrobium
on the Church and royalty, on the
former for killing her, on the latter
for forsaking her in time of trouble.
We see from this that party can find
support, or at least semblance Of it,
in any incident.
The great centre Of interest at
Rowen is the two Churches, the Ca
thedral and Saint Owen. Like the
majority of Churches of northern
France. they are Gothic. Itis in this
section of Europe that this style of
architecture reached its highest per
lection. The Cathedral is rather an
irregular pile. The two towers of the
west facade are Of unequal height, the
one to the right being the most beau,
tiful, as we'll as the highest. This is
called Tour de Beurre from it's having
been built with the money paid fol-
indulgencies to eat butter during
Lent. The central spire has been
recently restored, and is 465 feet high.
The dimensions of the interior are