The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-17

tending back to the time of the Ro- mans, who used its healing waters and prized them more highly than they are prized to-day. The waters of Bath are very similar to the waters of Marienbad In Austria, which have just been hon ored by the drinking of the Prince of Wales, and are quite as efflcacious in the cure of arlstocratic gout. Yet hundred Englishmen, Americans, too, Tor that matter, will go to Marienbad
 to one who goes to Bath with intent of taking the waters seriously. There seems to be @ disinclination on the part or the English speaking races to regard mineral spring as anything more than plaything. For all alimentary disor- oers no springs in the wide world com
 pare With the springs of Saratoga There Is hardly an affection of stomach, liVer or kidneys that they cannot cure and have not repeatedly cured, yet who goes to Saratoga except for purpose of enjoyment? If the springs of Saratoga could be put under strict medical con-
 trol and inspection there would be vast money for the villages. A thousand times more than in race courses and gambling houses. There is no efficacy, however, in mineral waters unless the drinking be accompanied by strict diet and regular exercise. No one should be allowed to drink except on a doctors certificate. The same doctor should control every meal; every hour of time. But we are in Bath and not in Sarato- ga So much the worse for us.
 Bath is a center of ecclesiastical in
 terest. Here or hereabouts English christianity was started After the cru clixion of our Lord the Jews took Jo- seph of Aramathea, Mary NIagdeleEe ana some other disciples, put them ii. an open boat without sails or oars, and waiting Tor strong east wind, showed them orr the coast of Palestine. The boat noated away and made It's first Iahdlng at MarseilIes on the south of france. Here they all got out with the exception of Joseph and one ether dis clple, who were disinclined to become rrenchmen. The boat started anew and finally brought up in the Bristol channel not far from Bristol Joseph tnd his companion finally settled al glastonbury about thirty miles south of Bath. Joseph built small chapel ana started Christianity. Glastonbury was for centuries the most sacred spot In England, and 1t Is difficult to under
 stand how 1t should have become neg lected and deserted. No ecclesiastica histories furnish a clear reason why Glastonbury should have been forsaken for Welles which lies between 1t and Bath, and then Welles for Bath, and then Bath again for Welles and so on in continuity of inexplicable changes involving Glastonbury, Welles, Bath and Bristol At present Glastonbury has been definitely abandoned. It's ca- thedral is in ruins and Its ruins are on the lands of a private individual who only regards them as an ornament to his estate. Welles has cathedral and a bishop, though Weltes Is hardly the size of prosperous New England will lage. Bath, which is ten times the size of Welles has no bishop and must exer- else its piety under the wing of the bish- op of Welles, while Bristol has lately secured a bishop of its own and is therefore city No town in England. however large, can be called a city until it has bishop. You must visit Bath. It is charming place, a delightful place; a quiet, old aristocratic place;
 English to the back bone, but very ad- mirably and attractively English. You almost wish you were English, living amid fixed institutions and not kept
 wondering what in thunder your erra- tic country may do next, and whether tomorrow you will be up side down or down side up socially, politically or financially. To describe the attractions of Bath would take too many pages. One thing you must notice. Once upon time when Bath had bishop there was a bishop whose name was Oliver King. One night Oliver had dream perhaps the result of too much supper. Oliver saw in his dream two ladders reaching from earth to heaven, like Jacob as he slumbered alone in the desert at night" Down one ladder came angels telling him that the king should build; down the other came an
 gels saying that an ''olive' branch would crown the building The pious bishop, who had the lovely, simple, childlike faith we sc sadly miss took the vision to mean that he must build a new cathedral. and that an heir to his name and fortune would reward the building. His church still stands. On each side of the west portal Is incorpor- ated in the architecture stone ladder reaching from top to bottom On 1t an
 gels are stepping up and down. The angels were sadly battered by Crom- wells soldiers But you can still make them out, and you can also make out that some of them are finding the rounds of the ladders very far apart. The scientist and the agnostic may scoff and jeer, but could we do better than go back to those ages when faith loved to show itself at every turn of life and grew the stronger at every