The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-28

."
engaged in some ''restorations.s' found
the picture rather in the way, as they
desired to fill the space it occupied with
some imitation Gothic work Mr..
Morgans seeing his opportunity, and be-
ing an excellent judge of art, bought the
painting.
Little attention was paid to the transac-
ton ct the time by the English papers, al
though one or two protests were made
against-the sale. The account of the in
stallation of the picture in the Ath-
enaeun, in Hartford, which appeared in
the New York papers, however, attracted
much attention on the other side of the
water, and of late the London papers
have been publishing articles that ''the
mystery in connection with the disap-
pearance of Vests picture of The Rails
ing of Lazarus from Winchester cathe-
dral has at last been solved" AS a mete
ter of fact there was no disappearance"
and no mystery"
Attention having now been attracted to
the sale it is expected that the matter of
| the power of the dean and chapter of
winchester to sell the picture will be
called in. question. Dean Stephens. of
Winchester, argues that the chapter had
right to dispose of the picture. because
1t was purchase in the first place On
the other hand, it is contended that an
article which has remained for so long
time in a cathedral and had been dedi-
Gated formally to the use of the church
ought not to be removed at the caprice
of ecclesiastics who happen to be tenno-
rarily in charge BY the law of England
nothing can be taken from parish
church without special permission of
higher ecclesiastical authority, USUALLY of
the bishop of the diocese Those who
question the right of the dean and chan
ter of Winchester to sell ''The Raising
II4ZaTJICF +I,oA
should be as restricted as a parish
church, and that the works of art In the
great churches of England are held in
trust for the people, and cannot he
allenated by local ecclesiastical authori-
ties.
UNEASY LABoUcHERE.
Lanouchere, that uneasy member Of
| parliament, seems to be exercised o.ro.+I,,
over the subject and suggests that if
the dean and chapter of cathedral or
anoey church can sell the property which
tney really hold in trust for the nation
| the sooner the law is altered the better
| or we shall some day, perhaps. hear that
an enterprising millionaire has purchased
the statute of Johnson in St PauPs ca
thedral, or Lord Chatham's monument in
w aeuiiilster Apbey, or Chantry's famous
Children in Litchfieid cathedral"
Bishop Davidson presides over the dio-
cese of Winchester. and has a certain az
thority over the dean and chapter. What
his opinions in the case are will proba bIv
be learned at the convention. IF the.
matter should get into the courts and If
should be decided that the dean and chan
ter had no authority to ALLEVIATE the pic
ture. there would be a ..pretty how-dy4
| do, but could the picture legally be re-
claimed from its present owners?
Mr.. Morgan is native of Hartford and
the Wadsworth Ahtenaeurn is the storage
| place for many fine works of art. In the
Athaneaeum is the original Powers Greek
| Slave. The picture of the raising of
Lazarus hangs on the walls of the Athen
aeum opposite the portrait of BENJAMIN
| West by Sir Thomas Lawrence. 1t is
painting ten feet ten Inches long by
eight feet five inches high, and is incIos-
| ed. in gold frame. When it was in
| winchester cathedral it was an altar
| piece, being set in the reredos. The rere-
dos was of fifteenth century design and
the dislodgnent of the picture will un-
doubtedly be justified by the dean and
! chapter by the fact that in the original
| scheme for the reredes there was no place
! for painting. AS West was an Ameri-
| can painter, it is. after all, eminentIy Mt
| ting that one of his masterpieces should
| lind final resting place ia this. the eo,in-
| try Of his BIRTH