The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-13

clares that no carving among the Elgin
marbles equals it. Opening into this
transept is the sacristy, under the
threshold of which is buried Johanna.
Queen of Alexander II, as near TO the
sacred precincts as a woman could be
, brought. In the square, two sides OF
which are formed by the north wall of
the nave and the west wall of the
north transept, are the cloiSters. The
entrance to these from the church is
surrounded by carving which has es-
capped the destroying hand and is as
fresh as when first chiselled The fo-
liage upon the capitals is so fine that
a blade of grass can be thrust through
the interstices, and no two capitals are
alike. the designs being roses, thistIes,
ferns and leaves of different kinds.
Around the four sides are the carved
stone seats of the monks, the aDbot's
. being a veritable throne Sir Walter
Scott had this copied in stone for the
, fireplace in the entrance hall at Abb
botsford. On the right of the throne
are seven handsomely ornamented
seats, said to have been made for dis
tinguished guests. Here the stern old
abbots presided at functions and here
also were held trials for heresy and
misdemeanors great and small. Often
severe punishments We're decreed and
, sometimes death. The sentence of
Constance de Beverley will recur to
mind, described in ''Marmion' and por-
trayed by the weIl-known painting ~of
Tany Rosenthal. If the old closters
could speak they would tell many a
thrilling tale. The walls within and
without are fitted with carved inches
and brackets upon which once stood
statues of the sains. Most of these
have disappeared and the few that re-
main are disfigured.
The next year after Ivers' expedition.
the English under the Earl of Hartford
destroyed the monastery connected with
the church and badly damaged the
sacred edifice itself, running the cen
trail tower On his invasion of Scot
land a century later Cromwell flied a
few shots into the church and thus tore
away much of the roof. The Scotch
iCoyenanters appointed workmen to Wis
II every part of the building and de-
face every statue with hammers. For
many years the abbey has been used
as quarry and on driving through the
town we saw in the walls of many of
the older houses carved stones evil
IDENTIFY taken from the church Until
very recently children have been al
lowed to play in the sacred precincts
and throw stones at the beautiful trac-
cry. But now that the property be-
longs to the Duke of Buccleuch, ii is
we'll cared for and constantly repaired
by prudent application of cement
under wise direction. l speak of all
these agencies of destruction because /
have noticed that Cromwell gets all the
blame As far as art is concerned 1t
seems sad that this beautiful structure
should have been so severely treated
but we must of course remember that
these statues and carvings were regard
ed with idolatrous worship and the only
way to break the power of superstition
was by pulling down the idols: and
yet we must also recall that the Refor-
ma ton was only one of the agencies OF
destruction.
When on the roof l was able to get
a near view of the carving upon the
! towers and minarets. 1t was as fine
| and carefully wrought as that below
The grotesque gargoyles of the period
were there, heads. of satyrs, negroes
| and one a pig playing upon the bag
Dipes. The abbey was founded in 1885,
| A D. by King David 1 and was the
mother church of the Cistercian Order
| in Scotland The original building was
| DESTROYED by Edward II of England and
1925 the present edifice was construct
| ed from grants of money made by King
! Robert Bruce in whose day Gothic
architecture reached its highest devel-
r,a,t Scott in advising one To visit
| the ruin by moonlight, says:
.aThen go-but go alone the while
| Then view St David's ruin'd pile;
| And home returning, soethly swear
| was never scene SO sad and fair
In the churchyard adjacent we foune