The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-31

BURDEN OF TIME {
WEIGHSTOOHEAVILY|
3 Will the Sphinx, the Par !
3 thenon or Other An
; tiquities Follow the
Campanile

There seems TO be an epidemic these
days among ancient LANDMARKS. no mon
men.s and public buildings OF that dls-
ease which used 70 be called the aim
sickness From various widely separator
REGIONS CT earth comes news every ho"
and then Of some historic structure giving
evidence that the burden OF the centuries
is weighing TOO heavily upon ii longer
to be borne. Tower and monument anu
cathedral shrine. which the long ages rolled
go a.d !ef. etiIl standing amid the mighty
shadows Of dead Empires give i~ndlc2uonS
that the time has come when they DESIRE
to lie Down and die
From Egypt comes the news that tho
Sphinx. whose sightiess eyes for S.1p years
have cazed from the borders OF the Lio-
ysr desert is at last showing signs OF old
age. She is beginning 10 crumole ana US
tnte-rate. and 10 show that she is at laSt
weary Of ~proDounding her riddle 10 INC
sands OF the desert and the swarns VI
"trfppers' who visit her daily by trohey
fror, cairo The neiehbo-ing pyramids seem
10 he at present in fairly good healtn' ouI
there Is no telling how soon they VIII con
tract che falling sickness II "oulo DC
too bad If the Sphinx. which has seen 50
many empires rise. flourish ana oecas'
should now vanish away to the accomPaH-
ment of the ~jangling OF the trolley-car oeh.
Lat2ran Church Ceiling l
Danger of Falling.
From Rome it is reported that the rtca
wooden ceiling of the Church OF ST John
Lateran is in danger OF falling 1t Is crackeo
in several places. and a commission nae
reported that something must be done
quickly or the carved and gilded ROOF Will
trmble down upon the heads of the wor-
shfnars VINO frequent the churcn- IhIs
mother and head Of all the churches, as
ST Johns Iateran has been called, mas
had a career of many disasters. anyway
hur the calamities which have befaIlen De-
fore it have been due to fire. earthquake
and war. Now it seems simply to feel tnat
IL is getting old and is ready 10 drop
II is doubtful IL any of the original
church built by Constantine in seS remains,
with tte exception of the baptistry. as the
structure has thrice been rebuilt, the lass
time in 1850. The fiat, wooden ROOF. whlcn
now threatens to fall, is richly ornarnen'eo
with ornate unken panels, IN the style
known as "coffered," and its fall would De
a loss to the world. both on account OF us
antiquity and its beauty. 1t Is estimated
that II will cost $4,000 to make the fooA
safe. and the Pope has ordered a suoscrlp-
ton to be started to raise the required sum
BeIgium's Belfry Of
Bruges C%rumbling.
In Belgium the celebrated "Belfry OF
Brugey' is reported to be crumohng 10
decay. The great cathedral tower has stooo
for nearly 500 years without having SHOWN
signs Of weakness until it recently oesan
tn get shaky. Its present condition Is a
source of anxiety to the inhabitants OF
Rruges. for the cathedral tower Is the great
sbovr niece of the town and attracts Pill
prims from all over the world In IL hangs
3 celebrated chime OF bells, OF which poets
have sung for centuries. One OF the most
beautiful Of the short poems OF our own
IongfeIow tells OF his standing on the
tower which now threatens TO fall, while De-
low him..
Like a shield embossed with silver round
And vast the landscape lay.
In the shadow OF that town the ORDER OF
the Golden Fleece was founded, and many
battles AVE been fought around IL IL Is
one Of the best-known monuments or inc
Middle Ages, and its loss would De nrepefa-
HE Every effort Is to be made wnlcn en-
pi7eers and architects can devise to patch
and brace I'D the old tower and make II
safe for a few more hundred years
Not long ago there was much uouoio
with ST. Paurs Cathedral, in London Inar
va st ediice whose great dome looms above
tho troubled sea- of London was found
to be in an exceedingly precarfous conoi-
ton after having stood since 1910 various
reasons, ranging from old age to the IN
derground road, were assigned for its state
of decrepitude, and the problem Of repair
ing il was an engineering feat which at
tracted considerable attention all over the
world. The needed repairs were made suc-s
cessfulIy and the cathedral now stands 07teS
firm foundation, which Is expected to sup
mort IL in safety for several hundred years
to come.