Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-10-02

d0ws for Cr0mwel's soldiers have left
little for us to admire in that line.
These old cathedrals are churches within
churches. There is the church of the nave,
80 to speak, the largest, with its trancepts,
the longer limb and arms Of the cross The
shorter limb contains the choir, the smaller
church, generally shut off from the nave by
a screen, and there the presbytery or retro
choir, the smallest church. In addition to
these three churches there are often chapels
of smaller size. At Lincoln the cathedral
reaches its eliminating beauty in this retro
choir, perfect delight to the eye. Beauti-
full too are the colisters, through whose
tracerled archways one looks out on
square of green. Then there is the chapter
house, the stone roof of which is supported
by clustered column in the middle, from
which supporting arches spring to the ten
Sides Outside, noble flying buttresses give
strength and stability to the whole.
On the way to York we stopped at Selby
to see the old Abbey Church, a splendid
piece of Norman work to which later hands
have contributed. To one skilled in arch
itectural lore it is veritable history Of
that glorious art. To the historian it is q
reminder of the conquest of William the
Norman, being almost all that is left of the
abbey which he founded in commence
ration of his conquest of the North coun-
try, as he founded Battle Abbey to mark
his southern conquests. The old town
seemed deserted that afternoon and thus
we had another opportunity to observe
how the Thursday afternoon holiday is
kept. Every shop we saw was closed, the
only ones at work being the masons and
stonecutters engaged in repairing the old
church.
The time spent at selby caused us to
miss the annual choir festival which was
held in the cathedral at York, much to our
regret. But the cathedral is a treat in
itself. Around that great temple of God
cluster the traditions of centuries, and in
a city rich with the memorials Of the past
the cathedral is supreme, even as it rises
above the surrounding roofs and spires.
The west facade is most imposing, built
in the best style of the 18th century, and
although the thanking towers were added
in the next century every line is in har-
mony. Indeed the exterior of York Min
ster is one of the grandest in England, and
the interior has few rivals. Entering by
the door in the south transept one is charm
ed with the graceful effect produced by
clustered piers and pointed arcades, which
lead the eye onward to the Give Sisters, {"
as the lancet windows of the north TRANSIENT
are called, glowing with the rich tracery
and wondrous tints of the rare old glass.
Standing beneath. the central tower in ii e
aureole of light from the lantern above,
one has another vision of surprising beauty j,
the spacious arches affording glimpses u
the aisles, the nave ending in the glory of
the west window. A very richly carved
screene separates the nave from the choir,
the noblest part of the cathedral. Here
are stalls adorned with elaborate carving
and less admirable altar screen through
whose openings enc can see into the retro
choir. Above the stalls rise arches like
those which delighted the eye in the nave,
but enriched by novel transepts, through
whose lofty windows come streams of light,
as if to prepare the eye for the magnifcence
of the great east window. 1t is variable
Bible in glass, some 200 events in Biblical
history being depicted on the 24OO feet of
old glass, which the world owes to General
Fairfax, who saved it from the Puritan de-
spoilers. The chapter house is very beauti-
full, but hardly warrants the Latin inscrip-
ton at the entrance, Gas the rose is the
flower of flowers, so is this the house of
houses" 1t is octagonal in form, without
any central pillar, and the effect produced
by the large traceried windows is most
pleasing. In the crypt can be seen Norman
work OF the 18th century and even some
| remains of the more ancient Saxon Ca
thedral which Alcuin described as "a most
magnificent basilica." The cathedral DOS
sesses some precious relics Of bygone days.
Perhaps the most interesting is the Horn of
Ul-PEus, which centuries ago that old war
rior placed upon the altar as deed by
which he transferred certain lands to the
dioces.
York has much more than the cathedral
to quicken the pulse Of the historian. The
old city walls are in excellent preservation,
making fine promenade with charming
views of the cathedral, castle and town.
The grand old gates carry one back for
centuries and one needs little imagination
to see the steel clad champions ride out be-
meath the portcullis to meet the enemy. Far
me one corner of the old wall excelled all
else in interest," for it recalled the far earlier
time when Roman soldiers guarded the
walls and Roman emperors held their court
within the city That old multangular
tower was standing when Constantine the
Great set forth from York on that march to
Rome forever memorable in the history of
the Church Of God. But there, l must say
no more lest | transcend the limits of space
and patience, for one could fill columns
with the romantic history of this city.
On the way to Durham we passed through
Darlington, where we stopped long enough
to see the first locomotive which did service
on the Stockton and Darlington Railway''
N 7QOE ~
neer OF this pioneer railroad and the train
attained the phenomenal speed of Is miles
an hour. The locomotive shows it's lineage
in the walking beams of Watts engine.
We were thankful enough for the progress
which has been made, for we were anxious
to see Durham and its mighty cathedral.
Durham has no long and varied history like
York. Indeed its history does not begin
until the year 995 when at least the rest
less corpse of st. Cuthbert allowed the
weary fugitives from Lindisfarne to find
a safe and pleasant resting place on the
rocky hillside by the Wear There is no
west entrance to the cathedral as the
Galilee has been built out to the very edge
of the bluff, so one must enter by the north
door. On it is an old knocker Of grotesque
design, used by malefactors who sought
sanctury at the shrine of st. Cuthbert.
And what an interior it is +! The massive
columns, noble arches and groined roof-the
perfect harmony and proportion of that old
Norman pile leave on the mind an impress
sion OF solemn grandeur rarely felt else
where. Durham has the simple dignity of
Greek temple, and as / stood within the
nave | could liken it only to the temples at
,, Paestum. Centuries ago the Morn apse
gave place to the beautiful chapel of the
Nine Affairs, built in the early English style.
Here in the last century was found the
tomb of st. Cuthbert which rivalled that of
Thomas a. Beckett, in the days of pilgrim
age. The Venerable Bede, the first Eng
fish historian and ''the father of English
learning" is buried in the Galilee, one of
the most beautiful adiuncts to the cathedral.
1t is not porch like that at Ely and Lin
coin, for its only entrance is from the
cathedral 1t is really chapel The
peculiar name is supposed to have been sug-
gested by Matt, A: Is or Mark Is: 7. In
the cloister yard is the lavatory used by the
the monks and beyond is the refectory,
with which is connected the monks kitchen,
admirably planned and built. A whole
OK could be roasted in the great fireplace.
The bishop Of Durham exercised temporal
power as we'll as spiritual, and
the cathedral was "half church of God,
half castle 'gainst the Scots" The episco-
pal residence was altogether castle, most
strongly fortified. In the last century it