The Washington times., 1903-03-15
Duke of wellington's Monument.


20 the refusal of the late Dean Milman
and the Chapter OF the Basilica 10 per-
init Alfred Stevens to surmouGt It with
the equestrian statue. which was part
and parcel OF the design. on the ground
that a horse. even in statuary. could not
be admitted to the cathedral. serves 10
call attention TO the question as 10
whether animals, either in stone or IN
bronze. can be accorded a place in GU
secrated buildings and grounds without
detriment TO their sanctity-
The Issue has come 20 the fore once
more. In connection with the movement
recently initiated. TO complete the tomb
OF the iron duke in accordance with the
Erandiose designs of Alfred Stevens. and
the controversy on the subject is waEing
fast and furious, the London Speaker"
in a recent issue. making the amusing
suggestion that the tardy admission OF
Wellington on horseback in the cathe-
dral may pave the way for the eventual
erection over the tomb OF Lord Curzon
of a colossal statue OF himself. mounted
on an elephant, with these words en-
biazoned on it's base: The meek shall
inherit the earth"
Memorial TO Horse.
without going TO the length OF Fred
erick the Great. who erected one OF the
finest Lutheran churches in Prussian
, Poland magnificent edifce OF white
stone. which age has failed TO deterior-
ate-as a memorial to his favorite
charger. killed beneath him at the bat
tie OF Hunersdorff. there are hundreds
OF worthy Christians who do not under
stand why there should be any objection
TO burying animals in consccrated
ground. while there are thousands upon
thousands who viii be disposed to re-
gard as exaggerated the objections Of
the former dean and chapter Of St.
Paul's Cathedral 10 the presence of ami
mails in stone and bronze in places
conEecrated 10 divine worship. Though
fl is true that there is as yet no eques-
trian statue in St. Paul's Cathedral. stIIl
there are several monuments which
represent. on carved tablets and friezes,
cavalrymen mounted on their steeds.
one. indeed. showing major general on
horseback charging at the head of his
men at the battle of Inkerman.
In Westminster Abbey there are two
or three equestrian pieces OF statuary
among the memorials TO the illustrious
dead. and while a serpent forms a con
spicuous feature in the memorial 10
Milton a dolphin forms the base OF the
monument 10 William Pitt. Earl OF Chat
ham. Moreover. in Kensal Green. the
principal cemetery or the British ne
trcpolis. the grave OF Tom Sayer, fom-
OuS in the earlier portion OF me We
torian era as the champion prizefghter
is surmounted by a slab or marble. OF
which crouches a colossal mastiff OF tho
same material. a striking object among
the crosses. the obelisks and the broker
columns that constitute the ordinary
memorials TO the dead that lie in this
big tract OF consecrated ground
Eagles on the Lecterns.
There is hardly single church of the
Anglican denomination in the United
Kingdom where the lectern from which
the lessons OF the dead are read ever!
Sunday Is not constructed in the form
OF an eagle with outstretched wings
In many churches. too. the affairs are
surmounted either by stained glass win
dows. or else by paintings representing
the Saviour riding into Jerusalem on
donkey. while some OF the pictures OF
glass in these sacred edihces show tn
ram caught in the bushes in the seen
portrsying Abraham about 10 sacrifice
Isaac. or else the various animal
emerging from the ark after the deluge
the miraculous catch OF fishes by tn
Apostles. and Sampson struggling wiz
the lion.
Moreover, in a Anglican Church a
Blaekheath. near London. every secOn
one Of the handsome tiles with whic
the floor is paved is adorned with III
representation OF a wild boar. the ores
Of the parsonage who built and endowe
the sacred edince. while old Lore Grim
thorpe in restoring 81. Adams Cathe
dral at his own cost. and ~ an exPens
OF near a million dollars. has plentiful
" adorned the interior OF that venera
bic edifice with carvings and staine
glass portrRyais OF the savage lOokin
tuskers which constitute the princips
feature of his arm0rial bearings.
fact. there is hardly a single anima
in the entire creation that IS not repre-
scented either in sculpture. or else pic
torially IN the various churches an
cathedrals OF Great Britain. and TIL
renders the prejudice entertained by III
late Desn Milman and the Chapter 4,
s. Paul's Cathedral against the pres
ence OF the statue OF horse surmount
Ing The tomb OF the FIRST Duke OF Wei
inEton. extremely difacult 20 urderstan'
San Marcos Famous Horses.
While equestrian statues are not IT,
quent IN the Protesta1~ and Roma
Catholic churches ed cathedrals.
the Continent OF Europe. yet I ha'
never heard OF objections 20 their pre-
ence or 10 that OF sculptural animals
any kind. I recall particularly n
Church OF San Marco. at Venice. whei
the most famous artistic features OF q
edihce are the bronze horses % CHA
origin. carried OF from Constautinop
b. the Venetians when they plunder'
the capital OF the Eastern Empire
1906. and which nov figure over n
fvc-arched doorways that constitu
The entrance TO the cathedral
In one word. animals. whether in u
shape OF statuary or paintings. are n