The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-05

little favor the plans which had seemed so wonderful to their ancestors and it was proposed to build another and yet grander cathedral In order not to throw away the work already accomplished the citizens decided to make out of the old edifce the transepts of the new. About nine years after work on this stupendous scheme had been begun the great plague of 134S devastated Sienna Two-thirds of the population perished and the city never recovered courage to go on with The Work which 1t had undertaken in its prosperity In 1851 the new scheme was abandoned and work was resumed on the old plans of the thirteenth century edi- fee nearly century and a half after 1t was first begun. Even this has never been completed though the work of de- coration has gone on at intervals ever since Sienna has now become a quiet country town, but the great cathedral on its lofty platform towers above the an- cient city, the proud product of gener- ations of labor and a permanent evidence of the city's departed glory.
 The history of 'The Work of the Sien- uese provides fair example of the way ir which the mediacval cathedrals rose slowly by the patient efforte of generation after generation of devoted builders. Througout the rest of Europe, however, the municipal pride of Italy was replaced by the eneregy of abbots and bishops. When for instance, the church of Beau- vais was burned early in the twelfth cen- tury. Milon de Nanteuil, the Bishop-Count of Beauvais and his chapter set apart tenth part of their annual income for ten years to procure money with which to be- gin q new cathedral, now one of the in- spring monuments of Northern France. In 1272. nealy fifty years after the com mencement of the work, services were held for the first time in the choir. It 4l.,f ( n the transepts was laid and 1t was fifty years more before the craftsmen left them.
 Durham Cathedral.
 These are not exceptional instances. The nave of the grest cathedral at Dur ham, which was begun about 1o90. was not finished until 112S; the towers were not added until 1920, and the most distinctive feature of the whole structure-the strange apartment known the Gallee, built at the western entrance and hang ing on the brow of the cliff-in it's pres ent form dates from 1420. Practically all of these monuments of the Middle Ages have been worked on little by little. part by part, until as thek stand now. they rep- resent all that centuries Of churchmen and builders nobles and peasants, could do to give permanent expression to their religion. Even St. Peters at Rome. con structed under the eyes of the Popes themselves and with all the wealth of the Papacy at its command was twelve de- cades in building.
 To bring to completion the Cathedral of St. John the Divne-a uightier un- dertaking than the majority of even tho most famous cathedrals of Europe--with- in the course of half a century is an evil dence of how great has been the advance in science. Modern conditions have here been applied to mediaeval problems and the result is now apparent to every cit- izen and to every visitor in New York who takes the beaten path of the sight, seer and drives over :" Cathedral Heights