New-York tribune., 1908-03-16
CORNISH SHRINES.
Truro Cathedral Qmller-C Couch,a
Troy.

| influences OF these modernizing tendencies 4,
| an isolated section. which in the racial :.
| making of England remained Celtic and wa,
| neither Romanized nor SaxOnized By conquest
| He sees at Truro the first Anglican cathedral
which has been built large scale since N.
| Reformation: and he passes by az ST Anstau
! and I>ostwitheI two Of the most characterfsti.
| of the old churches in the land Of Celtic ana
Breton saints before he reaches Mr. ouille--
| Couch's Troy. a centre of literary activities a.
| fresh and original as the painting in Newlv,
| Falmouth and So. Ives. Here are proofs or ~.
| virtues of a vigorous, racy soil Cut OF sro,,
| the main currents OF English lie ard forces
| into the backwater of it's own resources Corn
| wall had a reserve OF imagination and creativ,
| power for renascence of art and letters
| The cathedral at Truro is in d hollow and .,
closely surrounded by houses and shops that r.,
| tower and granite gables and pinuacles are nor
| easily seen except from the outlying hills 7,
| this respect it resembles St Adams and Iieb
/ field cathedrais and in it's secIusion and aloof
ness is d characteristic monument OF lonely
Cornwall. shut off from the world. Cramped i,
| ground space. like many Continental cathedrslz
| it has French rather than an English aspect
| with it's shorter and longer transepts and their
! rose windows. it's central tower fanked by a
| shorter one with copper cone. and the afsl.
| of the old parish church and the artistic ban
| tfstery as it's most decorative features. Hera
too the architecture is expressive for the CeIts
| overrunning Cornwall from Ireland and VALE,
| left their impress upon Brittany across tia
| Channel
The materials for SIR. Pearson's construction
granite. copper. chinastOue and serpentina--
| have come from the nsighboring hilsides ard
sea combs: the money for walls. pavement. tiles
| window glass. reredos nj screen has been con.
| trfbuted mainly by generous Cornish folk. ths
canons' stalls commemorate local saints, her.
| mits and martyrs: the Crusades. weslays
preaching among miners. and other scenes au-
pealing to the hearts Of people in the duc1y
are portrayed in glass or carving. While the
| west end and early English design suggest re-
| semblances to Salisbury. il is foreign looking
cathedral, not out of touch with its Cornish En-
vronment.
The revival OF the Cornish hishopric after ths
lapse of eight centuries and the c0mpletion ot
a cathedral as long as Rochester and more
artistic in detail. with a more impressive in-
terror and a grander tower over 200 feet high,
have involved the expenditure OF over $1OG00Ga
This has been done in the course ot a sfngIs
generation and mainly by the generosity o.
Cornish churchrnen. The new granite may not
have melIowed IN tone so as % accord with ths
stone in the sixteenth century aisle saved from
the parish church. but II Is a Homogeneous
structure. which carries out Bishop Benson's
pious aspiration for a post Reformation cathe-
dral for the revival Of the religious life Of the his
toric duchy. The Liverpool cathedral win prob
ably surpass IT in beauty and symmetry. but
IT IS superior 70 many Of the made-over parish
churches like Wakefield and Newcastle which
are now classed with medieval English caths-
drals.
1t uphoIds the dignity Of the ESTABLISHED
Church in district OF miners and guarrymen's
towns and fshsrrnen's hamlets, where there is
little effective architecture ST AnsteIrs. be-
yond Truro has shapeIy perpendicular tower.
and the lantern spire of Lostwithiel at the
turning for Fowey. has been described by
architects as the glory of Cornwall; and at Bod
win. St Neoto and Launceston there are fns
medieval churches Truro cathedral stands for
modernism, with a combination Of sslf-sacrdcs
and local pride behind it, and is an ambitious
landmark of progress on the home soil.
Tintagel. on the north shore. is the cradIs Of
poetic myths-King Arthur and his knights.
Geraint and Enid. Guinevere Tristram. St.
Ursula and many more-and every Cornish viii
lage church has its legend saint hermit
AS far removed as the modern cathedral from
the rOugh-hewn Celtic crosses is the new ltera-
tUre from Arthurian romance and an incxhaus-
tible stock OF folklore II is a hOTely kind OF
realism. with close observation. open air move
ment and salty humor. II is as CHARACTERISTIC
of Cornwall the painting done in the fisher
mems villages Mt QuiIler-Couch represents
the new school OF West Country fiction. and his
father and grandfather were writer's and keen
| observers before him.
He tried 10 live in Oxford and in London az
ter his university training. but the home coun-
try in his dreams and early roInances. and
quill reach of the Fowey gallants called him
back seventeen years ago. and he has remained
at anchor in The Haven Of his own Troy
Town." contented $ Mr.. Henry at Falmouth
or Mr.. Stanhope Forbes at NewIyr. \ natural
waterman. like ehe hardy tars who sailed for
the siege of Calais and would vale no bonnet
to the power of the Cinque Ports, he has
been a coast rowing yachtsnan. and every year
there has been a fresh romance or a volume o.
verse or essays from his pen.
Painters had found the way to Fowey befors
Mr. Quiller-Couch made il his permanent home
Sir Laurence Alma -Tadenna and MI DiXey had
discovered the Cornish Dartmouth. with its PIC
turesque harbor and clusters Of old stone houses
on the green hillsides. and artists had swarfned
after them until it had become almost too popu-
lar summer resort and they took refuge III
the fishing village of Polperro. a few mics
away. Fowey has ceased 10 Be a fshins haven
and retains semblance OF Its oldtirle dignity
a commercial port by reason Of considerao'
shipments Of china clay. but the chief induS'S
is the housing OF summer guests and y i
favorite. station for yachtsmen-
There is. indeed. no prettier port on Us
Cornish coast; and there Is no more bTscins anu
varied walk in the -Delectable Duchy ths'
the ten-mile stretch up hill and down dale ron