The Ordway new era., 1910-10-07
WcSDMIt5ZIR H16EyI

forms part OF its composition. erected.
As It happens. to the lady as we'll as
the lord OF the same name as the he
roic Santa Ffloment. who has just
passed away.
Was an Age Of Stiited Periods.
The epitaphs quoted In the guide
book have II distinctive flavor. as II
they were some special brand manu-.
factured for the abbey. The old kings
In the splendid old tombs need no in.
scription. and have none. but as the
architectural merit of the tombs de.
creases so does the verbal decoration
increase. and with the monstrous
sculpture OF the eighteenth century
comes the florid and overwrought pc.
riods OF the epitaph writer's. You can
almost tell the date OF any individual
specimen by the literary style. His
tory records. l believe. that the NOR
ais of the eighteenth century were
anything but above reproach In Eng
land. but II Westminster Is to be ia.
ken as the test that was an age OF he
roic saints and sanity heroes. Yet
that these quaint old hypocrites were
not self.deceived is suggested by the
closing sentence of one OF the cpl
taphs of a priod following that of the
most stilted specimen. Reader" It
says. "if on perusing this tribute to
a private Individual thou should be
disposed to suspect 1t as partial or
censure it as diffuse, know that 1t Is
not panegyric. but history"
True Sentiment Not Wanting.
Upon the monument OF Grace Scott,
wife of Colonel Scott. a member Of
the honorable house OF commons. 1874,
are engraved these words:
He that will give my Grace but what
Is hers
Must say that death has not
Made only her dear Scott,
But virtue. worth and sweetness, wild
overs"
Punning. indeed. was highly es-
teemed by the ancient eulogists, as in
stanced In the epitaph to Sir James
Fullerton: He died fuller OF faith
than of fear: fuller of consolation than
of pains; fuller of honor than of
days Yet there are not wanting
specimens Of true and ingenious SEN
timent. as that in the case of Mrs.
Mary Kendall. whose friendship for
Lady Catherine Jones was such that
"she desired that even their ashes
after death might not be divided and
therefore ordered herself here to be
inferred where she knew that excel
lent lady designed one day to rest
near the grave Of her beloved and re-
| ligious mother" and also the little
marble cradle over the grave Of the
| daughter Of James L., who died at the
age of three days, with verses by
Susan Coolidge. which do not wholly
lose their pathos in spite Of the fact
with the Keep Order" and other
signs.
When Abbey Becomes Impressive.
And moreover, there are times when
the abbey does regain some of the
majesty and awe that the early
writer's tell of-of late afternoon
perhaps, when the sightseeing mob
has gone and the light has grown dim
and faint but impressive radiance
falls from the big rose window in the
south transept. Then, having climbed
to the little gallery wherein the eff
gies are displayed-not to see those
denominations but to gain therefrom
charming and varied vistas Of nave
and pillar, of arches so slender that
they seem to sway and vaulting traced
with delicate designs-having got
above the noise of shuffling feet and
the clotter Of light-hearted tourists,
you hear in the dimness and silence
the impressive strains of the Largo
from the fingers of belated organist
and find a rare and appropriate har-
mony in the music, the light and the
spirit Of the place. And you walk out
reverently, thinking that the abbey is,
after all, still worth while.