Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-09-19
.OP EN|NC ADDRESS
A Splendid Description Of "WeStminl-
Stef Abbey"
GIVEN BY PROF. JAY CL|zBE
In which He Paid Glowing Tribute to Court,
eSy Of the English People

Alma college opened her twenty
sixth year last Wednesday morning
with the customary chapel exercises
DR.. Thomas c. Blaisdell presided for
the first time as president of the col
lege. President Blaisdel spoke elo-
quently i'll appreciation of DIR. A. +.
Brushes many years OF service as
president and at his suggestion
the students offered resolution in
appreciation of Dr. Brushes work.
The resolution was passed and di-
rected to be sent to him at Holland.
The opening address was deliver
ca by DR.. Jay Clizbe upon the sub
ject OF Westminster Abbey 1t was
one of the finest ever heard in the
chapel on such an occasion and the
scholarly gentleman held the intense
interest of all throughout.
Following is the address in part:
THE Westminster Abbey was
founded by Edward the Confessor
who was considered a great saint
A couple of hundred years later,
Hen III tore down the Confessors
work and erected the present cdiice
1t is built in the shape of a cross.
When men enter by the north door,
the silence, the gloom. the great
architecture and the tombs of the
dead all about overawe and impress
you.
THE style of architecture is of
course Gothic Those great col
umns six feet in diameter reaching
up hundred or more feet to sup
port the roof and the innumerable
pointed arches impress one with the
feeling that no church ought to be
built in any other style" Here DR..
Clizbe pointed ont from diagram
the location of the various points
of interest. when General Grant
died, attended his memorial service,
sitting in the choir, and Canon Far
rar preached the sermon. He re-
peatedly spoke of English and
America as two nations who are
one people.
I'm the north transit statesmen are
buried. Over in the corner of the
south transit, the poets and the lit
trarv men are buried and around the
organ the great musicians lie. Ed
ward the Confessor's chapel Is just
east OF the choir. One of the most
interesting things in it is the Stone
of Scoire, a stone about eight inches
in thickness and a foot an a half
square fastened into the seat Of a
great oak chair Edward /. brought
it from Scotland The Scottish
kings had been crowned on that stone
from time immemorial and now for
six hundred years every king of Eng
land h been crowned Sitring upon
that stone.
On the poets, corner. Chaucer was
the first poet to be buried and since
that time. Ben Johnson. Spencer,
Dryden. Addison. McCauley and a
great humber of others have been
laid there. The most interesting thing
to an American is the bust of Long
! fellow, orr popular poet.
The chapel OF Henry VII. is one
of the most wonderful pieces of ar
chitccture in the world Queen Eli
zabeth md Mary Queen OF Scots, lie
there side by side and never quarrel
or scold each other any more. AS
! McCauley says, Westminster Abbey
is the burial place of great enimities.
in the center isle is the grave OF
! David Livingstone. the great African
explorer. You will remember that he
died in Central Africa and according
to his own request his heart was bur
led there in Africa but his body was
brought to Westminster. In no other
lace could David Livingstone have
been buried, for Westminster Abbey
is the burial place of England's
greatest men for a thousand years
You are in great company when you
are in that great fame.
Il had an interesting experience
in the Abbey When | went one day
to look about, | found young fellow
whom | had known on shipboard
We stood looking at tablet when q
little man in black came up and be
gan to talk to us. He asked me il
/ came from a distance. We told
| him that we were Americans. He
said would you not like to go up &c
Edward the Confessor's Chapel. We
did so and he pointed out to us the
tomb of the Confessor and the place
where Cromwell had been buried but
| said that when Charles ii. ascendeC
to the throne Cromwells body was
cast out. He asked us if we would
like to go into Jerusalem Chamber
AS we we're going, the young mar
with me asked as to the identity Of
our leader. We found that he wa:
Dean Bradley, the successor of ID Ell
Stanley. He gathered company o.
stupid looking English people ant
led about twenty of us to Jereusalen
Chamber. He told us how Henri,
NV. when he was an old man ant
troubled in his conscience for havinc
murdered Richard III. and usurpet
the throne would go to Edward the
Confessor tomb. One day when he
was praying there, he had chill, be-
came unconscious and was carried in
to the Jerusalem Chamber because
that was the only place where there
was a fire. AS he lay there before
the fire, his son the Prince of Vale:
came in and seeing his father lying
there unconscious and APPARENT,
dea Re took up the crown which
was standing on the table and put il
on his head. Just then the old mar
walked I'D and gave him a sound rak.