The Washington herald., 1913-08-23

Westminster Abbey, Nations Church
by THE REV. C. e. SMITH. DID,, D. c. L.

SMITH, DID,, ID. y. LIE
to Westminster Hall 20 be used by Crom-
well when he took the oath as Protec-
tor, and which was. of course, used quite
recently by King George.
Henry VII Chapel was due to the de-
termination of Henry VII, first Tudor
King, to build a chapel In which the
bones Of Henry VI should rest. For
this purpose he pulled down the old
Lady Chapel, which formerly occupied
the site, and summoned builders to do
the finest work possible. The conse-
quence is that the chapel was the best
work of the time. The work of an age
rich with resources, and determined to
make show. But, curiously enough,
Henry WIS body was never moved from
Windsor, and SO Henry VII and his wife
occupy instead the great central tomb,
which is the work of Torregiano, the
rival of Michael Angelo. Henry VII, as
Is well known, dissolved the monastery,
causing the loss to the chapel of many
Of its glories. Its altars were pulled
down, and its painted windows broken,
although it continued yet to be the rest
ing place for the bones of monarchs. I'm
til the time of James / none other than
those of royal descent or Kings and
Queens themselves were buried in the
chapels; but the Duke of Buckingham.
James favorite, was buried there. From
that time on great Englishmen have been
laid to rest within the walls of the Alb
bey-noblemen, statesmen, eccelesiastics
Of all parties and of all creeds; artists,
philosophers, phinanthropists, and men of
science. who in their places all served
the state.
One interesting part OF Westminster
Abbey is the Poets Corner. There is no
place more attractive to Americans. Here
lie the bodies OF Chaucer, Spencer, Dry
den, Tennyson, and Browning. In the
main aisle, in front of st. Faiths Chapel
the old vestry. but now reserved for
private prayers-lie Handel. DR.. Johnson,
Garrick, Macaulay, and Charles Dickens,
with others of note in art and literature.
Crossing the aisle to the north transept.
one can see the statues of Peel. Glad
stone, Disraeli, and Canning; also the
burying places of Chat, Pitt, Fox, and
Palmerston. Close beside the Abbey is the
parish church of st. Margaret, where
Dean Farrar used TO be rector. 1t is
dwarfed considerable by its nearness to
the majestic Abbey, but 1t is really a
very large and stately church. 1t has
sometimes been said in Washington that
st. AIban and the Cathedral of st.
Peter and ST Paul are a sort OF West
AbDGg anu 81 MAJ BdECl Oul
one has only to remember that around
these two churches, standing side by
side, so close that st. Margaret's can
scarcely be distinguished as an inde-
pendent building, some g. 900 or 1000. 900
people dwell. With us 800, 900 or 40O,O
are all that we can muster. The cases
are hardly, therefore, parallel In years
to come there may be a parallel, but
just at present We cannot safely argue
from one to the other in any particular
at all.
The Church Of St. Dunstan-on-the-l
the actual building at which old Izaak
Walton worshiped. The old church, the |
'Compleat Angler" knew was pulled |
down in 1879, because of the obstruction |
it caused to the Fleet Street traffic by |
obtruding its nave far over the present |
pathway.
At its demolition its famous clock and |
the two giants which struck the hours
on bell were purchased by the Marquis
Of Hertford, in fulhllment of a wish to
possess them expressed in his childhood,
and transferred to his new home at St
Dunstans, Regents Park. Here the fig
ures still continue their labors for their
present owner, Lord Londesborough. The
clock was one of the sights Of Fleet
Street, and its removal brought tears to
the eyes of Charles Lamb.
Walton was a parishioner Of st. Dun
stan's, his shop standing two doors to
the west of Chancery Lane, and not at
the corner. as often enormously stated.
tie is commemorated in the present
church by a fine window, placed in posi-
rion only a few years ago, and a white
tablet by the south door within view of
but quite ignored by the crowds which
pass along Fleet Street. !