The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25

4 LII who have read the charming
~ story of Tess of the d'Urber-
4 \ villesr recall the glorious SET
ting of the final chapter of the fasein-
ating romance with the stoney columns
of Stonehenge all aglow amid the golden
rays of horizon supported sun. In the
dramatization of the story its finale is
one of the most impressive scenic ef-
fects known to the stage.
During my periodical indulgences of
4 the wanderlust 1 annually determined
to visit Stonehenge, the most remark
able of Great Britain's antiquities, but
was the execution of this determination
deferred so that 1t was only last sum
mer that my dream was realized
There is no more agreeable pastime
than few hours of lettering in the cof-
fee house of an English hamlet and
as my autocar whizzed through Ames-
bury 1 was strongly prone to indulge
in such a pastime but l was compelled
to forego until my return this pleas
lure as was more than anxious to see
the great cromlech at sunset and bein =
belated l had offered my chauffeur an
an time. 1t is In the writings of Pythias
Greek navigator living at. Marseilles
in the fourth century of our era, that
we first read of Stonehenge and from
his description thereof many seem JUS
titled In considering the ruin a temple
erected to Apollo. But such opinions are
only venture and be Stonehenge a
Druidical structure or a votive temple
to the sungod, it is intensely interest
Ing, no matter from what viewpoint we
may choose to contemplate 1T.
l. arrived at my destination In time
ana the scene was one of Incompatible
loneliness. The sun was bidding fare
we'll to- cloudless sky and it's mori-
bund rays were caressing in parting
tenderness and aureate embrace the
gently nodding hawthorne, furze and
1uschia swayed by vesper breeze. A
mood OF golden glory illumined the in
tercolumniations of the lonely archaic
group of monoliths, darts tipped with
fire shot into every crevise, crook and
Granny while each Intel jamb and
rocky contour was aglow with the plav
of the lambent light. No throne Of
gold nor dais of Jasper ever uuivered
and throbbed, glittered and shimmered
In brighter effulgency or more royal
splendor than did Stonehenge as / saw
1t under the setting sun.
/ was alone and thanks to good
repeated explanations to previous visit
tors during the day left me to roam.
contemplate and dream unmolested
This prehistoric monument delineates
two concentric circles of which IL
stones of the outer circle are all that
remain standing These are IS feet in
height, are connected in part by Intel
slabs resting upon their tops and en-
close a crude altar.
Every hundred years or so one of
these stones topples over and it is a re-
marllable fact that the last one to tum-
BILE fell during the closing hour of the
last century few of the remaining g
ones are tottering and some of them
are supported by wooden trusses in or
der to defer as long as possible the
fnal collapse
They are imposing. they are impress
sive and they are mysterious. Naught
concerning the origin of Stonehenge re-
mains save conjecture, but there are
many weird legends and strange stories
connected Herewith. Rhys says, I'VE
cannot leave this point without allud-
ing to the question, whose temple
Stonehenge was. or whose ii chiefly
was. After giving it all the attention
can | have come to the conclusion
that we cannot do better than follow
the story of Godfrey, which makes
Stonehenge the work of Merlin Emrys,
commanded by another Emrys.' which
interpret to mean that the temple be-
longed to the Celtic Zeus whose later
legendary self we have in Merlin. 1t
would be in vain to look for any direct
argument for or against such hypo-
thesis; one can only say that it suits
lhe facts of the case. and helps to un-
derstand others of a somewhat Similar
nature. What sort of a temple could
have been more appropriate FOR the pri-
mary god of light and of the luminous
heavens than spaciois5 open air en-
closure of circular form like Stone
henEe1 Nor do see any objection to