El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-13

7 At the beginning Of the sixteenth
| century the mechanism presumably
worn out) ceased to work, and in 1547
! the CHEZ magistrate 1--WE would call
him the mayor of the city gave orders
that a new clock should be made. The
work was intrustcd to three eminent
mathematician: but they probably
. lacked she mechanical ingenuity req
Uisite. for the time piece was not fin
inShed until 1874, and hv other hands.
VaRdnIs Destroy Machinery.
Fifteen years later the machinery
was destroyed by Jacobin vandals. In
1885 il was decided to rebuild it, the
old framework being UninJured, and
@ clever Matchmaker named Schwilgue
Whose name well deserves to be i'm
mOrtaliZed) undertook the job, com
pleting IL in four years. The clock
stands todaS- as he left it. mechanical
marvel and absolutely unique.
More Wonderful Than Before.
1t contains perpetual calendar, IN
dicating all the various holy days
movable feasts.) such as Easter. and
regulates itself in leap years. It shows
the movements of the planets, the
phases of the moon, and eclipses Of sun
and moon calculated for remOtest times.
Figures representing the four stages
Of life, grouped around a figure of
death, strike the quarter hours. Child
hood" strikes the first quarter. Youth"
the second, Manhood" the third, and
"Old Age" the fourth. Death strikes
the hours. while an angel seated above,
turns around an hour glass which he
holds in his hand.
Apostles Appear.
At the stroke of i the Apostles ap-
pear in single file, and pass before a
figure of Christ, bowling. The Savior
blesses them by raising his hand, while
the cock crows and flaps his wings
three times. The cock reminiscent of
st. Peter) has always been a con-
spicuous feature of the clock OF strass-
Cathedral OF Metz.
The cathedral Of Metz is called St.
Stephens. 1t is magnificent pile,
erected on the highest ground of the
CITY Begun IN the thirteenth century,
It's construction occupied upwards Of
300 years Unfortunately it lost nearly
all of its monuments and works of art
during the French revolution. being
pillaged time and again by icOnoclastic
mobs. There still remains, however, a
most interesting memorial, in the shape
of huge image of dragon, which to
this day Is carried through the streets
Of the town on occasions Of religious
festival 1t is popularity understood to
commemorate an historic exploit sOf
St Stephen himself, who destroyed the
monster-by Selling him and drowning
him in the river.
Metz Always n Fortress.
Metz has always been a fortress.
Julius Caesar. in his Commentaries"
described it as one of the oldest and
strongest towns in Gaul. It was an
important military post of the Romans,
who called it DiVidorum. The ancient
German name for it was MediOmatrica
the place being the chief city of the
Northumberland of this Metz is a
contraction. Recognizing its strategic
Importance, the Romans fortified it,
built a great aqueduct to supply it with
water (remains of which are still to
be seem, and connected it by military
roads with Strassburg, TouL Lyons,
Nerdut. ! and Reims. In the middle of
the fifdh century it was pIundered by
the HUI IS under Attila.
Is Given To France.
The speace treaty of Westphalia, IN
1913. gave Metz to France, together
with. TOul and Verdun, and the town
remained the property OF that country
for more than two centuries, up to
1870. Napoleon III strengthened its
defences with a circle Of detached
forts.
In 1870 the Prussians cut off a great