Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-26

 of Rheims Cathedral Is painfully evil dent and its mutilation emphasizes the imminent danger in which the war places all of the splendid heirlooms of the middle ages, any one of which may be destroyed or irreparably mutilated, by either accident or design.
 Not until July IA, 1902, the day when the famous old Campanile in Venice fell, was the ancient tower, begun in ern portal of St. Marks Cathedral fully appreciated. The writer happened to be in Venice the day it collapsed" and the grief and despair of the popu-- lace was painful to witness; for. with it's i-reparable demolition. came the realization of what the hoary heir loom of centuries meant to the people, their city, Italy. and the whole world.
 And when, just ten years later. the new Canpanile was dedicated-an ex- act replfca of the old in which every particle of brick, bronze, stone and marble Of the old edffice was utilized- tho Venetfana exclaimed sorrowfully: 'syas.> yes. it is good copy, but the this is true also of all the other antique treasures in Europe which Sare endan- gered by the war. and which as un- deservinely may be doomed to the fate which has oyertaken Liege, Louyain. Malines, Dinant, Rheims and Soissons. A correspopdent in a recent London Times dispatch states that "Soissons uk8 6unbPSu. L6fFIDlys ana QeCldrGS IudL the Cathedral and Church of St. Jean have both been badly damaged by the 4 daily bonahardment the city has suffer cd. The Church ofaSt. Jean mentioned Is the ruined thirteenth century abbey of St Jean -des-Wgnss, of which only tho magnificent facade nanked by two beautiful towers survived the damage wrought by the German bombardment abbey Is the place whhre Thomas n Heckertg spent his exile Of nine years.
 Tho Cathedral of Sofssons is, or was, tne example of mixed Rornanasque and Gothic style of architecture. and the fine proportions of the interior, with. the purity of it's, carved capitals, sister church at .Rheips. recently de- faced, if not destroyed, by German sheIla
 r The Rheims Cathedral is .prized not Un1y as "the most beautiful structure of the middle ages" for it's exquisite western facade, with it's three recessed Rortais embellished with 6s0 statues And statuettes,. its lovely. rose window, and for It's sculptured towers; but also HOT it's unique historical value, as the easurch in which the French kings have phoen crowned for 700 years. Here. on a <har July morning in. the year 1429 the Hit.tle naaidsof Orleans, flushed with vic- 4cry, stood beside the high altar with witness the crowning of the Dauphin &s King Charles VIII of France. [ Today many of the statues which fals are known to be headIess, and it Is feared irreparable injury has been caused@ by the fire which swept the
 s5s saa Thieh reos which 1t has been the repository for centuries. While 1t is reported that the fourteen pieces Of the celebrated -T6e Life of christi were very fors tunately removed to a place of safety art circles in both Europe and America regarding the safety of the magnif- sent paintings and other art treasures the cathedral is known to have housed rinaorestos m1af " Natiyity eelsSs cSsist wept ant Angels" by Zucchero and Titian's won. Mary MagdaIsn" The fate also Is ir doubt of the costly gold reiiouaries church plate and other eccelsiastica, heirlooms known to have been in ths a chalice of the twelfth century anc a monstrance of the thirteenth, uset at the coronations of the differen- French monarchs for more than 7ot years.
 With the fate of Rheims in mind, tn, cathedra1e in the war zone acquire greater interest and, importance. IT France no cathedral takes precedenc, over that at Amiens It is most i'm posing and beautiful Gothic edifice and was erected in 1920. The massiv, grandeur of the building is relieved by the lofty and extremely gracefu slender spire over the transept. Th' facade has lofty porches which ar, richly adorned. with reliefs ana statues, and above the door, in tht tympanum. is a fine relief of f'Th' Last Judgment" while in the vault ing are l50 statues representing tn, celestial hierarchy. with large statuel