The Washington herald., 1917-04-29
German Trail of Death
Leapes Churches in Ruins

the memory that burnish and brighten IN
living contact with the altar where wor-
SHIPPED the dear. dear dead OF long ago.
and of yesterday.
There is not a province in Northern
France that has not been so descerated
and sacrileged
With these unnamed churches. as all
who read know. have been destroyed
more pretentious places of worship in
towns and minor cities: t,>e mighty
cathedral Of Arras, of which Victor Hugo
has written. 1T is the most beautiful
and wonderful example of the Flemish
Spanish architecture Of the thirteenth
century" the cathedral of Sernils, the
most lovely OF smaller Gothic speci-
mems; the cathedral of Scissors, a marvel
Of the Renaissance, to choose. but three
OF the many within the line OF bzrbsTity's s
invasion and retreat
No house of God is intact that touched
its paths OF evil. There remains TO it but
the completion from afar. of the de-
struction Of the cathedral Of Rheims.
Torture of Rhetms.
For Rheims rs still within the range of
German 30 and 10 shell from the hills of
Rrimont end Nogent-PAbesse. quite with
In range OF barbaric fire. And unherald-
ed, this fire goes on, Internationally, will
fully, savagely. It is only in the multi
tude of other evil that this fnal tragedy
is not of daily worldwide record.
II they chose. the Germans could de-
molish Rheims Cathedral tomorrow
Thirty shells a minute for even a little
while would crumble all that is left OF
this most noble of Gothic monuments
But they choose instead the systematic
deliberate dropping now and then of q
shell upon the north and south fronts
md htrff k,v rs, rd any
other portion Of the city of Rheims. And
they never allow a week to pass without
shelling the wounded cathedral: some
weeks many and some weeks Iew: OIit
at a time always, one a day or one in
seven days, well placed and trply aimed
As constant water will wear away rock
50 constant periodical shell will event
uaIly wear down the grievousiy SCARED
but still standing towers and trellisec
walls and buttresses. For the buttresses
a mighty company Of arcades and inches
shelter wounded angels in stone as they
soar across the desecrated aisles in al
light and beautiful harmony as ever sans
praise and glory to God within a Chris
tan church.
Weakened by Fire and Rain.
These buttresses are an elastic force
supporting and being supported neither
too strong nor too feeble. equaling the
construction without and within" 70
quote a high architectural authority Con-
sistant attack upon them will decrease
their supporting quality upon the great
mass of lovely architecture dependent and
interviewer with them. They are already
marred by fire and shock, weakened and
shaken by rains that fall within and with,
out the temporary roof, a roof remade
under fire. When. the final straw Of strain
comes the cathedral OF Rheims will fall
The world will read OF its falling, as.
sociating the news only with the bonn
bardment OF 1914
The true, the vicious wicked facts as
here related will be to the great majority
but part OF IAN old story" Yet ] fee
they will not die when, as with a great
sigh, a sigh reaching into the heavens
and across the ages. this most glorious
house Of God crumbles and crashes &c
the company of ruin about it,
For the evil that men do lives after
| them. Evening Ledger.