The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1919-06-05

~ TRASSBURG. from the remotest
times, has revealed a love of
liberty and independence which,
it must be said, frequently be-
wildered and even disconnected dts
| wOuld-be oppressOr. Through it's nu-
merOus vicisSitudes 1t has retained a
personality which nothing ever sue
ceeded in destroying. Little is known
of the city during the Celtic period.
When the Romans invaded Gaul, they
discovered on the banks of the Ill, and
quite near the Rhine, q small village,
the strategical Importance of which
they Immediately recognized. Perched
on relatively high hill, Argentotarum
as the Romans named this hamlet,
dominated the whole of the fertile
plain Of Alsace and the river valley.
They therefore fortified it and eStab-
liShed there the general headquarters
of the legions who were especially
intrusted with the defense of the pas
sage Of the Rhine. For more than
three centuries this region remained
under Roman domination, after which
lapse of time 1t was conquered by
powerful Germanic tribe, the Alamans.
For several centuries, Strassburg
tudes of warefare, says the Christian
Science Monitor. The Franks sue
ceeded the Alamans and after the bat
tie of ToIbiac in 49S, Strassburg and
the greater part Of Alsace were Chris
tianized by Clovis.
Under the Merovingian dynasty,
Strassburg was elevated to the dig
nifty of royal city. The Carlovingian
mOnarchs even signed several of their
celebrated charters there. However,
the city itself vegetated; lack of Sc
curity hindered it's development, and
when, in 925, Alsace was Incorporated
In the German empire, Strassburg
was still relatively unimportant
town. 1t had possessed a bishopric
for several centuries, and so long as
its development had remained sta
tionary, had submitted unprotestingly
to the dominion of the clergy. How
ever, as its commerce developed and
its industries gradually evolved,
Strassburg rebelled, first timidly, then
openly and successfully, against the
clerical yoke.
Building the Great Cathedral.
The real prosperity Of Strassburg
dates from the thirteenth century,
when it already numbered $4,000 in
habitants. The bishops vainly strove
TO regain their former supremacy by
force of arms, but Strassburg de-
Tended itself with much energy and
at last enjoyed a period Of relative
peace, during which all classes lived
in harmony.
This period comedies with q great
development in the fine arts 1t was
then that Gotfried of Strassburg, the
first Alsatian poet of the middle ages,
was scribe in his native town, and
Erwin Of Steinbach, artist and archi-
tect, undertook to build the cathedral |
on the site of the former basilica,
erected about $40 A. d. on a spot |
where once stood temple dedicated |
to Hercules.
The original plan Of Master Erwin |
has not been faithfully followed, and
1t must be admitted that the edifice
has lost nothing through this, but has
rather gained considerably. He had
conceived Of a facade two stories In
height, dominated by two towers of
equal height. 1t was, however, many
years later that the cathedral was
and the two towers were
welded together at the height of the
first story, the left tower alone being
its delicate openwork spire-
a marvel of sculpture-rising 142 me-
ters above the earth. The threefold
portal, giving access to the three
Gothic naves, is decorated by a multi
rude of remarkable sculptures.
The great tower was finished in
439. under the direction of John