The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-07-04

tip of Ireland to the Crlmea and
thence to the Aral in central Asia. 1t
lies across France in a broad band
from Calais to Vendome, Tours,
Poitiers, !Angouleme and so to the
Gironde. Locally, the stone exhibits
differences in texture. Sometimes
hard layers overlie soft, and weather
ing produces overhangs like the mush
room measas of our Southwest.
Again, the chalk may have been ver-
tically riven, so that cliffs upspring
like walls. Another geological for
nation of the cavern country is the
Jurassic limestone, rifted in every
direction in it's titanic upthrust from
the depths. Down these crevices
water dancing toward sea level has
worn in time the scenic gorges which
are the glory and marvel of the Jura
such as the deep valley of the
Loue, well beloved of Wild Cat artil-
lerymen.
Lore of the Trogoldytes.
So France is prominently the
Land of the cave Denizen. The topic
is far more extensive than might be
imagined by one who has not in
quired into it with some particular
ity. Indeed, one might write a vol
ume on any one of it's several French
phases, as for instance: l. The Cave
Man Prehistoric. 2. The Modern
Troglodyte. 3. Subterrenena Ref
uges of the Feudal Era. 4. The Cliff
Castles. 5. Churches Hill Embowel-
led. 6. Hermitages and Monasteries
in the Rocks. 7. Robber Dens. 8.
Encaved Sepulchers and Catacombs.
The literature is quite formidable,
the more so, for me, from it's being
mostly in French. So scant, in fact,
is the English material that the Paris
offices of the American Library AS
sociation were unable to furnish me
any English citations at all, and the
great collection in the Library of
Congress here in Washington af-
fords but one reference, and that, for
the citing of which l have to thank
the chief bibliographer H. H. B.
Myer, is volume by the English
traveller, Sabine Barring Gould, pub
lished in London and New York,
some eight years ago. I gathered,
however, from one source and an
other, during can habitation en-
forced" in Touraine, subsequent to
the armistice, French references
enough to cover the field far more
thoroughly than my present purposes
require, or MY scholarship, leisure.
and means permit me to consult.
Cave Colony At Bourre.
Bourre, where my first acquaint-
ance was made with French cave
dwellers, is village of great antiqui-
ty, in the department Of Loire-et-
Cher, about IL kilometers northeast
of St. Afghan, on the railway and the
"rout national de grand communica-
ton" that lead: from Bourges and
Issoudun through Vierzon La Willie to
storied Tours. At its back the wood
of la Garette stretches northward.
At its feet, and separated from the
fringes Of the village by strip Of
marsh and meadow, the limpid Cher
lazes along toward its juncture with
the Loire above Langeais.
Steep scarps Of chalk here rise far
above the placid river. The ssone is
hard, uniform in color and texture
and readily workable. The quarries
Of Bourre have been more than local
ly famous from time immemorial and
Bourre the village has been CON-
munity of stone cutters for many.
hundreds of years. They furnished
and fashioned the material out of
which was built most of the castles
and chateaux that abound in the vi
cinity, some of which are still occul
pied and many in excellent preserva-
ton, such as Montresor, Montrichard,
Chenonceaux, Ambois and Blois. =
Originally the residents, as in 9TH
er places of similar character, dwelt
wholly underground in the natural
caves. AS time went on, and as life
and goods grew safe, while the ad-
vance civilization brought new ideals
of comfort and hygeiene, the popu-
lation began to spread out into dis
/ used workings, then to adopt exter-
ior openings to domestic require
mt nts and cvntu l!s .ffcrvesced
from it's holes into the light and air.
Outside structures were reared