The Cordova daily times., 1920-04-28
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A historic capital of Languedoc
 and looking for the first time upon the ancient towers of Toulouse, may well wonder whether they are indeed old, so modern is the appearance of the red brick, after the gray-gold stones of the Roman Provence. Old, nevertheless, they are, though differing in style, as in color, from any thing to be seen in other parts of Paris.
 The TOulousain gothic has a char aCter all its own; for the true spirit of northern architecture-that of the soaring line-never became indigo nous here, says writer in the Christian Science Monitor. These southerners accepted it only as a fashion of the day, to which concessions must be made, that granted, they proceeded at cnCe to modify the style, to suit the local traditions of people that at heart loved horizontal line better than an aspiring one. So they de clined to build interior vertical pill larS-Which, moreover, needed large stones and were very expensive-and instead they threw great vaults over wide spaces, broke up their towers into bays, generally mingled, in a very curious fashion, the spirit of the gothic and the R0manesque. These are points that strike one about the great cathedral of St. Sernin in You hO 1Oy of the southern style that is to be seen in France today.
 Cathedral of St. Sernin.
 As usual in churches hereabouts, the building is dark, being lighted by windows behind the trifOrium, and not from a clerestOry above. The Roman esque manner did not relieve it's main walls by distributing part of the weIght along flying buttresses to the aisleS; therefore it dared not build them very high, nor weaken them by piercing large windows. Toulousain congregations, however, never cared for much light within their churches, There was already more than enough without.
 Very interesting was my walk round the church, with the sacristan beside me, a handsome, kindly man, gentle and courteous, yet with certain dig nifty in his manner, as of one who, though in a humble station, knew well how to command. I liked the quiet firmness with which he rebuked the old women who would chatter too loudly in the transport.
 As we did the round of the church we talked together. He told me how deeply he cared for knowledge and learning, how much he regretted that such things meant so little to so many people of his country. "They are liz ards who love to lie in the sun; and it is the sun we must blame"-he smiled at his jest-"if my fellow townsmen are neither savants nor workers, and are too idle to follow up the idea that their minds seize upon so quickly. That is why when we have energy we do so well. 1 say often that some of our best presidents have ,come-NIr. Fallieres among them from the left bank of the GarOnne." And with a bow the sacristan left me, to continue "my studies" He was the most eloquent of the many who have deplored to me the meridional dis inclination to hard work. There is a proverb extant: "The men of the Midi use what the men of the north pro- duce." The men of the north, I sup pose, produced that prOyerb.
 Houses are Fascinating.
 After the churches perhaps even before the churches-her renaissance hotels are the greatest charm of Toulouse. And by hotels" l mean houses, not hostels. Certainly they are most fascinating, both as speci mems of architecture of their time and as affording an idea of the mag nificence in which the merchant princes of that day lived. Almost al styles of renaissance are to be seen from that of the Hotel Bernuy-transi