Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-12-30
Pr THERE is one building more
than another in London which

has suffered through the vicissi-
tudes Of time it is the church of
st. Bartholomew the Great in Smith
field. If there is one charitable in
stitution which through long centuries
has ministered to the needs of the suf-
fering poor it Is ST. Bartholomew
hospital, hard by, writes Ernest II.
Ram in the Boston Transcript.
Church and hospital are insepara-
They stand together today close to the
great meat market OF the metropolis
where In ancient times, on the
"smooth-field" (Smithfeld), tourna-
ments were held, where the dagger of
Walworth struck down Jack Cade,
and where martyrs passed through
the gate of fire" for conscience sake,
the while the cruel and implacable
heads of the church looked on at their
sufferings.
The history Of the hospital has just
been told in two sulnptuous volumes
by Sir Norman Moore, one of its most
famous physicians, and this must be
our excuse for re4iscovering one of
the most fascinating corners of an
cient London.
Rahere's Divine Vision.
1t is of the church that one must
speak first if we are to have a clear
cut understanding of all that is con-
veyed by the magic word "Bart's."
For the noble charity of which Sir
Norman Moore discourses so eloquent
~ was originally only part of the
larger scheme of the immense church
of st. Bartholomew the Great, with
Its college of canons of the Order Of
st. Augustine. popularity known as the
Black Canons from the color OF their
distinctive hood.
Carry your mind back to the days
when Henry ruled England. At
tendant on his court was favorite
named Rahere, who, touched with the
religious enthusiasm of the day, deter
mined on pilgrimage to Rome, by
this act Of penitence hoping to obtain
complete forgiveness of his sins. At
ter much toll he reached the city and
duly bewailed his sins; but before
long he fell sick, and feeling that his
end was nigh he vowed that should
he recover he would build a hospital
for the healing Of the poor.
One night on his way home, he
dreamed that he found himself on the
edge of a deep and dreadful pit, into
which he feared to fall, when suddenly
st. Bartholomew appeared to him and
promised that If he would build a
church in Smithfield he should have
help. Rohere promised, and when he
awoke he felt that this was indeed a
divine vision, and that he must obey
the behest Of the blessed saint So
when, after much trouble, he obtained
from the king a grant of land in
Smithfield he set to work to carry out
the two-fold task of piety, to build
hospital for the poor and nearby
church.
Thus arose the hospital of St Bar
tholomew and the church. OF the lat
ter. Rahere became the first prior
but which was completed first cannot
be decided, though ii appears that but
short space of time separated the
two. This was in the year 1923. and
hospital has continued to carry out
the objects of its founder
Beautiful Tomb of the Founder.
When Rahere died in 1143 he was
buried on the north side of the sanctu-
ary the customary position for a.
founder and his grave and tomb have
been preserved to this day. The beau
tiful tomb is probably the Oldest in
England, for it has endured undese-
Grated for eight centuries.
Bit by bit the great church was
completed. 1t drew immense revenues
from the three days fair held at the
Feast of st. Bartholomew. the charter
for which Rahere had obtained ten
years before his death, and to this
festival of trade came merchants from
Flanders and Italy. clothiers from
parts of England, showmen from ev-
erywhere In time ii outlived it's use
fulness and became notorious as an
annual saturnalia. until it was abol-
ished in 1855.
1t is in the church, however, that
our interest centers--a generous &C.
clesiastical pile whose very magnifi-
cence would have saved it from any
hand less destructive than that Of
Henry VIII. The king pulled down
the nave, and only the bases of some
of the columns are to be found in the
church yard today. He built up a
western wall to make the choir serve