Vernon Parish Democrat., 1920-09-02

earth on which they had to build was
too marshy to bear the solidity usually
connected with tower structures, and
they planned and worked with extreme
caution. Giving to the tower walls the
ightest possible construction, banding
the parts ingeniously, and even leaving
within the building the wooden frame
work to serve as an additional sup
port, the builders worked daringly on
but when they approached the spire
construction they had not the temerity
to give it a thickness of more than two
feet at the base, and of nine inches
from little above the base to the top.
most pinnacle.
Within and without they added fly
ing buttresses. Even then the spire
began to lapse from the perpendicular,
and tire worst was feared when a devi-
alton of two feet occurred; but since
the careful examination made by Sir
Christopher Wren no further signs Of
insecurity have appeared.
What Salisbury Cathedral owes to
the magic grace of it's tower and spire
it is easier to realize than to express.
The whole building was transformed
by the architectural daring which had
enough poetic insight to picture what
could be done by Gaping an already
beautiful, but somewhat featureless
structure, by an exquisitely proper
toned tower, surmOunted by a slender
and soaring spire, the highest in Eng
oh
tury later than the body of the cathe-
dral, the tower and spire-so refined
vas the artistic perception of these
early builders-were in harmony with
the whole construction, in spite of
their greater display of elaborate and
decorative work.
With marvellous grace this triumph
of early English art blends nave, choir,
and transepts, tower and spire, in an
architectural unity that has no COM
peer within our isles. Here we have
church of one period and of one de-
sign, not, as in most cathedrals, an
epitome in~stOne of English, history
from the Norman on through the ear
ly English and decorated periods to
the perpendicular
Some Human Records.
Seen with effect from the height of
Salisbury tower is a pleasant pastoral
country, watered by several streams,
broken by some low stretches of downs
and in places luxuriantly wooded; and
here and there are places sacred in
the story of our literature. Within
the cathedral is a bust with tablet in
memory of Richard Jefferies, born at
COate, in Wiltshire.
Less than two miles from Salisbury
is BemertOn, a village, containing the
flint built parsonage where George
Herbert wrote some of the poems in
'The Temple" Within the altar rails
of the little church is modest tablet
with the simple inscription, &c II.
1888" the only memorial in Wiltshire
to "the sweetest singer that ever sang
Gods praise"
Within the cathedral, on the north
side of the altar, lies the body of tba
sister whom Sir Philip Sidney loved TO
visit at Wilton, the ancestral estate of
the Pembroke family, not much more
tran a mile to the west of Bemerton.
1t was at Wilton that Sidney wrote
parts of his arcadia" to please, as
he put it. vhis dear lady and sister
the countess of Pembroke"
Interesting, too, are the cIoisters,
not only for the beauty of their win
dow tracery, but for the memories they
for among those who lie at
rest in this sanctuary inclosed by the
are people whose names rave
a place OF honor In the modern rec
ords Of tho Wiltshire minister.