Evening star., 1924-06-05
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

tDEethef win tnese famous palaces,
which was announced recently by
the French government. witnesses
growing comprehension of the fact
that great art is, az NJ. Poincare puts
IL, the artistic patrimony OF the
whole world"
Rheims Cathedral. which was so
terribly destroyed during the great
war; the magnificent park at Ver-
SMILES. laid out by lie EotrA, the great
French landscape gardner, and mag
Bibcshtly decorated by the works of
French sculptors; the Palace of Fon-
t4!nsbIeau, with it's beautiful grounds
are all great works Of art which for
generations have served as inspira-
! tion 10 the artists not only Of France
but OF all nations, and If they were
permitted to pass away through the
rasages of time and the temporary
poverty OF the nation which brought
them into existence the whole world
would be Impoverished. 1t would
be our loss as well, almost equally
as that OF France.
An American traveller in Europe in
the early years of the nineteenth CEN
| tury notes in his unpublished journal
conversation which ne had with
| Lafayette. whom he had met at Yer
shilles, in which the great patriot of
! the days OF the revolution expressed
fbfffEN leEt the creation OF TINS mag
HIhcent paTk, one Of the most Splen-
! did works Of landscape architecture
! IN the world. had been an extrava-
gance OF royalty. which. despite its
| beauty, should be frowned upon II
was an extrayagance, but LAFAYETTE
ala not take into consideration the
thousands Of persons. many OF them
travellers from America, who would
| ind untold delight in this extrava-
| gance of the monarchy
But to return TO Rheims. What
| would the strict sect OF Baptists. even
fifty years ago, have thought if it
had been suggested that one of their
members would help to restore by
lavish gift one OF the great Roman
Catholic cathedrals of the world? Yet
| today SO general is the recognition
OF these great Gothic cathedrals as
! monuments Of art that Mr.. Rookie
fellers gift is regarded in the same
! llght as similar donation to an art
| museum Again art serves as mo-
dunn of common fellowship.
| In q discussion Of what might he
the greatest service that could he
| rendered to art in America TODAY Al
! the recent convention of the Amer
can Federation Of Arts, Ralph Booth
| president Of the Detroit Art institute,
sara that lt IL were a personal matter
! with him and he had the means he
would build great Gothic cathedral.
| believing such to be the most perfect
! expression Of art, and so calculated
10 most largely serve the people not
! only or this age, but of the ages vet
to come This view of the great
cathedrals of the world is one which
many scholars, leaders of thought
ana lovers OF beauty have shared.
Many are familiar with Henry Ad-
ans book on the Cathedral OF Char
| tres-beautifully written. sensitively
| a7preciatire of a great work of art
AS & his niece said: The Education.
life in the world with glimpses per-
haps only to those who knew him of
! his inner shrine, whereas the life be-
hind veil reveals itself in the mon
ument in Rock Creek cemetery. and
! also in the volume. Mont St Michel
and Chartres.' Reading again his
description nf the western rose Of
Chartres, one realizes how powerful
was the influence of this cathedral
upon the mind Of this representative
! son Of New England.
r x
| Less familiar. perhaps is the praise
which another New Englander. Henry
James, the great master of English
(
! view of which he thus charmingly de-
! scrioes: The pleasantest things in
| life, and perhaps the rarest. are it's
| agreeable surprises. Things are often
| worse than we expect to find them,
| and when they are better we may
mark the day with a white stone.
These reflections are as applicable to
man as tourist as to any other
phase OF his destiny, and / recently
had occasion to make them in the
ancient city of Wells. | knew in a
general way that ii had a great
cathedral 10 show, but was far from
suspecting the precious picturesque
ness of the little town. The immense
as YOU see them from the approach
! ing train over the clustered houses
at their feet give you indeed an init
nation of it, and suggest that the
city is nothing if not ecclesiastical
| hut | can wish the traveller no better
| fortune than to stroll forth in the
early evening with Is large reserve
| of ignorance as my own and treat
| himself to an hour of discovery
1t is a wonderful fact that
the great towers from their lofty out
look see never factory chimney
| those cloud compelling spires which
so often break the charm OF the soft
English horizons and the general at
nosphere of Wells seemed to me, for
some reason. peculiarly luminous and
! sweet.
To Nathaniel Hawthorne a Gothic
cathedral seemed "the most wonder
full work which mortal man has YET
achieved-so vast so intricate, sc
profoundly simple. with such strange
delightful recesses in its grand figure
so difficult OF comprehension withir
one idea and yet all SO consonan
that il ultimately draws the beholdel
and his universe into its harmony
the only thing in the world that i.
vast enough and rich enough
Henry Adams, Henry James. Ma
,haniel Hawthorne and August Rodir
were all OF ono mind on this subject
Rodiu. the greatest sculptor OF ouI
day. Is reported 10 have said: "Al
our France Is in her cathedrals,- add
ing: Before leave this world
want at least 70 have told my ad
mira.iaa ef these narvelS l hav,
been privileged 90 love them and tt
have tasted the best pleasure OF m.
llfr in their presence. want q
celebrate these stones so tenderf,
wrough, 10 beauty by humble ant
; gifted art,sta these spaces OF besuti
fal shade, where sentleness sleeps II
! strpagth these hnr, powerful rib
| which raa 10 she Nauttcd roof anC
| are bound tato tae intersection OF
aewpr. these ROSE windows inspires
by the setting sun,
|
| All this Is OF the more interest Il