“And then, deliberately, methodically, slowly, the princes and captains of an accursed race mangled the sacred pile until all had fallen. Fairest and most human images in all the world, a forest of gigantic columns, a vast vaulted canopy of stone, majestic walls and heaven-stained glass--it was murder in cold blood, the murder not of a life but of immortality. Forty-eight long hours the inexplicable crime dragged out. Louvain first, now Rheims. What next?”
The artistic beauty of the cathedral of Rheims can never be restored, in the opinion of Whitney Warren, the New York architect, who made a thorough inspection of the structure.
Mr. Warren, who is a corresponding member of the Institut de France, was given the privilege of visiting the cathedral. His investigation had no official character, but the result of his observations was communicated to Myron T. Herrick, American Ambassador to Belgium.
“That anything remains of the edifice,” said Mr. Warren, “is due to the strong construction of the walls and vaults which are of a robustness that can resist even modern implements of war.”
The building was not battered by the heavier guns, as had been feared, but it suffered most from shrapnel fire. The famous rose windows, the sculpture and other details of the façade that were ruined are, however, just the examples of art that can not be replaced.
Statues, gargoyles, and other ornaments on the exterior of the cathedral have been tumbled to the pavement and shattered, though at first glance the outer walls of the cathedral do not show the ruin that has taken place. These blackened walls yet stand as a monument to the glory of France, but still more as a grim reminder of the barbarity of German warfare.
THE CANADIANS’ GLORIOUS FEAT AT LANGEMARCK
THE CRUCIAL TEST OF CANADA’S MEN -- WONDERFUL STORY OF HEROISM AS TOLD BY SIR MAX AITKEN -- A REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE -- QUIET PRECEDING STORM -- SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES -- LINE NEVER WAVERED -- OFFICER FELL AT HEAD OF TROOPS -- FORTUNES OF THIRD BRIGADE -- IN DIRE PERIL -- OVERWHELMING NUMBERS -- PUT TO TEST -- CAPTURE OF ST. JULIEN -- A HERO LEADING HEROES.
The fight of the Canadians at Langemarck and St. Julien in April, 1915, makes such a battle story as has sufficed, in other nations, to inspire song and tradition for centuries. In the words of Sir John French, the Canadians, by holding their ground when it did not seem humanly possible to hold it, “saved the situation,” kept the enemy out of Ypres, kept closed the road to Calais, and made a failure of German plans that otherwise were about to be successful.