_The Yew Tree in Village Churchyards._--Why did our forefathers choose
the yew as the inseparable attendant upon the outer state of the churches
raised by them? Apart from its grave and sombre appearance, I cannot
help recognising a mysterious embodiment of the spirit of evil as the
intention of the planters. We know that in all mediæval edifices there
is an apparent and discernible endeavour to place in juxta-position the
spirits of good and evil, to _materialise_ the idea of an adversative
spirit, antagonistic to the church's teachings, and hurtful to her
efforts of advancement. I look upon the grotesque cephalic corbels as one
modification of this, and would interpret many equally mysterious emblems
by referring them to the same actuating desire. Now the yew is certainly
the most deadly of indigenous productions, and therefore would be chosen
as the representative of a spirit of destruction, the opposite to one
that giveth life by its teachings, of which the building itself is the
sensible sign. I crave more information from some learned ecclesiologist
on the subject, which is certainly a most interesting one.