Gargoyles and A Pair of Pants

On a visit to Oxford this weekend we passed through the Sheldonian Theater for the princely sum of 2 pounds and 50 pence. Contrary to it's name there are no shows performed here, it's only function is to welcome new students to Oxford and hopefully to distribute their diplomas as they exit into the real world. The theater itself is a picture of beauty designed by Wren in the 1700's, he went on to design St Paul's in London. It has fantastic views of Oxford from the top of it's unique roof and has undergone several renovations during the last 250 years. As you view from the roof,  you are surrounded by gargoyles that ward off the evil spirits on most of Oxford's old buildings, you are struck by how much time and effort the stone mason's spent not just on constructing something that will last a thousand more years, but also it's spiritual well being, by placing a gargoyle every 12 feet. In 2004 the were renovating the roof once more and they discovered a time capsule from the early 1900's, a crowd gathered to see what was inside, could it be an undiscovered theory, a problem solved way before it's time? No, not really, the plasterer decided he would put a pair of his work pants in there, to be discovered 100 years later, and although I cannot comment on his skills as a plasterer, I think his sense of humor was outstanding.