Article: Whimsical stone figures keep evil spirits from National Cathedral.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services)

WASHINGTON _ Europeans waltz to Mozart and Bach when Americans twist to Chubby Checker and Elvis Presley. As Europeans savor a square of brie, Americans are sharp on cheddar. Europeans patiently watch the bubbles in their champagne burst, while some Americans have tossed the corkscrew completely, welcoming the convenience of wine in a box.

Americans have a history of taking European pleasures and adapting them to the busy, on-the-run culture of 21st-century America.

While that may seem obvious, the National Cathedral in Washington offers another example with its proud collection of gargoyles, stone carvings that originated in Europe hundreds of years ...

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