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Article OUR AEGHITECTIJEAL CHAPTER. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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Our Aeghitectijeal Chapter.
w-ere built by Masonic associations , and from whose organization was derived the very title of a free and accepted ^^ ^^ M when the bigotry of a narrow school of criticism allowed of nothing brit
the three or five classic orders , which allowed no beauty , no system , no law of composition , beyond the prescriptions of Vitruvius , Palladio or Vignola , a , t such a time was a protest supported by an influential and enlightened body of men having the interests of an important art under their special protection .
We call this a protest , because it was so as far as the world was concerned , being a protest . against .. the exclusive pretensions of Italian architecture , but so far as the Craft was concerned it was nothing more than the vindication of the catholicity of architecture as an art , under whatever type of beauty it presented itself . This teaching was not limited to England and Scotland , but spread to France , Holland , Prussia—wherever in fact Masonry was introduced arid practised . It was felt to be impossible tobrand the forerunners of out illustrious Order as mere Goths and
Vandals , because they did not work in ## rders which were not known in the great rnonxunents of remote antiquity , or had ceased to flourish when the organization of practical Masonry most flourished . Thus within and without the Graft was a feeling of veneration propagated for mediseval art . As Masons did not attempt to restrict truth to themselves , but have ever willingly propagated it , so far as the world was willing to receive it , it followed that this sentiment of Masonry impressed
itself * on the world at large ; and most naturally so , for as throughout Western Europe Masonry had enrolled in its ranks the men of foremost intellect , so the homage was tacitly allowed to it , that it must have a tradition and a process of aesthetics , if not special and exclusive , at any rate enlightened , and in so far the subject of study and attention , that it was allied with the express forms and labours of the Craft . It was ' not unknown on the continent that the Lodges , besides having many architectural
members specially attached , paid particular attention to architectural researches and occupied themselves with the recital and discussion of architectural discourses . The documents which gained publicity on the continent showed conclusively that this art and its aesthetic relations were embraced in a range of studies which included the highest topics of morals and philosophy . It was observed among other things that Egyptian studies and Egyptian antiquities were the occupation of many eminent Masons ,
and followed-with especial rites . By these impressions the public mind was affected , and practical fruits resulted from it . As in this country Horace Walpole was led to advocate the study of mediaeval art , so was a like sentiment propagated throughout / Europe , and a practical revival took place of gothic art , and thus it was restored , and has flourished and gained strength , till in our days it has nearly reconquered the dominion of the public mind , not only here but in the neighbouring countries .
So , too , the nascent efforts of the new patrons of the Gothic were much favoured by the protection of Masonry . It might , with the general public , be sufficient to denounce the new works as barbarous and beneath the attention of cultivated minds , but such assertions could obtain no countenance or acquiescence from Masons , who did not choose to believe that the Temple
was a simple reproduction of the Parthenon , of a building in Asia Minor , . or the Baths of Diocletian . Thus the Mason naturally withstood the bitter hostility of those who ridiculed the rivalry of gothic with classic , and gave a protection which withheld the general public from neglecting or abandoning the new attempts . We have expatiated a little on this topic , because we consider it has a
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our Aeghitectijeal Chapter.
w-ere built by Masonic associations , and from whose organization was derived the very title of a free and accepted ^^ ^^ M when the bigotry of a narrow school of criticism allowed of nothing brit
the three or five classic orders , which allowed no beauty , no system , no law of composition , beyond the prescriptions of Vitruvius , Palladio or Vignola , a , t such a time was a protest supported by an influential and enlightened body of men having the interests of an important art under their special protection .
We call this a protest , because it was so as far as the world was concerned , being a protest . against .. the exclusive pretensions of Italian architecture , but so far as the Craft was concerned it was nothing more than the vindication of the catholicity of architecture as an art , under whatever type of beauty it presented itself . This teaching was not limited to England and Scotland , but spread to France , Holland , Prussia—wherever in fact Masonry was introduced arid practised . It was felt to be impossible tobrand the forerunners of out illustrious Order as mere Goths and
Vandals , because they did not work in ## rders which were not known in the great rnonxunents of remote antiquity , or had ceased to flourish when the organization of practical Masonry most flourished . Thus within and without the Graft was a feeling of veneration propagated for mediseval art . As Masons did not attempt to restrict truth to themselves , but have ever willingly propagated it , so far as the world was willing to receive it , it followed that this sentiment of Masonry impressed
itself * on the world at large ; and most naturally so , for as throughout Western Europe Masonry had enrolled in its ranks the men of foremost intellect , so the homage was tacitly allowed to it , that it must have a tradition and a process of aesthetics , if not special and exclusive , at any rate enlightened , and in so far the subject of study and attention , that it was allied with the express forms and labours of the Craft . It was ' not unknown on the continent that the Lodges , besides having many architectural
members specially attached , paid particular attention to architectural researches and occupied themselves with the recital and discussion of architectural discourses . The documents which gained publicity on the continent showed conclusively that this art and its aesthetic relations were embraced in a range of studies which included the highest topics of morals and philosophy . It was observed among other things that Egyptian studies and Egyptian antiquities were the occupation of many eminent Masons ,
and followed-with especial rites . By these impressions the public mind was affected , and practical fruits resulted from it . As in this country Horace Walpole was led to advocate the study of mediaeval art , so was a like sentiment propagated throughout / Europe , and a practical revival took place of gothic art , and thus it was restored , and has flourished and gained strength , till in our days it has nearly reconquered the dominion of the public mind , not only here but in the neighbouring countries .
So , too , the nascent efforts of the new patrons of the Gothic were much favoured by the protection of Masonry . It might , with the general public , be sufficient to denounce the new works as barbarous and beneath the attention of cultivated minds , but such assertions could obtain no countenance or acquiescence from Masons , who did not choose to believe that the Temple
was a simple reproduction of the Parthenon , of a building in Asia Minor , . or the Baths of Diocletian . Thus the Mason naturally withstood the bitter hostility of those who ridiculed the rivalry of gothic with classic , and gave a protection which withheld the general public from neglecting or abandoning the new attempts . We have expatiated a little on this topic , because we consider it has a