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Article RANDOM THOUGHTS—II. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Random Thoughts—Ii.
RANDOM THOUGHTS—II .
L 0 SD 0 N , SATURDAY , MiPTEMliPJl 0 , 1 S 59 .
AA'ISDOJI—STRENGTH—BEAUTY . DORIC , Ionic , and Corinthian , shadowed forth in all their glory—Avhat thoughts do not these words conjure up ! They take us back to the palmy days of Athenian glory—tell of the wonderful magnificence of the Acropolis of Athens—scarcely make us wonder at tho fanatical cry stirred up by sundry
goldsmiths , "Great is Diana of the Ephesians , "—take ns back to the time when Doria was first conquered by the Grecians ( hardy then and strong- in warfare , before luxury had enervated them ) —and when various bands of colonists , under the leadership of " Ion , " son of Xuthus and Creusa , took possession of the p leasant groves and plains of Cariabanishing tho oriinal
, g proprietors of the soil , naming it "Ionia" after their intrepid leader , and holding possession till , ages afterwards , diiven therefrom by Cyrus . What an inexhaustible mine is there to the artist architect , AA'ho is enthusiastic in his profession and calling , the stud } ' of Avhich in itself tends to ennoble thc . mind , yet AA'hich , while giving free scope to thc
imagination or soul of man , must of necessity tell him that all things are mutable , and that even his works , proud and substantial though they may be , must ultimately , like his own earthly tabernacle , crumble into dust ! Thus while bringing out the soul , and showing to his brother thc poiver of the intellect with AA'hich God has blessed his creatures , it still teaches
humility . The pyramids alone , of all the creations of those early ages exist in their entirety , and there is something wonderful about this . There is a providence whicli has watched over thein for a purpose , for IIOAV strikingly do they prove the truth of certain portions of holy writ—living Avitnesses to the trials of the Israelites while in captivit y in the land to Avhich Joseiih ' s brethren sold him .
" Doric , Ionic , and Corinthian ! " Manly strength , matronly Avisdom , and maidenly beauty , who is there that has thoroughly mastered these throe Orders ? Where is the history of architecture whicli has done justice to them , or ivhich has fully perceived that beautiful symbolism with whicli Ercc-¦ nasonry alone has invested them—a symbolism based upon
the most secure foundation , that of truth—a symbolism , in fact , which led to their ori ginal production . Architecture cannot be described by ' Eandom Tin nights , " therefore , in despair , wo g ive , up thc task of depicting its beauties . But Avith symbolism we can deal , however random our thoughts may be , and symbolism is the heart and soul of Masonry . Wo
have said before , " Manly strength , matronly wisdom , and maidenl y beauty , " that AVO ivill reverse the order , and place our reference to the latter , as Masons are in honour bound to do , in the vanguard of our remarks , and the word "Corinthian" -will conjure up a great many of them . — at least to those who understand its mysteries . This
beautiful column refers us to its prototype—woman , lovely woman—and what beauty is there in this sublunary world to surpass that of the gentle daughters of our once sinless "mother , Eve . What grace , what delicacy , what loveliness fire there enshrined ! So highly did our ancient brethren A'aluc the charms and graces of women , that their very
architecture vi'as founded on them—that in every temple and every stone they mig ht lie reminded of these , the loveliest beings in creation . Nay , more than this , our ancient brethren made them tho supports of their Lodge—• ind , by symbolism , admitted them to their greatest mystci'ies . Corinthian and Ionic—of whom do these columns
speak—of whom arc the terms wisdom and beauty symbolical ? Esad the rudiments of architecture , store well in your mind that beautiful tale of the " acanthus leaf ; " as related b y Vitrirvius , one of tho best writers on this science . -UOAV beautiful and affecting is that charming tale of Callimachus and the young maiden ' s basket of toys , placed liy fter grieving mirso upon , the green ffravo in ivliieh its late
mistress slept the still quiet sleep of death ! To this distinguished aud beautiful capital were added the most lovel y proportions it Avas possible to conceive—that of the young maiden just entering upon the threshold of womanhood , This proportion it is which gives its grace and elegance to this queen of the orders—and trulby this symbolismb
y , y early impressions and by association , it is the very incarnation of beauty . Wisely therefore has it been chosen to represent that great and distinguishing attribute Avhich shines forth " throughout all creation , the animate as Avell as the inanimate parts thereof . "
While girlhood has been the typo and proportion of this graceful creation of thc artist ' s brain , a production that has immortalized its happy inventor—man , exulting in the greatness of his muscular strength , has been the standard from which another column has been modelled , introduced by the Dorians , and first applied to the buildings which they
" erected , completed and dedicated , " to the worshi p of their peculiar religion . This was indeed an emblem of strength , bearing the proportions of the full grown , and developed , and stalwart lords of the creation—and from the name of the people by whom this was substituted for the rudo timber columns of previous ages , it was called "Doric , "
Its proportions Avere calculated to sustain very heavy crushing weights , and as it / appeared strong in itself , so was this column crowned-with an entablature whicli would have been applicable to no other style . This , therefore , as it ivas produced by the Masonic body of old for the purposes of strength , was chosen also to be symbolical likewise of that quality .
Strong as man is , we see him yet again supported b y woman , for woman , weak and powerless as she is to carry on a physical conflict , is yet again placed , though in a different phase , above man , being made the personification of wisdom as well as of beauty . And truly iu everyday life do we find this to be tho
case , and well would it be for thousands if the advice of the staid matron were more often sought after and acted upon when given . Woman is possessed of forethought , Avhich is in . vain striven for by the majority of tho lords ofthe creation , and in her every work shines forth that marvellous power of contrivance ivith which she is peculiarly endowed . Time after
time you must have knoivn women decide questions on the instant with unerring accuracy , which you had been poring over for an hour perhaps with no other result than to find yourself getting deeper in the tangled noose of difficulties . A witty French Avriter says , "AVhen a man has toiled step by ste p up a flight of stairs , he will be sure to find a woman at tho
top . " Man is to light , to contend with those dark enemies , the world and mammon . Woman is to be a helpmeet for him , to cheer him under difficulties , to strengthen his faith , and to assist in keeping him in that narrow path Avhich icadeth to life eternal . While man . has been represented only as strength b
y the artists of old , woman has thus received a double homage , for has she not been shadowed forth in a twofold character , and characters most exalted—even wisdom and beauty . Upon , the stately and handsome form , of the matron Avas the Ionic order founded , while after the more graceful , delicate , and lovely shape of maidenhood was the happily conceived
Corinthian , order modelled ; and Avell can wc imagine the enthusiastic gaze of the Athenians when they beheld Callimachus ' s temple rear high its majestic head , so 2 'roudly adorned with that sweet acanthus capital which even up to the present time has found no rival . Woman then has furnished us with wisdom and beauty ,
while man has produced but strength , an element essentiall y important in the state io which he is called , but absolutely nothing when not combined with wisdom to divert its efforts and to give everything ib produces the stamp of beauty . Man , therefore , ought not to be alone in the world * strong as he is , his stop falters if ho traverse its mazers in solitude , unaccompanied by that helpmeet which was created p ;
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Random Thoughts—Ii.
RANDOM THOUGHTS—II .
L 0 SD 0 N , SATURDAY , MiPTEMliPJl 0 , 1 S 59 .
AA'ISDOJI—STRENGTH—BEAUTY . DORIC , Ionic , and Corinthian , shadowed forth in all their glory—Avhat thoughts do not these words conjure up ! They take us back to the palmy days of Athenian glory—tell of the wonderful magnificence of the Acropolis of Athens—scarcely make us wonder at tho fanatical cry stirred up by sundry
goldsmiths , "Great is Diana of the Ephesians , "—take ns back to the time when Doria was first conquered by the Grecians ( hardy then and strong- in warfare , before luxury had enervated them ) —and when various bands of colonists , under the leadership of " Ion , " son of Xuthus and Creusa , took possession of the p leasant groves and plains of Cariabanishing tho oriinal
, g proprietors of the soil , naming it "Ionia" after their intrepid leader , and holding possession till , ages afterwards , diiven therefrom by Cyrus . What an inexhaustible mine is there to the artist architect , AA'ho is enthusiastic in his profession and calling , the stud } ' of Avhich in itself tends to ennoble thc . mind , yet AA'hich , while giving free scope to thc
imagination or soul of man , must of necessity tell him that all things are mutable , and that even his works , proud and substantial though they may be , must ultimately , like his own earthly tabernacle , crumble into dust ! Thus while bringing out the soul , and showing to his brother thc poiver of the intellect with AA'hich God has blessed his creatures , it still teaches
humility . The pyramids alone , of all the creations of those early ages exist in their entirety , and there is something wonderful about this . There is a providence whicli has watched over thein for a purpose , for IIOAV strikingly do they prove the truth of certain portions of holy writ—living Avitnesses to the trials of the Israelites while in captivit y in the land to Avhich Joseiih ' s brethren sold him .
" Doric , Ionic , and Corinthian ! " Manly strength , matronly Avisdom , and maidenly beauty , who is there that has thoroughly mastered these throe Orders ? Where is the history of architecture whicli has done justice to them , or ivhich has fully perceived that beautiful symbolism with whicli Ercc-¦ nasonry alone has invested them—a symbolism based upon
the most secure foundation , that of truth—a symbolism , in fact , which led to their ori ginal production . Architecture cannot be described by ' Eandom Tin nights , " therefore , in despair , wo g ive , up thc task of depicting its beauties . But Avith symbolism we can deal , however random our thoughts may be , and symbolism is the heart and soul of Masonry . Wo
have said before , " Manly strength , matronly wisdom , and maidenl y beauty , " that AVO ivill reverse the order , and place our reference to the latter , as Masons are in honour bound to do , in the vanguard of our remarks , and the word "Corinthian" -will conjure up a great many of them . — at least to those who understand its mysteries . This
beautiful column refers us to its prototype—woman , lovely woman—and what beauty is there in this sublunary world to surpass that of the gentle daughters of our once sinless "mother , Eve . What grace , what delicacy , what loveliness fire there enshrined ! So highly did our ancient brethren A'aluc the charms and graces of women , that their very
architecture vi'as founded on them—that in every temple and every stone they mig ht lie reminded of these , the loveliest beings in creation . Nay , more than this , our ancient brethren made them tho supports of their Lodge—• ind , by symbolism , admitted them to their greatest mystci'ies . Corinthian and Ionic—of whom do these columns
speak—of whom arc the terms wisdom and beauty symbolical ? Esad the rudiments of architecture , store well in your mind that beautiful tale of the " acanthus leaf ; " as related b y Vitrirvius , one of tho best writers on this science . -UOAV beautiful and affecting is that charming tale of Callimachus and the young maiden ' s basket of toys , placed liy fter grieving mirso upon , the green ffravo in ivliieh its late
mistress slept the still quiet sleep of death ! To this distinguished aud beautiful capital were added the most lovel y proportions it Avas possible to conceive—that of the young maiden just entering upon the threshold of womanhood , This proportion it is which gives its grace and elegance to this queen of the orders—and trulby this symbolismb
y , y early impressions and by association , it is the very incarnation of beauty . Wisely therefore has it been chosen to represent that great and distinguishing attribute Avhich shines forth " throughout all creation , the animate as Avell as the inanimate parts thereof . "
While girlhood has been the typo and proportion of this graceful creation of thc artist ' s brain , a production that has immortalized its happy inventor—man , exulting in the greatness of his muscular strength , has been the standard from which another column has been modelled , introduced by the Dorians , and first applied to the buildings which they
" erected , completed and dedicated , " to the worshi p of their peculiar religion . This was indeed an emblem of strength , bearing the proportions of the full grown , and developed , and stalwart lords of the creation—and from the name of the people by whom this was substituted for the rudo timber columns of previous ages , it was called "Doric , "
Its proportions Avere calculated to sustain very heavy crushing weights , and as it / appeared strong in itself , so was this column crowned-with an entablature whicli would have been applicable to no other style . This , therefore , as it ivas produced by the Masonic body of old for the purposes of strength , was chosen also to be symbolical likewise of that quality .
Strong as man is , we see him yet again supported b y woman , for woman , weak and powerless as she is to carry on a physical conflict , is yet again placed , though in a different phase , above man , being made the personification of wisdom as well as of beauty . And truly iu everyday life do we find this to be tho
case , and well would it be for thousands if the advice of the staid matron were more often sought after and acted upon when given . Woman is possessed of forethought , Avhich is in . vain striven for by the majority of tho lords ofthe creation , and in her every work shines forth that marvellous power of contrivance ivith which she is peculiarly endowed . Time after
time you must have knoivn women decide questions on the instant with unerring accuracy , which you had been poring over for an hour perhaps with no other result than to find yourself getting deeper in the tangled noose of difficulties . A witty French Avriter says , "AVhen a man has toiled step by ste p up a flight of stairs , he will be sure to find a woman at tho
top . " Man is to light , to contend with those dark enemies , the world and mammon . Woman is to be a helpmeet for him , to cheer him under difficulties , to strengthen his faith , and to assist in keeping him in that narrow path Avhich icadeth to life eternal . While man . has been represented only as strength b
y the artists of old , woman has thus received a double homage , for has she not been shadowed forth in a twofold character , and characters most exalted—even wisdom and beauty . Upon , the stately and handsome form , of the matron Avas the Ionic order founded , while after the more graceful , delicate , and lovely shape of maidenhood was the happily conceived
Corinthian , order modelled ; and Avell can wc imagine the enthusiastic gaze of the Athenians when they beheld Callimachus ' s temple rear high its majestic head , so 2 'roudly adorned with that sweet acanthus capital which even up to the present time has found no rival . Woman then has furnished us with wisdom and beauty ,
while man has produced but strength , an element essentiall y important in the state io which he is called , but absolutely nothing when not combined with wisdom to divert its efforts and to give everything ib produces the stamp of beauty . Man , therefore , ought not to be alone in the world * strong as he is , his stop falters if ho traverse its mazers in solitude , unaccompanied by that helpmeet which was created p ;