The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-01-29

GOTHIC ARcHITEcTURR-Eccles archi-
lecture took its rise from the Romans and byzan-
tines. After the crusades, and under the Hohen-
staufen new style of architecture arose In Ger
many far superior to the Byzantine in subimity and
beauty the churches were built OF greater size,
the towers became lofty, lightness and beauty
of form was studied the pointed arch replaced the
rounded one, and architecture was rendered alto
gether more symbolical in design. The new and
thoroughly German style was denomlnated the
Gothic. This art was cultivated and exercised by
large civil corporation At an earlier period every
monastery had its working monks, (operar's,) ar
chitect, sculptor, painter, musician but, In the
thirteenth century, the great guild OF masons and
stonemasons formed in the cities, who adopted
in the service of the church its mystical ideas, and
eternazed them in their gigantic labors. Their
secret was preserved in the guild the heritage Of
its members, who enjoyed great privileges and were
| termed Free.masons, their art the royal one. IN
Upper Germany, for instance, at Ulm, this guild
| even ruled the city for some time, circumstance
that explains the existence Of so many fine churches
in that city, in all of which the dea the same
rules may be traced.
The churches were skilfully adorned with carved
work, rich ornaments, pillars, and pictures, and
built in such manner to echo and give the finest
| tone to music. At length the Germans acquired
the sublime idea Of expressing the sublimity oil the
Deity by means Of architectural designs; and
whilst the churches still served their former pur-
|
with meaning. The majestic edifices still stand to
bear witness to the spirit to which they owed their
rise. The buildings were to be lofty and large,
striking the eye with wonder and filing the heart
with the feeling Of immensely for the God to whom
the temple is raised is great and sublime. Ihe
appearance Of heaviness was to be carefully avoid
ed art to be hidden and its creations to spring
forth with the apparent of plant from the
SOIL for faith in God is neither forced oppressive,
but free, natural, and sublime. The building must
be lofty, the columns and the pillars shoot like
plants and trees upwards towards the light, and
terminate in high and pointed towers, for faith
| aspires to heaven. The altar must stand towards
| the East, whence came the Saviour. The chancel,
the holy Of holes, only trodden by the priest,
must be separated from the aisle, where stood the
people, for the priesthood is than the people
to the Deity. Finally, the sublimty of the whole
ediice to be yelled by rich and beauteous orna-
ments, the straight and abrupt lines were to be
bent into a thousand elegant curves and degrees,
manifold as the coors of the prism whilst the mas
sive edi6ce rose if from blocks of living stone,
for God is hidden in the universe, in nature and in
endless variety. All these ornaments had also one
principal FORM as if the idea Of the whole pervaded
each minute particle. This form is the rose in the
windows, doors, arches pillar ornaments; and
borne by it, blossoming out Of it, the cross BY
the rose is sgnied the world, life; by the cross,
faith and the Deity. cross within the rose was
in the middle ages the general symbol Of the Deity
The building was the work Of centuries. The
plan devised by the bold genius Of man required
unborn generations to complete, for the live-long
toll of thousands and thousands of skilful hands
were necessary to impress the hard stone with the
masters thought. With genuine self-denial and
freedom from mania for improvement, artists oil
equal skill followed in spirit and in thought the first
lad-down plan, and each in turn, ambitious for his
work and not for name, have, almost all, the in
ventor and the perfecter, remained utterly unknown
| ho drsI oil u. t.,h 81, and tIaa
the greatest of these works of wonder. 1t was
commenced in l24S; the chancel was finished in
1871. 1t Is still in unfinished state, of its
towers are completed, and yet it is the lofties
building in the world, and surpasses all as work
OF art. Ranking next to it stands the Strasbourg
cathedral begun in 1918, the plan of its celebrated
tower was designed in 1876 by Erwin Won Stein
bach, and the tower itself completed in 1889, by
John HItz of Cologne. The other tower is still
wanting. Among the other great works Of this
period, may be enumerated the splendid churches
Of Freiburg in Breisgau, Ulm, Erfurt, Marburg,
Wimpfen, Zanten, Metz, Frankfort, Tam, Naum-
burg, Halberstadt, Nielsen, the st. Stephen
church at Vienna at later date, the stately edit
ces at Prague, and numerous fine churches in the
Netherlands. The palaces of Barbarossa at
Hagenau and Gelnhausen have long been destroyed,
besides many churches, for instance, at Pauuzelle
etc. Many of the town-council houses, as well as
many Of the cathedrals still retain their ancient
beauty.
Among the other arts in the service of religion,
those of the sculptor, the founder, and the carver
were early put into requsition in Germany for the
adornment Of the churches. Fine statues existed
as early as the age Of the Ottos for instance that
OF Otto l. at Magdeburg, and that in the church at
Naumburg of the time Of Otto Ill. In Germany
sculpture essentially above architecture
in merit. The secret Of the great effect produced
by art in the middle ages, was the accordance of
every separate part with the whole, like the differ
ent organs Of life, which, united, expressed
duced joint effect in which each art assisted the
other. As the wondrous pile wholly consisted OF
sculptured materials, sculpture merely exerted its
skill in shafts and decorations, whilst painted win
dows and frescoes give light and coloring to each
object, and the subject Of each picture accorded
with all around. Then the pile resounded ant
spoke like God from the Clouds from its lofty
tower alternately sorrowed and rejoced like mar
in the deep-swelling organ. The art of the founde
and Of the musician was devoted solely to the ser
The churches were rendered still more imposing
in various other ways by the management of the
light, the fumes OF incense, the measured move
ments Of the priests, the spendor Of their attire
the sumptuous plate, etc. The solemn tones o
the organ accompanied Latin hymns of deep an,
! stirring import.
THE STEAMER ArLANTIc,-The New York pa
pers state that the insurance Offices in that city de
clined, on the 18th, taking any additional polcie
on the steamer Atlantic.
The Liverpool Mercury of the 3lst ull. says til,
United States mail steamship Atlantic, Capt. West
left the Mersey on Saturday, for New York, witt
the usual mails and fair complement of passen
gers, being the second American departure henc
on Saturdays since the opening of the winter sea
son. She was passed during the evening. of tn
Bell Buoy, by the mail steamship Asia.
The NewYork Tribune of the 18th, says:
"Nothing has yet been heard ofthe Atlantic. Sh
has probably got out of coal had her engines dis
ahled. We do not doubt that she will finally nrrix