The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-05-16


i moaunasnt-Buiidi.s.
! All nations. we believe savage and civilized in al
ages nave been monument bailders-that is, they have
all pactsed The custom OF erecting structures, whether
mounds, or cairns, tumul, tombs, pillars, OF
columns, or pyramids. obelisks guaeas in Peru
IN commemoTaon OF important events, or for the pur-
pose OF consecratng aud pepeuatng the fame OF great
men, or OF those who had exercised, for the veal
OF their country great authority At first these
lures must have been rude insignificant and pershable
Even ne memorial erected to SO great hero as Hector
was Du very modest one-a mere heap OF stones
loosely thrown Notwithstanding to Homers descrp
ton OF il.
establishing an ancient fact but to establish ancient
custom, and thus quoted he is high authority; for not
only Is ne an nintabe painter OF sieges, battles and
combas, but also animated and graphic deneator of
manners and customs. As regards the fact of Hectors
burial, or OF his existence even. among the
doubers "Iime doubts of Troy" says Byron, and the
doubts are probably well founded Bat this we are not
going 10 discuss.
Among the ancien,s. the Greeks and Romans were in
architecture sculpture. and painting, far ahead OF all
other naons--not in antiquity, but in merit. Leaving
out OF view the Chinese and other Asiatcs OF whose
marvellous architectural creations rather indges-
tbe stories have been told, and coming the
tries bordering on the Mediterranean the Egyptians are
first in order in the constructive arts. They the
masters OF the Greeks in art, and in civilization itself
and yet not many had elapsed before the Greeks
greatly in advance OF their teachers the very arts the
rudments OF which they had borrowed from the country
OF the PhaIaohs Before architecture sculpture had
been attempted by the Greeks, the pyramids and the
obesks had been standing perhaps in their solitary and
useless magnfcence some thousands OF years. But
after their erection Egyptian art 10 have exhausted
ITSELF and then to have stopped, rather refrigerated
10 the Egyptian mind in the constructive arts, excellence
consisted in magnitude and height and those being at
But although the pyramids supendous and sublime,
they have nothing OF the graceful and the beautiful in
which the surviving specimens Of Grecan art abound
and there is elegance and good taste of the
quintessence OF art in single Grecan temple statue
than in all the pyramids together.
The why the Greeks and SO far oustrip
| al ~. .fur
sumed by the learned and udicious WInckelman to be
race climate and institutions which were all in favor OF
the Greeks but above all those arts esteemed, and
the artists rewarded in Greece, whilst in Egypt both the
arts and the artists were degraded To build pyramid
required no great degree Of skill, but almost Unlimited
supply OF labor and OF material Those supenlous mon
uments are, thRk, evidences OF numerous and
shaved popuation-of an arbitrary and irresponsible gov
erninen and at the same time most oppressive one.
10 build PYRAMID might cost. and dd cost me lives OF
tweaty or thirty thousand men, or OF more; but what
the yant for tha,' His pride vanity being graf
flied, the appalling cost Of lis grathcatlon gave him no
concern.
Ia very recent times the French and English have done
more in the monument building line any other
ton-the French having built the most aud the finest
and Tor this there has been The bloody
n which they engaged for than twenty years,
and which grew out Of the great revolution and the n
victories they gained over Their enemies furnish
ed abundance OF subjects Tor monumental architecture,
which they have neglected. The Iriumphdl arch at
pans-Art de Itomphe del EtoHe-is, Tor magnitude
and magnifcence, the first edce OF the kind that has
been built in modern times Ii is q column, but
structure hundred and fifty feet high with arch,
and cost nearly Two millions OF dollars. The Napoleon
column the Place de Vendome is probably though not
largest the elevated yet the most deliberately
and supeIbly executed work OF the kind ever accom-
piished Ii column hundred and thirtyhve feet
in height, the pedestal and shaft OF which COW
cred with bas-reefs formed OF twelve hundred pieces Of
cannon taken from the enemies OF France. There are
thousand human figures some OF them three feet
length which the breadth OF the scroll that winds sp
rally round the column and is eight hundred and forty
feet in length On the top stands bronze statue Of Ma
poleon, twelve feet in height, in his celebrated military
costume-he plain cooked hat and the gray surtout This
weight in gold The Restoration dismounted Napoleon,
but Louis Philippe obliged to have him replaced, and
il 10 now article the polcO-military creed OF the
Grands Nation that he is not to come down again.
The finest columnar monument IN England IS the one
erected in honor OF Nelson, Trafalgar Square, London
stands in basin OF water which is not exactly in the
best iaste according TO notions OF TASTE The idea is,
that as Nelson aquatic hero, pool OF fresh water
round the base OF The monument IS symboIlcat-a lew
bucke,fuls of that element being the symbol OF the
boundless salt ocean! There have been several monu-
ments-equestii satues-eTected to the Duke OF Wei
nston, but column, believe OF any considerable
height;
that OF all other heroes and patriots for grandeur and
simplicity it is intended that the monument TO be
erected to his memory in this city shall surpass all others
in those same attributes II stands on the bank OF the
Potomac which is appropriate; for on the bank oil that
beautiful river STOOD and yet stands, his modest man.
sion Ii will be live hundred feet in heght-more than
double the height OF any other monument of the kind
and in its appearance will be fchase, Imposing, and
majestic Il will be built Of the best mater al-whe
marbe-and If not injured by accident or violence will
be in good preserv alton thousand years hence.