The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-10-17

of American buildings, uncarved anC
scarcely chisclcd. will be struck with the
carving and decorations on stone. The
corniccs were not wood painted like
stone hut stone curled and carved-a.
if in oldcn times cutting stono had beer
the easiest Of all occupations. We arc
accustomed to decorations in paste. il
plaster in wood. We do not think il
strange to see picture-frames wrcathed
with vines. or furniture sculptured into
flowers and fruits but the time and ex'
pense required for working stone has for
bid such ornaments in America, with the
exception Of eXeorablo carving on lawen.
table efavestoncs, that cannot but keep
alive a sense Of pain in the spectator as
long as they last
In Oxford, in all the colleges and 9th
or public buildings, uncorved stones
would seem to be accounted as almost
unsocmly. The dOorways, the window-
sills and caps, the cornices. the capitals.
the podimonts, are profusely decorated
Grotesque heads, lions face satyrs. dis
tortcd human faces birds. flowers leaves.
roscttes seize upon every projection of
the Gothic buildings. Where the
building represented Greek architecture
they were decorated more severely. but
WIN scarcely less proinsion OF carving.
was even more delighted with the
GROUNDS anf walks than with the twill
light secusion of the cloistercd rooms. |
sat down in the recess Of the window. in
one Of the stulent's rooms. and looked
out INTO an exquisite nook, with large
mound not unlike some OF our colnical
mus IN the rohlng land5 OF the west,
p'ante4 with shrubs and trees to the very
.'P' Is tnere anythIng more bowltchlng
than to looR up beneath the branches OF
'regs , upon 'he. ascent OF hlll
nc grass was IlRc pic ot velvet:
'hicN' even deeply green, and with
crl'P' succuient look nat made YOU feel
t.at NebuchadncIzar bad not SO bad a
dlet alter all The grounds were laid
out with r"r,erres OF howers. clnmps OF
treeS' gFaVe'leu walks artiulIy traced to
produce the utmost ILLUSION, vines, and
upon every 'hS'gntly ohJect. ana along
."e S'ohe i'"u'' that glorious sheet oil
IVY 'hat' everywhere IN hngland, incases
wai'S ana towers emerald In these de-
ilcIous coVer.S' piriS h'ppeI about IN mt
erafy SeciHSioh' or cha'tcd with each
othet IN musical notes, such as Jenny
Land might be supposed to sing to her
sleeping cradle or to frolicking child.
1t Is very paradise of secluson. Nolse
seemed Ike m antediinvlau legend as'sat
and dreamed IN the SumberouS stiffness
Nor was illticrcd Iy the painful con-
trast which my memory supplied of A
m'rlcan colleges, with frigid rooms, with
out gardens or secluded walks, with
grounds undccoratcd except 10y chip',
ashes. and the dank and moldcd drop
pings OF paper, rags and various frag-
ments of nocturnal teaSts, which may Of
ten be found beneath the windowsamong
rank and watcry weeds, on the neglect
cd side Of college Buildings. where every
side is neglected. But if all the stories
told me he true, or the half of them,
clustered rooms are not necessarily pro-
ddctive of profound study any more than
cloistered cells Of profound riety.
The Fellows of the colleges are IN
married men, who have suites cf rooms,
ample gus'atory provision for the earth
ly man, and revenues for eentlcmanly
support, that they may give themselves
utterly to study. And in many cases,
study. that makes other men lean, is