The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-01-12
REV. HENRY GILES LECTURE.

Last night Rev. Henry Giles, delivered the
Seventh Lecture of the Course, before the Mercan-
tile Library Association. He announced his sub.
ject to he Reigious Art and especially in its rela-
tions to Professionalism" The lecturer commenced
by saying that it had long been his desire to throw
into some tangible shape the vague forms and i'm
preston which were floating through his mind in
regard to this subject, and in this lecture he would
endeavor to make his impressions Ineligible HUI
manty, he said, was not made for art, but art for
humanity; any art which did not awaken all
the impulses of our nature not the pro-
duct of genius but of ingenuity. The most prim-
tive of all sentiments is religion. After the
craving for those things which were necessa-
ry for exist ence came the longing for some
thing to ship. The desire for worship is one of
the first ideas, and the demand for art is insepara-
BILE from the desire to worship. The child knows
of heaven, but has no idea of state; apprAniatoo
the idea of duty, but not of citizenship-showing
that while it has thoughts of worship, it has none
of government. Christian art, he remarked, had
its commencement with Christianity, and was as
lowly in its origin as our religion Christ was
born in stable, and Christian art had its origin in
the caves and dens of the earth. He then referred
to the early Roman Christians, who built their
places of worship and sepuchre in the earth. The
catacombs of Rome were the evidence of the crude
ideas of the early Christians. They had
connected with their worship the rudest
specimens of art Nor were these ex-
hbitons of the love of art by the pioneers of chris
tianty, called forth by desires for display they did
not come through luxury, for they the children
of poverty and want. They came from the inmost
recesses of the soul in answer to the spiritual part
of their being. The catacombs were their dwell
ings, their temples and their tombs and the rude
works of art with which they were adorned were Of
three classes Commemoratory, representative and
symbolical. The commemoratory were those dedi
Gated to relatives who had died in the faith or
tyrs; who had suffered and were killed. The repre-
sentative were those which referred to particular
parts of the new testament; and the symbolical
those which typefied Christ. Architecture said he
has entered largely into the Christian arts. The
Gothic style prevailed throughout W estern Europe
after the birth of Christianity. After Christianity
became powerful and had quilted the cause of the
earth, the splendid structures which exist to this
day were reared. There was, continued the ectur-
er, something more than taste displayed in the
erection of those temples for worship Spirituality
entered into their construction, and their different
parts were made to represent the different attri-
butes Of God, and the faith and trust of man. He
here referred to the appropriate design of each part
of the building, closing the comparison by saying
that the different windings and arches of the grand
old cathedrals were not meaningless nothings, for
the eye could not take in all the windings and
arches of the building, how could it be expected
that man could grasp the infinity of God He next
referred to the architecture of the Egyptians. 1t
was void of spirituality. The idea conveyed by
their style that of stability, and not immensitv
and the feelings produced by it were those of
oppression, for the soul could beauty.
Their memories were lasting their structures,
and their structures as inert their memories
He then referred to the Grecian architecture and
remarked it was suited to their religion. They had
aspirations but of earth, and their temples were
built without any spiritual design But the Chris
tian cathedral, in its soidty and massiveness and
beauty and durability, all spoke of heaven and spirit
uality. The lecturer here referred to the impress
ion made upon his mind when boy, as he Law IN
the old churches, which had been forsaken and
which were falling into decay. In his Imagination
he could see the altar and the priest, with his
sacerdotal robes he could see the crowds of wor-
shippers, and hear the peals of the organ and the
chanting of the sacred mass, and could witness the
power and energy of faith, and appreciate how
generations pass as dreams-how centuries are but
seconds in the great horologue of time
He next referred to the relations which sculpture
held to religion, remarking that it was better
suited to Paganism than to Christianity. Painting
however, was different. There could be portrayed
canvass the vivid pictures of thought. The
feelings of the heart could be given in the shading
of the cheeks, and the aspirations of the soul could
be thrown into the eyes and face. Painting was
well suited for mpressing lessons of faith and hope
and had done much in giving earnestness to wor-
ship.
Music, said the lecturer, is more intimately
connected with religion than any of the arts, and it
was because it itself emotion and feeling, it
the whereby the spirituality of the
Being exhibited itself; it the revelation of the
soul in sound; it was the most subtle of all powers
He spoke of the assistance which music had rem
dered worship, and remarked that men could sing
their devotons.
He then referred to the advent of Professionalism
and said that it was spirit of destruction in some
countries, particularly where the advocates of the
doctrines of Calvin were found. They demolished
the proudest temples, and destroyed the massive
places Of worship. They looked upon them as the
works of superstition and oppression, and hate was
the only feeling by which they actuated. The
finest works of art DESTROYED by the adherents
of Calvin. Luther a different man, said the
lecturer, from Calvin. He had fine and delicate
taste, and looked upon the temples of religion and
religious art with eye jealous for their preserva-
tion. Professionalism was not so well calculated to
the advancement of architecture as Catholicism
Its many divisions prevented the gathering of large
congregations, and there was no necessity for
massive and splendid buildings The Cathedral
was to contain the worshippers of a district,
while the church was only built for the ac-
commodation of portion of parish. Music,
however, said he, neither Protestant nor
Popish, but both, and it is the most generous of
the arts because it is the most human. He said he
could not see the propriety of Professionalism OBJ
jectng to the decoration of their places of worship
with works of art, symbo lcal of faith and hope
and other Christian virtues. The holy, he con-
tinued, is fully worthy of commemoration as the
heoric, and ii 1t was proper to paint battlefield
for public gallery, he could not the impro
priety of painting the Lords Supper for the
Church. If it was right to immortaze by
work of art hero or a statesman, why
should not the apostles martyrs be also so hon
ored? He thought it would be ignorance thatwould
find idolatry in this. The lecturer argued at con-
siderable length the propriety of placing works OF
art in the Protestant churches and closed his lee
ture by referring to the improper emblems and
symbols that are used in the cemeteries almost all
of which referred only to things of earth, instead
being emblematical of faith and immortality.
Taglion is about to open dancing school, Civ,
lessons at ten francs hour to Paris ladies, anc
three francs for the time to ballet-gir Sh
is said to be poor in spite of her palaces and he
title of countess and is forced to return again t.
pirouettes for livelihood. Her protegee, Livry
reigns queen of the ballet STILL although there is
new person coming up-and Rosati mopes in tn
shade of neglect, says French paper.
A new opera, sTl Diavolo dele Notte,' is in pre-
paration at Milan, composed by Bottesni, the con
| trabassit.