New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-07-13
rup c.rrYssuRa MONUMENT


to be, moreover, dispensable as matters OF Ma
t;onal record. and held in Indifference by the
people. Scripture is now a dead art; it has
lost all religious Specification, which reused
it into being as n thing Of beauty typifying Gre
elan deities and heroes with the glorious physical
proportions of undseosed mankind--diilering
in these divine entities from tho huge carvings OF
Egypt. and the less, but still, disproporionate
figures of the Assyrian chiscl-and reversing the
Macian and Mosaic interdict on craven images.
Cathedral building, TOO, isa dead art. Churches
and meeting-houscs can excite 10 emotions by
spiritual suggestions, sublime proportions, and
the adaptation Of passionate means 10 passion
ne ends, being now dwarled to the size and
frozen to the GOODNESS Of the leeture-room. We
are not complaining of the result: the decay OF
symbolism in stone and marble is inevitable
under the study Of positive science and the dis
sem.naton Of cheap letters. We have dis
covered other machinery than that of Greece
and the Middle Ages for conserving tho memo
rics of heroic deeds, and for seeking TO bridge
over the chasm between the awful and unknown
present ana the awful aud unknown future.
Whom, however. we so galvanize the past and
rush into sculp;ured monuments, ii should be
with coulriie sprit-with some seeking alter
the aGlatus of which was born the Parihenon,
the Column Of Trojan, TIC Church Of 81. Pc
! tcY's. the Cathedral at Cologne. "a impossible
to wander over tie roofs and examine tie most
obscure aud lofty perehes Of a great cathedral
Of the Middle Ages, and not be struck with the
fact that each mason or artist appeared as il he
were working for heaven and not for pay; as
every detail. open or occult, is evolved withihc
same care and labor. This religious spirit like.
wise Is exhibited IL striking degree in IN an
ccdotc by Hcrodotus:--an Egyptian monarch
heard o workman sigh heartily a. he wa' assist
Ing to roll a block OF stone 10 be used for the
building oi temple: the King, thereupOn. or
dcred the material 70 he leit on the ground, AZ
moi being an acceptable Offering 10 Osiris; fox
ia the divine service all labor should be cheerful
II is because, we must he permit to say,
Religion has departed from Art, that ~ rule
High Art when attempted among rs Is 80 low.
We did not expect Art among original Puniars
or Ouakers. for neither we're highly .educJted;
and besides, their practice was protes, against
Church abuses and conrtly debaucheries. Bat
"A the rigA rule Of these protesting times passes
away, we do expect better art than We possess
when eminent occasion demands il. We do re-
ouire that men capable OF formug an opinion
=. Lodi
monuments and public buildiDgsi We should
then he spared such abcriions ~ we have 30
often.
We are moved to hese remark by seeing an
advertisements for Designs fox The Soldiers
/ Monument at Getty sburg." We do not
believe that advertising Tor q design is
the bcst way 10 ct one; indeed, We
think II very doubtful mode. No
advertisement for novel, drama, historical
picture, or great cdifee, eyer produced one.
There Is something revolving to every man of
genius in the idra OF q committee incUbating
oyer hs work before i, comes to the eye OF the
public. Between him and The public there can
be no interpreter. Seeing how persistcntly bad
I illt IltUuulHuAn NAf--t.h liNtAt vi bNN'iAfN'hE
such proposals by commiilecs-ve opine that
some other way should be sought To procure
plans. A public exposition OF the plans, sub.
jecing them TO criticism, and, if ihis be adverse
TO defense By the executive artists, would be an
| improvement on tho plan now used.
Tho COMMITTEE think it proper TO state
that they ar not in favor Of tall obelisk or
column" Why lump an obclisk and column
The obelisk is the primal rude Egyptian monu'
ment: the column the last expression of ultra
Greek art. MOI n column Why the column
of the Place Vend6me--fashioned after that Of
Traian-is the noblcst thing in Europe Of it,
kind. II is sublimc.-We question very much
whether all Of 600 namcs-3s the Committee
reGnire the entire li.t of the saiu-ca be COM
pressed effectively on tho base. The column of
July IN Paris has collection Of names, but
they are MOI many.
In place of some squat affair which the adj
vortisement of The Committee viii be pretty
sure 70 produce-thc subIimiy of hight being
excluded at present, or at least irowned upon
We advise them to take the Place.N endome col
umn a. model in bronze, and statue Of Lib
erty in place of Napoleon, with such superficial
variations rs Tho change Of record requires.
Then they will be sure oi something magiifi-
cent. A. the matter stands they are, we think,
not likely TO secure for monument the sublime
and beautiful. The work should be- both. TO conf
memorlte one of the most heroic and imppr.
tapt contest in history.