The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-27
THE ESTHETIO IN RELIGION.
The Fine Arts-Thcir Nature, Necessities,
Effects and Relation TO ChristianIty-
Essay by Rev. George Lansing Taylor
Before the Methodist Preachers,

The Fine Arts-Their Nature, Necessities.
Effects and Relation TO ChristianIty-
Essay by Rev. George Lansing Taylor
Before the Methodist Preachers.
The ordinary routine Of discussion OF religious
topics by the Methodist preachers at their weekly
meetings was varied Yesterday by an elaborate
and very meritorious essay on fine art in its re-
lation to religion, delivered by Rev. George Ian
sing Taylor. OF Hampstead. Mr.. Taylor is man OF
pure aesthetic tastes, high literary culture and a
poet OF no mean order. He had been previously
requested to prepare an essay for the meeting,
and that which he read yesterday was one that
probably not half dozen OF his brethren
could analyze or justly criticise. He be-
gan by defining what he meant by
fine art Without the aesthetic, he thought,
We could have no true conception OF God, who Is
purely and sublimely esthetical, as is shown by
His creation Of man and placing him in the most
beautiful landscape garden in the universe, planted
by the Almighty hand. Deprived OF the esthetical
faculty. We are deprived also Of approaching God
in the highest and truest @sshetcal sense in which
sense He is the chiefest among ten thousand and
altogether lovely. Mr.. Taylor here named what is
included in fine art-poetry, music, painting, sculp-
ture &c. He referred to what art had done for
mankind. and remarked that what It cannot tell
the historian and the critic may despair OF. Mr..
Taylor traced the progress of dne art from pre-
times and enumerated works OF art in painting
sculpture architecture. &C., which stand to-day as
MONUMENTS OF THE PAST AGES
ana inspirations Tor the present and the future.
It's universally Is shown by its monuments which
nave Deen found or which exist in all parts OF the
world, from Mexico to India ana rom Iceland TO
South America Mr.. Taylor dwelt extensively on
Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman art. The
latter, he remarked, added little to what the
Greeks mad given to the world. Mahometan art
Is incapable OF being reproduced IL Is the most
romantic the world has ever seen. Speaking OF
music and architecture, and their relation to re-
ligion, ne remarked that Christian art created
music. Inc oratOriO Is as much the product or
CHRISTIAN thought as Is the cathedral In which 1t Is
read or sung. Christian art waked the anthem OF
redemption, and with 1t the highest forms Of ies-
thetic art. Mr. Taylor showed by comparison
how art among Greeks, Romans, &c., was
localized, while Christian art Is universaZed.
TINS was apparent BY putting the names OF Homer,
virgil, tlatO, &C., beside those OF shakespeare,
Milton, wesley, &c. These latter will still rule the
world after the name OF England Is forgotten. MIR.
Taylor passed on to the value OF painting, and
cited Tweed's dread OF the influence OF tue pic
tOrial caricatures against MIN as being more dam
aging than anything that the press could have
written against him; for the man who cOulu not
read an editorial could read the story In the carl
cature. On the value OF art In mechanic life how
valuable, ne suggested TO shipbuuders to-day
would be
A CORY OF NOAH's ARK,
and how much men would give for It'll How valu-
able also TO architects would be painting OF the
Tower Of babel or 1oom0nu Temnlel HA did n0t