Morning journal and courier., 1881-02-23
sheftield Scientific School.

A~S-AASN~eAAO AOA0SSOA
 tOn-Subtect, ssThe Laocoon."
 A brilliant lecture-subiect, 'sThe Lao coon"-was given in the course to mechanics at North Sheffield Hall last evening by Profes- sor D. Cady Eaton before large and appre- ciative audience, including many prominent people of note in educational, literary and social circles. It was accompanied by very interesting illustrations upon the screen. We give the lecture entire in this and to- morrow's issues:
 The only things Italian at the beginning of the sixteenth century of which clear ideas may be had, are Italian private life, Italian schol- arship and Italian art. Italian history and politics are confused and complicated. In 1900 Louis XII. of France, assisted by the Venetians, made himself master of the duchy of Milan-in 1908 Naples, the Pope con senting, was possessed by the Spaniards. Not long after the Venetians, having made peace with the Turks, enlarged their possessions to such an extent that the French and the Span iards, the Germans and the Pope, dropped their private differences and united together against the mistress of the Adriatic. In 151O another change; now the Pope and the Ve- netians are friends for the purpose of driving out the barbarians, as they called them that is, their former allies the French and the Spaniards. And so it goes on and on just as it had been going on for centuries French, Italians, Germans and Spaniards mixed in feuds and truces till it is impossible to trace or distinguish, till the mind turns away seek ing for something that may have stability and orderly growth It surprises that in the midst of such disorganization Italy should have had any literature any art How great the wonder that it's literature and it's art had life and logical development throughout all these turbulent centuries.
 Dante sang and Giotto painted in the 18th century From Giotto to Raphael, who died in 1920, there IS progressive sequence in the development of the art of painting. Dante may be called the father of the Italian lan- guage as well as the father of Italian poetry. From his time on Italian philosophy and Ital- ian scholarship have marched with orderly footsteps in the paths he laid down for them. To-day Dante can be perfectly understood by the student of modern Italian, while our Chaucer requires an interpreter.
 In the middle of the 18th century classic scholarship was driven out of Constantinople by the Turks. Its teachers and their manu- scripts were joyfully secured by the Italians
 Then really began the renaissance, which was but an application of Italian life and wit to the learning and ideas of antiquity. Men of culture began at once to plume themselves on their ability to converse and write in Latin, a language of which the use had hith- erto been regarded as perquisite of the church. A knowledge of classical authors be- came an essential part of the education of a gentleman. There never was time when so much modern Latin verse was man. ufactured as in Italy during the 18th and
 18th centuries To verse in Latin became the most polite of attainments. Excellence in versi6cation gave Italians the right to call other Europeans barbarians. About this time too the the Italians conceived an inter est in classic sculpture. Many who were rich made collections of marbles found per- haps in their places in the country or dug from the foundations of the palaces they were building in the city. An arm or g head would be turned up by the plough leading it's furrows over the buried ruins of & Roman temple, where further digging would perhaps bring out a whole statue for the proprietor and his friends to make verses about |; or an inscription would come to light and solid scholarship be required for the deciphering. The presence of piece of antique marble became as indispensable in gentleman s house as the sound of Latin hexameters.
 Lorenzo il Magnifco had in Florence a large collection at the time M Angelo was a youth and allowed him and other promising young artists to visit it. They might stay and make sketches if they chose. Poets too could go in and be inspired. Squarcione, 8 rich citizen of Padua on the other side of Italy from Florence, had another famous col lection. Not satisfied with the specimens he found about Padua, he travelled through Italy and Greece, gathering all the while. His col lection attracted students from the ends of Italy and gave particular impulse and diree- tion to the artists of Lombardy and France. Here Andrea Mantegna studied and acquired his classic style. Here Giacomi Bellini learned the clements of drawing and adopted methods which he transmitted to his sons, who founded the new and glorious School of Venice
 When in 1908 Julian Rovere was elected Pope Julius 1T. and took up his residence in the Vatican, he brought with him from his country place statue, the most famous one yet recovered from antiquity. He placed it in the Belvedere, alittle summer house in the palace gardens. There stands to-day the Apollo Belvedere and, though rich beyond description and enumeration have been sub sequent additions to the worlds store of Greek and Roman marbles, many honest and as the highest and finest. The Apollo was the beginning of that earliest collection, and now not only fills the summer-house, but all the halls and corridors subsequently built to connect it with the palace. As long as Bo- were lived he continually added to the collec- ton. His successor, Leo K, was equally en- thusiastic. By these two Popes the superior ity of the Vatican collection was established ever since there has been no rival. The sad dest thing about Bovere to-day is that the Pope in his spleen keeps the marbles under lock and key, and will only allow them to be seen statedly and for an hour or so at time. It is almost enough to make one pray for the downfall of ''Italia Unita" and for revival of the temporal power of the pontiffs.
 Carlo Fea, a learned Roman who wrote and published fifty years ago, has, in book full of delightful odds and ends letter written in 1867, by Francesca di Sangallo about something that occurred when he was a boy. Francesca was the son of Giuliano de Sangallo, Julius H., architect. One of this PoPe's earliest notions was to have built for himself tomb that should surpass in size and magnifcence all tombs ancient or mod ern, and would for untold ages be monu- ment to the greatness and glory of his reign. M. Angelo was to make the tomb and Giulia- no was to build an addition to St. Peter's old St. Peter's-to receive it. The tomb, alas, was never finished, but the idea of an addition to the old church led to the building of the new and the present St. Peter's. One day in 1906, so states Frances co.'s letter, message came in hot haste to the Vatican, stating that certain Felix de Feedis, while digging in his vineyard had come upon some ruins, had disclosed a niche, and that now the workmen were in the very act of laying bare group of sculpture that seemed to be a wonderful work of art. It would not have been inconsistent with the character of Julius if he had doffed his tiara and had hurried back himself with the mes senger. Restraining his impatience he calls his architect bids him go at once, inspect and if possible secure the treasure. Giuliano calls M. Angelo. The two start, little Francesca toddling along, until the pace becoming too hot for him he secures perch on his daddy's shoulders. Thus they enter the vineyard and come to the excavation. When Giuliano sees the statue he cries out at once, s1t must be the Laoeoon of which Pliny speaks" Let his words introduce the theme, Laocoon, it's history, the theories held in reference to it, he varied criticism it has excited. The his 'ory subsequent to this discovery is quickly old. The group was purchased by Julius md placed in the Belvedere. There it has sver since remained with the exception of 'hort sojourn in Paris, when Napoleon l. as- 'embled all the fine things of Europe at his capital The history before the discovery involves questions of chronology and of ses- hetics to which as yet no conclusive answers lave been given.
 When the group was discovered the right rm of the father, the adjacent portion of he snake, the right arm of the son on the ather's right and the right hand of the other on were wanting. These portions are con- equently modern restorations. Fault has l 'een found with them, nor have they failed 1 if stout defenders; different arms have been l made at various times for the principal l gure. M. Angelo, it is said. attempted one 1 imself, but gave it up in despair, saying he f ould do nothing worthy of so admirable a | york. The existing restorations are supposed | 0 be the work of Montroesoli, pupil of | ct 7ac4k