The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-14
The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Leaning Tower is beautiful
luted column 1917 feet in height. AS a
tower pure and simple. an erect, we'll
conducted tower, standing properly on
It's base, it wouldn't attract particle of
attention, anywhere. 1t would be
looked at for minute, for it is graceful
and rather pleasing, and the remark
would be sit is rather a good thing for
a tower" and that would be all,
But as either by design or the sinking
of the ground on which it wss built it is
something like thirteen feet out of per-
pendicular, as to the eye it looks as
though the top projected so far over the
base that it couldn't stand minute, the
whole world goes to see it, and it has
been in every school-book in every Ian
guage on the globe, just the same as the
great wall of China and the Colossus of
Rhodes.
1t is attractive because it is mon
strosity and unnatural. Standing up
right it would be nothing leaning, as
tower should not, it supports a dozen
hotels and hundred cabmen. Ii it
stood straight, Pisa would be unknown
leaning, it is one Of the most noted
sights of Europe or the world. and sup
ports by its obliquity an entire city.
1t is pretty much the same with every
thing A perfect man goes through life
without attracting particle of atten-
ton. He rises in the morning without
notice, he goes through his daily work
without attracting the slightest atten-
ton, and the world doesn't care cent
when or how he goes TO bed. No crowds
90 to see him, he may travel from Dan
to Becrsheba without anybody peering
their heads out window to gaze upon
him, and he sinks into his grave with
out notice; his wife marries again, his
will is disputed by his children, and
eaten up by lawyers. and that is all
there is ab0st it.
| But let that same man run off with
his neighbor's wife, let him speculate
in stocks and embezzie few hundreds
of thousands OF dollars, or in any way
depart from the regular routine of a cor
rect life, and men and women will
travel miles to see him.
An honest cobbler, who is truly the
noblest work of God. goes down to his
grave, followed by his wife and children
onlv-a murderer, thief, burglar or
prize-iighter is honored with long pro
cessions, brass bands and flowers. A
i perfectly formed man may walk the
| whole length of Broadway and attract
no attention. man with a hump on
his back will be stared at by everybody
People pay large money to see the
Siamese twins and the double-headed
| women.
Pisa is not alone in possessing lean
ing towers. The leaning tower is the
same in humanity as it is in marble.
| However, the leaning tower of Pisa
is beautiful thing, or rather would be
beautiful were it not out of perpendicu-
lar though not remarkable enough to
attract tourists. 1t rises in eight stories
surrounded with half columns and six
colonades. The work is wonderfully
ornate and in most excellent taste.
1t has been mooted point with arch
fleets whether or no its Obliquity was
the result of accident or design. Some
prove conclusively that the architects
intended it to lean, and just as you get
comfortably settled in this belief you
come upon other authorities that show
Just as conclusiyely that all there was
of it the ground settled on one side
) during its construction, but the builder:
went on all the same and run it up a:
high as it would stand without toppling
over. And as both bring arguments tt
bear that cannot be disputed, your minC
is all torn up about it, and you 60 away
= sadly. 1t is very like the doctrines o
REORGANIZATION and free will.
; The moral to all this is that when al
ambitious city in the new world come
to building towers, they never should b.
built in the perpendicular, if the poin
is to attract attention. No matter wha
it is, the stand-pipe of waterworks, ;
chimney stack or anything else-get i
3 out of perpendicular. Have it lean
t If perfectly correct, no one will look a
+ it minute If it is built so as to lool
4 as though it must topple over, and still
stands, people will go long way to Sc
2 it. 1t is not necessary, even in Amer
D ica to be very particular aboht mora
E obliquity. There will always be enough
of that anyhow.-D. q. Locke, in 1ole
e do Blade