The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-04-04

who urged the weary cattle to greater ei
forts, the commands OF the overseers an,
the merry songs of the light.hearted work
men made one long monotonous strait
from the rising of the sun to his descen
into the ocean.
$50 bees, when spring time Is begun,
Ply their warm labor In the sun,
What time along the fiowery mead
Their nations infants hope they lead;
or with clear honey charge each cell,
| And make the hive with sweetness smell.
| The workers OF their loads relieve
or chase the drones that gorge and thieve.
With toll the busy scene ferments,
And fragrance breathes from thymy scentsn
(Enefd Lfb L)
Mediolanum became sort of Mecca fol
the lovers of the beautiful, and 1t was
common saying by citizen and alien tina,
all that was beautiful in Medioanum was
the work of Optimus Architectus. Ever
great Homer has recognized that "man
was born to suffer and to die" Optimus
could, alas, not escape the grim messenger
As he became old, and the clay refused
prompt obedience to his will and his eyes
no longer gave him correct perceptions,
| every one lamented that so great man
should leave them and their beautiful city,
the verdant fields and green forests of the
vicinity, through which he loved to be
| carried in his sella portatoria or litter on
the shoulders of his slaves and depart to
the green pastures, the crystal lakes and
rivers and the clear sky of Elysium. They
watched bis intirmity with the greatest
anxiety. ''lf he has to CO." said one,
could he not, at least, leave his genius,
his skill with us2 Could he not instruct
the precocious youth of the city in those
things in which he alone is master ?"
The suggestion seemed a good Que, and a
delegation of the most influential citizens
waited on the now venerable old man and
announced this to him. The old man was
tickled at the suggestion, but he had never
taught and said he, ''there is no book ON
architecture that is just the thing" How
could there be since he excelled all others
in this !? He would first have to write a
book. He employed, 1t is said, more than
score of amanuenses for six months in
writing the book ,and IL is furthermore said
that the whole world for once stoned to
watch his progress. Meyer before was
there such rejoicing in that city as when
the completion of the book was announced.
One old lady, who had boy who just as
sumed the toga and who was to be one of
Optimus' pupils, died for joy. An old
man, in leaping for joy, dashed his brains
out against the ceiling. Numerous mis-
haps not so serious as these two, occurred
Six months more and hundred slaves
were employed in making copies. The
time for the opening of the school was an
nounced, and the rush was so great from
both Empires that not only the houses but
the streets were packed with youth, eager
to become a disciple of Optimus. Thou
sands had to be'rejectcd. One youth who
was taken was offered f1OOO of gold for
his chance, but he rejected the offer with
disdain; and why should he not? for he
was to be taught by the greatest builder
the world had known, and for all anyone
then knew, would become equally great.
The method of instruction as followed
by one so eminently qualified, must be of
interest to all. Among the effects of one
OF those strange men who adhere to things
simply because they are old, found two
very quaint and very old volumes, printed
by Christopher Vardalfar, of Mediolanum
(1fadn), who, you are aware, was the first
printer of any importance in Europe, and
copy of whose Decameron sold in 1911 for
$1l, 400. These books bear the date
MCDLXXVI, just four centuries before the
Declaration of Independence, which has
had the printing press for those four GEN.
turies and ever since for foster mother.
Here are the titles of these books: OPUS
MAGNUMOPTAMIARBHITECTI and
VITAETLABORESOPTAMIARCHITEC &c
IT, The former is the one whose birth caused
such stir in Mediolanum. The latter was
written after the death of Optimus, and it
is to this volume that am indebted for
most of my facts.
Each boy was supplied, with great ex-
pense, with roll Of the Opusmagnum.
The arrangement and treatment of the
subject is in all respects like our school
books, fact which sometimes makes me
think that our school book writers borrow
ed their plans from Optimus, or borrowed
from some one who borrowed from Opti-,
AT rat ia thio for Ian,
been handed down from remote antiquity.
1t was dedicated to one of his slaves, who,
learn from the Vita, furnished the old
man with sesquipedaliaEs whenever he
run short of these creatures. Then in the
preface, with great modesty, quality
which writers of books have in common,
he presents the plan and merits of his
book, and the dement's of others. The
subject is then defined. 1t is divided and
each division defined. These are divided
again and again, and for every division a
definition. Fifty pages are thus taken up.
He next defines all the tools used in build
ing, and for each there is definition that
defines, none of your circumlocutionary
definitions From the 365th to the 511th
page he defines the different parts of build
ing and the different kinds of buildings.
had considerable difficulty in transating
this volume and much more in understand
ing it. You will understand, perhaps,
why this is, by few examples. will
pick the easiest ones. In the first exam
pie think, he defines architecture; here il
is; "Architectonics elucidates the fabrica-
tion of constructures for perpetual domi-
ciliation, Che Jabrication) of media for the
transit of fluviate currents, of aquatic
ducts, of mural environments and martial
munitions" put in the word in italics.
Here is another--the easiest can find-in
part III; "a column can be cylindrical or
polygonal. A cylindrical column has its
side circumscribed by curved surface
produced by generatrix which continual
ly osculates given curvature and is In all
positions parallel to Its dlrectrix." This
would not only consider poor, but an
imperfect definition. Here is a definition
for saw "A saw is an instrument for
severing ligneous substances, and consists
OF an attcnuated ferric blade with one