The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-04

and Miss Hutchings's, Miss Beyers and Miss
Sawyer'S work was seen in portraits and studies
! In heads. Among some of the best things done
by Mrs Ferry was some crayon work in life size,
and dogs head. done twenty years ago. which
admitted her to the New York Academy.
PROF. sNIDERs LECTURE.
| The short lecture which Professor Denton J.
Snider lately gave the Art Association on Greek
ruins was very interesting He began by de-
scribing the approach to Athens by steamboat,
the cries of the Greek sailors, who speak the
Greek of the Odyssey with but little change,
the shout of the Greek hackmen and steam-car
and streetcar runners at the landing, who all
| assail the traveller in words perfectly familiar
to the student of Homer. These melodi
Gus words Professor Snider pronounced 9or
the entertainment Of his audience,
thus bringing up the scene quite distinctly to the
ear AS we'll as to the eye OF the Imagination. The
Professor then described the ride from the
P1reus, where the traveller still lands, as in
ancient times, to the Acropolis He pictured in
vivid words Greek chorus or dance which he
saw on the way. The dancers were dressed in
white, and both men and maids looked like
breathing statues, and they were dancing before
the temple OF Theseus; and this temple was de-
picted in a few picturesque phrases for the pleas
ure of the art loving audience. The Professor
next carefully described the pelasgian or CYCLIC
pean wall OF the Acropolis, built by some great
Joo uAhHoHA race UHdJ llNeu D04Of0 history D6-
gan, and expressed their sincerity and
their power in this gigantic and indestruct-
IDLE wall. He then described the walls
built on top of this old wall by the ancient
Greeks, and then the exquisitely perfect walls
above that built by Pericles, then the careless
walls added in the Macedonian era. and then the
crumbling rubbish put up in the Byzantine day,
and later by the Turks.
The professor delineated clearly, by means of
few plain sentences, the present aspect of the
Parthenon 1t may be seen distinctly from all
parts of Athens from all parts of Attica and
from the sea. 1t still expresses the Greek open
ness, the Greek beauty and joy as we'll as the
Greek temperance; it is nowhere over-orna-
mented and its spirit and meaning are still APP
parent, viz: 1t is the work of republic gov
erened by wisdom. The temple to Zeus. which
was finished by Hadrian, and its significance
were pointed out. This work, though vast and
magnificent was the work, of tyrants, and was
built to Jupiter, the archtyrant, and it has fallen
to ruin. The Roman ruins in Athens were also
considered, with their philosophical meaning
in the time of the Roman empire, and express
that period of extremes in splendor and wicked
ness Then came the Byzantine temple, or
structure which evidently portrays the era
when man, tired of Roman pleasures and cruel
ties, turned his thoughts within himself and
tried to find temperance and tranquility, within
his own bosom The lecturer in depicting the
the ruins of Athens really gave lively resume
of antique history as it is visible to-day in old
ruins. He spoke rapidly and said great
than can be put in a brief report, and his talk
eniOvabla