Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-03-13

triglyphs. were ninety-two metopes or
squares with bas-relief representing the
struggles between the Centaurs (half man.
half horse) and the Greeks, IMPLYING
savage lawlessness opposed to moral order
and beauty.
The roof covering the whole was timber
overlaid with marble tiles, and the floor
was paved with geometric patterns in rich
colors. The body of the temple contained
two unequal rooms; the larger one, with
ten Doric columns on either side, was the
sacred Celia, richly painted, for the image
of the goddess; and the small one. the city
treasury. On the four outer walls of the
Celia at an elevation of thirty feet. was the
celebrated Parthenon frieze, which con-
sisted of 523 feet of marble slabs covered
with bas-reliefs or figures raised from the
background. These were shamefully mutt
lated by the explosion but fortunately. a
few years previous, French architect
made drawings of them. Early in the
present century Lord Elgin carried TO Eng
land many of these sculptures, now the
precious treasures of the British Museum.
In Boston, students will find at the Mu-
scum of Fine Arts fine casts of these So
called Elgin Marbles, and the Girls High
School has q more complete series of the
frieze decorating its exhibition hall. The
latest theory of its meaning makes it EN-
body dream of Pericles to bring ABOUT
confederation of Grecian States under the
leadership of Athens. According TO this,
the stately gathering of gods, men, and
maidens portrayS two professions, one
Dorian, the other Ionian, advancing to
each other for common sacrifice of pro-
pitiation and union in the midst of the
central group of gods.
BY the commonly accepted theory it rep
resents the Pan-AthC naic procession which
ended the great September festival cele-
brated every five years, when the peplos, or
sacred veil embroidered BY virgins of noble
families, was brought to the priest, who
probably laid it on the knees of the goddess.
The seated figures of the gods Jupiter,
Juno, Neptune, Vulcan, Venus and Others,
now so badly damaged, give an ideal char
acter and dignity to the busting festival.
The procession consisted of virgins with
golden vases. and heroic young women
with silver candelabra priests, with sacri-
fees of cattle from all the Attic States the
yictors in the games of the previous days.
and the strongest, handsomest Athenian
youths, the horsemen, characters, sages
crowned with laurel, and magistrates the
chorus of singing maidens and musicians,
the city guests and their wives, and the
alien women with pitchers and vases to
show their dependence.
In all this, wonderful variety of attitude
and movement was shown in drapery and
pose, from the dignified repose of the gods
to the noise and tumult of the hurrying
horsemen at both ends of the professions.
But the glory of the Celia was chrisele-
phantine statue of Minerva forty feet high,
which Phidias wrought from the booty
taken at Salamis, enriching it with $780,
600. The goddess stood erect, golden he'll
met adorned her beautiful head, coat OF
mail with ivory head of Medusa covered
her breast. and golden drapery fell to her
feet. where n serpent was coiled. Her
shield leaned against her lance, and on her
outstretched hand was solid gold statue
of Nike, four feet high. The undraped parts
were finest ivory, her hair and weapons OF
gold, and her eyes of brilliant gems, and,
despite this gorgeousness, a grand sim
plicity and heroic nobility gave an elevated
moral beauty to this Goddess of Wisdom
This statue mysteriously disappeared long
ago n.the tumult of wars.
On the Acropolis was also the Erecthe-
UNI, temple in three parts, two of which
had rich Ionic porticoes, and the. third
unique porch with six statues of Athenian
maidens, called Caryatides, standing on a
parapet and supporting the roof. Near this
was the colossal statue of Minerva, clad in
armor and holding spear, and elevated so
d. w DS oScIl Out Ut Std. Dul TtpuDIlCS
are ungrateful, and the political enemies
of Pericles, trying to wound him through
his friends, accused Phidias of appropriat-
ing some of the gold designed for the
statue, and he died in prison, probably of
poison.
An Egyptian priest said to Scion. g You
Greeks are always children - and this ele-
ment of their character must not be over
looked. The Greek was gay by nature,
and life was a perpetual holiday Music,
poetry, oratory, and art were natural ex-
pressions of the joy of living operate
and theatrical representations, gymnastics,
joyous banquets-in short, all of his enjoy
ment-were part of his religion. His stat
ues are like himself, for he walked the
Acropolis like god-in the superb grace
of a perfect physique, betraying his taste
and culture by the individual grace of his
long mantle thrown over his left shoulder
Greek art possessed Immortality because it
revealed an inner personal consciousness
that touches humanity with subtle sense
of kinship. Pagan though it was, its senti-
ment was universal and eternal, and meets
the true and beautiful in Christian hearts
to-day.-[Mi o. NJ. E. Rowe in Christian
Union.