Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22
Written for The Evening Star.

Or w Tue stdlc VI kHOWAcuScy dSsOiuC nave sup
posed. but by combination of influences too
intricate to admit of generalization. An infiu
ence Of a kind which finds expression at one
time or place may be entirely wanting at an
other. The most that can be said is that the
necessity or impulse acting on the builders
most strongly will. according as the means are
at hand. give character TO the work. Nor are
the influences few; they are as varied as the
traits Of man and the accident of his surround
ings, and while they are not all and always
operative, one and another become dominant
and in some measures crowd out the others
Tho entire character of farm house is as dif-
ferent from that of q fortress as agriculture
differs from the business Of war. While this is
obvious enough in many instances the motives
orinfuences at work are so complicated or nu-
merous. some strong and others weak, that IL
becomes difficult to account for how the partic-
ular style in question came about Ine needs.
resources. traditions. tastes. superstitlons and
even religious beliefs of the tribes OF men are
in their brilding-and these are OF unlimited
variety.
The minaret was not some freak of fancy in
the architect 1t was designed. as the word in
dicates, to shine. to be conspicuous and to be a
station whence the muezzln should denver his
message, likewise indicated by his title.
This functiOnary not appertaining to the OBJ
servance of Christianity. the minaret would be
looked for IN vain. piercing upward from
gothic cathedral. The bell tower sometimes
finished with spire. is another matter.
The houses of old seaport towns have plat
form with seats on the roof for an outlook,
which Is never seen on houses OF the interior
more than the minaret on a Christian church
I have seen houses with structural devices
for the exclusion of evil spirits.
THREE INTERESTING TYPES
To illustrate this and other kindred subjects
the National Museum contains a large collec-
ton Of models, of which three taken at ran
dom contain somewhat Of curious interest.
The factors or conditions producing the result
in these become quite apparent They repre-
sent widely different eras. states OF civilization
surrounding conditions of resources and cli-
mate. diverse culture. and although similar in
many respects. are far from identical
II il interesting to note where they approach
or diverge in object and method of adaptation
of means to ends. All these buildings are. as a
common characteristic fact separated from
the soil-from the land. The first is from the
Swiss lakes the second represents Siam and
China the third from the highlands of Norway,
and in point of time one is of unknown pre-
historic date and the others OF today. But let
each account for itself.
TIE LAKE DWELLINGS OF SWITZERLAND.
The lacustrine abodes or lake dwellings Of
Switzerland belong to the stone and bronze
ages and reach into the dawn of the iron age
The type is extant and it is believed not with
out reason, that it has continued in unbroken
succession from the earliest day. They are
now in Russia, Borneo and other islands of the
Malay archipelago, in Central Africa and many
other lagoon regions such as the lower Missis-
Those Of Switzerland preceded history and
must tell us Of their origin, for it has not been
told Of them
The first discovery was made at Obermilen
in 1879. since which time there have been found
~ 10 ffrs a.
large lakes Some were covered under deep
layers of alluvial deposit and some under the
waters Of the lake. The existence of these were
unsupported when a subsistence of the water
exposed the lake bed and the forest of stakes.
The stakes were found to have been sharpened
bv use of fire and driven into the mud and
where the ground was hard. supported by stone
heaps This established the nature of the
structure in general At one locality and
another careful excavations were made and
the aggregate find disclosed TO the world the
character of the villages well as the life of
their inhabitants down to some of the smallest
details
HOW THE HOUSES WERE BUILT.
The stakes supported platform at some dis
lance from the shore. with which communica-
zion was had by narrow bridge, the latter.
doubtless. to be removed or destroyed in case
Of necessity.
On the platform houses with matched roofs
were built, and through the platform in the
center of each was opened a trap door admit
ting Of communication with the water below
The discovery that the roofs were matched was
due to finding Of pieces that had been pre-
served. having been charred in the confagra-
ton that destroyed the village. There were
no chimneys. food having been eaten raw or
cooked on land Most of the villages had at
one time or another been DESTROYED by fire
Even the winds of heaven at the time of the
catastrophe have been Intercepted. Thew
were strong and blowing from the south in al
most every instance
TIE BUILDERS
were fishermen, had nets, canoes. harpoons.
They had domestic animals-the OK. hog and
the friend Of man. They wore rairnent skins
and even coarse woven fabrics, and among the
bone needles and awles was found one with a
piece of thread still In the eye. placed there by
some remote ancestress- There has been
found grain, cooked bread, handmade not
terry, utensils, ornaments. stone axes knives
and scyapers and the stone swords an adjunct
TO spinning.
The entire structure may be treated az n sin
gle edthce- The platform common to all the
dwellings was made of string and cross pieces
of round timber attached together and TO the
top of the piles by withes. On this the house.
we're built Of like material. the walls being of
packed mud interlsced with timbers and rooted
with rafters, ana matched, all very similar to
what may now DO found in many parts Of the
civilized world
$500 1880 puhb ONcE Tue Wdter on pleS
BY prehistoric people. intelligent, laborious.
established In locality and skiIlfully employing
the means they had within reach A moments
reflection viii show that this work demanded
the exercise Of q much higher order of me-
ehanicai or engineering dexterity than the
erection Of much more substantial structures
OF stone on the land 1t Is still a problem how
tney could have driven the piles, and the NOV
ing and raining the timbers to elevated posi-
lions argues untiring industry and energy
TIE REASONS.
Having reached in general outline the con-
struction Of the building, its materials. the use
90 which IL was dedicated and the life of IL.
builders We come to inquire of il concerning
that aLl-important factor-the motive for its
e-ection. the thought which stamps itself upon
I'll the works Of man
Ln- exIsency must have been urgent to ac-
count for the selection Of % inaccessibls posi-
tion where another one was at command, and
the expenditure OF % much labor where less
ordinarily would have suficed.
Obviously. and first of all, it was to get away
from the land, and to do % permanently and