The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-02-21
"TOMB AND TEMPLE"
Rev. DR.. Ta1rnage Talks on the
Mausoleum of Tai Mahal,
The Nest Beautiful Work of Art In the
World, Where Repose the Remains
of Queen Montaz-Shah Je-
hans Black Tomb.

6lOn OF MS hOuHu IIc NoEiu SSIiCo,
is given out by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage for publication this week. Tomb
and Temple" is it's subject, being based
on the text:
From India even unto Ethiopia. Esther j..
In Journey around the world it
may not be easy to tell the exact point
which divides the pilgrimage into
halves. But there was one structure
toward which we were all the time
travelling, and, having seen that, we
felt that if we saw nothing more our
expedition would be q success. That
one object was the Tai Mahal of India.
| 1t is the crown of the whole earth.
| The spirits of architecture met to
enthrone king, and the spirit of
| the Parthenon of Athens was there;
| and the spirit of st. Sophia of Con-
stantinople was there; and the spirit
| of St. Izaak of St. Petersburg was
there: and the spirit of the Baptistery
of Pisa was there; and the spirits OF
the Great Pyramid, and of Luxor
| Obelisl1, and of the Porcelain Tower of
Nanlsin, and of.St. Marks of Venice;
and the spirits of all the great towers,
great cathedrals, great mausoleums.
great sarcophagi, great capitois for the
living, and of great necropolises for
| the dead, were there. And the presid-
ing genius of the throng with gavel Of
| Parian marble smote the table of Rus
sian malachite, and called the throng
of spirits to order and called for vote
as to which spirit should wear the
chief crown, and mount the chief
throne, and wave the chief scepter, and
by unanimous acclaim the cry was:
'Long live the spirit of the Tai, king
Of all the spirits of architecture! Thine
is the Tai Mahal of India"'
The building is about six miles from
| Agra, and as we rode cut in the early
dawn we heard nothing but the hoofs
and wheels that pulled and turned us
along the road, at every yard of which
our expectation rose until we had some
thought that we might be disappoint-
ed at the first glimpse, as some say
they were disappointed. But how can
any one be disappointed with the Tai is
almost as great a wonder to me as the
TAI itself There are some people al
ways disappointed, and who knows but
that having entered Heaven they may
criticise the architecture of the tenn
pie, and the cut of the white robes, and
gay that the River of life is not quite
w to their expectations, and that the
white horses on which the conquerors
ride seem little spring-halt or spav-
ined?
'sMy son said: ''There it is" I said:
'Where?" For that which he saw to
be the building seemed to me to be
more like the morning cloud blushing
under the stare of the rising sun. Ii
seemed not so much built up from
earth as let down from heaven. For
tunately, you stop at an elaborated
gateway OF red sandstone one-eighth
, of mile from the TAI, an entrance sc
high, so arched, SO graceful, so four
domed, so painted, and chiseled, ane
scrolled that you come very gradual J
upon the Tai, which structure i.
!, enough to intoxicate the eye, ant
. stun the imagination, and entrance
the soul. We 60 up the wind
ing stairs of this majestic en-
trance of the gateway, and buy few
pictures and examine few curios, ant
from it look off upon the Tai, and de
scend to the pavement of the gardel
4 that raptures rything between th'
gateway and the ecstasy of marble ant
l precious stones. You pass along ;
deep stream of water in which al
manner of brilliant fins swirl and float
There are eighty-four fountains tha
spout and bend and arch themselves t,
i fall in showers of pearl in basins o
snowy whiteness. Beds of all imag
/ Unable fora greet the nostrils befor'
they do the eye, and seem to roll il
waves of color as you advance to
; wards the vision you are soon t
e have of what human geniu
. did when it did its best; maol
d flowers, lilacs, marigolds, tulips
n and almost everywhere the lotus
f tbiclxets of bewildering bloom; O
e either side trees from many lands ben
: their arborescence over your head, o
!. seem with convoluted branches to reac
l. out their arms towards you in we
), come. On and on you go amid tams
II rind, and cypress, and poplar, and ole
t ander, and yew, and sycamore, an
J. banyan, and palm, and trees of sue
: novel branch and leaf and girth, yo
O cease TO ask their name or nativit,
|. AS you approach the door Of the Ts
n one experiences strange sensation {
n awe, and tenderness. and humility, an
worship The building is only d grav
but what grave. Built for a queer
who, according to some, was ver
10 good, ard according to others w;
- very bad. / choose to think 81
"a was very good. At any rate,
!. makes me eel better to think tn;
:. this com nel lorative pile was set up #
\ the immortalization of virtue rath
n taan vice. The TAI is a mountain
a white marble, but never such wal
= faced each other with exquisitenes
- never such tomb was cut from blot
of alahaster; never such . congreg
tiop CT preei- US Etones. frightened al
!, Elocasd, and hlazed, and ciiastena
enc g.oslaed 9 building since scniRto.