The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-23

no matter how their religious sympath-
les might tend, could find ample in
struction and entertainment to repay
them for attending, in Senator Corcor-
ans conception of the subject and the
exhaustive and able manner in which
he discussed it.
His argument was to demonstrate
that the mother church revived the arts
from the tomb into which the decadence
of Greece and Rome had plunged them,
protected and nurtured them during the
thousand years of the Christian era
when in succession the Pagan persecu-
tor, the Nandal and other barbarianS
of the North, the Iconoclasts, the Sar
acen, and the conflicts of people and
power threatened the obliteratiOn of
Christianity, civilization and art, and
successfully bridged for art particular
ly its dark age between its resurrec-
tion and it's renaissance. He pointed out
how with the rise of the church from the
catacCmbs art arose, and held that with
the decline of the power Of the church
it declined, giving as example that
since the entrance of Reformation into
England, despite unusually favorable
conditions no great artist has been
produced.
THE REFUGE OF ART.
After giving a brief sketch of the
troublesome times in Europe during the
thousand years following the birth of
Christ he went on to show that art
during this period found refuge behind
clOistered walls and emerged when con-
ditions We're again favorable for it's
reception with every evidence of most
careful nurturing and the better for it's
retreat. And after emerging, he said,
art received its inspiration from the
cloister and it's encouragement from the
patronage of the church. Not only
We're these things true of paintings,
architecture and music, he said, but
applied in a great measure to the exact
sciences.
The lecture was made especially en-
tertaining by reproductions of the
cloistered studio, the paintings and
architecture and sculpture with the
aid of a stereopticon, and the music,
with the assistance of Prof. Haydn
Evans and a quartette consisting of
Mrs Lizzie Hughes Brundage, So
prano; Miss Margaret Jones. alto;
Thomas Beynon, tenor, and Richard
Thomas Ulew HerberD bass. The
most delightful moments of the even
ing We're wnen the lecturer, in elo-
quent phrases, described some grand
masterpiece, to the accompaniment of
an appropriate Gregorian chant or
some kindred soulful music, rendered
| in subdued tones by the quartette and
| organ, stationed behind the scenes. 1t
| was peculiarly impressive when there
| was thrown on the canvas the repre-
| sentation of some such scene as
| Grutzners Trio in the Convent" its
| companion painting, "Siesta in the
| Cloister," or Corregio's Holy Night,
to which the "Adeste Fidelis" is held
| as inseparable.
Preceding the lecture, Attorney r
| j. Burke, of John Boyle O'Reilly coun-
| Gil No. 1874, Young Mems Institute, un-
der the auspices of which organization
the lecture was given made a brief
| speech in which he outlined the aims
| and principles of the Institute and
| elaborated upon its motto PRO Deo;
| Pro Patria'-"For God and Native
| Land" At the conclusion of the lee
| ture an informal reception was ten
| dered Senator Corcoran at the Insti-
| tute rooms in the old Traders Ma
tional Bank building.
Senator Corcoran represents in the
| Ohio senate the district comprising the
! city of Cincinnati. He is a young
man and lawyer, and is specially dis.
tinguished as a lecturer and politica
writer, much of his talent being de-
voted in the line of newspaper work
He holds the position of supreme firsr
| Vice-p president in the Young Mems In.
| stitute.