The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02
TEMPLE TO THE MUSES.
GEN. LEW WALLACE'S REALIZATION
OF A DREAM OF YOUTH.
Unique and Beautiful building He
Has Erected Among the Beeches
at rawfordsViIIe.

Has Erected Among the Beeches
at Charlottesville.
I doubt if there is one hoy out of ten
who has not dreamed at some period of his
youth how he would like to go out into
the woods or the mountains and build him
a cabin or a cave where he could have his
gun and his fishing tackle and all his
youthful treasures and trophies slowed
away in snug lockers; where he could have
a work bench to tinker, a table to write
at and IN old pipe to smoke; where there
would not be any pesky women about witt
a proprietary air to observe what he was
doing and tell him he must not litter up
the room; in short, a place where he might
be the sole occupant and undisturbed
monarch, where he could work
or play or think, or do just
anything else his vagrant fancy might die
tate. Call it a yearning for %solitude-a love
Of nature lin her invisible FORMS or what
you will, it is there, and if there be aught
of poesy or romance in the soul of the
boy it is there in redoubled force.
To very few men is anything like a re-
a~lization of this dream ever vouchsafed.
With most of them the yearning wears
gradually away along with the desire to
be President of the United States and other
boyish ambitions, Some satisfy it in a
measure with solitary fishing or hunting
excursions, others are able to snatch a bit
of solitude in their Libraries or private Of
fees, and not a few of the more poetic kind
find ample solitude along with starvation
in a dingy garnet.
General Lew Wallace, scarcely less ia
nous in war and diplomacy than in litera-
ture, has realized most of the dreams of
his life, but he finds one of the browning
comforts of his success in the realization
of an architectural dream that is an evolu-
ton of his youthful fancy, developed and
given character by the observation and the
experience of an eventful career. Out
among the spreading beeches of his domain
at Crawfordsviile he has builded him a
temple, entirely unique in it's conception.
As a work of art it is beautiful enough to
distinguish it from all other buildings. But
when the purpose Of it's being and the as
sociations gathered about it are considered
it becomes remarkably interesting.
The idea CT constructing such a temple
or pavilion that should serve him as a
literary workshop took definite shape in
General Wallace's mind about a dozen years
o5O, anu CT AAlAb bAAAAt AAS bC5dA "a - AAlO
plans and sketching out architectural eff
fects for it, while he has ever since been
engaged in picking up rugs, tapestries and
odd bits for its furnishing. 1t is very near
completion and he expects before a great
while to be able to ask his friends to as
sist him in defeating it. Ages ago nature
did her part toward making the site of the
temple picturesque and beautiful. The
grounds are so ample that they give one
the impression of a park rather than the
grounds of a private residence. The ground
is rolling and has given opportunity for
an artificial lake of considerable proper
tons, set as a sort of gem in a grove of
magnificent beeches, which in summer are
simply great umbrellas of foliage, while in
winter their gnarled trunks and limbs show
the most grotesque and fantastic shape. AT
this time of year the ground beneath them
is a matted mass of grass, moss, spring
beauties and violets-violets so thick that
you cannot step without crushing them
and bringing forth a cloud of their deli
cate perfume.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR.
AS you approach the temple from the
south you see a solid building of dark-red
pressed brick of what would ordinarily be
two or three stories in height, and the
IAAllA6 LAA1I - AANo ~ ACR ANN1A ~
this point of view is the harmonious ming
ling Of Romanesque, Greek and Byzantine
architecture. 1t contains no windows,
though the interior is amply lighted from
a skylight of stained glass at the top of
the roof. The monotony of the walls is
broken by a frieze of carved stone that
runs entirely around the temple. This
frieze contains four heads in high relief,
the principal characters of General Wal
lace's more notable works. On the south
side the head of "Ben-Hur" greets you,
on the west is the fair face of '"Thurza,''
on the north the striking face of the
prince Of India" appears, and on the east
the frieze is relieved by the beautiful
features of the Princess Irene" The
chief feature of the south front is the
porch, which is built of solid stone in pure
Doric Greek. On the west front the great
feature is the square Romanesque tower.
From this view, standing beneath gthe IA
nous beech tree, the temple seems Roman
throughout, as the Byzantine roof cannot
be seen, and the effect is one of substan-
tial squareness. Probably the most beau
tiful view is from the north. Here the
building rises out of the lake and shows a
broad stone terrace in which a fountain
plays. From the east this same effect is
seen with the added beauty of a baIus-
traded water landing coming from the ter
race. Here one gets the full effect of the
pavilion roof of copper, lightened by a
tracery of gold leaf, and one might readily
imagine himself on the banks of the Bos-
phorus, in the expectation of at any mo-
ment seeing a yelled favorite of the harem
descend the steps with her train of half
dozen servants to await a boat at the land
ing.
Beautiful as the exterior Of the temple
is, it is upon the interior chiefly that Gen.
Wallace has expended his thought and
genius. The interior is simply one i'm
mense room, with a little alcove at the
northwest corner, that contains a winding
stairway to the basement, and has a nook
for the work bench, where the builder of
the temple loves to tinker at any sort of
mechanical work that may strike his
fancy. The chief feature Of the interior is
a big, roomy fireplace the design for which
is entirely original with General Wallace.
1t is set i'll the alcove on the west side,
formed by the big square tower. An enor-
nous arch of faced brick curves grace
fully down upon each side. and curling up