Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-10-12

beautifully carved base, and upon the
outer side of the balustrade are the
figures of saints. The figures have all
been perfectly carved and there has
been a wonderful regard for detail.
Proportions are perfect and the effort
is at once harmonious and arts tiv.
A prodigious amount Of labor was ex
pended upon the pulpit. Rev, Father
Francisco Simo, one of the rectors of
the church, under whose direction
much OF the work has been done, re-
lates that the carving of the base of
the pulpit consumed two years, and
that the balustrade occupied nearly as
much time. Next to the pulpit the
ceiling, which is entirely of carved
wood, attracts the most attention.
There are a series of intricate de-
signs that show the genius of art and
the skill of the carver, and the effect is
admirable, The columns, capitals and
arches have also been done in wood
and they, too, enhance the beauty Of
the church The altars-one main
and two side-are also OF wood and
show splendid specimens of che skill
of the carvers. The floor is also Of
wood, and the sheen of its polish serves
to heighten the general effect. Most
Of the wood used is molave, best Of all
the fifty varieties of hard wood that
grow in the Philippines. It is capable
- - ha,+
tack wood, and neither heat nor water
effect it, 1t is so hard that the fash
oning of it is very difficult, but the
excellent results obtained make IL
worthy of the effort The art of wood
carving has long been TAUGHT to the
Filipinos, and the traveller in their
islands sees many samples of their
work. 1t has reached its greatest per-
lection at the Jesuit College at Manila,
and the work IN the Jesuit church is
incomparably the best so far done.
Twenty years ago the students
Of the college sent an elaborate piece
Of carving to the Centennial Exposition
at Philadelphia, and with ii won first
prize.
The architecture OF Manila may be
truthfully said to be relieved of
mediocrity by the churches, and that of
St. Ignatius Loyola is the greatest of
them all. The cathedral-massiv
structure of the Byzantine period-at-
tracts attention on account of it's size
and the fact that it's foundation stones
were laid in the sixteenth century, but
neither interior nor exterior are par
ticularly pleasing. Another remarkable
church in the old city is that of st.
Augustine, built way back in 1870
from a design drawn by a nephew OF
the architect who planned the famous
Escurial In Madrid. For over 300
years it has defied earthquake and
typhoon, and the original walls still
stand as a monument to the builders.
The design is rather OF the Tuscan or
der, but modern additions have rather
changed and obscured the original
lines The church of Santo Domingo
is another imposing structure. 1t has
an exterior Of ford Gothic and an
interior of nearly perfect Gothic but
the Latter is marred by some impossible
coloring and some inartistic statuary.
The same complaint may be properly
made of any of the score of churches in
The city and surroundings, with the
single exception Of the Church of st.
lgnatius Loyola. When the tide of
American travel sets coward the
Philippines, and when Manila is in
cluded in the itinerary Of the globe
trotter between Singapore and Yoko-
hama, this really remarkable structure
will win its place in the world of art.
San Francisco Chronicle.