The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-02-02
ARCHITECTURE
AND CH4R4 CTER.

fold, perfection in strength, utility
and beauty. The highest possible
development Of each Of these three
ideas, without sacrificing either OF
the other two, constitutes the highest
ideal for the architect. A history Of
architecture that would so back far
enough, and come down to the pres
ent, would reveal the working out Of
this ideal. We should 6nd crude
structures in the beginning. But.
every noble development must have
its beginning. Our highest concep-
tions are hut evolutions from humble
and simple first thoughts. 1t would
ba both pleasing and instructive t"
follow the historian throughout his
long journey, and trace with him the
Gradual and sure progress from the
, , rude, inglorious novels to the nobl"
temples and palaces that finally took
their place. We should find that at
an early day in the history Of nations
Egypt reached the highest ideal with
respect to strepgth-durability. Her
pyramids and temples evince the
truthfulness OF this statement And
slOng with the idea of durability.
which must have first place with them,
they developed the idea of beauty
TO some considerable extent. and that
Of utility in limited degree. Greece
reached almost, if not quite, the per
fection Of beauty and grace. The
slender columns, the exquisite pro-
portion and symetry are everywhere
manifest in their structures. Rome,
! With her ponderous arches, useful
| nquedrcts, necessary roads, and com.
Portable buildings reached far to-
wards the perfection idea in utility
Aud the highest conception in archi-
lecture hNs come to be perfection in
And is not this also true in the build
ing Of a character2 Would not these
three ideas, faithfully blended into
one harmonious whole constitute tn"
highest development in character?
In architecture the first step in actUn!
execution must be foundation work.
| With an insecure foundation neither
Of the three necessary qualities Of
| highest architecture can be realiZ"d
There can he no durability, no ex-
tended usefulness and no long-con-
tinued beauty. AS the foundation
goes down all the building suffers.
Is this not true In character? There
| must be a secure and broad founda-
tion upon which noble character
| rests. What shall that foundation
be? Well, the foundation of society
and business and Of government is
faith. Faith in something or some
one to some degree. And there is no
evading it. The man who SCOTS at
fuith is sneering at the very vital
principal that underlies every bless
ing ard every opportunity that is his.
The merchant must entruSt his money
to his clerks; the client manifests
faith in his lawyer; the patient in
his doctor; the husbaud in his wife,
the wife in the husband. The gov
| ernment in her soldiers, officers, citi-
| zens; the soldiers, officers md citizens,
in the government. Faith underlies
and upholds commerce ard industries.
You cannot blot out faith without
destroying society, commerce ard the
| very nation itself. Why not make
faith the foundation Of character? 1t
is the true foundation. Faith in
something, somebody. 1t must be
there.
There is something that must pre-
ceed the laying Of the foundation in
architecture. There must be a plan.
No man would build house or Law n
foundation or invest in. and collect
material for building, without FIRST
planning the manner Of building lie
i"ields to construct. There must
ljEowi5e, be some plan IN the bu,i
ing % IL character. Aud who co2!d
give Us better plan than the 81
prrine Architect can sod has given?
lie formed tho earth end the woIn
They are not lacki. in sta5ili.,
lie has madt everything tbat he fa.l
ionvi useful. unity runs throu,'
and through he creations Ct 6 ~.
Ard In hna ,pyI. nvnrx.thinc. b.,,..-