The age-herald., 1901-04-07

would be essentially the home of stained glass, and did their inspiration go beyond the present and reveal through unborn centuries the recognition of the new world of an art of the twelfth? Perhaps in moment of inspiration white-cowled monk piously crossed him. self and gave no evidence that an ec- static moment had mastered him. The soul of the artist may have longed for expression that finds an outlet In words, but to the monks such an expression of words would have been a luxury and monks do not allow themselves luxuries.
 The monks of the twelfth century en- tered the paradise of the dreamer.
 To incorporate in glass the story of the gospel became to them a dream that fas- tened its hold upon them as a great thought shapes itself into the brain of the thinker The dream-borrowing it's in spiration from a Theme centuries old became a reality, and the conceptions of the monks are, today the inspiration of the painters brush and at the same time his despair
 The best known of the early applica- tions of glass to window decoration Is that the monastery Tegernsee, in upper Bavaria, which was secularied in 1902 and is now a private residence. These at tempts were in imitation of the stone mo- safes used for floors, but two centuries later 0he twelfth) found this art of im- mense importance owing to the full de- velopment of the Gothic style of archi- lecture. The pictorial compositions su perseded the mosaic patterns and the fif- teenth century witnessed the perfection of this art. In many of the works the figures. with the exception of the faces, were made up of pieces of self-colored glass combined with great skill and taste, the features were painted in enamel col ors and burned in.
 The eliminating point in the history of the first period of the art of glass paint ing was when an improvement in the art of shading by removing certain portions of the colored surface.
 The subsequent effort to assimilate this art to oil painting signally failed. which resulted in the decline of the art and eventually the art of glass painting be- came lost.
 It was during the renaissance that this art was revived and it Is claimed eclipsed the glory of the first epoch.
 Window glass Is mentioned by Bede in 674. but was not in general use for win dows till the fifteenth century. Flint glass was manufactured at the Savay and Crutched Friars in 1857 and a few years later there were glass works under Cor nelius de Launsey.
 The Flemish manufacturers, among whom was Jean Quarre, established works at Crutched Friars, but as far as the invention of glass goes it dates from the earliest antiquity and the oldest known specimens are Egyptian.
 In Italy the glass making art does not date earlier than the commencement of the Roman Empire. Under the Romans colored as well as white glass was used It had a greenish tint in the first days of the Empire, but improved in color and quality under Constantine
 In the fifth century new style of glass ornamentation was introduced consist Ing of the figures of Christ and legends of the saints, and at the close of the By zantine Empire the glass art was still rich
 The masters of the present time are ambitious to reproduce the colors that became a perfect art centuries ago.