The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-09

Z
church be pleasant. q
Those who think that IN.
who decorated St. Thoms,s
taken unusual liberties -
IDENTIFY not very familiar VIA
of the carving of the mise,5,
medieval churches. On no.
of the choir seats agaiDst y
the boys leaned during a Ios.e
ice, the old architests pIavas Z
Jokes. The carved caricatrrs. =
of bishops and of the non ~ ~ q
on these small and lin.
miseEeres, and some of the -
which they depicted were "a,
profane, but obscene V
World History in Sto5,
An almost literal historv :,
world is to be found in Il. e
ings and sculptures ~ ~
churches, temples and catbe5,,,.
various peoples, and It Is M.
desirable that modern ar,si..
should continue TO record eys,.s
this way. Search for carvings -
ding light on the life Of 49,
times is constantly going on s..A
cially in the dim hooks and ~ ~
MES of medieval churches -
often conceal specimens Of
sardonlc character. As the ~.
ing is often conveyed bv mss-.
animals, a knowledge Of an.
symbols is necessary in nr5s.
understand a good many of ~.
In the eleventh and twelfth J.
turtles symbolical animals plavs
conspicuous part in church n,
ture and architecture. This
largely because the congras,s-s
Of these days could not r9sd
the only way they could Absorb
ligious and other instructed =
through symbols of commonlv
derstoOd meaning. Thus. the i,
the lion, the wolf, the horse h
ass and eagle all had their a,r9
canoe. The church was freous,
represented as a flock Of sheer
doves; the soul of man bY q
pent or a butterfly; the eagle 4
a symbol of protection, and /
swan, not often used, was. Iika
fox, a symbol of hypocrisy and e
ming.
Swans acquired this meaning
cause, according to mejis7
writer, they have fine wings Al
yet can scarce raise themssF.
from the earth, so that they ars
no use to them; besides the feat
ers of a swan are white, to pshs
ton, but their flesh is very bs.
as are hypoCrites, appearing OF
wardly viTtuOus and being inVsr
ly wicked"
The fox won his reputation
owing to the legend d
when a fox is hungry, it dies dol
in a furrOw Of the field and core
itself partly with earth, as thou
it had been long dead. Then
and other rapacious BIT,
come to devour it, at which it Sd
denly leaps up and tears then
pieces"
These sym bols, so useful in
.eaching of Christianity VI
equally potent when dirsa
against it. so that, as f. P. EYg
ellis us, in his interesting ba
Animal Symbolism in Ecclesa
.ical Architecture" with
growth of religious skepticism At
schism this symboiogy grMus
and almost imperceptibly merg
into satire, This reached its nl
marked phase about a thOua
years ago and TO this day satire
been used extensively in chu
design, perhaps with malicious
tent in some instances. but nd
generally to point a quickly grasp
One of the most interesting spec
mems of medieval satire is a cfs7
ng on the stall in the cathedral O.
Amiens showing a fox preaching 70 Z
/ flock of domestic fowls. The Poi
pit is in the form Of a tray a.
h preacher is reaching over q
edge, as if zealously eXpOUnd1
he scriptures, but really for 0
purposes of Selling a hen, whose Z.
Tout interest A. the sermon b
brought her into dangerous pro-
nifty to the eager-eyed and rap.
Gus gospeler-
Another specimen which si1l
.wo men mounted, one on a goa
md the other On a hog, and s3
armed with a spear, undog0'a
he caricature of the tOurnsHs
proves that the old architects
lot always conine their iibss
he church but poked fun at o2
generally respected institutions
heir day.