Evening star., 1921-08-19
Editorial Digest.
Sermons II Stone.

at has been an interesting mid
summer discovery that emblems and
faces exist in the decorations and
carvings on st. Thomas Church in
New York city. but the Springfield
Republican thinks ut Is clearly moth
ing to be excited about" This is the
attitude of most writer's. although
many Of them go farther and express
pleasure in the adoption in this coun-
, try of the old-world custom of pre-
serving. through caricatures and
| symb bols on public buildings, the life
| and spirit Of the time. Editorial dis
cussion OF the subject brings out
many Interesting points in the his
tory of Gothic architecture. with the
purpose of showing that what many
Americans, in accord with the Knox
vile Sentinel. may regard as new
tion observed since the middle ages.
| which has produced an art valuable
in itself and highly interesting his
| torically. Some writer's. however,
confess themselves old fashioned
enough" to disapprove wholly Of
the church by such frivolous" dec
orations as those which have been
discovered on st. Thomas.
The disclosure of the manner OF
decoration of the beautiful 5th avenue
church merely goes to show" says
peats itself in church architecture as
! it does in SO many other things" since
the 'architects of st. Thomas in their
| little joke at the expense OF the wor-
predecessors of the middle ages did"
and were. possibly. animated by the
! same SLY malice" The origin of the
custom. which has been transplanted
to this country. is outlined by the
| Boston Globe. which interprets the
structures as the journalism of an
age which lacked printing and so
spoke in stone" Symbolism, the Globe
believes, is the universal expression
of art. "art. literature. music and
! architecture are scrawled over with
this secret sign language, legible to
those in the know. SO 1t Is the artists
who are our best historians. after all.
provided We have the wit to read
what they have written"
tory has been richer In interest" says
the Springfield Republican, and by
perpetuating in stone the carved rec
ords of persons. events and issues OF
the day "the artists OF st. Thomas
have made a most interesting use of
their opportunity" 1t Is. indeed, as
the Chicago Tribune sees 1t, "a record
and Interpretation of New York life
of the times" and when Bernard
Shaw's Mesopotamian civilization be-
gins sending explorers and travellers
to see the ruins of the United States,
st. Thomas Church in New York may
be one of the most interesting an
tiquities."
The Idaho Statesman is certain that
the little allegories and caricatures
able to future generations ''as the
tombs of Egypt and the pictures OF
Pompe:i are valuable to US today"
Treating the matter from the re-
ligious. rather than the historic.
standpoint. however, some writer's are
frankly aghast at what is to them
sacrilege. To the Charleston News
and Courier the little figures in ST.
Thomas are '.mocking at the church. -
and though New York in general
joke" it is glad that There are
some people old fashioned enough to
express Indignation that an edifice
supposedly dedicated to the worship
of God. whether it be used for that
purpose or not. should thus be
brought into ridicule."
These architectural clowns might
serve as decorations for a mad
house" but; in the opinion of the
Asheville Times. they are mot
Even granting their historic back
grounds. and that they were permis-
sible "in an age of demonology.
when the church was just emerging
from pagan darkness still, the
Times holds. that time IL long gone,
and it is an architectural miseon-
ception scarcely less absurd than
the carven figures themselves that
churches should be treated as mu-
seums for preserving relics Of the
past"
The queer conception of humor"
which. "in the absence of any per-
sonal end to be served" would trans
late itself into imperishable stone in
a religious institution. is, to the
Richmond Times-Dispatch, ''ofren-
Portable to suspect that our churches.
our monuments and our public build
ings on closer view may be found
to be preserving to posterity our
social shortcomings and personal
faults"
The whole question is one of spirit
the Chicago Post feels. and it sees
no indication that the spirit of
these decorations is other than one
of reverence. Even the setting Of
the dollar sign opposite the lovers
knot shows no irreverence. but tends
to teach. as 1t was meant to do.
lesson much needed in these times"
an intent "unquestionably good" the
Mobile Register thinks, but lesson
which might better be spread upon
the pages of the marriage service"
And after all, why not" the MIL
waukee Journal asks, "if art is truth
what better place for truth to rise
than in the church," The irrev
erence shown in the figures is not for
"the church and what it should stand
for" but "irreverence for the high
and mighty And 1t inquiries fur
ther, "Is allegory sacrilegious be-
cause it's figures are modern and
definite. instead Of ancient and
vague?" The New York Post also
wonders whether the "shock" of des-
ecration Of ST. Thomas does not lie
primarily in the fact that the fig
ures represent purely cotemporary
types"
TLo Er;a3e Chn~s