The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-05-17
ARCH
HAS ANCIENT
HISTORY
First Developed in Countries
Where High Trees for Sup
ports Were Hard to Get

The arch was developed be-
cause of the necessity for span.
ming wide spaces in large build
ings in countries where high
trees did not grow. The early
Egyptians used the arch but
sparingly and in small rooms.
Their temples and palaces con-
tanned many rows of massive
pillars supporting slags of stone,
forming flat ceilings. The stone
being poorly adapted for long
spans and the arch not having
been developed beyond the canti-
lever stage the numerous lines
of columns were necessary.
There appears to be plenty of
evidence of an earlier period when
all buildings were of wood, this evil
dence being principally in the, form
of styles of decoration and orna.
mentation. Base projections and
corbelled projections are believed
to be derived from earlier construc.
ton in wood, when blocks at the
bottom and top of column helped
distribute the bearing pressure.
Corbels at the top were in reality
cantilever beams.
Gives Ingenious Theory.
One ingenious theorist traced the
projections at the bases and tops Of
columns to bags of asphalt used for
Waterproofing purposes. His theory
is that a bag of heavy canvas~was
filled with asphalt and used as d.
sort of cushion at either end of d
column to prevent moisture from
travelling up the pores of the WOOD.
In times these bags of asphalt were
supplanted by blocks of stone or
wood. Who knows that he is right
Who knows that he is wrong? Who
cares?
The truth is that as time demon.
strated the utility of certain de.
vice or well.defined characteristic
in structure it was adopted by
future builders without question.
Thus was taste formed. The search
ing query was always: rs it
Utile?' an affirmative answer re-
~eulting in it's adoption as neces-
sary item in the aesthetic compo-
sition of a plan.
OF decoration, as such, there was
at first the use of color. Carving
followed at a much later time and
when certain style of architecture
was developed it consisted of well
defined forms denoting the con-
gtruction, carving denoting the
pride of craftsmanship and painting
denoting the more or less developed
taste of the region. Barbaric PEG.
pie love color and painting devel;;
oped nSquite early ages.
The use of carved, ornaments to-
make a building more beautiful in
dictated some degree Of civilization,
for to execute such work there
must be trained craftsmen. Purity
of form with a minimum of color
and carving indicates highly
trained intellect capable Of restraint
in EXPRESSION. 9,ss
1t iarno aTniss to- say that 1t is
only within the past one hundred
years f1atstIfe much .Iauded restraint
In architectural II expression has
properly been recognized. The an
Cient Greeks gave US beautiful
temples. but today we have only the
lovely forms, whereas If certain II.
vestigators are to be- believed. the
taste of the Greeks in color WIS
magnificently barbaric. Those
lovely temples of the Greeks. II
we may believe some writer's, were
painted in way that would b. TO-
day looked upon as decidedly Vul.
gar and in poor taste,
= There were lots of little doc
dads tucked up on the edge of
cornices and hanging from fricZes
that architects of today do not
copy. After all what has cone
Gown toLus from the old architec.
tural triumphs are merely the forms
0nd the dimensions of parts that
came about by study of the neeos
of the building, coupled with Tho
minimum expenditure for labor and
material.
Triumph Of Engineering.
In fact the triumph of architec-
ture has been always the triumph
Of the engineering features of ar
chitecture, the framework of the
building, the parts that support the
floors and roofs The walls are
merely curtains between columns in
many cases, pierced by door and
window openings. Where the walls
themselves supported the floors and
roof the logical placing and aesthetic
proportioning of the openings, con.
stituted the decoration thereof.
The reproduction in building
after building by generations Of
builders results In the fixing Of
proportions of sizes of all parts SO
that 1t is not necessary on ordinary
buildings to employ engineers. The
architect remains the chief of the
builders and is rs the careful
preservation of the record of work
done that is responsible for the
spread Of the liking for tastefully
designed and well-planned struc.
lures.
The architect deals with that in.
tangible thing, public taste, whereas
the engineer deals only with things
that may he measured and weighed
Without the engineer the architect
can but slowly adapt to his use
the newer discoveries In building
materials.