The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-21

are Of stone, these are Of flesh and
blood"
In the corners, fitted into the
narrowing space, are the heads OF
horses representing the sun and
moon-nostrils snorting and eyes
flashing in action liveIier than life.
Toward the center rise the ma
jestic bodies of decapitated gods.
The nude figures are magnificent,
with all the power and none Of the
contortions Of Michaelangelo's
giants; and the clothed figures are
as perfect in drapery as the draw
ings Of Leonardo.
Nothing in sculpture surpaSses
these robes Of flowing stone; even
in the cold stiffness of the British
museum they almost move in the
wind.
Pass now within the outer colon
made, which runs around the build
ing; in just such porticos as this
the philosophers Of Greece founu
hrade for their discourse.
Befors you is another row OF col
unnS, as strong and stately as the
first.
Behind them Is the western wall
of the temple itself, surviving only
in portions; here are the wounds
left in the marble by the cannon
shot which the Venetian gunners
aimed so well.
You look aloft to find that inner
frieze which Pheldias carved round
the top Of the temple wall; here
the artist placed his noblest statu-
airy, too high to be comfortably seen
by men, but, as Pheidias said, quite
visible to the gods,
Alas, the sculptures are not there;
the wise and villainous Lord Elgin
carried them away hundred years
ago.
1t was high-handed robbery; but
if he had left them where they
were they would by this time, with
earthquake and neglect, have fallen
into a thousand ruins.
Now they form the greatest treas
ure of the British Museum, as care
fully preserved as English air and
damp can keep them.
q u
THE famous frieze ran for 52S
i feet along the wall, and pictured
the procession of Athenian maidens
and youths bearing homage and Of
ferings to Athene on the festival
day of the Panathenaic games.
The most renowned Of the panels
shows two horsemen riding chargers
whose beauty and spirit outshine
even the comely nobility Of the
young cavaliers.
Another fragment lin The Louvre)
shows a group of women, perfect in
loneliness and grace, carrying a veil
to the goddess.
Near that fragment, in the Sale
Grecque of the Louvre, is a marvel
GUS head, detached from the same
frieze, still bearing some Of its orig
inal color, and even in its ruins in
describably delicate in conception
and execution.
On either side Of the temple sac
rificial animals moved immovably
on the frieze, with philosophic res
ignation, toward the gods who
adorned the eastern wall.
There sat Poseidon, Apollo, Arte-
mis-, Athene and other deities, mag
nificent in figure, clear Of eye and
divinely calm.
This is the characteristic repoSe
Of classic statuary at its best; the
fundamental principle of the grand
style, said WinckIemann, was to
represent the countenances and at
titudes OF the gods and heroes as
free from emotion and not agitated
by inward perturbations, in an
equilibrium of feeling and with a
peaceful, always even. state of
mind" OF what use would it be to
be a god if one could not be calm?
Now enters the, naos. or inner
temple. Only the marble floor re-
mains, desolate and bare.
Near the center rose Pheidias'
great statue of Athene Parthenos,
thirty mine feet high, carved and
cast in ivory and previous metal and
so placed that the morning sun,
streaming through the eastern por-
tai, bathed her golden head.
Above, a magnificent ceiling ran,
and on every side, along the walls, a
double colonnade. Here the people
came to worship the patron deity of
Athens; and here poets, artists and
philosophers came to worship beauty
and doubt the gods. Here was the
center ard summit Of a great city's
spiritual life.
Now let us walk little away from