READINGS IN ART.
The papers on Sculpture are compiled from Redford’s “Ancient Sculpture” and Lübke’s “History of Art.”
P. 75, c. 1.—“Mycenæ,” my-ce´næ.
“Cesnola,” ches´no-la. Born in Turin in 1832. He served in the Crimean war, and afterward in the war of the Rebellion. Having been made an American citizen he was appointed consul to Cyprus, where he discovered the necropolis of Idalium, a city which ceased to exist two thousand years ago. He began excavations, opening some eight thousand tombs, but an edict from the sultan stopped the work. Cesnola had already, however, gathered a magnificent collection of antiquities, which, in 1872 was purchased for the Metropolitan Museum of New York.
“Harpy.” The reliefs on this monument represent harpies, fabulous monsters in Greek mythology, carrying off children.
“Frieze,” freez. The broad band resting upon the columns of a porch is called the entablature. It is divided into three portions; the central one is the frieze.
P. 75, c. 2.—“Ageladas,” ag´e-la´das. Not Argeladas.
“Myron.” A Bœotian, born about 480 B. C. His master-pieces were all in bronze. The “quoit-player” and the “cow” are most famous. Myron excelled in animals and figures in action.
“Canachus,” can´a-chus. (B. C. 540-508.) He executed the colossal statue of Apollo at Miletus, was skilled in casting bronze, in gold and silver, and in wood carving.
“Callon,” cal´lon. (B. C. 516.)
“Onatus,” o-na´tus. (B. C. 460.) “Hegias,” he´gi-as; “Critius,” cri´ti-us.
“Calamis,” cal´a-mis. (B. C. 467-429.) He worked in marble, gold and ivory. His horses are said to have been unsurpassable, and his heroic female figures superior to those of his predecessors.
“Pythagoras.” Lived about 470 in Magna Græcia. He executed life-like figures in bronze.
“Lemnians,” lem´ni-ans.
“Paris.” At a certain wedding feast to which all the gods had been invited except the goddess of Strife, she, angry at the slight, threw an apple into their midst with the inscription “to the fairest.” Juno, Minerva and Venus claimed it, and Jupiter ordered that Paris, then a shepherd on Mount Ida, should decide the dispute. As Venus promised him the most beautiful of women for his wife, he gave her the apple.
P. 76, c. 1.—“Pellene,” pel-le´ne. A city of Achaia.
“Rochette,” ro´shĕt´. (1790-1854.) A French archæologist.
“Alcamenes,” al-cam´e-nes. (B.C. 444-400.) His greatest work was a statue of Venus.
“Agoracritus,” ag´o-rac´ri-tus. (B. C. 440-428.) His most famous work was also a Venus, which he changed into a statue of Nemesis and sold because the people of Athens preferred the statue of Alcamenes.
“Pæonius,” pæ-o´ni-us.
“Pediment.” The triangular facing or top over a portico, window, gate, etc.
“Metope,” met´o-pe. In the Doric style of architecture, the frieze was divided at intervals by ornaments called triglyphs. The spaces between these ornaments were called metopes.
“Cella.” The interior space of a temple.
“Phigalia,” phi-ga´li-a.
“Niké-Apteros.” The wingless goddess of victory. Wingless, to signify that the prayer of the Athenians was that victory might never leave their city.
“Scopas,” sco´pas. (395-350.) An architect and statuary, as well as sculptor. He was the architect of the temple of Minerva at Tegea, and assisted in the bas-reliefs of the mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The famous group of Niobe and her children is supposed to have been the work of Scopas.
“Praxiteles,” prax-it´e-les. Born at Athens B. C. 392. He worked in both marble and bronze. About fifty different works by him are mentioned. First in fame stands the Cnidian Venus, “one of the most famous art creations of antiquity.” Apollo as the lizard-killer, his faun and a representation of Eros are probably best-known.
“Nereid,” nē´re-id. A sea nymph.
“Mænad,” mæ´nad. A priestess or votary of Bacchus.
P. 76, c. 2.—“Toro Farnese” or Farnese Bull. Was discovered in the sixteenth century and is now in the Naples museum. It represents the sons of Antiope tying Dirce to a bull by which she is to be dragged to death. The work when discovered went to the Farnese palace in Rome, hence the name of Farnese bull.
“Laocoon,” la-oc´o-on. One of the chief groups in the Vatican collection; discovered at Rome in 1506. Laocoon was a priest of Apollo, who having blasphemed the god was destroyed at the altar with his two sons by a serpent sent by the deity.
“Niobe,” ni´o-be. The group of Niobe and her children was probably first an ornament of the pediment of a temple. The subject is the vengeance of Apollo and Artemis upon the Theban queen Niobe, who had boasted because of her fourteen children, that she was superior to Leda who had but two. As a punishment all her children were destroyed.
“Pyromachus,” py-rom´a-chus.
“Æsculapius,” æs-cu-la´pi-us. The god of the medical art.
“Apollo Belvedere,” bel-vā-dā´rā, or bĕl´ve-deer´. This statue by many is considered the greatest existing work of ancient art. The subject is the god Apollo at the moment of his victory over the Python. It was discovered in 1503, and takes its name from its position in the belvedere of the Vatican, a gallery or open corridor of the Vatican which is called belvedere, (beautiful view) from the fine views it commands. It is of heroic size, and is considered the very type of manly beauty.
P. 77, c. 1.—“Torus,” to´rus. A large moulding used in the base of columns.
“Mæcenas,” mæ-ce´nas. (B. C. 73?-8.) A Roman statesman. His fame rests on his patronage of literature. He was a patron of both Horace and Virgil.
“Tivoli,” tiv´o-le.
“Varro.” (B. C. 116-28.) “The most learned of the Romans and the most voluminous of Roman writers.” He composed no less than 490 books; but two of these have come down to us.
“Arcesilaus,” ar-ces´i-la´us.
“Genetrix.” A mother.
“Septimius Severus,” sep-tim´i-us se-ve´rus. (A. D. 146-211.) Roman Emperor.
AMERICAN LITERATURE.
P. 77, c. 2.—“Sydney Smith.” (1771-1845.) Educated at Oxford, he took orders and became a curate in 1794. Afterward he taught, and in 1802 assisted in establishing the Edinburgh Review, of which he was the first editor. Although he had charge, during his life, of various parishes, he was active in literary work; for twenty-five years he contributed to the Edinburgh Review; he published “Sketches of Moral Philosophy,” several volumes of sermons, papers on “American Debt,” and many miscellaneous articles, all characterized by humor and sound sense.
“Kaimes,” or Kames, kāmz. (1696-1782.) A Scottish jurist, educated at Edinburgh, and for thirty years practiced law; was then made Lord Chief Justice. He wrote many works on law, metaphysics, criticism, etc.
“Davy.” (1778-1829.) The English chemist. His attention was first directed to chemistry by his medical studies, and he made such progress in original investigation that at twenty-three he was made lecturer on chemistry in the Royal Society of London. In 1817 he became a member of the French Institute, and his reputation as a chemist was second to that of no one in Europe. He wrote much and among his discoveries were the bases potassium, sodium, and iodine as a simple substance. His most valuable invention was the miner’s safety lamp.
“Jeffrey.” (1773-1850.) Educated for the law, but was deeply interested in literature. After being admitted to the bar this division of interest for a long time hindered his success. He was one of the original founders of the Edinburgh Review, and became its editor with the fourth number. He soon made the magazine an organ of liberal thought on every theme. His most valuable contributions were his literary criticisms. His work at the bar improved with his literary ability, and in 1834 he was made a judge, a position he held until his death.
“Passy,” päs´se´.
P. 78, c. 1.—“Bancroft,” băng´kroft. (1800.) See American Literature.
“Rufus King.” (1755-1827.) American statesman.
“Everett.” (1794-1865.) American orator and statesman.
P. 78, c. 2.—“Hessian,” hĕsh´an. The troops were from Hesse-Cassel. The king, Frederick II., between 1776 and 1784, received over £3,000,000 by hiring these soldiers to the English government to fight against the Americans.
“Lanspach,” lanz´päk; “Kniphausen,” knip´how´zen.
P. 79, c. 1.—“Brougham,” broo´am. (1779-1868.) A British statesman and author. After leaving school he spent some time in traveling and writing before being admitted to the bar. In 1810 he entered Parliament, and his first resolution was to petition the king to abolish slavery. From this time he was allied with the reforms of the age: the emancipation of Roman Catholics, government reforms, etc. The education of working people and charity schemes received the aid of his pen and voice, and he was instrumental in founding several societies since very powerful. In 1834 the change of ministry ended his official life, but his interest and zeal in public works never ceased.
[TRICKS OF THE CONJURORS.]
By THOMAS FROST.
The dense ignorance which prevailed during the seventeenth century on the subject of conjuring, as the word is now understood, would be scarcely credible at the present day, if instances did not even now occur at intervals to show that there are still minds which the light of knowledge has not yet penetrated. Books did not reach the masses in those days, and hence the beginning of the eighteenth century found people as ready to drown a wizard as their ancestors had been.
A book which was published in 1716, by Richard Neve, whose name is the first which we meet with in the conjuring annals of the eighteenth century, bears traces of the lingering fear of diabolical agency which still infected the minds of the people. Having stated, in his preface, that his book contained directions for performing thirty-three legerdemain tricks, besides many arithmetical puzzles and many jests, Neve says: “I dare not say that I have here set down all that are or may be performed by legerdemain, but thou hast here the most material of them; and if thou rightly understandest these, there is not a trick that any juggler in the world can show thee, but thou shalt be able to conceive after what manner it is done, if he do it by sleight of hand, and not by unlawful and detestable means, as too many do at this day.”
The following are a few of the tricks which puzzled the people of those days: The tricks of the fakirs, or religious mendicants of India were remarkable. One of these fellows boasted that he would appear at Amadabant a town about two hundred miles from Surat, within fifteen days after being buried, ten feet deep, at the latter place. The Governor of Surat resolved to test the fellow’s powers, and had a grave dug, in which the fakir placed himself, stipulating that a layer of reeds should be interposed between his body and the superincumbent earth, with a space of two feet between his body and the reeds. This was done, and the grave was then filled up, and a guard was placed at the spot to prevent trickery.
A large tree stood ten or twelve yards from the grave, and beneath its shade several fakirs were grouped around a large earthern jar, which was filled with water. The officer of the guard, suspecting that some trick was to be played, ordered the jar to be moved, and, this being done by the soldiers, after some opposition on the part of the fellows assembled round it, a shaft was discovered, with a subterranean gallery from its bottom to within two feet of the grave. The impostor was thereupon made to ascend, and a riot ensued, in which he and several other persons were slain.
This trick has been repeated several times in India, under different circumstances, one of the most remarkable instances being that related by an engineer officer named Boileau, who was employed about forty years ago in the trigonometrical survey of that country. I shall relate this story in the officer’s own words, premising that he did not witness either the interment or the exhumation of the performer, but was told that they took place in the presence of Esur Lal, one of the ministers of the Muharwul of Jaisulmer.
“The man is said, by long practice, to have acquired the art of holding his breath by shutting the mouth, and stopping the interior opening of the nostrils with his tongue; he also abstains from solid food for some days previous to his interment, so that he may not be inconvenienced by the contents of his stomach, while put up in his narrow grave; and, moreover, he is sewn up in a bag of cloth, and the cell is lined with masonry, and floored with cloth, that the white ants and other insects may not easily be able to molest him. The place in which he was buried at Jaisulmer is a small building about twelve feet by eight, built of stone; and in the floor was a hole, about three feet long, two and a half feet wide, and the same depth, or perhaps a yard deep, in which he was placed in a sitting posture, sewed up in his shroud, with his feet turned inward toward the stomach, and his hands also pointed inward toward the chest. Two heavy slabs of stone, five or six feet long, several inches thick, and broad enough to cover the mouth of the grave, so that he could not escape, were then placed over him, and I believe a little earth was plastered over the whole, so as to make the surface of the grave smooth and compact. The door of the house was also built up, and people placed outside, that no tricks might be played, nor deception practised.
“At the expiration of a full month, the walling of the door was broken, and the buried man dug out of the grave; Trevelyan’s moonshee only running there in time to see the ripping open of the bag in which the man had been inclosed. He was taken out in a perfectly senseless state, his eyes closed, his hands cramped and powerless, his stomach shrunk very much, and his teeth jammed so fast together that they were forced to open his mouth with an iron instrument to pour a little water down his throat. He gradually recovered his senses and the use of his limbs; and when we went to see him he was sitting up, supported by two men, and conversed with us in a low, gentle tone of voice, saying that ‘we might bury him again for a twelvemonth, if we pleased.’”
A conjuror was exhibiting a mimic swan, which floated on real water, and followed his motions, when the bird suddenly became stationary. He approached it more closely, but the swan did not move.
“There is a person in the company,” said he, “who understands the principle upon which this trick is performed, and who is counteracting me. I appeal to the company whether this is fair, and I beg the gentleman will desist.”
The trick was performed by magnetism, and the counteracting agency was a magnet in the pocket of Sir Francis Blake Delaval.
In 1785 the celebrated automatic chess player was first exhibited in London, having previously been shown in various cities of Germany and France. It had been invented about fifteen years before by a Hungarian noble, the Baron von Kempelen, who had until then, however, declined to permit its exhibition in public. Having witnessed some experiments in magnetism by a Frenchman, performed before the Court of Maria Theresa, Kempelen had observed to the empress that he thought himself able to construct a piece of mechanism the operations of which would be far more surprising than the experiments they had witnessed. The curiosity of the empress was excited, and she exacted a promise from Kempelen to make the attempt. The result was the automatic chess-player.
The figure was of the size of life, dressed as a Turk, and seated behind a square piece of cabinet work. It was fixed upon castors, so as to run over the floor, and satisfy beholders that there was no access to it from below. On the top, in the center, was a fixed chess-board, toward which the eyes of the figure were directed. Its right hand and arm were extended toward the board, and its left, somewhat raised, held a pipe.
The spectators, having examined the figure, the exhibitor wound up the machinery, placed the cushion under the arm of the figure, and challenged any gentleman present to play.
The Turk always chose the white men, and made the first move. The fingers opened as the hand was extended toward the board, and the piece was deftly picked up, and removed to the proper square. If a false move was made by its opponent, it tapped on the table impatiently, replaced the piece, and claimed the move for itself. If a human player hesitated long over a move, the Turk tapped sharply on the table.
The mind fails to comprehend any mechanism capable of performing with such accuracy movements which require knowledge and reflection. Beckman says indeed that a boy was concealed in the figure, and prompted by the best chess-player whose services the proprietor could obtain.
[TALK ABOUT BOOKS.]
Oliver Wendell Holmes is a philanthropist in the world of letters. Since his college days at Harvard, where he distinguished himself by his contributions to the Collegian, he has been giving to his wide circle of readers strong, clean, good thoughts, mixed with the happiest humor. His essays have been among the most enjoyable of his writings. His publishers have recognized this and collected a dozen of them into “Pages from an Old Volume of Life.”[K] There are many subjects touched, but his “Phi Beta Kappa” oration of 1870, “Mechanism in Thought and Morals,” is, perhaps, the best in the collection. The two essays, written during the war for The Atlantic readers, have a pathos so touching, it completely does away with the false idea that Holmes is only a humorist. The volume is a pleasant book for an hour’s reading; indeed, it may well be classed along with what the author himself has aptly called “pillow-smoothing authors;” not a dull, heavy book, but one whose easily-flowing thoughts and continued good humor, quiet the mind and allow the reader to pass into dreamy forgetfulness.
“Things that have to be done, should be learned by doing them.” Teachers know as well, perhaps, as any class of people how applicable this old truism is to their work. They only learn by doing; but too often they learn the routine, not the science. A little book just published by A. Lovell & Co.,[L] is sent out in the interest of thoughtful teaching. There are some excellent development lessons, in which, simply by questions, and a few simple materials, are developed ideas of the senses, of forms, flat and solid, ideas of right and left, etc. A series of lessons on plants and insects have for their object “to bring the child into contact with nature, to teach him to observe, think, reason, and to express himself naturally.” The book contains an excellent paper on the much-discussed “Quincy School Work.” No new departure in the educational world has caused more talk. That there is something in it no one doubts that knows of the results of Superintendent Parker’s system, but how to use it is not easily explained. This essay will help teachers to understand the method and show them how it may be used.
During this year Messrs. Harper & Brothers have added to the biographies of eminent Americans three very valuable works. Following Mr. Godwin’s life of Bryant, is the “Memoirs of John A. Dix.”[M] In so pretentious a work as the latter it is unfortunate that the compilation should have been made by his son. The unbiased, impersonal judgment that makes a biography trustworthy, is wanting. The fondness of the writer is continually evident to the reader. The book, however, is valuable from its fullness and exactness. It is really an epitome of the history of the most exciting times in our annals. General Dix’s part in the stirring events before and after the rebellion, his work as secretary of the treasury, as military commander during the New York riots in ’63, and his position upon various questions of national policy, are all explained minutely, and his correspondence is given in full. Although so voluminous, the work is never fatiguing. A feature which adds to the interest of the book is the selections from his translations, sketches, etc. General Dix added to his political and military ability a literary taste that led him to cultivate letters. His translations are particularly good. Stabat Mater, his son has seen fit to publish; it seems a pity that Dies Iræ was not also given.
The third of these biographies is the “Life of James Buchanan.”[N] The author himself says of this work, that “it was followed within a week by an amount of criticism such as I do not remember to have seen bestowed on any similar book in the same space of time.” Mr. Curtis was assigned a task from which most men would have shrunk. Mr. Buchanan’s administration as President of the United States was not popular. The belief that he favored the secession of the Southern States has been general. For his biographer to treat him as a conscientious actor in the struggle before the war has necessarily entailed criticism. Mr. Curtis says in his preface, “My estimate of his abilities and powers as a statesman has arisen with every investigation I have made and it is, in my judgment, not too much to say of him as a President of the United States, that he is entitled to stand very high in the catalogue—not a large one—of those who have had the moral courage to encounter misrepresentation and obloquy, rather than swerve from the line of duty which their convictions marked out for them.” Mr. Curtis will not change the popular opinion on the Buchanan administration, but he must modify that opinion. This treatment alone makes the work worth reading by both friend and foe. The most entertaining part of the book is the voluminous private correspondence, which well portray Mr. Buchanan’s social and friendly nature.
One of the most delightful books of the season is “Spanish Vistas,”[O] by Mr. Lathrop. The publishers have given us a genuine édition de luxe, heavy paper, numberless choice illustrations, and beautiful binding. The book is the joint product of two artists, and if one wields the quill instead of the pencil he is no less artistic. Two things are particularly noticeable in Mr. Lathrop’s fine descriptions of scenery, of architecture, city sights and peasant gatherings: the skill with which he chooses his point and time of observation, and his really superior coloring. He knows at what hour the Alhambra will exercise its supreme spell, where the picturesque vagabondism of these handsome Spanish rascals will be most striking. To this power add his ability in colors and there is not a page but glows with effective pictures. Character sketches enliven the volume. The commonplace American abroad is introduced in Whetstone, a man of “iron persistence and intense prejudice,” who continually exclaims “I don’t see what I came to Spain for. If there ever was a God-forsaken country,” and who amid the grandeur of the cathedral of Seville squints along the cornice to see if it is straight. The writer has been ably assisted by his “Velveteen,” alias Mr. C. S. Reinhart, whose pictures give doubled value to the book. To all contemplating a trip to Spain the chapter on “Hints to Travelers” will be valuable.
“Spanish Vistas” represents one class of books on travels. There is another more interesting to the majority of people, in which facts and adventures are the chief elements. Such a work is “The Golden Chersonese,”[P] by Isabella Bird. After having traveled on horseback through the interior of Japan, and braved the roughest passes of the Rocky Mountains, and spent six months among the wonders of the Sandwich Islands, this indefatigable woman penetrates that terra incognita, the Malay Peninsula. The dangers and inconveniences which she undergoes to get there and get through are remarkable. She sailed from Hong Kong not long after a party of piratical Chinese, shipping as steerage passengers on board a river steamer, had massacred the officers and captured the boat. There was but one English passenger on board besides herself, and some two thousand Chinese imprisoned in the steerage, an iron grating over each exit, and an officer ready to shoot the first man who attempted to force it. The decorations of the saloons consisted of stands of loaded rifles and unsheathed bayonets. She penetrates the country where the mosquitoes are a terror to life; snakes, land-leeches and centipedes are everywhere, but the enthusiastic traveler mentions them but casually. The dangers and bravery of the writer of course add piquancy to the interesting description of the scenes, the customs and peculiarities of “The Golden Chersonese.”
Along with these fresh works comes out a new edition of one of the pioneers in this field of literature. We refer to Dr. Hayes’ “Arctic Boat Journey.”[Q] In 1860 it was first published, and speedily took its place as an authority on Arctic travels. The fresh interest given to this subject by the sad fate of the “Jeannette” has led to a new edition. The accounts lose nothing of interest by time, but rather become clearer from the added knowledge we have of the frozen seas and icy lands.
No work will be found a more valuable addition to a C. L. S. C. library than Lübke’s “History of Art.”[R] In connection with the art readings it will be found invaluable. Since its first publication in 1860 it has gone through seven editions, and that, too, in critical Germany. The new translation from the latest German edition is the best.