Wisdom, Strength And Beauty.

as well as a rubble and thatch ? Which looks better ? The rubble and thatch undoubtedly . Why ? Because the walls are thicker , the roof is thicker , and thus solidity is and always will be more pleasing than mere flimsiness . Therefore , to add grandeur to the building , stability is necessary . But there is yet another kind of strength which is indispensable to the Perfect Temple , and that

is the strength of material , and by this is implied not the mere physical strength , but rather the aesthetic strength gained by the use of striking or costly materials , as was the case in the building of King Solomon ' s Temple . And the first consideration of this is size . A wall composed of large stones has more dignity than one composed of small ones , and the Egyptians knew this well when they reared their obelisks , and memnons . What is it strikes the

^ observer on . the embankment about Cleopatra ' s Needle , apart of course from its age ? Its monolithic grandeur ; thafc indeed was the chief difficulty in transporting it to England ; other buildings , like Temple Bar for instance , can be taken down and re-erected with but little trouble , but the monolith required care and careful forethought to preserve it intact during its evenfcful voyage . Such portions of the Temple itself as required stonework were supplied with the largest available blocks—blocks which indeed

would strike terror into fche heart of the modern contractor

Baalbec again boasts stones , to again quote from Mark Twain , " as large as a street car , " and probably weighing as much as some of the largest girders ever lifted by our latter day machinery . Then come pillars whose shafts are of a single stone ; are they not always more striking than if composed of several parts ? Have any of the readers of thel . M . B . ever noticed the magnificent

hexagonal monolithic shafts of the pillars supporting the portico at Secunderabad Eailway Station ? They are a very sermon in stones on the subject of strength . But this massiveness of stone is more or less lost to us in the present day , and we have to thank our Gothic Architects for the loss ; they , however beautiful were their buildings , and they are unquestionably the finest examples

of architecture the world has seen , laid over-much stress upon constructive skill and ornament , and thus lost to us one of the most important features in true architecture . Apart from mere size , the question of the value of the materials now arises—and that is an important one . People will flock to see the Queen ' s Crown , in the Tower of London , and will wonder at its beauty

and jewels , but who would care to step across the road to see a model , equally beautiful but an imitation ? Again , wherein does the Taj at Agra attract its visitors ; its proportions and shape are much the same as other moslem structures ; it is not the building that attracts , it is the marble , and the agate and other precious stones used to adorn it , and ifc was considerations such as this

which led to the lavish employment of cedarwood , brass , gold , silver in the building of King Solomon ' s Temple . True ifc is that wood was perishable , but the ease with which it lent itself to carving , its costliness and tbe evidences of labour bestowed upon it were sufficient justification for its employment in the Temple .

As of wood , so of brass , gold and silver . Thus we have seen how necessary both the skill of construction and the solidity , stability and strength of materials are to the perfection of the building ; but yet remains the most important hand of all , the hand of the skilful architect ; who is to combine his forces with the other two in one harmonious whole .

( iii ) BEAUTY . Under this head may be classed those dispositions of the two former sections which are required to make the building pleasing to the eye and a work of art . Ifc is essential that Beauty should adorn the edifice before it can be called an architectural effort .

But what may be called the Beauty of an edifice , and wherein may it be exemplified ? This is indeed a hard question . It may consist in the proportion of the length to the breadth and height , in the form of the supports or pillars , or the artistic embellishments of its different parts .

Beferring again to the Parthenon , we have an example of perfect proportion in architecture , and one where the adornment of beauty lies in simplicity . Supposing even its columns were square and mouldings flat , even then the Parthenon would nofc cease to attract , so well balanced are its several proportions of length , breadth , and height . So again it is with the Gothic

Cathedral , though in a far different manner . Here we see the height of one part contrasted with that of another , the central aisle towering over the side aisle , and duly subordinating it to its level as a part and adjunct of the whole building . In fact a very barn , provided it be well proportioned , has an artistic beauty ; but if to this ornament be added in a fitting manner , then it bids fair to be a work of art and worthy to be ranked among one of

the noblest works of man ; or , again , a building whose construction is not ornamental can by sheer force of added ornament become an architectural achievement . For instance , the proportions of Solomon ' s Temple were hardly such as would find favour with the present day architect , or even with his Greek or Eoman predecessors ; yet by dint of the lavish and costly added ornament it became at the time it was built ; quite one of the wonders of the world .

Wisdom, Strength And Beauty.

A very good instance of added ornament , raising what was previously a barrack to the level of architecture , is what is known as the Writer ' s Buildings in Calcutta ; these were formerly of the usual Government workhouse stamp of architecture , and were a distinct blot upon the beauty of Dalhousie Square , particularly as they stood next to that really fine attempt at Palladian Art ,

the Post Office ; the anomaly even melted the hearts of stern Government servants , and gave them longings for something more aesthetic , with the result that a new facade was added fco the old structure , which , though not of surpassing beauty , is yet architecture as opposed to the old constructive appearance of the building . From this then we may deduce that it is the task of

the Craftsman to work the stone and other materials , and . to heap them together speedily and to obtain the desired effect by doing so . The constructive agent , or as we should now term him fche civil engineer , uses his materials in such a manner as to be economical and yet effective . Strength and mass are obtained by a slight over-proportion of fche engineer ' s calculations , and by the

selection of both strong and costly materials . Bufc where these leave off the true architect , the maker of Beauty , steps in . The materials selected are now arranged not so much with a view fco the economical as to the artistic effect ; light and shade are now employed to produce a form which in itself will be of permanent beauty . Then the ornament is added to accentuate

the effect already gained , and the work is complete . Thus the harmonious working of the three great Master Masons is an absolute necessity to true architectural effect . The one cannot work without the other , and this I have endeavoured to show by quoting examples of buildings generally known to most readers .

Though this is in no way a scientific explanation of the three columns , yet it embodies , I trust , a very . practical view of the functions of the three Master Masons , which accords not inaptly with the words , Wisdom , Strength and Beauty . —Frank Stevens , in " Indian Masonic Beview . "

On Wednesday , 15 th ulfc ., fche first Masonic Ball in connection with the St . David ' s Lodge , No . 679 , was held at fche Constitutional Hall , Aberdare . The hall was most tastefully decorated , and in every way fche ball proved a complete success .

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