14 ' Ar-chitecture in the United States. 



edifices : they called themselves free-masons, were bound by strict 

 rules, and from regard to honor as well as profit, confined their knowl- 

 edge to die members of the society* The arch with the column for 

 a support had been extensively employed in churches : they gave 

 height and lightness to both of these, adopting for this purpose 

 the pointed arch : pilgrims from the East brought accounts of the 

 fantastic yet graceful Saracenic, and the ornaments of this being ad- 

 ded, the Gothic style came into existence. Its grand and solemn 

 character was well suited to those times, and the princely revenues 



of the church were equal to its large pecuniary demands. It rose into 

 universal favor, and after passing through several changes, became a 

 style of the highest excellence and beauty, particularly in England. 

 Until the commencement of the 14th century, it was suffered to be 

 without a rival- In 1016, it is true, Buscheto erected the cathedral 

 of Pisa, in the Roman style, but this went little further until the con- 

 struction of the Duomo of Florence in the beginning of the 15th cen- 

 ury- The dome of this building gave eclat to the whole edifice 

 and to this manner of building : St. Peters was commenced in 1506, 



and since that time tlie triumph of this style has been complete. 

 The Gothic gave way before it, and then fell into undeserved con- 

 tetript : it has however, been lately revived, and bids fair once more to 

 succeed, as far at least as the scanty means of our times will admit. 

 . In all these revolutions, Greece, from the time when she gave the 

 art to Western Europe, till the middle of the last century, seems to 

 have been most strangely forgotten. In 1751, Messrs. Stuart and 

 Revett visited Athens, where they spent three years, delineating the 

 plans and profiles of its beautiful remains. This was done with re- 

 markable fidelity, and once more gave to the world the true princi- 

 ples of the art. Since that time, attempts have been making In Eu- 

 rope to revive the Grecian style, but with indifferent success. 

 • Let us pause here and look back for a moment on these facts. They 

 are of a singular character. We have seen architecture pass in a 

 simple yet heavy and rude state from Egypt into Greece. With its 

 incipient stages in Greece we are not acquainted, but we know that 

 it soon gained a majesty and power which have never since been 

 equalled. Pagan Rome, with the revenues and genius of half the 

 world at command, attempted these and failed : Christian Rome baa 

 succeeded still worse : all Europe has made the effort, and powerful 

 minds have been brought to aid it, and yet Grecian architecture is 



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