^Esthetic Evolution. 235 



rather than of awe-inspiring complexity that all is, as 

 he says, "taken in at a glance," instead of offering for 

 investigation a series of successive revelations of beauty 

 and mystery. But to very many the absence of this 

 element is one fatal defect in churches of the " Italian " 

 style. How many varied combinations, each as full of 

 interest as of beauty, are presented to us by a mag- 

 nificent old gothic church, the original complexity of 

 which has been increased by the irregular additions 

 of succeeding centuries ! At the same time, though it 

 would be a grievous loss to give up this rich element of 

 surprise and mystery, we need not shrink from admit- 

 ting that gothic does leave something to be desired 

 as to unity, and does often, as in Canterbury, more or 

 less impoverish the general effect of a building as a 

 whole by excess of subdivision. Most persons would 

 surely admit that a combination would be desirable in 

 which, while a majestic unity should be the prevailing 

 characteristic, a subordinate complexity, presenting un- 

 expected mysterious features and varied combinations; 

 should by no means be excluded. 



The next desirable feature of a modern church is that 

 perhaps in which gothic appears at the greatest dis- 

 advantage compared with Italian ; namely, in the space 

 it affords for the effective exhibition of paintings. In 

 addition to the relatively small unbroken wall (between 

 the many windows and architectural irregularities of sur- 



