J844.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



215 



in town and in country. This is so egregiously preposterous — so 

 thoroughly impracticable, thit to otFer objections to its being done 

 would be a waste of words. SufKce it to observe that however defi- 

 cient it may be in "the expression of faith and of country," our pre- 

 sent domestic style is upon the whole f;ir more of a piece with our 

 actual habits and ideas than would be the antiquated black-leUer 

 fashions which are so outrageously cried up by Welby Piigin. 



Even in regard to Church Architecture, if a fresh impulse is now 

 to be given to it, it must be not so much by scrupulously copying an- 

 cient precedent and patterns, as by studying them artistically for the 

 purpose of modifying such examples so as best to adapt them to actual 

 and altered circumstances. Instead of this, the Camdenists would 

 enforce literalism — a plodding-observance of canonical etiquette in 

 ecclesiastical architecture, which, in their opinion, is to be principally 

 attended to, and makes ample amends for all deficiencies in other re- 

 spects. They seem to make Precedent and Symbolism the very 

 Alpha and Omega of their architectural creed, and to merge all criti- 

 cism — all EEsthetic considerations in them alone, as if they operated 

 with the power of some holv charm and sanctifying spell. Great as 

 is the horror of Paganism which the Camdenists profess to entertain, 

 as good Christians, thev feel no reluctance, as Prot''stants, to revert 

 to practices which now look very much like the remains of Popish 

 superstitions. Their so-called Ecclesiology busies itself most curiously 

 about such orthodox matters as orientation, couplets, triplets, rood- 

 lofts, candlesticks, vestments, church-furniture, and even church 

 needlework, as if " tromperie" of that kind conduced to edification, 

 or insured purity of doctrine. Pity ! that nothing has yet been SAid 

 as to the extra-ecclesiastical purpose to which a Vestry may be turned 

 by being made to do double diitv, serving the reverend person or parson 

 himself as a business-room or office on week-days. That such has 

 been the case before now, we well know from oar own experience, 

 having attended by appointment on a reverend Doctor, in the vestiy 

 of his church, then and there to discuss some matters of literary busi- 

 ness ; — the upshot of which proved that promises made in a church 

 are very much like promises made elsewhere. 



Whatever be the intent, or ultimafelv the effect of the ecclesiologi- 

 cal fancies which the Camdenists exhort us with so much unction to 

 observe, and would so bigottedly compel us to believe, — whether they 

 ought or not to be met by a " No-Po])ery" cry, the "No-Paganism" 

 cry now raised by that party is very needless alarm. As well might 

 they warn us against Judaism or Mahometanism, at the present day, 

 as against Paganism. We are, no doubt, more familiar with the last, 

 but not at all as connected with any religious sentiment or creed, 

 therefore its orthodoxy or lieresy is altogether out of the question. 

 For the degree and kind of Paganism, too, which exists among us in 

 relationship to art, we are indebted to those who make classical, alias 

 pagan literature and antiquities so very considerable a portion of a 

 liberid education — both an indispensable one, and the prime one. A 

 stranger utterly unacquainted with European civilization, might rea- 

 sonably enough suppose th;it the writings of the pagan ancients were 

 our sacred books, so great is the veneration with which they are 

 spoken of, and the pains taken to indoctrinate youth in the study of 

 them, from their tenderest years. Instead of being restrained by 

 scruples of any kind — moral or religious, as to the impropriety and 

 danger of familiarizing unformed and susceptible minds with pagan 

 fancies and pagan principles, — with the detestable impurity, the gro- 

 velling brutality, and the fiendish ferocity, which distinguish the 

 deities and heroes of heathen mythology, — and which, to express our- 

 selves in the very mildest terms, are eminently Anti-Christian, — the 

 pious instructors of youth seem to consider a knowledge of the classics 

 the basis of all knowledge, and as something that cannot by any possi- 

 bility be too highly extolled, or too diligently applied to, insomuch 

 that a proficiency in such studies is termed Xewxmn^, jiar excellence. 

 Of late years, indeed, the world have discovered that there is other 

 knowledge, and some have ventured to speak rather disparagingly of 

 the system of education pursued at Eton and Westminster and other 

 schools of that grade, as tending very little to either the intellectual 

 or the moral improvement of the pupils. But it was reserved for the 

 Camdenists to aim a parricidal blow at their Alma Mater, by fiercely 

 denouncing Paganism, and therefore by implication calling that worthy 

 Old Lady, no better than an old Jezabel,who together with her no less 

 worthy sister of Oxford, does all she can to keep the spirit of Pagan- 

 ism alive in a Christian land. 



If any thing derived from, partaking of, or in any way associated 

 with Paganism, is to be tolerated at all, surely the most innocent, the 

 least dangerous, and least exceptionable form' in which it can be now 

 admitted, is that of architecture. Nevertheless, it is precisely this 

 which the Camdenists make their scape-goat, making it to bear all 

 the iniquities of Paganism. In all other respects, the Camdenists, 

 give us, it seems, full license to indulge in as much Paganism as we 



please. It is only Greek and Roman columns and pediments which 

 excite their holy horror, and are accordinglv put into their Index Ex- 

 purgatorius, as unpardonably heretical and Anti-Christian. Such is 

 the meek theological hatred which they entertain against classi- 

 cal architecture and every style derived" from it, that they would 

 fairly extirpate it, and blot it out from recollection altogether, 

 by prohibiting the very study of it. Could they have their own 

 orthodox way, they would establish a censorship over the archi- 

 tectural press and allow nothing to be published except what related 

 to Gothic Architecture and that alone, and perhaps not even on that 

 unless the writer entertained precisely the same views as themselves, 

 and treated the subject with all due unction. That this is something 

 more than a gratuitous conjecture on our part, is tolerably obvious 

 from their organ, the Ecclesiologist having treated as a high misde- 

 meanour the insertion of other articles than upon Gothic architecture, 

 in Weale's "Quarterly Papers." Did the title of that publication im- 

 ply that it was intended to be exclusively on the subject of so-called 

 Christian architecture, there would have been some grounds for the 

 complaint, whereas, since it does not, some may think th.it Gothic ob- 

 tains more than its fair share of attention. Another complaint on the 

 part of the Eccesiologist is, that all the articles are not written in the 

 same tone, and do not advocate the same opinions, although they 

 (jroceed from difterent pens ; — a rather curious accusation seeing that 

 the most orthodox High-church reviews do not scruple to allow them- 

 selves the utmost latitude as to variety of subjects and the mode of 

 treating them, for it is by no means unusual to find a heavy article of 

 polemical divinity immediately followed by ono on the "Novels of the 

 Season," and a dissertation on the Poor Laws or Political Economy 

 succeeded by a sprightly paper on the Opera, or on Cookery. 



The Camdenists, however, are most orthodoxly and virtuously iu- 

 toIer;inf, and we sincerely rejoice that such is the case, because now 

 their narrow-minded bigotry altogether overleaps its mark, and must 

 cause them to be regarded as canting enthusiasts and fanatics, and to 

 be looked upon with suspicion by those who might else give them 

 credit for being actuated by a sincere love of art. If not their sin- 

 cerity, they certainly do leave their moral courage to be questioned, 

 for else they would show themselves in earnest by boldly attacking the 

 architectural hrresy tlu-y afiect to deplore, in its head-quarters, whereas 

 their valour now seems to be of that sort whose better part is discre- 

 tion. They are of that godly race who are never scandalized at wick- 

 edness when it happens to sit in high places; who are "shocked and 

 amazed" at the iniquity of an old woman's selling apples on a Sun- 

 day, but can wink at the doings of noble and honourable Sabbath- 

 bre.ikers. Since the Camdenists claim for themselves indisputable 

 authority, let them assert it boldly, without respect to persons or re- 

 gard to consequences. Instead of snarling at petty offenders whose 

 dulness must counteract the " mischievousness" of their opinions, and 

 who are therefore hardly worth powder and shot, let them hurl the 

 thunderbolt of their godly ire against the nurseries of Paganism — 

 against Academies and Professors, against galleries and museums 

 where the spoils of Pagan art are treasured up by an enthusiasm no 

 less besotted than profane — in their opinion at least — as precious re- 

 lics. Let them publicly excommunicate Athenian Stuart and Athenian 

 Elgin; let them sentence the works of Pausanias and Vitruvius, of 

 Winckelmann and Visconti, to the flames, let them denounce Jones 

 and Wren as apostates and arch-heresiarchs. Let their motto be 

 Delenda est Carthago : let them bravely assault the citadel of Pagan- 

 ism, exterminate its garrison, aud raze its foundations. In their sub- 

 lime wrath, as Champions of the Faith, let them spare no one, nor 

 tolerate any thing connected with the adverse cause. Soldiers of the 

 Church Militant, let them not quail at the sight of that liydra Pagan- 

 ism, which is not to be slain by lopping off its heads one by one, but 

 by stabbing it in its vitals. Not even the semblance of Paganism 

 ought to be tolerated in any shape among a Christian people : it must 

 be expelled not only from our churches but our houses ; not only from 

 our museums, but our drawing-rooms. Wedgewood's pagan pottery, 

 and Hope's heathen furniture, must be destroyed; casts from the 

 antique must no longer be permitted ; plaster of Paris must no longer 

 be employed in manufacturing miniature Apollos and Venusses as 

 ornaments for chimney-pieces, but the Italian boys may now return to 

 their former innocent trade of hawking about poll-parrots. Adieu to 

 Anacreontic poetry, Pindaric odes, Bacchanalian songs — to Cupids 

 and Hymeneal Altars,— to gallant Sons of M irs, and Sons of Neptune, 

 and to all the pagan slang of the newspapers. Certes! there is a 

 pretty Augean stable for them to cleanse out, if the Camdenists intend 

 to sweep away all that according to their opinion partakes of Pa- 

 ganism. 



Luckily for their credit, they do not purpose to engage in any such 

 herculean task : we have their permission — at least their examples 

 for retaining as much paganism as we please, so long as we eschew it 



19* 



