The Idolatry of Science 



a building erected without knowledge of 

 weights and strains will collapse. It is some- 

 times an art when it advances from mere 

 utility to become a form of expression and to 

 reveal the heart of the builder, and appeal 

 to that of the beholder. The true function 

 of architecture as an art is to deal with 

 weight significantly. Every great structure 

 is a lasting index of the builder's mind ; for 

 he so treats the physical pressure earthward 

 of the stone as to symbolize the spiritual 

 oppression of the mystery of created things 

 upon his heart. The temples of Egypt 

 express the gloom and terror of overwhelming 

 unendurable weight enforcing in every line 

 of the awful perspective the spectacle of the 

 builder's soul gazing with appalled aspect at 

 the approaching gulf of annihilation. 



The nobly upheld Greek edifice with its 

 straight perfect shaft easily and royally up- 

 bearing the super-imposed weight, everywhere 

 88 



