JOURNAL AND PROCEDDINGS. 23 
being gradually more and more corrupted and reduced in form, 
although not in significance, till finally'alphabets were formed. This 
primary use of pictures for signs though thus in time replaced, as far 
as ordinary purposes of communication were concerned, was by no 
means abandoned and much curious, interesting and withal beautiful 
literature is associated with the meanings attached to these emblems. 
For instance, look at the use made by the ancient prophets and 
teachers both before and after the Christian era, of various animals, 
many of them fabulous, such as the siren, the phoenix and the 
unicorn, to teach various doctrines and mysteries. Similar fables 
and superstitions were connected with various precious stones, while 
even to this day the language of flowers is by no means forgotten. 
But the great evidence of the parallelism of Literature and Art 
is derived from their constant association, for although in the ancient 
monuments of the Egyptians the inscriptions ceased in time to be 
hieroglyphieal, yet they are generally associated with pictures or 
sculptures forming what might be designated the first known use of 
illustrations. From that time though, it became constant and we 
might well say that in transmitting information, when it is intended 
to be conveyed to the eye, Art is as much a necessity as Literature. 
On turning now to Architecture, to begin with, we find that 
man here also appealed to Nature for his first instruction and has 
doubtless derived his ideas of protection and defence from that 
afforded by the rock in the desert, or the spreading cedar of Lebanon. 
We can also trace in the various orders of Architecture their indebt- 
edness to Nature, for as Emerson says: ‘“‘ By surrounding ourselves 
with the original circumstances, we invent anew the orders and the 
ornaments of architecture, as we see how each people merely decor- 
ated its primitive abodes. The Doric temple preserves the sem- 
blance of the wooden cabin in which the Dorian dwelt. The Chinese 
pagoda is plainly a Tartar tent. The Indian and Egyptian temples 
stili betray the mounds and subterranean houses of their forefathers— 
the Gothic church plainly originated in a rude adaptation of the 
forest trees with all their boughs, to a festal or solemn arcade. No 
one can walk in a road cut through pine woods without being struck 
with the architectural appearance of the grove. In the woods in 
a winter afternoon one will see as readily the origin of the stained 
glass window in the colors of the western sky seen through the bare 
