100 Architecture in the United States. 



always been found associated with corruption of morals, and the 

 companionship has been a most unfortunate one, since luxury has first 

 abused their powers, and then dragged them with it in its fall. — • 

 But this union, though heretofore constant, is not a necessary one, as 

 I will endeavor briefly to shew. 



Most of the fine arts, by which I mean, painting, sculpture, music, 

 architecture, engraving, poetry and eloquence, require a rich and 

 well cultivated soil for their growth. Let any one take up a criticism, 

 say on a piece of statuary, and he will be astonished at the extent^ 

 variety and difficult nature of the subjects it comprehends. History, 

 antiquities, anatomy, proportion, costume, adaptation of parts, taste, 

 form but a small portion of them, while taste itself embraces a circle 

 of most difficult objects. The same, is the case with painting. Arch- 

 itecture requiring, in addition to most of these, a deep knowledge of the 

 mathematics and involving more important interests, is still more dif- 

 ficult. Indeed what Cicero has said of eloquence, may be applied 

 most forcibly to all the sister arts : — exiUis rebus universis constat 

 quibus in singulis elaborare permagnum est. But this is requir- 

 ed not only in the artist, but also to a considerable degree in the pub- 

 lic ; for to the public belongs the severe duty of being arbiter on the 

 subject ', of drawing the nice distinction between true worth and its 

 counterfeit ; of rewarding merit and frowning pretention back into 

 obscurity. It was the Grecian public that formed the orators, poets, 

 historians, sculptors and architects of that country, whatever nature 

 may have done towards furnishing the materiel: and the public alone 

 could do it. Had this not been keen-sighted and classical ; had it. 

 in short, been contented with less than it received, it would have re- 

 ceived less ; and in this respect, at least, the world is still the same. 

 Now this state of things requires a combination of circumstances 

 hitherto seldom found, except in a certain stage of the career of na- 

 tions. That career has been through rudeness, vigor, prosperity, 

 luxury and decay ; and so constant and regular has been their suc- 

 cession that it has come to be considered a fixed and unalterable law 

 of nature. With the first of these the fine arts are utterly incom- 

 patible ; in the second they appear ; the third carries them to ma- 

 turity ; luxury follows, and then comes decay. Luxury would have 

 followed without them, and they would have flourished better without 

 luxury. We do not usually separate them, however, as we ought to 

 do, and transfer to the fine arts themselves our dislike for the accom- 



