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Article CLASSICAL THEOLOGY.—XXXIV. ← Page 2 of 2 Article CLASSICAL THEOLOGY.—XXXIV. Page 2 of 2 Article STRAY THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGIN AND PROGESS OF THE FINE ARTS. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Classical Theology.—Xxxiv.
Diana stood by , holding in her hand the peculiar manual image of the goddess , which in itself Avas of little Aveigbt , but grew more and more heavy each time the corporal iufiiction became lighter . And that the boys should support the beating , and prove themselves worthy of Laconian education , their parents and
relations were usually in attendance , to exhort them to endure their sufferings Avith constancy to the last . The indh'idual courage and resolution of these Spartan boys were so pimerbially resolute , that though they Avere lashed fill the flesh peeled and the blood gushed out , it AA as scarcely ever that a groan was heard or a cry escaped
from any of them . Of these physically obdurate , gallant , but brutally educated youths , those who died under the trial of their training were consigned to the grave crowned Avith garlands , amidst music , shoutings , the joy of A'ictory , and all the honours of a barbaric public funeral .
What gave rise to this cruel practice of pseudo hardihood is an unsettled point amongst authorities . Some record it as one of the institutions of Lycurgus , devised for no other purpose than to habituate the youth in early manhood to sustain pain Avith such indifference as to render them insensibly contemptuous and fearless of danger and Avounds . By others it is supposed to lhTve
originated out of a mitigation of an oracle , at Avhich there Avas required the shedding of human blood upon the altar of Diana . And again by some it is reported to have been a custom as ancient as the time of Orestes , who , according to them , transplanted out of Scythia into Laeonia , the image and homage of Diana Tauriea , to Avhich goddess the
Scythians usedtoofl ' er humansacrifices . TheLacedemoniaus detested this unnatural , inhuman , and barbarous order of worship , but fearful of the anger of thegoddess . theyenacted that a boy should be lashed upon her altar until the blood JloAved over it , and therefore , if nothing else could propitiate and satisfy her , she . should not be left entirely destitute of the immortal pleasure of human bloodshed . Yet still another cause has been assigned for it . Pausauius tho Spaitan general , whilst offering sacrifices
and prayers , on the eve of his battle Avith the Macedonians , Avas surprised or beset by a company of Lydians AVIIO plundered the altar , and devoured the sacrifice . The sacrificial Lacedemonians being in consequence unarmed , or perhaps not wishing to resort to arms at that time , could only furnish themselves with whips , rods , and their
staves of office , by AvIiiclieA'entiuilly their hungry aggressors Avere ' repulsed . In commemoration of this conquest and its occasion , the institution of whi pping boys upon the altar of tho Spartan . Diana ( Phitareh tells us ) was founded . The performance of the L ydiau procession continued till his time .
Chiono , the daughter of Da-dalion , Avho Avas the son of Lucifer , though , some say of the great artificer Dtedalus , was besought to her ruin b y Apollo and Mercury , and brought forth twins—no unusual occurrence in the families of the heathen gods . The first twin , namely Philammon . tho son of Apollo , became a skilful and
celebrated musician ; his brother twin . A . utolychus , the sou of Mercury , likewise took after and portrayed some of the characteristics of his father , and became famous , as he grew up , as an expert juggler and artful thief : —
I'ari ' um nigcmosus ml onino Qui facc-re assner-. it , pairia ) non degeiiDr art-is , Candida do nigris , ct do citiidcntibus atra . " Ovid , 31 " . 11 , " Gunning iu rlioli , and wily in all sleight , U ho could wirli subtlety deceive tho sight , CouvurtiiiL ;; lvliiic to black , aud black to while . " t'hione was so vain ;>! ' the personal points of her fait ' soil and of her conquests , as to be quite insensible io the
Classical Theology.—Xxxiv.
feelings of shame ; though it is evident the ancients must have attached great disgrace to any course of immorality , Avhen they stigmatized an intrigue with a god as dishonour . She , on the contrary , greiv proud of her high sphere of harlotry ; publicly boasted that her beauty bad Avon the admiration and attraction of two gods , and that she Avas the mother of two sons by them .
Besides this she flouted Diana ' s modest charms and graceful propriety and preferred herself before her , till , at last , the goddess could bear no longer the offensive self-importance and arrogant pride of the frivolous mortal ; she , therefore , assuming her justice in taking up the emblem of her authority , bent the bow aud shot an arrow
through the insolent tongue of her presumptuous detractor , putting her to perpetual silence . Thus too the poet himself , whom Ave have been in part following , has not spared the scornful beauty . Chione , in being led astray by tAvo bright , fair , and bold immortal gods , aspiring for and emulous of her favour , forgot that the Aveaker vessel
must escape the crack—Avliich she did not ; or be humbled—Avhich she Avas not , " So pimfeiTC Dianas Stistiimit , facienicjuc Dca : culpavit . " " She to Diana ' s durst her faoo prefer
, And blame her beauty . Who , Avith cruel look , Our deed , said she , shall right us . And forth took Her bow and bent it , which she strongly dreiv , And through her guilty tongue the arroiv AOAV . "
Stray Thoughts On The Origin And Progess Of The Fine Arts.
STRAY THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGIN AND PROGESS OF THE FINE ARTS .
Br DlAGOEAS . Tho origin of the fine arts is a subject upon which there has been much learned speculation displayed ; butconsidering them to be purely inilaliiia in their nature and origin , and that their hi g hest aim is , by a judicious combinationto bring to a single point the various
, excellences of nature , so as to excite pleasurable feelings , capable of informing , elcvtttiug , and improving the mind—Ave must refer the invention of these arts not to any single people , but to every country Avhere the human intellect , has been at all cultivated . There is a natural tendency to display , and love of ornament inherent in the
human mind . Avhich shows itself in the deli ght the savage finds in adorning his body or in executing rude carviims on his spear shaft or canoe , Avhich simple exhibitions of skill require only a cultivation of the mind of the artist to raise into tasteful or classic decorations . The fine arts may therefore be considered indigenous in every country ,
but like the productions of : nature , they assume different forms , according to tho nature of the country , and the Avants itproduces . The fine arts exis ts insomeformorothei in every country , and it is therefore unnecessary to go back to the ancient Egyptians , to the Scythians , or aboriginal Greeks for their ori g in , and that general resemblance in
style that is traced in the arts of many distant and different nations is no proof that the fine arts had a common origin ; it proves on the contrary , that in the early stages of society men of all nations closely resembled each other in their feelings , wants , means of gratification and improvement . The earlier E tian and Grecian
gyp statues display similar lineaments and corresponding attitudes , simply because the self taught artists of each had the same difficulties to overcome , the same problems to solve , the same practical knoAA-ledge to acquire , and brought pretty nearly the same amount of information to bear upon them . The mechanical arts had their origin in
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Classical Theology.—Xxxiv.
Diana stood by , holding in her hand the peculiar manual image of the goddess , which in itself Avas of little Aveigbt , but grew more and more heavy each time the corporal iufiiction became lighter . And that the boys should support the beating , and prove themselves worthy of Laconian education , their parents and
relations were usually in attendance , to exhort them to endure their sufferings Avith constancy to the last . The indh'idual courage and resolution of these Spartan boys were so pimerbially resolute , that though they Avere lashed fill the flesh peeled and the blood gushed out , it AA as scarcely ever that a groan was heard or a cry escaped
from any of them . Of these physically obdurate , gallant , but brutally educated youths , those who died under the trial of their training were consigned to the grave crowned Avith garlands , amidst music , shoutings , the joy of A'ictory , and all the honours of a barbaric public funeral .
What gave rise to this cruel practice of pseudo hardihood is an unsettled point amongst authorities . Some record it as one of the institutions of Lycurgus , devised for no other purpose than to habituate the youth in early manhood to sustain pain Avith such indifference as to render them insensibly contemptuous and fearless of danger and Avounds . By others it is supposed to lhTve
originated out of a mitigation of an oracle , at Avhich there Avas required the shedding of human blood upon the altar of Diana . And again by some it is reported to have been a custom as ancient as the time of Orestes , who , according to them , transplanted out of Scythia into Laeonia , the image and homage of Diana Tauriea , to Avhich goddess the
Scythians usedtoofl ' er humansacrifices . TheLacedemoniaus detested this unnatural , inhuman , and barbarous order of worship , but fearful of the anger of thegoddess . theyenacted that a boy should be lashed upon her altar until the blood JloAved over it , and therefore , if nothing else could propitiate and satisfy her , she . should not be left entirely destitute of the immortal pleasure of human bloodshed . Yet still another cause has been assigned for it . Pausauius tho Spaitan general , whilst offering sacrifices
and prayers , on the eve of his battle Avith the Macedonians , Avas surprised or beset by a company of Lydians AVIIO plundered the altar , and devoured the sacrifice . The sacrificial Lacedemonians being in consequence unarmed , or perhaps not wishing to resort to arms at that time , could only furnish themselves with whips , rods , and their
staves of office , by AvIiiclieA'entiuilly their hungry aggressors Avere ' repulsed . In commemoration of this conquest and its occasion , the institution of whi pping boys upon the altar of tho Spartan . Diana ( Phitareh tells us ) was founded . The performance of the L ydiau procession continued till his time .
Chiono , the daughter of Da-dalion , Avho Avas the son of Lucifer , though , some say of the great artificer Dtedalus , was besought to her ruin b y Apollo and Mercury , and brought forth twins—no unusual occurrence in the families of the heathen gods . The first twin , namely Philammon . tho son of Apollo , became a skilful and
celebrated musician ; his brother twin . A . utolychus , the sou of Mercury , likewise took after and portrayed some of the characteristics of his father , and became famous , as he grew up , as an expert juggler and artful thief : —
I'ari ' um nigcmosus ml onino Qui facc-re assner-. it , pairia ) non degeiiDr art-is , Candida do nigris , ct do citiidcntibus atra . " Ovid , 31 " . 11 , " Gunning iu rlioli , and wily in all sleight , U ho could wirli subtlety deceive tho sight , CouvurtiiiL ;; lvliiic to black , aud black to while . " t'hione was so vain ;>! ' the personal points of her fait ' soil and of her conquests , as to be quite insensible io the
Classical Theology.—Xxxiv.
feelings of shame ; though it is evident the ancients must have attached great disgrace to any course of immorality , Avhen they stigmatized an intrigue with a god as dishonour . She , on the contrary , greiv proud of her high sphere of harlotry ; publicly boasted that her beauty bad Avon the admiration and attraction of two gods , and that she Avas the mother of two sons by them .
Besides this she flouted Diana ' s modest charms and graceful propriety and preferred herself before her , till , at last , the goddess could bear no longer the offensive self-importance and arrogant pride of the frivolous mortal ; she , therefore , assuming her justice in taking up the emblem of her authority , bent the bow aud shot an arrow
through the insolent tongue of her presumptuous detractor , putting her to perpetual silence . Thus too the poet himself , whom Ave have been in part following , has not spared the scornful beauty . Chione , in being led astray by tAvo bright , fair , and bold immortal gods , aspiring for and emulous of her favour , forgot that the Aveaker vessel
must escape the crack—Avliich she did not ; or be humbled—Avhich she Avas not , " So pimfeiTC Dianas Stistiimit , facienicjuc Dca : culpavit . " " She to Diana ' s durst her faoo prefer
, And blame her beauty . Who , Avith cruel look , Our deed , said she , shall right us . And forth took Her bow and bent it , which she strongly dreiv , And through her guilty tongue the arroiv AOAV . "
Stray Thoughts On The Origin And Progess Of The Fine Arts.
STRAY THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGIN AND PROGESS OF THE FINE ARTS .
Br DlAGOEAS . Tho origin of the fine arts is a subject upon which there has been much learned speculation displayed ; butconsidering them to be purely inilaliiia in their nature and origin , and that their hi g hest aim is , by a judicious combinationto bring to a single point the various
, excellences of nature , so as to excite pleasurable feelings , capable of informing , elcvtttiug , and improving the mind—Ave must refer the invention of these arts not to any single people , but to every country Avhere the human intellect , has been at all cultivated . There is a natural tendency to display , and love of ornament inherent in the
human mind . Avhich shows itself in the deli ght the savage finds in adorning his body or in executing rude carviims on his spear shaft or canoe , Avhich simple exhibitions of skill require only a cultivation of the mind of the artist to raise into tasteful or classic decorations . The fine arts may therefore be considered indigenous in every country ,
but like the productions of : nature , they assume different forms , according to tho nature of the country , and the Avants itproduces . The fine arts exis ts insomeformorothei in every country , and it is therefore unnecessary to go back to the ancient Egyptians , to the Scythians , or aboriginal Greeks for their ori g in , and that general resemblance in
style that is traced in the arts of many distant and different nations is no proof that the fine arts had a common origin ; it proves on the contrary , that in the early stages of society men of all nations closely resembled each other in their feelings , wants , means of gratification and improvement . The earlier E tian and Grecian
gyp statues display similar lineaments and corresponding attitudes , simply because the self taught artists of each had the same difficulties to overcome , the same problems to solve , the same practical knoAA-ledge to acquire , and brought pretty nearly the same amount of information to bear upon them . The mechanical arts had their origin in