,transcriber's note3 ,the spelling      
inconsistencies of the original have    
been  retained in this etext4           
,,original ,,letters    ,,and           
,,biographic ,,epitomes      ,,by    ,j4
 ,,atwood4,,slater    ,,premium ,,holder
 ,,in ,,design1 ,,and ,,silver          
,,medallist  ,,of ,,the ,,royal         
,,academy ,,of ,,arts1 ,,london1        
,,sharpe ,,prizeman ,,of ,,the ,,royal  
,,institute ,,of  ,,british             
,,architects1 ,,london1                 
,,certificated ,,student ,,of ,,the     
,,slade ,,school ,,of  ,,fine ,,arts1   
,,university ,,college4        ,,london3
    ,,sprague  ,,co41 ,,limited1 #d  #e 
,,east ,,harding ,,street1 ,e4,c4       
,,painting4    ,from the ,,western      
,,daily ,,press1 ,feb4 #bjth1 #aija4    
,,an ,,impression ,,of ,,ecce ,,homo4   
,to the ,editor of the ,western ,daily  
,press4      ,sir1--,first impressions  
forced upon me by an inspection of the  
picture1 ,ecce ,homo1 by ,mons4 de      
,munkacsy1 would be succinctly          

expressed in few words4 ,it is haply1   
although not highly1 inspired4 ,it      
constitutes a work of laborious but of  
average ability1 and descends  to a     
lower technical state of imaginative    
eclecticism and expression  than ,i had 
indeed expected to encounter in so      
lavishly-applauded a  work4 ,let it be  
granted in the first instance that the  
theme is an  onerous one2 the problem   
afforded by the venture should have been
  met in a manner skilful in art1       
commensurate with its righteous         
obligations and its lofty demands by the
 artist4 ,the one fine  attribute       
conspicuously lacking in the work is its
 illumination1  generally too yellow2   
the fine quality of light1 naturally    
directing  the hearts with the          
intelligences of the beholder to the    
central fact  of the subject theme1 ,i  
am the ,light of the ,world4 ,the broad 
use and  disposition of whitish pigment2
 ,i mean whitish1 snowy light flecked1  
pimpled1 dimpled with tints of orange   

and purple1 like snow about to  thaw1   
here and there1 honeycombed or stippled 
to mark the intensity of  its native    
regard for its own divine1 suffering1   
martyred ,lord1 would  have attracted   
the attention and won the curiosity1 the
 sympathy1 of  many finer sensibilities4
 ,a dramatic and subtle sense of        
distance1  such a powerful agent of     
spiritual injection in the hands of real
  artists is in this work absent2 never 
skilfully employed either for  negative 
or positive reflections of emotion4     
,linear perspective there  is1 and      
employed to much scenic advantage2 but  
aerial perspective1  utilised towards   
expressing overlapping figures1 there is
 not1 save  in meagre degree4 ,the      
canvas is too crowded1 the sense of     
vision  and admiration is nowhere at all
 lulled by repose4 ,we may point  to    
successful juxtaposition of individual  
figures1 to masses of  harmonious tones1
 but not to masterly composition4 ,the  
mind of the  artist is intent upon the  

bitterness of turmoil2 it does not reach
 us  directly by imperishably revealing 
or extolling the divine nature of  ,the 
,man1 ,homo2 and is throughout the field
 of interest usually  recognised in     
overstrained partiality for attitude and
 outline4  ,hence the title of the      
picture is almost sought for1 expected  
in the  multitude on the left1 which    
should have been isolated4 ,ecce ,homo1 
briefly and emphatically1 is not so     
suitable a title as ,i would  suggest1  
with the utmost regard for reverence1   
might be described1 as  the interval    
between the two cries3 ,away with ,him1 
,crucify ,him1  such intensely dramatic 
particles of time finding expression and
 vent  throughout the work in coarse    
silhouetting4    ,the crowding of the   
lawless throng against the front of the 
tribune1  on which the chief characters 
of the scene are portrayed1 though not  
in a material sense wrong1 must be open 
to much sthetic dispute2  must mar the  
success and the action of reflex        

thought1 the spiritual  contest waging  
and recoiling between the ,divine1 meek 
victim and the  surging rabble4 ,at all 
events1 it is sad to trace no direct or 
secret  hint at new or transcendental   
methods conspicuous or even dimly       
apparent in the painter's art4 ,little  
there is in the effort to draw  our     
finer instincts to spiritual truths4    
,the utmost mechanical skill  of the    
diligent artist is discernible1         
labouring incessantly without           
extraordinary or transcendental light to
 the appointed end1 the goal            
accomplished4 ,it should be understood  
that as spiritual ,art of its own       
property and nature is beset1 environed 
on all impinging sides with a  multifold
 range1 a series of difficult corners   
around which the  sense cannot          
immediately travel1 but would for the   
fructification or  sustentation's sake  
of its etherealism1 a process of counter
 argument  may deduce this aphorism1    
that in works of art in which the eye   

travels quickly round all the corners of
 thought1 motive1 and  expression1 the  
priceless1 highest crown of spirituality
 cannot be  awarded to it4 ,the painter1
 honestly striving with his subject1 and
  on lines of intimate understanding1   
has none of his physical reasons  thrown
 into shade1 either be it for the       
nobility of his art1 or for  urgency's  
sake1 or for the softer assuaging of    
sensitiveness in the  breasts of his    
academic audience1 having no inclination
 to be stung  when in the precincts1 the
 hands of ,art2 for to whom else is the 
pictorial homily directed8 ,the group of
 figures upon the raised  tribune is    
classically adjusted to its position of 
prominence4 ,the  spare figure of       
,christ1 ,the ,man of ,sorrows1 is well 
conceived2 the  face is wan1 haggard1   
the attitude tastefully depicted4 ,a    
palpable and  perilous digression is    
made by the artist in ignoring the text 
of  ,holy ,writ1 ,wearing the purple    
robe1 electing to substitute for the    

purpose of his science a scarlet toga4  
,but the torso6 ,this is  essentially   
lacking in consummate understanding1    
skilful address4  ,in all that assists  
most to mature a native work of this    
immense  importance it is sound sense1  
equivalent to the gravest optimism1 to  
express this opinion1 that the highest  
powers of science ought humbly1         
intelligently to co-operate towards     
achieving a grand and triumphant        
finale1 perfect1 harmonious in all its  
parts1 and responsible to the  academic 
dictates of its sacred title4 ,such a   
figure ,raphael1 ,leonardo  da ,vinci1  
,titian1 or ,rubens would have painted  
and blessed our reasons  with1 for a    
certainty3 bountifully inspiring us at  
once and for  time with their divine    
interpretation of the great1 the        
majestic  omnipotence4    ,any failure  
in ,art cannot rouse us to this pitch2  
our sensitive1  appreciative spirits    
would assuredly flag unless some keynote
 of  resonant power were sounded4       

,the figure of ,pontius ,pilate is      
realistically depicted2 it has not the  
aristocratic air of a ,roman ,governor1 
yet the face1 not caring to  meet the   
gaze of the people1 is a work exhibiting
 some power4 ,it  sardonically1         
satirically suggests the thought1 ,i    
find in ,him no  fault at all1          
possessing a semblance of three         
meanings4 ,the people1  deputy officers1
 and supernumeraries assembled upon this
 elevation  are somewhat stiffly        
grouped1 and the architectonic          
embellishments--no  unimportant         
feature--well conceived1 as they form   
the framework of the  drama1 and must be
 considered well painted4 ,let it be    
observed that  the basket capital of the
 arch is out of perspective2 a like     
error is  to be observed in the roof of 
certain of the houses on the left2  the 
blue of the distance1 although luminous 
and atmospheric1 is too  opaque4 ,the   
arches forming the left-hand middle     
distance are finely  depicted2 correct  

as far as local traditional art will    
inform us1  and of considerable value in
 such a work as ballast1 substance1 in  
steadying the erratic fancies or        
emotions of the painter4 ,criticism     
must justly deal with the figures of the
 ,jewish rabble4 ,the attitudes  are    
telling1 but over angular and rather    
vulgar4 ,the populace1 ,i  may remark1  
are too excited2 such sustained1        
extravagant attitudes1  whether in a    
picture of large or small scale1 but    
particularly in the  former1 are upon   
canvas rarely satisfactory2 they mock   
with littleness  at a ,providence that  
made ,art1 and become puppets in the    
hands of  artists4 ,the heads of not a  
few of the spectators are too large1    
coarse1 and expressionless4 ,here and   
there1 in the distance for  instance1   
amongst the living panorama1 there      
appears a figure hinting  at a better   
type of gesture1 with a human heart1    
suggesting an  acquaintance with        
refinement1 but the breadth of awe1 the 

girdle  of salvatory redemption1 even in
 coarse brutality is not even here      
apparent4 ,the work is a mute exposition
 of gesture4 ,the higher1 the  acute1   
the really more intense connection of   
poetry is absent4    ,j4                
,,atwood4,,slater    #d1 ,hill ,side1   
,cotham ,hill1 ,bristol4          ,from 
the ,,western ,,daily ,,press1 ,feb4    
#beth1 #aija    ,,ecce ,,homo4    ,to   
the ,editor of the ,western ,daily      
,press4      ,sir1--,a correspondent    
whose letter is to-day published1       
calling  attention to my remarks upon   
the celebrated picture ,ecce ,homo1 of  
,february #bjth1 cannot1 ,i suppose have
 understood that the motive which       
impelled me in my previous letter was   
that the enlightenment of the  public   
having the interest of art might follow2
 next to whom1 as  derivees of fresher1 
newer light1 the spectators of the      
painting  ,ecce ,homo1 impersonally and 
politely apostrophised as his academic  
audience1 may now be mentioned4 ,neither

 fault nor question was found  with any 
of such for so being2 your correspondent
 introduced this side  view1 ,i believe1
 irrelevantly--but with the picture     
alone4    ,the mission of art royal     
should1 ,i hold1 be understood to       
elevate1  to raise the public taste1 to 
cultivate or correct a wrong line of    
popular impression2 that of pictures of 
the like of ,ecce ,homo1 being  to      
enlighten the current interest for whose
 delight moreover art1  from a social   
point of view1 is justified in its      
mission1 having a yet  higher motive1   
the kindling of rapture in the heart of 
the creative  artist4    ,pictures since
 earlier times have been vehicles as    
well as ventilators  of popular belief4 
,it is for this cause1 and in instances 
where it is  proven1 painful to touch or
 shake the constitutive elements of     
other  people's faith2 an acute sense of
 this compunction on the whole          
restraining the weight of my recent     
remarks4 ,but1 conjecturally  speaking1 

in a world wherein all things are so    
public1 it must be  conceded that strong
 light should at stated times fuse the  
impinging  points of understanding1 that
 truth and common sense may scrutinise  
their sound bearings2 moreover1 also1   
that academic science may  arraign      
itself with dignity4    ,your           
correspondent's remarks with reference  
to the colour of the  robe are1 upon the
 whole1 useful1 purple and scarlet being
 synonymous  terms2 preponderance of    
mention1 rests though with the former4  
,pictures cannot be considered too much 
as books2 such truth1 ,art1 by  the     
concurrence of testimony1 has manifested
 in its destiny from time  immemorial1  
confirming afresh benefits on man4 ,open
 discussion will  not only add to1      
magnify1 or deduct from their lustre1   
but cause their  aims1 in short1 to     
redound to the public weal4 ,such being 
so1 it is  rational to expect an        
expression of opinion thereupon4 ,they  
are not1  universally1 to be regarded as

 graven tablets1 to be gazed at1 nor to 
be received as infallible oracles of    
law4 ,they are--at the same time1       
barometers1 charts1 and                 
weather-glasses--chronicles towards the 
fine  ends of justice1 peace and mercy4 
,your correspondent has stated that my  
remarks are ambiguous4 ,they may  have  
been technical and recondite1 but1 as   
such1 are excusable1 and1  in their     
sphere1 just4    ,j4 ,,atwood4,,slater4 
#d1 ,hill ,side1 ,cotham ,hill1         
,bristol4          ,,social ,,science4  
,from the ,,western ,,daily ,,press1    
,aug4 #ast1 #aija4    ,,locomotive      
,,steam ,,whistles4    ,to the ,editor  
of the ,western ,daily ,press4          
,sir1--,it is essential1 and1 according 
to my instincts of decorum1  necessary1 
to call the attention of those charged  
with authority in  such matters1 and the
 public generally1 to the growing       
misuse1 in the  hands of engineers1 of  
the locomotive steam whistle1 the       
employment  thereof having especially in

 town districts1 grown to be out of all 
dimensions of private service1 injurious
 to those whether officially  called1 or
 who1 pending the pleasure of mercantile
 circumstance1 are  publicly obliged to 
pursue abstruse mental occupation1      
necessitating  labour and much          
concentration of thought4 ,a reasonable 
use of this  means1 or instrument1 of   
signal and alarm1 must be conceded to   
those in whose hands resides its use1   
but at the same time a firm             
directorship or jurisdiction ought to   
repress its extravagant or  wanton      
employment4    ,to warn passengers of   
the starting and of the approach of     
trains  only a moderate application of  
the whistle is needed1 whilst for the   
diplomatic the discreet purpose of      
practical manoeuvre1 namely1 to  draw   
the attention of signalmen to the       
passing of points by trains1  extra     
power is requisite2 but the gruesome    
display1 ,i maintain1 of  vocative      
sounds tuned to an intellectual point of

 mood is needless4    ,those daily      
engaged upon manual work only are not in
 a like manner  affected1 though for all
 reasons of civil and common honour the 
supercilious cry referred to should be  
deprecated4 ,rather tune and  sound the 
whistle to two simultaneous notes in    
sharp1 brief accent  than that the      
chambers of the minds of the hearers of 
those sounds  should be so continuously1
 remorselessly entered4 ,anything       
lengthy  aggravates the auditory crisis4
 ,the stream of daily occupation with   
the set purpose of sedentary exploit is 
competent to regulate itself  without an
 articulate voice from the railway      
companies4    ,i am1 ,sir1 faithfully   
yours1    ,j4 ,,atwood4,,slater    #d1  
,hill ,side1 ,cotham ,hill1 ,bristol1   
,july #bith1 #aija4                     
,,sculpture4    ,from the ,,western     
,,daily ,,press1 ,nov4 #afth1 #aija4    
,,alfred ,,stevens1 ,,sculptor4         
,,address ,,by ,,mr4 ,j4                
,,atwood4,,slater4      ,sir1--,i send  

you with the thought that you may wish  
to publish them  the precise substance  
of my remarks verbally delivered at the 
meeting  of the ,bristol ,society of    
,architects1 ,november #aath1 on which  
occasion  a refreshing paper upon the   
works of ,alfred ,stevens was delivered1
 a  man of high artistic repute1 whose  
fame in this district is but dimly      
recognised1 being of another parent     
soil4    ,yours faithfully1    ,j4      
,,atwood4,,slater4    #d1 ,hill ,side1  
,cotham ,hill1 ,bristol1    ,nov4 #abth1
 #aija4      ,mr4 ,slater spoke as      
follows3--,the importance of the moment 
bids me  hasten with all seriousness to 
support the special retribution of      
plausible justice1 amounting to         
adulation1 which has been lavished  on  
the labours of the distinguished        
,english sculptor4 ,had it been         
necessary ,i should have travelled a    
greater distance to have paid with  my  
testimony homage to the words of this   
evening's lecturer4 ,it is not  saying  

more than the truth will allow me1 or   
admitting more than my  own poignant    
feelings may to such expression give    
justification1  when ,i confirm with my 
lips the belief that ,i have for much   
time  dispassionately held that ,alfred 
,stevens1 with ,turner1 were the first  
artists that ,england produced from the 
middle of the eighteenth to  that of the
 nineteenth centuries2 and that1        
compared with the great  oracles of the 
past1 he reasonably approaches ,michael 
,angelo1 who he  unquestionably touches 
and sometimes surpasses4 ,to state my   
views1  having received elementary      
drawing instructions from a friend of   
,stevens1 ,i think that there is        
evidence1 in carefully examining  the   
figures upon the ,wellington ,monument  
and the ,dorchester ,house              
chimney-piece a finer knowledge of line 
in ,stevens's work4 ,michael  ,angelo's 
,medici figures1 and indeed1 his other  
famous works1 are not  so unequivocably 
good2 the effigies superimposing the    

sarcophagi are1  for brief instance1    
pillowy1 though they may be more        
anatomic4 ,the  suavity of nature's     
hypo-refined grace is not traceable in  
their easy  posture4 ,the fact is1 that 
they pose for something2 generally their
  own animal idiosyncrasy1 if not       
respectable vanity4 ,stevens's figures1 
on the contrary1 always for their own   
decency1 which throws into the  core1   
the heart of the monument such an       
expression of beauty1 giving  rise to   
the word innate1 quenching the sense of 
frivolity1 which  unrestrained1         
disordered state of things oozes out    
somewhere1 or is at  any rate felt in   
the air in ,michael ,angelo's works4    
,stevens's head  was wonderfully poised 
on his own torso to know and feel this  
with  such thrilling1 vital1 consistent 
certainty4 ,you catch awhile his  lovely
 idea in the strong fragrant symmetry   
permeating his work4 ,the  iron soul of 
the man implants his lines of strength  
far inside  the actual bounds of the    

visible crust1 and the mind of the idea1
  naturally expanding is caught at the  
salient processes in curves  and        
features1 betokening nothing--that      
touches--but grace4 ,i should  mention  
that there is one fact which describes  
minutely my veneration  for ,stevens's  
work at its best1 perhaps the fullest2  
whereby ,i mean  that inspection of his 
intellectual labour has always restored 
to me  the time so wisely occupied in   
regarding it1 proving that there is     
goodness1 virtue1 essence in it1 past   
all fellowship with ephemeral  things4  
,there is a true1 not a laconic1        
logical1 and prophetic  inference in it 
that is apropriately styled1 time2 the  
finest  embodiment of musical equipoise2
 felt to a tick2 no faltering1          
barbaric1 or false quantities1 but a    
sustained and equable1 uniform  tone of 
chromatic measure1 meted out as by a    
mind imbued by but  sacrificing the     
scale of colour to its own actual1      
achieved end4 ,one  misses the heated   

passion of ,watts's best pictures1 which
 flow through  the ordered channel of   
recognisable expression and make one    
adore  them as poetry4 ,but there1 of a 
truth1 invidious comparison ends1  and  
reticence shall ever guard the space    
that intervenes betwixt the  grounds    
sacred to the exposition of the         
embodiment of these master  lights4     
,,music4    ,from the ,,bath            
,,chronicle1 ,january #cjth1 #aijb4     
,,meditation ,,on ,,berthold ,,tours'   
,,evening ,,service ,,in ,d4    ,to the 
,editor of the ,bath ,chronicle4        
,sir1--,personally it occurs to me that 
in a public sense it may not  appear to 
be out of due place nor uninstructive to
 the readers of the  pages of the ,bath 
,chronicle1 if they were allowed to     
pursue quietly  the meditation which ,i 
have thought fit1 with1 some amount of  
feasible excuse1 to set in fair order1  
concerning the apotheosis of  an evening
 service in musical form1 from the      
versatile pen of ,mr4  ,berthold ,tours1

 in the key of ,d1 which1 with no       
inconsiderable clat  was in the sequence
 of events1 produced at ,st4 ,raphael's 
,church1  ,bristol1 on ,sunday1 the     
#abth inst4 ,a companion to the graceful
 evening  service or setting of the     
appointed ,canticles in ,f major1 which 
be  it observed1 is the most popular1   
and from a purely suitable point of     
view1 most successful of modern evening 
services1 it marks a phase  of          
expression1 at once ethereal and        
predilectious4 ,produced at a  more     
mature period1 and under certainly      
different circumstances1 it  confirms1  
honours indeed1 the fecundity of the age
 of its inception1  namely1 the era of  
,british stheticism4    ,commenting upon
 its attributes discursively1 it was at 
the period of  its original initiation  
in ,london my privilege to be present2  
nor  must ,i omit to graphically allude 
to my belief1 not choosing to be        
otherwise than candid with my first     
impressions1 that ,i had never  listened

 to anything which so rapturously       
illustrated the spirit of  those        
soul-elevating times2 even to           
experiencing a passing pang1 since  the 
perplexing principles or established    
secrets of decorative or  sthetic art1  
as understood by me1 had so curiously   
been cajoled or  interwoven into the    
very sanctuary of ,classic ,music4      
,every phrase  appeared eloquently to   
illustrate and tell aloud the great     
burst  of passionate fervour1 felt to be
 with serious activity glistening1      
sparkling around1 in painting and in    
decorative device4 ,it was1 as  it were 
the unition1 the brazing together of    
these serious impinging  forces1 and    
re-fusing them with fresher melody1     
newer vital ecstasy4  7,sir7 ,edward    
,burne ,jones1 ,oscar ,wilde and ,w4,s4 
,gilbert had all not  dubiously striven 
nor for shallow effect4 ,they had1      
though labouring  incessantly apart1    
built up a ghost which was in no fear of
 glimmering  or dissolution2 and now    

,berthold ,tours1 spright of another    
element of  sentimental1 ,i should say  
continental mythical music1 upon the    
scene  springs with his amazing         
apparatus of staves and octaves1 aiding 
the  chef-de-musique and his trained    
voices to make sound within the  very   
presence chamber of ,divine ,worship    
this phantasmagoria of ,teuton          
intellectualism6    ,be it understood   
that this ,classic exercise is not to be
 ceremoniously  regarded1 nor           
classified1 nor by me upheld as an      
example of ,creative  ,art1 but as the  
brightest pledge of homage sthetically  
offered to a  vital movement1           
essentially fundamental and wise2       
furthermore1 must  be allowed to occupy 
a position subsidiary to the works of   
the artists  enumerated who evidently   
inspired it2 unique and decidedly       
without an  exact parallel in the       
inspired annals of modern phonetic      
literature2  prefering at a more        
intimate examination to classify with it

 ,professor  ,c4 ,villiers ,stanford's  
setting of the ,te ,deum and ,jubilate  
in  ,b flat--works1 easily gracing the  
,summus ,mons of co-spiritual           
achievement2 that impulse which selects1
 confirms1 and then unites all  the fair
 fibres of ,art4    ,berthold ,tours    
personally possessed the evident        
characteristics of a  musician4 ,no     
doubt could be entertained whatsoever1  
by any who once  saw him or his large   
meditative form1 that music was his     
calling4 ,the  duties inherent to the   
post of music taster to the house of    
,novello1  ,ewer1  ,co41 he hopefully   
acquitted for many years1 succeeding to 
that office on the retirement of my     
once1 in a choral sense1 esteemed       
conductor1 ,sir ,joseph ,barnby4 ,the   
pianoforte accompaniment to many  of the
 classical works of continental         
composers he transcribed and  carefully 
arranged for his employers1 whose       
confidence he completely  enjoyed1      
whether in addressing them on matters   

relative to prospective  treaties with  
contemporary composers1 or in regard to 
works tendered  to them for publication1
 or on recommending them upon the       
pianoforte  arrangement of orchestral   
scores4 ,personally1 ,i participated in 
the  satisfaction of frequently dining  
in his company4 ,amongst the  personal  
memories which ,i might in passing      
allude to1 being my  entire deferential 
attitude towards him of reverence1 ere  
ever being  acquainted with his         
patronymics1 although already largely   
conversant  with1 and a sincere admirer 
of his music4 ,to have been spoken      
amiably  to by this distinguished       
virtuoso is a not unnoteworthy          
reminiscence  to be recorded4 ,he       
evinced much concern in the early       
rehearsals of  his choral works2 being  
individually present at the moment of   
their  preparation2 but it not          
infrequently appeared to me ambiguous1  
that  unless accounted for by the       
responsibility of vast calls1 he with   

frequency turned his back upon the      
musical conservatories wherein  his     
choral works were performed2 a custom   
due evidently to his innate  modesty1   
and perhaps to his susceptibilities as a
 foreigner4 ,berthold  ,tours was a     
famous violinist of the first class1    
besides being a  recognised composer of 
music1 and edited with ,natalia         
,macfarren a  superb edition of the     
,italian1 the ,german1 and the ,french  
,operas4    ,,john ,,atwood4,,slater1   
#d1 ,hill ,side1 ,cotham1 ,bristol4     
,,architecture4    ,from the ,,bristol  
,,times ,,and ,,mirror1    ,april #ahth1
 #aijb4    ,,bristol ,,society ,,of     
,,architects4      ,the ,annual ,general
 ,meeting of this society was held in   
the ,fine  ,arts ,academy1 ,queen's     
,road1 ,clifton1 on ,monday1 ,mr4 ,frank
 ,w4 ,wills  7,president7 in the chair4 
,after the confirmation of the minutes  
of the  last ,annual ,general ,meeting1 
the annual report of the council was    
then  read by the ,hon4 ,secretary1 and 

the audited accounts presented1 and1    
upon the motion of the ,,president1 were
 adopted4    ,a highly interesting      
lecture devoted to architectural        
research was  delivered by ,mr4 ,j4     
,,atwood ,,slater1 first silver         
medallist and premium  holder in design 
in the ,royal ,academy of ,arts1        
,london1 and ,sharpe  ,prizeman of the  
,royal ,institute of ,british           
,architects1 ,london1  describing an    
architectural tour undertaken in #ahhj1 
and detailing  picturesquely the        
architecture and incidents of personal  
concern  dependent on travel met with in
 the departments of ,seine ,infrieure1  
,seine and ,oise1 and ,seine1           
penetrating into the heart of ,france as
 far  as ,auxerre4 ,the course of the   
,seine1 with its diverse monuments1 was 
topographically followed from ,harfleur 
to ,paris1 and subsequently  in its     
considerable ramification the stately   
,river ,yonne1 ,melun1  ,fountainebleau1
 ,sens1 and finally the rich town of    

,auxerre coming  under consideration4   
,the lecturer also drew special         
attention to the  advantage derived from
 travelling alone for the purpose of    
observing  better the archological      
wealth1 and the customs of the ,french1 
having  a distinct and definite line of 
study and object lesson ever in view2   
to his wide sympathy with the ,french   
people1 to their sumptuous care  for    
their ancient monuments1 their courtesy 
and reverential manner of  hospitality  
towards ,english speaking students2 and 
also in particular  to the unsuspicious1
 deferential manner in which they are   
entertained  and regarded by the        
,ministerial authorities3 detailing in  
precise  biographical manner his        
experience with bourgeoisie and peasant1
  ecclesiastic and soldier4 ,he recorded
 also minutely the incidents and        
popular events associated with travel1  
as study and the tide of time  goaded   
him onward1 the wave of diurnal events  
lying upon the open page  of history1   

here dishevelled1 here streaked with    
adverse episode1  and here becalmed4    
,the hour being late1 a hearty vote of  
thanks was  accorded the lecturer1 and  
the hearing of the conclusion of a most 
interesting tour was adjourned to       
another meeting4          ,,aquatics4   
,from the ,,cornishman1 ,august #bnd1   
#aijb4    ,,swim ,,around ,,st4         
,,michael',s ,,mount4      ,on          
,wednesday1 a visitor to ,marazion1 ,mr4
 ,j4 ,,atwood4,,slater1 from  ,bristol1 
in a sea for tranquility suited for the 
saline venture1 swam  completely round  
,st4 ,michael's ,mount1 ,cornwall4      
,accompanied by a local  boatman the    
swimmer rowed out from the mainland1    
quitting his boat1  and entering ten    
fathoms in depth of water at two        
o'clock4 ,a mean  distance of a hundred 
yards from the coast was1 whilst the    
circuit was  made1 preserved4 ,no       
inconvenience of any sort--excepting1   
towards  the conclusion1--the chilliness
 of the water1 was encountered2 the     

distance of one mile and a half being   
accomplished in the space and  record   
time of three-quarters of an hour4 ,the 
swimmer at the finish  expressed himself
 entirely satisfied with the nerve and  
capacity of  his boatman 7,ivey7 and    
accorded a tribute to the romantic style
 in  which the ,mount and ,castle proper
 are kept4 ,the view from the watery    
verge being replete with quaint interest
 and delightsome variety4 ,the  previous
 occasion to this feat being performed  
was three summers ago1  when ,lady      
,agnes ,townshend1 and six years since1 
when ,colonel ,townshend  swam the same 
distance2 but no other authentic        
instance is credited1  or preserved on  
record4 ,the swimmer on this latest     
occasion is a  ,royal ,academy          
exhibitor1 and the designer of the      
subject panels in the  reredos in the   
neighbouring ,cathedral of ,truro2      
having moreover aided  the architect1   
now deceased1 of the ,cathedral of      
,cornwall in other  departments of      

,architectural service4          ,from  
the ,,cornishman1 ,september #dth1      
#aijb4    ,,long ,,distance ,,swims4    
,,in ,a ,,corner ,,of ,,mount',s ,,bay4 
7,,by ,,the ,,swimmer74      ,on        
,thursday1 ,august #adth1 ,mr4 ,j4      
,atwood ,slater1 then staying at        
,marazion1 who1 as recorded in a recent 
issue1 swam completely round  ,st4      
,michael's ,mount1 made an attempt to   
swim from ,st4 ,michael's ,mount  to    
,newlyn4 ,with his boatman 7,ivey71 he  
started from ,marazion1 entering  the   
water at ,s4,w4 corner of the ,mount4   
,whilst engaged in the preliminaries of 
the start a moment of suspense  was     
passed1 the distance appearing          
sufficient 7when out of water7 to       
unnerve all but the most intrepid of    
swimmers4 ,striking out in the          
direction of ,newlyn1 and using the     
breast stroke1 the shore and  beetling  
,mount were gradually left behind1 but  
when a full distance of  a mile and a   
half was covered1 a swell got up from   

the ,s4,w4 and blew  a quantity of water
 into the face of the swimmer4 ,at each 
impulse  progress becoming extremely    
difficult2 nevertheless a yet further   
interval of half a mile was placed to   
the swimmer's credit2 when1  deeming it 
impracticable to continue further1 and  
having covered  relatively more than    
half the distance1 in a mood of chagrin1
 he  re-entered his boat4    ,then      
seizing the oars1 and murmuring an      
ejaculatory note to the ocean  which had
 sent him not a few malign caresses1 he 
pulled1 boatman1  craft and all to      
,marazion2 the time exactly occupied in 
the exploit1  of two miles and an       
eighth1 being forty-five minutes4    ,on
 ,saturday1 ,august #bcrd1 ,mr4 ,slater 
again1 taking with him ,e4 ,john1  swam 
in deep water1 from close to the pier   
head ,st4 ,michael's ,mount  to a point 
contiguous to ,longrock2 a distance of a
 mile and an eighth4  ,progress was     
without hap or hindrance1 though in a   
grey misty light4  ,at length1 whilst   

the disappearing sun sank to rest behind
 a belt of  clouds1 parted asunder over 
,penzance1 the boatman was called upon  
to  draw in his boat1 the swimmer       
thereupon going on board4    ,experience
 gained upon these occasions teaches    
that it emphatically  requires greater  
nerve to swim in the open sea1 always   
going straight  in deep water1 than is  
called for when propelling oneself round
 the  ,mount4    ,again1 on ,tuesday1 at
 ten minutes to two1 the swimmer1 to    
confirm his  past exploits and as a     
climax to his stay in ,mount's ,bay1    
swam from  ,venton cove to ,st4         
,michael's ,mount1 rather in excess of a
 mile1  in thirty-one minutes1 ,ivey1   
his boatman merely steering his boat    
alongside4    ,it is the swimmer's      
opinion1 that the timing of mid1 or half
 stroke1  is the most elegant1 most     
difficult1 and to conceal1 yet fully    
make  use of this break1 constitutes the
 criterion as to whether the  swimmer1  
be he amateur or professional1 is       

first-class or not4          ,from the  
,,exmouth ,,journal1 ,sept4 #fth1 #aijb 
,a ,,noteworthy ,,swim4      ,a long    
swim from ,exmouth to half-a-mile beyond
 the pier of ,starcross1  was on        
,thursday evening undertaken and        
accomplished by ,mr4 ,j4                
,,atwood4,,slater1 an ,exmouth visitor4 
,starting from opposite the pier  head1 
the swimmer1 piloted by ,mr4 ,h4        
,tupman1 in the ,ernest1 swam  round the
 ,bight on the west side of the ,warren1
 passing the ships  anchored therein1   
and hugging the west shore of the ,exe1 
paused  finally under the lodge at the  
further end of ,starcross at #e4de p4m41
  having1 in logic swum the distance of 
two-and-a-quarter miles in  twenty-three
 minutes4 ,the aid the swimmer derived  
from choosing the  flood tide he        
admitted was considerable1 and served   
him for nearly  half the distance2 when 
out of the influence of this1 the water 
suddenly became very choppy1 the waves  
being too small for the swimmer  to     

time1 yet with annoying frequency       
throwing their crests above the  surface
 of the water4 ,subsequently a great    
stillness was encountered1  until       
,starcross was neared and passed2 the   
boat1 swimmer and pilot  lying finally  
becalmed at the point                   
aforesaid4--,j4,a4,s4          ,from the
 ,,western ,,daily ,,press1 ,sept4      
#aeth1 #aijc4    ,a ,,swim ,,round      
,,mont ,,st4 ,,michael1 ,,normandy4     
,sir1--,on ,august #bbnd1 at #e p4m41 on
 ,august #bhth1 at #i a4m41 and on      
,august #bith1 at #aj a4m41 ,i achieved 
in a more successful measure than  had  
hitherto been accomplished the problem  
of swimming round ,mont  ,st4 ,michael1 
,normandy1 at high water4 ,previously   
acquainted with the  certainty that an  
adverse current would at one point or   
another be  met1 ,i pre-arranged1 and   
made three bold attempts1 and by going  
in a  certain direction1 met with the   
greatest success at the first essay4    
,the tides that rise and flow against   

the base of the mount are more          
insidious and taxing to strike against  
than those which encircle the  ,mount of
 ,st4 ,michael1 in ,cornwall2 but then  
the quality of the sea  must be more    
pure and far more buoyant off the       
,cornish coast1 and  freshens to a      
greater extent the elastic movements of 
the swimmer4 ,the  sea1 speaking from   
experience1 does not harass one1        
swimming in the  bay of ,st4 ,michael1  
,normandy1 until the retirage is met2   
when all  the force that can be exerted 
is necessarily called forth to prevent  
being seaward swept4    ,yours          
faithfully1    ,j4 ,,atwood4,,slater    
,albi1 ,tarn1 ,france1    ,september    
#gth1 #aijc4          ,,architecture4   
,from the ,,patriote ,,albigeois1 ,sept4
 #bith1 #aijc4      ,albigeois1 vous qui
 passez frquemment dans les rues        
adjacentes   votre cathdrale1           
n'avez-vous pas remarqu la figure d'un  
artiste  rcemment install1 avec son     
chevalet1 auprs du gigantesque monument 

et mettant toute la science technique de
 son art  le reproduire  exactement4    
,c'est ,m4 ,john ,,atwood4,,slater qui  
avait visit notre cit1 il y a  quelques 
annes1 il avait alors dessin une belle  
perspective de  ,sainte-,ccile qu'il a  
expose  l',acadmie ,royale de ,londres4 
,il a  admir la plupart des cathdrales  
gothiques de notre pays et1 en fin      
connaisseur1 il nous informe que nous   
possdons un des plus recherchs          
specimens d'architecture qui existent en
 ,france4 ,quelques-unes de ces         
cathdrales sont  peine plus             
merveilleuses1 mais il n'en est gure    
qui se prtent favorablement comme elle  
l'esprit tranquille de  dvotion4        
,maintenant pour le profit de ceux a qui
 cela pourrait faire plaisir  ,m4 ,john 
,,atwood4,,slater1 cet artist nous      
communique bnvolement ce                
renseignegnement trs spcial3 ,il est    
encore fort nageur6 ,c'est  lui qui aux 
dates de #bb1 #bh et #bi aot a t signal 
par la ,normandie  pour avoir fait  la  

nage le tour du ,mont ,st4 ,michel3 ce  
que personne  jusqu'ici n'avait os      
prtendre faire  cause des mares qui sont
  toujours trs contraires4--,j4,a4,s4   
,,unpublished ,,letters4    ,,music4    
,to the ,editor of ,the ,times1 ,london4
      ,sir1--,whilst admitting the      
all-importance and the austere role of  
circumstance weighted with interest1 and
 fused to an all-volatile  point        
sufficient to write to you concerning1  
and always entering1  freed from schism1
 the moot point1 ,i beg leave to advance
 the  suggestion that 7with correct     
apposition of sentiment1 already said7  
the moment has arrived for an           
improvement to be effected in the       
,hymnal1 in the public offices of ,st4  
,paul's ,cathedral employed4    ,for the
 furtherance of this important item of  
diocesan and divine  service1 ,hymns1   
,ancient and ,modern1 be it well known1 
has stood  the crucial test of a number 
of years2 while its mechanical          
characteristics have been demonstrated  

all the way along the metronome  number 
of decades it has served to mollify and 
assuage the griefs  and passions1 and   
inspire the consciences of congregations
 using it  habitually as a vade mecum4  
,while believing in the sedate grandeur 
of its stereotyped orthodoxy1  ,i       
powerfully plead1 and in a tone of      
restraint1 this prerogative3 that  the  
edition of hymns known as ,the ,hymnary1
 should upon examination  be found to   
contain more agreeable1 versatile value 
and fecundity  of literary nutrition3   
honourably and scholastically capable of
  out-classing the rival for whose      
displacement ,i plead2 and competent  at
 once to put yet better light with      
wholesomer sustenance and rarer         
spiritual food into the minds of its    
privileged students4    ,the ideas and  
principles conceived by the once editors
 and publishers  of the volume whose    
richly bestraught merits ,i champion1   
and whose  solemn rights ,i plead1 7in  
the year #ahga71 was to place in society

  at once1 all electrified1 au prmier   
coup canonized 7armed at  all points71 a
 work which should at a moment be       
complete in law2  self-contained and    
academically referable to the stringent 
junctures  of an ecclesiastical1 a      
national1 and a polyphonetic tribunal3 a
  work which should loyally attract the 
acclaim of co-existing literary         
hymnals1 and ever would1 it was         
reverently hoped--a sentiment which ,i1 
for one1 favourably concur in--remain1  
the key-symbol of the ,reformed1        
,anglican faith1 with its near1 true1   
and ever new ally--a note as  high1     
silvery and jurisprudential2 purified   
domestic co-partnership6    ,to further 
substantiate and enhance my devoutly    
expressed remarks1 ,i  confidently state
 that the compilation of ,hymns ,ancient
 and ,modern  was not originally in fact
 the outcome of an individual movement1 
or  yet of a moment4 ,at periods        
diverse1 and at stages various1 it      
matured  its conditional purpose by     

repeated acts of regeneration and       
reform1  by keeping generally within the
 radius of a stereotyped policy of      
pruning and paring2 which consolidated  
by degrees and swept it on to  the      
confines and the platform of its        
national respectability4    ,be it even 
tacitly acknowledged1 in surveying the  
genesis of ,hymnology  that the function
 of revision has once been1 a fact1     
applied to the  ,hymns ,ancient and     
,modern since the appearance of ,the    
,hymnary1  in my estimation under a less
 searching eye than that which all      
impartially discriminated and directed1 
at one and at one time only1  the laying
 together and the consolidating of the  
particles predelix  of this frankincense
 offering of the ,national ,church2 a   
work of  classic intent and sthetic     
outcome4 ,personal labour designed it   
purposely for the hearts of men1 but not
 for their faces2 a  character which1   
,christian-like1 it inseparably wears1  
like ,french  martial music4    ,herein 

exemplified to noble ,british hearts is 
a bulwark that at once  completely puts 
to rout no inconsiderable amount of the 
mildew mould  of ,hymns ,ancient and    
,modern1 while never so much as         
tarnishing or  jeopardizing the aroma of
 its native asceticism4    ,interested  
bibliophiles may peruse pleasantly the  
trenchant remarks  launched by the      
editors1 7of the work upheld7 literary  
and musical2  and examine for their     
predilection by turning its pages the   
analytical  merit of its composer's     
names2 all serious-minded men2 capable  
lamp-bearers in the wide arcana of      
classic music4    ,stoical people do not
 know the wealth of chaste language     
stored up  within the covers of ,the    
,hymnary4 ,a rare musician-poet is      
needed  to resolve its pulpy flavour and
 discipline to the polemics of common   
life2 whilst one1 a connoisseur1 would  
readily congratulate the  sanguine1     
sensible1 and all-seeing management1 as 
regards to authors  of words1 indices of

 composers1 indices of metres1 metronome
 marks1  which heralds and places it1 in
 respect of completeness1 ahead of all  
contemporaneous editions4    ,j4        
,,atwood4,,slater1    ,medallist        
,premium ,holder of the ,royal ,academy 
of ,arts1 ,london4    #d1 ,hill ,side1  
,cotham ,hill1 ,bristol1    ,epiphany1  
#aijc4          ,,literature4    ,to the
 ,editor of ,,the ,,birmingham          
,,gazette4    ,march1 #aijc4            
,sir1--,touched by a virtuous sense that
 a noble writer has passed from  the    
central and celestial sphere of his     
vocation1 and discharging the  offices  
of respect voluntarily admitted as a    
literary admirer1 with  sympathy in a   
bruised state of liquefaction1 ,i       
maintain that the  season for uttering a
 few words is clearly at hand1 and      
should be  turned to the advantage of   
retrospect4    ,being bred of a         
generation which has read1 with a spirit
 attuned  to the pleasant influences of 
an ,academic and a ,saracenic art1 the  

writings of ,john ,henry ,shorthouse1   
and ever discovering them to  contain   
philosophic importance and pyschologic  
expression decidedly  above the         
astuteness and ability of average       
writers2 and having  usually in them    
remarked wisdom1 council and knowledge  
reminiscent  of the inspired logicial   
writers and divines of the law-given    
,testaments2 in point of enquiry1 ,i am 
summarily induced to champion  the      
belief that the psychologic1 emphatic   
style adopted by the writer1  with the  
success in high quarters attendant the  
disposal of his  works1 has not1        
convincingness being the indicator1 been
 reached1 nor  surpassed4 ,the          
,warwickshire alchemist invariably      
throws across his  scenes and to the    
centre1 a glare1 a strong ray1 which    
burns to the  water-line the barque of  
,agnosticism4 ,this is tacitly          
recognised1  concurrently and           
alternately traced in the selection of  
the phrases1  and in the subtle or      

dramatic sense of the scene             
photographed2 the  second inspiration   
springing into immediate co-operation1  
linking to  the first the thought by a  
magnetised hyphen1 causes his           
symbolistic  pictures to thrive         
gloriously1 rapturously2 the first touch
 of  sensitized matter at times         
appearing grotesque1 dimly lit1 although
  never flimsy4 ,this pedantic1         
pictorial1 even scholarly system by our 
revered writer adopted1 is bent1 applied
 to meet extreme passes of  imaginative 
perfection and delicacy4 ,the picture is
 navely introduced  and obscurely1      
somewhat trenchantly elaborated1 allows 
itself to be  apologetically understood2
 whilst in succession the lower taste   
for animal sentiment is sorcerized by   
vivid flashes of captivating  contrast1 
forked1 as lightning1 and left1 as      
embers smouldering to  glow in the      
crucible of memory's recesses4 ,specious
 instances of irony  playing the        
manliest part3 flashes of meteoric1     

mesmeric eloquence1  fitfully flecking  
the embossed page1 as one tier or set of
 ideas1  in rhetoric orchestration1     
symphonizes with or eclipses another4   
,connection1 an element of robust       
mesmeric cohesion with this prized      
author being the adamantine hyphen1 the 
articulating link1 which  compacts the  
roll4 ,john ,henry ,shorthouse1 the     
templar1 the confessor  of music1 was1  
and concurrently1 the apologist of      
philosophic light4  ,engaged to a       
powerful mechanism of romantic dogma1   
the nett article of  its creed2 the     
neochromatic acoustic regalia of stage  
eloquence1  the key1 or longest         
recurrent note2 the van or middle the   
next1 the  sinuous lever of stage       
discipline4 ,after all1 concurrently may
 it  not1 be said that this colour      
instinct aspect of cosmically conceived 
romanticism is never wilfully           
vulgarized4 ,for its incomparable1      
iconographical purpose it exists1 and is
 as intrinsically useful and            

serviceable to the scheme as the figures
 which admirably illustrate  the        
pictures of ,hogarth and ,holman ,hunt4 
,when introduced1 music is  rarely      
intended to edge itself into the        
important place of first  study4 ,this  
in alchemy or personification being     
occupied by the  circumstantial cruxes  
of life1 philosophic morality1 vested   
usually  in courtly attire2 ,i would not
 say abstract attire1 for the clean-cut 
character it bears is too strictly      
defined 7for the sake of that  ,artist's
 art7 for such an impression to be born1
 or even to lurk by  sentiment1 there   
beneath4    ,the mould employed at all  
times is minutely fashioned1 as a       
sculptor  would1 by investing his model 
with a code of spirituality1 inspired   
with fire1 which epicureanly endows     
fleeting emotion with a voice1 and      
vitality lends also to distant-reaching 
invisible ends3 hinting that  the       
picturesque alchemy of music is         
potential too in reaching and  touching 

the lower chords of animal passion1     
where movement is rapid  and light      
redundant4 ,the breast of the thoughtful
 writer heaved ever  to animal instincts
 without measure in extolling the       
complex phases  of court1 ecclesiastic1 
and domestic oligarchy4 ,statesmanship  
and  subjunction rise and peacefully    
sink together1 and in his magnetic      
touch1 are made to harmoniously coalesce
 in the political balance4  ,shorthouse 
the author1 a believer in1 a champion   
was of two-fold or  dual cosmos3 his    
colour sense being susceptible to and   
wrought upon in  singular consular      
consistence with the effulgent dogmas of
 its  creed1 and in alliance with the   
spirit of the cinque cento ,italian     
,renaissance ,schools of ,painting and  
,architecture4 ,practically  speaking1  
he conceived a train of adept ideas1 at 
times fanciful1 and  at times morbid1   
transforming them adroitly by adept     
excursions of  cross-lit introspection1 
accentuation1 and by dint of manual     

caress1  as the first of players upon   
stringed instruments4    ,music1 ,i     
would apologetically infer1 being the   
middle1 the rallying  feature1 of ,mr4  
,j4,h4 ,shorthouse's verbose apology4   
,if fictionizing in  prose1 he writes   
with brief orange-hued flashes of liquid
 ether2 each  of short1 all but1 brief  
span4 ,characteristically1 he belongs to
 the  same school and unapproachable law
 as the ,french organist-composer1      
,c4,m4 ,widor3 stringent1 petulant      
observance of free uncurbed metronome   
time1 allied to picturesque handling2   
punctuality of tidal consort  rigidly   
regarding1 when each1 the one to the    
other1 linked2 less a  care1 by virtuous
 intuition displaying for lyric measure4
 ,the writings  of ,nathaniel ,hawthorne
 more forcibly and piquantly evince     
cylindrical  flow1 and strike at the    
object lesson with less artificial1     
cadavre1  fastidious touch2 but ,mr4    
,shorthouse1 speaking strictly1 as to   
temper  and tempo is a trifle more      

rugged2 and never a shadow of suspense  
suffered he to stir a hand's breadth1   
that is1 rest 'twixt poetic  certainty  
and doubt1 lest the ultimate end should 
all-attainable be  or not4 ,for freedom 
from this1 and other literary ambiguity1
 yet never  manifesting anxiety of      
freeing himself in prose from its       
insidious and  arbitrary restraint1 ,i  
attribute his tragical1 subtle1 gentle  
power of  connection1 liaison2 feeling  
for time2 planetary time1 be it lunar   
time1 sometimes unmistakably1 solar     
time2 disallowing1 by potency of        
sentimental touch1 a sense of rupture1  
to linger4 ,a noble stream by  mute     
comparison1 pursuing its course         
unwavering2 interrupted but now  and    
again1 to the vast expansive ocean of   
shapeliness1 of unity4    ,j4           
,,atwood4,,slater1    ,premium ,holder  
,medallist  of the ,royal ,academy of   
,arts1  ,london4    ,hill ,side1 ,cotham
 ,hill1 ,bristol4