,,the ,,mentor                    ,a    
,wise and ,faithful ,guide and ,friend  
,vol4 ,i                                
,no4 #cc                                
,,beautiful ,,buildings of the ,,world  
,,taj ,,mahal                           
,,salisbury ,,cathedral        ,,the    
,,alhambra           ,illustration      
,,ch,,teau de ,,chambord        ,,amiens
 ,,cathedral                            
,,new ,,york ,,city ,,hall              
,by ,,clarence ,,ward                   
,professor of ,architecture1 ,rutgers   
,college      ,beauty in architecture is
 as difficult to define as beauty in    
nature4  ,no single factor renders a    
building beautiful4 ,size and           
proportion1  style and decoration1 age  
and setting1 all enter into account4    
,and  moreover there is the power a     
building possesses to appeal to the     
ideals of the beholder1 to his mind as  
well as to his sight and touch4  ,even  
when judged from this broad viewpoint1  
the number of beautiful  buildings in   

the world is legion4 ,it would be       
impossible to point to  anyone as the   
finest1 or even to select a dozen       
without leaving a dozen  more that were 
equally beautiful4 ,every age1 and every
 nation1 has left  to us some crowning  
achievements of the builder's art4 ,the 
following  are therefore merely         
selections from this storehouse1        
illustrating to  some degree the wealth 
of architectural treasures that is our  
heritage4    ,few if any buildings in   
the world have been the subject of such 
praise  as that bestowed upon the ,taj  
,mahal 7,gem of ,buildings74 ,travelers1
  painters1 authors1 and poets have all 
sought to express in word or  color the 
indefinable charm of this gem of ,indian
 art4 ,built at ,agra1  in ,india1 by   
the great mogul of ,delhi1 ,shah ,jahan1
 as a tomb for his  favorite wife1      
,mumtaz ,mahal1 the ,taj is a veritable 
translation into  stone of human        
remembrance and affection4 ,it was begun
 in #afcb1 and  was completed in        

twenty-two years4 ,the material of which
 it is built  is pure white marble1 and 
inlaid in its walls are jaspers1 agates1
 and  other stones in marvelous designs4
 ,but it is perhaps the dome that  gives
 the greatest beauty to this tomb4 ,of  
typical ,eastern shape1 it  rises a mass
 of white against the deep blue of the  
,indian sky1 or  shines like silver in  
the radiance of the ,indian moon4       
,illustration3 ,,the ,,taj ,,mahal      
,the approach through the splendid      
gardens seen in the foreground is       
bordered by dark cypress trees1 which   
contrast admirably with the color  of   
the marble domes beyond4                
,,the ,,world',s ,,most ,,beautiful     
,,tomb    ,it cannot be denied that the 
,taj ,mahal 7tahzh mah-hahl7 owes much  
of its beauty to its setting4 ,not      
merely has it the contrast of the       
brilliant sky above1 but also the deep  
green of the gardens at its  feet1 and  
more than this the four tall1 graceful  
minarets standing  like sentinels at the

 corners of the marble terrace on which 
the tomb  is placed4 ,the interior is   
scarcely less impressive than this      
outside  view4 ,its subdued light serves
 only to show more clearly the beauty   
of the garlands of red and blue and     
green inlaid along its walls as         
never-withering memorials of the queen  
who sleeps beneath the lofty  dome4     
,it is perhaps beside her tomb that the 
traveler sees a vision of the  proud and
 mighty ,jahan1 cruel in many ways1 but 
steadfast in his love1  building this   
glorious resting place for his fair     
consort1 whom he  called by the familiar
 name of ,taj4 ,one may see even farther
 still and  picture to himself this once
 proud ruler1 bereft of all his power   
and  even of his throne1 looking out    
from his chamber window toward this     
same ,taj ,mahal4 ,perhaps its wondrous 
dome gleamed in the moonlight on  that  
last night before he came to rest       
beneath its shades as it gleams  today  
to the enraptured gaze of thousands who 

take the pilgrimage to  ,agra to see    
this wonder of the ,eastern world4      
,,the ,,palace ,,of ,,the ,,moorish     
,,kings    ,it is not such a step as it 
may seem from the ,taj ,mahal to the    
,alhambra  7al-ham'-bra74 ,both are     
oriental4 ,both are the products of     
,mohammedan  art1 and mark in a way its 
,eastern and its ,western expressions4  
,as  early as the eighth century of our 
era the ,moors of northern ,africa      
crossed to ,spain and made the ,iberian 
peninsula a ,moorish califate  or       
kingdom4 ,its capital and last          
stronghold was ,granada4 ,and here on  a
 lofty hill1 overlooking the city1 ,king
 or ,calif ,al ,hamar began the  mighty 
fortress of the ,alhambra in the early  
years of the thirteenth  century4       
,illustration3 ,,court ,,of ,,the       
,,myrtles1 ,,alhambra    ,the pool is   
bordered on both sides by beautiful old 
hedges4    ,as is the case with almost  
every ,mohammedan building1 its exterior
  is extremely plain4 ,but once the door

 is passed one seems to have  stepped   
from ,europe to the ,orient4 ,courtyards
 and porticos1 halls and  passages1 open
 before the visitor in a truly oriental 
maze of color and  decoration4 ,the     
first important court is known as that  
of the ,myrtles4  ,in its center is a   
marble basin a hundred and thirty feet  
long1  bordered with trees of myrtle and
 orange1 and flanked at both ends by    
two-storied pavilions with slender      
marble shafts and graceful ,moorish     
arches4 ,from one of these pavilions    
opens the ,hall of the ,ambassadors1    
the throne room of the califs1 and the  
largest chamber in the palace4          
,,the ,,alhambra',s ,,beauty    ,but it 
is not its size that makes this room    
imposing4 ,here1 as  elsewhere in the   
palace1 it is the decoration4 ,rising   
for three or  four feet from the floor  
is a band of colored ,moorish tiles4    
,all the  wall above is of stucco1      
molded in lacelike patterns and painted 
in blues and reds and brilliant golden  

yellows4 ,the designs are  largely      
geometrical or floral1 frequently       
interspersed with ,arabic  inscriptions4
 ,some of these when translated read1   
,god is our refuge1  ,praise be to ,god1
 familiar phrases in ,mohammedan faith1 
or ,there is  no conqueror but ,god4    
,add to this decoration of the walls    
imposing  stalactite domes1 and ceilings
 often of cedarwood inlaid with mother  
of  pearl1 and imagine the floors and   
windows again adorned with oriental     
rugs and hangings1 and the beauty of the
 ,alhambra will be easily  understood4  
,illustration3 ,,hall ,,of ,,repose ,,of
 ,,the ,,baths1 ,,alhambra              
,illustration3 ,,the ,,gate ,,of        
,,justice    ,a part of the ,alhambra   
palace not well preserved4    ,but      
neither the ,court of the ,myrtles nor  
the ,hall of the ,ambassadors  is the   
crowning glory of the palace4 ,this     
honor belongs to the ,court  of the     
,lions4 ,one hundred and sixteen by     
sixty-six feet in size1 this  court     

compares with any apartment in the world
 for pure1 exquisite  beauty of design4 
,an open portico1 its ceiling borne on a
 hundred  and twenty-four slender and   
beautiful marble columns and delicately 
ornamented arches1 incloses the central 
space1 in the middle of which  rises a  
magnificent fountain1 its basin cut from
 a single giant block  of alabaster1 and
 supported on the backs of twelve lions 
of white  marble1 emblems of courage and
 strength4      ,illustration3          
,,interior ,,of ,,the ,,alhambra        
,arched window in the ,tower of the     
,captivity of ,isabel4    ,it is small  
wonder that the last of the ,moorish    
kings1 ,boabdil  7bo-ahb-deel71 looked  
back with many tears at this glorious   
palace as  he surrendered it in #adib to
 his ,christian conqueror ,ferdinand4   
,sadly  indeed he and his followers must
 have crossed again to the dreary       
deserts of ,africa1 since they left     
behind them the whole fair land of      
,spain1 which they had adorned not      

merely with the ,alhambra1 but with  the
 ,alczar at ,seville1 the mosque at     
,cordova1 and other monuments of  their 
civil and religious greatness4          
,,the ,,great ,,cathedrals    ,at the   
very period when the ,mohammedan        
conquerors of ,spain were  building     
their palace of the ,alhambra1 the      
,christians of northern  ,france were   
erecting those vast cathedrals which    
stand today as  the crowning            
achievements of the builder's art4      
,paris1 ,chartres  7shahrtr71 ,bourges  
7boorzh71 ,rheims 7reemz71 ,rouen       
7roo-ong71 ,le ,mans  7lee-mong71       
,beauvais 7bo-vay7 and ,amiens          
7ah-mee-ong7 are but a  few of the long 
list of ,french ,gothic cathedrals of   
the twelfth and  thirteenth centuries4  
,from such a list it is most difficult  
to choose4  ,each one has its           
distinctive claim to recognition1 and   
its distinctive  features which are not 
surpassed in any of the others4 ,this   
fact1  indeed1 has caused it to be said 

that the ideal cathedral should have    
the faade of ,rheims1 the spires of     
,chartres1 the nave of ,amiens1 and  the
 choir of ,beauvais4 ,but even such an  
ideal cathedral would not  be perfect   
without the addition of features from   
each of the other  churches in our list4
    ,since1 however1 it is necessary to 
choose1 let us choose ,amiens2 for      
perhaps this church is most widely      
acknowledged as the finest example  of  
the ,gothic style4 ,its faade is a      
masterpiece of decoration4 ,three       
deeply recessed portals in the lower    
story are covered with a wealth  of     
sculptured figures in the round and in  
relief4 ,bible lessons and  the events  
of human life and history1 carved here  
in stone1 taught the  terrors of sin and
 hell and the joys of a godly life as   
preached in  the church beyond these    
lofty doors4 ,nor is the decoration     
confined to  sculpture2 for the whole   
faade1 and in fact the entire church1 is
 a  tracery of stone4                   

,,the ,,gothic ,,glory ,,of ,,amiens    
,illustration3 ,,south ,,portal ,,of    
,,amiens ,,cathedral    ,the statue of  
the ,virgin which stands in the portal  
replaces that of  ,st4 ,honor1 which was
 moved to the north transept4 ,the      
carvings about  the south portal are    
taken from the life of ,st4 ,honor4     
,illustration3 ,,nave ,,of ,,amiens     
,,cathedral    ,it is from a side view1 
however1 that ,amiens shows at its best 
the true  glory of ,gothic architecture4
 ,nearly five hundred feet long and over
  two hundred feet to the ridge line of 
the roof1 it rises high above the       
buildings of the city in which it       
stands1 a symbol of the supremacy  of   
spiritual over earthly things4 ,to be   
sure it has its faults4 ,the  towers are
 too low and the central spire is of    
awkward shape2 but the  huge windows1   
with their tracery in geometric         
patterns1 occupying the  entire space   
between the buttresses1 and these       
buttresses themselves  with their       

soaring arches spanning the aisle roofs 
below1 afford an  unsurpassed example of
 beauty of design combined with the     
utmost  structural daring4 ,moreover1   
the interior is even more imposing4     
,lofty  piers and pointed arches        
separate the nave from the aisles4      
,slender  shafts carry the ribs of the  
huge vaults of stone forty-three feet in
  span1 which seem suspended in air one 
hundred and forty feet from the         
pavement below4 ,in the support of these
 vaults lies the keynote of  ,gothic    
architecture4 ,though they seem hung as 
if by magic over walls  of glass1 with  
very little masonry for their support1  
their weight and  thrust are borne by   
the sweeping arcs of the exterior flying
 buttresses  and the huge piers of      
masonry from which they rise beyond the 
side  aisle walls4 ,viewed from a       
central point1 the majestic sweep of the
  nave1 the soaring height of the       
eastern apse1 the wondrous window of    
the northern transept1 and the maze of  

piers and arches and chapels1  all unite
 to produce a glorious whole which      
cannot be surpassed in any  monument of 
any age4                                
,,salisbury',s ,,simple ,,beauty        
,illustration3 ,,salisbury ,,cathedral  
,a view from the northeast1 showing     
plainly the double-cross shape of    the
 foundation4      ,illustration3 ,,nave 
,,of ,,salisbury ,,cathedral    ,a      
number of interesting monuments were    
placed between the columns by    ,james 
,wyatt4    ,if the interior of ,amiens  
personifies in the highest degree the   
majesty  and glory of ,christian faith1 
the spire of ,salisbury may be said to  
embody its hope and aspiration4 ,rising 
four hundred and four feet from  the    
ground1 this spire has few to rival it  
in all the world4 ,other  cathedrals    
might dispute its claim to first place  
among spires2 but  none is set upon a   
church so fine4 ,that ,salisbury is the 
most beautiful  cathedral in ,england is
 not claimed4 ,as was the case in       

,france1 so  here1 there are too many   
churches1 each with its own distinctive 
points of beauty1 for anyone to be the  
finest of them all4    ,but ,salisbury  
at least must find a place among the    
first1 and is  especially interesting   
because it is exactly contemporary as to
 date  with ,amiens in ,france4         
,architecturally both are ,gothic2 yet  
the  difference in design is as great as
 the distance in miles between  them4   
,low instead of lofty1 with little      
decoration1 and set in the  midst of    
nature's grass and trees instead of in a
 crowded city1  ,salisbury's appeal is  
through the quiet beauty of its line1   
and the  simplicity of its construction 
in contrast to the complex structure  of
 the ,french cathedral4 ,the ,gothic of 
,england was rarely the ,gothic  of     
carefully balanced thrust and pressures1
 of flying buttresses and  huge window  
spaces4 ,here at ,salisbury the walls   
are still quite heavy  and the windows  
only moderately large4 ,they have no    

tracery of stone2  but are simple1      
narrow openings in the walls1 with      
pointed heads so  like a lance in shape 
that they have given the name of ,lancet
 to this  period of ,english ,gothic    
architecture4 ,slow to throw off their  
earlier  traditions1 the ,english       
builders clung1 even in ,gothic days1 to
 many  of the characteristics of the    
,norman era1 which had produced such    
masterpieces as ,durham and             
,peterborough1 ,ely and ,norwich1       
cathedrals4  ,the result of this is     
especially evident in the interior of   
,salisbury2  for here1 in spite of the  
shafts of ,purbeck marble1 one for each 
hour  in the year1 and in spite of the  
rich moldings of the piers and arches1  
the lack of structural unity1 and the   
comparative smallness of the  windows   
and lowness of the vaulting cause       
,salisbury's nave to fall far  short of 
that of ,amiens in beauty of            
construction4 ,viewed from the  west1   
the cathedral is also disappointing2 for

 the faade is an ugly  screen wall1     
badly decorated1 and deserving of little
 praise4 ,but when  seen from north or  
south or east1 with its spire rising    
from the very  heart of the church1     
,salisbury is truly inspiring4 ,in its  
quiet close  it seems the very          
expression of the church at peace4      
,,ch,,teau de ,,chambord                
,illustration3 ,,ch,,teau de ,,chambord 
,showing the ,mansard roof put on by the
 celebrated architect1 ,mansart1    at  
the order of ,louis ,,xiv1 to           
accommodate a large court4              
,illustration3 ,,hall ,,in ,,the        
,,ch,,teau de ,,chambord    ,the two    
stairways seen in the back wind around  
the same central shaft    and never     
join4    ,between the construction of   
,amiens and ,salisbury and the building 
of  the ,chteau of ,chambord            
7shong-bore7 lie two centuries of       
history4  ,in them the spiritual power  
of the church1 and the temporal power of
  the pope and clergy1 which had been   

supreme throughout the ,middle  ,ages1  
gave way to a large extent to a spirit  
of individualism and a  rising power on 
the part of the king and nobles4 ,this  
change had its  effect upon the arts4   
,the palace took precedence over the    
church in  architecture as the secular  
took precedence over the religious in   
painting and the other arts4 ,the       
,chteau of ,chambord dates from the     
earlier stages of this new architectural
 era4 ,built by ,king ,francis  ,i in   
the early years of the sixteenth        
century1 it is but one of the  hundreds 
of chteaux erected by the kings and     
nobles of ,france1 from  ,francis to the
 fall of the monarchy4 ,its             
architectural style is what is  known as
 early ,renaissance4 ,the claim of      
,chambord to beauty is due1  not so much
 to its decoration as to its imposing   
size1 to the sense of  spaciousness it  
conveys1 and to the manner in which it  
reflects the  spirit of its age4        
,four hundred feet square along its     

outer walls1 this vast chteau was       
designed by ,francis ,i merely as a     
hunting seat4 ,the chief exterior       
attraction of the building lies in its  
roof4 ,this is a very maze of  gables1  
dormers1 chimneys1 and cupolas1         
dominated by the lantern that  crowns   
the center stair1 and in which lights   
were hung to guide belated  hunters from
 the forest4                            
,,the ,,stairway ,,of ,,chambord        
,illustration3 ,,tower ,,of ,,the       
,,grand ,,staircase    ,chteau de       
,chambord4    ,this stairway is the     
chief attraction of the interior4       
,sweeping round  a central newel which  
forms an open well1 it rises the full   
height of  the building4 ,moreover1 it  
is not a single flight of steps1 but    
two1  so placed that one person may go  
up and one come down1 yet never meet4   
,from this stairway four large halls    
open at every floor1 and four  hundred  
and forty rooms and fifty other stairs  
fill up the wings of  this great palace4

 ,the interior1 when richly furnished1  
must have been  magnificent4    ,in     
spite of its size1 ,chambord has little 
history of which to boast4  ,nothing of 
importance or even of special interest  
took place there4                       
,,new ,,york ,,city ,,hall              
,illustration3 ,,stairway ,,in ,,the    
,,new ,,york ,,city ,,hall4    ,we are  
fortunate indeed as a nation to have had
 in our earlier days an  architecture   
that could boast of such pleasing       
monuments as the ,new  ,york ,city      
,hall4 ,our ancestors in both the ,north
 and ,south were strongly  influenced   
from the point of view of art by that   
,english ,renaissance  which reached its
 culmination in the hands of ,sir       
,christopher  ,wren4 ,many a ,new       
,england church and many a ,southern    
home boasts  an architectural beauty of 
rare charm and in rare accord with the  
natural setting of this new land4 ,nor  
were we less fortunate in public  works4
 ,the old and new statehouses in        

,boston1 ,independence ,hall in         
,philadelphia1 and the ,capitol in      
,washington are but a few of the early  
buildings in ,america that1 like the    
,new ,york ,city ,hall1 are worthy to   
rank among the best in beauty of design4
 ,the latter was the work of  ,john     
,mc,comb1 ,jr41 and was built between   
#ahjc and #ahab in a style based        
largely upon the ,italian ,renaissance4 
,though not of very great size1  its    
proportions are remarkably fine1 and its
 architecture beautiful4  ,for good     
taste and for excellence of workmanship 
it is as worthy of the  city of millions
 today as of the city of thousands for  
which it was  first built4              
,illustration3 ,,old ,,colonial         
,,chamber    ,the office of the ,borough
 ,president of ,manhattan in ,new ,york 
,city    ,hall4    ,that the source of  
beauty in architecture is indefinable1  
this brief  account of six of the       
world's finest buildings has clearly    
shown4  ,no two are alike2 yet all are  

beautiful4 ,and this quality lies not   
merely in size and proportions1 in      
design and decoration1 but in the       
appeal that each one makes to the mind  
as well as to the eye4 ,thus  the ,taj  
,mahal fairly speaks of human           
remembrance1 the ,alhambra is the       
embodiment of oriental luxury1 ,amiens  
affords a majestic picture of  religious
 power1 and ,salisbury of quiet         
,christian worship1 ,chambord  conjures 
up visions of gay kings and courtiers1  
while ,new ,york in its  ,city ,hall    
possesses a worthy monument of civic    
interest and pride4 ,many  another      
building could be added to such a list  
as ours1 and in the case  of each it    
would be found that added to its visible
 and tangible beauty  was an invisible  
character that marked it above its      
fellows4 ,it is from  this broad        
standpoint that all architecture should 
be judged4      ,footnote3              
,,supplementary ,,reading3--,history of 
,architecture1 ,hamlin2    ,indian and  

,eastern ,architecture1 ,fergusson2     
,medieval ,architecture1    ,porter2    
,handbook of ,english ,cathedrals1 ,van 
,rensselaer2 ,renaissance               
,architecture in ,france1 ,blomfield4   
,,the ,,mentor                          
,,issued ,,semi-,,monthly ,,by          
,the ,mentor ,association1 ,inc4        
#cha ,fourth ,ave41 ,new ,york1 ,n4 ,y4 
,volume ,i                              
,number #cc       ,,annual              
,,subscription1 ,,four ,,dollars4       
,,single ,,copies ,,twenty ,,cents4     
,,foreign ,,postage1 ,,seventy-,,five   
,,cents ,,extra4 ,,canadian ,,postage1  
,,fifty     ,,cents ,,extra4 ,,entered  
,,at ,,the ,,post ,,office ,,at ,,new   
,,york1 ,n4 ,y41 ,,as                   
,,second-,,class ,,matter4 ,,copyright1 
#aiac1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor              
,,association1     ,,inc4 ,,president1  
,,thomas ,h4 ,,beck2 ,,vice-,,president1
 ,,walter ,p4 ,,ten ,,eyck2             
,,secretary1 ,w4 ,d4 ,,moffat2          
,,treasurer1 ,j4 ,s4 ,,campbell2 ,,asst4

 ,,treasurer     ,,and ,,asst4          
,,secretary1 ,h4 ,a4 ,,crowe4           
,editorial    ,a man much occupied in   
his business was asked how he came to   
know so  much on so many different      
subjects4 ,his answer was3 ,not by      
study--,i  have had no time for that--,i
 have got my knowledge from the men who 
could give it to me1 and from the       
reading that they have suggested to  me4
 ,when several of my friends who know a 
subject have told me about  it1 ,i have 
got it in a way that ,i could not get in
 study4 ,i have got it  from different  
points of view4                         
999999    ,these words were said in the 
course of a conversation about ,the     
,mentor4 ,someone had referred to the   
variety of subjects offered in  the     
schedule of ,the ,mentor ,association1  
and had asked whether certain  regular  
courses of reading could not be included
 with advantage4 ,with  the thought of  
that business man and others like him1  
we are aiming  for something larger and 

more beneficial than a fixed set of     
reading  courses4 ,we have planned to   
give in ,the ,mentor the broad1 liberal 
knowledge that comes not from a strict  
course of study closely adhered  to1 but
 from contact with writers of authority 
in varied fields4 ,the  readers of ,the 
,mentor get the rich benefits afforded  
by many minds1 and  the year's reading  
is wide in its reach and well balanced4 
,so much for the general plan of ,the   
,mentor ,association4 ,but there is     
something to be said for the reader who 
wants to have a logical course  of      
reading through the seasons4 ,so while  
we offer variety from week to  week1 we 
plan to cover the larger subjects in    
groups of articles that  are definitely 
related to each other4                  
999999    ,if one wants to follow out a 
certain subject1 whether it be travel1  
history1 or art1 he can take up the     
reading of his ,mentors in groups4      
,look at the schedule of #aiac4 ,in the 
varied program of the year's  reading   

you will detect numbers that naturally  
belong together4 ,you can  select a set 
of ,mentors that will take you on a trip
 to interesting  places1 with ,mr4      
,dwight ,l4 ,elmendorf as a companion4  
,if literature is a  subject of interest
 to you1 you can select ,mentors on     
literary matters  prepared under the    
advice of1 and some of them written by1 
,mr4 ,hamilton  ,w4 ,mabie4 ,suppose    
that history is what you are after2     
,professor ,albert  ,bushnell ,hart     
gives you the ,story of ,america in     
several numbers4  ,it is hardly         
necessary to point out what ,professor  
,john ,c4 ,van ,dyke  has done for fine 
art in the numbers of ,the ,mentor      
prepared under his  direction4 ,and so  
groups of ,mentors on other subjects may
 be brought  together out of the        
schedule4                               
999999    ,in preparing the schedule for
 #aiad we have taken thought not only   
for  the wide scope of the whole year's 
plan1 but for the treatment of  special 

subjects in a way that will form natural
 groups4 ,we have found  this condition 
has met with favor1 and it seems worth  
while to assure  ourselves that all the 
readers of ,the ,mentor appreciate it4  
,we are  told that some are gathering   
the numbers relating to a single subject
  together so as to have a small library
 on each subject available for          
reference4 ,not a bad idea4 ,imagine    
what an attractive set of volumes  could
 be made out of twenty or thirty        
,mentors on travel by ,mr4  ,elmendorf6 
,think what a beautiful and valuable set
 of books could be  had by binding up   
the art numbers6 ,keep your back        
numbers4 ,they are  just as valuable as 
the ones to come4                       
,illustration3 ,,the ,,taj ,,mahal      
,taj ,mahal                             
,,one    ,at the top of a precipice     
overhanging the ,river ,jumna in ,india 
stands  the most poetic mausoleum in the
 world4 ,the ,taj ,mahal1 a dream in    
marble1 designed by ,titans and finished

 by jewelers1 is the tomb built  by     
,shah ,jahan1 the ,mogul emperor1 for   
his wife ,mumtaz ,mahal1 whom he  called
 ,taj-,bibi4 ,she was the loveliest     
beauty of the ,indies1 and ,shah  ,jahan
 loved her so passionately that he      
thought of no other woman while  she    
lived and was lost in grief after her   
death4 ,he vowed that her tomb  should  
be the most beautiful building in the   
world4    ,the ,taj is of snow-white    
marble outside and jeweled mosaic       
within4 ,it  was planned by a ,persian1 
,ustad ,isa1 who designed in the        
,persian rather  than the ,indian style 
of architecture4 ,twenty thousand men   
worked  twenty-two years to finish it4  
,in the center of a great square1 paved 
with white marble and having a slender  
tower of the same stone at each  corner1
 rises the memorial of ,taj-,bibi--not  
merely a masterpiece of  architecture1  
but also a perfect interpretation of    
womanly nature4 ,the  spirit of ,mumtaz 
,mahal seems to have been carved into   

the marble4    ,the mosaic work of the  
interior is the finest to be found in   
any  eastern country4 ,precious stones  
are used unsparingly--jasper and  agate1
 carnelian and chalcedony4 ,marble      
lacework of wonderful lightness  screens
 the windows and doorways4 ,in the      
center are the tombs of ,mumtaz  ,mahal 
and ,shah ,jahan2 but their bodies1     
according to the ,indian custom1  lie in
 a vault beneath the building4 ,shah    
,jahan had begun a tomb for  himself on 
the opposite side of the river1 which he
 never finished  because ,aurantzeb1 his
 son1 rebelled against him and took away
 the  empire4 ,he was therefore buried  
by the side of his beloved wife4        
,shah ,jahan was a cold and haughty man2
 but he ruled ,india well1 and  his     
pride was softened in later life by the 
death of his wife4 ,it is  said that    
during his reign he brought ,india peace
 and prosperity by  putting all his     
rivals to death4 ,besides the ,taj      
,mahal1 two other  famous buildings1 the

 ,pearl ,mosque at ,agra and the great  
mosque of  ,delhi1 which were built by  
,shah ,jahan1 have made his reign one of
 the  most memorable in ,indian history4
 ,the emperor's treasury must have been 
practically unlimited2 for the peacock  
throne1 made during his reign1  was     
estimated by ,tavernier to be worth     
sixty million dollars4 ,the  festival at
 his coronation alone cost eight        
millions4    ,there is a legend that    
when he had finished the ,taj ,mahal1   
,shah ,jahan  ordered the architect to  
be thrown over the cliff into the ,river
 ,jumna1  for fear he might plan another
 building as beautiful as the ,taj4     
,footnote3 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the        
,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor 
,,association    ,,illustration ,,for   
,,the ,,mentor4 ,,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #cc4    
,,serial ,no4 #cc ,,copyright4    #aiac4
 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association4     
,,inc4            ,illustration3 ,,the  
,,alhambra--,,court ,,of ,,the ,,lions  
,the ,alhambra                          

,,two    ,the people about ,granada have
 always held that the ,palace of the    
,alhambra was built under a magic spell4
 ,to their minds human  workmanship and 
the power of wealth are too feeble for  
the erection of  a structure so enduring
 and magnificent4 ,indeed1 great        
architects can  hardly conceive the     
skill that balanced those halls and     
gardens and  towers one against the     
other with perfect symmetry1 or the     
patience  that worked out each          
interlaced design without error in      
either the art  or the chiseling4       
,pains and expense were not spared in   
the construction1 and it is no  wonder  
that the ,spaniards should have thought 
the work supernatural4  ,slim pillars of
 the rarest white marble give grace to  
every court  of the palace4 ,the        
carvings and designs are everywhere     
gilded1 and  where these are painted    
between the gilding1 blue1 red1 and     
yellow1  the purest colors only are     
used4 ,the blue is ultramarine1 made    

from a  precious stone1 the lapis lazuli
 of the ,egyptians1 which never fades4  
,besides warmth of color and grace of   
form1 the ,moorish architects  worked   
for durability4 ,the aqueducts they     
built still bring an abundant  supply of
 water from the mountains to fill those 
baths1 fountains and  marble-bordered   
ponds for which the courts and gardens  
of the ,alhambra  are famous4 ,in spite 
of earth-quakes the columns and arches  
have nearly  all held their place and   
their perfect form4 ,the palace that    
,charles  ,v built there in a vain      
effort to rival the ,moorish            
masterpiece1 and  for which he made room
 by removing part of the ,alhambra      
palace1 stands  today an uncompleted and
 roofless ruin2 while the much older    
,alhambra  is still clothed in a glory  
of bright1 fresh color4    ,the         
,alhambra is not one building1 but a    
collection of buildings on  a high      
plateau4 ,long before the erection of   
the great palace the  hilltop was       

surrounded by a wall with many towers   
for defense1 and the  ,alcazaba1 the    
first palace built on the ,alhambra     
hill1 was used as a  residence by the   
early kings of ,granada4 ,older than    
all1 the ,vermilion  ,towers stand on a 
neighboring hill1 some distance outside 
the now  ruined ,alhambra wall4    ,the 
,palace of the ,alhambra is said to have
 been started by ,mohammed3  but the    
foundations were probably laid by ,calif
 ,al ,hamar1 who is also  distinguished 
for having begun to pay a yearly tribute
 to the kings  of ,castile4 ,the        
construction went on during several     
reigns1 and was  completed by ,yusuf    
with the building of the ,gate of       
,justice in #acdh4  ,all the later kings
 of ,granada lived in it until #adib1   
when the ,moorish  power fell before    
,ferdinand and ,isabella1 and ,boabdil  
was banished  forever from the home of  
his fathers4            ,illustration3  
,,amiens ,,cathedral                    
,amiens ,cathedral                      

,,three    ,it was at ,amiens that the  
renowned ,saint ,martin gave half of his
 cloak  to a beggar who stood shivering 
by the roadside4 ,other saints in that  
city1 though we know less of their life 
histories1 must have exercised  even    
more generosity during the ,middle ,ages
 to build and rebuild the  old cathedral
 in the face of repeated misfortune4    
,the patience and zeal  with which those
 men of ,amiens raised up their         
cathedral four times  from its ashes1   
remain forever in the fame of this most 
perfect of  ,french ,gothic churches4   
,when the ,norsemen plundered the coast 
of ,france in #hha they sent  a great   
fleet up the ,river ,somme4 ,amiens1    
taken by surprise1 fell  before the     
attack of those reckless and powerful   
old ,vikings1 and the  cathedral1 then a
 flimsy wooden structure1 was burned to 
the ground4  ,a new building which the  
people of ,amiens put up in the same    
place  when they had sufficiently       
recovered from the losses of the        

invasion1  was destroyed by lightning in
 #ajai4 ,the next structure was burned  
in  #aajg1 and the one that replaced it 
was struck by lightning in #abah and    
completely ruined4 ,then in #abbj the   
present cathedral was begun4 ,even  that
 has not escaped entirely from the      
lightning and conflagration that  had   
wrecked so many structures on the same  
spot4 ,in #abeh1 before the  work was   
completed1 the woodwork caught fire1 and
 was so badly charred  that part of it  
had to be taken down and rebuilt4       
,traces of fire may  still be seen on   
some of the arches4 ,later the slim     
central spire1  which is one of the     
striking features of ,amiens ,cathedral1
 was so badly  damaged by lightning that
 it had to be made over4    ,the chief  
treasure of ,amiens is part of the head 
of ,john the ,baptist1  naturally a     
religious relic of extraordinary        
interest4 ,it is kept in  the chapel of 
,saint ,john ,baptist1 and shown only at
 the most important  ceremonies4 ,all   

that remains is the front part of the   
skull1 including  the face1 and this is 
inclosed in a hood of silver-gilt4 ,the 
relic is  said to have been kept for a  
long time in one of the churches in     
,asia1  from which it was removed to    
,constantinople1 and later taken from   
that  city to ,amiens1 where it has     
rested ever since4                      
,illustration3 ,,salisbury ,,cathedral  
,salisbury ,cathedral                   
,,four    ,the ,cathedral of ,saint     
,mary at ,salisbury is not filled with  
gilding  and warm color as the churches 
of southern ,europe are4 ,its builders  
aimed rather at simplicity such as their
 forefathers used--plain gray  walls1   
unornamented columns and arches1 and few
 paintings4 ,the edifice  seems to      
reflect the antique dignity of those    
upright pillars of the  ,druids at      
,stonehenge1 which is not far from      
,salisbury4 ,here we have the  outcome  
of ,british race feeling in splendidly  
finished architecture  placed almost    

side by side with that early crude      
expression of it4    ,the cathedral was 
begun in #abbj by ,richard ,poore1 the  
bishop at ,old  ,sarum1 who was so much 
annoyed by the officers of the king that
 he  decided to move the church to a    
site on his own land which has since    
been named ,salisbury4 ,old ,sarum      
,cathedral1 built on a bleak hill1 had  
suffered for lack of water4 ,in his     
choice of a foundation ,bishop ,poore   
went to the other extreme2 for the      
swampy fields by the ,avon1 on which    
this new cathedral was erected1 were so 
often flooded that services  sometimes  
had to be suspended for days4    ,the   
beautiful ,lady ,chapel was built in    
five years4 ,the entire building1       
except the spire1 which was not in the  
original plan1 took only  forty-six     
years to complete4 ,it was consecrated  
in #abff4 ,but when the  spire was      
erected the architect in charge failed  
to strengthen the  foundations          
sufficiently4 ,the pillars and arches   

bulged2 for they had  never been        
intended to support such weight4 ,in    
spite of arches walled  up and          
buttresses built1 the tower sagged      
nearly two feet toward the  south1 and  
has remained in that position ever      
since4    ,though simplicity and        
calmness are characteristic of the      
original  ,salisbury ,cathedral1 they   
have been emphasized to the point of    
bareness  by the restoration of ,james  
,wyatt1 who destroyed nearly all the    
stained  glass windows1 two chapels1 and
 a belfry1 and moved many of the tombs4 
,there are niches in the cathedral for  
over a hundred statues1 which for  some 
reason were nearly empty at the middle  
of the last century4 ,the  statues now  
in place are almost all modern3         
sculptured1 however1 with a  view to    
holding the original significance of the
 architecture4 ,they are  arranged to   
represent the ,te ,deum4                
,illustration3 ,,chateau ,,de ,,chambord
                             ,chteau de 

,chambord                               
,,five    ,in the park of the chteau1   
near the banks of the ,loire1 great     
ragged  trees reach out across the sky1 
cutting off the faint light of the      
stars4 ,it is midnight4 ,indistinctly   
from the direction of the chteau  comes 
a baying of deerhounds4 ,it passes      
overhead through the middle  air1 with  
trampling and the sound of horns1 then  
dies away into the  distance4 ,the ghost
 of ,tibault de ,champagne1 first       
hereditary ,count  ,blois1 a black      
hunter followed by black dogs1 is       
chasing the stag4 ,each  midnight1 so   
the people of that country say1 the grim
 old baron rides  by with a full pack4  
,count ,tibault had a castle there by   
the ,loire1 and for centuries his       
descendants used it as a hunting resort4
 ,in #acig it passed into the  hands of 
,louis d',orlans4 ,francis ,i1 a king of
 the house of ,orlans1  who knew the    
abandoned structure in his boyhood1     
developed in the  country round this    

castle his well known passion for the   
chase1 and  that is why he chose the    
ruined feudal stronghold in the heart of
 a  great forest for the site of his    
royal palace1 when he might have built  
on any one of a hundred lovely spots not
 far away along the ,loire4    ,the     
king's taste did not please his         
courtiers1 who were less found  of      
hunting and solitude4 ,they would have  
preferred a large city1 or  at least    
some fertile valley nearby4 ,chambord   
was a palace in the  wilderness4 ,it    
could not be seen from a distance1 and  
the view from its  windows was only a   
dreary wood4 ,the building has been     
described as a  dream from the ,arabian 
,nights come true4    ,louis ,,xiv made 
many alterations in the chteau4 ,he     
ordered ,mansart to  construct rooms    
enough for the accommodation of a large 
court1 and the  architect1 after racking
 his brains over the problem1 cut up the
 roof  for projecting windows in that   
style which has since become known as   

the ,mansard roof4 ,the principal door  
of the court is also ,mansart's  work4  
,in #agic the revolutionists sold       
everything of value that could be moved 
from the chteau1 and ,chambord was      
stripped of its glory in a few days4    
,it has never been completely restored4 
,though by no means a ruin today1  the  
chteau suffers for lack of the          
magnificent furnishings for which  it   
was originally designed4                
,illustration3 ,,city ,,hall1 ,,new     
,,york                             ,city
 ,hall1 ,new ,york                      
,,six    ,with the highest buildings in 
the world rising in rivalry nearby1     
attracting every eye because of their   
novelty1 the ,new ,york ,city ,hall     
often escapes notice1 or is given       
shorter consideration than its          
excellent architecture and historical   
significance deserve4 ,though  it is    
neither large nor expensive1 it is      
better designed and more  carefully     
executed than any of the older public   

buildings in the  country4    ,john     
,mc,comb is generally accepted as the   
architect2 but it would be  safer to    
speak of him as the builder1 since most 
of the designing  seems to have been    
done by a ,french surveyor1 ,joseph     
,mangin4 ,to ,mangin  are probably due  
that shapely and dignified architecture 
which gives  it a place among beautiful 
buildings1 and the skilful design of its
  decorations4 ,mc,comb carried out the 
work of building with great care1       
receiving six dollars a day for his     
time4 ,the construction was begun  in   
#ahjc4 ,the first intention was to use  
brownstone4 ,mc,comb1 however1  saw that
 no meaner material than marble could do
 justice to the purpose  or the         
workmanship of the proposed ,city ,hall4
 ,accordingly he persuaded  the         
committee in charge to let him use      
marble on three sides4 ,the  stone was  
hauled over from the ,berkshire ,hilts  
by horses and oxen2 for  locomotives had
 not yet been invented4    ,one room of 

the ,city ,hall was set aside for the   
,state governor's  use2 and it has      
lately been restored to the original    
condition4 ,many  excellent portraits   
hang on the walls4 ,the furniture of the
 ,governor's  ,room was largely taken   
from ,federal ,hall1 where ,washington  
was  inaugurated and the city government
 was located before the building of  the
 ,city ,hall4 ,federal ,hall has        
unfortunately been destroyed4 ,it stood 
at the corner of ,wall and ,nassau      
,streets1 and was built with stone from 
the wall that gave ,wall ,street its    
name4    ,a number of years ago there   
was a proposal to remove the ,city ,hall
 from  its present position because it  
was no longer large enough for the city 
government and was too far from the     
center of ,greater ,new ,york4 ,then1   
because of its architectural merit as   
well as its history1 such protest  was  
aroused that both building and park have
 been kept intact4    ,in ,may1 #aiag1 a
 fire burned the tower and destroyed the

 clock of the  ,city ,hall4             
,transcriber's ,notes3     'inclose' is 
an older form of 'enclose'1 probably    
still in use when   this book was       
written4     ,italic writing is shown   
like this3 italic