The Thirteenth, Greatest of CenturiesWalsh, James J. (James Joseph)
History
The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centuries
Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)
Civilization, Medieval -- 13th century; Universities and colleges -- History
A little study of the hinge seems to show that these branching
portions were so arranged as to make the mechanical {113} moment of
the swinging door less of a dead weight than it would have been if the
hinge were a solid bar of iron. Besides the spreading of the branches
over a wide surface serves to hold the woodwork of the door thoroughly
in place. While the hinge was beautiful, then it was eminently useful
from a good many standpoints, and trivial though it might be
considered to be, it was in reality a type of all the work
accomplished in connection with these Thirteenth Century Cathedrals.
According to the old Latin proverb "_omne tulit punctum qui miscuit
utile dulci_," he scores every point who mingles the useful with the
beautiful, and certainly the Thirteenth Century workman succeeded in
accomplishing the desideratum to an eminent degree. This mingling of
the useful and the beautiful is of itself a supreme difference between
the Thirteenth Century generations and our own. Mr. Yeats, the well
known Irish poet, in bidding farewell to America some years ago said
to a party of friends, that no country could consider itself to be
making real progress in culture until the very utensils in the kitchen
were beautiful as well as useful. Anything that is merely useful is
hideous, and anyone who can handle such things with impunity has not
true culture. In the Thirteenth Century they never by any chance made
anything that was merely useful, especially not if it was to be
associated with their beloved Cathedral.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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