The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

HUMANIST VALUES 215

monlyyields

us

ratheran intellectualandspiritual

satisfaction thana consciousphysicaldelight. And

itwillbefurthersaidthatsuchatheoryis

too

'

far-

fetched

'

; wecannot readilyimaginethat the great

architectsofthepastwereguidedbyso

sophisticated

a

principleof

design. And,ifsomesuchprocess

has

indeed a place in architecture, it may

be doubted

ftnally

how far it can account for all

the varied

pleasures

weobtain. Itwill be convenienttocon-

sidertheseobjectionsattheoutset.

The

springingofarches,theswellingof

domes,and

thesoaring

ofspiresare

'

meremetaphorsofspeech.'

Certainly they are metaphors.

But/

a

metaphor,

when it

issoobviousastobeuniversally

employed

andimmediately

understood,presupposesatrueand

reliable experience to which it

can

refer\

Such

metaphors are

wholly different from

literary con-

ceits. Amerelyliterary

metaphorlaysstressonits

owningenuity

orfelicity. Whenwe

read

• 
  

Awake,for

Morninginthebowlof

Night

Hasflungthe

Stonewhichputsthe

starstoflight,'

weare

firstarrestedbythe

obviousdisparitybetween

thethingandits

description

;

wethen

perceive the

pointof

likeness. Butwhen

wespeakofa

toweras

'

standing

'

or

'

leaning

'

or

'

rising,'

or

say

ofacurve

thatit

is

'

cramped

'

or

'

flowing,' the

wordsarethe

simplestandmost

directdescription

we can

giveof