PARALLELISNI BETWEEN NATURE AND ART.
Fundamental Principle of Art.—When we compare with one another different entire series of the monuments of those peoples and periods of which we can truly say that they stand nearest to the ideal of culture, and are consequently the most perfect extant, we always find a funda mental principle which expresses the great natural law that no part owes its existence entirely to chance, but that every detail stands in direct relation to the general purpose and to the form of art in which that purpose is embodied.
Infinitely varied as are the creations of Nature, each carries on within itself all the functions of organic life and has all the organs which are essential to it under the conditions in which it is placed, but none which are superfluous. In like manner, a perfect work of art, both in its general design and in its details, has those parts and forms which are necessary 23 for the fulfilment of its purpose, and all these parts and forms so arranged as to be most in keeping with that purpose. But, like Nature's products, sprung from the hands of an infallible Creator, the " truly perfect " work of art has no organ which is purposeless, no form which is not in con formity to the general design.' Each work of Nature has a character of its own, and so too is character the first requisite of beauty in any work of art.
Characteristics in as each organic species can exist only under certain circumstances, and as each organism shows its own individ ual peculiarities to a limited extent only, so entire series of buildings which serve the same purpose and arise under the influence of similar outward conditions come under our observation, and resemble one another almost as much as the individuals which form a species in the animal kingdom. Local and climatic influences determine for a related species functions somewhat different, organs somewhat modified, and some slight variation of outward form, and in a similar way local influences show themselves in structures of the same class, even when the purpose of all the works in the whole series is identical.
If we apply the term " character " to that total fitness for a given purpose which is common to all the works of a series, we must assign the name of '' originality " to the equally full correspondence which exists beween the outer appearance and the special problems presented by individual works.
The Beautiful in as the myriads of species, genera, and families that we encounter in the entire realm of Nature are all different, and yet all perfect and beautiful because throughout this diversity is exhibited the great natural law of full agreement between requirements and outward appearance,' so likewise in the domain of Architecture numberless monuments fashioned for special or individual purposes come before us, and all may be called beautiful, however multifarious their differences, so long as all express their purpose in an original and cha racteristic way, while none are beautiful which have borrowed for-other purposes forms that when used rightly were characteristic, and therefore beautiful.
Though every product of Nature may be considered perfect in its kind, we yet recognize natural kingdoms which differ as a whole iu the degree of organization of their component species, and even in the same kingdom we speak of a higher or a lower organization of animals and plants. In a similar way the purposes of structures, and therefore their outward design and ornamentation, may be called higher or lower, and we may no more produce the effect of beauty by taking a series of forms belonging to a higher structure and applying it to one designed for a lower purpose than may in Nature a lowly organism assume the out ward form of one more highly organized. Only in so far as the purpose agrees can forms be similar.
Since human creative power is not so infallible as the eternal energy of the Creator, the character impressed upon works of art is less defined than that exhibited by the works of Nature; so by occasionally borrowing a cycle of forms the works of art sometimes acquire a greater apparent similarity than really exists.'