Professor Warren's Lecture.

Professor H. L. Warren, of the Architectural Department, gave the last lecture in the course on the Fine Arts in the Fogg Art Museum last evening on "The Construction of the Parthenon." The lecture was illustrated by a model of a portion of the building and by slides.

The art of architecture, said Professor Warren, consists in building structures not merely useful but also beautiful, by using the materials at hand so as to produce an ornament. To give the impression of beauty anything must have unity, and this unity is possessed by the Parthenon, probably the most perfect and beautiful building ever erected.

Every part of the Parthenon is expressive of its function and beautifully expressive. The construction is simple and forms an ideal organism. Entering between the columns at the east end or front, one comes to the cella where the shrine was. Beyond is another chamber or adytum, which was used probably as a treasury. The whole idea of the temple was a house for the goddess, surrounded by columns upholding a roof.

The foundation of the Parthenon was built of a limestone; but marble was used in all other parts. No mortar was used in joining the stones, not because the Greeks were unfamiliar with mortar, but because more beautiful joints could be made by carefully fitting together the marble blocks. Once fitted, they were held fast by iron braces and wooden pins.

Very little of the finer carving was done when the blocks were set in place. The metopes and the figures of the pediment were carved in the work shops and set in place finished, but the other stones were carved and the columns fluted after the rough work of building had been completed.