Misceliancous. PHIDIAS ATHENE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1571, 29 July 1882, Page 6

Misceliancous. PHIDIAS ATHENE.

To Phidias was entrusted the highest mission which Attica could offer. This was to erect a statuc^of the virgin goddess of Athens, Athene Parthenon, to be set up in her new and glorious ehrine, the Parthenon, erected on the wasted site of an older temple. For this, costly materials were at his disposal, — gold, ivory, silver, gems and choice woods, — making its excution moat complicated, A genius for grand composition was required for conceiving: the whole, an architect's skill in building up the collossal wooden framework the carver's subtle fancy and fingers to give form to the delicate ivory, and a metalworker's knowledge in dealing with the broad massos or elaborate fini&h of the gold work. Tho woiden frame-work was supported by inserted iron stays, and without wasincrusted with thin sheets of ivory, made pliable by fire and then modeled and fitted together "with consummate skill, its creamy color and texture well representing the natural skin. Appurtenances of drapery, weapons, and hair were of massive gold or of silver gilded, and the eyes of lambent gems, all these materials making xvp the fabric of the chryselephantine , colossi of the gods which were the masterpieces of the Phidian age, but were seldom executed in the following' century. The statue of Athene by Phidias was six times the height of aman (over thirty eight feet), and must have filled tha beholder with an overpowering sense of its presence as it stood in thfe holy • place, (cella), which was less than sixty- five feet high arid but little over one hundred feet long.. The', air of the Acropolis being dry,,AYater was applied to the r statue to prevent shrinkage in jtKe %6pden frame ; : yrork an&V consequent^ displacement of ; incrnstata^n%^^vinV,437' T 3. c, golden" ''colb'ssiis-'stooij. complete t >irf fta sanctuary, butriiotwithatanclmg the. *precaitioAs/tolieft^^^^ a n ; ' itoieigae^3^* ! b"ef f repaired. ,^ Seventh I Qeniivm^^^x€^^S!im^^h^'ib ?«:;sfil]L

have been, -with its disappearance a priceless treasure of art was lost. A FLY-WHEEL CAT. A white cat which was about Winchester's shop was missed recently. In the forging department of the drop shop is an upright engine where the blowing is done for the forges. The other morning the man started his engine, and looking about the wheel he noticed something on the fly-wheel. The wheel was making a great number of revolutions per minute —going so fast that the spokes were invisible,. Ho did not make out what it was but paid no particular attention to it, as he thought it was the sun shining on the wheel. Glancing that way occasionally, he noticed the same thing several times. He started the engine at 7 o'clock, and at about 9.30, noticing the object again on the wheel, he thought he would stop the engine and see what it was. He stopped it and got over where ifc was, and found it was a white *oat clinging to tho wheel. There the cat had been hanging on for two hours. Ho took the cat down and it had become crosseyed. He put the cat in a box and cared for it, and in about two or threo days it began to get around and its eyes commenced to have their natural look. In about a week it came to the room of the foreman, 3 . D. Eagar, a branch of the forge department. Mr Eager fed it and commenced to train it. The animal reciprocates the kindness shown, remaining about the forge all the time, and evincing quite an interest in the business, and is quite a pet among the workmen. The above is a fact. — American Pajier.