Phidias, who was born about 500 b, c., was one of the first great sculptors, and is credited with supervising the building of the Parthenon for Pericles. He planned and carried out the work of beautifying the Acropolis, with this wonderful temple as the central figure, and had, perhaps, more to do with preserving the pure Doric influence in architecture than anyone else. His decoration was always subservient to the lines of the building. No statue adorned it save such as harmonized with the general plan, forming a beautiful, perfect, and complete whole.
So long as succeeding architects adhered to the simplicity established by Phidias, architecture remained at its height; but in the years that followed, other builders arose who wished to let in a more ornate and lavish design. In proportion to this desire for extravagant ornamentation there was a decline in art; and architecture passed from the standard of Phidias downward, until the buildings often served as a mere base or background for projected personalities, adorned as they were with the statues of heroes and saints.
The meek Nazarene came teaching the gospel of healing in childlike faith, and adhering to divine Principle. So long as his followers did not deviate from this simplicity and the example set by their Master, they were successful, even to the raising of the dead. But as time went on there arose those who wished more ostentation, pomp, and display; and Constantine, with his rites and ceremonies and chariots, drove in and seemed temporarily to crush out the simplicity of the teaching of Jesus practiced by his followers. As display of scholarly ritual hid for the time the Christ-idea, the sand of illusion seemed to bury the foundation of early Christianity; and hypocrisy claimed to stand in its place. The Spirit that quickeneth was forsaken for the letter that killeth; the "Light, which lighteth every man" appeared to burn low; and darkness, more or less profound, seemed to settle over the earth, until the Christ-idea was again brought to light by Mary Baker Eddy. The falsity of the belief of materialism was uncovered through her discovery, revealing the rock, Christ, the spiritual foundation upon which Christian Science rests.
