Part 155

Sir Joseph Paxton was acting as gardener to the Duke of Devonshire when the Committee of the Exhibition of 1851 advertised for plans of a building. The architects and engineers seem to have been very much at fault when Paxton submitted his design, and its novelty and remarkable suitability for the purposes intended, at once secured its adoption. The first sketch was made upon a piece of blotting-paper in the rooms of the Midland Railway Company at Derby; and the first rough sketch indicated the principal features of the building as accurately as the most finished drawings which were afterwards prepared. The great idea of the Crystal Palace was as palpable on the blotting-paper as if it had been set forth in all the glory of water-colour and gold-framing.

Was it a sudden idea,—an inspiration of genius,—flashing upon the mind of one who, though no architect, must at least have been something like a poet?—Not at all. The architect of the Crystal Palace was simply a man who cultivated opportunities,—a laborious, painstaking man, whose life had been a life of labour, of diligent self-improvement, of assiduous cultivation of knowledge. As Sir Joseph Paxton himself has shown, in a lecture before the Society of Arts, the idea was slowly and patiently elaborated by experiments extending over many years. The Exhibition of 1851 merely afforded him the opportunity of putting forward his idea—the right thing at the right time—and the result was what we have seen.—S. SMILES, “SELF-HELP.”

+~Joseph Paxton~, geb. den 3. Aug. 1803, gest. den 8. Juni 1865, wurde zunächst Kunstgärtner beim Herzog von Devonshire, zeichnete sich jedoch bald durch seine genialen Schöpfungen so sehr aus, daß der Herzog ihn zum Gartendirektor und Verwalter seiner großartigen Besitzung in Chatsworth ernannte. Die wundervollen Gartenanlagen und Gewächshäuser daselbst legen noch heute Zeugnis ab von seiner Genialität. Das große Gewächshaus, welches aus Eisen und Glas erbaut und 300 Fuß lang und 140 Fuß breit ist, diente ihm später als Grundlage des von ihm eingereichten Entwurfes für das Ausstellungsgebäude von 1851 im Hyde Park zu London und des später von ihm in Sydenham errichteten Krystalpalastes. Seine Verdienste um die große Weltindustrieausstellung von 1851 wurden von der Königin dadurch anerkannt, daß sie ihm die Ritterwürde verlieh. Sir Joseph Paxton wurde im Jahre 1854 zum Parlamentsmitgliede für Coventry gewählt und hat sich um die Baukunst und das Eisenbahnwesen manche Verdienste erworben. Er ist auch der Verfasser vieler Zeitschriften und Werke über die Gartenkunst.+

to act as gardener to a person, +bei einem als Kunstgärtner angestellt sein+; advertised — building, +öffentlich zur Einsendung von Plänen für ein Ausstellungsgebäude aufforderte+. I propose to commence the period with the subordinate clause ‘when — building’.

to be very much at fault, +in großer Verlegenheit sein+; to submit a design (of a building), +einen Entwurf ein´reichen+.

and — adoption = and as the same (agreeing with +Entwurf+) was quite new and remarkably suitable to its purpose (+zweckentsprechend+), it was at once accepted.

in — company = in the waiting-rooms of the railway station.

= hasty, +flüchtig+.

+an´deuten.+

= grand, +großartig+.

+klar dargestellt+, p. p.

as — framing = as if one had embellished (+aus´schmücken+) it with beautiful water-colours and gold framing.

an — genius = the inspiration of a genius (+Genie+, n., pronounced as in French).

flashing — one = which suddenly (+auf einmal+) filled the mind of a man.

Insert the adv. +doch+ before ‘at least’ (+mindestens+); something like = more or less.

+Ganz und gar nicht!+

to cultivate opportunities, +Gelegenheiten zu benutzen wissen+.

+strebsam+; of = full of, +voller+.

of — knowledge, +und unverdrossenen Strebens nach Kenntnissen+.

= Like, +wie+; has shown = declared; in — Arts, +in einem vor dem Kunstvereine gehaltenen Vortrage+, which place immediately after the subject.

‘by — years’ may be briefly rendered by +durch langjährige Versuche+ or +Experimente+, which place after ‘idea’; slowly = gradually; patiently, +beharrlich+; to elaborate, +aus´arbeiten+.

of — idea = to bring his idea before (+vor+) the public (+Öffentlichkeit+, f.); the right thing, +das Rechte+; at, +zu+, contracted with the def. art.

Section 183.

REBECCA DESCRIBES THE SIEGE OF TORQUILSTONE (App. § 5) TO THE WOUNDED IVANHOE.

“And I must lie here like a bed-ridden monk,” exclaimed Ivanhoe, “while the game that gives me freedom or death is played out by the hands of others! Look from the window once again, kind maiden, but beware that you are not marked by the archers. Look out once more, and tell me if they yet advance to the storm.”

With patient courage, strengthened by the interval which she had employed in mental devotion, Rebecca again took post at the lattice, sheltering herself, however, by means of a large and ancient shield so as not to be visible from beneath.

“What dost thou see, Rebecca?” again demanded the wounded knight.

“Nothing but the cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes, and to hide the bowmen who shoot them.”