Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/467

 THE MEDIEVAL CATHEDRALS 417 what Christian society could accomplish by its united in- dustry and imagination. For as the pope and Cathedrals (feudal lords had cordially cooperated in the ex- the peculiar pansion of Christendom and the early crusades, so medieval ithe clergy and the communes, whatever quarrels societ y they may have had over the control of town government, joined hands in the work of building a vast church which would not only glorify religion, but be a credit to the city and serve as a center of civic life. Thus the Italian com- munes vied with one another in the size and splendor of their churches, each trying to outdo its neighbor. When one of two warring cities captured any notable trophies from its adversary, it would place them on permanent exhibition in its cathedral. The spacious nave and aisles also provided Iserved the purpose of a modern art museum. We cannot, or at any rate we do not, build such structures to-day and many a modern city with a population ten times as great has no edifice that can compare with the chief church in dozens of French provincial towns. Christians to-day are divided into many bodies; some of these do not care for especially expensive or artistic church buildings; and none of them can count on general community support in such an enterprise. Nor is there any other modern insti- tution or ideal which unites and dominates society and jthought as did the Church in the Middle Ages. It is true 'that society is richer to-day and that builders have the advantage of innumerable modern inventions. The de- mands of modern business have produced office buildings higher and railroad stations larger than any medieval cathe- dral, but as works of art the modern structures are vastly inferior. And the reason is that modern architects have not worked out an original style of their own, but in the main copy past architectural styles. They lack the interest and zest which goes with the creation of a new style. And they seem to lack inspiration, for trusts and railroads apparently have no noble conceptions to express in their buildings, no legends to depict, no ideals to embody, no effects to produce.
 * a splendid assembly hall for festive occasions and the church