INTRODUCTIONArt is the measure of civilization. We may assert such claims as we choose, if we have not an art that is instinctive, the natural expression of a healthy people, then we protest in vain. We do not possess a genuine, vital civilization.Not that we must be able to boast of men so great in the various fields of art that they have won for their names an earthly immortality. Such are rather a sign of a time without art than of one wherein art is universal. The great painters of Venice came just as that brilliant epoch of civilization was swerving toward its fall. Turner was born in the dark ages of modern England. Wagner and Brahms were as voices crying in the wilderness. There have always been dazzling personalities that flashed out of the surrounding gloom like the writing on the wall at the great king's feast; hut they are not manifestations of healthy art. They are phenomena. The sanest, most wholesome art is that which is the heritage of all the people, the natural Table of Contents CONTENTS; I'AGE; I Introduction i; II The Country Chapel 13; III The Village Church 33; IV The City Church 69; V The Chancel and its Fittings 89; VI Chapels, Baptisteries, and Sacristies 111; VII Decoration and Stained Glass 127; VIII The Altar 151; IX The Cathedral 171; X Conclusion 217; XIAbout the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text.