SYMBOLIC SCULPTURED LIONS FOR MASONIC TEMPLE

From the Sunday Morning edition of the Nashville Tennesseean on November 14th, 1915:

This country has reached a plane of artistic development, regardless of our material opportunities and intense commercial spirit, that we feel how indespensable art is for the permanent adornment of our public buildings. The structures are in reality built for future generations, and they should be artistically worthy of the era which they are intended to serve and monumentally expressive of the progressive spirit that gave them birth. Likewise they should be typical of the best art and skill of their period.

The Congressional Library in Washington outranks the national capital only on account of the merits and richness of its sculptural ornaments and paintings. The strength of a nation is measured by its commerce and its conquests, but the glory of its people is measured by their art and literature.

This is the first building in Nashville that has any special sculptural feature carried out, and credit is given Masons in building their temple. They seek to carry out the beautiful in art, displaying in embellishment symbolic decorations.

The great symbolic significance that contains in these lions and vases (they will be the guardians of the gate). Lions of the tribe of Judah, symbols of strength and dominion, a recumbent pose (Masons should neither be aggressive nor asleep); the modeling of the head is alert--a peaceful attitude.

The vases depict the different emblems and orders of Masonry: Flaming ends three times the light comes; five bands represent five seniors and five orders and five orders of architecture; one, the four disks, symbols of three officers and grand masters and working tools of the same; sprigs of Acacia; fourth disk a five-pointed star. Oak leaves, symbols of strength; three bands symbolize three steps and three degrees, and they are bound together by seven bows and beads, symbolic number seven and seven liberal arts.

The designing of this great work of art is to the credit of the three artists represented in the picture, reading from left to right: David Johnson, manager for the stone work for the firm of the Foster-Creighton Stone company, whose stone was used from the quarries at Lockwood, Ala.; Haywood Norman, designer and engraver for Stief & Co., jewelers, and F. B. Miles, sculptor who executed the work. All three are Masons. The architects are Amos & Norton of Nashville.

These stone monuments, which were presented by the Foster-Creighton Stone company, weighed fourteen tons each in the rough. The dimensions were nine feet long, five feet wide, and five feet six inches high. All the work was executed in Nashville.

Mr. Miles has carried out contracts in architectural sculpture in nearly every prominent city in the south, the Candler building in Atlanta being the greatest of his achievements. He has executed carvings on all the prominent buildings here; also for three years has held the position as instructor in modeling and sculpture at Watkins Institute. He is an Englishman by birth and comes of an artistic family, serving his apprenticeship under Joseph Stevens, R.A., of Worcester, and a medalist of the South Kensington Art school.