Dr. Wheeler's Lecture.

Yesterday afternoon, in the lecture room of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Dr. Wheeler gave the third of his series of lectures on the Athenian Acropolis. The subject of the lecture was the temple of Athena Nike.

The lecturer said that this little temple is one of the most beautiful specimens of Greek architecture which has been preserved. It is situated on the south of the Propylaea, and is built on the Pyrgos, a superstructure of the soft rock which the Athenians used in the foundations of their buildings; this Pyrgos rises about thirty feet above the bed-rock of the Acropolis. The time of the erection of the temple is somewhat doubtful, although Bohn advances technical proof tending to show that it belongs to the same period as the Propylaea. Pertelic marble was used in the construction of the temple. The style of architecture, which is lonic, was well illustrated by stereopticon views. Little could be said of the sculptures, because Dr. Wheeler did not have views to illustrate his remarks; he described as well as he could, however, the extreme beauty of this sculpturing, which is of a later date than that of the Parthenon, but certainly does not belong to the age of decadence.

The latter portion of the lecture was devoted to remarks on the Parthenon, introductory to his next lecture. The site of the early temple which the Persians destroyed was discussed; and also the probable date of the erection of Parthenon.