The greatest achievement in the history of the world ~ the construction of the Eiffel Tower! Why? For the first time in history the present was able to crush the past with all their rankling and thrust humanity forward into a new age with the sword of science.
It is strenuous for of us here in the 21st Century to uninterrupted imagine Paris off-course the Eiffel Tower but that was not the plight in the 19th Century. The construction of the Eiffel Tower was unique in that it came at the time of World History when Science was coming to the fore in full swing and humanity for the first time in mass scale was being affected by it. In the 18th Century and certainly the 17th Century Science was in the background and in the hands of a few. With the advent of the 19th Century Universities and private institutions were taking Science into full account and ushering in this new Scientific Age. It must be understood that the Eiffel Tower was to be a decoration adorning the entry to the Exposition Universelle thus making Science available to the public.
What makes the Eiffel Tower so unique is that it was the result of a movement - a revolution! For Gustave Eiffel stood in the face of incredible rancor to put his dream into action. At the time Paris was the most beautiful city in the world adorned with beautiful palaces, churches, and gardens. To think that Gustave Eiffel ( a German ) was going to blemish the face of this great city with his hideous metal monster was unimaginable to the Paris citizenry of that time.
Yet, in the face of all the leading citizens that wanted to put a stop to this " monstrosity " Gustave Eiffel was able to convince the local leaders that his tower would be designed in such a fashion that it would be easy to dismantle. With that he won his plea and the Eiffel Tower was erected.
Now over a century later the Eiffel Tower stands as a testament to the world and all of humanity that the new Age of Science has arrived.
Stephen F. Condren - Artist
