New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-16

the brinats $de the walls the hushed earnest
"nieH NJ tow artists who were copying and the
fa,.y visitors who were lounging from picture 70
;ctnre struck me at once with mysterious awe.
Rnt nv attention was in a moment concentrated
nm one figure opposite to me at the turthest end.
7 hurried straight toward it. When | had got
hallway up the gallery ] looked round for my
sousin. He had turned aside TO some picture OF a
Venus, which caught my eye aLso' but "LiLch;
remember now, only raised IN me then a snuu iL
and blush, and fancy that the clergy!neh mus
be really as bad as my mother had taught me "
believe if they could allow IN their galleries
pictures of addressed women have learnt TO
view such things differently now, thank GOD.
have learnt that to the pure all things are pure
have learnt the meaning OF that great saying
the foundation of all art as well as all modesty,
ali love which tells us how " the man and MS
wife were both naked and not ashamed But
this book is the history Of my mental growth
and my mistakes as well as my discoveries are
steps in that development, and may bear lesson
in them.
the turning point of my whole short life, may be
excused for lingering upon every feature OF IT.
Timidly, but eagerly went up to the picture,
and stood entranced before it. twas Guido ST.
Sebastian. All the world knows the picture, and
all the world knows, too, the defects OF the mas
ter though in this instance he seems to have risen
above himself, by sudden inspiration, into that
true naturalness, which is the highest expression
Of the Spiritual. But the very detects OF the
picture, It's exaggeraton, Its theatrlcaiity, were
especially calculated to catch the eye OF boy
awaking out Of the narrow dullncss OF Puritan
lam. The breadth and vastness OF light and shade
upon those manly limbs. so grand and yet so de!l,
cate standing out against the background OF iurld
night the heplessness of the bound arms the
arrow quivering in the shrinking SIDE the up
turned brow, the eyes in whose dark depths en-,
4bnsioetic faith seemed conquerng agony ana
line ich tn
those martyrs in the Revelations, reprOachiul,
half resigned, " O Lord how long = Gazing at
that picture since, ] have understood how the
idolatry of painted saints could arise in the minds
even of the most educated, who were not dis
ciplincd by that stern regard for fact which lsor
ought to be-the strength of Englishmen. / have
understood the heart of that Italian girl, whom
some such picture of St Sebastlan, perhaps this
very one excited, as the ' eBus OF PraXteles the
Grecian boy, to hopeless love, madness and
death Then ! had never heard OF st. Sebastian.
did not dream OF any connection between that,
or indeed any picture, and Christianity; and yet,
as l stood before it, | seemed to be face to face
with the ghosts of my old Puritan torefathers, to
see the spirit which supported them on plllones
and scaffolds-the spirit OF that true st. Mar,
garet, the Scottish maiden whom Claverhouse and
bis soldiers chained to post on the sea-sands to
die by inches in the rising tide, till the sound Of
her hymns was slowly drowned in the dash OF
the hungry, leapng waves My heart swelled
within me, my eyes seemed bursting from my
head, with the intensity OF my gaze, and great
tears, knew not why, rolled slowly DOWN my
face.
A woman's voice close to me, gentle yet OF
deeper tone than most woke me from my trance.
you seem to be deeply interested IN that
picture 7"
looked round, yet not at the speaker My
eyes, before they could meet hers, were caught
by an apparition the most beautiful had ever
vet beheld. And what-what-- have seen equal
to her since? Strange, that should love to talk
of her. Strange that | fret at myself now be,
cause ] cannot set down on paper, line by line,
and hue bv hue that wonderful l0veliness OF
which. But no matter. Had | but such an
imagination as Petrarch or rather, perhaps, had
/ his deliberate cold seltConsciousness, what vol
ames of SMILES and cOncclts | might pour ont,
connecting that peerless face and figure with all
lovely things which heaven and earth contain.
As it is, because | cannot say all, l will say
nothing, but repeat to the end again and AGAIN,
Beautiful beautiful beautiful, beyond all statue,
picture or poets dream. Seyenteen-slght but
rounded, mask and features delicate and reg
piar, as if fresh from the chisel OF Praxltees-l
must try so describe, alter all, you sea SKIN
of aabaster tprivet howcrs, Horace and Arlosto
would have said more true TO Naturei stained
with the faintest flush; auburn HAIR, with that
peculiar crisped wave seen IN the old Italian
pictures and the warm, dark hazel eyes which
go often accompany it; lips like thread OF yer.
million somewhat too thin, perhaps-but thought
lite oil that then; with such perfect finish and
grace in every line and hue OF her features and
her dress down to the little fingers and nails
which showed through her thin gloves, that she
seemed to my fancy, fresh from the innermost
chamber of some enchanted palace, "where no
air of heaven could visit her cheek too roughly.
/ dropped my eyes, quite daZZled. The question
was repeated by a lady who stood with her,
sehose face | remarked thcn-aS | did to the last,
alas too little dazzled at the first by out
va Inn, hnsu nj pr
eustomed to it.
cit is indeed a wonderful picture" said, tim
idly. "May ] ask what is the subject of it ?"
iOh don't you know :" said the young beauty
with smile that thrilled through me. "lti St
Sebastian"
"I--I am very much ashamed answered
csloring up, but do not know who st. Sebastian
was. Was he Popish saint y
A tall stately old man who stood with the two
ladies, laughed kindly. No, not till they made
him against his will and at the same time
by putting him in the mill which grinds old folks
young again, converted him from grizzled old
Roman tribune into the young Apollo OF Popery.
"You will puzzle your nearer my dear uncle,
said the same deeptoned woman's voice which
had first spoken to me, GAS you volunteered the
saints narnc Lillian you shall also tell his his
tory"
Simply and shortly with just feeling enough to
send through me fresh thrill of deg GIFTED interest,
without trenching the least on the most stately
reserve she told me the well.kn0wn history Of the
saint martyrdom.
If seem minute in my description let those
who read my story remember that such courteous
dignity, however natural | am bound to believe,
tits to them, was to me an utterly new excellence
in human nature, AL my mothers Spartan noble
ness of manner seemed unexpectedly combined
with all my little sisters careless ease.
What beautiful poem the story would
make said !, as soon as recovered my thoughts.
NV ell spoken, Young man, answered the old
gentleman. " Let US hope that your seeing sub
jcct for good poem will be the first step toward
your writing one
AS he spoke, he bent on me two clear gray eyes,
full of kindness, mingled with practiced discern