The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-09-29

one after another, and one over another lust
as the fororn-hope columns Of an army that
storm fortress, and as one perishes, we walk
over his corpse to mount the battlements OF
fortune No are assauIting AS for myself,
even here cannot get over my American
mechanism ! outrun or OUTRAGE every ybedy
in the streets, for nobody walks fast enough
for me. lock upon the great picture-g e-galery
OF this Dresden, not with so much profound
admiration Df its wonderful master pieces, but
rs being ir0rh so much--to teach the people
here how TO make porcelain ware, and how
TO paint t--how 10 carve bone and ivory
how to make Dresden rich mandatory
The man at the gallery door asked me fifty
cents for catalogue worth ten. The Ameri-
can, in me was not thoroughly satisfied until !
reflected it was good speculation to Poy
even that, considering that ! saw the whole
vast gallery for nothing! The German stands
up, and sucis in, through his eyes, the Ra-
phae!s and Carlo Dolces, and the Teniers,
etc. am all the while calculating" Oh,
you will say, what "barbarian:''--but am
not q thinking-out-loud American!
These forest of pictures that we wander
through, and get lost in, at Potsdam, at Ber-
lin, at Dresden; remind one little Of being
lost ina Western prairie, when in full fow-
er, or in an Eastern wilderness-but a will
derness full o! Junos, Venuses, Mercurys, D.
anas Loves, Cupids, VIC, etc. Utterly ex-
hausted amid this confusion of beauty, physi-
cally and mentally worn out, | often sit down
before a Rembrandt, Raphael, or Rubens,
with the conclusion arrived at, that a sofa to
sit on is the best Rembrandt for the time
This living on honey is not the thing, after
all. There is too much "glory" for the eye,
and it becomes blinded and dazzed Some
cape, some yawn. A poor unfortunate gen.
tlemen beside me on sofa in the Dresden
gallery, fell fast asleep this morning. As a
group of peasants came clankng here over
the uncarpeted and waXed floors. with their
heavy shoes on, must confess | was more
interested in their winged caps and Bloomer
costumes, than was with the pictures hook
eG up here on the walls--that is to say, tie
living, moving. walking SaXous, interested
me the most, and ! should not have been sor-
rv if they had been labelled aud numbered in
the gallery book, as the other pictures are
There is great Raphael here, Madonna in
the Dresden gallery, which has an enormous
value-I am afraid to say how much, but for
ty thousand dollars at the least. Now, dear
as this is, thought I. it is not "bad speculc
tion'' for a city or State. Artists come here
from all parts Of Europe to copy it. Prints
are taken Of it on wax, compositionN.p .porce-
lain, and everything else. 1t is an "inyest-
ment" to scatter worldwide, bringing SO much
to enrich and employ the people OF Dresden.
Is:t bad "investment,' then! J ask only
as "calculQting'' American. If it were in
the rotunda of the Washington Capitol,
have 10: doubt that it ould pay ten per
cent on the investment to the city of Wash
ing;on.
But sl:all die Of exhaust ion in glory-ga-
zing if | keep on as have started in these
picture galleries. To stand stiff, erect, head
and ears up five or six mortal hours, on pic
ture-sentnel duty, is killing Muscles give
out, fer man is but of matter, and is mortal.
In the great palace Of Potsdam, the last work
of Frederick the Great, the show exhibitors
put US in felt shoes. anu "shuiaed," US over the
glossy waXen floors. They did it to keep
their floors clean, and to save them from
scratching. Now, if they would only give Us
mules at the doors of the picture galleries, ,and
put them in the felt shoes, for US to ride on, |
would give any'reasonable sum; for it is i'm
possible much longer to endure on foot, this
picture gazing.