The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-11-19
The Value of Historic Paintings.

cru alntc1s. ~ pOOu eAanple OI nOW
near conjectured pictures generally rep
resent the scenes they pretend to portray:
| suppose there is no event in the
whole life of Christ to which, in hours
of doubt or fear. men turn with more
anxious thirst to know the close facts of
it, or with more earnest and passionate
dwellings upon every syllable of its re.
corded narrative, than Christ showing
Himself to his disciples at the lake Of
Galleo. There is something pre.omi.
ncntly open natural, full fronting our
disbelief in this manifestation. The
others. recorded after the resurrection,
were sudden, phantom like, occurring to
men in profound sorrow and wearied ae.
ita,ion of heart not it might SEEM safe
judges Of what they saw But the agi.
tation was now over They had gone
back TO their daily work, thinking still
their business lay netwnrds, unmcshed
from the literal rope and drag. Simon
Peter saith unto them. | 90 a fishing
They say unto him, we also 90 with
thee True words enough, and having
far echo beyond hose Galilean hills.
That night they caught nothing but
when the morning camein the clear light
Of it behold, a figure stood on the shore.
They were not thinking of anything but
their frui;less haus They bad no guess
who it was. 1t asked them simply If
they he'd caught anything They said
no. And it tells them to cast yet again.
And John shaded his eyes from the
morning sun with his hand. to look who
tits; and though the glittering of the sea,
too. dozzles him. he makes out who it
is, at last; and poor Simon not to be
outrun this time, tightens his fishers
coat about hiin. and dashos in, over the
nets. Que would have liked to see him
swim those hundred yerds, and staggcr
to bis knees on the beach
We'll the others get to ,he beach, too,
in time in such slow way M men in gem
cral do get, in this world. to its true
shore much impeded By that wonderful
dragging the net with fishes : but they
get there---sevon Of them in all frs
the Dcnicr and then the slowest beliov-
er, and the quickest believer. and then
tho two throne seekers. and two more,we
know not who.
They sit down on the shore faco to
face with Him and cat their broilod fish
as lie bids And then, to Peter. all
dripping still, shivering, and amazed star
ing at Christ in the sun. on tho other
side of the coal fire, thinking p little
perhaps of what happened by another
coal fire when it was colder, and having
had no word once changed with him by
bis Master since that look Of His,-to
him, so amazed, comes the question. Isl.
mon, lowest thou me2' Try to feel that
little. and think Of il ill it is true to
you; and then, take up that iufuite
monstrosity and hypocrisy-Raphael's
cartoon Of the Charge to Peter. Note,
first, the bold fallacy-the putting all
the apostles there; a mere lie to serve
the pnpal heresy Of the Petric suprema-
cy, by putting them all in the back
ground while Peter receives the chorge,
and making them all witnesses to it.
Note the handsomely curled hair, and
neatly tied sandals. Of the men who had
been all night in the sea.mi-ts aud on
the Shiny decks. Note their convenient
dresses for going a fishing, with trains
that lie yard along the ground, and
goodly frirges--all made to match an
apostolic fishing costume Note how
Peter especially (whose chief glory was
in his wet coat GIT about him,and naked
limbs,) is envelopcd in folds and friDges,
so as to kneel and hold bis keys with
grace No fire Of Goals at all, nor
lonely mountain shore. but pleasant
Italian landscape, full Of villas and
churches, and flock of steep to be
pointed at and the whole group Of apo''
ties. not round Christ, as they would have
been naturally, but s'raggling away IN
line. that they may all be shown
The simple truth is that the moment
we look at the picture we feel our belief
in the whole thing taken away. There
is visibly, no possibility of that group ev'
er having existed in any place, on any
occasion. 1t is all mere mythic absur-
dity. and faded concoctiou of fringcs.
muscular arms, aud curly heads OF Greek
philosophers.
Now, the evil consequences Of the ac'
ccptance of this kind of religious idealism
for true. were instant and manifold. SO
far as il was received and trusted in by
thoughtful persons. it only served 10 chill
all tho conceptions Of sacred history
which they might otherwise have OBJ
tanned Whatever they could have fan.
cied for themselves about the wild,
strange, infinitely stern,infinitely tender.
infinitely varied veracities of the life of
Christ, was blotted out by the vapid fine
ries of Raphael the rough Galilean pi-
lot, the orderly custom receiver, and all
the questioning wonder and fire of uned'
ucatod apostleship, were obscured under
an antique mask of philosophical faces
and long robes. The feeble, subtle, suf'
fcring, ceaseless energy and humiliation
Of St. Paul were confused with an idea
Of meditative Hercules leaning on II
sweeping sword; aud the mighty pres
ences of Moses and Elias were softened
by introduction delicate grace, adopted
from dancing nymphs aud rising Au.
roras.
To this day, the clear and tastelcss
poison of the art Of Raphael infects with
sleep of infde!ity the hearts Of millions
of Christians. This fatal
sense of fair fabulouspess, and wollcom'
nosed in,nossibilitv steals gradually from