The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-07-18
Painting and Poetry.


Painting and Poetry, alike in their ma
though it msy now be hsckneyed one) to
be neglected in no coming age, apd By nc
people who have tastes to admire the beau.
ties of nature, and minds to look aloft to,
and praise the God who gave them being.
1t has been well said, that poetry is the soul
Of man. ] may repeat it and add, painting
is nothing less than the same in miniature.
That there are imperfections in these as in
all things clse none will deny. Perfection is
with God alone. His creatures are as He
would have them, aspirants, and he smiles
upon them as snch. That mild, sublime po-
etry can melt the hardened heart we all
know that it serves to raise in the lOwly
mind sense Of its own dignity, and to in.
fuse within it knowledge of what it can
and should be, ali will admit when they read
ancient and modern poetry. A Homer has
written-though he wrote in an age, when,
comparatively speaking, the world was In
darkness in regard to refinement and litera.
ture-we, Of the present age, read his pro.
ductions with thrill of joy known to none
but those who read, and to be described but
by poets pen. OF an Ossian, too, may
speak. Homer was Greek, Ossian Celtic
bard, whose career was among the highlands
of Scotland. His productions were the ma.
tural flow from the mind and heart, as were
those Of Homer, who lived q thousand years
before him. Ossian's poems, never gay, but
high toned and of lofty bearing, did excite
and lead to victory the now dead Celtics !;
they have little less power to excite and en-.
noble US living Americans. The refined
Virgil is not to be forgotten; his poems are
duly appreciated by all minds capable Of so
doing. The poets Of more modern times are
in no way inferior to the ancients. Their
productions are, many Of them, the overflow
of a soul filled with gratitude, and a heart
warm with love to God and man. Since q
Burns, Racine, an impetuous Byron, an in
firm but high minded and persevering Scott,
a passionless Wordsworth, a Shakespeare
(of whom need not speak, for none but
Shakespeare can do him justice,) have writ
ten, who shall say we can live without poe
try? When poetry declines let us look for
the cause; and satisfy ourselves whether
Longinus be right, who has attributed such
to covetousness and effeminacy, regarding
them as two dispiriting vices Painting is to
the eye what poetry is to the ear. He, who
can listen to the one and gaze upon the
other without an indescribable emotion must
be dull indeed. He never looks upon the
beauties OF nature as they are ; he may say
they are pretty, and he may say of God, He
is good; but an unfeeling heart beats in his
bosom he knows no high toned loee for God
or his works; he knows no real happiness
When we undervalue the productions of
the painter and the poet, we sndervalue the
better part Of ourselves, thereby making us
lower order of beings than that for which
our Father designed US. We are beings
formed in the image of God, with minds ca
pable Of expanding to an extent known only
to Him who gave them. We will prize and
cultivate the faculties given; by so doing
render ourselves capable OF enjoyment here,
also in the world to come, and enable VS. to
bequeath to our race a legacy, to be wrested
from it by no tyranical power, and never to
be squandered by its own prodigalty.-
That legacy is noble spirit, guarded by re-
fnement. PoLLlE.