Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-02-05
Our Progress in the Fine Arts.

A stranger visiting New York at the pre-
sent time, would not suppose that we were
in the midst of one of the costliest and blood
lest civil wars recorded i'll history. Not
only would he behold on every side the evi-
dences of unparalleled commercial prosperi-
ty, but also OF state of things which is usu-
ally deemed incompatible with such life
and death struggle as that in which we are
engaged. At no period have the supertiui-
ties and luxuries Of life been more freely in
dulged in or commanded higher prices than
at present. 1t would seem as il the more we
were taxed to meet the exigencies Of the war
the more cur resources deyelope themselves.
Let us take an example, two great picture
sales which came of this week. The first OF
the collections thus disposed Of cost its own
er, Mr.. Wolfe, between forty and itty thou
sand dollars. 1t brought under the hammer
one hundred and ten thousand. The other
sale realized between thirty and forty thou
sand dollars. The fact of one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars being thus expended in
single week, at time when the cost OF
living has run up from fifty to seyenty-hve
per cent. more than it was four years ago,
furnishes striking commentary on the pre-
dictions with which we were favored BY the
European press at the commencement Of the
war. But it suggests something more. If a
collector can thus easily double his capital,
as Mr.. Wolfe has done, taste for pictures
is not such ruinous one as it is assumed TO
be. Pictures, however, of a gaudy coloring,
bring, in many instances, larger prices than
the finest paintings. Our suddenly rich
fashionables who have made money out of
the war, cut some very ridiculous figures
at the most of these sales. The poorest pic
lures, that have lots of yellow. and red and
bright paint, are readily pulned of OH this
class rs being A No. l. So they are, il q
profusion of paint can make them SO with
out regard to detail or execution.
Mr.. PowelPs fine picture of Washington
Receiving his Mothers Last Blessing, which
has been To London to be engraved, Is now
on exhibition. In order to give those who
have not seen the original picture, an idea Of
the interest attaching toit, we cannot do better
than to transcribe from The Republican
Court" a description of the scene which
Mr.. Powell has so forcibly portrayed, 1t
took place, we neod scarcely add, at Frede-
ricksburg, where Washington repaired TO
take leave of his venerable parent previous
to his assuming the solemn Responsiveness
of the Presidency: :,
Con coming into her presence he SAID,
The people, madam, have been pleased,
WIN tne mOSt nltteiillS hLohAhhtit " StSSs
me to the Chief Magistracy of the United
States; but before can assume the func-
tious of that office, have come to bid you
an atiectionate farewell. So soon as the
public business, which must necessarily be
encountered in arranging new government,
can be disposed of, 1 shall hasten to Firgi-
mia, and'-. Here she interrupted him.
You will see me no more she said: 'my
great age and the disease that is rapidly APP
preaching my vitals, warn me that shall
not be long in this world. trust in God
am somewhat prepared for better. But
go, George, fulfill the high destinies which
Heaven appears to assign you; so, my son,
and may that Heavens and your mothers
blessing be with you always He was deep
" affected. The scene was full of the most
touching sublimity. Both the mother and
the son were dissolved IN tears at the thought
that they were embracing each other for the
last time. There is no fame in the world
more pure than that of the mother of Wash
ington, and no woman since the mother of
Christ has left better claim to the aifec-
tionate reverence of mankind"
1t would be difficult to find finer subject
for the pencil of an artist than tic above af-
feeting episode.