The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1868-01-24

,ifely snrpasses all his preViots Of
fifts. Itis Correggio's "Magdaiena,' ,
and can hardly fail, we think, to com
mand d quick sale and hearty recog
niti0n. 'A 'e' ~ r.24' 1'''i W 500 %
Like every modern discovery, chro.
rno.lithography has its partisans and
detraetOrs, ,--th se who claim for Il
perhaps impossible capabilities, and
those who rsgardit as mere hahdi-
craft, which no skill can ever elevate
into the dignity Of an art. We do moi
care to enter into these Disputes
Whether an art Of a handicraft, chro
mo.lithography certainly re produces
charming little pictures vastly supe'
ri6r TO any cblored plates that ws
have had bef0rej and il is, at least
clearly entitled to be- regarded as q
means Of educating the popular taste,
and thereby raising the national ideal
of art. ''.rt
A correspondent looking at ehro-
mos from this point Of view, thus in
dicates (it may be somewhat enthu'
siasticaIly) their possible inAuence on
the culture of the people:--
iWhat the discovery Of the art OF
printing did for the mental growth Of
the people, the art Of chrome hthog.
raphy seems destined to accomplish
for their aesthetic CULTURE. Before
types were first made, scholars and
the wealthiest classes had sample ap.
pOrtunilies for study; for even when
Bibles were chained in churches, and
copies of the Scriptures (thsn aptly
sn-styled) were w0ftha Herd Of cat
tie, there were large Hbraties accCsSi-
Bile TO the aristoCfacy Of rank and
mind But they WE'RE guarded against
the masses by the double doors OF
privilege and igfioranSe. A book pos
sessed no attractions for therian Who
could not read The alphabet; and, be-
cause they were rare and hard 70 get
at, he had no Indictment To- master
th,ir mysteries. Made cheap and
common, the nieanest peasant, in tho
course of q few generations, found 30.
lace for his griefs in the pages Of the
greatest authors Of bis times and Of
all time. MehtaI culture became poh-
siHle for whole nations; and democra.
cy, with It's illimilable blessings, grad.
hally grew up under the little shadow
of the first printers proof"
&" Until within a quite recent period
art has been feudal in its associations.
Galleries Of priceless paintings, ins
deed, there have always beer, Ia eer-
tain favored cities and countriesj but
TO the people, ass whole, they have
been equally inaccessible and pnaP-
preciated because no previous training
had tanght the community how 70
prize them, 1t was like Harvard
College without The district schooli- -.
a planet without satellites, and too
Tar removed from the world of the
people for its light to shine in the cot
tage and in the homes Of the masses.
Now, chromO4lithl although
still in its Infancy, promises To diffuse
not love Of art merely among the
people at large, bat to disseminate
the choicest masterpieces Of art IT,
self. Itis art republicsniEed and nat
hraliEed in America. Its attempts
hiIhertO have been comparatively un-s
ambitious hut it was not Homer and
Plato that were first honotsd by, the
printing press. 1t was dreary cate
rhisms Of dreaFy deeds. so will Il bo
with this new art. AS the popular
taste improves, the subjects viii be
of an art which seeks to
give back to mankind what has hlth.
ortO been confined to the few" ssg