Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-13

/ toilettes; two of them poke with their parasols
in the pavement of an old ruin; another in pale
| pink, saunters along path through very pale
green foliage; two of this style are very pretty
in their way; one is a merry girl, in the simple,
bright dress of peasant, making her way
through the tall flowers and shrubs of a field or
garden, and knitting as she goes; the
other represents two graceful girls in black
and Lavender, standing in a deserted place;
one of them is looking down al the two rough
| crosses halffalen and neglected; the other has
leaned on the sill of broken window. appar-
emily of a church, and gazes thoughtfully into
the dimness. Then there is a picture, admir-
ably painted, of the dressing glass, jewel box
and fan of Catherine de Medici. They all stand
on a table, the box is partly open, aud ruby
bracelet is hanging out oft. There are more of
these foreign pictures, and they remind me of
something Louis Figuier says in a book publish
ed late last year in Paris. He has been speak
ing of the liberal arts, and adds; "notre pays
est aujourd'hui, dams lie monde enter, la tete
des beaux.arts, ct son ecole de peinture est sans
rivale. Dependant c. est a 2 stranger que les
artistes, peintres :ou sculpteurs, doivent aler
chercher 7 ecOulement de leurs produits En-
France, on Sc contente de rendre un homage
platonique au merite de leurs oeuvres, ct l'on
sen rappOrte au gouvenement du soin d en-
courager ct de propager les arts"
There is something of American art also to be
seen. Mr. b. F. Porter exhibits three portraits,
one of a lady, two of children, all life size The
little girl is dressed in an old-fashioned costume
of heavy blue brocade, with pink bows on the
shoulders, and on the tiny slippers. She is very
| plump and fair with blonde hair long and loose
| behind, but combed down on the forehead and
cut straight across, and she makes quaint and
| charming picture. | saw little boy, about her
age, standing in silent delight and gazing at her;
his thick little boots were set wide apart, his
hands were thrust deep into his pockets, his
head was thrown back and his whitest of naxen
curs lay still on his thick warm overcoat
of navy-blue. Somebody ought to have sketched
the painted child and the living one; they would
have made so lovely a picture. Mr.. Porter's
portraits are studies of color and dress as well
as good likenesses; they are somewhat in the
style of the portraits of two or three generations
back, rich in laces and velvets and satns then
he has fine taste in backgrounds; he does not
deal in conventional landscapes, but paints his
background from piece of dark rich tapestry.
His pictures find favor here-he is going abroad
for a.summer's journey, and when ne comes back
will probably have more orders than he can at
tend to. There can be no doubt that he will
sometime be famous as a portrait-painter.
Mr., W. A. Gays pictures Of Cohasset and
Beverly shore are so beautiful, that have no
words to describe them. MIR, Gay knows every
tint of the sea- from its colorless gray to its in
tensest blue; he knows how it looks on a low
and open shore, and how it looks when seen in
the distance through an opening in the woods he
knows where to paint great white.caps; how
to give strength and depth and motion to waves,
and he does it all. And not only does he know
the sea, but the land too; shore, AMI trees and
rocks are painted with the same fidelity the
same richness and beauty; his pictures touch
one as the real scenes do; they are full of deli
cate sentiment, and of reverence for the beauty
which he paints; he takes no liberties with ma
ture; he never makes himself prominent in his
work; ones first thought is not what fine paint
ing, but what lovely scene. There is modesty
and sentiment in Inness landscapes too; at
least, in those which | have seen; but those had
/
master in landscape painting. ''Lhamp" is
doing very nice things aud has on exhibition a
small attractive picture called "Waiting for the
confessor;" an old woman sits patiently waiting
for her turn, while the gray floor and the dark
carving of the church give opportunity for har-
monious coloring and artistic lights and shad-
ows.
In the last number of the WOmans Journal is
a letter from Jennie Collins, which makes the
most encouraging statement in regard to girls
who work in shops. Miss Collins wishes to
show why women avoid housework and says
that woman who could earn only SO a week as
a house maid "is worth SIS week in a shop;
while her walk in the morning gives her fresh
aira nd exercise. If she should be sick or tired
the foreman lets her stay at home and rest,
privilege which the house girl seldom enjoys"
The last statement must be taken with many
exceptions, am sure. Farther on Miss Collins
says:a "a shop is like fathers house, there is
| room for all. The women work by the piece
and receive from 50 to $40 per week, according
to their ability. Can you wonder that women
decline to do Homework? ?" Jennie Collins de-
votes her life to the welfare of working women;
she knows what shops, employers and foremen
are, and her testimony to their justice and kind
ness is worth something.
The newspapers talk about new reform, "a
mission to animals" don't quite know what
it is, but hope it is something that will keep
small dogs out of the crowded streets. The
long-hared, sore-eyed lapdogs, that wore
bright ribbons and were carried in arms,
seem TO be superseded by small, short
haired animals, covered with fine cloth
blankets, embroidered in elaborate patterns, and
| adorned with monograms or single initials; they
are alarming little creatures, running about
among so many strange feet and getting squeez-
| ed and trodden upon, and uttering sharp yelps
of pain, or angry barks of disgust, that startIe
nervous pedestrians, and must cause the rapid
development of any latent heart disease beside
bringing upon the innocent aggressor black
looks from the affectionate and fair owner of
| dog and blanket. Then they are obstacles where
there is crowd; it is almost impossible to get
| by them, and you don't want to tread on them
if you can avoid it, 1t lis worth while to be de-
layed by babies; the roy-poly little beauties in
white fur and knit white wool are so fresh and
plump and jolly; they have such fast hold of
somebody's hand, while their Lifts of muffs swing
from their necks; and such ripple of affection
ate warning and baby talk surrounds them. To
be sure, they are very slow, and their funny
waddle, mpeded by their wraps requires the
whole width of our narrow sidewalks; YET they
are enchanting, and sufficient excuse for being
late anywhere, while delay caused by small
dogs is an annoyance without alienation.
There is good deal of interest in the manage
ment OF the city hospital and some excitement
in regard to it; so ii there is any foundation for
the charges of carelessness and want of atten-
ton there, they will be brought to light, and
the trouble will be remedied The subject will
come before the city government this afternoon,
and they will probably find out whether there
has been serious and systematic wrong-doinq
there, or whether the complaints are only the
unjust grumbling and floating evil reports that
seem to be necessary appendage to any hos
pital, and to every public institution.
From the State House.