Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-11-06
MORPuOGRAPHICS.
Potency OF Pictorials.
BY PROF. j. d. BUTLER

On the 18th day of May, 1908, Lewis
and Clark, heading the first party of
whites who ever crossed the continent in
our latitude, held a council with the Cho
PUNISH Indians, far up the Columbia riv-
er. Half the day passed before they could
convey much information, for, said they,
'in the first place. we spoke in English
TO one Of our men, who translated it into
French to Chaboneau, he interpreted it to
his wife in Minnetaree, and she put it into
Shoshoree, and Shoshonee prisoner ex-
planned it u the ChopunnIsh in their own
dialect"
At length however the pale faces be-
thought themselves OF the unirersM IAN
guage. and drew a map of America show
ing the situation of its parts and places on
a mat with piece of coal The difficulty
of communication was half gone, and the
vividness of impression doubled.
The age OF pictures compl ties what the
age OF printing began. 1t rises upon it
like another morn risen on mid noon"
The Harpers alone, have produced more
pictures than all the presses in the world
voluminous dictionaries the illustrations
outnumber the pages. In Honolulu | Imet
with an editor who during our rebellion
had iour-folded his circulation by glorify-
ing each OF his issues with one or two
block prints which he bought of the Har-
pers for trifle.
On solitary ride throughout the jun
gle and lava up the volcano of kilauea, |
came to Kanaka "srsss house" ten miles
from all other dwellings. The owner
hearing my horses hoofs stood at the en-
trance, dressed only in narrower girdle
than Father Adam eyer W ore. and bcckon-
ed me in. had some little fear of canni-
balism, yet accepted the invitation. AS
soon as entered the savage pointed adj
miringly to "a London paper with full page
illustration tackled on the inside OF his
door.
On en- Oriental tour from Dan to Beer
sheba, daily inarveled at one ofmy Yam
kee fore runners, who, though doubtless
ignorant OF all languages but two, namely
English and profaae, had left on every ru-
in IAN epistle known and read ofall men,"
How could that be? He had carried in his
pocket stencil plate, showing a locomo
tive bearing flag with stripes and stars,
and by that bit of copper and little red
paint had made his meaning Ineligible
To all nationalities.
But photography rivals the pictorial
fertility OF the press. 1t may well be
doubted which of these sisters will prove
the most prolific. Of the one hundred
and one pilgrim fathers of New England,
who landed at Plymouth, no single one
has left us his portrait, while We have
those of every individual of their descen-
dants who composed tae congregational
council which was lately photographed at
the rock of landing-the Yankee Blarney
stone.
As to this matter also, the Catholic is
more than a match for the Puritan. He
tells us that before Raphael painted, he
who wolld behold the Madonna must go
to Heaven-that after Rapl:ael's time, one
could see her by going to Rome and that
now, thanks to photography, very few
dimes enable all who will, to set up as
tteir household god, not unworthy pre-
sentiment of "our tainted natures only
boast" No wonder then poet sings:
"Be mine to praise that rare mechanic skill,
Which stamps repeats and multiplies at viii,
And cheaply propagates to distant climes,
The fairest products of the noblest times"
NEW DEPARTURE.
The Burlington & Missouri River Rail
road Company are in nothing behind the
age; in matter pictorial they are before it.
They have obtained views of all that chief
ly interests traveller who surveys the
Missouri slope. both in Iowa and Ncbras-
ka-the valleys of the Platte and the three
Blues,-villages like Red Oak, Ashland,
Crete, cities like Platlsmou.h and Lincoln,
with Characteristic specimens of the agri
cultural country through the South Platte