The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-02-21

"IhO Lost tNllNe, llrSl, INC lJopNf-
turo," then "Thc Return. To tho
American observer they tell u touch.
ing story, but to foreigners ignorant
Of their history, they say but little,
Tho Departure portrays tho Con
Tolerate soldier leaving his humble
log cabin among the hills, going
away into the army with n light
step and hoping heart The lame
old father sits in the doorway look
ing sadly after the son whom he
may never see again, and the weep
ing wife, who with the children has
gone down the path with her hus.
band, now stands holding one child
in hor arms and wiping her eyes
with her apron, The soldier waves
u farewell with his hat, and we fancy
we hear him shout, "Good bye, old
girl dom take it so hard I'll come
back all right" "The Return
shows how no came back and found
not the welcome he had pictured
to himself. He had months of pri-
walton, had suffered hunger, perhaps
imprisonment, but that was not the
worst, the cause for which he had
fought was II Lost Cause" His
wounds, his rags, his sullerings,
would have been nothing had they
been tho price of victory, but de
spondent and discouraged he turns
his face homeward. As he finds
himself nearing the old familiar
scenes his heart lightens little
and he says, How glad Hannah
will be to see her old man again.
Father perhaps is little lamer, and
the baby runs alone by this time
but Hannah, she will be the same,
and he lifts his head quite cheerful
ly and presses eagerly on. "Ther,
ut that bend in the road | shall sc,
the house, and they won't be look
ing for me; what II happy surprised
He turns the bend in the road, bu,
what Il sad surprise awaits him
No cheerful cabin, with familla,
trees and fences greets his eyes
only a rooaess, ruined hut, sur
rounded by deepest desolation. W.
see him in the picture standing be
fore the ruin, ragged and carc-worn
with dropping head and dejectec
figure. He looks at the broker
door, the falling roof, and while he
thinks of past happy hours within
those walls he wonders where are
the dear ones now? what have they
suffered ? what may they not now
be suffering? Are they one family
among hundreds of other fugitive
families, or are they dead? 1t is
only u picture, but to an American
it is not merely picture it is nc
imaginary experience, but the rep
resentation Of the suffering of one
family out Of hundreds of similar
Leaving all political interest out OF
the question, rs husbands and
fathers, us wives and mothers, the
picture speaks to our hearts, and
calls forth sympathetic sigh.
Still another picture that must
(from like reason with these just
named) fail largely to be appreciated,
is one by Thomas Noble, Of Cincin-
natl "John Brown being lead to
execution" Some four years ago
we saw this picture on exhibition
at st. Louis, and we greeted it with
the joy of meeting an old friend
The central figure is that Of John
Brown, tall and commanding, his
full grey beard giving him on al,
most patriarchal appearance. He
is guarded by soldiers. A negro
woman accompanied by two white
children are passing by, and they
stop to gaze while the woman seems
to be explaining to the children the
meaning of the scene. Another me-
gro woman is half kneeling before
him, holding up her two year old boyr
to see the man who is going to die 70
his devotion to their race. w he
can tell what thoughts crowded
through his mind in that solemn
hour, but whatever they may have
been, they were only kindly
toward the race for whom
he sacrificed his life, and he lays
his hand in blessing on the head of
the little colored child, and perhaps
torsees for him u future full of hon
or as q citizen Of the United States.
The subject is we'll conceived and
well portrayed, bat would seem to
be unfortunately ch ,scn as repre-
picture for worlds fair.
1t is n fact that no citation or copy
can be appreciat' dlless We have
seen the Original :,nd,this is rs true
Of nature as 10 is Of art, and it seems
30 me particularly rue of certain
features Of American life.
Tboro 10 in tbe Swiss department
he work Of a Swiss artist a picture
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