Smyrna times., 1874-05-20
The Connoisseur.
BY GARNET ST. CLAIR.

,hatically nowhere; and the form of industry, Z
Lrt, ldleneSs or science that does not witness II
he development of the cOnnolsseur, and re- [
,eive the benefit Of his opinion, does not v
deserve we'll of the world Every product and I
process in TIE world life can boast of some c
one who, instinctively tr by experience, knows 9
all that is to be known on the subject; some {
one whose opinion is law, and to differ from
whom would damn the differentee to ignominy
and contempt. 1t matters little whether it be
art or clans, geology or cigars, circuses or
theology, the cOnnolsseur is on hand to de-
liver himself and set the world straight. You
will find him at the corner grocery, gracefully
posed upon the upper end OF a pork barrel
swinging his heels, chewing his cud, and
whiting his stick, with an air of conscious
superiority, while he announces to the admir-
ing groupa ofopen- mouthel plough boys what
are the real points of good horse and no
oracuar responce was ever more authoritative
than is delivered from this pork barrel tripod
(minos the legs Then he will appear at the
oyster counter, and as be disposes of those
great slippery bivalveS, you shall be able to
learn all about Saddle Rock, and Shrewsbury,
and all the other varieties, until you will won
der not only how man can eat so much, but |
how he can know so many things at the same
time And again, you will see him in the
courts, in picture galleries, at dinner, and in
church-everywhere and in everything-alway
bland always authoritative, and always right.
At least, nearly everybody thinks he is
always right, and is ready to square his own
views and tastes to the opinion of the oracle.
If your connOisseur says Saddle Rocks are
better than anything else, straightway every
body orders SaddleROcks very knowingly,
Of course, as who should say, I'VE know what
what; good oyster, sir, is a good oyster, all
| the world over. Yes, waiter, mine are Saddle
Rocks while all the time the waiter remem
bers that until the we'll known Julius Prig,
connoisseur in oysters expressed his opinion
the day before, our friend had always taken
some other variety.
And nowhere does this "follow- your leader"
disposition crop out more plainly than IN
modern art criticism. Jared SnOops is a great
art critic, connoisseur, in fact. He knows
all the artists-tried to be one himself, but,
for some reason, failed perhaps for lack of
paint, who knows? or it may be because he
forgot to apply Sir Joshua delightful notion
of mixing his paints with brains, sir !! but
whatever the reason, he failed to paint well,
and so he is fully competent to crtlcise others.
He furnishes the art column for the DAILY
Trianqle The spring exhibition arrives All
the delightful ladies and those stupendous
, brainey young men that aspire to art criticism
are at the opening. MIR. Snoops IS there, bu
. keeps his own counsel Opinions are freely
expressed. Some wonderful paintings; fines
: exhibition for years; great progress in Amer
can art, etc. "Have you noticed that delight
, full landscape, No. 30l2? The coloring i
h most exquisite" "Do see those lovely gipsies
) and that bunch of flowers" and so on. Mex
? morning brings the Triangle. Everybody wa
( wrong. The exhibition was very poor unneces
| sarily so. American art should blush at suci
a an exhibition That duab, No: 3,Ol2, perfect
. " atrocious, and those gipsies, with thsl
| d. Et 70 a -hlnpk' q collar
h And then all the amateur critics find them
selves utterly disgusted with the paintings
II urge friends not to tire themselves by loOkin
IS at such trash. For has not the great cOnnei'
Il seur, J. s., delivered himsef2 and is he nc
s, authority?
n And this thing creeps into the courts an
re the coroners inquests Here we do not en-
st ploy the elegant French word, but are satis6e
l. with the more practical, expert Here comes
If case of murder Insanity is the plea of tn
" defence. Who knows anything about insanity
Lawyers have some cOmmon-sense, and jurlt
g. now and then can grasp an idea, 1t 1t is plain
I'd stated but that is insufficient. Call the e!
o. perts; bring on some men who are cOnnOl
to seurs in insanity; let US have some Oracles G
it. the subject; and on they cOme-sO expert, Il
nd deed, that they can tell insanity when they 81
D. it, Just as everybody else can. But let n
lie common observers breathe an opinion, Il
o. building fell in Brooklyn. Most people wou
he have said it caved in because it was not pr
us perly built. But the coroner retains exper
an to supply common-sense for him and his jur
rly and to give them ground for their verdict.
The same fact, be it evil or otherwise, exis
in matters of fashion. How often we he
a ladies say, 81 cant determine what to we
Ia, until see Madame So-and-sO, the celebrate
es- nlOdiSte and find out what would be pretty
IN. "There is no use in asking,,me to do it this wa
in or not to do it that way. The elegant Miss |
40. who always is noted for her excellent taste, h
re. hers made so-and so, and | am sure it must
AN very handsome.
ms And thus in matters Of appetite, of commC
ey sense, of taste, people are constantly
ON around by the nose by some one who Is su
posed in some mysterious way to have becol
nat so refined and judgmatical in such affairs
to that his opinion is law, and whatever does |
nay accord with that opinion, by that very fact
nd ruled out Of order entirely. Your connoissC
led must be regarded with an awe akin to that
ON spired by the ''cloud-compelling JOve." Son
the how am heterOdox on this question. Th'
,rk, is in me a natural reluctance to allowing
ON comOn-sense or taste of some one else to 81
nay plant my own. 1t may be that mine IS onl
ich modcum, but what there is was put in me
h a some purpose besides the yielding graceful
cir. and serviely to the opinion of some ono ell
up Julius Prg may understand perfectly v
vim what suits his taste, but if like Shrewsbl
oysters, a whole bushel OF expert opinions
not change my tastes, and it rather annoys l
uch when we meet at Dorlan's. to have him try
his make his palate do tasting Tor me. One
q II the most absurd scenes in my recollection r
YER resents a recently returned traveller in Engli
rom attempting to make whole tableful Of Am
ass cans believe they were enjoying rare trea
his a not over-fresh but very much over-coo
only English hare And the righteousness OF
was attempt was equai'eu ohly Dy ther pilia
wholly family experiment night after nj
n TO on Stilton cheese because, fOrs1oth, epic'
.sion called it dainty. And so it is in matter
kirts art The pictures which display the tr,
noes art, according to the connoisseurs, are Il
uhinh nsnnllu insniAe In me no nlenSur