Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-03-29
From the Bennington Banner, March 81.
The Bennington Art Course.
PRESIDENT BUCKHAM's LECTURE.

PRESIDENT BUCKHAM's LECTURE.
The last lecture of the Bennington Art
Course was delivered by the Rev. NJ. IL.
Buckhsm. d. D.. President of the
University of Vermont. bsfors the Y.
NJ. A. on Friday evening last. The same
audience that had been charmed by the pre- =
ceding lectures was present. not over nu-
merous company to be sure-but a most at
tentive and thoughtful gathering.
The subject was The Art Element in
Human Life " President Buckham closed
as follows:
As | AN here tonight at the invitation OF
the Battle Monument Association, and in
their interest. it may not be out OF place to
say word. IN closing, on the work which
they have before them. Not that | consider
myself competent to give advice to the gen
tlemen composing this Association, but
am anxious that they should appreciate the
solicitude with which their progress in this
enterprise will be watched, from step to
step, by the many thousands who have both
an aesthetic and patriotic interest in
its success; it will be so hard, gentlemen,
to commemorate wOrthily the event which
gives celebrity to this spot, 80 easy to
belittle it. No feeble imitation of classic
art, no gr0tesque product OF untutorrd
native ambition - the two great psrlls
which beset all enterprises of this kind
should be permitted to desecrate a spot
which great deeds and worthy elo-
quence have already consecrated. Far
better no monument than one whose i'm
pressiveness falls below the occasion which
it commentaries. The special difficulty of
this undertaking is to achieve something
which shall so combine greatness of con-
l,ass III
ly to symbolic the character of the men,
the times. the event which 1t is intended to
honor. Oh. for an inspiration like that
which immOrtaliZes in the solid rock at Luz
zerne the memory OF the Swiss heroes of
1892 Or, for ALI American ThOrwaldsden
who could catch the spirit Of this far nObler
heroism and worthily express it in stone or
bronze But it it is too much to expect
that among people to whom art is new
so great q conception should DO vOuchsafed,
you can, gentlemen, at least spare our State
the modification OF adding another to the mel
anchcly absuriiries of American public art.
You can do the cause OF art and the cause of
patriotism the great, the inestimable service
of waiting until design fully equal to the
greatness of the occasion shall be presented.
You may not have to wait long we will
all hope that you will not /; but better than
tina. you should hastily adopt some design
which will be the wonder and derision Of
posterity, would it be for you and your sue
cessors to wait another hundred years and
transmit an unspoiled opportunity to gen.
erations which, we trust, will see arise and
flourish q native art, an art inspired by
American nationality and American patri-
otism, an art nourshed by such thoughts
and elevated by such sentiments as are
awakened by the remembrance of Lexing
ton. Bennington and Gettysburgh.
At the conclusion of the lecture Rev. Dr.
+. G. Clark offered the following resclu-
ton
Resoired, That the thanks Of this community are
due and hereby rendered to President NJ, III.
Buckham, the Hon. Edward J. Phelps, the Rev. L.
q. Ware and Pro- II. A. p. Torrey for the very
able and instructive lectures on Art. which they
have gratuitOu-ly delivered in Bennington this
season, and which have been highly instrumental
in awakening among US an interest in the delight
full theme. We appreciate their motives in thus
giving their services to aid US in our efforts TO make
the bennington Battle Monument work OF Art,
and confidently affirm that their labors to this
end will not be lost.
DR.. Clark said that famous painter.
when asked with what he mixed his paints
to produce such effects of color, replied,
with brains, SIR These lectures were 50
mixed with brains that it took no ordinary
amount CT brains TO follow and understand
them; they were not popular lectures in the
usually accepted sense; they were too prae
teal Tor that; these gentlemen had too
much to say to stop to tickle us with any
nonsense they went right on in their work
and kept their audiences busy with the
work of keeping up with them. He hoped
and believed the lectures had been of great
benefit to this community, and that the
next time tho lecturers met US they would
sec that their labors had followed them.