Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04
Too Much of POcahOntas.

While expressing our great gratitude to Sig
nor Brumidi for what he has done for us; while
Extending our sincere sympathy In his recent
Incident; while watching with increasing In
ferest the unfolding Of his frescos In the Capt.
fol: and while hoping earnestly that his hand
may not lose strength TILL 1t has enclrcled the
fotunda, we would yet take occasion TO say
word concerning his present work-concerning
ppe thing he has done and one thing we fear
he Is emitting to do. And we say 1t in spirit
30 friendly that he certainly cannot do US the
Injustice Of thinking 1t unfriendly, or that we
overlook his great services and merits. AS
prominently as the Discovery of America, as
prominently as the Conquest of Mexico, as
prominently as the Landing Of the Pilgrims,
and breaking this chain Of impressive scenes,
he has placed the problematical rescue OF John
Smith by Pocahontas.
Pocahontas has been done to death. The
Jotunda has already quite enough OF her. In
Dur day she has been made the subject OF bur-
1esque opera, TO the delight OF large audiences.
We are not sure that she ever rescued John
Smith. But IL the story were true one, and
lf it had not been represented In art already
beyond its Importance, and If the people of to-
day did thoroughly respect 1t, 1t would still
alave little or no value for Brumidi's present
purpose. II Is typical of nothing-or OF very
little. 1t achieved greatness during period OF
literary chdishness among the masses of the
people. IL illustrates only the kind OF history
that once suited the public-the kind that
made Fulton famous on account OF the first"
steamboat which was not the first; that made
Penn immortal on account OF a treaty which
he never held, and that never omitted little
George and the cherry tree. II this story Of
Pocahontas is true, it was an important event
In the lives OF those Immediately concerned. II
false, 1t is pretty romance, good for romantic
purposes. We cannot think, however signIh-
cant it was to John Smith, and however i'm
portant his life was at one time to the Virginia
colony, that 1t holds so important place In
The great drama Of national development that
In view of the other OBJECTIONS to 1t, its char
meters should form part Of the august process
sion under consideration.
1t is true we have not seen the designs which
The venerable artist is yet to paint, and perhaps
he intends to do full justice to the richest field
which our early annals offer to the painter
The rise and fall of the gigantic empire OF New
france. But the comparative inattention here
fofore bestowed In this direction; the endless
Iteration OF Spaniard Smith, and Pilgrim, to the
exclusion OF other figures worthy to stand with
them; and the deSirabllity of as much variety
as practicable constrain us to say what we do.
The dramatic events attending the growth OF
The great French dream on this continent, and
the dissipation of it before the steady English
blood of the coast line, were quite as pictur-
esque, and more important In their bearing on
Dur national destiny, than were the operations
of 1.-THE Spaniards in the South after the dis
covery by Columbus. We hope that the only
reason why the brave old artist has not tran
scribed several Of the mastery pictures with
which the pages Of Francis Parkman are filled
Is because he has not quite reached the precise
historical time for them. And had the space
given to Pocahontas been reserved for the
founding Of quebec, the departure of La Sale
for the Mississippi, the suffering OF the Jesuits
by the northwestern lakes, we think it would
have been much more worthily occupied.