Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-12-09
A THANKSGIVING TALK
ABOUT ESTHETICS.
BY g. S. c.

with emile;
Heg IDEAS are divine, upon Art, upon Ma
ture, 4
The Sublime the Heroic and Mr.. Car.
lyle"
aesthetics, in owen Mededith's
sense, we don I mean to touch upon,
and for Mems functions, we trust
Civil Service Reform win deal bene
fcialIy with those in thenear future,
but upon aesthetics for which we
have cause to be thankful, we beg
your patient hearing for moment.
Oscar Wilde's theory is a very heart
less one, don't you think ? Abolish
ell the real iii art, Submit to no i'm
itation in your homes.
Do away with the artificial boquet
de corsage rs altogether barbarous
and wear only natural flowers. APP
plying that rule and drawing it out
definitely it would mean this and
much more; Abolish the dentist,
the hair-assorter. the DemOrest and
its sister emporiums months charm
ing designs that supply all absences
in the human form divine, and the
crcmes and cosmoljques that the gay
beauty loving French send us across
the waters. Aud-oh, yes Oscar,
what rerc You thinking about? II
would strip you of your very cloth
ing, and send you tofaceyour pub
lie" as original rs a Dyak-for you
pretend to deny that the fourteenth
costume which you disport Sc airiy
is an imtatiou~aud not the most
successful oue under the sun, either.
Kate Greenaway'5 girls and boys
are very charming on tea trays and
Tides, but in The throughfare gro
tesou,ness doesn't succeed. There
we've soue-yery responsible parties
too-wh6 didn't hesitate to differ
with the lanquid a0d graceful disci-
ole of high art, and a great many
more who still wear velvet and rib
bon roses i'm spite of his gentle though
decided denuuciatious of the same.
And there always will be those who
will cultivate beauty in theIr homes
even when it cannot be beauty Of the
highest type who rather than suffer
the dreariuess Of bare walls will hang
up wood-cuts, aye, and chromos,
when the subjects are expressive,
who will not in default Of an astral
quarrel with their good clear-named
Kerosene lamp as long as it gives
chem plenty Of light to read by.
Plenty of people though their mod
est little parlor may be guiltless of
anything like tone-furnishing, will
still impart to it the most refined
and inviting Of aspects 10y means OF
certain tasteful adiuncts and ar
rangemeuts. We can think of no
greater pleasure for a cultivated
mind than that Of stamping ones
own personality as it were upon
ones very chairs and tables, still the
most beautiful and artistic materials
are by no means required WhereWith
20 accomplish this effect.
Think of Wagner in his velvet
dressug-gown and silk draped
chanuer, drinking genuine Mocha
from real Palsy cup, all his sur
roundiugs of the most artistic and
IuxuIieus type, and yet who of us
lut would rather have looked in upon
Beethoven as he sat in his carpetiess
chamber writing out the score of
that famous sonata to which he
never gave name, because il was
intended to mean "all things to all
men" Very perfect, very beautiful
may be the casket. but is the jewel
enshrined therein which must ever
awaken our deepest interest. Giott0
or the hillside tending his sheep,
and Angelo IN the MagniGco's g r-
den the one bonn of peasants, the
other descended Of mobiles; tile one as
fhe beginning, the other at the end
as IL were, of long line Of illu,tri-
Gus artists, each is a type of what
.-e.. = oa,. dO .s oppocad IN ..1ufFl5,