Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-01-21

their llmitless strength, t. govern
their uugovernabie freedom.
In choosing his subject the artist
is the spectator of all time. Past aud
present are alike real to him. Eor
him no form is obsolete, no subject
out of date. But all t6ings are not
fit subject for poetry. Into the sacred
house OF Beauty the true Artist will
admit nothing which is harsh or dis
turning, nothing about which mon
argue. If he writes on these subjects,
he docs so. aa Milton expresses it,
with bis lett hand.
Whatever spiritual message an ar
,ist brings to his age is matter for his
own soul. 1t is for us to do naught
but accept his teaching. But our
restless mOdern intellectual spirit Is
not receptive enough. Only a few
have learned the secret of those high
hours when thought is not. The
secret of the influence of Japanese
art here iu the west is that 1t has kept
true to its primary and poetical cou-
ditions, aud has not bad laid on it
the burden OF its own intellectual
doubts, the spiritual tragedy Of its
own sorrows. In it's primary aspect
a painting has no more spiritual mes
cage than an exquisite fragment Of
Venetian glass. 1t ia certain invsu-
tive and creative handling OF line and
color which touches the soul-some-
thing entirely Independent of any,
thing poetical i'll the subject-soms-
thing satisfying in itself. And in
poetry the pleasure comes from what
Keats calls the sensual life of verse,
All inventive handling Of rhythmical
language.
Aud criticism-what place 10 that
to have in our culture1 l think tbs
first uu,y of an art-critic is to hold
his tongue at sll times and upon all
subjects. said Mr.. Wilde, and then
with All Inconsistency not else " here
noticed in the lecture, explained that
il ia the critics place 10 teach the
public to tind in the calm of art the
highest expression OF their own most
stormy PASSIONS. II have no rever-
ence." said Keats. "for the public or
anything in existence but the Eternal
Being, the memory of great men and
the Principle of Beauty" Such, then.
is the spirit which l believe to be
guiding and underlying our English
tCuaASsuuCCs ouG lS
There can be no great sculpture with
out beautiful national life, aud no
drama without a noble natioual life.
The commercial spirit of England
has killed both beauty and nobility.
Ths drama is the msetiMg-place Of
art and lite: IL IS the product Of =
period Of great united energy. 1t is
impossible without q noble public.
Shelley felt how incompetent the
movement was i'll this direction, aud
has shown i'll one great tragedy by
hat terror and pity he would have
purified our age. He has had no
worthy imltators. You have listened
to the charming music of Mr.. Sulli-
van aid the clever satire of Mr..
Gilbert for 300 nights, and am sure,
having given SO much time to satire,
it is not asking too much to ask you
20 listen to the truth for one evening.
There is no inordinate fondness for
vegetable loves among us, though We
grant the clevermess Of MIR. Gilbert's
satire; but such satire is no truer
representation of us than The dust in
a team of light ls representation OF
the sun or the bubble that bursts up
OH the wave is a representation of the
boundless sea.
Ii Is rather to you that we turn to
perfect what we have begun. There
is something Hellenic in your air aud
world. You are young; "no hungry
generations tread you down." aud
the past does not mock you with the
ruins of a beauty the secret Of whose
creation you have lost.
Love art for its own sake aud then
all thinys that you need will be added
to you. This devotion to beauty II
the best of all great civilizations; it
is " hat makes the life of each citizen
a sacrament and not a speculation
for
''B.auty la truth. truth beauty.
That is all ye know on earth and all 80 nssd t,
know.'
The lecture lasted for two iul
hours snd " as listened to throuyhou,
with the closest attention, aud eaci
point made was applauded with
@sthetic hand-clappings.
CAPT. TRUCK RE-vIsITs GOTHAM
From ths St. Lenis Republican,
The able reporters Of the New
| York papers, in their exceedingl,
eloquent accounts of that superior aut
renowned person, Oscar Wilde, re-
call th0 charming chapter by Cooper
III his novel OF "uome as Found,
wherein is described literary soire'
iu that metropolis, at the palatia
home Of Mrs. Legend, female
esthete, who adorned the early par
Of this country. On that occasion tn,
lion was . supposed English author
of great renown, but was, in fact, u
old sailor. DaIned Captsin Truck
Like Wilde, however, he was u grea
success, and for about the same rea
son. SO far as the elite of that city ART
concerned. The old salt, not know.
ing what it all meant, talked irre!e
vanity. he knew not what, about h'
knew not whom, his conversation
being scarcely more intelllgible thai
that of Oscar Wilde now. He Wa
presoanced jus; 10 utterly utter fel
anything. The society people aue
litera,i pressed him SO hard, tn,
females following him from corner t,
corner and room TO room, that b,
finally lighted q cigar aud undertook
to smoke them OF. 1t was of no use
The wsrd went round that all tn,
esthetes smoked in England and tha
the queen pulled at Il pipe like yer.
Turk. They gazed III Gazed rapture
at the smoking lion, and when tn
spectacle began to grow tame b,
familiarity he lighted anothor cigsr
and, with one III each corner of hi
mouth, poured out two volumes Q
smoke, like q Missouri steamboat
Genius could not go farther. AL
hearts were won and sll Imagination
captivst.d.
the following from the New Yerl
World is enough to cause Fsnimor
Cooper TO turn ever III his grave witt
envy that the caricature he drew ant
The events he described with wha
Ia vainiy imagined b master huns
are now but tame aud prosy piece
of realism:
"Wherever tie moved the crow,
naturally swayed, leaving breathing
room behind, following him into tn,
diuing-room with well-brsd curiO.i
ty, uaking a taInt excuse over "A
pusch.b bowl to see him quaff his tee
This attention the hero ut The occa
sion received with that calm ancon
scicusness which distinguished hi
aetisns. and if he perceived the agree
able impression he created he did no
let il appear.
| During toe reception Mr.. Wild
stood in the aaidtie parlor and bacl
of him was a gigantic japanese um
brel:a covered with erotesanc figure
of gravely colered paper. TIE long
thick bamboo handle rested on III
| Hnnr IL nHar. inh h.o NJ. Ia q,