The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-29
Independent Thinking.
BY REV. {. r. DEEMS. Z. d.
From the Advocate

From the Advocate
How little independent thinking there
is and how little real taste IN that So
cietv which is ordinarily considered cul-
tivated.
There is a kind of fashiers in books.
as in bonnets. \ person OF Intorma-
ton and taste has admiratCs for some
thing say a picture; he has solid
ground for his opinion of the merits OF
the picture. and his pleasure in 1t l. a
pleasure created by a cultivated taste.
The fact that lie is large authority makes
thousands praise the picture which he
praises. although those thousands may
have no appreciation of the merits OF
the picture; and so. from mouth to
mouth. the verdict goes. and enters
books. aud is transmitted down genera
tons Of authors and so it comes 10 be
the orthodox thing to admire picture
whether one really takes pleasure in 1t
or not.
As an illus tration of this regard. we
might cite the admiration in which
Raphae's Madonna. at Dresden. has
held everybody's express admiration. so
that millions have obtained pictures OF
it. In how many houses we see photo
graphs of the wild, scared-looking Holy
Child in the arms of its staring mother
with the two naked. fat winged, little
imps in front. who look exactly as If
they had been doing something for
which their me theirs would spank them,
if cherubs. had mothers and if anv
spanking was done by them. Now. OF
the thousands who sit before that pic
ture, with dropped under-iaws and rapt
expression of countenance. how many
know why they admire it. beyond the
TACT that every one does : W Ould not a
large majority of these starers. if they
told the truth, say that they had seen a
thousand pictures in Europe which real
ly gave them more pleasure than Raph-
els Madonna:
One night III Rome we were sitting III
our hotel writing our honest opinion OF
Michael Angelo's great picture in the
Sistine Chapel. 1t was a. prepos ferrous
in man who was not an artist to eX-
press an opinion upon such a work, as
it is for layman TO have an opinion in
theology, Just as we We're completing
our notes, a very distinguished sculptor
came in. and we tell him how we were
employed. As we had no reputation to
lose in that line. we frankly read him
our notes. He broke into laughter. and
said ''Well. that is the opinion. pro-
bably, of nine-tenths of all artists in re-
gard to these points, but there is not
one of Us who would have the moral
courage to publish it,
Then. again. there is Mr.. Turner :
''Slave-Ship.' Mr. Huskin wrote a
most elegant description OF it. Ills IA
sher owned 1t. We are told that Mr..
John Taylor Johnson, of New York
paid ten thousand dollars for it. The
yallery-walkers were enraptured over it.
Even people Of cultivated tastes gave
glowing descriptions of it. None now.
proba bly,. would dare express his real
opinion Of the outrageous daub. Skies
such aS God never made, seas such a.
winds never plowed, floating iron such
a. never was dug from mine, make up
this hide"us mass of patches of pigment.
1t is not beautiful There is no sense
in it. No possible hnman sagacity
could be expected to discover what the
printing was intended to represent.
The fact now comes out that il was
painted at Il time when Mr.. Turner was
crazy. 1t is daub. but not every pain
Der could pant sach daub. Itrequired
the hand of Turner; it required that he
should be in lit of insanity to produce
this horrid abortion. Yet MIR. Ruskin
praised it i'll an elegant passage, and
none Of us dare gainsay it. If honest
statements of opinions are expressed.
then a few who assume to themselves a
monopoly Of taste look patronizingly
upon honest people, and explain their
difference by taking the ground that
these honest people have not been edu-
cated up to It.
Nevertheless. it is good and healthy
thing for the intellect and for the soul.
that men form their opinions upon care
iul study, and be ready to express them
frankly. 1t was the blind following OF
Mr.. Ruskin which made the slave
Ship draw more than lilty dollars out
Of anybody's pocket. In no sense is it
worth the price.