New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-18
ART RELIGIONS HANDMADE.
GOOD WORK OF THE TRACT SOCIETY.
Dr. AwMITAGE SHOWS Row THE TRACT AND THE
ENGRAVING PROPERLY WORK TOGETHER.

ENGRAVING PROPERLY WORK TOGETHER.
The sixtieth anniversary of the American
Tract Society held at the Broadway Tabernacle as
evening Tho attendance was large. The Rev. d. WIZ
lam NJ Taylor, chairman of the Executive Ceih"ii'So,
presided and the Rev. DR. Thomas Armitage preachou
the sermon The Rev. G. p. Wing, of Carlisle Pen|'con
ducted the devotional exercises. The Rev. O. L. ohe"o'
secretary gave au account OF the work OF the W -,
ton for the year. He said that over aint
and periodicals distributed ino - 20 ,rho
were 1857 2O5 46; expenditures 9oo-,n na 90 90
crotutous distribution amounted 10 % '-oo %: -,
- ',,,,,a0e,s text was chosen from the eleventh
rsa of the twenty fifth chapter OF froVeros' worn
atv spoken is like apples of gold In pictures OF silver
He said: .,, en-,
American Tract Society exerting by it's pictorial publ
cations The periodicals Apples Of cold Morning L9h
Cbtds Pqper and illustrated Weekly together With It's
tracts and books sent forth TO the ends OF the earh
hearing engravings which illustrate the truth, neVeiol
the mind the nature and lead the soul TO COD AS
works Of art these range from high order down TO the
crnde outline They are executed wood. stone, and
various metals They many subjects, as history
biography Ian Escape, skyscape religious themes oip
cal facts, objects realistic and ideal; ana they arc
adapted to the capacities ana tastes OF the nfant ana inc
sage the most cultivated and the most barbailc. IL
might be regarded rather free Interpretation OF te
text to saw that Solomon this Society and its publca
tiohs mind when he wrote these words But clearly
81 ia literally true that the Society had solomons words
IN view when 1t issued these publications Inc name
that is taken Of them, Appies Of God Is CHOSEN
wisely for words hy spoken arc like apples Oh goid
how smuch their value and beauty enhanced when
act I'm pictures Of sverl However cynical the frigld
critic NAV be as the soundness of tue Society In all ts
Theological points, 1t certainly sound in the faith III
its pictorial department
Various translatOrs have found great difficulty in ex
Pressing emphatcay and delicatey their conceptions
Of the rich figure in the text All seem agreed that the
phrase apples OF gold" is correct but some think 1t
refers to the presentation OF the luscious pomeganate To
a monarch and render the thought by the WORD bas
ketsn Others that the word refers to the East
ern custom of princes who, wien visiting each other
present tray of Jewels in the shape of fruit the pone
rranae Being actually OF gold. One translation express
The Apples OF gold IN SAVERS or trays Oh
tde Revised Version is figured work OF silver which
carries image of an engavers work III when the PIC
tue of apples engraved III groundwork oi silver III
ehrressS Ih"nss Hartne Horne renders the clause
apples of gold in network Of silver y; Lange, apples
OF gold framework OF silver noted jewish
SerUans more tersey simply, and gracefully of all,
COnant apples OF gold In cravings Oi silver IDe ms
ness of the word seasonaby OXEN IL here compared
10 golden apples nlad in graved silver the tree graved
ing the pertuency and beauty OF words suggested by the
occasion and appropriate to it," Brethren OF the tract
Society beauties Of your pencil ana engIver arr
are exquisite; but any OF us may cOvet tue power 10
serve up such chaste verbal hlgrte a. inns aro
the point of Commits gravngpeh lrnth ao
master spirits III teaching. - , ~ -.
[ is reasonable
proper appreciation OF pictorial productions Yet ms
dscernment can fail to discover The Obscues member
OF society without voon feels his eye ana hls heart
auaIyze their elements When brought into the pres
the highest order OF the divine art there are
few souls that fail 10 beat with quicker Impulses as te
Imagery of the canvas appeals TO them III slthl elo
Quence: Nay even the modest representation OF some
noble historic character will knde III the bosom OF ING
hardy plebean deep emotions OF veneraOn anu patriot
ism There a nervous and touching something about
over human haure-a sceptre which cannot pe prokeh
while remains human Yet every true artist feels con
seiously the defects of his own production Angelo the
greatest masterhe father OF epic painting whose nveh
ton. pathos, genius and power have never been al
preached felt many pang Of disappointment lie ielt
that his line might be more true and his color more mar
mOnious although sir Joshua Reynolds sara OIL nni
"Submty OF conception, grandeur OF form and breadth
OF manner were bis elements; the child the female
meapness, deformity, were ny nm stalnied WIN "a
grandeur besgar rose from his hand the patriarch OF
poverty; the hump Of his dwarf Is expressed with arg
nty his infants TEEN with the man; his men are race
owTd the close OF the sixteenth century several dis
riDgaised at Bologna formed new school Tor
the papose OF bringing int se SrS S ali the a
Enpaly all the defects and avoid all the extremes OF
esery stge. Roman design was to blend there with
Venetian emotion; Lombardys Of color was to EN-
blace Raphae,s symmetry and Angeles conception
When Titlan's nature and Tbadls solldty anu COR Or
reggios tenderness had been united to all these me
graphic art could desire no more o COURSE we result
was image OF brass ana IRON anu Gay sun ts ~
tempt at perfection not an accident OF me Ateeht
century Its major impetus went DseK Oh ne magic U
Grtcan genius aud refinement FOR ages tne anatomy ny
OF man had been tracing the human hgure perspective
lad IessiOn TO- bones ana muscles the
emotions and passions OF the soul had neen speahns ny
tint and color a8d grace had been wrapping me Irame
eses and the discipline OF had been perIecIng the
human form tsef-a result which 1lad been aded Ny
excitement until every witchng Establishment had tr
umphed the art And all this from every age ana land
and school was but a preparation for the great work
which your engraving is doing to-day for the honor OF
Christ As your BOOKS S e 1T na cue The Veres
wood engraving il copied from the superior creation on
soma great heart and Intellect that It's Invention may De
multiplied and speak TO lesser minds and hearts by tue
Indeed the first effort OF painting appears T. have been
for the purposes oil language. General consent &C
cords It's e TsT the dscoyery OF panng to
divine inspiration TO record the wonderful deeds gods
nhont flgures~it swas purely pictorial Painting and
sculpture also originally one, color being essential
process Of tme above painted language for the
material appealed his feelings and imagination ana
the IMPULSE a.mitatiOn became Irresistible and 80 be-
GIN TO cast its own copies of The halo Of sancty
which he throw around the universe made mind ana
mix in common altar, piece which MS soul cogld
IN vibration first suggested the harp which Apollo found
banks OF the Nile; and that the piping OF the wnd
ia hollow reeds on the marshes of the same river dscoy
cred the flute so as music with Lutte and poetry with
its numbers rocked In the cradle OF the lmaglna
ton it is no wonder that the same tremendous power
should form the art Of painting. Piety. humanity;
patriotism the past the present form for 1t one grand
1t was only little Imagination, s.re." said one to
SsPOe The p Se Be h as
may other things IT is the great power In art There
Il Is bounded by neither time nor space hesI Is ~
nature is as full OF smiles as the human face And ~
sees more sbeauty IN the mossgr0wn rock on Tue ruined
castle (which at reprOduees u resurrection than IN the
new sparkling palaces Caesar Now IL acs the nero
OF carnage blood Then takes the gravity Of the
historian newcreaes the deeds OF the earliest
snes As orator II moves us to pity or abhorrence
and as philosopher II opens TO us invention selection
aud combination. This art you also make suOservent
10 the ends OF religious truth BY its offspring engraving
For the kpurpOses OF Illustration and enbe the
metal plate and the wood cut carry thought with them
40 .forcefully that we scarcely conscious OF the
absence OF Color Coorless outline cannot attain that
individuality character which is the province O color
bat it carries design as well thought Hence the
artist cooperates with the author, lot only in poetcal
and scientc works the historical prOduc
andi relinlnns issIes which hegot