Democratic messenger., 1888-11-03
MISSION OF PICTURES.
THE REV. DIR. TALMAGE SAYS 1T IL
DIVINE.
No One Has Right 10 Hang Pictures Any
where That Would be Offensive On Good
People II the Figures Were Alive
Why Art Should Be Al
ways Encouraged


People II the Figures Were Alive
Why Art Should Be Al
ways Encouraged
BROOKLYN, Oct. 2S.-The Rev. T. De.
Witt Talmage. d. D., preached at the Tab
ernacle this morning. A vast congrega.
tion attended the service. The pastor ex.
pounded chapter about the room OF
imagery in Exekiel. after which the hymn
beginning
Thine earthly Sabbath. Lord. we love,
Hut there's nobler rest above.
was sung. Professor Browne presided at
tho grand organ and rendered Concerto
In d fiat by Handel. The subject Of DR..
Talmage's discourse was "The Divine Mis-.
sion Of Pictures" His text was Isaiah II,
parts Of the 12th and 10th verses: "The
way Of the Lord Of Hosts shall he upon
all pleasant pictures" lie said:
Pictures are by some regulated to the
realm Of the trivial, accidental, sentiment
tai or worldly, but my text shows that
God scrutinizcs pictures, and whether
they are good or bad, whether used for
right or wrong purposes, Is a matter oi
divine observation and arraignment.
The divine mission Of pictures Is my
subject. n
That the artists pencil ar 1he engrav.
er's knife have sometimes bceh made sub.
ssrvient TO the kingdom Of the bad !1
frankly admitted. Afler the ashes and
scOria were removed from Elercu.aneum
and Pompcii the walls oj those cities dis.
covered to the explorers q degradation 10
art which cannot be exaggerated. Satan
and all his imps have always wanted the
lingering Of the easel; they would rather
have possession Of that than the art OF
printing, for types are not so potent and
quick for evil as pictures. The powers
Of darkness think they have gained a tri.
umph, and they have, when In some re-
spectacle parlor or public art gallery they
can hang canvass embarrassing to the
good but fascinating to the evil.
THE PERMIssIBLE>lS ART.
It isnot In spirit Of pf 'dcry, hut hack
ed up by Gods eternal tr,h, when I say
that you have no right TO hang In your
art-rooms or your dwelling.houses that
which would be offensive to good people
II the figures pictured were alive In your
parlor and the guests Of your household.
A picture that ye' ,'have to hang in a
somewha, seq, ed place, or that in pub
lie hal! yS yannot with group of friends
deliberf stand before and discuss,
ougl/ AVE knife stabbed into it al,
thY ind cut clear through to the bot
II md a stout finger thrust in on the
4 side, ripping clear through to the
Pliny, the elder, lost his life by go-
tg near enough to see the inside Of Vesu-
yius, and the futher you can stand oil
from the burning crater Of sin the better.
Never till the books Of the last day are
opened shall we know what has been the
dire harvest OF evil pictorial and unbe-
coming art galleries. Dcspoil mans
imag;ni zion and he he" omes moral car
''"s' she shc' andows Of English and
,es IN which the low theatres
.netimes hung long lines Of brazen
.-,ors and actresses in style insulting to
all propriety have made broad path to
death for multitudcs Of people. But 50
have all the other arts been at times sub.
orned Of evil. How has music been be.
draggled Is there any place so low down
In dissolutcncss that into II has not been
carried David's harp. and ITandel's organ,
and Gottschalk's piano. and Ole Bulls
violin and the flute, which though nam.
ell after so insignificant thing rs the ST.
Gillian eel, which has seven spots on the
side like flute holes, yet for thousa nds Of
years has had an exalted mission. Archi.
lecture. born in the heart of Him who
made the worlds, under its arches and
across i,s floors what bacclanalian rcvcl.
rics have been enacted. II Is not against
any Of these arts that they have been So
led into captivity.
PLEASANT PICTURES
What poor world this would he if il
were not for what my text calls pleasant
picturcs!" l refer to your memory and
mine when ask if your knowledge Of the
Holy Scriptures has not been nightly
augmented by the woodcuis or cngravings
in the old family Bible, which father and
mother read out Of. and laid on the table
in the old homestead when you were boys
and girls. The Bible scenes. which we all
carry In our minds, were not gotten from
the Bible typology, but from the Bible
pictures. To prove the truth OF Il In my
own case, the other day took up the old
family Bible which inherited. Sure
enough, which I have carried In my mind
Of Jacobs ladder was exactly the Bible
engraving Of Jacobs ladder, and so with
Samson carrying of the gates OF GAIA.
Elisha restoring the Summarizes son. the
massacre Of the innocents. Christ blessing
little children, the Cruciflxion and the
Last Judgment. My idea Of all these Is
that of the old Bible engravings which I
scanned before ! could read word. That
is true with nine.tenihs Of you. II could
swing open the door OF your foreheads
would find that ynu arc walking picture
galleries. The great intelligence abroad
abou, the Bible did not come from the
general reading Of the book for the major.
i,y Of the people read Il but little. II they
read Il at all but all the sacred scenes
have been put before the great masses,
and not printers ink but the pictorial art
must have the credit Of the achievement.
First, painters pencil for the favored few.
aud then cngraver's plate or woodcut for
millions on millions! What oycrwhelm.
Ing commentary on the Bible. what rein.
farcement for patriarchs. prophets, apos.
ties aud Christ, what distribution Of
Scriptural knowledge Of all nations. In
tho naintinOs and enVravinOs iherefrnfn