The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-01-08
MODERN ART CRITICISM
What n Newspaper Man Heard and Saw II
a Gotham Gallery.

uotu0W oohCEys
Miss Daisy Chane-My! but isn't that
dog natural? And so like my dear,
lovely Tatters, too!
Mr.. Softe Toane Qanguidly, and with
a covert sneer)-I believe those blacks
and whites Of Won Skoon's are considerd
natural. Nowadays man must fairly
saturate himself with realism before he
can get any ono to look at his pictures.
This fellow Won Skoon has been inn
billing Aiillais for the last two years
and with bitter irony now, suppose,
he will become quite popular.
Miss Chane Ito whom modern art jar
gon is an unknown tongue)-Mercy me!
I've always heard that artists and poets
and people like that drank terribly, but
l never knew it was as bad as that.
But what's that picture over there? I
can't quite make it out, but it looks like
thunder storm.
Mr.. Toane--Ah, Miss Chane; in the
presence of that man we artists stand
reyerently, hat in hand. He has abb
sorbed nature, and now he absolutely
exudes it upon every canvas he touches.
Islands in attitude suggestive of rapt
attention and silently describes an arc
in the air with his right thumb after q
fashion common among artists and con-
noisseurs.) How tender and subtle! See
how the shadows on the hills are
handled, and how strong that figure of
woman is in the background. How
splendidly she is drawn! You can almost
see her move. To me the whole effect
is as mystic and wonderful as-as-
Miss Chane-But the catalogue says
that this picture is Thunder Storm in
Hay Field" and that's haystack and
not a woman in the middle of it. knew
it was haystack the minute set eyes
on it.
Mr.. Softe Toane with superior,
compassionate smile)-Really, Miss
Chane, you must be careful not to let
your taste for realism, or as you would
call it in your Philistine way, what is
natural, blind you to the ideal side Of
art. Now here is something which 1
fear will please you.
Miss Chano (delighted1y)-Why, it's
newsboy, and he's had his face all
nicely washed, too. He looks as if his
mother had fixed him up on purpose to
have his photograph taken. I wish
the little boys in my sunday-school
class could all see that picture.
Mr.. Toane with sigh of despair)-
All, my poor little Philistine? fear
your case is hopeless. You represent
the misguided spirit Of tho age, always
seeking tho real and the practical, and
missing the subtlety and suggestiveness
of high art.
Miss Chane {bluntly)-I don't under
stand all that, but like that picture so
we'll because the boy'sso clean. 1 think
it's a good example.
Mr.. Toane (abruptly)-Really, I am
afraid we have not much moro time to
spend here, but before we go would
like to show you little thing that has
pleased me very much, although there
is nothing in it perhaps that you would
call natural. 1t is by new man, and
believe ! may safely claim to have dis
covered him, although, to tell the truth,
l have never even seen him.
Miss Chane gazing intently at the
picture)-I can't quite make it out, but
it's real bright, and that big splotch Of
crimson down in the corner is per-
fectly lovely shade. That girl we met
as we were coming in has bonnet
trimmed with exactly that color, and
Mamie Clingfast-
Mr.. Toane-How tender and subtle
and exquisite! All, that sky! All, that
lake with the wonderful sunset! What
superb treatment! That man must have
q soul
Jack Daubley "a practical, modern
artist, soto coce to his friend)--I told you
that racket would work. You remem-
Der that piece Of burlap I had in the
studio to wipe my brushes on? Well, I
cut it up and framed it. You saw this
thing standing on my mantel just before
the exhibition opened. That one had a
crimson sky? / tell you it's the same
picture, only decided to hang it in the
other way. and now the sky's lake.
Miss Chane-Do lets hurry, or we'll
be too late for the matinee. Exeunt.
-Munsey's Weekly.
The Dull Senses of Criminals.
Some italian observers have been re-
Gently testing the senses of criminals,
and they find these duller than in the
average of people. Signor Ottolenghi,
in Turin, found, last year, less acute
sense of smell in criminals, and he now
affirms the same for taste, which he
tested by applying bitter and sweet sub
stances {strychnine and sacchrine) in
dilute solution to the tongue. He finds,
also, the taste of the habitual criminal
less acute than that of the casual Offend
er, and slightly moro acute taste in
male than in female criminals. Experi-
ments with regard to hearing were made
by Signor Gradenigo (also in Turin,
and of eighty-two criminals he found
ffty-fve Tor 67.3 per cent? to have less
than the normal acuteness, the greatest
inferiority being in the Oldest. In fe-
male criminals the relations were some-
what better: fifteen out of twenty-eight
had hearing under the average. The
limits of variations in acuteness also
appeared to be much wider in criminals
than in normal persons. Ear disease
was common. Signor Gradenigo attrib-
utes these things to bad hygienic con-
ditions of life and vicious habits. Pail
Mall Gazette.
Some of the Causes Of Leprosy.
Now that leprosy is being SO much
discussed in various parts of the world