The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-28

-Ha5ing,on
Some men, when they grow rich, stor
pictures in gall4ry. Living. the friends
envy them, and sfter death the genuine
ness of the collecs5on is disputed under a
dispensing hammsr.
A better way is 20 spread your pictures
over all earth. visiting them as fate allows.
Then none can seal or deface, nor any
reverse of fortune force sale; sunshine
and temuest wars and ventiate the gal
lery for nothing. md, in spite of all that
has been said of Ger crudeness nature is
not altogether a lsad frame maker. The
knowledge that ven may never live to see
an especial treaspre twice teaches the eyes
to see quickly while the light lasts; and
the possession of such gallery breeds a
very fine contemns for painted shows and
the smeared thing that are called pictures.
To the North F;.cihc, to the right hand
as you go westward, hangs a small study
OF no particular value as compared with
some others. The mist is down on an oily
stretch of washed-out sea; through the
mist the batswings of sealing schooner
are just indicated. In the foreground, all
but ieaping out of the frame. an open row.
boat, painted the crudsst blue and white,
rides up over the shoulder of n swell. A
man in blood-red Jersey and long boots, all
shining with moissare, stands at the bows
holding up the carcass of silver-bellied
sea otter, from whose pelt the wet drips in
moonstones. Now the artist who could
paint the silver wash of the mist, the
wriggling treacly reflection of the boat,
and the raw, red wrists Of the man would
be something of a workman.
But my gallery II in no danger of being
copied at present Three years since I
met an artist in thu, stony bed of brook,
between line of go craven, lichened god
lings and flaming bank of aza!ea, swear
ing horribly. He cad been trying to paint
one of my picturesz-nothing more than 4
big water-worn rock tufted with flowers,
and snow-capped hill for background.
Most naturally, hs failed, because there
happened to be absolutely no perspective
in the thing, and he was pulling the lines
about in order to make some fo- home con-
sumption. No mag can put the contents
of gallon jar into a pint mug. The pro-
tests of all uncom4ortably crowded mugs
since the world bean have settled that
long ago, and have given US the work
ing theories. devised by imper-
feet instruments for imperfect instru-
ment, which are called Rules Of Art.
Luckily those WHO painted my gallery
were born before man. Therefore, the
pictures, instead of being boxed up by
numbering bars Of gold, are disposed gem
erously between ATTITUDES, equinoxes,
monsoons, and the like, and, making all
allowance for an owners partlality, they
are really not so bai.
"Down in the South, where the ships
never go''-betwee,. the heel of New Tea
land and the South Pole, there is a sea
piece showing a steamer trying to come
round in the trouga, of big beam sea.
The wet light of the days end comes
m ore from the wafer than the sky, and
the waves are colo4less through the haze
OF the rain, all but two or three blind sea
horses swinging ou1 Of the mist on to the
ships dripping wesaher side. A lamp is
lighted in the wheelhouse; so one patch
OF yellow light sails on the green
painted pistons cf the steering gear
as they snatch gp the rudder chains
a big sea has just got home
Her stern flies up Ing the lather of the freed
screw, and her deck from the poop to the
break OF the foc,sle goes under in gray
green water level "a a mill race. except
where 1t spouts up above the donkey en-
CINE and the stored derrick booms. For
ward there is nothing but this glare aft,
the interrupted wake drives far to Ieeward
as cut kite string dropped across the
seas. The sole thing that has any rest in
the turmoil is the jsweIled unwinking eve
OF an albatross, who is beating across wind
leisurely and unconrerned, almost within
hand's touch. 1t is Che monstrous egotism
OF that eye that makes the picture Bv all
the rules of art thee should be a light
house or harbor Izer in the background
to show that everything will end happily.
But there Is not. ana the red eye does not
care whether the thing beneath the still
wings stays or staye5.
Inc SISTER panel Gangs in the Indian
ocean and tells 4 sorry, but is none the
worse for that. HeEe you have hot trop.
zeal sunlight and & foreshore clothed in
stately palms runniag out into a still and
steamy sea burnish71 steel blue. Along
that foreshore, quGzting az a wounded
beast quests Tor :2lr, hurrles a loaded
steamer never builz for speed. Conse-
quent!y she tears arei threshes the water
to pieces, and piles il under her nose. and
cannot put it undsr her cleanly. Coir-
coiored cargo bales are stacked round
both masts, and her decks are crammed
ana double-crammezl with dark-skinned
passengers-from the foc'sle, where thew
interfere with the crew, TO the stern.
where they hamper slle wheel
Inc tunnel Is pai9ted blue on yellow.
giving her holiday cir 4 little out of keep
ing with the yellow snd black cholera flag
at her main. She daS'e not stop; she must
not communicate with any one. There
are leprous streaks o: lime wash trickIiug
down her plates for < sign of this. So she
threshes on down Sic glorious coast. she
and her swarming passengers. with the
sickness that des,ro.eth in the noonday
eating out her heart.
Yet another, the sick of all the east
rooms, before we hive done with blue
of sx..<
are at issue under stretch OF white
awning above crowEed deck. The cause
OF the dispute. a dep copper bowl full
OF rice and fried oIzions, is upset in the
foreground. Malay Lascars, Hindus.
Chinese, Javanese, }}urrnans-the whole
gainut OF race tiDts: from saffron TO tar
biack-are twisting a:sd Writhiug round it,
while their vermilIoa, cobalt, amber and
emerald turbans and 9lead cloths are living
under foot. Presscs against the yellow
| ochre OF the iron t<1lwarks to lett and
right are frightened @omen and children
| IN turquoise and isaseila cotored clothes
They are half protected by mounds of up
| set bedding, straw mats red LACQUER
boxes and plated basaboo trunks. mixed
up with tin platss. brass and cop
| per hu9ds, silver opium pipes, Chi
| nese playing CARD, and properties
enough 10 drive half a dozen ar
| lists wild In the center of the crowd of
| furious. hsli-naked m5sn. the fat. bare pack
| OF Burman, tattooeS from collar bone 10
| waist cloth with writsing patterns of red
and blue devils. ho!d& the eye first. II il
wicked back. Beyond it IS the flicker
| OF Malay kris. A GIue, red and yellow
maoaw chained to a sanction spreads his