The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-22
WORKS BY THE MASTERS.
Pictures at the Great Fair That
Touch the Heart Of Every
Beholder.
Tho Story OF Death the Reaper
AZ Depleted by an ling
lishman.
Canvas In the French Section That Re.
calls Scenes Witnessed or Road
About-s.Ths NIggard."

w. :" Asu~W
About-'.Ths NIggard."
Special to Tho Independent.
CHICAGO. Sept. IS. In the department. OF
the Ans arss building assigned to Great
Il itain 10 a painting. 1.-THE Reaper and tho
Flowers" Catalogue No. 273). by Rudolph
Lehman. Of London, that brings wildly TO
mind that beautiful rosm OF Longfellow's
bearing tho same title. the hrst stanza of
which runs a. follows:
''There IL a reaper. whose name is Death,
And, with his SICKLE keen.
He rsaps tho bearded grain at a breath.
And the flowers that grow bstwoen."
In representing the thought OF tie poet.
the painter has taken a field Of grain. yell
low In it, ~ripeness and ready for the hnrv-
est. In the foreground growing In rich
profusion among the stalk OF grain. are
many beautiful flowers. while playing
among them. and far moro beautiful than
the loveliest. Is q little three or four year
old child. IL face radiant with JOY 40 II
tottles about gathering it's little handful Of
the tich, fragrant blossoms.
Lying against . shook of the gaFneFed
grain is the mother fast aslcdp resting dur
Ing the noon hour. The face of the sleeper
though in the repose OF Inconsistencies, IL
beautiful Ia feature and indicative OF the
loving devotion that fills her mothers
heart. Swinging his keen edged sickle in
the golden grain il the reaper Death. The
grain and 'ths flowers that grow between"
ARE falling beneath his steady strokes. He
approaches the unconscious. happy child
who with its face turned to it's mother.
holds up it's little hands full OF tho beauti-
full blossoms while its face 10 wreathed in
smiles of childish Rlee. One more swing
Of the sickle by the pale face reaper and
the smile will vanish from the beautiful
face, the flowers d.op from the tiny. club
by hands and this little opening bud Of
humanity will pass away TO oren in richer
fullness and beauty In the garden beyond
the river.
He who stands before this beautiful piece
of art. realizing the imminent danger that
threatens the beautiful child while the fond
mother sleeps all unconscious of the ter
vible loss she is about to suffer, can scarcely
resist tho impulse to snatch the child from
the reach OF keen edged blade and restore
it to the arms Of the titcd sleeper. When.
however, he realizes that this is but a rep
sesentation Of what is transp!ring in thou
sands OF homes. he moves away with a heart
full OF sympathy for those who have been
thus afflicted, perhaps filled with sorrow
% he recalls the sweet vision of q dear baby
face taken from his " 6teside.
Truly the brush in the hands Of IN artist
a. we'll az the pen in the hand Of the su-
thar: has wonderful n,.. a1 power to produce edsS pic! pic.
vibrates in the human hcaft.
Another pieco that attracts special at
tsntion from visitors from Montana and
other mining states ia a painting bv La
on a Strike" This is a remarkably rsalis-
tic piece and cannot but fiji the beholder
with a nameless dread a. ho recalls the
terrible scenes he has bshsld. or Of
which he has read-sceneB of suffer-
ing, violence and bloodshed. In tho back
with their tall stacks all we'll nigh hidden
by tho volumes of smoke that fill the heavy,
muag atmosphere. In front are the
miners In procession leaving the works,
their soot-begrimod faces blaoker still by
which they are oppressed. Here are men
ugly and sullen. whose muscular hands
nervously witch to Rrapp!e the threats of
their opptessors; mon whose honest faces
are stern and hard because OF the injustice
mination to indurs it no longer in silence;
boys with sad. troubled countenances,
poorly fed, made men before their time by
the heavy hand OF toll and privation;
women. too. in tntte'ed garments, into
whose lives tho sun ct happiness has not
features speak too plninly the bitter
ness they feel. They whose faces should
be sweet and blight with the Joy. and con.
tsntment of happy homes are hard and
should DO erect. ARE bent from carrying
heavy burdens md their step that should
be light and elastic is slow md wen led.
Surely those who have g rich from
the toll and suffering of these honest iabor-
ers will hoe their demands for Justice;
hard callous hands will mutely plead for
them concessions TINT will yield tho neces-
stiles OF life. II not its comforts. If not,
We tremble for the results. for mon are
terrible in their desperation when urged on
by the pinching of cold and the cravings
of hunger.
'.The Triumph Of the Holy Gross" il one
OF the la cest and most valuable paintings
on exhibition. II 10 No. 142 in the Spanish
collection. painted BY Sedano. OF Burgos'
superbly mounted band Of knights of the
Holy Cross riding down q large number Of
slaves bound in chains whose unintclligent.
ugly fnces are made even more friRhtiul by
the terrors that seize Thorn at tho approach
OF the terrible oavalcade. We cannot bul
admire the picture TO. 1t 10 uuquestionably
great work of at, and yet the o Is that in
it that prevents it from appealing to oul
sympathies "a do zone OF the moro unpre-
~tentious pieces whose every feature touches
somo responsive chord of the human heat.
Unlike this in size and p%retentions is 'Ihs
Widow" (No. $500. by Burgksn. of Paris.
The piece 10 ANAL and rel rssents a woman
in deep mourning sitting by tho otaGle OF q
sleeping babe. lhis needs no explanation,
no superb mounting to call the attention OF
to awaken the ., mpathies Of the visitor. II
10 a picture that speaks in all languages;
is rather in the universal language of hu-
man experience and 81 it Is no wonder thai
scores OF men and women, unable IL may
be to point out its strong points or its de-
fects stand before II, read at q glance the
simple story that so many know. alas! &C
we'll, and silently drop u tenr OF sympathy
for them who hove passed into the deer
shadow of bereavement.
Another picture like this in its unpreten.
tiousness and yet in its power to nttiac
wide attention 10 ''The Nigga d" (No. 75)
by the Russian -artist. Makovisky. Their.
10 renlly but little in the piscs-a small
poorly ful nishod raom, a desk covered with
coin. bills, notes aud mortgages. and before
IL a miser who has been counting his ill
gotten wealth again and again. and spread
ing II out that he might feast his avnriciouI
eyes upon 1t. Suddenly no hears. or thinks
he hAarn N v0toa n . thA door TOpc