St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-14
We often see some such thing as this

We often see some such thing as this
about women who paint a little:
Sir George Reid. the recently elected pres
ident Of the Royal Scottish academy, says in
answer to the question whether MANY lady
artists in Scotland sent work to The academy:
Il regret to say there are a great number.
One does not often look for a Rosa Bonheur,
but the work of most of our lady artists
Judging by what is sent to the academy, is
altogether deplorable. With a very few ex-
eeptions it appears TO be the work Of young
aides who have nothing to do, an d who,
therefore. paint q little without having
more than the very faintest notion OF draw
ing and coloriug. They are all anxious TO
have their pictures exhibited. bat they have
no idea OF working honestly and hard in or
der 10 produce good work"
1t is to prevent the possibility of any
Il being able to say such things of our
girls. or eur boys either, for that matter,
though this complaint of a lack of thor
oughneSs is not 50 often made about the
work Of men as it is about the work of
m that we who claim to have the
good of our children at heart are sorry
10 see any one trying to depreciate or
destroy the work of the drawing teach
erSi in our public schools. There are so
many good reasons why it should be
continued and 50 few, it seem to me,
why it should be frOwned upon, that If
one did not realize the instability Of
human affairs and also the crying need
that some people feel to be constantly
condemning something about Il
schools, one would not for a moment
fear that there was any danger that
our children might be deprived of
the great advantages this study offers
them. Almost the only thing that the
enemies OF drawing in the school can
urge against ii is that they think it is
not practical, but there is just where
they are mistaken. Among the crowd
who came to see the drawing exhibit
prepared for the Columbian far were
two intelligent-lOOking working men.
Noticing that they seemed to be Strang-
erS, a lady spoke to them and they be-
gan to talk of the drawings, and said
that the children of these days had SO
much the advantage of those h went
to school twenty-five or thirty years
In so many ways, and in drawing par
ticularly. You may not know it,
ma'am," said one. "but this drawing
enters into almost every trade that
one learns. Now. l am a candymaker
myself and | often think when | hear
my children talk OF colors and mixing
cOlors and the values of colOrs, how
much the knowledge that they have
gained IN lust that particular would
help me in my business If L knew
about il: but | don't, and that's my
loss" II think the same way" said
the other man. Il am a printer. and
this color business enters into my trade,
too. Fine work, most of it. calls for a
knowledge of cOlOrS and their relative
values to each other, and that IS II or
the things they learn III this class"
One woman said; "HOw much more n
whose eyes are trained by such work
as this must see IN the world all about
that is beautiful and elevat-
ing than one can see who
has never had these opportunities"
Then l thought of something my old
friend. the German naturalist, said to
me once about the fly'S eye. You see,"
he said, as he laid the little leaden-
looking speck on the glass for me to
look at through the microscope, 'it is
but a Speck or less than a speck as you
look at it with your eye. but take the
glass and YOU see It's a wonderful cluster
of brilliant lenses that reflect many.
many times every object that it sees;
but it is the glass that brings 1t out.
That is the way with the soul; if it is
dull and ignorant it will see but little OF
this wonderful earth that the loving God
has made for us; but if it is Weakened
and frightened by culture and love,
how many things it Will see, and all It's
lenses will repeat many, many times
a., ,rO,,1nrfnl Stpru nf fhR grandeur
of the work of the hand that has
made it," You see, it is because people
don't stop to think of anything beyond
the present moment that they OBJ
ject to this training that be-
gins with a few straight
lines and patient work faithfully done
ends i'm the "SiSIine Madonna" or
The Descent From the Cross" The
reason why so much of the work that
women do in al artistic way is faulty
and deplOrable, is because they lacked
the early training that all Our children
are now receiving. and having a love
for such things and not realizing that
the study of art is a lifelong matter,
desire to produce something that may
show that they can do something as
well as other people. III Is an
wrong. and IT is pathetic from II polnt
oflview; but, my dears, there Is no royal
road to perfection, as 10 doubt you have
already heard, and a few months OF
patient labor at the very foundation OF
artistic training would be of more value
than years OF copying. SO if we have
missed these opportunities for the tralu'
ing of eve and hand that shall give US a
lust appreciation OF the artists lab0rS,
let us use our influence to procure them
for our children, AUNT POLLY.