The herald., 1894-12-29
THE FRIDAY MORNING CLUB.
Miss Caldwell Reads a Paper on
ImpressiOnism.
Followed by Five Minute Papers on
the Christmas Magazines.
Collier Speak on tho Christmas
Pictures, Verse and Jokes.

COLLIER speak on tho Christmag
Pictures, Verse and Jokes.
Every seat in ths large assembly room
OF the Friday Morning club was filed
yesterday morning by an expectant au'
dience to listen to what promised to be
a aeries of most inter estng papers by
some Of the brightest women in the
club, and the absorbed attention and
frequent applause throughout the meet
ing was strong evidence that the expect
ations were realized.
Miss Eleanor B. Caldwell first read q
clever paper on Impressionism. Miss
Caldwell began by giving q brief deini-
ton and analysis of the term as it
is commonly understood. and said that
it was fippantly misunderstood to be
merely fad. Its two masters, Manet
and Monet, gave to the world unique
look at nature with clear vision and
beautiful coloring.
Impressionism in its embracing
meaning addresses the imaginative rea.
son through the senses the aigni6ca.
tion of imaginative reason in art ad.
dresses not pure sense, nor pure intel
lect. but has true pictorial quality, to
which is added inventive or creative
handling of line and color.
In one painter the art student finds
technique which appeals to the senses
only; in another painter be finds the
pictorial quality eliminated and photo
graphic reproduction that appeals to the
intellect only; while in third painter
he finds the artist who was not only
stirred by what he saw, the design.
color and feeling Of what was before
him, who placed 1t upon his canvas by
means of his imaginative reason, and, at
laet, there is q work of art, conceived
neither through pure sense alone nor
pure intellect alone, but both. with the
addition of his pictorial Rift-that Is i'm.
pressionism.
Painting must be decorative whether
form is suggested or story told; in this
kind Of painting Giorgione is pre-emi-
nent the most musical of painters, one
whose mood dominates his work and is
impressed upon 1t. s
Impyessionism means in art selection,
Interpretation, the painters effort to
express the soul Of his subject. Exam
Piles Of impressionism were OK hibited by
some copies OF portraits by Bellini,
Titan, Velasquez, Giorgione and some
Japanese paintings which Miss Caldwell
referred to and explained. And ahe
concluded her interesting paper with .
few words for the art of Southern Cali.
fornia; of phrophecies made that q
great painter would make this part
OF the county, with its rich, pure color
and noble yet simple lineo, representa-.
tive in art.
Mrs. Margaret Collier Graham was
the next speaker, whose subject was
Christmas Stories Found in the Holiday
Magazines. MIS-. Graham commenced
by saying that story should not be
written for any occasion or for any rea-
son except that one has a story that
asks to be written, which probably &C.
counts for the present decadence OF the
Christmas story.
Several witty allusions were then
made to the old-time Christmas story !;
followed by q brief summing up of those
which found light in the late magazines.
A really good short story, Mrs. Graham
continued, is 10y forever, and too sell.
dom found. Ruth McEnsry. Stuarts' A
Christmas Guest, she pronounced q
delicious monologue; and other stories
were cited and criticized, as being writ-
ten under tension. q striving for effect,
that was apparent in most short stories.
Stories. like poets, are born, not made.
Azalea. in the Century, lie bit OF real
life deity handled. There is too great
an effort at story making instead oil
story writing. H. @. Burners story OF
A Path, is rather the biography of a
path, but 1t is fall OF tender sympathy
with homely things. The Dividing
Fence. by Ruth McEnery Stuart, in
Harper's. shows O class OF peoDle oi
whom we know little, and Mrs. Stuart
fails to introduce us to it.
In conclusion Mrs. Graham eaid, al
together the Christmas stories are neith-
er better nor worse than stories of other
months; good writing ia trying to take
the place of earnest feeling and deep
thinking; knowledge of human nature,
its pettiness end greatness; its trials
failures and successes that begets sy M
pathy and charity; ell these muet be
known and felt and put before us in the
right way. else the name OF the greatest
and best writer of fiction will perish.
Miss Jennie Collier began her paper
on Christmas Jokes by saying that look
iEg for jokes was aerious business, and
there was great scarcity OF them in tht
Christmas literature; many will not beal
investigation when found. Some coult
be analyzed and ruined; others require
explanation, hence they are worth lees
/ Harpsrs' Drawer contains nowadayt
| iong-wlnded narratives, although thu
| wittfclsans in the pictures are often ex
| Quisitely Iunny.
| The Premature Prodlgal was then
read and enjoyed, In the Century
| there was not a single good witticiam
and Scribners waa only funny in its pic
lures. Chriatmaa Lifs had mora spiri
and go, with its burlesquss Of this
merely rich; and the E Enanc,patei Wo-
mans Christmas is good and wortt
| reading.
Miss Collier said Puck and Jud g
blunted her sense OF humar and ah
had to get hslp from her l2syssr-ol(
nephew to regain cou6lence in he
seuee OF the luCicsou,; while as d clos
to her Eve minute paper Mics Collie
quoted Mise Vonner in Puck, who sal
OF some proposed speeches to be give
at an aim mae dinner, I'VE will JUS
have half a dozsn speeches OF ive min
utes each; they shouldn't take up NOR
than an hour and aquarter."
Mrs. II. B. Wing then read her pape
on Christmas Pictures, referring frs: t
the cleverness in coioring OF the Pari
Figaro and other foreign magazinee; {
i the fine wood engravingsi in the Century
where are always good thinga, not th
least OF which are in the advnrtsng de
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