Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-28

h1lCudel angelo, Ine sculptor, listing
Florence, some one showed him in a
back yard piece of marble that was so
shapeless it seemed of no use, and An
gelo was asked If he could make any
thing out of it, and if SO was told he
could own it. The artist took the mar
bic, and for nine months shut himself
up to work, first trying to make of it a
statue of David with his foot on Go
Hath, but the marble was not quite long
enough at the base to make the pros
trate form of the giant, and SO the art
ist fashioned the marble into another
figure that is so famous for all time be-
cause of its expressiveness. A critic
came in and was asked by Angelo for
his criticism, and he said it was beauti-
ful, but the nose of the statue was not
OF right shape. Angelo picked up from
the floor some sand and tossed it about
the face of the statue, pretending he
was using his chisel to make the i'm
provement suggested by the critic.
What do you think of it nowi" said
the artist. Wonderfully improved. +"
said the critic. "Well," p" said the artist,
II have not changed it at ALL" My
friends, the grace of God comes to the
heart of man or woman and then at
tempts to change forbidding and pre-
Judicial face into attractiveness. Per-
haps the face is most unpromising for
the Divine Sculptor. But having
changed the heart 1t begins to work on
the countenance with celestial chisel,
and into all the lineaments of the face
puts gladness and an expectation that
changes it from glory to glory, and
though earthly criticism may disap-
prove of this or that in the appearance
of the face Christ says of the newly Gre
ated countenance that which PLATE said
of him, Behold the mani"
Here is another mighty chisel for the
countenance, and you may call it re-
venge or hate or malevolence. This
spirit having taken possession of the
heart, it encamps seven devils under the
eyebrows. 1t puts cruelty into the COM
preston of the lips. You can tell from
the mans looks that he is pursuing
some one and trying to get even with
him. There are suggestions of Nero and
Robespierre and Diocletian and thumb.
screws and racks all up and down the
features. Internal artists with murder
ers' daggers have been cutting away at
that visage. The revengeful heart has
built its perdition in the revengeful
countenance. Disfguration of diabolic
passionl
But here comes another chisel to shape
the countenance, and it is kindness.
There came moving day, and into her
soul moved the whole family of Chris
tian graces, with all their children and
grandchildren, and the command has
come forth from the heavens that that
woman's face shall be made to corre-
spond with her superb soul. Her entire
face from ear to ear becomes the canvas
on which all the best artists of heaven
begin to put their finest strokes, and on
the small compass of that face are put
pictures of sunrise over the sea, and
angels of mercy going up and down lad
ders all ahash, and mountains of trans
fguration and MONDAY in heaven. Kind
ness! 1t is the most magnificent sculp-
tor that ever touched human counte-
nance.
No one could wonder at the unusual
geniality in the face of William Win
dom, secretary of the treasury of the
United States, after seeing him at the
New York banquet just before he drop
ped dead, turning his wineglass upside
down, saying, II may by doing this Of
fend some, but by not doing it might
damage many. "Be kind to your friends.
Be kind to your enemies. Be kind to
the young. Be kind to the old. Be
kind to your rulers. Be kind to your
Be kind to your sIperiors.
Be kind to your interiors. Be kind to
your horse. Be kind to your dog, Be
kind to your cat, Morning, noon and
night be kind, and the effects of it will
be written in the language of your face.
That is the gospel of physiogpomy.
THE LION AND THE MOUSE,
A Bayonne merchant was In the south
of Europe for his health, and sitting on
the terrace one morning in his invalid
ism he saw rider flung from a horse
into the river, and without thinking OF
his own weakness the merchant flung
off his invalid's gown and leaped into
the stream and swan to the drowning
man, and clutohing him as be was
about to go down the last time bore him
in safety to the bank, when glancing
into the face of the rescued man he
cried, My God. | have saved my own
sonp' All kindness comes back to us
in one way or anotheri II not in any
other way, then In your own face. Kind
ness! Show it TO others, for the time
may como when you will need it your
self. People laughed at the hon because
he spared the mouse that ran over him
when by one motion of his paw the mon
ster could have crushed the insignih-
can't disturber. But il was well that
the lion had mercy on the mouse, FOR
)ne day the lion was caught in a trap
and roared fearfully because he was
leld fast by ropes. Then the mouse
ynawed off the ropes and let the lion go
rec. You may consider yourself lion,
put You cannot afford to despise a mouse.
When Abraham Lincoln pardoned q
-oung soldier at the request of his moth
n fha mother went down the stairs OF