The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-04-13
PICTURES AND FRAMES.
BY ERMINA G. STRAY.

One of the finest pictures | ever
saw was minus frame. But | never
was tired of studying it, whenever l
went where it was, which is among
an artists own private collections.
Perhaps the artist was not able to buy
a suitable frame; at any rate it has
none. By some "hocus pocus" or
manipulation, the picture might have
been beaten, twisted, or worked into
frame; but where would the poor
picture have been? and what good
would the frame have done7 | have
seen some very fine pictures in poor
frames, and / have seen some very
poor pictures in elegant and massive
frames. But where a really fine pic
ture is seen, no one of culture ever
stops to admire the frame and pass
the picture unnoticed. 1t is the pic
ture we want; it is the lesson that it
convex s, the thought that it teaches,
the hope that it inspires. The frame
may be of beautiful workmanship;
we admire the work; if it is full of
beautiful carvings, it is sort of pic
ture, and tells the story of its authors
life. But if it is an ordinary frame it
is quite adifferent thing. The setting
for diamond may be beautiful, but
the stone is the real value. A book
may be extensively bound, but who
cares for the binding if the contents
are not correspondingly valuable7
1t is SO with human life. 1t is the
book, the gem, the picture. Remem-
Der the only perfect life the world
ever knew was picture without
frame, SO to speak. He had no home,
no place to lay his head, yet no other
life, no other book, no other gem, no
other picture was ever so perfect. Let
us profit by this example and attend
to the picture. You are the picture;
your surroundings the frame. If you
work for the frame entirely, the pic
ture will become insignificant. That
is, if you expend all of your thought,
labor and care upon your house and
surroundings, the picture will soon
become worthless. Environments
have much to do with character, but
character should not be entirely
moulded into environments. A man
has right to look well, and woman
has a right to be lovely, but no wo-
man who makes herself a slave to
carpets, curtains, furniture, and a
line table, can ever be even pretty.
She will always wear look of fret
and worry, that will mar the finest
face in the world. She should ex-
pend some thought upon the picture
as well as its frame. I don't mean
selfish thought, that detracts from
beauty at once. But woman has
right to look and dress we'll. tits
her duty to society,-to herself. That
is enough, however; do not go too far
upon this line, or you will spoil the
inner picture which is never to fade
or grow old,-the real gem of the
whole collection Make your soul
and spirit beautiful by culture, by
unselfish and beautiful deeds, by
going beyond the limits of home and
reaching out into the whole world, if
need be, to help those who are more
needy in all things than yourself.
Nothing ennobles man or a woman
SO quick as to labor earnestly and un-
selfshly for the good of humanity.
The lights and shades are being
painted into this picture by Master
hand. There is no danger that the
frame will detract from it's value, and
there is no danger but what it will
have perfectly suitable frame.
NOBLE, o.