The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-01-31
GRANTS LIFE AS AN ART"
A Synopsis of the Lecture on
This Subject by DR.. Roland
D. Grant.

| oO ScluUul 10 ~ Iudb VIC AcdK al ANuES03 60
once so instructive, SO fascinating SO charg-
ed with food for thought, as that delivered
by DIR. Rowland Grant, at the opera house
last Thursday evening, that we make bold
to attempt synopsis or general outline of
this album of word pictures, for the benefit
of those OF our readers who were SO unfortu-
nate as not to hear it.
| 'Life," said Mr.. Grant, ssis far more than
science. Life is an art. Art is an ambig-
uous term, usually meaning the completion
of nature" The speaker proceeded to show,
with remarkable clearness, the nice dis
tinction between science and art; deducing
from his logical analyses of the two terms
| the plain and concise conclusion that
''scisnce consists in knowing; art consists in
doing" Nature overlooks much in perfect
ing her work. 1t is science that knows how
to make up the deficiencies, and the cunning
hand of art that accomplishes the desired
result. Science conforms to rules, but art
breaks all rules. Demanding freedom for
her workings, she laughs at laws, and reveis
in the light of her own ingenuity. To be
artistic does not necessarily mean perfection.
In fact, it is in the very absence of this quail.
itY that the art sometimes exsists. How
much more picturesque and artistic are the
decayed and crumbling walls of some old
castle, than when they stood in frowning
perfection-monuments of the ideal in arch.
etecture of their time. Symmetry is but
I, for ~, hat han raao1yos
itself into set lines and exact proper.
tions it loses its charm. A line may be
drawn so true and perfect that it will be dis
pleasing to the sight, just as discordant tone
in music will jar upon the ear.
After brief exordium, of which the above
is very crude sketch, he passed on to the
relation of the beautiful aud artistic to our
daily lives. We are all artists in the work
shop of life, completing or perfecting the
work which nature.ha begun. Our physi-
Cal, mental and spiritual being are to be
developed and cultivated. 1t is but right
and duty we owe our fellowmen, to orna-
ment our minds with the bric.a. brac of
knowledge and adorn our bodies with pleas.
the dark and unsightly scars wrought by
tribulation and trial, and show to the world
countenance fair and inviting. ''Bnt, :"
says one, ''that would be cheat and lie!''
Well then, we will cease to deceive, by
covering the unsightly laths and rough
boards of our homes with plaster and paint,
for this too is ga cheat and lie." Shall we
beautify our homes, and permit our lives to
be seen forhiding and unattractive? 'Tis
we'll to lst our deeds be open aud free for
inspection, but these are but the glass before
the picture; the canvass should be impervi-
GUS to sight.
Each day we add another sketch to the
pictures we have been hanging in life's GAL
lery. Our earlier paintings, and not few
-of the later ones, are literally daubed with
green. There are two kinds of greenhorns:
The country greenhorn, who would like to
know it all; and the city greenhorn, who
thinks he can tell him."
''The future lies behind us, the past is
before us" said Mr.. Graut, We see the
past, but the future is hidden until the
shadows of coming events fall upon our
shoulders. We should grasp each opportu-
nifty as it flashes by on winds of time, and
trace thereon some form of beauty, so tn at
all shall he pleasing in our wake, as the rose
makes fragrant the breezs as it passes. Life
and living are not the same thing. How
many walk through natures galleries, SEQ
ing nothing but the outlines of the paintings;
feeling no thrill at the grandeur of the pro-
duo ctions of the Master artist. Mr.. Grant
related an incident, which was very amusing
and an excellent illustration of this point.
In company with one of Americas leading
artists, and a mutual friend--a very prosaic,
unimaginative sort OF person-Dr. Grant
was exploring the beautiful White Noun
tains of New Hampshire The artistic gen.
tleman was in advance of the others, and
rounding point of rocks, came in full view
of that massive pile of granite, ''The Man of
the Mountains. Awed by the grandeur of
the scene, the artist stood spell. bound, look
ing through nature up to natures God.
While he gazed, unconscious of everything
but the sublime and awful spectacle before
him, his matter.of.fact friend came puffing
around the point. Catching sight of the hugh
mass of stone, ne wiped the perspiration
from his burning brow and exclaimed:
''My gosh, what pile of rocks!''
| We are each the publisher of daily pa.
per. whose files will be the record of our
life. How careful and particular we should
be in the selection of onr copy; and how
| thoroughly the proofs should be read and
corrected We do not want for subscribers,
for all our acquaintances take copy. and
in the event of the publication of sensa-
tional article they take two copies-one to
give away. In youth we are apt to do with
pride, what in after years we will look back
upon with sorrow and humiliation. The
very things of which young men boast, old
men repent.
Not moment should be wasted in build
ing the mouolith of character. If we
would have our work perfect; no flaw or
blen,ish, nor evidence of crude workman
ship, we must improve every opportunity
Life is too brief to complete more than one
caution should attend every blow given to
the chisel, that no fractures shall result.
Better to make haste slowly, and strike
forty blows to accomplish our purpose, than
to strike one heavy one and destroy all our
previous work. Michael Angelo could see