The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-16

like the organist whom the cowboy was
inclined to cover with his six shooter,
are probably doing their best. II any
so-called painter is honestly desirous OF
knowing the capacities of the art, let
him go TO Bruges, 1t is only half an
hour from Ostend, Then let him ask
and find his way to the hospital Of st.
Jean; then let him pay franc TO be ad-
mltted to the small room called the mu-
scum; then let him sit down by the
hour in front Of st, Ursula's shrine and
look with all his eyes till he wants to go
home, fall ON his knees and ask Almigh-
ty God for having ever presumed to call
himself a painter
Modern criticism has exploded the
dear old story that Memling, wounded
at the battle of Nancy, was taken to
the hospital, and when well painted the
lovely pictures in the museum as
thanksgiving offerings There Is such
gentle sentiment through and through
the perfect ternique, and the most salts
factory grouping, that 1t seems as If
some blessed Christian grace must have
prompted the work. How naturally
comes the question:: 'FWhy can't they
w ~ iiOW w ~ Sdll eiIlo Wei lllG SIM
pie question coming so spontaneously
from a perfectly fresh and innocent I'M
Outstanding. Taine tried to answer 1t
and failed What is the use in trying
to answer 1t? The fact is patent
Painting as an art Is dead. 1t fingers
as a decoration. An art to be alive
must have national impulses of religion
or of patriotism back OF it. To justify,
nowadays, the necessary devotion in
time to mere technique would put the
value OF such painting as Memling's up
towards the millions. Howsmany aspi-
rants can afford to give the ten years
to acquire facility in handling pencils,
pigments and brushes? 1t seems to
pay in music to devote full time to the
required drudgery. But in the plastic
arts remuneration Is comparatively so
small that only slip-shod works are Of
fered. Even the French can no longer
afford to follow the examples of their
great masters and are trying to deceive
the world into believing that the lazy
and hasty daubs and the accidental re-
suits Of the so-called impressiontst
school are works Of the genius that can
dispense with labor. But--"Do come
etliIt 4OOh dJ lilCSG lIQuAS.E wv lily There
are quite lot of them to be sure. do
you suppose they all belong to one per-
SOM" Oh my! And what Is one to
answer? The natural man would say:
What nonsensel For heavens sake
don't interrupt my philosophical inquir-
les with such ridiculous questions
But the Prospect FILL man is thor
oughly domesticated and tanned animal,
So he meekly replies: 'It is rather diff
ficult to answer off-hand a question so
well put. They are all marked alike.
But could that not be only for easy
identification? Don't you, from your
point of view, think that large trunk
over there must be a lady's trunk?
And then there are two hat boxes. One
man would scarcely travel with two
hat boxes" This you state positively
| from your mans point of view "I'll
tell you what we will do We win walt
| till dinner time and then see what new
haps We can parade them and their
trunks off together That will be very
nice. Won't it?"
That's the way to do it. Your interlo-
cutor turns away pleased and self-con-
tent. The dinner hour Is passed calm
ly. The sun sets and rises in. peace
Now for Paris. It's the very worst
| part of the year for hot and stuffy Par
| is But there are minds to which tn
cool sands of Ostend, the marvels of
Rembrandt and even the mountains of
Switzerland are nothing in comparison
with the shops Of the Rue de la Paix.
PERIANDER.