River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-01-20
School Room Decoration.

uC IUOluh III Which, a IudJOI par VI
our young people spend from six ia
eight hours a day for 50 many years Of
their lives,-at a time when they are
! most easily impressed, and are ayowed-
ly there for the purpose of self culture
should certainly be made as beauti-
full as possible. Containing, every
one, some good and beautiful work Of
art to rest the weary eye from the
miles of black useful but
hideous-and the walls and ceiling
made pleasant and restful by some
pleasing tints, Of color instead Of
| glaring white or i'll colored paper. A
large element in ones culture is a
knowledge Of and a love for that
which is beautiful both in art and
nature. An education which does
not fit one for an appreciation Of the
great works of art is certainly a very
one-sided education.
a person who knew nothing of the
masterpieces Of Literature would
never be considered a person Of cul-
ture AS clearly-among people of
real culture-is a lack of knowledge
concerning the masterpieces Of
sculpture, painting and architecture,
considered sign Of ignorance.
Situated as we are, remote from the
great centers Of art, there is but one
| way to become familiar with those
masterpieces and that way should
not be neglected. This is an age of
cheap and rapid reproduction of all
printed matter. | need not tell you
| that however remote from the great
centers of culture, no one need be
| without books if he cares for them.
Aswith the masterpieces Of literature,
so should it be and so might it be
with the masterpieces of art, did we
all realize that good reproductions Of
Of all famous works Of painting
sculpture, and architecture, as well
| rs of the beautiful scenery of all parts
Of the earth-are nearly as cheap and
as easily obtained as are books. We
nave but to desire these things as
earnestly as we desire the other good
things Of this life, and set about
getting them with good zeal and
Judgment. and we may have them.
We can not have the masterpieces
themselves-I doubt If all the gold Of
Alaska would buy from the French
government her statue of Venus de
Milo, or from the English govern
ment her gallery Of the paintings of
Turner-but we can, for very small
sum, obtain a good cast of the one
and excellent photographs of the
| other: making ourselves familiar with
their beauty and the happier for
knowing them.
The greatest care should be eXercis-
ed in the selection of both books and
pictures. There is a great mass Of
literature that is absolutely harmfIli
especially to the young reader; there
IS another great mass that, while in
nocent enough in itself is Of no use
and serves but to pass the time and
weaken the intellect of its readers;
but to Offset this there is more than
any one could possibly read and digest
in a long life Of reading, Of that which
has been tested and found Of much
worth.
So is it with pictures-there are
many pictures that are bad from a
moral standpoint; there arc more
that are simply i'll drawn and weak
md meaningless. Not actively harm
full except as they serve to yitiate the
taste for the good and strong, but
most pernicious in that way.
To offset their influence we have the
product Of over three thousand years
Of the work OF great masters-tested
md approved by the admiration OF
the cultured Of all ages And all this
worth and beauty may be ours to en-
joy with but comparatively little eX-
pense or trouble.
| Were our school rooms stored with
| these as with books, our young people
need not be more ignorant of the one
than of the other. Were they familiar
with good works of art, it would be
but a short time before there would
| he on the walls of each home, some
rood engraving or other reproduction
| Of the works Of really great masters.
Such movement as this, through
out our land, would in two or three
generations. transform this crude
nation Vigorous and mighty, but for
great part ignorant Of real art) into
an ant loving, art producing nation,
taking its place among the cultured
nations of the earth.
The ladies of the Tuesday Club
well known to the readers of this
paper-are at present considering
this matter, thinking that now when
the community is more than usually
interested in school building and
school furnishing. is a good time to
make move in this direction, hoping
| to rouse such a sentiment in the
people of River Falls and vicinity
that our school rooms, both those we
have and those we hope to have, may
become sources of pleasure, pride and
culture in art as in literature, not
only to those who attend but TO every
one however remotely connected with
them. This can only be done by the
action Of those interested in the
schools. 1t would be useless, at
present. to ask for public funds for
| this purpose. If we do anything it
must be through our own exertions.
| At the request of these ladies l have
written this article, hoping to inter
est your readers in their efforts. and
to induce other organizations to go
on with the good work.
We should consider t. matter
carefully, that what we do may be
we'll done, so that, whether our ex,
penditure be much or little, it may
be for something worth having, some
thing without shadow of doubt, of art
value not only to us but to all behold.
ers. CARRIE THAYER PARDEE.
Hrs. Beilor after two years Blind
uoSS GceS Adatr