The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-07-05


of a lumber garret. Great were the trials
OF Quentin Matsys, who toiled on from
blacksmith's anvil till, as painter, he won
wide recognition. The first missionaries to
Mexico made the fatal mistake OF destroy
ing pictures, for the loss Of which art and
religion must ever lament. But why go 80
far back when In this year ofour Lord TO
be painter, except In rare occasions.
means poverty and neglect, poorly fed,
poorly clad, poorly housed, because poorly
appreciated2
When I hear a man Is painter, / have
two feelings-one OF admiration for the
greatness OF his soul and the other OF COM
miseration for the needs OF his body. But
80 it has heen In all departments OF noble
work. Somo OF the mightiest have been
hardly bestead. Oliver Goldsmith had
such a big patch on the coat over his LETT
breast that when he went anywhere ne
kept his hat in his hand closely pressed
over the patch. The world renowned
Bishop Asbury had a salary OF S64 year.
Painters are not the oDly ones who have
endured the lack of appreciation. Let
men OF wealth take under their patronage
the suffering men OF art. They lit no
complaint: they make no strike for higher
wages. But with keenness OF nervous
organization which almost always chafS--
terizes genius these artists suffer more
than any one but God can realize. There
needs be concerted effort for the suffer.
ing artists of America, not sentimental
discourse about what We owe to artists,
but contracts that will give them !tveli-
hood; for am in full sympathy with the
Christian farmer who was very busy
gathering his fall apples, and some one
asked him to pray for poor family, the
father OF whom had broken his leg, and
the busy farmer said: "I cannot stop now
to pray, but you can go down into the
cellar and get some corned beef and butter
and eggs aad potatoes. That is all I can
do now"
Artists may wish for our prayers, but
they also want practical help from men
who can give them work. You have heard
scores OF sermons for all other kinds OF
suffering men and women, but we need
sermons that make pleas for the suffering
men and women OF American art. Theii
work Is nc ore true to nature and life than
some Of the masterpieces that have be-
come immortal on the other side OF the
sea, but 1t Is the fashion Of Americans tc
mention foreign artists and to know little
or nothing about our own Copley and Alls.
ton and Inman and Greenough and Ken.
sett. Let the afluent fling out OF theiI
windows and into the backyard valueless
daubs on canvas and call in these splendid
but unrewarded men and tell them to
adorn your walls, not only with that which
shall please the taste, but enlarge the
minds and improve the morals and save
American cities need great galleries Vt art,
not only open annually for few days on
exhibition, but which shall stand open all
the year round, and from early morning
until 10 O'Clock at night and free to all who
would come and 90.
What q preparation for the wear and
tear OF the daya five minutes look In the
morning at some picture that will open q
door into some larger realm than thnt in
which our population daily drudgel Or
what good thing the half hour OF artistic
opportunity on the way home in the even.
inY from exhaustion that demands recu.
bodyI Who will do for the city where you
live what W. W. Corcoran did for Wash
inSton and what others have done for
Boston and Philadelphia and New York;
Men Of wealth, II you are too modest to
build and endow such place during Your
lifetime, why not so to your iron safe and
take out your last will and testament and
make codicil that shall build for the city
OF your residence throne for American
art? Take some Of that money that
would otherwise spoil your children
and build an art gallery that shall associate
your name forever, not only with great
masters OF painting who are gone, but with
the great masters who are trying to live,
and also win the admiration and love OF
tens OF thousands of people who, unable to
have fine pictures OF their own, would be
advantaged. By your benefactlons build
your own monuments and not leave 1t to
the whims OF others. Some OF the best peo-
pie sleeping in Greenwood have no monu-
ments at all, or some crumbling stones that
in few years will let the rain wash out
name and epitaph, while some men whose
death was the abatement Of O nuisance have
a pile OF Aberdeen granite high enough for
king and euloglum enough to embarrass
q seraph.
Oh, man Of large wealth, instead OF
leaving to the whlm Of others your monu-
mental commemoration and epitaphol-
ogy, to be looked at when people are going
to and fro at the burial OF others, build
right down in the heart OF our great city,
or the city where you live, an immense
free reading room or free musical con-
servatory or q free art gallery, the inches
10 r sculpture abloom with the rise and fall
Of nations and lessons Of courage for the
disheartened and rest for the weary and
life for the dead, and $50 years from now
you will be WELDING Influences in. this
world for good. How much better than
white marble, that chills you II you put
your hand on 1t when you touch 1t In the
cemetery, would be a monument In colors,
in beaming eyes, In living possession, In
splendors which under the chandelier
would be glowing and warm and
looked at by strolling groups with cata-
logue in hand, on the January night when
the metropolis where the body sleeps Is all
showed under! The tower OF David was
hung with 1000 dented shields OF battle,
but you, oh man OF wealth, may have q
grander tower named after you. one that
shall be hung not with the symbols OF car
mage, but with the victories OF that srt
which was 80 long ago recognized In my
text as pleasant pictures" Oh, the power
OF pictures! I cannot deride, as some have
done. Cardinal Mazarin, who, when told
that he must die, took his last walk
through the art gallery Of his palace, say
Ing: Must quit all this? Look at that
Titan! Look at that Correggiol Look at
that deluge OF Caraccil Farewell, dear
pictures!"
As the day OF the Lord Of Hosts, accord
ing to this text, will scrutinize the pic
lures, implore all parents to see that In
their households they have neitherin book
nor newspaper nor on canvas anything
that will depraye. Pictures are no longer
the exclusive possession OF the ahiuent.
There is not respectable home In these
cities that has not specimens OF woodcut
or steel engraving, II not OF painting, and
your whole family will feel the moral up.
lifting or depression.
CURES At A CAMP MEETING.