The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-06-23
THE MISSION OF ART.
A Potent Factor in Uplifting the
Human Race.
Or. TnlmsEe breaches on the Inuu-
ehce OF "PIeRsnnt Pictures" In
the Development of Chris
tInn Character.
lcopyriRht, 1899, by Louis Klopsch.l

2
and salvation of the human race. The
text is Isaiah 2:l2-l6: The day of the
Lord Of Hosts shall be upon
all pleasant pictures"
Pictures are by some RELOCATED TO the
realm of the trivial, accidental, senti-
mental or worldly, but my text shows
that God scrutinizes pictures, and
whether they are good or bad, whether
used for right or wrong purposes, is
matter of Divine observation and ar
raignment. The divine mission of pic
lures is my subject. That the artists
pencil and the engraver's knife have
sometimes been made subservient to
the kingdom of the bad is frankly adj
mitted. After the ashes and scoria
were removed from Herculaneum and
pompeii the walls of those cities dis
covered to the explorers degradation
in art which cannot be exaggerated.
Satan and all his imps have always
wanted the lingering of the easel. They
would rather have possession Of that
than the art OF printing, for types are
not so potent and quick for evil as pic
lures. The powers of darkness think
they have gained triumph, and they
have when in some respectable parlur
or public art gallery they can hang a
canvas embarrassing to the good, but
fascinating 20 the evil.
1t is not in spirit of prudery, but
backed up by Gods eternal truth, when
say that you have no right to hang in
your art rooms or your dwelling houses
| that which would be offensive to good
| people If the figures pictured were alive
| in your parlor and the guests of your
| household. 4 picture that you have to
| hang in a somewhat secluded place, or
that in public hail you cannot with a
| group OF friends deliberately stand be-
| fore and discuss, ought TO have knife
stabbed into it at the top and cut clear
/ through to the bottom and a stout fin.
/ ger thrust in on the right side, ripping
/ clear through to the left. Pliny the
/ elder lost his life by going near enough
/ 20 see the inside Of Nesuvius, and the
/ farther you can stand off from the
/ burning crater Of sin the better. Never
/ till the books of the last day are opened
| shall we know what has been the dire
/ harvest of evil pctorials and uuhccom-
| ing art galleries. Despoil mans i'm
/ ugnatiou. and he becomes "a mere car
| cass. The show windows Of English
/ and American cities. in which the low
/ thcators have sometimes hung long
/ lines Of braIen actors and actresses in
style insulting to all propriety, have
/ made broad path to death for multi
/ tuGes OF people. But SO have all the
| other arts been at times suburncd Of
/ evil. How has music been bodragg,cd?
| is there any place SO low down in dis
soluteuess that into it has not been car
ried Dayid's harp, and HandeIs organ,
and Gottschalk's piano, and Ole Bulls
violin. and the flute, which, though
named after so insignificant a thing as
the Scilian eel, which has seven spots
on the side, like flute holes, yet for
thousands of years has had an exalted
mission Architecture, born in the
heart of Him who made the worlds, un-
der its arches and across its floors, what
bacchanalan revelries have been en-
acted. II is not against any of these
arts that they have been SO led into
captivity!
Win, poor world this would be if il
were not for what my text calls pleas
ant pictures." ! refer to your memory
and mine when ask If your knowledge
Of the Holy Scriptures has not been
nightly augmented 10y the wood cuts
or eugrayings in the old family Bible
which father and mother read out OF
and laid on the table in the old home
stead when you were boys and girls.
The Bible scenes which we all carry in
our minds were not got from the Bible
typology, but from the Bible pictures.
TO prove the truth of it in my own case,
the other day took up the old family
Bible which inherited. Sure enough,
what | have carried in my mind Of Ja-
cob's ladder was exactly the Bible en-
cravings of Jacobs ladder, and so with
Samson carrying oil the gates of GAIA,
Elisha restoring the Shuuammite' S
the massacre of the iuuoceuts, Christ
blessing little children, the crucifXion
and the last judgment. My idea of all
these is that of the old Bible engray-
ugs, which | scanned before | could
read a word. That is true with nine
! lcnluS OF you, II COulN swung open
the door of your foreheads, would find
that you are walking picture galleries.
The great intelligence abroad about the
Bible did not come from the general
reading of the book, for the majority
of the people read il but httle, if they
read ii at all, but all the sacred scenes
have been put before the great masses,
and not printers ink, but the pictorial
art, must have tho credit Of the achieve
ment. First, painters pencil Tor the
favored few and then engraver's plate
or wood cut for millions on millions!
What overwhelming commentary on
the Bible, what reinforcement for pa
trarchs, prophets, apostles and Christ
what distribution of Scriptural knowl'
edge Of all nations in the paintings and
eugravings therefrom of Holman
Hunts Christ in the Temple Pau
Neronese's "Magdalen Washing the
Feet Of Christ" Raphael's Michael the