The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-06-23

| treated and humih
| of the eighteenth c.
were lowered clear down -vy~- of the
sublimity of their art and obliged to
give accounts of what they did, with
| their colors.
The oldest picture in England, por-
trait of Chaucer, though now of great
| value, was picked out of a lumber gar
ret. Great were the trials of Quentin
Matsys, who toiled on from black
| smiths anvil till, as d painter, he won
wide recognition. The first mission
aries to Mexico made the fatal mistake
of destroying pictures, for the loss of
which art and religion must ever la
ment. But why go, so far back when in
this year of our Lord to be a painter, ex-
cept in rare exceptions, means poverty
and neglect, poorly fed, poorly clad,
poorly housed, because poorly appre-
ciated? When hear a man is painter,
[ have two feeliIngs-one of admiration
for the greatness of his soul, and the
other of commi seration for the needs of
his body. But SO it has been in all de-
partments of noble work. Some of the
Oliver Goldsmith had such big patch
on his coat over the left breast that
when he went anywhere he kept his hat
in his hand closely pressed over the
patch Inc world renowned Bishop
Asbury had salary of $54 a year.
PAINTERS are not the only ones who have
endured the lack Of appreciation. Let
men OF wealth take under their patron
age the sunerlng plen of art. They lift
no complaint; they make no strike for
higher wages. But with a keenness of
nervous organization which almost al
ways characterlZes genius these artists
suffer more thah anyone but God can
realize.
Ihere needs 10 be concerted effort for
the suffering artist of America, not SEN
tlmental discourse about what we owe
TO artsts' put Contracts that will give
them livelihood; for | am in full sym
pathy with the Christian farmer who
was very pusy Gathering his fall apples
and some one asked him to pray for a
poor family, the father of which had
broken his leg, and the busy farmer
said: 81 cannot stop now to prav. but
y Oo Noh 81 oO"A INTO the cellar ana get
some corned oeei and butter and eggs
and potatoes; that is all [ can do now
Artists may wlsh 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 Amer |
lean art. Their work is more true to |
nature and lie than some of the mas
terFSffeeSs that have become immortal !
on the other side of the sea, but it is the !
fashion of Americans to mention foreign !
artists and to know little or nothing !
about our own Copley and Allston and |
Inman and Greenough and Kensett. !
Let the affiuent fling out of their win /
dows and into the back yard valueless
daubs on canvas and call in these splen-
did but unrewarded men and tell them
to adorn your walls not only with that
which shall please the taste, but en-
large the minds and improve the morals
and save the souls of those who gaze
upon them. All American cities need
great galleries of art, not only open an
nually for few days on exhibition, but
which shall stand open all the year
round, and from early morning until
ten o'clock at night. aud free to all who
would come and go.