Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-30

ana DullJ an art gallery tnat Snail as
sociate your name forever, not only
with tn. great masters of painting.
who are gone, but with the great mas
tiers 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 benefactions
build your own monuments and not
leave it to the within of others. Some
OF the best people sleeping in Green
wood have no monuments 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 a nuisance
have pile of Aberdeen granite high
enough for a king, and eulogium
enough to embarrass a seraph. Oh.
man of large wealth, instead of leav-
ing to the whim of others your monu-
mental commemoration and epltaphol-
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
an immense free reading-room, or
free musical conservatory, or free
art gallery, the inches for sculpture
and the walls 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 one
hundred and fifty years from now you
will be welding influences in this
world for good. How much better than
white marble, that chills you il you
put your hand on it when you touch it
in the cemetery, would be a monu-
ment in colOrs, in beaming eyes, in
living possession, in splendOrs which
under the chandelier would re glowing
and warm, and looked at by strolling
groups with catalogue in hand, on the
January night when the metropolis
where the body sleeps Is all showed
under! The tower of David was hung
with one thousand denied shields of
battle; but you, oh man of wealth, may
have a grander tower named after you
one that shall be hung, not with the
symbols of carnage, but with the vic
tories of that art which was so long
ago recognized in my text as pleas
ant pictures" Oh, the power of pic
lures! l 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. saying, Must l quit all this?
Look at that Titan! Look at that Cor
reggie! Look at that deluge o. Car
acct! Farewell, dear pictures!"
AS the day of the Lord of hosts, &C
cording to this text, will scrutinize the
pictures, | implore all parents TO see
that in their households they have nei-
Their in book or newspaper or on canvas
anything that will deprave Pictures
are no longer the exclusive possession
of the afiiuent There is not q respec-
table home in these cities that has not
specimens of wood cut or steel engrav-
ing. IL not of painting, and your whole
family will feel the moral uplifting or
depression. Have nothing on your
the young with scenes of cruelty and
wassail; have only those sketches made
by artists In elevated moods, and mono
Of those scenes that seem the product
Of artistic delirium treInens. Pictures
are not only strong but a universal
language. The human race is divided
into almost as many languages as are
nations, but the pictures may speak to
people Of all tongues. Volapuk many
have hoped, with little reason. would
become a worldwide language; but the
pictorial is always a worldwide Ian
guage. and printers types have no
emphasis compared with it. We say
that children are fond of pictures; but
notice any man, when he takes up a
book, 'and you will sec that the first
thing he looks at is the pictures. Have
only those in your house that appeal to
the better nature. One engraving has
sometimes decided an eternal destiny.
Under the title of fine arts there have
come from France class of pictures
which elaborate argument has tried to
prove irreproachable. They would
disgrace bar-room, and they need to
be confiscated. Your children will car
ry pictures of their fathers house with
them clear on to the grave, and, pass
ing that marble pillar, will take them
through eternity.