The times., 1899-10-01

all important direction. To be sure the size
is limited to the 12x7 inches Of the
magazine page, but anyone who has seen
Messonier's Napoleon" at the Metropoli-
tan Museum in New York and is also fa-
miliar with his smaller masterpieces will
realize that size counts for little where a
question of good art is involved.
'Scribners Magazine''-afterwa the
Century entering the field, began at
once to make its illustrations matter of
the first importance. The best artists to
be had, without regard to their prominence
in the art world, We're employed. Able
young fellows of marked ability returning
penniless from Paris, where they had stud
led away all their savings. found plenty of
welcome orders awaiting them at the Office
OF the Century" In Mr.. Drake and Mr.
Fraser, whose judgment alone was final
on all art questions, these young progress
sive men found devoted friends and gen.
erous patrons. The "Centurys" art of this
period was conspicuously in advance of
that exhibited on the Academy walls and
in the galleries of the dealers. This high
art movement, born in the Century Of
fce, was wide-reaching and educational in
the best sense.
The Public Recame Critical.
The public soon ceased to regard this
advanced art as a vagary, and when the
people did accept it they did so heartily
and became both intelligent and critical.
This lead of the Century Magazine was
followed by a tremendous revival of in
terest in art. The Society of American
Artists, many of whose members were
Century men, was organized, and in the
years that followed became the most ad-
yanced of all the art institutions, and
would have annihiliated the grand old
Academy with all its great names and fine
traditions. That venerable body. seeing its
prestige in danger, elected to its member
ship the stronger members of "the Socie-
ty, thus disarming its active and prog
ressive rival.
The Harpers, too, benefited by this
Century" movement, and at one stroke
became quite as high class in the mat
ter Of art as the Century"
Perhaps to no man do so many of the ar
lists of America owe as much as to
Charles Parsons, who, for nearly fifty
years, has managed the pictorial depart
ment of Harper G. Brothers. He is al
ways patient, kindly and encouraging TO all
who come with pictures or sketches to
submit for publication or for orders HON.
er, Sheppard, Abbey, Pyle Reimhart.
famous artists are largely indebted to him
for the prominent place they occupy in the
art world today.
The recent return of the Scribner name
in the magazine field is not a revival as
many suppose, of the old "Scribner's, .
which is now the Century" but the crea-
tion of an entirely new, and worthy rival
of the two older magazines.
AS to the relative merits of these three
great monthlies, / must admit that have
my favorite- / buy it at the newsstand
regularly Just so soon after ii appears as
possible. ! presume there is many another
painter who does the same thing and he is
as likely TO buy one of the other two as he
is TO buy the one / prefer. ! would not
think OF saying here which one of the mag
azines is my favorite, for I know that,
coldly considered, no one can tell from
month to month which of the three will
offer the choicest selection of high class
art. JAMES HENRY MOSER.