The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-19

skater, gradually came to apprsciste ~
much that which be accomplished by his
hand 40 by his heel Poussin, ths mighty
painter, was pursued and had nothing
with which to defend himself against the
mob but the artists portfolio, which he
held over bis head to keep Of the stones
hurled at him. The pictures Of Richard
Wilson Of England we're sold for fabu.
lous sums Of money after his dsath, but
tho living painter was glad to get for his
"Aicyons" q piece Of Stilton cheese.
From 1910 to 1913 there were 1890 pic.
lures willfully destroyed. In the reign Of
Queen Elizabeth It was the habit Of
some people to spend much Of their time
In knocking pictures to pieces. In the
reign Of Charles It was ordered by par
Lament that all pictures Of Christ be
burned. Painters were 70 badly treated
and Inundated in the beginning Of the
eighteenth century that they were low
cred clear down out of the subllmity of
their art and obliged to give accounts of
what they did with their colors.
The Oldest picture in England, a pcr-
trait of Chaucer, though now Of great
value, was picked out Of lumber garnet.
Great were the trials Of Quentin Matsys,
who toiied on from blaeksmith's anvil till,
10 painter, he won wide recognition.
The first missionaries to Mexico made
the fatal mistake Of destroying pictures,
for the loss of which art and religion
must ever lament. But why 60 80 far
back when in this year of our Lord to be
painter, except In rareexceptions, means
poverty and neglect, poorly fed, poorly
clad, poorly housed, because poorly ap-
preeiated7 When hear man is paint
err, I have two feelings-one Of admire.
ton for the greatness Of his soul, and
/ the other Of commiseration for the needs
Of his body. But 80 1t has been In all de-
partments Of noble work. Some Of the
mightiest have been hardly bestead. OIL
yer Goldsmith had such big patch on
the cost over his left breast that when he
went anywhere he kept his hat in bis
hand closely pressed over the patch The
world renowned Bishop Asbury had
salary Of 364 year. Painters are not
the only ones who have endured the lack
Of appreciation. Let men Of wealth take
under their patronage the suffering men
Of art. They lift no complaint; they
make no strike for higher wages. But
with a keenness Of nervous organization
which almost always characterizes genius
these artists suffer more than any one
but God can realize.
Encouragement Of Artists.
There needs to be concerted effort
for the suffering artists Of America,
not sentimental discourse about what
we owe to artists, but contracts that
will give them a livelihood; 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
which had broken his leg, and the busy
farmer said: X cannot stop now to pray,
but you can 60 down into the cellar
and get some corned beef and butter and
eggs and potatoes; that Is all can do
now" Artists may wish for our pray
ers, 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 wo-
men, but we need sermons that make
pleas for the suffering men and women
of American art. Their work is more
true to nature and life than some Of
the masterpieces that have become i'm
mortal on the other side Of the sea,
but 1t IL the fashion Of Americans to
mention foreign artists and to know
little or nothing about our own Copley
and Aliston aud Inman and Greenough
and Kensett. Lot the af1uent fling out
of their windows and into the back yard
valueiess daubs on canvas and call In
these splendid but ulMewarded men and
tell them to adorn yonr walls not only
with that which shall please the taste,
but enlarge tho minds and improve the
morals and save the souls Of those who
gaze upon them. ALI American cities
need great galleries OF art, not only
open annually for few days on exhi.
bition, but which shall stand open all
the year round, and from early morn
ing until 10 o'clock at night, and free to
all who would come and go.
What preparation for the wear and
tear Of the day Eve minutes look IN
the morning at some picture that Will
open door into some larger realm than
that In which our population daily
drudges. Or what good thing the half
hour of artistic opportunity Oh the way
home In the evening from exhaustion
that demands recuperation for mind and
soul as well as bodyl Who will do for
the city where you live what ". ~,
Corcoran did for Washington and what
others have done for Philadelphia and
Boston and New York? Men Of wealth,
II you are too modest to build and sndow
such place during your lifetime, why
not 20 to your iron safe and take out
sour last will and testament and make a
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 the
great masters Of painting who, are gone,
but with the great masters who are try
ing 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 whim Of others.
Some Of the best people sleeping In
Greenwood have no monuments at all
or some crumbAns stones that in few
years will lat the rain wash out name
and epitaph, while some men, whose
death was the abatement Of nuisance,
have a pile Of Aberdeen granite high
enough fox a king and eulosfes enough to
embarrass a seraph. Oh, man of large
wealth, instead Of leaving to the whim Of
others your monumental commsmoration
and epitaphology, to be looked at when
people are going to and fro at the burial
Of others, build right down in the heart
of our crest city, or the city where you
live an immense free reading room, or
free musical conservatory, of 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 $50 years from
now you will be welding influences In
this world for good. How much better
than white marble, that chills you If you
put your hand on 1t when you touch II
10 the cemetery, would be monument In
colors, in beaming eyes, in living posses
sion, In splendors which under the chan
delier would be glowing and warm, and
looked at by strolliug groups with cata'
logue In hand on the January night
when the metropolis where the body
sleeps Is all showed underl
Power of Pictures.
The tower Of David was hung with
1 mn dautad obinldu ~ hoSxJa. hat vou