The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-06-28
The MISSION OF ART
A Potent Factor in Uplifting the
Human Race.
REV. 7. DEWITT TALMAGE
breaches on the Influence OF
pheasant Pictures In
the Development OF
Christian Char
acter.
REV. I. DEWITT TALMAoE
breaches on the influence Of
acter.


how art may become one of the might
est agencies for the elevation and sal
ra.:on of the human race. The text IS
Isaiah, il, y, l6, The day Of the Lord
of hosts shall be : upon all pi1es-
ant pictures.
Pictures are by some relegated to the
realm Of the trivial, accidental, senti-
mental or worldly, but my text shows
that Cod 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 engravers knife have
sometimes been made subservient to
the kingdom of the bad is frankly ac-
mitted. After the ashes and scorla
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 vuick for evil as pic
lures. The powers of darkness think
they have gained a trump, and they
have when in some respectable parlor or
public art gallery they can hang a can
vas embarrassing, to the good, but fas-
clnating to the evil.
It is not in a spirit Of prudery, but
backed up by God, S 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 picture. were alive
in your parlor and the guests Of your
household. a picture that you have to
hang in somewhat secluded place, or
that in public hall you cannot with
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 stout finger
thrust in on the right side, ripping clear
through to the left. Pliny the el1erlost
his life by going near enough to see the
inside of Vesuvius, and the farther you
can sta2d of 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
pictorials and unbecomipg art galleries.
DespQil mans Imagination, and he be-
comes mere carcass. The show win
dows Of English and American cities,
in which the low theaters have some
times hung long lines of brazen actors
and actresses in style insulting to all
propriety, have made broad path to
death fer multitudes Of people. But so
have all the other arts been at times
suborned of evil. How has music been
bedraggled? Is there any place so low
down in dissoluteness that into it has
not been carried David's harp and Han
del's organ, and Gottschalks piano,
and Ole Bulls violin, and the flute,
which, though named after so insignif-
cant thing as the Sicilian 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 under its arches and across It's
floors, what bacchanalian revelries have
been enacted! 1t is rot against any Of
these arts that they have been so led
into captivity.
What poor world this would be if it
were not for what my text calls pleas
ant pictures I refer to your memory
and mine when l ask if your knowledge
Of the Holy Scriptures has not been
nightly augmented by the woodcuts
or engravings 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 itin my own
case, the other day | took up the oil
family Bible which l Inherited Sure
enough, what l have carried in MY ~ ad
Of Jacobs ladder was exactly the B.ole
engravings Of Jacobs ladder, and so
with Samson carrying off the gates Of
GAIA, Elisha restoring the Shunam-
mites son, the massacre Of the inno-
cents. Christ blessing little children,
the cruci6xion and the last judgment.
My idea Of al these is that of the old
Bible engravings, which I scanned be
fore I could read a word That is true
with nine-tenths Of you. If | could
swing open the door Of your foreheads,
I would find that you are walking pic
ture 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 ii
but little, if they read it at at all, but all
the sacred scenes have been put before
the great masses, and not printer ink,
put the pictorial art, must have the
credit of the achievement. First,
painters pencil for the favored few and
then engraver's plate or woedcut for
millions on millions!
What overwhelming commentary on
the Bible, what reinforcement for pa
triarchs, prophets, apostles and Christ,
what distribution of Scriptural knowl-
edge Of all nations in the paintings and
engravings therefrom of Holman
Hunts Christ In the Temple" Paul
Veronese's ''Magdalen Washing the
Feet Of Christ" Raphaels Michael
the Archangel," Albert Durer's Ora
gon of the Apocalypse" Michael An.
gelo's plague Of the Fiery Serpents,
Tintoretto's Flight into Egypt" Ru-
bens' descent From the Cross, Leo
nardo Da Einci's Last SUPPER"
Claudes "Queen Of Sheba," Bellini's
Madonna, " at Milan; Orcagna's Last
Judgment and hundreds Of miles of
pictures, if they were put in line, illus
trating, displaying, dramatising, irradi-
ating Bible truthf until the Scriptures
are not today so much on paper as on