The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-30

leaving to the whim OF others your
monumental commemoration n epi-
~taphoiogy, TO be hooked at when people
are going to and fro at the burial OF
OF u great city, or the city where you
live, an immense free reading room or
a free musical conservatory or a free
art gallery, the inches for sculpture
and the walls aDloom with the rise and
fail of nations and lessons Of courage
for the d~isheartened and res for the
weary and life for the dead, and $50
from now you VIII be welding
influences in this world for good. How
much better than white marble, that
chills you if you put your hand on IL
when you touch IL in h cemetery,
would be a monument in colors, in
beaming eyes, in living possession, in
splendors which under the chandelier
would be glowing and warm and Took
ed at by ~strolling groups with cata-
logue in hand, on the January night
when the metropolis where he body
sleeps is all showed underi The tower
of David was hung with 1000 dented
shields OF battle, but, you, oh man Of
wealth, may have d grander tower
named after you one that shall be
hung not with h symbols Of carnage,
but with h victories of that art
which was SO long ago recognized in
my text as pleasant pictures" Oh,
the power O1 pictures! L cannot de-
ride, as some have done, Cardinal Ma
Zarin, who, when told that he must die,
took his last walk through the art GAL
lery of his palace, saying: Must I quit
all this? Look at that Titan! Look
at that Correggio! Look at tina del
uge of Caracci, Farewell, dear pic
tures.'
A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.
As the day of the Lord of Hosts, ac-
cOrding to this text, will sc%rutiniZe the
pictures, 1 implore all parents to see
that in their households they hav
neither in book nor newspaper nor on
canvas anything that will deprave.
Pictures are no longer the exclusive
possession of the affiuent. There is
a respectable home in these cities
that has not specimens of Woodcut or
and your whole family will feel the
moral uplifting or depression. Have
nothing on your wall or in books that
will familiariZe the young with scenes
of cruelty and wassail. lave only
those sketches made by artists in ele-
waited moods n none Of those scenes
that seem the product OF artistic de-
lirium tremens Pictures are not only
a strong but a universal language.
The human race is divided into almost
as many languages as there are ma
tions, but the pictures may speak to
people of all tongues. Volapuk many
ave hoped, with little reason, would
become a worldwide language. But
the pictorial is always a worldwide
language, n 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 see hat the first
thing that he looks at is the pictures.
Have only those in your house that ap-
peal to the better nature. One en-
craving has sometimes decided an
eternal destiny. Under the title of
fine arts there have come here from
france a class of pictures which
elaborate argument has tried to prove
irreproachable. They would disgrace
a barroom and they need to, be confis-
Gated. You children will carry the
pictures Of their fathers house with
them clear to the grave, and, pass
ing that marble pillar, will take them
through eternity!
Furthermore, let all reformers, and
all Sabbath school teachers and all
Christian workers realize that, if thew
would be effective for good, they must
make pictures, if not by chalk on
blackboards, or kindergarten desings
or by pencil on anvaS then by words.
Arguments are soon forgotten, but pic
lures, whether in language or in colors,
are what produce strongest effects.
( . "o0 . lClllllS I1d d. lIllIlS
was like, and his sermon on the mount
was a great picture gallery, beginning
with a sketch of a "city on a hill that
cannot be hid" and ending with a
tempest beating against two houses,
one on the rock and the other on the
sand. The parable of the prodigal son,
a picture; parable of the sower who
went forth to SOW, a picture; parable
of the unmerciful servant, a picture:
parable of the ten virgins, a picture;
parable of the talents, a picture. The
world wants pictures, and the appe-
tite begins with the child, who con-
sents ito go early to bed, if the mother
Will sit beside him, and rehearse a sto-
ry, which is only a picture. When we
see o much has been accomplished
in secular directions by pictures
Shakespeare'S tragedies, a picture; Vic
tor Hugo's writings, all pictures; John
Ruskin's and Tennyson'S and Longfel-
lows works, all pictures-why not en-
list as far as possible for our churches
and schools n reformatory work and
~eVangelistic endeavor, the power of
thought that can be put into word pic
lures, if not pictures in color? Yea,
why not all young men draw for them
selves on paper with pen or pencil their
coming career of virtue if they prefer
that, of vice if they prefer that. After
making the picture put it on the wall
or paste it on h fly leaf of some favor
lite book that you may have it before
you.
I read of a man who had been exc
cuted for murder, and the jai1or found
afterward a picture made on the wall
Of the call by the a~ssassin's own hand,
a picture Of a flight of stairs. On the
lowest step he had written: "Disobe-
dience to parents" on the second,
Sabbath breaking;" on the third,
drunkenness and gambling" on the
fourth, murder" and on the fifth and
top step, "a gallows," If that man had
made that picture before he took the
first step, he never would nave taken
any Of them! Oh, man, make another
picture, a bright picture, an evangelic-
al picture and I will help you make it!
I suggest six steps for this flight Of
stairs. On the first step write the
words, "a nature changed by the Holy
Ghost and washed in the blood of the
lamb" on the second step, Industry
and good companionship;" on the third
step, "a Christian home with a family
altar" on the fourth step, Ever wild
ening usefulness" on the fifth step, "a
glorious departure from this world"
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