The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-22
By BOAT 10 GREAT FALLS
The Nest Picturesque Short Journey
About Washington.


Restrictions Of the Tile Club-Thei
Canal Boat Trip-Magaaine Article
and Illustrations Then and Now
Varied ana Attractive Scenery
An Ideal sunday school Picnic
Tho older painters will recollect the stil
created twenty years ngo when F. Hopkin
son Smiths serial story first appeared II
The Century Magazine" 1t was Serb
ner's Monthly then. Those were TIT
! palmy days Of the illustrator. Wood en-
craving was an honorable and nourishins
are. The halftone was undreamet
Of and the craze for universal
illustration had not yet arrived
One anticipated with real deligh,
in these days the coming Of the illustrated
magazines. Now it is q task to turn over
the pages of them all. and the average Of
their art is so good one dare not complain
Immeasureably better cs some Of the re-
cent magazine art is than that OF two
decades ago. one still rarely comes upon
those inspiring surprises like the Tile
quently. The Pyle and Pennell pictures
and the Abbey and Reinhart sketches In
terested all readers and created q host Of
new ones. Magazine art is better. IN
doubtedly, today, but 1t is less human,
| sympathetic, and appealing than 1t was
| early in the eighties. People did not af-
feet a liking for magazine art. It was
real and spontaneous, and no elaborate
art education was necessary to its proper
understanding. Magazine readers did not
| praise the pictures because it was the
thing TO DO. but because they compre-
henied and enjoyed them. Both subject
| matter and Illustrations were new and
| popular. Today this same straw Is threshed
over, often by ADLER craftsmen, but the
audience refuses to be analytical, and the
| superiority of the designs and craftsman
ship is passed by to be appreciated and ac>
| cepted at its true value by artists and stu
dents only.
| Where an attempt to be original is made
| today vague, mysterious things are pro-
| duced which are too often over the heads
Ct all but the most highly educated and
| progressive readers. and even their pleas
| ure is of a formal sort, lacking that en-
|, thusiastic enjoyment which artist and lay.
man alike found in earlier productions.
| This Is true of the illustrations only. AS
| to the text there can be no question but
| that-the artistic and literary quality is
distinctly better and in every way equal
| to II not finer than that Of the period men
toned.
1t is probably no ones fault. The editors
are reaching hard pan, and are put to their
wits end to find material which will re-
vive this old time enthusiasm. They sigh
for new men who will attract the attention
/, Abbey, Gibson, Smith, Pyle. and some
others did when they made famous hits in
the magazines with pen and pencil
To return to the Tile Club How
eagerly each monthly installment was
looked for, and how the slow journey OF
those jolly bohemians by canal, THE Tile
Club at Play" and 1.-THE Tile Club at
Work." we're looked for from month to
month, their canal boat converted into a
luxurious floating studio. Their comical
nicknames, the sketches. and the fun they
made is a matter Of history-no less SO
than Colonel Strothers with his port cray
on sketches of carriage trip through the
Virginia mountains. This charming writer
and sketch artist was, by the way, the
original pioneer artist-author.
What a coed time they had! Sketching
along the Erie Canal stopping at villages.
and entertaining the natives. WI, mar
veled at their floating palace. On. visitor
remarked of thousand dollar water color
by Boldini, which some rich brush man had
loaned to decorate the studio: TOO lovely,
and its just like Mamie So and So paints
on fans"
/ imagine the look that passed, from one
Tiler to another. But they got even when
one Of the Tilers exhibited huge tiger
skin rug upon the floor OF the cabin as
evidence of his prowess in Ann Street.
On recent canal boat trip to Great
Falls these memories OF Tile Club days
were brought wildly to mind When first
read the charming story those jolly artists
seemed to be living in Paradise, and 1t
was the height Of my boyish ambition to
meet one Of them face to face. Years af
terward when became member Of the
Salmagundi Club in New York. met most
OF them, and numbered some Of the
Tiers among my personal friends, /
dwelt for time in my castle in SPAIN"
1t was the outing Of local Sunday school,
happy, orderly lot Of people. mostly chill
dren, with everybody interested in making
them have good time.
The genial captain, family man Of the
finest American type. appreciated the sit
uation evidently. for / overheard him say
to the crew: I've followed the canal for
forty years. / know its ways, but II I hear |
q cuss word from one of you men he gets |
called down right there. These folks amt |
like some Of them we take up to the Falls |
Sundays. These people keep Sunday and |
1 respect 'sm. They're not going to hear |
any tough talk on my boat today And |
they did not, The crew were all that could |
be desired. and seemed to delight In the |
wholesome merriment and particularly in |
the patriotic songs that enlivened the |
trip
The boat, double decker, was amply |
provided with seats and an awning-she |
was loaded to the gunwales, and locked as
p-heavy as a tallyho, but, nevertheless,
sat as safely and gracefully upon tho
still waters as white swan In st. James
Park. The start was made at $3.50 a. m.
from the Aqueduct Bridge, Georgetown,
Three lusty mules with bells whose merry
jingle gave a Spanish atmosphere to the
trip, furnished the motive power. The
ten-year-old son mounted on the
forward mule and drove for time to the
envy and delight OF the children hanging
over the rail. At Cabin John some be-
lated ones came aboard. To this point
they had come by trolley car, leaving town
an hour later. At "Seven Locks" most
picturesque point, q mile and half above
the bridge, the youngsters swarmed out on
the tow path like bees from hive. Here
are seven locks in a mile limit, end an
opportunity was given for those who
wished to stroll along the banks gather
lowers and pick blackberries. At this
point the canal leaves the rock ribbed
valley which the river makes for the first
seven miles above the city, and enters
INTO an open, broad, pastoral country. The
longest stretch without lock between
and the Falls is known a.
The Four-mile Level" Approaching the
Falls the canal wfdens out into almosts
n tvrA a 49, i