The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-04-17

themselves up for lost, in the violence Of
a storm. took them safely to shore; of the
man who When the mob threatened him,
faced it unhinchingly, demanding that he
who was without sin should cast the first
stone: of the man who, alone and with
out human aid, drove the money chang
ers from the temple to the street; of the
man who, facing a starving multitude,
compelled it to silence and to patience
until the hungry could be fed; Of the
man. Who in the humility that is engend-
cred by strength of mind and power Of
physique, could forgive Peter for his
treachery, and of the man who possessed
the fortitude, the courage and the muscle
to bear the rude cross from the place of
condemnation to the place of execution.
He had studied carefully every initial
incident in the life of that one perfect
man. and had made his study of each
incident distinct from every other. Now
with the canvas before him and his pig
ments prepared, he sought to reproduce
a composite of those ideas.
AS he became more ard more absorbed
by his work, he never left it while there
was light sufficient to continue his la
Dor; and all the while his own eyes be-
came more and more imbued with the
fervor of his task. AS the stalwart mas
culine figure on the canvas achieved pro-
portions, his own physique seemed to
grow and expand with it. and he painted
with an intense energy that he did not
know he possessed.
1t was not until the new year had come
and gone that he began to portray upon
the canvas the features of this more than
man, the most difficult task Of all. Time
after time he painted it out and began
annw for if was not the accented idea nf
Christ, as depicted by the old masters,
that fulfilled his ideal. He wanted the
likeness without the humility, the sad
ness and the despair which make up the
legacy that the artists of today inherit
from their predecessors of medieval times.
He wanted the humility of strength. not
of weakness; the charity which is a part
Of conscious power: the forbearance of
latent strength of mind and body; the
intensity of purpose and t~enacity of eff
fort which is born of the determination
to accomplish. and the knowledge that
success is certain; and at last he ac-
complished it. That was about the be-
ginning of Lent.
When he realized that the picture was
completed, he covered it with a sheet
and spent his days in long walks upon
the country roads SO that during four
weeks or more he did not again look
upon his work: and those who had
known Philip Switzerland in the past
could scarce have recognized him now.
One week before the fu1filment of his
contract was due, on the morning of the
Sunday before Easter, he uncovered the
painting for the first time since it's COM
p1etiOn. He studied it critically. and
then, with a sigh of regret that his
work was done, he telegraphed to his
friend:
Come on Easter morning. The paint
ing is completed" and on Easter morn
ing Roderick Douglas arrived.
The early morning bells were ringing
out merrily from the steeple of the lit
STORY THREE ..6..6 g % ..6..6 eee
tie country churc4- near by, when thew
entered the studio together.
Stand here" said the artist. placing
his friend on the spot where he himself
had passed so many hours studying the
work. Then he removed the screen.
What do you think of it, Roderick .,
the artist asked, after a long silence.
Il see more than you meant that anv
man should see" replied Douglas. dream
lily. I see your own salvation in the
work that you have done. IT is the Christ
that has risen within you, Phil. that has
palntei this picture, not your talents
alone. They never could have accom-
pushed such q work as this. You have