The courier., 1901-07-13
Gibbs.
Edited by Miss Helen 6. Harwood.

and prominence. Yet less than one.
half Of the members Of these clubs
would be able to give definition Of art,
should the occasion arise. Simply and
primarily, art is the power or ability to
do something not taught by nature. To
walk is not an art, but to dance two
step is one. The application Of knowl-
edge or science to effect desired pur-
pose, is art. The science of music is
aid down in books. and the art of music
is the expression Of this science 10 sing.
ing or playing. Were it not for art, the
truths Of science would lie in our minds,
Z cold aid dark, like marble in it's noun
tain prison; but the artist brings them
up to the light Of day, breathes upon
them an electric aura, and they go forth
with a new investment. effulgent in
their glorious expression. Art is the
twin sister Of civilization, the sure evi,
dence of human advancement. The
mechanical or useful arts have a rela-
wants, while the representative arts ap-
peal to bis mental needs. The Office of
representative art is to embody thoughts
and ideas so that they become cogniz-
able to the senses. A man may have an
idea of horse in his mind; if then with
pencil he makes a picture like the one
in his mind, that is representative art.
Ii instead OF a picture he should write
description of the horse. that would still
be representative art. And il instead Of
the written picture he should describe
by spoken words the image Of the horse,
or should make an image Of him in plas.
ter or marble, it would be the same. A
carpenter may have an idea Of a house,
and he may represent that idea by
building its material counterpart; but
he would not erect house merely to
represent his ideas; the prevailing mo-
tive with the builder is to give his
skilled services to another person and
receive pay. Thus his representation
must be classed in the mechanical art.
The art Of talking is more familiar to
people in general than any other repre-
sentative art. Eloquence must be con
sidered as separate art, though men,
Der Of the representative household.
Eloquence is by many persons supposed
to mean more than the simple express
sion OF emotion and ideas; it is thought
equally to include the matter expressed:
but when considered as an art, which it
truly is. it's definition can hardly be ex-
tended 80 far. Eloquence is an express
sion Of emotion, of intense feeling. in a
manner that will produce similar feel
iugs or emotions in the minds of the
hearers. The eloquence Of the forum
and the desk is in part the result Of cul-
Tvation. and in part not so. The dra-
matte art is closely allied to pulpit and
forensic eloquence. The art OF repre-
senting ideas by written characters is
strictly representative, while printing
must be considered mechanical art
way Of rapidly multiplying copies OF
written text. At what time in the
worlds history letters were invented, is
not known. Whether Moses WIS &C
quainted with the division OF words.
who can tell? He probably wrote the
Hebrew language. but whether hero
glyphically or in words as they are now
written. we have no convincing evidence
on either side. Painting is allied to
writing by the fact that the means Of
representation are similar. The best
paintings are those which approach the
nearest to q correct representation OF