The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-03

teal educator, who would make the pub
lie schools rivals of those private insti-
buttons. whose especial mission is the
training Of the children of the very rich
Nothing could be farther from the
truth Next To the most r,,dimentary
teaching OF the three RS" there Ia no
study yielding more practical returns in
every walk OF life than the study OF
drawing, and this is clearly understood
among practical educators The training
Of the eye to see and the hand TO ex-
press things is of lncalculable bsncfit
Beyond the value of graphic expression,
there is Il vast usefulness of a pract cal
kind derived from this knowledge Of III =
primary principles of drawing and paint
ing. y clear and accurate comprehension
of form and color is one advantage. Add
ed to this is the stimulating effect of
such knowledge upon the Imagination
and inventive faculties.
The appreciation of beauty and the re-
filming influence Of development in that di-
rection is also important, but In the
presence of numerous obvious practical
advantages this need not he insisted up
on. Rembrant Peale, one OF the pioneers
to introduce drawing in the public schools
of Philadelphia fifty years ago, after a
brave fight abandoned the scheme, and
his opponents. the practical men of tho
board of trustees, lived to see, in the one
direction OF Industrial art, Philadelphia
lose more money annually through this
neglect than her whole public school drew
from the city treasury.
This Introductory work in The schools
of Germany has been Of immense value.
The natural aptitude for industrial occu-
pations of a large proportion Of the pu-
Thus no talented square peg is forced
into round hole
There is nothing one can do, no occupa-
toin in life in which knowledge of draw
ing will not lend a smoothness and dex-
terity to the work impossible to the UNI
trained eye and hand.
When Waiter Smiths great work. Art
Education, one of the brilliant mile
posts in the art development of America,
particularly as applied TO instruction in
the public schools. was first published,
in the seventies, DIR. Z. +. White. the IA
nous Ohio educator. sent the advance
sheets to me, for J was one of his boys
and he knew my fondBesS for practical
art literature ! devoured eagerly those
inspiring pages. and recall rejecting how
much il would have meant to me if draw
ing on those practical lines had been
taught in my school days: but drawing in
no form was then encouraged in school
pictures two other boys and myself made
for the enjoyment of our lady teacher,
who made strong friends of us by her
rapturous approval of drawings that must
have amused her quite often as they
gave her pleasure.
Contrasting the development of the
children of that period with children Of
the same age In our public schools of
Washington. ] have been astounded at the
soundness of the rudimentary art learn
ing taught these pupils here. Indeed IN
the eighth grade ] have found them see
ing more truly and working more infelii-
gently than / and other students We're
taught to work when we had almost
reached manhood and entered the New
York schools to get practical art edu-
cation.
II is no uncommon thing I'm these days
for an employer in our larger cities who
desires a boy for some purpose not re-
moteiy connected with the arts to re
quest Of the school superintendent boy
who can draw, for being a progressive
man he knows that it is half the labor
to make 4 boy whose eye and hand are
trained, understand his duties whatever
they may be Such "A boy becomes more
sensitive and acute on every side where
he is likely 10 absorb that knowledge of
the world and lie which is to make him
most useful to himself and his fellows.
" hat is said of boys is equally true Of
giris-art teaching is no longer a process
Of grinding out flowers of every descrip-
ton with the same graceful C?D willOWy
considered necessary to the complete edu-
cation Of lady. No. the simple sinceri-
ty of observation and record which came
like revelation with the importation OF
japanese art into Western Europe and
America has revolutionized the art point
Of view of the civilized world. The vast
ness of this influence is beyond measure
ment. The formal and conventional
standards in every department of knowl-
edge have been swept away. The one de-
mand from religion TO wrought iron is
Il
to venture how amazingly this change
in point Of view ~ due to the more in
telligent and almost universal training of
the eye and hand.
| spent a delightful hour last week with
DIR. Francis Lane going over the work
of the various art classes in the Central
High School. ! was astOnished to dis
cover the wonders this earnest educator
had accomplished with, not especially apt
pupils, but with his entire classes. And
by lessons Of such short duration az
would seem to preclude any possibility of
such practical results being obtained
This was clearly revealed I'm the great
mass of drawings which had the pleas
ure TO examine.
il is not my purpose to defend high
schools. even If they needed II. / desire
simply to record my delight and satisfac-
ton with the highly useful practical and
wisely adjusted methods pursued in the
art teaching under DIR. Lanes direction
and TO insist that beyond the three RS re
ferred to in the beginning of this note,
lneTe Is no STUDY RIuSHl III our pebIlc
schools that is of more wide-reachins
practical utility than drawing. designing
and water color, AS taught i'll the schools
Of Washington.
The exhibition Of COO Photographic por-
traits shown last week at the Cosmos
Club. was aside from the extraordinary
opportunity offered to become acquainted
with the faces of notable and interesting
people whom one knows by reputation, an
art event of Importance.
The impression made upon me by this
exhibition was something akin to that
received many years ago at the Metropoli-
tan Museum, when / saw the collection Of
oil portraits Of famous Englishmen by G.
+. Watts.
The Watts collection did not shout the
glory of Watts at the expense of his in
tcresting sitterS. but told vchcmently Of
them That they were all painted by one
man came as an afterthought. and then
the greatness of his art and bold tech
nique became apparent. The average pOr
trait painter Of that time run all his por-
traits through one mold He had a recipe
for blondes and Druucttes and relied on
the peculiarities OF form to reveal the like
ness Watts had found what were the
marked characteristics OF his people as to
color and form and adjusted the light and
surroundings in such way az to make
the most Of these personal qualities.
There was Swinburn" with hair as red
as burnt sienna stained on the white can
vas could make II, above baby pink and
white complexion, and eyes like blue
emma SSuftIf. WIN Sfdfff- tilf- sign OF a
pupil While John Stuart MINIS austere
and kindly face seemed that of some
.ashen corpse to which the soul had re-
turned for a brief moment with some
great message it was burning to tell 10
the world. These portraits were all 80
sincere and convincing that they Tin
stand "A monument to the Incompatible
ability OF this venerable portrait paint
err
Napoleon Sarony. one of the pioneers in
Photographic art. was an artist. and
sl,,r,ui fris tai