The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-09-03
JOHN WARD sTIMsoN's
THE GATE BEAUTIFUL.

In the Arena of September appears an
article Art for America" by John Ward
Stimson. I'm it," said a brilliant Mont
gomery woman in discussing 1t yester-
day, "he puts us on track of our best
selves individually and as people for
genuine and progressive art educational
movement and insists on fostering the
sacred spontaneity and native intuitions
of our own people.
That he Is soon to publish The Gate
Beautiful Is promise of a treasure of
science. poetry, religion and art. soon
to be offered to a fortunate public who
will be made richer by its possession"
Answering the question, How did you
come to write The Gate Beautiful Mr..
Stimson says:
when over-work and illness necessi-
tated my withdrawing for a few years Of
exile in the North woods. I resolved that
the intellectual and esthetic elements
that had been the inspiration for this
successful movement should not lack ex-
preston and accessibility through any
accident to myself. So, during hours of
convalescerce, I compiled and amply IL
Illustrated this serious volume of over 400
quarto pages and many hundreds of cost
ly pictures. The first half of the work is
adapted to the more scientific and schol-
arly side OK this important theme-the
second half to the>more professionally ar
tistic and practical phases. The whole
Is my humble effort to present symmet-
really these two essential and INSOFAR
able sides of this marvellous phenomenon
we call Cosmic Beauty and Natural Art
through form-reasoning in morphology
and natural history, out into the fasci-
mating evolutions of art history and the
practical embodiments, methods and prin-
ciples OF the pest modern workmanship.
OF his experiences that led up to the
preparation Of his forthcoming book Mr..
Stinson says:
Thirty years ago, art, in its deep
meaning and power, had not dawned on
the country at large. and was little
known or sought, save by tho few; al
though certain good foundations had been
laid in colonial times by the sincere and
genuine workmanship of many of the
early hand-wrought utensils.
The civil war struck back and injured
the victor almost as much as the victim
Gas 1t so often does-for reforms by vio-
lence generally need reforming); and the
false fever and excitement for specula-
ton, as well as the recklessness of bra
vado and imitation, demanded a sudden
access of material wealth for display, and
also rapid mechanical processes to null
llpfy LHdteTldt ODJcClS dih " tucct tho
craze--which initiated against genuine
national art growth or fine art in per-
sonality, or good art taste in workman
ship 1t tended to flood the land with
fiashy meretrioiousness and foreign af-
fectations. That was an epoch when the
children of many old families FASTENED
to dispose of fine old-fashioned domestic
pieces of noble dignity and good work.
manship for any catchy piece Of French
veneer
John Ward Stimson spent nearly year
of his life while working on his book in
Montgomery Quietly this great man
worked in our midst, few knowing of his
presence. With HIM We rked on the illus
trations a gifted Montgomery girl. Miss
Matte Norton, who had been one of the
pupils at the Artists Artisan Institute,
which he founded in New York. They
fell in love and about two or three years
ago were married and she died about a
year ago. So ended the beautiful love
story of Montgomery girl, and the great
John Ward Stimson. re