The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-03-29

at the carpenters trade, developing
sinew, muscle and sterling manhood;
of the man who as fisherman, when
his friends gave themselves up for
lost, in the violence of storm took
them safely to shore; of the man who,
when the mob threatened him, faced
it unfiin"hingly, demanding that he
who was without sin should cast the
first stone; of the man who, alone and
without human aid, drove the money
changers from the temple to the street;
of the man who, facing starving null
titude, compelled it to silence and to
patience until the hungry could be fed;
of the man who, in the humility that
is engendered 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.
1t was not until the new year had
come and gone that he began to por-
tray upon the canvas the features of
this more than man, the most difficult
task of all. Time after time he paint
ed it out and began anew, for it was
not the accepted idea of Christ, as de-
picted by the old masters, that fulfilled
his ideal. He wanted the likeness
without the humility, the sadness 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 forbear-
ance of latent strength of mind and
body, the intensity of purpose and te-
nacity of effort which are born of the
determination to accomplish and the
knowledge that success is certain, and
at last he accomplished it. That was
about the beginning 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 Sutherland in the past
could scarcely have recognized him
now.
One week before the fulfllment of
his contract was due, on the morning
of the Sunday before Easter, he .un-
since it's completion. He studied it
critically, and then with a sigh of re-
gret that his work was done he tele-
graphed to his friend:
"Come on Easter morning. The
|painting is completed" And on Easter
morning Roderick Douglas arrived.
The early morning bells were ringing
out merrily from the steeple of the lit
tie country church near by when they
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.
81 see more than you meant that any
man should see," replied Douglas
dreamily. II see your own salvation
in the work that you have done. 1t is
|
Phil, that has painted this picture, not
your talents alone. They never could
have accomplished such work as this
The figure and the pose are those of q
man who is greater than his kind and
who is conscious of his power You
have succeeded, for you have painted q
perfect man. Tell me how you did it. ,
The artist was silent for a moment
and then made answer slowly:
Il do not know, Rod. 1t was born in
me, think, last Easter morning, when
, heard the words: Christ. being risen
from the dead, dieth no more. Sin
hath no more dominion over him.
was dead then, Rod-that is, every
good impulse in me was dead-when
walked into the old church where we
used to go together when we were boys
thought then when l heard those
words, If Christ rose from the dead
why cannot I? l had been three
years dead, and during my year of
work upon that painting l have risen
and am again alive. Sin hath no more
dominion over me. In painting the de-
termination of purpose in that face
myself have become imbued with it.
: In depicting that lofty character
, have striven to attain so much of it as
a human being may"
He dropped the screen over the
painting again. and together they left
| the house. and as they walked up the
aisle of the little country church, by a
strange coincidence, the minister was
! saying: Christ, being risen from the
dead, dieth nc more. Sin hath no more
) dominion over me-"