The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-02
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE LEARNING ART Sheep" and Goats" at the St.
 Louis Fair SOME AMUSING REMARKS Visitors RIunder in an Amazing Fash ion, But Their Enthusiasm Is Unabated-Exhibit Is
 Great School.
SOME AMUSING REMARKS
BY EMILY GRANT HuTcHINes.

St. LOutS SeptemDer SO- " ell, WueiS | you takin us to now, Marthy?' the old man asked as the trio passed through | the shrine of Missouri at the east side 1 of Festival hall. Before them stretched | three spacious buildings.
 That Is the palace of fine arts, father"
 Fine artsi Well, I reckon that is the | place we want to steer clear of. What a | parcel of fools them directors was, to spend so much of the peoples good money to put up q buildin' that nobody cares about"
 But they do care about it, father You may not; but even you and mother could learn to love pictures if you would try. I didn't know anything about are before I went away to school. either. Now it is the greatest pleasure I find in life. Look at the crowds going in. There must Look at the crowds going in. There must at least see the building"
 With a daughters loving tact the girl led her father down the sculpture hall of the American section, to where he could obtain commanding view of Borglum's splendid equestrian statue For a mo- ment the old man stood still with amaze ment. Then he ejaeuated
 
 Well, if here ain't old U S. Grant, Say. Say, Marthy, there is something in art after all.'
 | This incident trivial as 1t seems, af- l lords a clue to the solution to the great problem of culture, especially artistic cul- ture. The vital purpose of the true artist is to awaken an emotion in the ssoul of him who contemplates the finished work of art, whether it be statue or painting. The farmer knew nothing about sculp- tural lnes but he did know and love his old general The soul, once awakened, can easily be led from the cruder to the 1 finer emotions, from the mere pleasure in recognizing in paint or stone some thing familiar, to the deep and almost l indescribable joy of contemplating per l feet harmony, masterpiece of sentiment, a symphony in color.
 It is more than evident that the enor- nous crowds in the galleries are compos- ed of a few artistic sheep and a great many artistic goats" Yet the very tact l that people visit the galleries that they go again and again, is the most hopeful sign. This influence of real art is subtle and almost imperceptible in its effect. 1 The man who at first finds pleasure ouly ! in the picture that tells a story" in | unms takable language, discovers after a time that the too matter-of-fact painting i has lost its charm, and that the tender evening landscape arouses in him such emotions as he thought could be pre- l duced only by love, patriotism or grief. i He may not know why the picture ap- peals to him, for he has not learned to analize his feelings; but he is a better 1 man for it.
 A Missionary Tract House.
 The palace of fine arts is magnificent missionary tract house for the dissemi- nation of refinement and culture As yet most of its guests are goats" who con- l gregate in delighted herds around the ! commonplace picture with al apparent story, seing absolutely nothing mere in 1t than they would see In a tinted pho tograph or a magazine illustration. Of i ths class that worthy old painter, J. G. Brown is the idol His three pictures of street gamins are always surrounded.
 Look at that little fellow Now, did you ever see anything more natural? 1 Why. you can actually see the dust on l his feet?" is exclaimed hundred times | a day.
 A gentleman with a party of three ad- miring ladies stopped before Remington's l great canvas and for ten minutes he took observations and drew diagrams to determine whether the skeleton of a sol- l dier on the desert sand would really have fallen with its feet toward the skel- eton of the horse. The ladies listened In respectful awe. This was art criticism. i Not a word was said about the artists attempt at portraying the life of the plains. The thin, hot atmosphere of the l picture evoked no comment. Not even the expression on the faces of the mount ed men called forth the usual. q wonder if the Indians killed him, or If it was the 1 soldiers or if he lost his way and l starved to death."
 l " al fo 1 fortunately the subject of much contro- | versy. In the foreground are two pairs l of oxen drawing blow through what seems to be exceedingly Stubborn glebe." 1 The real artist in the gallery finds a wealth of power in the composition and a marvellous harmony in color; but the layman bursts in, upon him with such | questions as: "Why Is that man holding his arm up? Is he going to strike the | OK? The poor fellow seems to be pulling as hard as he can already" Or, Are they going home now? Is it sunset or sunrise? Why didn't he blow straight ahead instead of leaving out that trian- | gular patch?"
 The artist probably knows that the lines of the composition required that the | drivers arm be raised, and that it was a question of line and mass that led MT. Walker to blow his painted field In two sections instead of one; but 1t would do no good to tell the inquisitor this.
 Whistler's remarkable portrait of Rose Corder comes in for it's full share of com | ment 'I don't see why they gave that plain woman such a prominent place." is the most frequent remark. Another a trile more intelligent. that goes to show what a dangerous thing a little learning Is, was heard the other day: Well. that Is Whistler that they make such a fuss about For my part I don't fancy a portrait cut out of calico and pasted on a background of London fog"
 The most amusing remarks of the ar- tistic goats" are made in the section de- voted to splendid loan collection.
 (Which one is the Rembrandt" is the first question. 'I wouldn't 50 home and admit that I hadn't seen the Rembrandt for anything"
 Wanted Information. One lady carried her questions a step farther: Now I wish you would tell me Iwho painted Rembrandt. I always like to know the names of the artist, just think 1t sounds so much better to al- ways be able to give the name of the author when you speak of new book"
 This is an original Rembrandt" was the guards mystified reply. ITO be sure" the lady returned. "but l want | to know whose work 1t is. And l wish, | while you are about it, you would tell me just what a Rembrandt is, anyway. l | though 1t was that man with the long nose and the feather in his hat; but our photographer at home advertised Rem 1 brandt photographs, and I don't know | what he means You see I belong to the