Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-05
SAYS MILLET IS
misunderstood
GREAT ARTISTS PICTURES
MISINTERPRETED
DISCUSSES SOCIAL DYNAMlCs
Rev. Edward cantreIl Declares Min
listers Are Studying Economic
Problems-Are Not
Reactlonists

! heaCIiOnISLs
Metropolitan hall was filled last
right by large and appreciative audi
ence, which listened to a lecture by
Rev. Edward A. Cantrell of Mime
apolis. The subject of the address was
Some Factors of Social Change, a
Study in Dynamic Sociology
Mr.. Cantrell said in part:
Every constructive influence of
modern life is in a sense revolution
ary. That is, every such influence is
looking to the overthrow of age long
tyranny and toward the construction
of a new social order. For instance, the
artist with an instinct for the beauti-
full sees the defornities and the mon
strosities of the world and desires a
change. The world Is not yet beautiful
but the artist desires such a world.
However he knows that before you can
have the world beautiful you must
have the humanity beautiful, for all
art, all Institutions are but express
slons Of the life back of those things.
Before you can have art you must
have life but before you have life you
must have conditions under which life
can develop. Ruskin, a man born with
a golden spoon in his mouth an Oxon-
ian, with the wealth of the world at
his feet and the honors of the world
on his head, was not satisfied with the
life of the mere art critic. That which
he desired for himself he desired for
humanity He became a social reform
er, saying to the world that life with
out labor is a crime. Labor without
art is brutality.
MIIet Message Misunderstood
William Morris gave himself to the
great task Of social amelioration. So
we might mention Burne-Jones Hall
man. Hunt, Millet. and other geniuses
who have exalted the same ideals and
who, in their way, set themselves to the
same world task.
"The story of Millet is interesting. A
French peasant; feeling, as he did, the
irony of the situation in which he was
placed, he painted The Gleaners!' 1t
was the picture of French women, In
wooden shoes. bending their backs un-
der the burning sun in barren field.
1t was a symbol.
"The picture represented something CT
the worlds tragedy. But the stupid old
he gave us The Angelus.' The French
peasant and his wife in the rough peas
ant garb in the field gathering the
scant harvest stand with heads de-
voutly bowed at the sound of the dis
tant bell.
"Milet was a student of Hugo and
saw the same relations between the
bending, abject peasants and the dis
tant spire that Hugo saw between the
rags of the multitude and the gilded
palace.
again the world failed to see and
again Millet swore by all the beasts
of Egypt that he would paint picture
that the world could understand. So
we have The Man With the Hoe"
Mr.. Cantrell then discussed the con-
tribution that the educators, scientists,
philosophers and literary men are MAX
ing to social reconstruction. He also
discussed the influence of the cosmo-
politan financiers, saying that they
We're demonstrating to the world the
practicability of conducting the world
enterprises nationally and systematic
ally under one management.
Preachers Are Studying
THE secular movement" said the
speaker, "is sometimes regarded as un-
religious, if not irreigous, but at heart
it is deeply religious. l use the word
religion as Synonymous with the pas
sion for realty.
THE secularist. losing hope Of fu-
ture life, comes to emphasize the ne
cessity of living well here, One world
at a time 1--we we'll today. You who
have heard Mr.. Ingersoll remember
that he used to say over and over
again, Come. let us make this life
tolerable. Let us make this life worth
living I have heard him him: I am
working for that order under which
the flowers of June may be carried
into the December of life's short year.
80 we may well say that the spirit
Of reform, of reconstruction or revolu-
ton, in a sense, Is permeating the
world Q. modern thought and life. And
the man of vision may almost say
with the poet; Nights candles are
burned out and jocund day stands tip
toe on the misty mountain tops"
He closed by saying:
"The religious thinkers of the time
are making their contribution. L know
that the church is usually regarded as
reactionary and in the main it's atti-
tude iustifies the criticism. But let me
say this much for the preachers of
todav. NVbara I find one laWVar st1,dU-