The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-15

sweet innocence of the infant Jesus.
the piety and reverence which char
acterlze the faces of st. Barbara. and
81 Sixtus. and the charming naivete
OF the cherubim. Even a poor copy of
the Sistine Madonna is worthy of a
place anywhere and the original is to
me one OF the great soul-stirring works
of the world.
I have spoken in high terms of the
Germans but 1 have a few criticisms
on the men. First, they wear canes;
second, they wax their mousta ches. A
respectable German citizen would as
soon come down town in the evening
without his shirt as without his cane.
suppose the custom is an imitation OF
the old nobility who wore swords and
mat the cane IS badge of social stand
ing: II course they wax their NOUS
tdcheS and twist them upward at the
end because the kaiser does. / sat in
a cafe and figured that if 1 could get a
monopoly in the trade in moustache
wax for about two days in Germany,
would be a plutOcrat It will also be
matter OF interest in Kansas to know
that the Germans are solid for the Re-
publican ticket this year. Every now
and then 1 get into a bunch OF them
and they enthusiastically greet each
other with 'Hoch, Hoch." / always
JOIN With them in the dem onSIration
and L am happy to state that I have
never even heard the name of Cover
nor Hoch's opponent mentioned.
The finest Dresden china is not made
IN Dresden. Two hundred years ago
a German gentleman named Boettger
discovered the art Of making the clay
of Saxony into china, of coloring it
artlst1cally and molding 1t beautifully.
The Saxon government at once took
the business in hand and the Royal
Porcelain factory at Nielsen has been
running ever since. From the very
first the great beauty of the Dresden,
or Nielsen, china was the decoration,
and the porcelain has been used for
everything conceivable from coffee
cups to delicate statuary and elegant
vases and furnishings. There are 9TH
er porcelain factories in and around
Dresden which make beautiful stuff
but the finest and the kind you pay
several prices for in order to get it with
the proper brand on the bottom is the
product OF the Royal factory. No one
IS allowed to initiate their mark, the
copyright never expires and the bust
ness is prosperous and prO7ta BILE. The
artistic movement which has been on
in Dresden has worked hand in hand
with the porcelain plant, giving Dres-
den china its position at the head of
the china manufactures in the world.
Unlike some Of the other art centers"
Dresden is not forgetful of modern mas
ters in painting and sculpture. While I
All Tree 10 ADMIT LlaL. the artists OF To-Day
nave often failed to get the depths of
coloring and occasionally to catch what
might be called the soul-glow, yet will
say for them that as a rule they come
nearer to the canOns of good taste and
common decency than their great prede-
cessors, the old masters. / get a little
weary hurrying past some of the master
pieces of the sixteenth century which
seem to me to be merely attempts to
make anatomical charts of the female
body. Either our artists are more sober
minded or public sentiment has changed,
but do know that a painter of today
who would exhibit much of what ought
not be seen as the old masters did would
be greatly talked about. He may copy
the work Of Titan or Neronese or Rubens
or Rembrandt. but when he starts In on
his own hook he has to at least put fig
leaves on his characters, while in the good
old days they were as reckless in those
matters as old Nero was when he had his
imperial debauches at Rome OF course ]
am learning some and when I get in a
crowd of nice looking people before a
picture of Venus OF ''Bathsheba at the
look as if l were only hunting the exit,
like did at first. / resOlutely say to my
self this is art and not picture in a
Vvfct1fta-s But do think the old mas
ters ought to think of the health of tIeI1
subjects and not leave them attired in
nothing but 2 rose in the hair and a beau
tiful smile. OF course I don't say this in
artistic Dresden, as come from a coun-
try which has not been a cradle of art
icize.
Dresden is a beautiful city. The Elbe
river runs through it and little steam
boats rush up and down like dogs at play.
There is a delightful terrace. high above
the water. covered with flowers and trees
decorated with works of art. A German
band plays Wagner. and occasionally an
American cake walk for the benefit OF
my. countrymen who are supposed to pre-
fer that kind of music. The air comes
clear and pleasant from the Saxon Alps, y
which are some high hills a few miles
away Dresden is in fact just such a
town you would expect Dresden china
to come from. but the price of the china
is evidently made in the higher Alps
". Y. MORGAN.