The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-15
An ART CENTER.
Beautiful Dresden the Present
Residence of ". Y. Morgan.
Galleries, Bands and Porcelain
Factories Galore.
PICTURES CAUSEBLUSH
Many of the Old Masters Forget
the Costumes.
Eating, Drinking and Singing
Principal Occupations.
CAUSEBLUSH


Dresden, Germany, July q.
In order to properly appreciate the
Germans it is advisable to visit Rus
STA. On our return from Petersburg
with its furtive-looking people and gen
eral appearance of poverty and unhap-
plness, the jolly, good-natued. polite
Germans, sitting around the tables, on
sidewalks and in gardens, drinking,
eating, smoking and singing, We're real
~ relief to the nerves. l am not find
ing fault with Russia. Only two OBJ
Jections to the cars dominion really
occur to me, but as some writer has
said they are all that make hell unde-
Slrable as a dwelling place: The Gil
mate and the. society. So here we are
at Dresden, where there is an art gal
lery, a porcelain factory, and band
OF music on nearly every corner. The
tourist who comes to Europe to see the
great wonders of the old world has
several things in mind when he selects
his next stopping place. 1 always try
to choose for our longer stays town
or neighbOrhOOd which has had its
name in the papers a good deal, or
which has an established reputation for
some speciality, such as art, music, his
tory, battle or trade, and about once
in two weeks I have to figure in as a
desideratum the ability to get some
laundry done quickly. This was the
appointed time and Dresden seemed to
be likely place as it combined the at
traction of being an art center, an i'm
portant business city, and probably a
good town in which to have your wash
ing back within a reasonable time. Thus
1t is with the great affairs of life. the
apparently trivial but eminently prac-
teal will not keep out of sight. re-
member so well my first visit to the
Cologne cathedral, in my judgment the
finest in Europe It was at the close
of a hard days travel and before We
IL ill.,
through the great aisles and looked up
at the wonderful dome with its pure
Gothic architecture, enthusiasm in my
heart all right but wondering all the
while which would taste the best for
supper, beefsteak or mutton chops.
Dresden is the capital of the king
dom of Saxony. Germany is cut up
into a number of Kingdoms and prin-
cipalities, each of which has its local
sovereignty, much the same as our
states. In 1871, when the present Ger
man empire was formed, Saxony was
an independent kingdom and it volun-
tarily Joined with the other German
states in united Germany, with the
imperial honor hereditary in the king
Of Prussia 1t was the decent thing
very wise, for If they had not united
dust then and s-naar gone back to their
ktld system of quarreling with eaeh
other. France would have mad them
licked one at a time DeL0ESa now. SdAOlS
is the third largest German state, being
exceeded in size Tby Prussia and Ba-
varia, and having about 5,OUO square
miles Of territory and over four millions
of people. The population OF Dresden
is about a half million.
Environment has much to do with
any community and Dresden is diff
ferent kind of a city from any have
hitherto visited in Germany. For over
two centuries it has been "a cradle of
son. - the
fairly exudes art at every pore The
buildings are of tasteful architecture,
the streets have curves and 'vistas, ="
the gardens and parks have been laid
out with an eye to beauty and nearly
every store from a picture or pOrce-
lain emporium to a cigar stand or a
beer garden has copies of really fine
works of art on exhibition or on sale
1t is all right after you get used to it
to buy a cigar and light it with the
eyes of the Sistine Madonna looking
down at you, or eating your rolls and
coffee I'D next to a statue of ST Paul
or of Venus. I am not speaking light
ly of the subject for I approve heart
lily of the artistic development of the
good people of Dresden, only / haven +
been raised on art and am not used to
having it for every meal in the day.
The great picture gallery at Dresden
suits me better than any other I have
II.
the Louvre in Paris, but it strikes me
as being a better selected and cleaner
collection, not so much stuff that
makes YOU wonder how it got there.
And in comparison with the great gal
lerfes of Italy it comes out ahead be-
cause it has good representation of
other schools, and it beats the Dutch
on the same theory. Five days In the
week admission to this great gallery is
free and the spacious rooms are
thronged with people. like to see an
art gallery well filed with visitors. It
made me lonesome at st. Petersburg TO
go among the great pictures there and
feel that it didn't match with the peo-
pie because nobody was there but a
couple of Kansans and guide There
is nothing selfish in art and don I
believe any one gets the best out of a
beautiful picture all by himself. Just
try it and see If you do not enjoy look
ing at something really beautiful in
eonapanv with friends or with folks
who also enjoy it. much better than
you do silently and alone. The star
picture of the Dresden collection is
RaphaeIs Madonna. known as the
Sistine Madonna because 1t was paint
ed for the church of San Sisto at
Picenza, Italy. It is as beautiful and
impressive as when Raphael painted 1t
nearly four hundred years ago The
Sistine Madonna IS known everywhere
and it is the greatest work of the great
painter who has been able to nut soul
into dead canvas A crowd of people
would be a strange human who did not
feel almost glorified by the clear and
thoughtful eyes of the Virgin, the