The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-28
K|PL|NG UPON
ART THAT FAILS
Generosity of Soul Often Cause
of Defeat---S0l0m0n
Was Right.

| LONDON, May 11.-Rudyard Kipl1ng,
presiding over the meeting of the Art
! lists Benevolent Institution and speak
| mo to a toat to the institution, made
Some remarks concerning artists and
there work which have been widely
quoted throughout the country. Kip
ling quoted Solomon's Nor yet favor
TO men of skill. bur time and chance
happeneth to them ALL and went on to
say:
solomon was a generous patron or
the arts and the original man of let
tiers. Nobody has improved on his re-
mark and you may have noticed that
nobody has improved on the state OF
affairs that gave rise to it. There must
be as many men nowadays as there
were in Solomon's time whose skill has
not found favor in an enlightened de-
mOcratic age like ours.
TT is possible to say that if a mans
skill has not found favor with the pub
lie the blame must lie with the man or
the skill. This is a pretty doctrine.
wish I could subscribe to it myself.
There are, however, men who devote
their skill to producing things, express
ing ideas for which the public have no
present need. Being artists, these men
must needs do the work laid upon them
to do and while they are doing it they
are apt to overlook a number of inn
portant worldly considerations.
mo one embraces career of art with
direct idea of making money. The
material rewards Of art are often so
small that men may be forgiven if they
sacrifice themselves and their belong
ings to make an appeal to the next
generation while they neglect theii
own.
Besides these are the others whose
skill, however much they may desire it,
has not found favor. Time has not
given them their chance. Their skill has
not found favor and by the worlds
verdict they have not achieved success.
The worlds verdict, of course, is OF
great financial value. The verdict OF
their fellow craftsmen is a little nearer |
the facts of the case Thank goodness, |
we all count among our friend, delight |
full men and women whose skill has not |
found favor, but to whose skill SYM
pathy, humor and, above ALL knowledge
we owe more than we realize
1T may be that the very generosity
Of soul which impels them to lavish
so unstintingly upon their
associates has stood in the way of their
more evident advancement and is the
reason that some of those good spirits
are now facing, l won't say defeat for
there is no abiding defeat in art, but
an outer appearance of defeat. Time
and chance are as uncontrolled brace
Of impressionists as ever there were.
They are rather brutal in their meth
DDS but deadly sure in their effects"
Kipling then referred to cases he had
assisted in the last year. They includ-
I'd want, disease, breakdown, madness
and death. He added:
Your imagination can fill in the
background; and, talking of imagina-
ton, do you know the black thought,
gentlemen? I am 10th to remind you
If it in this fenced pleasant place, but
It is the one emotion that all men Of
imagination have in common It is a
horror of the great darkness that drops
upon man unbidden and drives him
20 think lucidly and connectedly with
Cruikshank detail of all the accidents
whereby, through no fault of his own,
ne may be cut off from his work and
forced to leave those he loves defence
ess to the world.
You know the black thought, gentle
men. 1t possesses some men in the
lead of night, some in the sunshine,
some when they are setting their pail
ettes, some when stroppng their
'azors. but very few of us are exempt"
Referring again to cases he had as
sisted, Kipling said: I'VE have only
heard the bullets of time and chance;
these others have had to stop them
with their bodies.''