The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-06
Painting
The Good
BY MARTIN L. WOODRUFF

hdlDtu IGtOSulllOu. luSIe
friend-a woman--who said:
Concentrate your mind ON one sub.
ject Portray, or, rather, ideaize, the
good"
In Ria1 or womanW
Either You will find it more diff.
cult to place the good as embodied in
man on canvas, but for that reason II
you succeed you will gain the greater
success. have seldom, If ever. seen a
satisfactory painting Of Jesus, but
have seen many successful Madonnas.'
why is that?"
Il cannot tell, unless it is that good.
ness is akin to gentleness, and gentle
ness is more becoming in woman
than man."
But | must have a model. and
where shall | find one?"
She thought for some time before re-
plying, II will send you one. or will
send you number from whom you
may choose"
"Will you tell them for what they
are to poser
NO That would spoil them for your
purpose"
The first model sent me was a come
ly girl with an honest face and eye. !
sketched her, and while | sketched
chatted with her. Fancying that love
was allied with the good in woman,
asked her if she had a sweetheart.
She said she loved a man and he had
loved her, but a rival had taken him
away from her. Straightway her face
took on an expression of hatred. | ex-
cused her without requesting another
sitting.
The next person who was to pose to
me for the good was a woman who
was devoting herself to charity. |
talked with her concerning her work.
and she became very much interested
in telling me about it. But l saw that
1t was the love of work that spurred
her on rather than naturally sympa-
thetic nature. This did not deprecate,
for it is the proper application of char
ity that is most effective, and too ten
der nature often stands in the way
of such application. At any rate. the
girl did not satisfy me as model for
the good. and | sent her away.
My friend next sent me a young wo-
man who had fine social position,
whom everybody loved because they
said she was so good. When / asked
how she was good, they said she was
good in every way. Especially she
was amiable. She never said harsh
word of or to any one. This was not
from policy. but from the innate good
ness of her disposition. Her, too, /
talked with while sketching her and
discovered that what these people took
for goodness was rare tact
/ reported my reasons to my friend
for objecting to the models she had
sent me, ana by this time she be-
came bit inpatient with me.
what do you call goodness?" she
asked me.
"That is beyond my ability to de-
fine" I replied. but I shall know 1t |
when l see it,
My fourth model was a religious |
devotee. To look at her one would |
know that she lived only to do the
Lords bidding. In her surely I had
found my model. Indeed, her ABSORB
ton In living a good life had become
stamped on her face. / not only I
sketched her, but put her face on my
canvas In paint But l was not salts
fed with It 1t seemed to express
what has usually been expressed In
the pictures of saints, which is neither
more nor less than piety. / was look
ing for something beyond this, some
thing that might belong to one who
had never heard of God or Saviour.
! bowed the lady out Of my studio.
and after she had gone poked knife
through her portrait
Then came a young lady who pleas
ed me immensely. She was pretty;
she was sprightly; she was frank, hon.
est, refined. My friend who sent her
wrote me about her, saying: "You will
find in her the model you need. But
don't decide to the contrary before
giving her fair trial"
/ was not likely to do that. I was
counting on the delightful companion
ship would have. with her and re-
solved. whether or no she suited my
purpose to prolong the sittings as far
rs possible. found that we had
or dissimilarity of DISPOSE
ion. couldn't tell which. but it was
rery pleasing. During her first sitting
sketched her: at the second | began
% paint chatting with her the while to
lraw her out | touched on the good
Is | understood it. and a responsive
appeared on her face
poke of evil things. and there was no
esponse whatever, showing that evil
lad no place in her nature; she only
thew it by name. When | had partly
lnished the picture | thought would
ry an experiment. would tell her
hat she WAS sitting as model for
he good. The information drew forth
look of astonishment.
why. | am not good" she said
THAT YOU are unconscious of being
God proves to me that you are.
"Eureka!' | wrote my friend II am
our debtor for life since you have
ound for me the model I needed My
ortune is made"
Nonsense" was the reply. "You
ave fallen in love. [ thought it time
on were settled, so proposed to send
on models for the good. knowing that