Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-07-30
DRUDGE OR ARTIST
To Each of Us Is Given Inc
Choice OF Which Path We
Shall Choose.


thing that we cannot spare.
This is hard gospel. is it not? But
now there is a pleasanter word to
briefly say. To lay the firm founda-
tons in ourselves. or even to win suc.
cess in life, we must be drudges-that
] take for granted now. But we can
be artists. also. in our daily task And
at that word things brighten.
Artists" l say, not artisans. .'The
difference?" This. The artist 10 he
who strives to perfect his work; the
artisan strives to get through it. The
artist would fain finish, too: but with
him 1t is to finish the work God has
given me to dol"
It is not how great thing we do;
but how well we do the thing we have
to, that puts us in the noble brother
hood of artists. MY real is not my ideal
lis that my complaint One thing at
least is in my power: II l cannot
realize my ideal. | can at least idealize
my real. How? BY trying to be per
feet In II.
An artist himself shall speak. 1t
was Michael Angelo who said: Moth.
ing makes the soul so pure, so re-
ltgious, as the endeavor to create
something perfect; for God is perfec.
ton, and whoever strives for it strives
for something that is God-like. True
painting is only an image OF Gods per-
fection-a shadow of the pencil with
which he paints, melody, a striving
after harmony"
True for All.
The great master In music. the
great master in all that we call arts
try, would echo Michael Angelo in
this; he speaks the artist essence out.
But what holds good upon his grand
scale. and with those whose names
are known. holds equally good of all
pursuits and all lives. That true
painting is an image of Gods perfec-
ton must be true. ii be says SO; but
no more true Of painting than of shoe
making, of Michael Angelo than OF
John Pounds, the cobbler.
asked cobbler once how long it
took to become a good shoemaker; he
answered promptly: six years, sir,
and then you must travel" That
cobbler had the artist-soul. I told a
friend the story. and he asked his
cobbler the same question: How long
does 1t take to become good shoe
maker? "All your life, sir" He was
still better. a Michael Angelo of shoes
Mr.. Maydole, the hammer-maker of
central New York. was an artist:
Yes" said he to Mr.. Parton, Il have
made hammers here for 20 years. .
Well, then, you ought to be able to
make a pretty good hammer by this
time" mo, SIR" was the answer, Il
never made pretty good hammer
make the best hammer made In the
United States"
George Eliot's View.
Have you ever read George Eliot's
poem called "Stradivarius? Stradi-
varius was the famous old violin
maker whose violins, nearly two cen.
turtles old, are almost worth their
weight in gold today. Says Stradi-
varius in the poem:
If my hand Stacked
should rob God-since he is fullest
good
Leaving a blank instead OF violins
He could not make Antonio Stradivaris
violins
Without Antonio.
You know all beatitudes are based
on something hard to do or to be.
BLESSED are the meek" is it easy to
be meek? Blessed are the pure in
heart" is that SO very easy? Blessed
are they who mourn" Blessed are
they who hunger and thirst"-who
starye-" after righteousness"
So this new beatitude, by its hard.
ness, only falls into line with all the
rest A third time and heartily say
it-"Blessed be drudgery."
For thrice 1t Dlesses us; it gives us
the fundamental qualities of manhood
and womanhood; it gives us success
in the thing we have to do; and it
makes us, If we choose, artists artists
within, whatever our outward work
may be. Blessed be drudgery-the
secret of all culture-Rev. William
d. Gannett ID d.