Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-07-29
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schoolsg A few minutes devoted to the
ssady Of suitable masterpiece. in the
schools each week woaid make a lasting
impression ON the children, and revolu.
tlonixs the pictures In many homes.
A Psychologist once noted on the walls
Of sitting-room an Old print Of a lurid
shipsreek. Upon inquiry, he learned
that every one OF the large family OF boys
that had grown up In the compaBionship
Of that picture had been lost At sea. The
very horrors Of the shipwreck had un-
consciously nxed the minds Of the boys on
the "a lite.
This fact shows The influence Of a
picture on ono family, bus sho can
measure the innusnoe Of that family on
the community n picture can have
sach sn infieeBee, is il not worth consid-
ering a. an educational forces Il IL not
only pleasant to surround children with
| good reproductions Of some Of the most
beautiful statues, pictures, and bits Of
architecture, but IL has more or less influ.
enee on the character Of the child.
There are various ways OF obtaining q
| good art collection Tor use in the schools
The public library In the city OF Pr0yi-
dence assists in this work. This library
has bought a splendid collection Of photo
graphs which II has framed aud keeps ON
exhibition. II loans these pictures TO the
This same library as well as libraries In
Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts,,
Rhode Island, and Connecticut, have
formed q club know as the Library Art
club. By the payment Of q small entrance
fee, and a yearly fee, afterward, any
library in New England may become .
member.
framed photographs that cover q wide
range OF subjects. some OF the pictures
were bought by the club; many were pre-
sented to them by persons interested in
art. These pictures can be borrowed by
members OF the club and "iosned TO
schools, women's club, or anywhere in a
city or town where they will be used.
As 1t is unwise for little children to
study more than from one to three
pictures year, in q community the size
OF Ellsworth, the teachers could, with
little effort, buy a small collection 10
keep on exhibition in the library when
they were not in use in the schools, or
they could supply their own schools
permanently. Almost any teacher could
invite the parents to pay ten cents admis-
sion on public day in the schools, ana
raise enough money to buy one small,
good reproduction. No entertainment is
so interesting to parents as that furnished
by their own little people.
The first town in which / had full
! charge OF the drawing was a wealthy old
town in western Mssssc b use;ts-Green
field. think, perhaps, there is not an
other town in the world into which a
school ma'sm could drop where condi-
tions for work are more ideal. All that
one had to do in Greenfield was to have
an idea; il it were worth while, at once the
whole town helped put that idea into
tangible form.
My experience in starting collection OF
pictures in Greenfield may offer a sug-
gestion to some teacher who has not yet
availed herself of the privilege OF placing
good pictures in the hands Of the children.
Soon after / began teaching in this town,
| we decided to hang three masterpieces in
| each schoolroom for the children to study,
as "memory gems" for that grade. The
superintendent and the school committee
approved, and they bought and framed
the pictures for us.
Our next step was to have a brilliant
lecturer give an illustrated black aboard
talk on art. The teachers took the tickets,
the children sold them, the use OF the
| opera house was given to us for the occa-
sion, and $50 was cleared. The teachers
| thought that it would be pleasant to
present picture to the new high school,
and requested me to choose it.
| For trifie less than the sum raised, we
were able to find an exquisite, imported
| photograph of Guido Reni's aurora" in a
| plain handmade frame at Doll & Richards
| in Boston. We could have bought a great
many good pictures for that money, but
we desired to place high ideal before the
/ high school. The children who helped to
| buy that picture never forgot it. When
i the new high school was burned some
years later, all the beautiful works OF art
: tudt nau pcch given W the krduuatlIE
| classes from the Tins that we all began to
work for pictures, were destroyed. A
member of the first graduating class from
the new high school, a little girl who
helped to buy the aurora, wrote and
said: "Our class wishes to replace sThe
Aurora; where did you get II and what
did you pay for it?"
After the lecture, the school committee,
not to be outdone, engaged the daughter
of Eugene Field to give a reading for
them. Nearly the same amount was
cleared, and the money was given to us to
carry on the good work.
Just at this point, the pastor OF the Con-
gregational church, young, emit husiastic,
| brilliant man, conceived the idea of put
ting good pictures into the church. He
wished his children and all children to be
surrounded by good color and good pic
lures. With the assistance of an artist