Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-01-01
MISS Florence EEirns Writes
From Boston
To the Advertiser


that Monnet was to be the sololst.
went not caring especially to hear
him as I had never heard of him be-
fore. but l learned later of his world
wide fame.
The Symphony Hall is very vast,
so Big that it would swallow two ordl-
nary buildings, and still enclose more
it seems to me. 1t is oblong with vast
galleries on the sides and back. The
orchestra consists of one hundred
pieces, the performers being artists
themselves. The conductor os a
Frenchman. There is one very inter
esting fact Connected with the orches-
ira. There are no Germans in it. Al
ter America declared war, all of the
German members were removed and
some Americans or Allies put in their
places.
Above the platform hangs the
"star spangled Banner" and every
performance is begun by the 'orches-
ira playing the National Anthem.
Though the performers are seated
F.! for every other number, for this one
they all stand.
While l was sitting in the hall
waiting for the performance to begin
I felt some one pulling my sweater
/ from the back to get my attention.
turned around and saw Miss Row.
land, one of the voice teachers at Co.
ker College, whom l had known for
three years. Besides Ruth Tompkins,
Miss Rowland was the only person l
have seen since 1 have been up here
that l had ever seen before.
On the following Sunday after
noon / went to the Museum of Fine
Arts. Since there is such mixture
there of every conceivable form OF
Art. from so many countries, l would
not have tried to describe anything,
Iif l had not luckily found a new eX-
Ihibit that had just been opened to the
public on the 18th Of December.
What l saw there interested me,
and l know it will interest you. Hung
around the walls of very extensive
ba1l were nicturas-nain4sld-h -h.I-tlA4'-S''''t
were on leave. These pictures were
being sold for their benefit. AS l saw
the crowds of people intensely study
ing these works Of art, it seemed that
Iif all of US in America could study
those pictures that they would speak
more eloquently for the next Liberty
Loan drive than any words.
Some of them portrayed the whole
warts desolation and horror-in
the face of one poilu or in stretch
of few feet in No Mans Land. I'm
der two groups of pictures was hung
black silk, mourning for the painters
who had died, one on the field of bat
tie, and the other from wound receiv-
ed in battle. The largest and most
beautiful Of the paintings were by
George Scott The picture of Joffre
decorating the soldiers on the battle
field was very realistic and inspiring.
The most valuable one in the whole
collection, also painted by Scott was
picture in color called "Poilus of
France" Around q cannon were q
group of poilus and above them was
group of lovely flags. In their faces
might be seen the grim determination
and undying hope that made the
els ne passerant pas" at Verdun
come true.
One little picture showed a tiny
French girl kneeling in front of a lit
tie grave on which was cross. One
arm was in a sling-the other hung
by her side. Under the picture was
written, "C'est sa main"-it was the
grave of her hand, cut off by the Ger
mans. 1 wandered over the gallery
for a long time and came back to the
room that I had started from-that
of the wounded soldiers of France,
for though a critic might have criti-
cized some of the technique of the
productions, he could not deny the
fact that the soul of France and the
spirit of brotherhood shone through
the pictures and reached from the
heart of France to the heart of A
merica.
Florence Minis.