The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-17
MENINSKY'S PUBLISHED
DRAWINGS ARE SHOWN

DRA WINGS AXE SHOWN
A custom that Is somewhat in abey
ance in this country, that of bringing
out art books purely as such, still seems
to flourish abroad The John Lane Com
pany has issued volume of careful re-
productions of mother-and-child draw
ings by Bernard Meninsky, a new but
sufficiently clever artist who has just
had his first one man exhibition in Lon
don with success at the Goupi Galleries
This artist is of Polish extraction, born
In Liverpool and draws with the bold
ness OF the young men who have looked
upon the work of Orpen and Augustus
John, and who for the most part. es-
TEEN boldness at a higher price than ac
curacy. Mr.. Meninsky. in particular.
has not given much heed to proportions,
but 1t is evident he has had definite no
tons of construction put before him.
However. since the child in this series
of drawings is his own and the mother
is his wife, and since he had not seen
either at the time the drawings We're
done, during months Of unhomelille adj
ventures at the front, degree of un-
evenness upon the intellectual side of
his performances may be forgiven
Mr.. Jan Gordon wrote the text that
accompanies the drawings. and. rightly
feeling that II is too soon to make exact
claims for such an artist. sezes as a
theme upon the modern viewpoint of
maternity and talks at length OF our hy-
pocrisy. Many reformers are striving
to correct our tendencies to erroneous
thought upon this subject. so IL is meet
that the artists, too, should know that
Mr.. Gordon is trying to rebaze the trail
that used to be open for them. but of
late had been sadly choked. He says:
Birth is a form of Immortality. BY
its means we project ourselves into tho
future, not in imitation of the hoped for
immortality of the spirit which death
may bring. hut by corporal recrea-
ton in a likeness sufficiently close 20
bind us to the future with ties more
complex than those OF simple affection
Yet few of us give TO birth the respect
which Is Its due. Save for the parents
the sight of child rarely makes the
imagination leap in us. We take off our
hats to the passing funeral. but we do
not. as we should. salute every woman
who is eitceinte, though birth is worthy
of more reverence than death Emphat-
ically when II is past the past matters
no longer. The man who is dead has
known and has suffered he has searched
the mystery, and. philosopher or igno-
ramus. has not found the key. What
humanity may mean does not lie with
him II lies, II the meaning Is TO be
solved, with those who are to come No
one who is not a crank would sincerely
wish to live In the past The man on
the time machine did not pull the handle
back. he pushed 1t forward: he sped
into the future. as would we all II we
but had the chance.
our attitude toward birth is after
all but part OF our attitude toward
all OF LIES processes. We have become
30 refined that everything about life.
save life itself. has become tinged Win
what IL called indeccncy. In fact, though
we insist upon continuance, the whole
material OF our continuance has become
sordid In our eyes and we hold toward
life the same ridiculous attitude that
the nouveau richie holds toward the
means whereby he acquired his for
tune. There is danger In this; our sense
OF decency need only become a little
more exaggerated "A little more absurd
and II will be attacking not only the
process OF life but life itself. Indeed
this has shown itself already In parts
OF the world in Spain for example.
where among the best circles the signs
of vigorous health arc considered vul-
gar and where women blanche them
selves by hiding behind shutters during
the day: or In Russia. where Artshie-
bashef in The Breaking Point can
formulate n new religion. that Of sui
eide Even in England the mental hos
pitfalls are filled with victims whom the
excuses of bodily refinement have
reduced to a condition far worse than
did the licentiousness Of their ancestors.
ut seems that we allow ourselves 10
think too much upon the lines OF purely
physical sensation. The whole or mod
ern civilization tends to emphasize this
aspect; the intellectual aspect does not
keep pace, r. almost deliberately ham
pered by conventions and inhibitons
which emanate not from Its own
sources, but from those physical; the
intelligence reacts by cursing things
physical with its own inhtbtions.
Motherhood stands on a borderland be-
tween the two: the ideas connected with
Il reach the sublime the facts have
been tainted with disfavor. II modern
civilization had produced otherwise only
benefits, so long as this one aspect could
be held I'D against II, then IL had con-
ferred no favor upon life. hut the re-
verse.
II do not think tat the artist is SUI
ficiently priced by his fellowmen. He
Is as a whole valued dancing bear
Of society; he Is perhaps envied for his
small renowns, but the general attitude
toward him Is one Of faint conde-
scension. and | have heard a man de-
clare that II he were q poet he never
would own to IL. Yet IL only because
he bears with him the spirit Of Won
der. the artist is possibly the most valu-
able member OF the community. II
there IL a means by which we may re-
gain that simplicity without which do
not believe that humanity can long
endure, II must be found In the secret