Pocahontas star herald., 1926-09-30
Is America Cultured?

illlterate, according TO Madame
Chaliapin, who returned to Mos
COW today The singers wife said
that Chaliapin would not be able
TO visit Russia before 1927 because
he had to fill contracts in "bore-
some America"
Madame Chaliapin declared that
her husband was greatly disap-
pointed in America in spite of his
wonderful reception there, since
America has small appreciation
of art and odmires the fox trOt
more than the opera"
This little story, coming out of Mos
cow, appeared IN the paper vest -riay.
Maybe Chaliapin said this and maybe
he did not. Maybe his wife will say
she was misquoted.
We wonder how much truth there is
in the statement that the United States
| is tedious and artistically illiterate?'
We wonder again if America has a
small appreciation of art, admires the
fox trOt more than the opera?"
We heard this Chaliapin when he
appeared in the role of MefistOfele.
which, to our mind, is the most Will
terful of the several operas about the
Devil and Faust. Chaliapin was sing
ing to the accompaniment of an orches-
ira made up of about 100 musicians.
The giant singer and the giant orches-
ira in Memphis great Auditorium made
glorious combination. As a vocalist,
probably Chaliapin is the greatest art
list Of this age But great artist may
be great donkey.
If Bacon is correct, the appreciation
of art may be a bad symptom in the
life Of a nation. Bacon says art and
literature have their Towering in the
decline of a nation. We think time
has shown that Bacon was wrong.
In Rome and Greece art was at its
fioodtide when these nations began to
manifest signs of decay. But art has
been part of the building up of the
present strong races and nations of
Europe. Art and literary culture are
greater parts of our everyday lives
than we realize.
England was beginning to look out
over the lanes of the earth when
Shakespeare wrote his plays. The
classic dramatists of France had their
vogue about the time Richelieu was
pulling France together and laying
foundations for its leadership in the
affairs of the world.
The artists, poets and essayists of
Germany had more to do with the
making of modern Germany than did
the military achievements of old Fred
erick and those other Germans who
fought Napoleon in his last days.
America is not artistically illiterate.
More money is paid for music i'm Amer
lea than in any other country; there
fore, there must be a musical appre-
citation.
Americans may love the fox trot,
but that goes with a love of better
things than the fox trot
America has brought from Europe
some of its richest art treasures and
most of them are put in public places
where the people can see them.
A school of painters has flourished
I'm America since the beginning of the
Revolution. America may not have
the music composers that Russia or
Germany has, but neither has England
for that matter.
Art and culture cover everything
that commands and attracts the brain
through our senses.
America today is a region of colos-
sal beauty, but the beauty is over
whelming. Sometimes it is almost ter
rifying. Often il is awesome. One
from afar admires our lofty buildings,
but when one stands on top of one of
these buildings a feeling akin to terror
seizes upon MIN.
The Brooklyn bridge from afar is as
graceful as a morning rainbow, hut
when one walks across it one is afraid.
Standing at Arlington and looking
across the valley Of the Washington
Monument, one sees a shaft, pure in
its Wilderness, serene in its lines, quiet
ly preaching in its stones its sermon
of love for country. yet when one
stands at the foot of 1t, one hesitates
to go aloft.
The rivers of Russia are broad and
slow. Other rivers i'm Europe are tur-
bulent and joyous in the leaping Of
their current from stone to stone. The
Mississippi is beautiful, but II is the
beauty of the tawny lion. At food
times is is beautiful in strength. hut
IL is also fear-compelling.
The Alps and even the high hills Of
,,.,,,.I I...,,., g th, tr,It