Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-03-13

uered root of the derris plant nver
| large areas, is the proposal OF Or.
| arthur Gibson, chief .entomologist
! OF the Canadian government: Breed.
ing could thus be prevented mr.
GlDson recently told the New jersey
mosquito Extermination Associa.
tion.
/ pick up shells and stones, which
decorated the pioneer shack with
outstretched wings, antlers and skins;
and which sends the sophisticated
modern woman from gallery to gal
lery, from symphony to oratorio,
searching for something she knows
not what-we cannot minister wisely
to this need within the home.
! "There is a spiritual hunger just
i as real and insistent as that of the
physical body and it is all the more
harmful because so often inarticulate,
is the premise upon which our argu-
ment for more of art in the home
/ is based.
1--WE hear so much nowadays of
4 the emotions and their power for
good or evil in the lives of children.
! We are warned of suppressed emo
tions and subconscious fears. The
4 fine arts are all based in the emo
! tions. From the twilight land of
the subconscious comes the inspira-
tion of the poet, musician and painter.
That is why a great song or poem
frequently moves us to tears; it has
touched something that lies too deep
al for speech. When we learn to use
the tremendous moving forces of art
for the release Of spent-up emotions
and the freezing of the secret and
hidden beauty of child's soul, edu-
1 cation will become more truly that
opening up of way of escape for
the truth within, which Browning
enjoins.
Probably more people are able
to share the emotion of music than
that of any. other art. 1T is the
pentecostal speech which every list
enef thinks his own.'
4"Just what does great picture
do for us? It makes life stand
still until we have absorbed the
meaning of some memorable instant.
We are all familiar with the i'm
permanence of events. They come
and pass and leave us with a sense
of regret and loss. We have not
had time to realize them fully The
| painter can catch those precious
moments and make them eternal.
He can grasp the co1ors of the
sunset and make them glow forever
on his bit of canvas; he can catch
the fleeting smile of the babe; he
can model the ecstasy of a saint
in imperishable marble Painting
reveals something beyond the fact
iii is@an adventure into the absolute.
zone lovely glimpse of blue sea,
burning desert, or flowery mountain
meadow can transform an ordinary
living room--if it is given a chance.
Not 50 long ago it was quite the.
fashion to hang a framed picture
exact1ysain the middleNof each avail
able wall space. Later, we added
more framed pictures, we hang them
high and low, we left irregular
spaces for artistic effect, but we
did not exactly achieve beauty. We
have learned, if we have a good
picture, not to divide the attention
with a clutter of rival attractions
appreciation of the beautiful in
art will help us in practical home
making. One who studied the Greek
ideals of simplicity, fitness for use,
and conscientious Workmanship, will
not go far astray in the selection
of her furniture. Because she knows
some of the best bronzes and marbles
she will better appreciate beauty of
design in a teaspoon. Appreciation
of beauty and recognition of the
eternal fitness of things will be
reflected in furniture and textiles,
in the garden with it's masses of
color, and better still in the attitude
toward life of the children that are
so happy as to live in a harmonious
environment.
"The American home is approaching
an ideal of simple comfort more
nearly than that of any other nation,'
declared critic recently. Now this
is encouraging if true, but we are
still very evidently too initiative,
too standardized and too fond OF
the ornate. Consider in the light
of the Greek ideals an inkwell that
ornamented an American library
table. 1t was a bronze head Of
Theodore Roosevelt, with his infmit-
able smile; the top of the Uranium
was hinged and swung back to re-
veal skull full of ink. You shudder
at the thought of such a monstrosity
but look at our gift shops and you
will find many things offered in
the name of beauty quite as bad.
"Great art belongs to the world,
to humanity. Teaching children
sympathy and understanding of alien
races through their art is a vital
subject. Through art we may get
out of our provincialism, we may
transcend the boundaries rof space
and time and discover that in the
things of the spirit, after all, we
are one.''
.r Nr;,1o, soi7 40 o,,o,ooco howe