Interesting Lecture

A pleasaut coinpany of culíivated people gathersd at the lióme oí Miss Douglas, E. Hurón street, yesterdiy afternoon to listen to an art leeiure by James William Pattisoii, oí Chicago Art Iastitute. The lecturer has a pleasaut familiar and personal mauuer which piús ev? eryoiie at ease ímmediately, and lie intersperses hls exqponmHngs oí art principies with many illustnations by way of anecdotes of artista and other people, little scènes from real life, tlie pictures mi i he walls of the room and the articles of bric-a-brae on the table. He is nervous and entliusiastic, and often forceful in his presentation, striving to a waken an interest iu art ■and to arouse his hearers to the ánportance of art study on the part of everyone. The question of talent or genius is to be considered only 1 y those who wisii to be professional artists. All human beings may study art siiuply for the sake of cultivation, to enaJble them to appretiate ijietures and the purposes and motives of those ïUio make them; that they may unlorstand the langnage in vrhich artists talk and thus read their messages. Algo that nature may have for them new (larms and their minds be diverted from the grinding monotony of the tasjfcs and trials of life. jMr. l'attison spoke of the mystery with whlch suiTOund the various arts and the mistaken idea that our pleasures are ruined by analysls. He said that analysis rather increas?d the joys of art lovers and while it might make them indifferent to some co;umon-peace works which they had once ignorantly admired, it. would wonderfully increase the appreciation and the entlmsiasru ior really fine art of wl;atever sort it might 'be. The lecturer said that tiie camera 'aad its place in the world, but that photography had too much to say for itself. The best tooi for the artist was ene whieh in and of itself had no perse Dality and therefore all the merit and beauty in the picture must depend upon the use of the instrument ïr.ade by the artist. So artist love to work wlth a stick of charcoal which had nothing to say for itself (as the, camera bas)) but could only talk as the soul of the manipulator throbbed and his nerves vibrated. The photographer could select his scène aud in some small measure díctate tlie re sults, but the charcoal worker was obliged to use all his personality and no art could come by it except the art H the worker's heart. And it is bis' which makes sketehing from TMtnro an a!b$orbing occupation. TUere may' not result many fine pictures from amateur sketehing, but the effort pu-jt forth does awaken the best instmets and does have the workers personality wilhin it. The speaker discussed the questiun &Í teehnique and urged everyone to learn the artist's vernacular. In conclusión he s-aid that he would do so:iie painting for himself along the banks of our charming river and invited anyone who wihed to accompany him to come anr" receive instruction.