USA > Ohio > The Western Reserve of Ohio and some of its pioneers, places and women's clubs, Vol. II > Part 11
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PAPER
Influence of Art on Character
BY M. C. QUINTRELL.
A distinguished educator once said while addressing an unusually intelligent corps of teachers: "If I were permitted to teach my child but one branch of an English education, that branch should be drawing." The assertion electrified his list- eners.
"Drawing!" For time immemorial the "seven sciences" had held their sway and now, behold, a new combatant. But it set them to thinking nevertheless-thinking-wondering why he had said drawing. What would the boy be taught if he was taught drawing? What concentric circles would form around
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the chosen theme? How far-reaching would they become? Let us consider a few-form, dimension, number, distance, an ac- curate knowledge of human nature, an intense love of the true and the beautiful. Surely the boy's education would be rounded into a harmonious symmetry of which we had never conceived. The wise man had chosen well.
A beautiful girl fascinates and charms us without our knowing why. Is it not that Art has rendered the most com- monplace things in the world as among the most beautiful to her because she has interpreted them, with due appreciation of the poetry that is in them? How beautiful is her home! Even though it be far away in the very depths of the woodlands, her skillful hand may summon to her aid birds and flowers, leaves and grasses, and "twine the ivy and Idean vine" till she makes it in enchanted hall, where music and love delight to linger, and where care and bitterness may never intrude. What if her delightful charms are the result of hours and days spent in the pursuit of some favorite Art? If it makes her life happy and all her loved ones happy and her home the abode of all that is beautiful and true in life, is it time misspent? And is it a light thing thus to effectually turn the dark places in men's hearts to light, to cheer the heavy laden, to comfort the sor- rowing, and bid the faint hearted fresh courage take?
We may not be able to fill our homes with paintings, and with sculpture. How few among us, how few even in all this proud land of ours can boast an original Murillo, Raphael, or Praxyteles. The tired hands, or poor over-taxed brains may never cross the ocean's depths in search of those ravishing treas- ures that A,rt has lavished in such profusion in many a museum of the Old World; may never know the distinctions between the Byzantine. Romanesque or Gothic styles; may never spend
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hours, days or weeks in careful study of the renaissance per- iod; may not be able with unerring certainty to trace the linea- ments of a painting to the Tuscan, Venetian or Umbrian school, yet Arts' beloved priestesses may to such a tired one bring the ministering influences of the beautiful, so reveal the teachings of the infinite to this benumbed spirit that he will be led ere he knows, up from the valley of shadows into the bright light of happiness and love. We are reminded of some beautiful thoughts in Miss Mitchell's lecture before the Women's Con- gress. She tells us: "True art is ennobling and redemptive. It gives us new power of showing the unsuspected beauty and glory in the ordinary things of life; the sense of worship that looks up to the highest of all." And our hearts echo that noble sentiment of Mrs. Stone's, "Art will wake up the hallelujah in our souls."
How infinite are the resources of those who are in sympathy with the great heart of nature, and whose habits of observation have been trained to discover the spirit that is in things, and to interpret to us what nature discloses to them:
To him who in the love of nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language; for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty.
No wonder the artist catches the inspiration, and they illumine his life. No melancholy suggestions does nature offer him. The artist never lacks for entertainment, never knows what it is to have the hours drag tediously by. The poor servitor in the temple of Art may not know where his next crust is coming from, may often have given his last penny to some poor suffering child of want but he is happy, absorbed in the creations of his God-given genius. And such a happiness
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as only an artist may know, when the mysterious yearning in his soul after the true and beautiful is satisfied and the glow- ing canvas lives !
How the heart is uplifted, ennobled, purified, while seek- ing, striving after truth, beauty or goodness in this beautiful world, where nature has planted visions of loveliness at our feet and from whence if he gazes upward he may see the starried glories of the midnight sky where "God has written His name with worlds upon the heavens."
Great hearted, liberal minded business men in all our large cities have known full well the great influence of Art on the sons and daughters of the people and have given countless millions for the gratification and ennoblement of their fellow- men. And now we see in the great squares of every city bright and happy crowds gazing at the flashing waters of the foun- tains, or rambling amid the pretty flowers, or getting inspira- tion from the monuments and statues. It is wonderful that in every city, filled howsoever it may be with the rush and bustle of business, there will arise the noble, generous patron of Art, who seeks above all to benefit and ennoble poor toiling hu- manity. "And here I must add a passing tribute to one who was our noblest and best friend, Mr. Joseph Perkins. We all remember that as chairman of the Garleld monument com- mittee he had the various designs of the monument displayed in one of the galleries of our city. But ever eager to do good he had also displayed at the same gallery his own collection of beautiful photographs of the treasures of Art of the Old World. some of his friends had sent him from Europe, and on each of which was written copious notes describing it. It was a beautiful sight to see many a tired mechanic, after a hard day's work, with his dinner pail in hand, studying those pictures. They will never forget it."
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The influence the children of Art have held over the charac- ter of the nations of the world is well known to all. The pages of history are filled with their fame. "Time would fail to tell of Socrates, Alcibiades, Demosthenes, Phidias, or of Themistocles, Cimon and Pericles, who in the incredibly short space of forty years made Athens the most magnificent city in the world," and enriched it with the most splendid specimens of orna- mental art that have ever been produced in any age or country, and which immortalized the Grecian race with undying fame.
Art, the handmaid to religion, is still holding her benig- nant sway over the nations of the earth. Hand in hand with Christianity, she will journey on down the ages, till all the earth shall join in the glad hallelujah to the Lord most high.
"And in the end, e'en God shall view the pictures,
Our lives have formed each individual day, And by the justice of His solemn judgment,
They'll point each artist's sure, eternal way."
PAPER
Woman's Preparation for Christian Activities
It is with deepest interest that we look back upon the power which woman has exerted in the history of the Christian Church, both indirectly by her influence, and directly in act. And the example of such women as Hilda, the abbess of a monastery of her own founding, and under whom the poet Caedman re- ceived his early instruction, show that in the past, women have performed noble and heroic service.
But while we recognize the large share women have had in secular affairs, as in the universities of the middle ages, and most especially within the pale of the Christian Church, yet we see that women of to-day are receiving a more general call
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to christian work of an organized and systematized character. Instead of isolated instances of great achievements, and the fact of the great influence which women as a whole wield in the world, there have been developing distinct lines of christian activity for women. And as these are constantly broadening, and at the same time becoming more defined, the question of the best preparation for the work before us, is one which must necessarily claim our attention.
There are English Bible and training schools which fit women as well as men for certain kinds of practical christian work.
Then there is also the American Institute of Sacred Lit- erature which affords thorough instruction in both the English Bible and the original Hebrew and Greek. This instruction may be taken either by correspondence or at the Institute schools.
But we would seek the highest mode of preparation, in order to give to our work the highest character, and to render it most valuable.
This highest of preparation is found in the training of a Theological Seminary, which is now open to those who are ready to accept it.
A consideration of the Theological course in relation to the various lines of christian activity will readily show us its value.
In order to appreciate the needs of such a preparation, we must first discover what these various activities are. And here it may be observed that while women need the same prep- aration for their work, intellectually and spiritually, yet their work in itself is different.
Young men entering upon a Theological course generally have as their aim the active ministry and preaching of the gos-
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pel. The popular mind is likely therefore to look upon this as the main if not the sole purpose in view with one entering this field of study.
But there are other purposes :- and it is not with a view of thus entering man's sphere of activity that woman would seek a Theological training, but rather that she may better fill her own constantly broadening sphere, and increase her use- fulness.
Among the different purposes for which a Theological course prepares women. several are of especial importance.
First may be mentioned that of Bible teaching in higher educational institutions. There is at present great interest in the instruction of Biblical literature in the colleges and schools of our country.
Colleges for men, both of greater and lesser repute have in- troduced Bible study into their curriculum. Yale, Amherst and Dickinson being prominent among them. Colleges for women and co-educational institutions have been equally ready to see the necessity of Bible instruction.
Wellesley College has one teacher who devotes her time exclusively to the teaching of the Bible, and along with this conducts an elective class in Hebrew, which five young ladies have joined this year. Smith College was seeking last fall a teacher of the Bible. The need of this Bible teaching is recog- nized by all.
Heretofore it has been difficult to find women as well quali- fied as men for these positions, but in a Theological course they receive a training which makes them eminently fitted for this teaching. Then again, woman may enter the field of pure scholarship. She may engage simply in scientifical investiga- tion and publication. Oriental studies have recently contrib-
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uted much to the clearness and accuracy of Scripture interpre- tation. One woman, Miss Edwards, has demonstrated to the world woman's power as a specialist. But she has represented only one department. Others as important are waiting for women to enter them. And a Theological Seminary is almost the only place where the initial training necessary for such an undertaking may be secured.
Then there are the more practical fields of labor. The problems of Sociology are of a paramount importance. Women have already proved themselves able to accomplish more in ap- plied Sociology than men. They are the natural ministers of the family and the home, and the family is the basis of society. A careful and systematic study of these problems and a familiarity with the work which a course in the Theological Seminary gives, would greatly increase their power for useful- ness in this direction.
There is another field of work, the dignity and importance of which men are beginning to appreciate, and are training themselves for it. This is the co-pastoral work. The church owes to the community around it a ministration which cannot be fulfilled by the pastor alone, and the need of co-pastoral work is recognized. Women as well as men are beginning to be so employed, and it is essential that they should have the same preparatory discipline.
Last of all and in some respects most important is the mission field. Women are doing a grand and noble work as missionaries in all countries. Their number is rapidly increas- ing. Nearly half of the missionaries under the American Board are women. Why should they not have the same training as men? The Board would reject men without this training. It is the testimony of missionaries that they cannot be too well
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equipped both in scholarly and practical attainments. If women are to do the most efficient work surely they must have a prep- aration in accord with the vast demands upon them.
A class-mate of mine at Hartford Seminary has been a missionary in South Africa and she hopes at some time to re- turn there. She has frequently exclaimed how very different her work would have been had she had this training before she first went to Africa.
From a consideration of the needs of a training for Chris- tian activities, we may look to see what there is in a Theological course which supplies these needs.
First there is the exegetical work in the Old and New Testaments in the original Hebrew and Greek. It is true that one may be a most excellent Bible scholar and teacher without any knowledge whatever of Hebrew and Greek, and yet we cannot but recognize that there is a great advantage in the knowledge of these languages.
It is most difficult and frequently impossible to translate from one language into another and bring out the fine shades of meaning. Especially is this true of the Greek in which the phases of thought are so minute and so subtle as frequently to have no exact equivalent in other languages. The value of Greek in careful exegesis is therefore most essential.
And in the more general study of the New Testament there is a great difference observable in the Greek of the differ- ent writers, and even in different portions by the same writer. Some portions will be more classical Greek, some more com- mon. Some purely Hellenistic and some abounding in Hebra- isms and Aramaisms; some more finished in style and some less so. For instance it is true of Luke as a writer that in his great adaptability he uses a more Hebraistic style in those por-
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tions of the Gospel and the Acts which pertain to Jewish cus- toms or history, and a classical style in other portions, though still maintaining to a great extent the vocabulary of the com- mon people. The introduction of his Gospel is a most classical bit of New Testament Greek, and yet as he goes on to tell of Zacharia's ministry before the altar and the Jewish temple serv- ice, he suddenly breaks in with the distinct Hebraism in the expression, "And it came to pass." The Greek is thus important in interpreting the author and in grasping a view from his standpoint.
The value of the Hebrew is equally apparent. The deep doctrinal truths formally presented in the New Testament to those whose faith is grounded upon the risen Christ, are given in the Old Testament in the picture language adapted to those whose faith was fixed in the promised Messiah, still to come. The Hebrew language is most perfectly in accord with the time and material of the Old Testament. There is a vigor, a freshness and vividness in the Hebrew which can not be transferred to our English.
One has beautifully said of the touching Messianic Psalms, the twenty-second, that in the Hebrew it is a psalm of sobs. And the exquisite feeling can never be exactly conveyed in the English.
It is a language rich in synonyms, each one of which sug- gest to the mind a distinct and varied idea. There is a pictur- esqueness about the language, and one word will frequently in- clude in itself an entire picture.
There is often a coloring to the Hebrew words which is of the greatest importance in determining the date and authorship of a book. One word may be used predominantly in the Mosaic ritual, and may therefore be regarded as giving a ritualistic
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coloring wherever it is found. Another may be an Archaic ex- pression indicating the antiquity of the book. Another may belong to the Exilian or Post-exilian period.
The study of the original languages is therefore of greatest value not only as an aid to the clearer understanding of the Scriptures but in the critical study of the Bible which is at present claiming the attention of all. The Biblical criticism of the past was based mainly upon historical methods. Now it is philological and it is to a minute and close study of language that we are looking to settle the questions which are now agitat- ing the Biblical scholarship of the world.
Individual research in Biblical criticism cannot be entered into to any extent without a knowledge of the original languages. Hence the need of these languages if woman would share in these questions which are of such vital importance to all Chris- tian people.
A second department of study in the Seminary is that of History both Biblical and Ecclesiastical. The importance of Biblical History is acknowledged by all whether viewed from a religious or secular standpoint. President Gilman, of Johns Hop- kins University has said, "An acquaintance of the Bible should also be required of every school-boy. College professors have lately been showing how ignorant the youth of America are of the history, the geography, the biography and the literature of the sacred books. I do not refer to its religious lessons, but I speak of the Bible as the basis of our social fabric, as the embodiment of the most instructive human experience; as a collection of poems; histories, precepts, laws, and examples, priceless in importance to the human race."
The value of Ecclesiastical History to a correct interpre- tation of the Bible must also be held in highest esteem. Doctrinal
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questions are held up for the consideration of all. Indeed so commonly are they handled that one might almost feel to sympathize with St. Bernard in his complaint, that "it had come to pass in France that the Trinity was almost a theme of disputation for boys in the street,- and that the sacred and mysterious doctrines of the Gospel, instead of being regarded with awe, were turned into a mere gymnastic for the under- standing."
But at all events the questions are before us and we need all the light that history can throw upon them to enable us to truly interpret them.
We are surprised to see how differences in nationality have affected the questions of doctrine. The subtle, metaphysical and more mystical eastern mind naturally taking hold of such ques- tions as the Trinity, and the nature and person of Christ; while the more practical western mind has dealt more with such sub- jects as sin, the atonement and the sacraments.
We discover too how the character of the age has affected the interpretation of scripture, emphasizing such doctrines as were most closely allied to the current thought of the age, and viewing them in the light of the tendencies of the period. As we thus trace the development of doctrine and its results from the time of the apostles to the present day, we are better able to discern the peculiar tendencies of our own age; and to avoid the errors into which those tendencies may lead us.
Closely allied to Ecclesiastical History is the study of systematic Theology. This takes the material which has been gleaned from the study of Biblical and Historical Theology and builds into an organic whole our knowledge of God and of the relations between God and the Universe.
Finally there is the study of practical Theology which pre-
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sents to us the true methods of unfolding Christian truths and of bringing them to bear upon men individually, and in the church. It is that which enables those who have themselves come into personal relation with their Savior, to discover the methods by which others may be led into this same union.
As we thus hastily glance over the field of Theological study we must be persuaded of the value of a Theological train- ing to woman as a preparation for their special lines of Chris- tian activity, and we cannot but hope that they will not be slow to avail themselves of the opportunity now offered them. It is true that this field of study is only beginning to claim the attention of women.
There is a young lady in the Allegheny Theological Sem- inary and a young lady graduated from Oberlin Seminary last year. Dr. Harper in his new University expects to receive women in the Theological as well as in other departments, on equal footing with men, and any one who knows Dr. Harper, know they will be cordially welcomed.
But I would speak most especially of the Seminary which I attend, and which was the first Seminary of our country to recognize fully the value of a Theological training for women, and the efficiency and power for Christian service to be attained by such a course.
For three years Hartford Theological Seminary has ad- mitted women. They have not simply opened the doors to them and allowed them to enter, but more than that,-we have been invited to come, and having come, we have been most cordially received. An advisory committee of Hartford ladies have been appointed to look after the interests of the lady students, and there have been many ways in which we have been led to ap- preciate their kindness.
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The requirements for entrance are the same for women as for men,-that of a college education or its equivalent.
With these great possibilities before us, we can only hope that many will seek the preparation for these lines of use- fulness and prove themselves faithful to the trust laid upon Christian womanhood.
LEUTY CORWIN.
MANUAL TRAINING
BY MRS. N. COE STEWART.
Manual training as we have come to understand the term, meaning tool instruction by the laboratory process was founded by Victor Della Vos, director of the Imperial Technical School of Moscow in 1868, although the underlying principle of Manual Training Schools exists in the kindergarten and all object teach- ing, and the teaching of Froebel, Pestalozzi, Comenius, Rousseau and Bacon have been more or less ingrafted into the present system at least where object teaching prevails. "The thing be- fore the sign" is the keynote of success in all branches of teach- ing, and the teacher who most effectively carries this thought into practice is the most successful in imparting knowledge in the most rapid and satisfactory manner.
For the introduction of the manual element in education to the United States, (I quote from Chas. M. Ham.) we are in- debted to the intellectual acumen of Dr. John D. Runkle, pro- fessor of mathematics at the Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass.
He studied the subject as it was presented at the Philadel- phia Exposition, by the Russian exhibit. After a careful ex- amiration of the output of the Russian Imperial Technical Schools, of Petersburg and Moscow, Dr. Runkle made the fol- lowing recommendation: "In the light of the experience which
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Russia brings us, we should without delay, complete our course in Mechanical Engineering by adding a series of instruction shops which I earnestly recommend."
In accordance with this recommendation the new school of Mechanical Art was created and made part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. C. M. Woodward of Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., established the second school in the country. The first class was graduated in 1883. Since then, manual training schools have multiplied and much attention has been accorded the thought,-papers and discussions having absorbed the attention of the National Educational Association, notably at Madison, Wisconsin.
Manual training in connection with the public school sys- tem of education has been inaugurated in many of our Ameri- can cities.
The Chicago Manual Training School is one of the few inde- pendent educational institutions of the kind in the world.
The effects of a general adoption of the manual training principle into our system of education is so far-reaching that to try to even suggest a mere outline of the results, is more than any paper can expect to cover.
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