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The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 11

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 11

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1 THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE SUN J)At, OCTOBfflt 10, 1886. I i ii liii mi nil irni i'ii Oai.iiniinM.Miiii.iiniiMii II if 1 i ill li I 11 begin to realize what a glorious city Brooklyn 1b bound to be. Before him Is the plaza, on his right is the noble Parkway, on bis left the splendid drive AMONG TEE SHIP'S CREW. ANOTHER OF OZJK STEEETS. GALLERY AND STUDIO.

God, the Creator, Preserver, moral ruler and final Judge of men. All this Is oh the dootor's signboard, but in his eloquent discourses God evap A NEGATIVE THEOLOGY. hand at working on the rigging. Ordinary seamen are those who have not the experience qualifying them as A. B.

The third of a crew generally formed of ordinary seamen. They are expected to hand, reef and steer find dn nmnll mnnlni nn the of Union street connecting with tho aristocratic quarter of Brooklyn Heights. Beyond the plaza lies the long stretch of FlatbUBh avenue, very broad now and grand in Its third and last stage. In the extremo distance one can see the towers of thO bridge, and beyond those the heights of Hoboken, and tho clustering turrets of the Passionlst Monastery. Looking down Union street the perspective gives the blue, hazy masses of Orango Mountain in Now Jersey.

The plaza is alive with vehicles dashing into it from all directions, tho long, homely, bodies of tho street cars consorting oddly with splendid victorias and elegant rockaways, and fast double team buggies, and spider like sulkies drawn by equine celebrities booted in true trotting style. The two horse car lines wheel arouud the fountain and cross each other's tracks, and then, in nautical language, hug the coast lines of the Park. The driving teams are mingled with market wagons loaded with produce from Canarsie and Flatlaads and the evlrons ot Flatbush; with huge vans containing tho entire furniture of houses, evidently from Summer storage, and taken from darkness to the light of home; with wagons loaded with dry goods, and every other conceivable kind of merchandise. For Fl at buah avenue te tho main artery ot a part of tho city that is growing up with startling rapidity, and tbe plaza is a good diverging point Here, too, one's conveyance meets with funeral processions going to tho Cometory of tho Holy Cross. Much of the life of Brooklyn in its every day form Is exhibited on the plaza.

When we follow FlatbUBh avenue to its third stage wo immediately become cognizant of the fact that tho city grew and was not planned. The stroets and avenuos on tho right hand and left hand of tho avenue do not correspond, and the consequence is that there is an unusual number of gores of all sizes. Some of these have boen built upon; some are still vacant The latter offer opportunities to the billposters whloh have been embraced with avidity. Many of the board rences of thoso goros are ornamented with theatrical signs of the most lurid character, in which the thrilling excitement of the melodrama has impressed itself most forcibly. Two plays In particular have color tones that reveal positive genius.

The gentleman who planned them is obvlovsly a true impressionist, for he Is able by the mere oholoe of his pigments to give a faithful foreshadowing of tho harrowing eHeol upon tho nerves which will bo brought by the plays thom SOlves. And It is to be tememboted that all the poople who drlvo on Flatbush avenue must see at least half of these signs, for, as statod above, tho streets on tho two sides of tbe avenuo do not match, and consequently the gores aro evenly distributed. If the billposter does not fetch you with his right barrel his loft catches you lntallibly. Some of tho permanent advertisers have taken a hint from this state of things and have painted enormous signs upon tho sides of tho houses which the gores leave exposed. These gentlemen, however, aro deficlont in the high pictorial sense that marks the deco rators of tho bbard fences, and their signs are painful to tho eyes Instead of being well springs of delight.

mere aro a rew vestiges nere ana mere oi a iar off tlmo when this third part of Flatbush avenuo was not the rattling, noisy thoroughfare which it now 1b. These are chiefly lu the form of trees, old PaulounlaB and silver poplars. They aro as healthy as can be expeotcd under the changed conditions of their Hvob and seora infinitely more sturdy than the more recently planted maple trees, which are anything but robust Thore are some old houses whloh, like the treos, preserve the air of other days. Two of thoso havo beon uuitod into a tavern of the old kind a place whero gentlemen can meet and enjoy themselves as they would in a club house. Doubtless this tavern is to the Inhabitants of this new and constantly growing part of Brooklyn a veritable club house.

About this point the granite block gives place to a splendid concrete pavement which was probably laid for tho benefit of tho park going community on wheols. At the present time a certain amount of vehicles going to tho drive does como up Flatbush avenue, but thla canonly becousidered temporary. Tberoare unmis takable signs tbat Flatbush avenuo, from Fulton street up to the Plaza, will be a succession of singu larly high toned and stylish retail stores. Even now, although the major part aro connected with house building and furnishing, yet those for provis ions aro already of a distinct character. This is specially the case with the fish mongers, whloh are marked by more clsanllnoss and delicacy than will be found In very pretentious stores lu New York.

The different kinds of fish are displayed on clean, white plates in an appetising and symmetrical way. If these things are so, it is not because tho people who own these storeJ are differ ent from others, but it is because their patrons can only be secured by this attention to their feelings. The refined women who do their marketing in this part of Flatbush avenue are propitiated, and like to come to those stores. In this way, however, style Is being developed whloh will become charac teristic and habitual. It is certain that the big grocery firm that is building a palatial Btoro near tho point where Flatbush avenue Is absorbed by Fulton street is acting upon this thought, and proposes to have au establishment as attractive and as refined as any in Now York.

What will be the effect upon Flatbush avenuo when Brooklyn is made the terminal point of tho Long Island Railroad instead of Long Island City? It Is to be hoped that Mr. Corbln will, before he builds an adequate depot, consult some ono pos sessed ot a senso of beauty in architecture. There are two eyesores upon Flatbush avenue; one is the Gospel Pavilion, hoar tho Plaza, which looks likes tho barracks of a slavo trader on tho Guinea coast: tho othor is tho Long Island Railroad depot This last Is atrociously ungracoful, nor does the facade oontain one single lino that is beautiful or forcible. Every thing Is tamo and insipid, and it Is as bad as tho Fifty socond street depot In Now York, which Is saying volumes for its ugliness. Tho situation is a grand ono.

Atlantlu avenue, Fourth avenue and Flatbush' avenuo all come together, beside some streots of a subordinate character. The three main arteries are of splendid width, and tho position. fine as it is, could be Improved still moro if the city would purchase that Impudont llttlo goro which raises its hoad so proudly and displays all tho glories of its drug store and insurance company. It is tho misfortune of Now York that It Is everywhere cramped and confined and has no approaches. It is the great merit of Brooklyn that its approaches, Its avenues grew up naturally, and its municipal guides had the good sense not only to retain them, but to enhance them.

If Mr. Austin Corbln, whom everyone praises, wants to havo a statue to his memory as the great railroad man of Long Island, let him build on Flat bash avenue at this meeting 'place of the avenues a depot that shall be a thing of beauty and a Joy forever. Then shall Flatbush avenue rejoice and sing praana In his praise from Fulton street to its leafy beginning In tho Bweot shades of Flatbush. E. G.

DUMSTAFFBA6E CASTLE. This ancient royal castle is three miles rc ra Oban and two miles fromDunolUe.onarooky pro: a ontory ot tho entranoo of Lock Etlve, almost insu a ted, three miles from Connel Ferry. Opposite a small wooded island, and in front, on tho west, is tho boautiful Island of Lismore, the anolent residence of tho bishops of Argylo. The scenery round Dun staffnage, consisting of mountain and valley, wood and water, island and continent is very impressive. The time of the erection is unknown, and the pres ent edifice is probably of the Thirteenth Century.

in 1806 tbe castle was possessed by Alexander Mac dougall of Lome, properly of Argyll, who submitted to Robert the Bruce. A brass gun off one of the Bhips of the Spanish Armada, lost on the coast, is preserved on the battlements. In Dunstaffnage was anciently the coronation stone, fabled to havo been Jacob's pillow, brought from Spain according to tbe legend' and slnoe tbe reign of Edward I deposited in Westminster Abbey. The castle is of square form, 87 feet within the walls, with round towors at three of the angles. The average heightis 66 feet, tho walls 9 feet thick, and the circumference of the promontory 300 feet Scottish American.

SIGHAEL ANGBLO'S LETTERS. The Anoona paper DOrdine annotmoes that Count Hollti Flaminl, a well known collector of auto graohs, has in his possession at Recanatla number of autograph letters and other documonts of Michael Angelo and other letters and papers hitherto un known relating to him and his affairs. The Floren tine archivist, Mltanesl, published In 1878 almost all the letters of the great artist and what autograph documents were to be found In the British Museum and tho Muboo Buonsrotti at Florence. Among thorn was the contract for the facade of San Lorenzo, signed by Leo X. and Michael Angela A duplicate of this contract signed by both Is In Count Flamlnl's collection.

There are also letters from Popo Clement from several Cardinals, from Cosimo Medici and Vasari, and especially several from his nephew, Leonardo Bitonarottl. There are several from Mlohael Angelo 'a father, Ludovico, which prove how highly the father esteemed his son and how warmly his atfeotlon was reolprocatea. I orates into non existence, like the hand and seal ot an imaginary person forged to a legal document If the existence of a personal God, however little can be known by Unite reason of His Infinity and self oxlstence.be, as all Christians and most pagans have hitherto supposed, a postulate without the granting of which there can be no religious sense, service, or accountability If, as St Paul says, we must be lieve that He Is and that He is tho rewarder of i such as diligently seek him;" if as a great metaphyi siclan and theologian has said: "It Is Impossible for a rational being to worship a God of whose existence he is seriously In doubt," then Is the negative theology preached by Mr. Chadwick not religious teaching at all, but a constant throwing up of his own brief as a religious counselor and a surrender of the fort, which as an officer or tho Uni tarian Union army, he had promised to hold. The legal analogy, however, is perhaps the best I see the Rev.

John Chadwick, arrayed In white linen and black broadcloth, saluting with his "Domlnus vobisoum all who doff their caps to him by the way, entering with sacerdotal stride the fila gree portals of the Church of the Holy Turtle. Ho meditates with visible discomfort while his con gregation turn tholr eyes upon each other to critl oise each other's true Inwardness and read the Inner consciousness of each church mouse. "Infinite Non Existence," says Brother Chadwick, "Thou conceptual Fleroma of atmospheric vacuity, Thou to whom the solid ribs of this mineral universe of ours have attaohed a local habitation and a name, Thou Infinite Nonentity, Thou Divine Fullness of Imaginary attributes, Thou All Father that had'st never a child, Thou Groat Something Nothing, Thou Plenary Void, Thou Absolute Negation of all Consciousness, Thou Whose Yolce Is a Chadwlckian zephyr among the trees of a garden that Is not and was not and never can be, wherein we Thy poetic servants and prophets dwell, be near as Etheral Nothing in these services of distilled talk and aromatic cestheticlsm. We thank Thee that Thou art not and we would get away from such an One as Thou art If Thou wert But, Ethereal Vapor with so many names, we bless Thee for the non creation, and non preservation of this non compos world of Thine, andfor the blessed sympho nies of thy Great Salvation which is tho projected shadow of our own ghostly imaginations and whjph never was nor will be. Amen." After a prayer like this to the Ear that cannot hear and a superollious stare at the Eye that can not see, a hymn Is sweetly suug by four vldarious, agnoBtlo voices Confucian basso profundo, Vol tairean soprano, Tom Payne contralto and Chow Chow Chunder Bongalese tenor to tho admiration of a number of Germah gentlemen whose looks are the philosophical chorus which proclaims: "Professors are we From over the sea, From the land where professors In plenty be; The land which produced one Eant with a And many Cants with a Then follows the discourse of tho reverend pastor, who would feel insulted If one said he was a Chris tian minister and would get mad at the bare sug gestion that he was a shepherd and thai his patient followers bore any mental resemblance to sheep.

Tho heavens," he argues, declare the glory of God. This might be so If the heavens declared the existence of a Being who is hot except as a sentiment in the subjective consciousness of superstition. But the heavens In the true inwardness of their inward sky do declare the glory of Newton and Laplace' In very clear sky blue. This Divine Sufficiency is quite sufficient for those stellar lights that have shed so much profound dusk and so many impenetrable night thoughts on our own 'Milky Tho wooden cow of pastoral theology and ovangellcal Christianity has not suckled the Second Unitarian Church of Brooklyn. I have brought you up by bottle, on the rich lacteal nutriment from the Echo Farm of German mysticism and universal atheism." This Is the upBhot of the Chadwlckian sermon.

Thus Brother Chadwick Btahds as tbe embodi ment of the religion that has nothing in it, In what ho himself calls its "beseeching loveliness." And this religion, which he calls "the venerable defen dant," while, as he lately told the Unitarian Divin ity school at Cambridge, It has no Scientific basis, will yet Joyfully avail Itself of "tho negative and destructive Work of science" until the grand service Is rendered to civilization by the astrono mers, geologists and biologists of proving beyond even a Chadwlckian doubt or peradventure that not a word Dan be said for the Bible and that Christianity has not the slightest claim to be regarded as a special revelation or anything more than tho out growth of Jewish superstition. Ecci.esiasticos. THE PURITAN SABBATH. Its Value in Perpetuating the Bless ings of Rest and Liberty. Sunday has had more value in this oountry than merely as a day ot rest It has been a power in forming American character.

It has caused a pause to men in whatever pursuit It has kept before men always th knowledge of a great authority regulating tholr affairs. Those who were brought up uuder the strict law of what is called the Puritan Sunday, sometimes look back from early manhood with intoned dislike to its Iron restraints imposed on the Jubilant spirits of their youth. But as they grow older and more thoughtful they recognize at least the priceless discipline of the day, its effect on the formation of mind, its lessons which hurt so much In entering that they are never to be forgotten. No wandering life prevails to lead them away trom the effects of those days; nor are there among the sons of men In this world of labor and pain any who look back with such Intense yearning for the homo rest as those men who out from the anxieties and agonies and sins of mature life, howsoever gullded its surroundings, send longings of heart to the old fireside, where tho Bible was the only Sunday book and the Pilgrim's Progress was almost tho only week day fiction. Scorn it, as may those who never knew what it was, the Puritan Sunday made men, thinking men, strong men, looked always to some thing beyond the approval of their fellows, felt al ways that thore was somewhere some onewhot they were in their hearts.

It made a large part of what is worthy In our Institutions and our men, in New England and New York, in Virginia and the Caro lines, and throughout tho growing Union. W. Prim, in New Princeton Review. 8UKDAT OBSEBVASCB8. The Pennsylvania Bailroad has been quietly making some experiments to ascertain whether it would pay for a big railroad oompauy to remember the Lord's Day.

A good many excursion trains and some regular passenger trains have boen discon tinued. All the freight trains except those carrying live stock and perishable goods have been ordered off from 8 o'clock on Saturday night until midnight on Sunday, and all repairing on Sunday has been stopped. The results have proved so satisfactory that the directors are now arranging to make these experimental changes permanent and to extend them. That a large corporation should have been willing to try tho oxperlment of Sunday observance after years of violation of that day, is a most hope ful sign of the development in moral tone. That after trying the experiment it has found the result so satisfactory that the change Is to be extended and made permanent, was not unlooked for by those who had examined this subject in its physical and social as well as its moral bearings.

Such a fact as this Is one of those practical arguments that are wholly unanswerable. Montreal Church Guardian. LETTER HAIL LONG AGO. The interesting Post Museum at Berlin has lately received a noteworthy addition in the shape of a letter cover dating from last century. Tho let ter was sent from Philadelphia to the great grand father of the late possessor of tho cover.

The cover bears the postmarks of Philadelphia, London, Cal als, Brussels, the Hague, Amsterdam and Ham burg, so that the route adopted in those days was evidently a very circuitous one. The date of the missive is between 1700 and 1789, but the actual year cannot be determined, as tho cover gives no date. The cost ot transmission was no less than five tlm lers twelve schilling of Meoklonburg. money, or eighteen mark ninety pfennig of modern German money. Exchange.

GEBHAH UNIVBESITIES. The oldest German speaking university is Prague, founded In 1848 next comes Vienna, founded in 1865 Heldelborg follows, being the senior of the universities In tho German Empire, founded in 1838 then Lolpslc, in 1409 Freiburg (Baden), in 1454 Griefswald, in 145S Bale, in 1460; Munich. In 1472 Tubingen, In 1477 Marburg, in 1627 Konigaberg, in 1544 Jena, in 1558 Wurz burg, in 1582 Glessen, in 1607 Rial, in 1665 Halle, in 1694 Breslau, in 1703 Gottlngen, In 1737 Erlan gen, in 1743 Berlin, in 1810 in 1818 Zurich, in 1638 Berne, in 1634 Strasburg, re established in 1872, originally founded In 1567. PuWfc Opinion. a rigging.

The ordinary seamen in each watch take turn about in fetching me food from tho galley to the forecastle, washing up the plates and cleaning out the forecastle; they also help the 'apprentices or boys to sweep up tho decks of an evening. Next coma the apprentices or boys. Almost at "blue water" ships carry them. Formerly, in tho British service apprenticeship was forced upon all lads going to sea indiscriminately; now tho "privilege," as it is called, Is reserved for those whose parents can afford to pay a prenium ranging from thirty to sixty guineas, and even more, for a term four. Th0 who am, farco.

The only advantage gained If so it can be called is living apart from the crew. Directly he steps aboard his ship he is a "boy," no matter what his age may be, for four years, aud he must do boy's work an unhappy disappointment to many a genteel youth fresh from the outfitters. In his dark blue suit and gilt buttons, not forgetting the badge on the cap, "brass bound and copper fastened," as sailors say. Ot course, this lion's skin Is soon "doused" and packed away in his chip chest, being replaced by thoso articles for which he was tho least thankful at the outfitter's a coarse woolen singlet and shirt, blue serge pants and "Jumper" and Sootch cap. His first Job Is Invariably to sweep up the mud on deck and shovel It overboard.

Whether a British apprentice or an American "boy," It makes no difference In the treatment all.the moat menial duties fall to him. They have to clean all the lamps aboard and trim them every day, the side lights being a particularly dirty Job. No distinction is made aboard ship between an appren tice and a forecastle boy; their duties are Identical and their food the same; In fact, the latter would learn his profession quicker, being continually with the men. The only difficulty with a lad who first goes to sea in a forecastle, 1b his getting Out of it Although with a good education, perhaps, If not very steady, he finds his ambition to rise soon die out under tho infiuonce of his shipmates. There Is a vast difference between tho merchant sailors and hie fellow "salt," the man o' war's man whom they nickname "Johnny Haultaut" Tbey hold each other In mutual derision, although with out any unfriendly feeling.

At one time the navies of both England and the United Statos were manned exclusively from the merohant service; but the sup ply not keeping pace with the demand lessening every year the navies of both countries took to pro vldlng their own men, by entering them when boys in training ships, and so rearing them. Very few men now volunteer from the mnrohant service. Ac customed to the comparative independence and frso life of a merchant vessel, thoy look with scorn on tho bindiug dlsalptlne and severe penalties of man o1 war. Merchant Jack laughs with contempt he watches their crew in uniform dress, walking round the windlass, weighing anchor like mechan ical dummies. No hearty "ohautieB" there no fine chorus sinizlnK with feellne and Bentl ment brought out with tho sort of despairing wlldness which so often strikes neighboring landsfolk with indefinable emotion.

He likes to growl and be may, so long as he goes about bis work. Silonce reigns supreme aboard a Warship; ho general order Is given by word of mouth the boatswain's whistle takos its place. It should be understood, however, that the merchant sailor holds his liberty at considerable sacrifice. As a rule, he Is worse fed and lodged than an average dog. The average allowance In merchant ships to each man or boy Is IX pounds of beef, or tj pounds of pork, beside about pounds of flour with the beef, and a full supply ol poa soup with the latter.

The quautlty is sufficient; it Is the quality that Is at fault Three quarts of water aro also a' owed to each man per day. But ships vary a great deal, as much lu the quality as in the quantity of food they serve out This depends upon tho class of owners, the captain, steward, and ovon the cook. Some hips togularly prtvide sickles or butter nhersj egetabies and tinned meats twice week hilo a few do not oVon allow tinned meat on Sundays. But taken in the aggregate, sailor's food is miserably bad. Tho flour is always more or less musty and sour, and oven sometimes so full of weevils as to have quite a groy color.

A certaiu ship's crew had not enough to eat, at which they grew Intensely dissatisfied; and well they might, for, as tho yarn goes, they had only three sweet potatoes and a smell of putrid Junk each per day. At last they went aft In a body and complained to the captain of the steward's mean ness, who, having patiently listened to tholr oro. test of hunger, said to the i toward in a passionate fit of generosity, "Give 'cm another half spud and bust 'em." Tho office of third mate in a large ship Is from this cause generally an unploasant one; dispensing tho stores being ono ot his duties, t.nd the men always growling at tho quantity as woll as qual ity or tne provisions, in some ships, the Steward controls tho provisions, the third mato commands no watch, but assists the chief mete In his. Like the chief necond mates, he takes no wheel, ohd, boside going aloft to a topsail, ho will lend a hand to a topgallant sail or jib. He works about deck the same as tho other seamen.

If he is smart at his work the mate gives him a fancy Job on the rigging or elsewhere! indeed, it is necessary that he should, as ho is supposed to be the leader of the watch, and for thiB reason, as much as his comparative youth, some men show a Jealous feeling. It Is the third mates duty to walk the poop, or otherwise look after the ship's welfare, while tho officer of tho watch is below getting his meals. It is commonly said at sea that a man still keeps his tarry hands by becoming second mate; but In reality this saying applies moro to former days, when ho was often picked out trom the crew by the captain, and expected to turn his hand to anything. Now, although he lends a band here and thore at same llttlo Job, yot ho would not dip bis 'hands In a tar pot unless speolally ordered to do so by tho captain or chief mate, showing that although his duty, ss well as any other, tho practice has died out In furling a sail tho second mate goes aloft with the watch to the courses and topsails, but no higher. Ho usually has charge of ail the boating In the harbor, such as taking the coptalu ashore, or fetching things off; or at sea, whero a boat Ib lowered, In boarding an other ship.

Tho chief or first mate is the superintending offi cer, and Is known aboard ship os tho mate, par ex cellence. His duties are very Important In taking in cargo, he must give an acknowledgement, called the mate's receipt, for all goods stowed In the hold, and for defiolenclOB in these he is answerable. When the ship is in port the chief mato com mands much more than at sea, the captain being the greater part of tho time away ashore Booing merohants, shippers, oto. At eea or in port he never goes aloft, neither does he put his hand to any work, excepting when ho chooses to give a haul on a rope. It is the chief mate's duty to keep the log book, an exceedingly responsible trust At tho end of each watch the officer enters upon tho log slate, usually placed in tho chief mate's borth, the courses, dissance run, winds, and any matter of particular interest From this elato overy twenty four hours the ohief mate copies Into the official log book, after submitting it to the captain, who sel dom makes an alteration.

Tho matos are always addressed by the captain and crew with "Mr." prefixed to the surname, and are answered with "Sir;" an omission in doing so would, Ir Intentional, be against the rules ot the sorvlco and would lead to difficulties. The captain has supreme authority aboard, evon to rogulatlng the hours of work and rest. His word is law. To refuse obedience Is mutiny. He can order a man to bo put In irons at any moment of the day or night: yot, notwithstanding this power, it is very seldom, fortunately, that events demand its enforcement The solo command in the navigation and working of the Bhlp rests also with tbe captain.

When ho is on deck, the weather side of tho poop belongs solely to him; tho officer of the watoh steps over on the lee side. In wearing, tacking, and In other all bands work, the captain commands aft, the chief mate forward, and the second mate In the waist In the ordinary dolly work tho captain does not superintend personally, but instructs the chief mate, who sees that the work is carried on properly. If the captain should find fault with the way any man may be doing his work, be never addresses him personally, but through the officer of the watch. Sometimes it happens, much to Jack's dlBgust, that a steamboat officer Is placed in command of his ship, whose want of experience tells severely upon the discipline of the ship, In the long run. Stoam officers and men are far loss fit to ship in sailing vessels than men from tho latter to ship in steamers, steamboat captains understanding but Indifferently tho management ot soiling ships, and steamboat sailors being generally only capable of cleaning brass and sorubblug paintwork, or any othor work under the category of sand and canvas.

It is common for a regular sailor to say, half humorously, when seized with a temporary fit of disgust with hiB seafaring life: "I'll knock off the aea and go In a steamboat" M. D. Fore and Aft on Board a Sailing "Vessel. The Sailors and Their Lives Evils of the Ad vance System Runners and Their Villainies. Classes of Seamen Buys Duties of the Mates The Captain Wretched Diet.

No other profession in the world is so asso Ideal as that ot the sailor; no other can surpass it in the amount of hardship and privation entailed In reality. Jack ashore and Jack afloat are two dif ferent animals. People forget when they see a sailor ashore that be is on a holiday, and free to so remain as long as his money lasts. It is believed by most people and boys that sailors have nothing to do at sea. They sleep in peaceful innocence all night, and lounge on deck round the mainmast all day, occupying the voyage by spinning yurns and singing briny songs.

Marryat has sent more boys to sea than any training ship, with his rose colored naval tales. But how different a pioture the reality Is I Clad In his tarry and greasy clothes, he goes about his work day by day, week by week, month by month, with the everlasting expanse of ocean around him meet ing tho sky. Fair weather or foul he must be on deck every alternate four hours, day and night, and aB to "Saturday night at sea" it is only to be distinguished along tbe decks by tbe eight of sundry articles of wearing apparel hanging about drying after their respective washings. As regards pirates and other sensational encounters, the former have happily been extinct for many years; the latter are limited to sharks and flying fish. It Is needless to say that the sea serpent Is only known to land peo ple, who find no difficulty in monopolizing the ar guments about it In order to learn somethine about the methods of shipping a crew and various other matters, such as the alleged practice of wracking vessels on tho Mex ican coast in order to collect the heavy Insurance, I interviewed several officers of vessels now lying in the Brooklyn docks and was startled with the stories told of the manner in which poor Jock Is treated, even while in port For instonce, it is customary for a crow to be shipped for the voyage out and back and to receive a month'B pay in advance.

This latter might bo thought rather a risky thing to do, as the sailors having received this sum of money might easily keop out of tho way till after the vossel has sailed and by so doing dofraud the captain of that amount, and oblige the vessel to sail without her full number of men. This, however, seldom hap pens arrangements being made as follows: Whon a crew is to bo shipped for a voyage, the captain goes to the shipping commissioner, who provides men through boarding house keepers and run ners who frequent his office, and with whom ho is well acquainted. The runner's business consists in boarding ships direotly they come in, and, if the crew are going to bo paid off, in persuading as many of Its number as possible to go to their board lug house. If they are not going to be paid olj the runner will do his utmost to induce the sailor to dosert his ship. Fresh from the ocean, with all its privations and hardships, Jack opens his ear to his supposed friends, but real enemy, who charms him wish accounts of happiness and comfort whloh be can offer him.

A sailor Is not like a meuhanio ashore, outdone with competition and anxious to keep his situation. Tho sailor knows that If he leaves his present ship ho can, If ho chooses, ship In another vessel the very next day; lor there are always plenty of ships wanting hands. This makes him independent and dissatisfied with bis ship, In most cases, Whatever she may bo. Hence It is that tbe'runner has such a hold over him, knowing his chronic state Of discontent Naturally there are many steady going men Who would not allow themselves to bo led away In this manner, but they only form the exception to the rule. Many of the sailors' boarding houses are kept by old sailors.

who employ runners, Often sharpers of the worst class, and these agents keep tho commissioner in formed as to the men they havo boarding with them and seloct those that seem the most desirable for the places to be filled that is, able seamen, ordinary seaman, boys, cooks and stewards and sometimes officers. Tho sailors fre quently stay at these houses until their money is all gone and they are, many of them, moro or less In debt to tho boarding house keeper. The runners especially recommend thoso latter to tho Commissioner as able bodied and fine seamen, so as to get rid of thorn before their board ing house bill exceeds the amount of tbe next month's advance, which is to be received from the captain. Frequently through this deception the captain finds, after getting to sea, that some of the men who have been represented to him as able bodied seamen turn out to bo land lubbors of tho most worthless sort It Is customary to give sailors a mouth's pay la advance, but it is so arranged that they cauuot get it into their own hands before the vossel sails. Tho captain of tho vossol for which the crew is to bo shipped deposits with the shipping commissioner a sum sufficient to cover tho month's advance for all the men he needs for tho voyage.

Tho commissioner then selects tho men and gives them an order on himself for their pay but this order not being due till the ship is well out of the harbor, tho sailor cannot draw the money from the commissioner and, therefore, can not run away and cheat tho captain. He can, how ever, nogotlato this order; and if, as is commonly the case, he is in debt for two or three weeks' board, then the boarding house keeper takos tho order, do ducts the amount duo to ntmaolf and pays tho sail or the balance, usually a very small sum. As the boarding house keeper cannot got this order cashed by the shipping commissioner till after the vessel has sailed, ho keeps a sharp lookout for the sailor in question until the latter has boen put, bag and baggage, on board tho vessel. If the sailor should escape the boarding house keeper by any means and the vessel should sail without him, the money which was loft with the commissioner will not be paid, but is kept to tho credit of the vessel, and tho boarding house keeper Is out of pocket the amount he has advanced the sailor. Without the advance note system the runnercould not oxist As it is, ho is ono of tho many evils emanating from It An ordinary ship's crew may be divided Into throo classeB; ablo seamen, ordinary seamen and boys which latter term signifies any sea faring novice, irrespective of age or size.

Each man when he ships rates himself. Influenced by nothing but his own consciehce, or, rather, reason. And yet with all this freedom It is a rarity for any to take advantage of tho license by fraudulently shlpplug a lilghor rate for higher pay. It should also bo said, that it found out after clearing from port and they are certain to bo so they find no sympathy foro or aft It is not only deceiving the captain and officers, but also, and even more so, tho men who find thoirnumber, already small enough, roduced byone and further burdened by his sharo of the work. So well aro the consequences Understood that sailors prefer underrating themselves, rather than stand tho risk of incurring them.

Formerly, a sailor in want of a ship came to the docks, whore ho made his cholco, much to tho ad vantage of both himself and tho captain. Now, he is required to present himself, a3 above described, before the shipping commissioner ol the port, where he Joins a ship that lies perhaps three miles off, and which he has never seen. A captain comes down with his chief officer. They select their com plement ot men from among the crowd standing outside the office, who are then brought before tho commissioner, by whoso side the captain takos a seat, while the articles are read to the crew In a loud voice, which thoy aro afterward compolled to sign, giving at the same time their name, resi dence and place of birth. It is customary to sign articbs tor a voyage out and home not exceeding three years.

When signing his name ho Is askod whether he wishes for any advance, to whloh he replies in the affirmative and gets one month's wages In the shape of au advance note rep resenting valuo only after the ship has sallod, but which, as already explained, he gets discounted at usurious rates. If Joining a ship through the shipping office broods ultimate dissatisfaction aboard, the advance note eystom is answerable for halt the casualties and crimes which take place on leaving tho docks prior to sailing. Thanks to it, whole crews are carried aboard dead drunk, who show tholr first signs of life by rioting, and sometimes by mutiny. As for tho plea that a sailor requires his advance note to buy clothing with, It Is a fallacy. A rospootable seaman, whon paid off from a voyage ot average duration, has more than onough not only to ronow his outfit, but to spend few comfortable weeks ashore.

Beside this some ropularly put by their savings, or whloh a tidy balance very often remains after settling for all expenses. The writer met at Congross street wharf a llttlo colored seaman who had thus accumulated $700 in the Brooklyn Savings Bank. An able seaman must be equal to any emergenoy aboard ship. He Is oxpeoted to be able to hand, reef and steer and do work upon the rigging neatly. By the term "a good seaman" sailors mean a smart i Flatbush Avenue a Survival of the Old Ferry Road.

What May be Been from Its Highest Point and In the Course of a Stroll from Eud to End, The avenues and streets of Brooklyn are for many reasons more interesting than those of the sister city. The ohlof causo ot this is undoubtedly to be found in tho fact that the ancient avonues of communication on Manhattan Island have not been maintained, but have been completely obliterated or have been metamorphosed. But they never were so various and so interesting as those on Long Island, even in the days whon tho Bowery extended all the way to Harlem and the old post road to Bos ton ran through Madison square. The most interesting avenue in thoso old days was probably the road that led along the North River, and which was a sort of English rival to the Bowery, which was essentially Dutch as well in character as in name, The sturdy burghers of Nleuw Amsterdam hod their boweries or country seats along this road, for they were men who lived in better style and with far more refinement and culture than even the proud cavaliers of Virginia. The English conquorors of Manhattan Island found that, to retain their supremacy, it would be necessary to Introduce a higher element' of British colonists than thoso who had come to New York as soon as the CrosB of St George was hoisted on the Battery.

Thoy therefore gave many patents to the younger Bons of tbe landed aristocracy of England, granting forty acres and fifty acres of land upon Manhattan Island itself, and upon these the new comers erected villas In the English stylo along tho Hudson or North River. But, from some reason not to be oxplained at this late day, there was a belief both among the English and the Dutch that New York was unheal thy during the great heats of the Summer and tbe beglunlng of tho Fall, and very many of the bost families established tholr country seats on Long Island. The British wero partial to the region about Hempstead plains, and at a very early date had a race course there and villas at Roslyn and Its neighborhood. The Dutch, at an equally early time, located themselves in Flatbush, tho lovel country." Flatbusb avenue is undoubtedly the genuine sur vival of the road to tbe old ferry at Brooklyn, and here there was not only a well frequented ferrioge, but there was a sort of Bporttng community, where shooting and fishing parties were accommodated. Thore was oh Fulton street at the time of the Revolutionary War a tavern noted for its fish dinners, and the British officers bolonglng to the army in in New York used to come aoross regularly for rec reation and frolic It is a well known law In physics that the dog wags his tall and that it is not tho tall that wags the dog.

A logical application of this great truth will show why Flatbush avenue doss not now go right down to the ferry, and why it is so to speak, absorbed by FUlton street The latter was tho highway of all coming from New York to Long Island, going straight to Jamaica and thence to all points eastward, and therefore, was of much greater importance than Flatbush avenue, which only led to the cluster of villas or bow eries Where the burghers planted their fine trees and tholr beloved tulips. Each Of those groat avenuos of transit, however, has faithfully preserved its old lino, and tells the story of its past with dlstlnotnoss, reminding the people of the present day who sometimes inclined to feel badly over the haughty airs of Now Yorkers that Loug Island and Brooklyn and Flatbush es pecially were, os far back as history goes, known by every one to be more salubrious, with better soil, with better natural drainage, with finer verdure and trees than Manhattan Island, Had there boon a count and a king in those United States, there can be no doubt that the royal habitation would have been built Bomewhore noar Brooklyn, if not upon the Heights. For Colonel Nichols, who took the Island of Manhattan from the Dutch, immediately inaugurated the practice of spending half tho year on Long Island, and the Governor was dutifully followed by the gubernatorial oourtlors. The tall end of Flatbush avenue, the Vlllace of Flatbush, has c'mtnged but little since tho days when the British troops quartered themselves there and emptied the cellars and set fire to the villas in their drunken frenzy. Flatbush, indeed, is a beau tiful example of the manner in whloh time lingers in some localities.

It is a3 quiet and composed as If the great American nation were phlegmatic and self possessed, like tho old Hollanders. Possloly the roadbed is better constructed than In tho days of tho Dutch Governors and the lighting and the street cars and the water supply aro of modern date. But the houses are for tbe most part of the most respectable antiquity and stand in the midst of grand old forest trees which the old Dutch had the good tasto to plant upon their lawns. The inhab itants of Flatbush were, however, not all Hollanders, for in the Crooke plaoe there is a magnificent En glish Walnut planted by an English possessor. It is of stupendous girth and its ouormous branches stretch half way across the avenue.

It is, however. not quite as large as the one at Roslyn, which was indubitably planted in 1713. But this grand tree is not alone, for Flatbush avenue at this point is series of splendid lawns and gardens in which are most noble trees and many exquisite flowers. The eyos of Americans have never yet beheld anything more magnificent than tho begonia rubra on the lawn of Colonel Lofferts' old house, one of those that was fired by British soldiers after the battle of Long Island. There were two ol thorn, 110 feet high, and each plant had two stems, each of which was a perfect cascade of scarlet flowers, On every side of these splendid specimens of flori culture are fine trees, principally tlriodendrons.

In the Clarkson place there are Just as notable ex amples of fine forest trees, miugled with tall elms that have unfortunately fallen victims to tho galeruca beetle. In fact, the Flatbush avenue car runs through an avenue of ebaraoter unmatched on this Contluent Thore may be among tho young giant cities of the West avenuos of villas that cost far more money; but there are none that are so marked with the traces of two centuries of refinement In the days of Richmond Hill, when there was a Village of Greenwich, perhaps tho old West Side road of New York could have rivaled it; but every particle of t.hat epoch has been obliterated, and ovon tho fact that Aaton Burr had a villa there is known only to a few bookworms. When tho car arrives at the Prospeot Park depot of a charming little railroad that ruus to Brighton 3eacb, Flatbush avenuo enters upon a new stage of existence. Hithorto it has been the scene of the most perfect quiet, of great beauty, great antiquity and innumerable proofs of blue blood in its best sense. Now Flatbush avenue becomos noisy and excitable, and a trifle vulgar.

For It becomes here one of the avenues of transit to the race courses of Brighton Beach and Sheopshead Bay, and the hangers on ot tho racing world, black and white, loaf considerably la the neighborhood of the little depot, seeking for some patron whom they may strike for a dollar or so in return for some stable rumor about a favorite horse. waiting about for this chance they loiter around the saloons whloh flourish in some numbers hei eabouts, but which rely for their profits upon a 'far different order of patronage. For we are close here to one of the great entrances to Prospeot Park, and as the refreshments Inside the Park aro not liked by very many, these saloons minister to the Internal wants of families visiting the great playground of Brooklyn, providing them with sandwiches of bologna sausage and Swiss cheese and with glasses of foaming lager. Once past the Wllllnk entrance to the Park, Flatbush avenue becomes a causeway. It is higher than the level or the Park, though this Is concealed by the adroit manner in which the sides of tho causeway have been planted with bushes and treos.

And upon the other side there Is a consider able descont, and the ground is brokon and desolate in appearance. Tho soli appears to be gravel mixed with boulders, and it is covered with a thin, green carpet of stunted grass, whloh a few cows porsoverlngly try to graze upon. The drainage is so oxcollont, however, that malarious and typhoid complaints seem lmposslblo, and we wonder why this part has not boon built upon. When the soil has been enriched with vegetable mould from east ern parts of Long Island it bocomes admirable for gardens, and there is no reason why the Flatbush avenue strotch of the park should not be faced by line of villas framed in lovely gardens. There Is one drawback the huge water pipe which belongs to the Flatbush supply system, and which is odiously ugly.

The day will come when people who want to have homes ot their own will dlsoover what It means to have a natural gravel foundation. What it saves famlles where there are young children in doctors' bills cannot be estimated. But it must bo owned that in fair Brooklyn tbere are many localities beside Flatbusb avenuo where the soil is gravel. The site of the reservoir marks the highest point of Flatbush avenue, and hero the observer will The Brooklyn Conservative Uni tarian Churohes Contrasted With the Host Advanced of Those Which Bear the Name The Elaborate Avoid' ante of Positive Belief. There has of late been a very marked effort on the pact of the older school of Unitarians at a revival of the Church of the Father of New England Unitarian Congregationalism.

It has been noticeably exhibited in many of the sermons that nave bean delivered by Professor Peabody and Others during the past year at the Church of the Saviour, the First Unitarian Church in Brooklyn, of which our oldest local clergyman, Rev. Dr. Fred erick A. Farley, was for many years the pastor, be fore the Rov. Dr.

Alfred P. Putnam, whose health broke down some months ago and led him to resign. Tbe tone of many of the occasional discourses delivered at this conservative church has been so thoroughly Christian that a stranger might have imagined himself In Dr. Storrs' Church of the Pilgrims or at Dr. Bohrends'.

At any rate the im pression made upon any one attending these occa sional services must have been that, whatever tech nical terma in theology might separate the congregation of tho Church of the Saviour from their Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal neighbors, there was no essential difference in their faith as to Hod tho Father of men, Christ tho Saviour of men.and as to the Gospel being In a dittlnct sense from all other religions revelation, or ovan gel, or, as Charles Klngaley call ed It," Good News from God" to men. But while the First Unitarian Church of Brook lyn, although thoy have, since Dr. Putnam's retirement, been as sheen having no shepherd, is thus conservative, the Rov. Edward Everett Hale, of Boa ton, seemed recently so convinced of the sin of Unita rianlsm in forsaking the old paths that he proposed the erection of a Unitarian cathedral In every great center, With storied windows richly flight, Casting a dim religious light. Saving within Its consecrated holy ground not only in historic altar and sacrlflalal offlqor, but a snug confessional In which all skeptics and agnostics might ask of the rosidont patrolmen in uniform the right road to Heaven and be told it.

But a strange incompatibility of doctrinal temper seems to pervade our Brooklyn Unitarian chur.ches, which are, I believe, throe in number. The Athan asian creed assures us in what has been Judiciously called its "unintelligible Jargon," that the three persons of the Sacred Trinity are each supreme In a certain lino and capacity and that after all, while none of them is to bo confounded with either of the others, tbey are not three but one. A little idiot boy died not long ago in England, who had listened sometimes to tho vicar'e sermon In tne country church without, apparently, receiving any ray of intelligence into his stolid brain, but Just be fore he breathed his last he cried: "What does Silly Billy see? Three in One and One in Three, And one of Them has died for me." This confession of faith on the part of the idiot, Silly Billy," as he was always called in tho neighborhood, was certainly quite as intelligible and much more clearly expressed than the definitions of the Athanaslan Creed. But might not our Unitarian churches In Brooklyn Imitate its simplicity and clearness? Tho First Unitarian Church is more conservative than most of our orthodox churches. The Second Unitarian Church has lately, through its talented pastor, formulated a negative creed of which all that can bo said is that it illustrates the old Latin proverb, out of nothing, nothing comes," and that the strangely Reverend John W.

Chadwick ha3 reared a ca3tle in the air. veritable "houBe that Jack built," in which no stone of Christianity can bo discerned by the most keen sighted of ecclesiastical 'architects. But there Is another Unitarian Church in Brooklyn, tho Third Unitarian Society, and before I notice In a most respectful and friendly spirit the Rev. Mr. Chadwick's destructive non theology, I cannot rofraln from mentioning a curious incident that happened to me during the past week.

I was not familiar with the Rev. Stephen H. Camp's church, having never been there but once, many years ago, when it was first opened and I heard for the first time the late Rev. Dr. Henry W.

Bellows, of New York. 1 had forgotten Its exaot location, whon a companion, walking the other day with me through Classon avenue, said: What church is this It looks Episcopal or Roman Catholic, though It has no steeple." I acknowledged candidly that I did not know what church it was, but that it would hot be difficult to find out As we approach ed the tempio gates, an aroma which was certainly not the odor of Sanatlty made Us protect our olfactories with our pocket hand handkerchiefs. There was no negatlve'tHeology about it, neither was It "a sweet smelling savor," suoh as one would have expected on entering suoh a really pretty church ediflco, built in most correct architectural taste of solid stone, and with every Window richly painted. Within I found from a col ored Janitor, who said: "Don't be afeard of the dawgs. Ill hold 'em; they won't ite," that the property had lotely been purchased by a Brooklyn capitalist, Mr.

John Fields, of 110 Lefferts plaae, who owns rubber mills, in New Jersey, and that it Is now a stable. I must aay, at once, that. so far from the Third Unitarian Church being non prosperous, it has continuously Increased in stature and wisdom under the Rev. Mr. Camp, and that the church sold its property because It Is building a bigger church near by.

But I could not help a feeling of despondency at tho transformation before mo. It was not exactly the sentiment of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, In the grave digger's scene, To what vile uses may we come at last," nor quite the antiquarian regret of one who visits the Pagan temples of Rome and Greece and sees the olden gods no longer worship ped and their shrines defaced, but It was father the feeling of tho Hobrow he uttered It when a tomplo was built instoad of sold. "Lo, the swallow hath found her a home and the sparrow a nest where she may lay her young, even thine altars, Lord of Hosts." I remembered that when that olden temple on Mount Zlon was built the roof was covered with tiny bells, so that every bird that perched upon It, might "ring out tho old, ring in the new, ring out the false, ring In the true," to earth and sky. But, in fact, my thoughts came crowding In too fast for recollection. Tho reproachful, appealing look of a horse as he ate his hay under a wist dorof the Four Evangelists might have stood for the original Norton's poem, beginning: My beautiful, my beautiful, that standest meekly by, With thy proudly arched and glossy neck, and dark and fiery eye, Fret not to roam the desert now, with all thy winged speed; I may not mount on thee again thou'rt sold, my Arab steed 1 Fret not with that impatient hoof snuff not tho breezy wind The farthest that thou fllest now, so far am I behind; The stranger hath thy bridle rein thy master hath his gold Fleet limbed and beautiful, farewell I thou'rt sold, my Bteed; thou'rt sold.

True, it was the church that was sold and not the horses, and while I could not help remembering the words of the old Hebrew prophet about the holy places that had been turned Into "a Joy of wild ssses, a pasture of he goat3" and other similar predictions, yet I remembered also that horses and dogs were more conspicuous for Christian virtues than Christians themselves, and that probably the spirit of Christianity, "Joy, patience, long suffering, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness," eta, had never so pervaded this sanctuary as when the pew holders sold out their vested interests to their "poor relations." A Roman emperor, I also remombered, had made hts horse a consulnd I saw no reason why a thor ougnDruu nurse duuuiu iiu badeuidu dtou episcopal Jurisdiction in the church. It seemed like a righteous componsatlon that man's truest friendB, tbe borse and "dog. should now occupy the house of God which sleepy human beings hod not cared to keep. At any rate, when I Inquired of tho hostler why no other denomination bad bought so beauti ful a church, he replied that he didn't know, but that he thought It far more Christian to have let the church as a stable than as a lager beer saloon, a view I did not contradict Tbe Second Unitarian Church, however, presents a stranger assortment of surprises In its theological manger than could bo produced by any legal transfer of property or transmigration. The well road and poetic pastor prefixes Reverend to his name, yet repudiates the very thoughtof an authorized Christian ministry.

He Is like a doctor of medicine who invites patients to his office only to assuro them that there Is no such scienoe as medicine, and that there is no good In any prescription in his pharmacopeia. By his own choice and voluntary contract with society he is a professor of tbe doctrine that there Is a personal Unusually Big Things in the Way of Statuary and Pictures. Liberty and How She Looks Other Colossi. Significance of the Statue A Great Painting S1JI. Bartholdl and Philippoteaux.

The national fondness for big things ought to bo amply gratified by the unvalliug of the colossal statue of Liberty this month. Havlnc secured tbe tallest monument, the biggest bridge, tbe longest railroad, the largest hotel, the most self distinguished megalomaniacs and exponents of hebetu dlnoslty, the papers with most extensive circulation, the ablest liars nobody need flare up and allege a sinister motive In the Juxtaposition of tha last two Items the richest men, the most consummate dudei, the worst Aldermen and the girl from Ohio with a hundred welghtof feet, it Is an occasion for sincere congratulation that we have secured for our use and enjoyment tho biggest effigy in human form that stands anywhere on earth. To many it Is presumed that this will be its principal distinction it is a big thing. The expression of International amity "that it stands' for and its majesty, beauty and artlatlo meaning are secondary considerations. The Illustrated histories that we used to read when we wore' youngsters contained pictures of the Colossus of Rhodes that represented Apollo straddling across the entrance to a harbor, with shipping plylnfc to and fro between his legs.

But ships in those day were small affairs, and although the Illustrators of the aforementioned histories were Imaginative gentlemen and represented the bronze god as about 500 feet high, he would, If perched beside Liberty, reach only to her waist, for his height was but 105 feet, while Liberty clears 151 feet by an inch. There aro existing colossi in Europe: Bavaria, a little over 49 feet in height; the Virgin of Puy, 52)tf feet; St Charles Borromeo, 7B feet 5 Inches, and Arminius, 91 feet 10 inches; but as will be Seen by these measurements they would merely serve as candle supporters to the huge figure On Bedloe's Island. Brooklyn does not havo a very good view of the goddess. From behind she looks a trifle lumpy, an amplitude of drapery concealing tha middle lines of tho figure; yet, on her pedestal, towering above the shipping of tho harbor and its! environing heights, with torch held 300 foet above tho sea, tl ere Is a power of height and mass that Is undeniably oppressive. As a noar approach is made to tho land the figure seems to expand and soar, and it is only at oso range, where one may realize that the bronze name of the torch overhangs the tide level at a greater height than Trinity spire above the pavement than its majesty is appreciated.

The statistics relating to the work aro voluminous and hove been published far and wide. It BUfflces to recall the fact that the weight of the statue is 450,000 pounds, that forty persons could obtain standing room in tho head, and that there Is thoroughfare around the rim of tho torch, as thousands of people know who ascended the wrist and hand when It was placed 'or exhibition on the Centennial grounds in Philadelphia during the world's fair. I havo a distinct i nd painful recollection of thumping my cranium gainst the interior braces while' climbing to the torch Its size Is impressive, but it is also impressive in itself. It is heroic in measurement, but grand hi conception as well. Liberty, vith tablet clasped In hor loft hand and held against hor side, holds her bead erect and looks toward tho gate of tho Boa where thousands enter every ye'ar to become citizens of this great Republic Her head Is rayed and crowned, and In hor right hand she holds aloft the enlightening torch, making visible to others the means of pro gross and eullghtenment It would be oasily possible to givo a statue of this kind an attitude of stiffness and a sense of muscular strain that would grow painful after many times seeing tho figure, but tho pose is simple aud easy, and the expression calm and dignified.

It is a work that will wear. Tho left foot Is slightly advanced, giving Just enough of a Hon dispel any suggestion of rl girity, nnd the lines are simple, swooping and majestic. Ruskin, who speaks of 11 the soul's hunger for long lines," would probably find that the statue met most of the requirements that he in hl3 in' nite visdom has formulated, or would formula for I he occasion. The pedestal has a compatible pllclty and strength, but the entire work will miss something of Its full effoct until tho dobris Is cleared away, tho slopes sodded and the lower courses of stono concealed by banks or outworks. Bartholdl, tbe designer ot this statue, is said to hare taken his own mother as the model of it Tho idea of making a monument of this kind is one tbat ho nursed for some j.ars i.

A putting It Into execution, but it grt Into a uine enthusiasm when he entered Now Trk harbof for the first time and looked on s) Uered sea with citied shores that his master work would dominate. "Yes," said ho, "in this very place shall be raised the statue of Liberty. Grand is the idea that it embodies, radi ant upon two worlds." Tho work occupied almost his entiro time for eight or ten years, and it was at last set up on grounds near his studio in Paris, in 18bM. Visitors to the Paro Monceaux in that year will remember how the giant head and arm of the statue ioomod above tbe housetops, dwarfing the famous Column of Vehdomo. Its arrival in New York last year with woloome of powdor and bunt ing will long be remombered.

In training and In imagination Bartholdl Is one of the first of modern sculptors, and the colossus with which his name will be associated, aud tbat it will, presumaoly, outlive, is the grandest In form and most beautiful In meaning that tho world has seen. Liberty, torch bearer, aid to justice, is enlightening the world and bringing about tho amity of nations. Another colossus has boen sot up by a French man within the walls of our own city; a colossal painting coverine 20,000 feet of canvas that has a weight of four tons, tnd that extends around tho interior of the Iron rotunda adjoining the Munioipal Building. Tho painting falls from oornice to gro ml, a distance of fifty feet, aud where it Joins tho earth clever mechanical arrangements continue the picture directly to the point below the platform whore the spectator stands. Realism is, of course, tho primary object of the work.

Tho public is asked to see a battle, not a paluting, and deceptions are employed to lntonstty the illusion. All tho conditions of plctur'o making aro upset by the fact that, Instead of belug presented on a flat surface, it is exposed on a curved one. It is, therefore, impossible to have any focal point of composi tion, or any balance of light and shade, since the spectator demands that in every quarter la which be looks be shall see a picture; nor would tone bo tolerated by the majority. There is no other way than to follow nature and the official reports of the war, and Hub has boen pretty faithfully done. Tho contrast that tho Battlo of Gettysburg offers to the usunl sort of battlo scone, as represented on canvas.

Is therefore quite marked. Were It mado up of such episodes as battlo painters used to ovel in, and that are seen at their best and worst the Versailles gallery, a man would leave it with a headache. But whilo the cyclorama artist, who Is in ihis instance M. Paul Philippoteaux, is denied resort to the usual modes of picture building, he has room for the display of his technical powers and an opportunity for the representation of the figure at least equal to that of the gallery painters. He must conform to facts In tbe disposition of troops, but he oau ring unlimited changes in tho as poct and occupation of individuals.

Ho has alBO a chanco to secure effects from tho movement of groat masses of men aud trains Of horses that are at least equal In strength and impressiveness to bold offsets of light and shade or Juxtapositions of contrasting forms. They may notassall the eye so vigorously, but they go at once to the understanding. In respect of technique thehuge painting of Phlllppotoaux Is meritorious. The drawing Is firm, the color good, the light brilliant, the action spirited, the forms well posod and the sense of energetic movement 1b conveyed in every quarter. In such things as tho attitude of galloping horses, in tho flash of guns and roll ot smoko over the ground close observation and ready wit havo been displayed, and In uniforms, accouter ments, harnesses, flags and so on, the artist has painted from models as closely as In his figures.

This is tho fourth Battle of Gettysburg that ho has painted, the others being now on exhibition in Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, and, as ho has profited by experience, eaoh pioture has been an advance on its predecessor. His assurance that this is tho best of tbo four is ono that can bo ac cepted with trust Aside from his four Gettysburg pictures, M. Philippoteaux has painted seven othor cycloramas: The Defense of FortD'Issy," "Taking of Plevna," "Passage of tho Balkans," "Tho Belgian Revolution of 1830," "The Attack on tho Park," Battlo of Tel El Kebir and "La Dernloro Sortie." These are on exhibition in European cities and, like tho Gettysburg picture, will bear more than a single seeing. M. Philippoteaux must be a busy man.

M. a..

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About The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Archive

Pages Available:
1,426,564
Years Available:
1841-1963