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STORIES
PICTURES TELL
BOOK FOUR
_By_
FLORA L. CARPENTER
_Instructor in drawing in Waite High School, Toledo, Ohio
Formerly supervisor of drawing, Bloomington, Illinois_
_Illustrated with Half Tones from
Original Photographs_
RAND MCNALLY & COMPANY
CHICAGO NEW YORK
_Copyright, 1918, by_
RAND MCNALLY & COMPANY
All rights reserved
Edition of 1928
[Illustration]
Made in U. S. A.
THE CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER PAGE
"The Sower" _Millet_ 1
"Highland Shepherd's Chief
Mourner" _Landseer_ 13
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, AND JANUARY
"Children of the Shell" _Murillo_ 23
"Saved" _Landseer_ 31
FEBRUARY AND MARCH
"Pilgrim Exiles" _Boughton_ 43
"Dance of the Nymphs" _Corot_ 51
APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE
"Oxen Plowing" _Rosa Bonheur_ 63
Review of Pictures and Artists Studied
_The Suggestions to Teachers_ 75
THE PREFACE
Art supervisors in the public schools assign picture-study work in
each grade, recommending the study of certain pictures by well-known
masters. As Supervisor of Drawing I found that the children enjoyed
this work but that the teachers felt incompetent to conduct the
lessons as they lacked time to look up the subject and to gather
adequate material. Recourse to a great many books was necessary and
often while much information could usually be found about the artist,
very little was available about his pictures.
Hence I began collecting information about the pictures and preparing
the lessons for the teachers just as I would give them myself to
pupils of their grade.
My plan does not include many pictures during the year, as this is to
be only a part of the art work and is not intended to take the place
of drawing.
The lessons in this grade may be used for the usual drawing period of
from twenty to thirty minutes, and have been successfully given in
that time. However, the most satisfactory way of using the books is as
supplementary readers, thus permitting each child to study the
pictures and read the stories himself.
FLORA L. CARPENTER
[Illustration: By permission of Braun & Co., Paris and New York
THE SOWER]
STORIES PICTURES TELL
THE SOWER
=Questions to arouse interest.= What is this man doing? Why do you think
so? What does he carry over his shoulder? in his bag? How does he sow
the grain? What will be the result of his work? How do you think the
grain will be covered? What can you see in the background? Do you think
the oxen are plowing the field or covering the grain? why? What time of
the day is it? What can you see in this picture to indicate that the man
has been working a long time? How is he dressed? How does he wear his
hat? What kind of boots is he wearing? What makes you think the ground
is soft? Is the man standing still, or walking? Why do you think so?
Where does he seem to be looking? Why do you think he looks ahead? What
is the cause of the glow in the sky behind him? What do you think are
the colors in the sky? the colors in the field? What time of the year is
it? in what country? What do you like best about this picture?
=Original Picture:= Vanderbilt Collection, Metropolitan Museum,
New York.
=Artist:= Jean Francois Millet (m[=e]'l[)e]'').
=Birthplace:= Gruchy, France.
=Dates:= Born, 1814; died, 1875.
=The story of the picture.= In this picture Millet has tried to tell
us only a few important facts about the man and his work. It is easy
to see that he is sowing grain broadcast over the field. The shadows
creeping over ground and sky tell us that night is fast approaching.
He seems intent upon finishing that last stretch of field before dark,
and his steady, rhythmic swing shows none of the physical weariness he
must feel.
When we think of the life of this sturdy French peasant, as the artist
surely intended we should, we realize the patience and perseverance
required in the monotonous day's work, and we are forced to a feeling
of respect and admiration for him.
In these days with what ease and skill the same task is performed by
the aid of machinery! Riding on the seat of a machine which drills the
seed into the ground and covers it up, the man would have found the
simple task of guiding his horses a very pleasant one indeed. As he
walks along so energetically, his eyes are probably fixed on some
stake at the end of the field to guide him as he travels back and
forth, sowing the grain.
No doubt he used a team of oxen to plow and harrow the ground before
he sowed the seed. We have no way of knowing just what kind of a
harrow he had, but very likely it was one made of brush or branches of
trees. We can see a team of oxen and a driver in the distance, who
seem to be following in the tracks of our sower and covering up the
seeds he is sowing.
The artist, Millet, knew all about such work, for he himself had
worked out in the fields through the long day. He tells us that his
"ancestors were peasants and he was born a peasant."
No doubt the man in our picture started out on his day's work long
before the sun was up. His first task, after eating his breakfast and
feeding his oxen, was to yoke the oxen ready for the journey to the
field where their work was to be done. No doubt the man has been working
steadily ever since, for he does not look like a man who would stop to
rest very many times. He gives us rather a feeling of physical strength
and of steady, faithful effort in the accomplishment of his daily tasks.
At the close of such a day's labor in the field he will be too utterly
weary to sit up and read, as most of our farmers do during these days
of farm machinery and rural delivery. And yet, there were some who did
read even in those days when work was so difficult, for we know that
Millet sat up many nights with the village priest, who taught him
reading and arithmetic, and with whom he studied Latin and read the
works of Shakespeare. It was due to this greater knowledge that Millet
became something more than a mere peasant. It was this that gave him
such perfect sympathy with and keen insight into the peasants' lives.
His own knowledge of the world made him more conscious of the great
contrast between their narrow, hard-working lives so full of
privation, and those of the men and women in the great world outside
so full of opportunity and promise. Yet even in so great a city as
Paris, men could starve, as he had found out by his own experience.
Perhaps Millet wished to make us feel the content of a successful
day's work such as this, with its well-earned quiet and rest, free
from the hurry and noise of the city. Although the sun is sinking over
a world of beauty and pleasure, our sower knows nothing and cares for
nothing except the accomplishment of his task. His hat, pulled down
over his face, shades his heavy, coarse features. Although an expert
in his work, doing to the utmost, his mind is probably dull and slow
and quite unequal to any great mental task. And yet what a great work
is his, after all! How dependent we are upon the men of whom he is a
type! The fact that he is doing his own work and doing that work well
compels our respect and admiration.
The light from the sun disappearing behind the hill brings out in
silhouette the figure of the sower turned toward the dark and earthy
field. This man is not posing for his picture. Quite unconscious of
our gaze, he swings briskly forward, his feet sinking slightly into
the newly plowed field. From the bag hanging from his shoulder he
scatters the grain with a long sweep of his strong right arm.
He is actually moving in the picture. Take this position for yourself.
The weight of the body falls evenly upon both feet. To raise either
foot you must move the entire body. As the right foot goes forward the
right arm goes back. If you try taking long strides and swinging your
arms you will find this is the natural movement.
The horizon line is slanting or diagonal, and divides the light part
of the picture from the dark. The sky and ground are held together by
the figure of the sower. Notice the absence of details in the picture.
The art critics of Millet's day did not appreciate the great thought
expressed in this picture, for nearly all of them found fault with it.
They could see no beauty in "a common laborer in his dirty clothes
doing his miserable work," and thought Millet should have chosen
something more beautiful to paint. What do you think of the justice of
this criticism? What is your opinion of the beauty of this picture?
Millet loved these simple, kind-hearted, hard-working peasants, loved
their lives of toil in the fields, respected their labors, and being
so wholly in sympathy with them, he wished to make us feel so, too.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= Where is the man?
in what country? How can you tell what time of the day it is? Why does
he not seem weary? Why do you think he must be very tired? How early do
the French peasants usually start to work? What must this man do before
daybreak? Why do you think he is not lazy? Why do we respect and admire
him? How could his work be made easier now? How do most of our farmers
sow and plant their seed? How did this man plow his ground? What is a
harrow for? What kind of a harrow did this man have? What is the team of
oxen at the farther end of the field doing? Does this man seem to be
looking at the ground or far ahead? How did the artist, Millet, know so
much about this kind of work? What would this man probably do after his
day's work? Why did he not read the newspaper, as our farmers do? What
did Millet do in the evening? How did this help him? What did Millet
wish to make us feel in this picture? How does the horizon line divide
the picture? How are the sky and ground held together? Why do you
suppose Millet did not paint details, such as the features of the face
or the buttons on the coat? What did the critics say about this picture?
How many agree with them? why? why not?
=To the Teacher:= Ask one of the pupils to take this position while the
others sketch the action, finishing the sketch from memory--and adding
their own background. Use ink silhouette, or charcoal on manila paper.
=The story of the artist.= Jean Francois Millet was the son of poor
French peasants who lived on a farm and worked hard to take care of
their large family of eight children. Jean was the eldest boy. The
father was very fond of music and of all beautiful things out of
doors, and often he would say to his son, "Look at that tree, how
large and beautiful! It is as beautiful as a flower." He would call
the boy's attention to the beauty of the fields, the sunsets, and all
things around them.
Millet's mother worked out in the fields with the father all day long,
so it was the grandmother who took care of the little boy. It was she
who named him Jean after his father, and Francois after the good Saint
Francis. She was a deeply religious woman, and nearly all the pictures
Millet saw when a boy were those in her Bible. He copied these
pictures many times, drawing them with white chalk on the stone walls
of the house. This pleased his grandmother very much, and she
encouraged him all she could.
At the age of six he was sent to school. When he was twelve years old,
the priest of the village became interested in him and offered to
teach him Latin. Millet was only too glad to accept this offer, and
many a happy evening the two spent thus together. But his studies were
frequently interrupted by his work on the farm, for since he was the
eldest son his father depended most upon him. It was the custom in
France among the peasants to take a daily hour of rest from their
labors. But the boy Millet, instead of sleeping, spent the hour in
drawing the homely scenes around him.
One Sunday morning, coming home from church, Millet met an old man who
walked very slowly, his back bent over a cane. We have all seen just
such old men, and their feebleness has aroused our sympathy and
respect. It is not strange, then, that something about this bent
figure appealed to young Millet so strongly that he could not resist
the desire to draw a portrait of the man.
He drew the portrait on a stone wall, with a piece of charcoal, and so
well that people passing on their way home from church recognized it
at once and were very much surprised and pleased. His father, perhaps,
was the most delighted of all, for once he himself had wished to be an
artist. Now he determined that his son should have the chance.
We are sure Millet never forgot that day when the father, mother,
grandmother, and his brothers and sisters sat around the table after
dinner and talked about his wonderful picture and what they could do
to help him become a great painter. And when it was finally decided
that his father should take him to the artist (Mouchel) in the next
village, you may be sure he worked hard on the drawings he was to take
with him. At last the day came for the journey, and the proud father
and his happy son set out on foot for the home of the artist.
When shown the drawings Mouchel at first refused to believe the boy
had made them, they were so good. Finally convinced, he was glad
indeed to take Millet as one of his pupils. But Millet studied with
him only two months when his father died and he was obliged to return
home to take his father's place on the farm as best he could.
By this time the people of the village had become so much interested
in his paintings that they decided to help him. So they raised a large
sum of money, sent him back to the artist to study, and finally sent
him to the great city of Paris, France. But although he painted
wonderful pictures which are worth thousands of dollars to-day, his
style of art was not appreciated then and would not sell, and he was
glad to paint portraits for a few francs each in order to make a
living. His life in Paris was a continuous struggle with poverty, and
at last he decided to leave. With his wife and children he settled in
a little three-roomed cottage at Barbizon, a tiny little village near
a great forest and only a day's journey from Paris.
Here was Millet's home all the rest of his life. Although still very
poor, the family did not starve, as they came so near doing while they
lived in Paris, for the garden and the fruit trees always provided
them with something to eat.
At that time the popular artists were painting beautiful pictures of
lovely women and men of the nobility in their fine clothes, or of
wonderful saints and angels, and pictures showing only the happier
side of life. To them Millet's pictures came as a shock, bringing to
mind the dirt and grime of the common, everyday tasks of the poorer
French peasants. And, more than that, he made them realize the
dreadful condition in which the French Revolution had left many of
these same peasants, and that was something of which they did not care
to be reminded. So they refused to buy his pictures, and it was not
until the last ten years of his life that Millet received a little of
the recognition and honor that he so richly deserved. With his
increasing fame came better financial conditions, and in 1867 he
received the ribbon of the Legion of Honor.
=Questions about the artist.= Who painted this picture? In what
country did he live? Tell about his mother and father. Who took care
of Millet when he was a boy? What pictures did he copy? Where did he
draw them? With what did he draw? Who encouraged him? What did the
priest teach him? Tell about the picture of the old man leaning on the
cane. Where did he draw this picture? Who saw it? Why do you think it
must have been a good likeness? How did Millet's father feel about it?
What did he do? How did they travel? What did the artist think? How
long did Millet study with him? Why did he return home? What did his
neighbors do for him? What was he obliged to paint for a living? Where
did he move? What kind of pictures were the popular artists of that
day painting? Why were Millet's pictures not popular? When were his
pictures appreciated? Why have his pictures outlived those of the
popular artists of that time?
[Illustration]
HIGHLAND SHEPHERD'S CHIEF MOURNER
=Questions to arouse interest.= What do you see in this picture? For
whom is the dog grieving? What makes you think the shepherd may have
been an old man? a religious man? a lonely man? Is there anything in
the picture that would suggest the country in which he lived? What is
there in the picture to suggest the time of the year? the occupation
of the man? What kind of dog is this? Who painted the picture? Tell
something about his life. Do you like this picture? How does it make
you feel?
=Original Picture:= South Kensington Museum, London.
=Artist:= Sir Edwin Landseer (l[)a]nd''s[=e]r).
=Birthplace:= London, England.
=Dates:= Born, 1802; died, 1873.
=The story of the picture.= Here we are looking into the interior of a
highland shepherd's hut. Our eyes are immediately attracted to the
center of the room, where we see the coffin of the shepherd covered
with a blanket against which his dog keeps solitary watch. A well-worn
Bible and a pair of glasses on the stool near by, the hat, the cane,
all suggest something of the life and age of the shepherd. We are told
that he was a very old man who had lived all his life among the hills
of Scotland. For the last few years, at least, he had lived here alone
except for the companionship of his faithful dog and his sheep.
The good old dog could tell you all about it. How, early in the morning,
he would go with his master to drive the sheep to the best grazing
ground, where all day long they guarded and watched them, the man and
the dog sharing their noonday lunch of coarse bread. And why did they
need to watch the sheep so carefully? There were a great many eagles
whose nests were high up in the giant oak trees or up in some rocky
cliff far away, and they came flying over the hills looking for food.
Woe to the sheep if their master was not near to care for them, for then
an eagle would swoop down upon his choice and carry it away to his nest.
Then, too, there may have been wild animals prowling about, and the
sheep must be protected from them. The dog and his master also had to
keep watch lest some lamb stray away from the flock and get lost.
In the evening the dog helped his master drive the sheep to shelter in
the great sheds where they were kept safe all night. Then up the hill
they would climb to their home, where the shepherd prepared the simple
evening meal for himself and his dog. Now what could they do after
supper? It was too far for the old man to go to the distant village,
and no one was likely to come in to see them. No doubt, too, he was
very tired, and ready to go to bed very early. You know how sleepy you
are after you have been out in the fields all day long. But first he
read a little in his Bible; and when the dog saw his master take up
the book and put on his spectacles, he probably stretched out on the
floor and kept very still.
As time went on, the old man became more feeble and the dog worked all
the harder to save his master's strength. It may be that toward the
last the dog did almost all the work of caring for the sheep. Then,
one morning, the old shepherd did not wake up. Even the tugging and
sharp barks of his faithful friend failed to arouse him. It may be
that the dog's barks brought some passing drovers to the door.
In the picture the dog presses close to the coffin. His clinging paws
have dragged the blanket to the floor. His eyes seem full of tears of
hopeless grief, as if he understood his master could not come back. He
must have kept that same rigid and sorrowful position since the men
left. Some green branches placed upon the coffin have fallen to the
floor because of the dog's first frantic tugging at the blanket. The
shepherd must have led a lonely life indeed to have no one but his
faithful dog to watch beside him. His hat and cane lie where he left
them, and all is very quiet.
In another picture Landseer painted a dog lying on the ground over the
grave where his master lies buried. We can easily imagine that this
dog will follow his master to his last resting place and that he, too,
will act as sentinel over the grave of the one he loves so dearly.
Landseer wanted to make us feel how good and faithful a friend a dog is.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= Whose home was
this? In what country did he live? Tell about his life among the
hills. Who helped him care for the sheep? Why must they be cared for?
Where did they stay at night? What could the old man do in the
evening? When he became feeble, who did nearly all the work of caring
for the sheep? When the master did not wake up what did the dog
probably do? Why have the branches fallen from the coffin? Why do you
suppose there is no one else in the room?
=The story of the artist.= Sir Edwin Landseer's grandfather was a
jeweler and his father also learned that trade. The jewelers of that
day were very often asked to engrave the copper plates that were used
in printing pictures. Sir Edwin's father soon decided that he would
rather engrave pictures than sell jewels, and he became a very
skillful engraver.
At that time few people realized what an art it was to be able to cut
a picture in copper so that a great many copies of it could be made
from one plate. They did not even consider it an art as we do, and so
engravers were not allowed to exhibit at the Royal Academy and were
given no honors at all. Edwin's father thought this was not right, and
gave several lectures in defense of the art. He said that engraving is
a kind of "sculpture performed by incision." His talks were of no
avail at the time, but within a year after his death the engravers
received the recognition due them.
His eldest son, Thomas, also became famous as an engraver, and to him
we are indebted for so many fine prints of Sir Edwin Landseer's
paintings. Thomas also made an engraving of the "Horse Fair" for Rosa
Bonheur. Few can afford to own the paintings, but the prints come
within the means of all of us.
Edwin's father taught him to draw, and even when Edwin was only five
years old he could draw remarkably well. Edwin had three sisters and
two brothers. They lived in the country, and often the father went
with his children for a walk through the fields. There were two very
large fields separated by a fence over which was built an
old-fashioned stile with several steps. The fence was built high so
the sheep and cows in the fields could not jump over. One day Edwin
stopped at the stile to look at the cows and asked his father to show
him how to draw them. His father then gave Edwin his first lesson in
drawing a cow. After this Edwin came nearly every day to these fields
and his father called them "Edwin's studio."
When he was only thirteen years old, two of his pictures were exhibited
at the Royal Academy. One was a portrait of a mule, and the other was of
a dog and puppies. Edwin painted from real life always, not caring to
make copies from the work of others. All the sketches he made when he
was a little boy were kept carefully by his father, and now if you go to
England you may see them in the South Kensington Museum in London.
Landseer was only sixteen years old when he exhibited his wonderful
picture "Fighting Dogs Getting Wind." A very rich man whose praise
meant a great deal bought the picture, and the young artist's success
was assured.
It was about this time, too, that he painted an old white horse in the
stable of another wealthy man. After the picture was finished and
ready to deliver, it suddenly disappeared. A diligent search was made
for it, but it was not found until twenty-four years afterwards. A
servant had stolen it and hidden it in a hayloft. He had been afraid
to sell it or even to keep it in his home, for no one would have
failed to recognize the great artist's work.
For many years Landseer lived and painted in his father's house in a
poor little room without even a carpet. The only furniture, we are
told, were three cheap chairs and an easel. Later he had a fine studio
not far from Regent's Park. Here was a small house with a garden and a
barn. The barn was made over into a studio. Here so many people
brought their pets for him to paint that he had to keep a list, and
each was obliged to wait his turn. But Sir Edwin was not a very good
business man, so he left all his affairs to his father, who sold his
pictures for him and kept his accounts.
Landseer made a special study of lions, too. A lion died at the park
menagerie and he dissected its body and studied and drew every part.
He painted many pictures of lions. He also modeled the great lions at
the base of the Nelson Monument in Trafalgar Square, London.
Although Landseer painted so many wild animals, birds, and hunting
scenes, he did not care to shoot animals. His weapons were his pencil
and sketch book. Sometimes he hired guides to take him into the
wildest parts of the country in search of game. But he quite disgusted
the guides when, a great deer bounding toward him, he would merely
make a sketch of it in his book.
Many of Landseer's paintings are of scenes in Scotland, as is this
one, "Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner." When Sir Edwin Landseer went
to visit Scotland one of his fellow travelers was Sir Walter Scott,
the great novelist. The two became close friends. Sir Walter Scott
tells us: "Landseer's dogs were the most magnificent things I ever
saw, leaping and bounding and grinning all over the canvas." Landseer
painted Sir Walter Scott's dog "Maida Vale" many times, and he named
his studio for the dog.
At twenty-four Landseer became an associate of the Royal Academy,
which was an unusual honor for so young a man.
In 1850 the honor of knighthood was conferred upon him.
This story is told of him at a social gathering in the home of a
well-known leader of society in London. The company had been talking
about skill with the hands, when some one remarked that no one had ever
been found who could draw two things at once. "Oh, I can do that," said
Landseer; "lend me two pencils and I will show you." Quickly he drew the
head of a horse with one hand while with the other he drew a stag's head
and antlers. Both sketches were so good that they might well have been
drawn with the same hand and with much more study.
Sir Edwin Landseer felt that animals understand, feel, and reason just
like people, so he painted them as happy, sad, gay, dignified,
frivolous, rich, poor, and in all ways just like human beings. This
appealed to the people, and he became very popular.
Sir Edwin did and said all he could against the custom of "cropping"
the ears of dogs. He said that nature intended to protect the ears of
dogs that "dig in the dirt," and man should not interfere. People
paid attention to what he said, and the custom lost favor.
Landseer died in London in 1873 at the age of seventy-one. A tablet
placed to his memory in the notch of one of the windows at Westminster
Abbey has a medallion portrait of him at the top, and below this,
carved in light relief, is a copy of one of his most famous paintings,
"The Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner."
=Questions about the artist.= Tell about Sir Edwin Landseer's father.
What did he do? Why were engravers not allowed to exhibit their work?
What did Edwin's father do to defend his art? What did Edwin's brother,
Thomas, accomplish? Why are we so indebted to him? Who taught Edwin how
to draw? Tell about his brothers and their walks in the fields. What
animal did Edwin draw first? Where was "Edwin's studio"? Which two of
his pictures were exhibited when he was only thirteen years old? What
became of the sketches he made when he was a boy? Tell about his two
studios. Tell about his picture of the old white horse. With whom did
Sir Edwin Landseer travel through Scotland? What did Sir Walter Scott
say about Landseer's dogs? How did Landseer happen to name his studio
"Maida Vale"? What weapons did Sir Edwin use when he hunted? Why did he
not shoot the animals? Tell about his drawing with both hands. In what
ways are animals like people according to Landseer's judgment?
[Illustration]
CHILDREN OF THE SHELL
=Questions to arouse interest.= Where do these children seem to be?
Which of the two children seems to be the older? What is the boy at
the right doing? From what is he drinking? Why do you think the boy at
the left has given him a drink? How is he helping him now? What does
the boy who is drinking hold in his left hand? How is he standing?
What is the lamb doing? Who else seems to be watching them? Why do you
think the picture is called "Children of the Shell"? Do you like this
picture? why?
=Original Picture:= Prado Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
=Artist:= Bartolome Esteban Murillo (m[=oo] r[=e]l''y[=o]).
=Birthplace:= Seville, Spain.
=Dates:= Born, 1618; died, 1682.
=The story of the picture.= The great religious painter, Murillo, has
given us many pictures of the Christ child and John the Baptist, but
perhaps none more pleasing than this one which critics have so often
declared the most beautiful picture of children ever painted.
We must go back in our Bible history to the time when the wicked King
Herod reigned over Judea, for it was then that our story begins. This
proud king had conquered all his enemies and expected to live at ease
in his rich and beautiful palace, surrounded by all that would give
him comfort and pleasure. But one day he was made very unhappy when a
messenger appeared bringing him most unwelcome news. It was that a
child had been born in Bethlehem at just the time and place it had
been prophesied that a child should be born who would one day be king
over all the world. In a manger of a stable, true to the prophecy, the
baby Jesus was born. The three wise men of the East and many others
who already worshiped him as king sought and found him there. The
thought that the child would grow up to rule over his kingdom alarmed
King Herod, and he resolved to remove this possible rival before it
was too late. Fearful lest the child should escape, Herod sent out a
terrible decree that all boy babies under two years of age should be
killed. That must have been a dreadful day, for there was little hope
of escape or concealment.
However, Mary and Joseph had been warned by an angel several days
before, and with the child Jesus they were already safe on their way
to Egypt. They had left in the night, and no one could tell anything
about them, or where to look for them. Several years later King Herod
died, and almost immediately Mary, Joseph, and the boy Jesus started
on the homeward journey. It was during this journey, we are told, that
the boy, running on ahead of the donkey Mary was riding, found a cool
little spring where he could quench his thirst. Suddenly there
appeared another boy wearing a camel's-hair cloak and carrying a
wooden stick with a cross carved upon it. He was followed by a lamb.
It was John the Baptist, who, although only a child, was living among
the hills, eating locusts and wild honey, preparing for the great work
he was to do. It is supposed that as the mothers of these two boys
often visited each other, the children must have met before. In the
picture we see them standing near the cool little spring. Jesus has
in his hand a shell which, straightway forgetting his own thirst, he
has filled and now offers to his cousin John.
John the Baptist is bending over to drink from the shell which Jesus
holds for him. The lamb watches them contentedly, while from the sky
above the angels, with clasped hands and smiling faces, look down in
silent adoration. Although he does not look at them, Jesus seems
conscious of their presence, for he points toward them with his little
hand. Light radiates from the clouds and the angels, while deep
shadows at the left and the right serve to heighten the effectiveness
of the central part of the picture. The lamb, as the symbol of
innocence, is the natural playmate of these two healthy, sturdy boys.
The little John drinks eagerly, as if he were indeed thirsty and
weary, while Jesus, although younger in years, has the kind and
thoughtful look of an elder brother caring for a younger.
At this moment they seem to be merely two thirsty boys, little knowing
the great work before them or thinking of anything but to quench their
thirst. Yet some of the coming greatness shows itself in the generous
action of the child Jesus and the gentle acceptance of John the Baptist.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= Whom does this
picture represent? For what kind of paintings is Murillo famous? what
subjects? Tell about King Herod. Why was he worried when he heard of the
birth of Jesus? What did he do in order to be sure the child would be
killed? What did the parents of the baby Jesus do? When was it safe for
the boy Jesus to return? How did he happen to meet John at the spring?
How was John dressed? What followed him? For what does the lamb stand?
Who has the shell? What does he do with it? Why do you suppose he did
not drink first? To whom does Jesus point or beckon with his left hand?
Which boy was the younger? For what is this picture famous?
=The story of the artist.= A little Spanish boy, Bartolome Esteban
Murillo, born into the home of a poor mechanic, and with no
opportunities save those of his own making, grew to be one of the
greatest of Spanish painters. Both his parents died before he was eleven
years old, and he seems to have been left quite to his own devices.
Until that time he had attended school, where his ability to draw had
shown itself in pictures drawn on the walls of the school building.
After school and on Saturdays he had assisted an artist, doing such work
as cleaning brushes, grinding paints, and running errands. An uncle had
secured this position for him, but seemed to be unable to help him
further. By these means and by painting banners and pictures for the
weekly market, the boy earned his own living. The peasants came to
Seville from all the country around, bringing in their fruits,
vegetables, and wares to sell. Here the young Murillo took his
paintings, which were on coarse, cheap cloth instead of on canvas, which
he could not afford. Sometimes it was a Madonna, sometimes a portrait of
the buyer which he would finish quickly while the crowd watched, or
sometimes one of the beggar boys in the gypsy quarters of the city.
But Murillo had a boy friend who went to London to study with the
great Sir Anthony Van Dyck, and who, when he returned, brought such
news of the wonderful paintings in the galleries of London and Paris
that Murillo began to dream of seeing them. Before he had saved enough
money to go, however, the artist Van Dyck died, and Murillo decided to
go to Madrid, where one of his own countrymen, Velasquez, had won
great fame. He walked nearly all the way, presenting his letter of
introduction to Velasquez, who received him most kindly.
Murillo was now twenty-four years old, enthusiastic, ambitious, and
manly. Velasquez soon discovered his great talent, and not only
received him as a pupil but took him into his own home, where he
remained three years. When, at the end of that time, he returned to
Seville, his fame as an artist was established and pupils came to him
from all over the country. His friends could be found among the very
poorest beggars as well as among the most influential men of the city,
and he was idolized by his pupils. Always of a deeply religious
nature, he chose religious subjects for most of his paintings. In his
studio all swearing and ill conduct were forbidden, and his religious
paintings were produced only after much prayerful meditation.
He gave so generously to the poor about him that it was said he gave
away all he earned.
Often his wife, who was very beautiful, his lovely daughter, or his
two handsome sons posed for his paintings, and so we find the same
faces repeated in several pictures.
One day when Murillo was painting on the walls of a convent the cook
there asked him to paint a small picture for him on a napkin, which
was all he had to offer for a canvas. Without hesitation Murillo
painted a beautiful Madonna and Child which has since become famous as
the "Virgin of the Napkin."
While painting the ceiling in a church in Cadiz the scaffolding broke
and he fell, injuring himself so seriously that he died shortly after.
Every Sunday afternoon, which is a free day at the gallery in Madrid,
crowds of the poor, men, women, and children, may be seen gathered
around the paintings by Murillo, which they regard with an admiration
which is almost worship. To them Murillo is little less than a saint.
=Questions about the artist.= In what country did Murillo live? What
nationality do his pictures represent? Tell about his boyhood. In what
did he excel at school? What work did he do after school and on
Saturdays? What else did Murillo do to earn money? Tell about the weekly
market. What did Murillo paint for the market? Whom did he paint? What
did his boy friend tell him that made him want to go to London? Why did
he not go? What happened before he had saved enough money to go? To whom
did he go then? How did he go? How old was he by that time? What did the
artist Velasquez do for him? What kind of people were Murillo's friends?
What kind of pictures did he like to paint best? How did he prepare for
this? What rules did he have in his studio? Tell about the cook at the
convent and the napkin. What is this picture called? How was Murillo
hurt? How do some of the Spanish people regard Murillo?
[Illustration]
SAVED
=Questions to arouse interest.= What has happened? Where are the dog
and the child? Why do you think it could not have been a shipwreck?
Why are the sea gulls flying around? What can you see in the distance?
What kind of a beach is it?
=Artist:= Sir Edwin Landseer (l[)a]nd''s[=e]r).
=Birthplace:= London, England.
=Dates:= Born, 1802; died, 1873.
=The story of the picture.= This fine Newfoundland dog has just saved
the life of a little child. We can see even in this print of the
picture that they are both dripping wet, and so we know the child
must have fallen into the water and was about to drown when the dog
swam out and brought her safely to the shore.
We can only guess how the accident occurred. It could not have been a
shipwreck, for then there would be others for the good old dog to
save; besides, although the sky is partly cloudy, there is no evidence
of a storm, and we see sailboats in the distance.
The child evidently had not been wading out into the water and gone
beyond her depth, because she has on her shoes and stockings and is
dressed for a day in the warm sunshine, perhaps out on the beach.
Probably she had been playing on the wharf or on the rocky shore and
had reached out too far or had slipped on a rock.
The dog, hearing her cry, must have immediately plunged into the water
after her. Then holding the child firmly by her dress, he had battled
against the waves until he reached a sandy beach from which he had
dragged himself to this place.
Although we cannot see the parents, nurse, or playmates, no doubt they
are running toward the child and the dog. The dog seems to be watching
their approach as he lies there exhausted, guarding the precious
burden lying across his paws. His great tongue hangs out and we can
almost hear him pant as he gasps for breath after his fierce struggle
against the waves.
The child is still unconscious, her large shade hat held by a rubber
band under her chin; her arm lies limp and lifeless, yet we are sure
the great dog has been in time, and she will soon open her eyes. The
sea gulls circle about the two as if they were glad of the rescue, and
were trying to show the parents where to find the child.
These powerful Newfoundland dogs are strong swimmers. At the first cry
of alarm they usually plunge unbidden into the water, and rarely fail to
accomplish a rescue. In France they are kept on the banks of the Seine
as important members of the life-saving crew. Here they are carefully
trained for this purpose by their masters, who throw a stuffed figure of
a man into the water and teach the dogs to bring it back to shore. They
are taught always to hold the head of the figure above the water. They
seem to understand perfectly just what is wanted of them and why.
A story is told, and it is claimed to be true, of a woman who, while
washing clothes on the bank of a river, placed her baby in the clothes
basket to keep it safe. In some way the child tipped the basket,
rolling out of it and down the bank into the deep water below. The
woman screamed but she was helpless. Hearing her cry, a large
Newfoundland dog that she had never seen before came swimming down the
stream and saved the child, carrying it to the opposite shore.
The woman ran down the bank of the river and secured the help of a
ferryman and his grandson, a boy about ten years old. When the boat
reached the opposite shore the big dog was licking the hands and face
of the cooing child, but growled and barked viciously at the people
who were approaching him. No one dared go near him. They tried every
device, but no, he could not be coaxed away from the baby.
At last the boy said he had an idea, and off he ran down the bank and
jumped into the boat. Rowing out some distance into the river, he
suddenly jumped from the boat into the water, uttering a loud cry of
distress. He struggled a while, and then to all appearances sank out
of sight. The grandfather knew the boy could swim and dive, and yet
the suddenness with which he sank alarmed him greatly, and he called
out, too.
Immediately the great dog recognized the cry of alarm and, forgetting
all else, left his small charge and rushed to the help of the larger
one, bringing the boy safely to the shore. Meanwhile, of course, the
mother had taken up the baby. The dog, though showing surprise at the
quick recovery of the boy he supposed to be nearly drowned, still
determined to guard him in the same way he had guarded the baby.
About this time, however, the dog's owner, a huntsman, appeared. The
dog greeted him joyously, running from the child to the boy and then
to his master as if to tell him what he had done and how he had
guarded them until his master came.
Many times it has been told of a Newfoundland that, when annoyed by
some small dog that persisted in barking and snapping at him, he would
finally seize it by the back of the neck, carry it to the river, and
drop it into the water. After watching the struggles of the little
dog, which seldom was able to swim, the Newfoundland would plunge in
and rescue him. After that you may be sure the little dog took care
not to annoy the big one.
A humorous incident is told of two boatmen who, on a wager, started to
swim across a stream. When one of the men was in midstream his
Newfoundland dog plunged in after him and in spite of his struggles
brought him back to the shore by his hair. The crowd which had been
watching was greatly amused, but the chagrined sailor was able to
laugh in turn when the great animal, mistaking the emotion of the
onlookers, brought the other man back also.
A lady who owned a fine Newfoundland dog allowed him one day to carry
her parasol. When they came to a baker's shop she bought a bun for him.
The next day the dog met another lady coming down the street carrying a
parasol. He immediately seized it and ran on ahead until he came to the
baker's shop. The lady went in and asked the baker to help her secure
her parasol. He suggested that she give the dog a bun as his mistress
had done. Then the dog gave up the parasol willingly. He had to be
punished very severely before he could be broken of this habit.
Cases have been known of these dogs rescuing even so delicate a thing
as a canary bird that had fallen into the water.
Intelligent and faithful, perhaps there is no other dog, unless it be
the St. Bernard, which rescues travelers in the snow-covered Alps,
that has done so much for man or has saved so many lives.
These dogs show remarkable kindness not only toward man but toward
other animals. When another dog has been injured they have been known
to carry bones and other food to it.
A Newfoundland was once taken to a dog pound with numerous other dogs.
He soon gnawed his rope in two and was about to escape when, hearing
the piteous cries of the other dogs, he went from one to another,
setting them all free.
Even abuse will not make these loyal animals turn against a master,
although they have been known to run away from a cruel one. A story is
told of a man who, while rowing a boat, pushed his Newfoundland dog
into the stream. The dog followed the boat for some time but, growing
tired at last, tried to get back into the boat. The man pushed him
away several times, finally pushing so hard that he overturned the
boat and was about to drown. The good dog, however, caught hold of his
coat and held him above water until help came.
In the island of Newfoundland these dogs are used much as we use
horses, and are very valuable. With them duty is first. We often hear
of one of these dogs carrying a basket of meat, a paper, or some other
thing for his owner, and bearing any amount of annoyance from other
dogs until he has delivered his charge safely; then he promptly goes
back and punishes the offenders in such a way that they dare not
interfere with him again.
These dogs are noble animals indeed. Their lives are devoted to man,
though their devotion is not always appreciated as it should be.
Lord Byron writes:
"In life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend;
Whose honest heart is still his master's own;
Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone.
The rich man's guardian, and the poor man's friend."
No wonder Sir Edwin Landseer loved to paint these noble animals. Their
intelligent look and, better still, their brave and noble deeds render
them almost human, lacking only the power of speech. It seems sometimes
as if they really do talk, and the owners of such dogs declare that
their actions prove that the dogs understand every word said to them.
Sir Edwin Landseer has painted another picture of a Newfoundland dog,
called "A Member of the Royal Humane Society," which looks so much
like this one that it might be the same dog.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What kind of a
dog is this? What has he done? What makes you think he and the little
girl have been in the water? that there has not been a shipwreck? Why
do you think the child had not been wading? How is she dressed? How
do you suppose she happened to fall into the water? How could this dog
save her? Where do you suppose the child's playmates and nurse are?
Where is the dog lying? Why does he not take the child to them? What
makes you think he is tired? How are Newfoundland dogs sometimes
trained in France? Tell about the washwoman and her baby. How was the
baby rescued? Why could the mother not take the child? What did the
boy do? What happened then? When were they released? How do
Newfoundland dogs sometimes punish small dogs that annoy them? Why do
they not drown? Tell about the two boatmen and their wager. Tell about
the dog and the lady's parasol. What do these stories tell us about
Newfoundland dogs? What other kind of dogs save many lives? What did
the Newfoundland do at the dog pound? How do they sometimes resent
abuse? Tell about the boatman and his dog. Upon what island are they
used to carry burdens? Tell a story showing that duty comes first with
these dogs. What other picture of this dog has Sir Edwin Landseer
painted? Why do you think he was especially fond of Newfoundland dogs?
=To the Teacher:= Short stories of the bravery and faithfulness of
dogs may take the place of other talks on kindness to animals.
SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS
A Description of a Newfoundland Dog.
How a Dog Saved a Child from Drowning.
The Smartest Dog I Ever Saw.
The Bravest Dog I Ever Heard of.
A Description of a St. Bernard Dog.
How to Treat a Dog.
Why We Should Be Kind to Dogs.
=The story of the artist.= When Edwin Landseer was a small boy he
lived in the country. Nearly every day at breakfast the father would
ask his boys, "What shall we draw to-day?" The three boys would take
turns choosing and sometimes they would vote on it. Then out across
the fields the father and his boys would tramp until they came to
where the donkeys, sheep, goats, and cows were grazing. Each would
choose the animal he wished to draw; then the four would sit down on
the grass and make their sketches. Edwin's first choice for a subject
was a cow, and his father helped him draw it.
When he was five years old he drew a picture of a dog asleep on the
floor that was very much better than any his older brothers could do,
and so even then they began to expect much from him.
At this time Edwin had three dogs of his own named Brutus, Vixen, and
Boxer. They were always with him, and so intelligent they almost
seemed to speak.