Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1398. THE LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2108, 31 May 1898, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1398. THE LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL

It is doubtless a good thing for man or woman when visiting the city, of Auckland to spend an how or two examining the collection of pictures in the Fine Art Gallery there. The cultivation of those faculties that enable us to perceive beauty and harmony in our surroundings is too much neglected in the colonies, and it is a pity that it should be so. Aesthetics, the science of the beautiful in nature and art, owes its birth to the refinements of an older, civilization than we usually associate with a young country whose strength lies in its virility and capacity for rough and ready expansion. But of the people of New Zealand it may be said, they have outgrown that stage ; that they have already begun to realize that much of the brightness and happi ness of life is directly traceable to, an appreciation of the beautiful and the cultivation of those faculties that enable us to distinguish true from falsa art. The earlier desciples of the Aesthetic school to which Rossetti and Burne-Jones belong, went hopelessly astray and brought ridicule on their teachers, by an exhibition of mis directed enthusiasm which carried them into the regions of the grotesque. To every new school in art and belles lettres there attaches itself an outer fringe composed of men and women, who, either for the sake of notoriety or from a desire to be in the fashion ape the mannerisms and oddities of the leaders whom they voluntarily elect to follow without adequately understanding their aims. Consequently we have a Dp Tompkyus striking an attitude expressive of rapture before a lily and furnishing a spectacle for the laughter of gods and men To the artist, such a man as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, for, instance, the lily is merely the emblem' of purity and perfection of form. It is the, purity and perfection of form personified in newly gathered lilies that the artist reverences and seeks to incarnate in his art. Now this purity which some men dimly perceive in the perfect woman, as well as in perfect flowers of the lily type, and which gave birth to Mariolatry and the splendid errantry of the knights of the Middle Ages, is near akin to that Divine Essence—a reflected light dimly seen by the ever-striving soul—before which all men instinctively bow and a faint perception of which even in the common circumstances of this work-day world enobles and lifts us above ourselves even as it did the paladins of old. To take another phase of this same perception of the beautiful Jiow should we not envy those in touch with Nature ! To the naturalist the woods are full of beauty unseen by us. In the lives of the tiniest of God’s creatures a Lubbock finds food for hours of enraptured contemplation. Take the dullest boy in any of the local schoolhouses do we never arrest,

and amplify the thought that in him reside faculties—possibilities—that if properly trained and developed would exalt him to a plane only a little lower than the angels in the peception of the marvels of his Creator’s handiwork, In spite of the scoffers —the Philistines as “ Punch ” called them—the preachers of the Gospel of the Beautiful have triumphed. Oily last week we read an account of the work of a society in England whose object it is to encourage the growth of the love of the beautiful in the houses of the very poor. For this purp .89 a society of gentlewomen make an annual pilgrimage among the lower quarters of their towns, where they distribute hundreds of pots of suitable flower*, offering prizes for their cultivation. At first the recipients laughed at these gifts, and threw the ‘weeds’ into the gutter ; now, however, they clamour for them. The poor shawled women find their homes brighter and happier for their presence-—the children become interested in their cultivation—the whole tenement grows to reflect the purity and modesty of the carefully cherished flowers—a something of the beauty and sacredness of home life is awakened xtt the hearts of the men, and the public house looses a something of its attractive a ess. This is only one of the thousand and one ways in which the cultivation of the beautiful is expressing itself in England to day. .No one, we think, can deny that in the beauty of flowers is much that is akin to the beauty of holiness, and that it must havo-beeti that idea which led the early Christian to decorate their altars' with their rarest flowers a custom carefully preserved in the Catholic Churches to this day Even those of us who follow a long way off must admit these things, and. in our better moments sigh for a reprieve from the cares and leaden footed duties that cramp our faculties and dull the aspirations b£ the soul. But to return to our argument—the speculations- that were the outcome of a visit to the Auckland Fine Art Gallary. There is much that is good there and its educational influence is undeniable, but there might very well ' fee more pictures. When wo remember the thousands of struggling art students in tho old world—the thousands of struggling geniuses thronging the s udios of Rome, Paris, ponents unrecognised as yet by the limited band of wealthy connoisseurs whose recognition constitutes fame.; I Wheat we consider these young men and women in whom the capacity of mute suffering for the sake of their beloved art assumes, in many cases, heroic proportions for the artistic soul is usually cast in the mould of negative heroism; when we consider these things can we not see what a splendid market the colonies would afford for those works of immature ; genius and their faithful copies of ‘ the Old Masters. The removal bf ail duty on genuine works of art would vastly enhance the aesthetic taste of. the colonies and have a profoundly beneficial effect on our budding manufactures. In Germany coloured daubs: of hideous design are manufactured especially tq_suit the vulgar tastes of the English''colonies. They cannot sell such production in Germany itself. They are made for export to the English colonies !• ■ Oil paintings are a luxury and the rich must pay a heavy price for' their luxuries, may cry a; pur-blind portion of the Democracy of this colony, but who benefits in the long run? What is the usual end of all great collections of masterpieces? They are bequeathed to the nation by those of our rich men who recognise their true position in the world as trustees for the Giver'of all Good Things,

Detective Maddera left San Francisco on thß 19th insfc., for Auckland, with Dr A. H, Orpen in charge. Speaking in :the Canadian House of Commons, Sir YYilfred Lanrier, the Premier of Canada, said Mr Gladstone was a tireless and dauntless champion of the oppressed, and the most marvellous mental incarna* tion since Napoleon. _ Mr Bush, S.M., held at the last Ohine» mnri County Council that it was neccessary that his deposit should be forfeited by a contractor on his failing to comply with the specifications. If a person took up a contract at an unremunerative price it was his own fault, and not the fault of the Council, and if he committed a breach of the contract he must pay the penalty. That penalty was the forfeiture of the deposit. - The effect ©fa recent judgment given by Mr Kenny, in a building dispute, will be(says the Wellington Times) that if an architect orders extras to be done by a contractor, even if not in writing, such action (will be sufficient to nullify any penalty clauses for non-completion within a certain time which may be contained in the contract.

Amongst our new advertisements appears one announcing that the desirable property situate on the Waiorongomai Road, owned and formerly occupied by Mr H. H. Adams, is for sale or to let. Application to be made to the owner at Takapuna, Auckland, We have received from the Lands Department in pamphlet form, particulars, term 3 and conditions of disposal and occupation of 3,614 acres of land known as the Rangiatea Settlement, a copy of which hangs in the News office for the conven* Ifln e of any of our. readers desirous of perusing the same. We had the pleasure of meeting Dr W. G, Cowie, Primate of the Province of New Zealand, yesterday. Dr Cowie’s recollections of Te Aroha go back a long way, and he is able to relate some very interesting facts in connection with the early history of the neighbourhood, of Waiorongomai, in particular, As will be seen from our report in another column Confirmation Service was held last night instead of Wednesday as was previously announced. His Lordship was to return to town this morning.

We understand that a football match has been arranged to take place on Saturday between Suburbs and Te Aroha. The teams will appear in our next issue.

A correspondent who has been with the British forces on the Indian frontier tells a London paper that football has begun to exercise its fascinating sway over the rebel Afridis. Writing from Peshawer on February 20th last, he said:— ‘ Quite the most amusing sight at Jamrud was to see the more youthful members of the jirgas joining in with the British soldiers in a game of football. The Pathans entered into the spirit of the game at once ; and, though they recognised no rules, rushed about in the wildest state of frenzied excitement/ This reminds us of a spirited account of cricket as played among the natives of Fiji Mr Jackson Palmer related in the our hearing the. other day when ia Te Aroha. It seems that the natives play the game with such enthusiasm that one or two players are generally maimed for life, if life is not actually lost as an after .consequence. The Government of Fiji has had to repress, the game altogether under heavy penalties. New Zealand is already famous for its mineral springs, and new springs are now and then coming into notice A correspondent at Tauranga sends us some bottles of Katikati mineral water from Mr E. F. Buck worth’s hot springs, Katikati. . The-water is different from the Puriri Springs, but is very similar to Apenta, the well-known Hungarian bitter water. It is said to be valuable in cases of congested liver or dyspepsia. The water, taken straight from the spring, has a tem ; perature of 97 degrees—Herald. From an advertisement in another column it will be seen that ‘ Gash ’ wishes to purchase a residence .site in Te Aroha.

To respectable young men contem plating ‘ batching ’ an excellent opportunity to rent a furnished house pre-. sents itself. We refer such to. an advertisement appearing in another column.

Yesterday was one of those perfect days for which Te Aroha is famous at this time of the year,, and we observed several invalids enjoying'the ■sheltered sunuy corners in which the Domain abounds. We are firm believers in an occasional sun bath.' Even.after a sharp frost overnight, it is seldom one has difficulty in finding a spot where even in midwinter the full benefit of the noon-day sun may not'bo enjoyed with good effects. Among the recommendations the .Domain Board intend to submit to the landscape gardener who intends visits ing Te Aroha shortly for the purpose receiving arid report!ng on. the same with a view to their adoption by the Land Department, is one, we understand, having* for its object the enlavgemeni of the lawn. , Something mast be done in this direction if we are to have many more crowds like that which thronged the Domain oh Queen’s Birthday. Nor should it be forgotten that oh that day the special trains wore merely local. We, in common with the Domain Board, think there ought to be more'room for tennis courts and bowling greens. A good running track round the edge of the grass could not fail to provide entertainment for the people on gala days. Care could be taken to exclude the disorderly element so frequently associated with our sports and pastimes, as the gates would be under tho control of the municipal authorities.

In Messrs Mclndoe and Hill's window may be seen a fine example of the illuminator’s art by Mr E. J Linnett. It is, we believe, that gentleman’s intention to present the work of art in question to the best all-round man in the local volunteer company, in which description, we presume, will be included the most regular attendant and the most consistent shot in the company during the ensuing year. , Acting-Liout. Scott, of the Te Aroha Rifles, left by train this morning for the purpose of undergoing his examin ation (at the Auckland drill shed) for a commission as lieutenant. Lieut Scott is known to most of our readers as a smart aiid capable officer, and we wish him every success. Last night a large congregation assembled at St. Mark’s Church, when a confirmation service was held at which His Lordship the Primate officiated. Confirmees to the number of 15 presented themselves, and were appropriately addressed by Bishop Cowie on the-, duties and responsibilities of the order. The following are the names of those of those confirmed: B. Bell, and F. C. Strange, and Misses L. and E Evans, M. Maingay, E. aud C. Cloiigh, ,J. Evans, J. Fenne, A. Jackson, I. Grattan, I. McLean. L. Bygrave, K. O’Meagher, and E. Bell.