The San Francisco call. [volume], February 21, 1897, Page 18, Image 18

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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18
HOW LORD LEIGHTON OF STRETTON FOUND ROSY THE PATH TO FAME
TfJNJONDON, Esq.. Feb. The rnalevo
\soKm lent old ,air >* who, forgotten at the
MmstsfT important ceremony of christening,
revenges herself upon her innocent vic
tims by disastrously complicating their
lives, must bave been placated by the
most obsequious attentions when Frede
rick Leighton was in the cradle, for it
would be difficult to imagine a life more
serene, more successful, - richer in tri
umphs, more smiled upon by all the
fussy, fairy godmothers of fate, chance
and fortune. He was born in Scarborough
in 1830. His father and grandfather were
physicians, men of means, and for that
day of rather wide and unusual cultiva
tion. Before he was half as tall as a mahl
stick his infant scratchings were taken as
en grand serieux; the family went
abroad, and Frederick, aged 10, began to
study drawing in Rom?. Here there is
no question of early strugeles with pov
erty, obdurate relatives blind to youthful
genius; the road to fame was made smooth
to the feet of this gifted aspirant. It was
a royal road in this instance. He was
crowned, so to speak, without lifting a
band; everything was prepared for him;
LORD LEIGHTON OF STRETTON.
HAS THE EARTH MORE
THAN ONE MOON?
Wonderful Field of Speculation Opened Up
by the Latest Discovery.
CITSLHE latest alleged startling discovery |
vl'fr* in the realm of astronomical *ci- i
jAfO ence gives peculiar emphasis tothe
timeworn proverb that "people are blind
to what is going on under their noses."
Ever since astronomy has enchained the i
attention of men they have been assidu- j
ously seeking to learn more about the far- j
distant orbs of the celestial universe than j
waa known to t eir predecessors. From
the time when the first rude spyglass was
constructed down to the present day of
highly developed telescopes astronomers
have swapt the midnight skies in eager
search after some fragment of knowledge I
to add to the meager store possessed by !
the scholar. Almost invariably the ob- j
ject of research was a far-distant star.
The confines of the stellar galaxy at
tracted greater than did its nearer center.
The great Herschell devoted his ener
gies to "sounding the depths of space,"
and without success. In the abandon
ment to the peculiar fascination of at
tempting to solve the infinite the finite
seems to have been forgotten. We know
less about bur nearest neighbor, the moon,
than we do about Mars; less about Mars
than we do of the sun. We have placed j
in the balance and actually weighed every i
one of tbe members of the solar system, I
POSITION OF INVISIBLE MOON.
even to the giant planets .Uranus and
Neptune, which are so far away as to be
invisible to the naked eye; and yet we do
not know the shape of our own moon, and
the best scientists are divided in opinion
as.to whether it possesses an atmosphere
or not. We have constructed a perfect
map of Mara and determined his conti
nents and seas, but we are unable to say
wbat causes the radiant streaks which
emanate from the huge Tycho Brabe
mountain upon, our moon, uot 300,000
miles away.
The discussion of the physical charac
teristics of the earth cannot be properly
called astronomical, and yet it cannot be
eic t del from that branch of science.
The movements of the earth, while purely
within tbe domain of mathematical
physics, can only offer a means of solu
tion by a careful study of astronomy.
Ever since mathematical astronomy has
been practiced it has baen known that the
earth had several very peculiar move
ments which were apparently unaccount
able. We are apt to speak of the "stable
earth." As a matter of fact the earth
reels like a drunken man. At no time
does she pursue an undeviating, steady
course, nor ars her movements regular.
Her erratic wanderings, if duplicated at
all, can occur only at such long intervals
of time as to appall the human concep
tion ln the attempt to comprehend the
immense line of figures that are neces
sary to express the possible recurrence of
a single movement. The north star is
popularly supposed to be a fixed point. It
is not. What is known as Polaris is the
present north star, but 13.C00 years ago tbe
north pole of tbe earth pointed to the
brilliant Vega, and will again in course of j
time. I
CroWned With J-lardly an Effort- Jhe Laurels Fell Upon His J4andsome BroW and /Idjusted TKemselVes in
tKe Most Eminently Becoming Manner— Van Dyck BroWns Story of His Life
he placed himself in positions, and the
laurels fell upon his handsome brow and
adjusted themselves in the most emi
nently becoming manner.
From Rome— and who could overesti
mate the influence of this early training
he was taken to Berlin and Dresden. In
every city he attended the classes at the
academy. In those days he was an infant
phenomenon in his facility with his pen
cil and unusually deficient in every other
study. At 13 he was at school in Frank
fort, but at 14 we find a serious discussion
taking place in Florence, and his artistic
career fully decided upou ; accordingly he
was enrolled among the students at the
Accademia delle Belle Arti in that city.
That the vain, precocious and ignorant
lad was himself responsible for the resolu
tion to attend a little to his general edu
The accompanying little diagram will
show to the readers of The Call the path |
marked out by tbe north pole among the
stars— a wavy circle. This condition is |
brought about by what is known as the I
"precession of the equinoxes." The sun is i
swiftly traveling through space, and car
rying with bim all the members of his
system, of which our earth is one; so that,
as the earth sweeps over the mighty orbit
of the solar system, her pole describes a
circle. But it is not a perfect circle. She
i- constantly nodding, and tbis move
ment, which is a real wabble, is termed
the earth's nutation. Our scientific men
have sought to account for this wabble by
seeking its cause in the attractive lorces
of the sun and moon — that is, when the
sun and moon are on the same side of
the earth their "pull" upon the earth
would be greater than when the sun was
on one side and the moon on the
opposite; thus the earth would be
swayed a little out of her true orbit as the
relative positions of the sun and moon
changed. Granted that this is the true
solution, then the "wabble" ought to ex
hibit some degree of uniformity. It does
not. Next, it is attempted to further ex
plain the "wabble" by applying the law
of perturbation — tbe effect of attraction
exercised by other stellar bodies. Every
particle of matter in the universe attracts
every other particle of matter. But after
all the known causes have been diligently
exploited and applied, the fact remains
that there are "wabbles" which are un
accounted for. At one position of her
orbit the earth is a great deal farther
away from the sun than at another. Does
the sun's attraction vary? If at all
times there were the same number and
masses of stars at one particular portion
of the earth's orbit.it might be easy to
account for this deviation from a true
circle. But there is not. And no one has
yet been able to explain -satisfactorily why
the ball we live on exhibits at one time a
coyness to her ardent wooer, and at
another time a rapturous desire for his
warm pretence.
Recently a gentleman of established
reputation as a mathematician, and an
astronomer of no mean accomplishments,
residing on the California coast, bas an
nounced to a few of his intimate friends
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1897.
cation is more than likely ; his studies in
the direction of art could not but bring to
his attention the unknown fields in which
he had been set to labor. His interest in
history and mythology, his practical and
methodical mind, saved him from «he fate
of the Strasborg goose. His studies at
the Academy wera abandoned and he re
turned to set. 00l in Frankfort for three
years, never losing for an instant the aim
he had In view.
In 1848 he resumed his study of drawing
and painting in Brussels, finally drifting
to Paris, and working there, very serenely,
very gayly, and without a master. The
habits of his earlier youth were too strong
to break, and he was never satisfied to re
main more than a year in one place.
During this time he painted his first
picture. "C mabue Finding Giotto in the
Fields of Florence."
At this period the Florentine masters
j held him in thrall. All the charm, all the
1 delicacy of these early painters, the dark
and suave richness of color in the old city
itself had temporarily banished from his
memory the rods and goddesses wbo had
overawed him in Rome; and yet it was in
Rome itself that ne painted that most
Florentine ' of Florentine pictures,
"Cimabue's Madonna Carried in Pro
cession Through the Streets." He was
not yet 25 when it was exhibited in tbe
Royal Academy, and purchased imme
diately by her Majesty the Queen.
In this day of republican ideas that
would not be a matter of entire felicita
tion to a young painter; the prestige of
such patronage is no longer as puissant,
but at that time it placed Frederick Leigh
ton in the first rank, and as we glance at
the immense canvas we must come to tbe
conclusion that the distinction was de
served.
The complete development that com
monly crowns uninterrupted labor be
tween the years of 40 and 50 he bad at
tained at the age of the average student.
To be sure be had worked, after a fashion,
for fifteen years, and had seen the best the
world could offer. His judgment was
formed. Like most precocious develop
ments, his talent bloomed too soon, and
he rarely reached a higher note than that
be struck immediately in his earnest
works. I*. was a note at once resonant
and clear, even if it lacked any qualities
of depth or vibration.
There is neither weakness nor hesita-
tion to be detected in this fine canvas, in
which Master Cimabue, glitt ring in silver
that he has found the cause of these myste
rious perturbations of the earth in an invis
ible satellite. Many of our most brilliant
minds shrink from adverse criticism with
a repugnance that in other natures wou'a
* be considered morbid. It is due to this that
the gentleman withholds for the present
his individuality, but bas nevertheless
communicated to those of his friends
whose educational attainments fit them
to pass intelligent judgment the facts of
his startling discovery. There is really
nothing strange in this. The world is al
ways ready to pass judgment upon mat
ters it does not understand. Th- question
of intra-Mercurial planets has long been a
fiercely debated one, and has engendered
erabitterments between scholars and
scientists which have estranged minds
that otherwise would have worked in per
fect harmony. During the total eclipse of
July 29, 1878, James C. Watson, prof-ssor *
of astronomy at the universities of Michi- ,
gan and Wisconsin, discovered two plan- ;
ets situated within the orbit of Mercury
and close to the sun. At the same time
Professor Lewis Swift of Rochester, N. V.,
independently of Professor Watson, also
saw and claimed the discovery of these
two new planets. But because other as
tronomers were not favored with sight of
t c bodies the discoveries of Watson and
Swift were pooh-poohed into contumely.
The records of astronomy show that
well-sustained claims have been made on
nineteen occasions since 1761 that intra-
Mercurial planets were observed. So it is
not to be wondered at that a sensitive
mind should shrink from a possibility of
ridicule. Human nature invades nature.
The discovery of the invisible satellite of
the earth is the result of a purely mathe
matical investigation, and it is as capable
of demonstration as is the presence of any
one of the known heavenly bodies. T;>e
planet Neptune is invisible to the naked
eye. Yet its presence was detected by pre
cisely similar means as were employed by
the California mathematician in his dis
covery of the earth's second moon. As
tronomers had noticed that the giant
planet Uranus, then the outermost known
member of the solar system, exhibited per
turbations which could not be accounted
for by the presence of any known body. A
young mathematician, afterward destined
to be famous, reasoned that there must be
another planet to account for the vagaries
in Uranus' movements. He figured, and
on September 10. 1846, he sent word to Dr.
Galle of Berlin, who possessed a fine tele
scope, to look at a certain spot in the
heavens. Dr. Galle did so on the 13th
and, there saw the new planet, now called
Neptune. The circumstance is always re
marked as the greatest triumph of mathe
matical astronomy.
The lately discovered second moon of
the earth has an orbit which is extraneous
to that of the earth's, and the satellite re
volves around the sun at the same rate of
speed as the earth, always keeping on the
side of tbe earth opposite to that of the
snn. It is therefore always within the
cone of deep shadow formed by the earth,
and as it does not receive any portion of
the direct light of the aun it is conse
quently invisible to us, just as is the visi
ble moon when it is eclipsed in the earth's
shadow. The exact size or diameter of the
invisible moon cannot now be definitely
stated, inasmuch aa its peculiar situation
renders it always obscured from optical
measurement. Its mass has, however,
been calculated by computing the effect it
produces in swaying the earth and the
visible moon, and is placed at about one
thousandth that of the earth, or 6,000,000,
--000.000,000,000 tons. Supposing its den
sity to be equal to that of our visible
moon, which is three and a half times
that of water, it would be somewhere
about fifteen hundred miles in diameter.
Its axial revolution is yet unknown.
The remarkable position maintained by
the newly discovered satellite is not with
out parallel, nor, in fact, is such condition
strange. In contemplating the phenome
non of the stellar universe we must be
content to accept what is presented to our
cognizance without criticism. Human
ideas of orthodoxy have no weight in the
arrangement of the heavenly bodies. The
.two moon* of Uranus revolve around that
planet on north to sooth, and the axis
of Uranus, instead of being perpendicular
to the ecliptic is parallel with it. The
brocade, with the youth Giotto behind
him, struts proudly at the head of a con
course of people, in the quaint, rich cos
tumes of a medieval pageant The work
is dignified and complete; if it has a cer
tain youthful exuberance, a spark of vain
glory in the exhibition of a technique
already accomplished and fluent, they are
not unattractive qualities; it is certainly
not for the sin of exuberance that the
soberer conceptions of later years could
be criticized.
He is a frank observer of surface beauty ;
emotion never distorts the features of bis
heroic men and women; tragedy throws
them into magnificently statuesque poses;
athletes of the amphitheater, women from
the Greek races, in spirit, at least, ideal
ized from impecunious and very human
models picked up at random in London or
Paris or Rome. The beauty of visible form
was his standard of accomplishment; it
was form he studied in his draperies, the
peculiarly characteristic folds of satin or
silk or velvet. His sketches are often
laborious and fine; who better than be
could grasp and represent the noble fall
and flow of the robes of a Senator, or the
vere grace of the heavily swathed
Roman matron !
In lfcOO he settled permanently in Lon
don and soon after began to superintend
the erection of the magnificent house in
Holland Park Road, which he inhabited
till his death and which has been recently
bought by the Government for a perma
nent exhibition. The bouse became a
museum lor the collections of strange and
interesting curiosities he gathered on
every journey. Spain, India, Persia and
Asia Minor, Algiers and Egypt, Turkey
and Greece he explored between 1866 and
1876, during which period he was also
elected to the full academic honors.
He lived in a house, a little pompous, a
little overloaded perhaps with rich and
rare objects of artistic and antiquarian in
terest; his social talents were remarkable;
he was a fluent speaker, witb a handsome
presence and a manner not too suave to
be courtly; he arranged his surroundings
in tbe most picturesque fashion, he him
self was always the most conspicuous
and picturesque figure.
He was knighted on his election as
president of the Royal Academy in 1878;
eight years later he was created a baronet,
and just before his death, but a few days,
in fact, the rather empty honors of a peer
age were conferred upon him. The acad
emies of Vienna, Brussels, Florence, Peru
satellite of Neptune has its orbit tipped
over 150 degrees, and is, in fact, upside
down. Of the two moons of Mars, one
rises in the east and sets in the west, and
the other rises in the west and sets in the
east. The credulous man who would cry
"impossible" upon reading this announce
ment of the discovery of the earth's in
visible moon has therefore the satisfaction
of voicing his ignorance and self-conceit
in so dong; for the testimony of the stars
proclaims the absurdity of all human con
ceptions.
In one way only can ocular demonstra
tion be had of the existence of our invisi
ble satellite, and that is found in the
occulta! ion of stars caused by its passage
between them and the earth. Such phe
nomena could only be momentary, and
by reason of its extreme briefness may be
well overlooked even by trained ob«ervers
specially on watch for such occurrences.
It is, however, no infrequent thing for
such phenomenon to receive notice. Every
astronomical observer has had the experi
ence of the momentary occlusion of a star.
The matter, however, is generally of so
minute a period of time that no consider
ation has been given to it, except perhaps
to attribute it to some passing mass of
vapor or else a visual defect of a tempo
rary character in the retina of the ob
server, natural to a prolonged strain of
the optic nerve.
One of the most interesting features of
sidereal astronomy is the erratic appear
ances and disappearances of stars. The
books are full of the records of stars which
have suddenly blazed forth with greater
or less brilliancy and then faded back into
obscurity and of stars that have suddenly
and without premonition been blotted out
from sight only to reappear after the lapse
of a short period. The explanation of
such phenomena is given by astronomy in
its statement that there are many iuvisi
gia, Berlin and Antwerp elected him to
honorary membership; he .was a com
mander of the Legion of Honor, a knight
of the Prussian order "Pour le M-Tite,"
an associate of the Institute of France.
He was courted, flattered and cordially
liked by all classes, pre-eminently, how
ever, by the aristocracy, who bought his
pictures and considered him the most
brilliant feature of any social function.
When presiding at academy meetings or
at the annual dinners, his red robes of of
fice, worn with so much pleasure and
grace, seemed the most appropriate cos
tume ior this latter-day epicurean.
His work occupies five enormous rooms
at Burlington Hou-e. The weather since
the opening has been vindictively cold;
snow, sleet, cutting winds and the semi
darkness cannot lessen the enthusiasm of
his admirers. The great court at Burling
ton House, through which the wind
sweeps with a rush, is always crowded
with carriages. A row of footmen, shiv
ering under their sables, wait under the
pillars for their irrepressibly art-loving
masters and mistresses. The rooms are
crowded almost too much for comfort.
Such an exhibition is a mistake in win
ter. That yellow southern glow in which
Lord Leighton loved to place his lightly
clad figures is an inappropriate background
for the men and women who, buried in
furs and cloaks and muffled to their ears,
come to see and criticize.
There are more than 300 numbers. It is
remarkable to see how rarely the artist
rises above or talis below the standard of
bis first labors. The earlier studies are of
richer tone, deeper in color; he has been
nearer to the Italian masters he loved.
Gradually the general atmosphere light
ens, until it is almost like a water-color in
superficial delicacy. At times the suriace
is as smooth as wax and the execution a
little cloying in its sweetness. Generally
the picture is saved by the noble— if Some
what conventional— and the
unfailing elegance of line.
"The Summer Moon" i.» one instance in
which the painter rose above his own
level. Every one has seen a reproduction
of those two magnificent figures leaning
against one another, with clasped hands,
asleep. Behind them is a circular open
ing through which the moonlit sky is seen.
It is only necessary to read the titles of
the pictures to see that the nineteenth
century was a mere anachronism to Lord
Leighton. His imagination was peopled
by nymphs and satyrs of Homeric days.
b!e stellar bodies cavorting through space
and tbat "these sudden disappearances
and reappearances are due to one of these
invisible stars passing between the earth
and the occluded star." The presence of
the invisible satellite of the earth will ac
count for much of this phenomena.
A wonderful field of speculation is
op-ned up by this latest discovery. Is the
invisible satellite a portion of the original
earth us is the visible moon now supposed
to be? Why does it not revolve around
the earth? Perhaps it will be found that
when we are able to definitely say what is
the exact shape of the visible moon and
why it always presents to us the same
face we shall be able to intelligently begin
the discussion of this question. Has mag
netism or electricity any part in causing
it to maintain its position / Is it receding
from the earth? [Its distance is now
about 1,600,000 miles from the earth] ls
it soire wandering body like a comet
which has fallen within the scope of the
earth's attraction and held captive to our
ball? These and many other questions of
like character naturally present .them
selves. They will undoubtedly stimulate
research into cosmical phenomena near
er home, an i we hope that the coming
century will witness our acquirement of
knowledge that shall enlighten us regard
ing our immediate surroundings more
fully than appears to grace the record of
the passing one. It is, of course, ex
tremely interesting to learn that there are
stars so far away that light traveling with
the inconceivable velocity ot 200,000 miles
a second would require millions of years
to reach our earthly vision coming from
these distant globes; but such informa
tion, while wondrous, is not the most in
structive. The majestic plories of 'he
Himalayas are grand and inspiring; they
are to be viewed, studied and appreciated;
but in the meantime do not let us neglect
our own front yard. F. M. Close, D.Sc
One of the best known of the large
decorative compositions is "Hercules
Wrestling With Death for the Body of
Alcestis." It is singularly powerful and
the figure of death might almost have
been included among the pictures by
Frederick Watts. . .-:
Alcestis, robed in white, lies under large
trees in the center of the picture; the
mourners, in attitude" of grief and horror
watch the contest spellbound, and behind
these motionless figures is the sea, the
FRAGMENT SKETCH OF GROUP OF GREEK SLAVES.
[From Leighlon's "Andromache at the Well."}
VAIN MAN, LOOK
TO YOUR LAURELS
This Pretty Qirl Gonstable Declares That
Women Are Natural Officials
iFf^LLEGHANY, Pa., Feb. 15. —A
kliJ .' young woman in this town has
■«i\\/ found a new vocation. She bas
become a constable. Just as much author
ity is hers as any man could have in a
similar position, and, what is more, she is
always ready to fulfill her duties. Miss
Florence A. Klotz is the young lady who
has branched off from the conventional
highway of womanhood, and promises to
to become a model for the whole constabu
lary from Maine to California.
Miss Klotz does not go around swinging
a club, because constables are not sup
posed to perform that sort of duty. Sbe
was appointed to the position she holds
that she might act as constable for her
father, Alderman Edward Klotz of this
city. Her principal occupation is the
serving of papers and kindred duties that
attach to the special officer devoted to the
service of an Alderman. Very often it
happens that individuals learn that an
alderman's constable is looking for tbem
with a paper and tbey find it very con
venient to be absent when the constable
calls. It is a peculiar fact that the femi
nine constable of Alleghany meets with
no such difficulties. Constable Klotz is a
very pretty girl and she is only 18 years
old.
dark, bright southern sea. In "Belaus*
tion's Adventure" Browning speaks of Ny
in this wise: " .***•
1 know, too, a great Kaunlan pa n ter, strong
As Ilerakles, thou :h nay with a robe
Of grace that, s ftens down the ain-wy strength;
And he has made a picture of It all.
There lies Alkenis dead, beneath to* sun
She longed to look her last tip in.
1 pronounce that piece
Worthy to set up in our Pirklle.
As a whole, in walking through these
great rooms it is not of the Greeks one
think-— but of two modern men of whom
one is constantly reminde! and of whom
Lord Lei:hton seems the English transla
tion: Ingres the Great and Bmguereanl
Van Dyke Brown.
About 1000 fishing-boats engaged around
the British coast are named Mary.
Like all those who have joined tbe ranks
over whicli the banner of new woman
hood flaunts Constable Klotz is able to _t
speak for herself. When it is impossible*
to speak sbe has no hesitation in writing, V
for a woman is never at a loss for an expe
dient. Read what she has written :
"To the Editor: I have never been able
to see why a woman should not help her
self. Everybody that studies tbe Bible
knows that it says the Lord helps those
who help themselves, and what better
authority can anybody ask tban that? I
am sure there is nothing said about sex in
the Bible, so far as that is concerned. In
the first place, I was on the road for my
father as a saleslady for bis candy busi
ness. I started in in that line when I was
15 years old, and naturally acquired a
large quantity of experience in the line of
the mystery of human nature. I am nat
urally of an enterprising disposition and
not very slow to make up my mind, let
the circumstances be what they may.
"One thing I know that would benefit
the community at large, and that is that
it would be better to bave women as con
stables, who would attend to their duties
and nothing else, than to have a lot of
men whose ambition would be centered
on the best whisky. The position of con
stable is generally voted to some old poli
tician or the friend of such in this State.
Hence the result is a pitiable one.
"It is my impression that there is a fitld
for women in the constable line as well as
for men, judging from my observations in
the neighborhood. If the women cannot
do as well as the class of men c osen con
stables here then they had better retire
and not try to do anything at all. I do
not mean to say that all the men wbo are
made constables are bad, but they are
sorely tempted to* tread the path that
leads to that condition in the course of
their duties.
"It seems to me that the time is rips in
this country of ours for women to enfran
chise themselves. It is time for this to be \
the case when husbands have to work for*
$1 a day, and consequently are not able tv
support a wile— much less a family. It is
no concern of the public whether the con
stable is a man or a woman, just so long
as the work is done quickly and properly.
Women possess the necessary .brains to be
constables just as much as tbe men do,
and what is more they use their brains to
the advantage of the public as well as
themselves.
. "Of course they are not Samsons and if
actual force is required, wbich hapnens
very seldom, the constable bas a legal right
to summon any one within hailing dis
tance to give aid. Now, then, don't you
see that a . woman can get along as con
stable, for aren't the men always ready to
fight for the women, and if they battled
for a woman and for law and order too,
what a splendid cause they would be
championing. Still, I must confess that,
as a general rule, a man is more amenable
to the influence of a dear creature wbo
cannot fight, and, besides, would not,
than to a direct application of muscular
force.
"As a matter of fact my father would
not let me undertake anything in which
there was the sii. htest possibility of
danger. He would rather, much rather,
hunt up a constable somewhere in the
town to perform the service. 1 don't
know.- about the new woman part of it,.
What 1 think is just what I said before*,
It don't seem to me there is any reason o J
earth why a woman should not help her
self, and why she isn't able to fill lots of
positions that are only given to men.
"Flobknce A. Klotz. "
80 far as is known Miss Klotz is the
only wom*n in the United States or any
other place who has been appointed a con-*
stable.