of the efforts of Mrs. Farnham, by whom it has been republished, and her admirable and effective exertions in improving the female department of the prison at Sing-Sing. A great deal of censure, and even odium in some minds, has been heaped upon her by a certain sort of interested and prejudiced people, in consequence of her exertions. But she has met them all with perfect equanimity, knowing that the results of her efforts, when made known, would more than defend her from every imputation. A friend of ours, a distinguished and philanthropic lady, who does not share in Mrs. Farnham's philosophy of crime, bears this testimony to her practical success: "As you have asked me for some information respecting Mrs. Farnham's administration and influence at Sing Sing, I will, in brief, give you such facts as have come to my knowledge. I was disposed to visit that prison at her suggestion at an early period of my acquaintance with her. She knew that I was no, phrenologist or transcendentalist, but deeply impressed with the practical worth of the Christian doctrine. She had often heard me say that I believed that Christ's teachings were all-sufficient for the seed-sowing of virtue, and the inculcation of renewing principles, where the moral nature had been perverted, or never developed. She well knew that she could look to me for no other influence upon the minds of convicts than such as should be drawn from the gospel, or should lead them to it for edification. Soon after she had assumed her present function, I received a letter from her containing the following passage: It is my purpose, in the first place, to bring the women to a state of order and obedience. When that is accomplished, I shall endeavor to learn the state of their minds, and their several capabilities of improvement. Concerning the means of the latter, I shall look to you for some assistance.' After this suggestion, I took my earliest leisure to visit the prison, and make myself acquainted with its inmates. They were then seventy-two in number. Nine of them did not know a letter; about ten could read with tolerable intelligence, and of the fifty and more remaining, I doubt whether any could make continuous sense out of a book, good or bad, without help. "The state, or some other bounty, supplies the women each with a bible and prayer-book, printed in small characters, which requires good eyes to read at all. There were seventy or eighty volumes, more or less, of a discarded library, in a state of neglect. Those books were examined; they were, for the most part, exceedingly ill-printed, and of a most uninviting character. It is next to impossible to make people good or wise against their taste and liking. The difficulty, nay, the impossibility, of making poor, ignorant creatures like the convicts, read books like those provided for them, was entirely obvious. Such of the books as seemed the most feasible for their use, whether religious or of a secular character, were retained. "With Mrs. Farnham's entire concurrence, I set about enlarging their library. I did not trust my own judgment alone in this matter. Ladies, admirable for piety, liberality, and literary taste, assisted me, giving me counsel, books and money, to aid my enterprise. The more elementary of these books came from the Sunday School Union. Some were works of innocent entertainment, as Sargent's Temperance Tales, Hannah More's Domestic Tales, Miss Edgeworth's Popular Tales, Mrs. Sherwood's Works, and some little books of history, geography, and travels. Some of the convicts seemed to enjoy poetry, and collections designed especially for instruction, were furnished to them. Great pains were taken to teach them to read and write, and the matron herself, and her assistants, read to them. "This mode of instruction has been continued as much as the contracts for labor of the convicts will permit. I have never witnessed more earnest pains-taking, and more fervent gratitude, than are apparent among them. More than one has told me, we should never have known these things had we not come here.' One said, had I known what I now know, I should never have been here.' "These means of instruction, and more, also, were obtained by influence of the matron, and entirely carried into effect by her arrangements, her personal exer tions, and the excellent concurrence of the very benevolent and intelligent assistants she has employed during the three years of her administration. I feel myself at entire liberty to say, that Mrs. Farnham believes that no course of treatment is so effectual to turn the wicked from the error of their way, as to give them new ideas of virtue, clear statements of their danger and their duties; in fine, to teach them, line upon line, and precept upon precept,' things pure, honest, lovely, and of good report, and to make them think on those things;' forming new habits of reasoning and reflection, and setting before them new and better motives of action than they have ever been informed of. "Mrs. Farnham's government is rigid, but kind; she endeavors to make punishment an invariable consequence of all breaches of law and order. Impunity for all wilfulness, negligence of duty, insolence, or obstinacy, is unknown in her discipline. The outbreaks, which once were frequent among the female convicts, under other authority, now occur almost never. It has once happened in the last year, that a desperate woman, from the western part of the state, made some attempt to resist her commands, and a very summary and instant punishment in a few minutes subdued every manifestation of combination or sympathy with the offender. I had an opportunity to observe the effect of this momentary defiance of lawful government upon the convicts generally; it was no other than the deepest grief and mortification that their friend and benefactress should be so disturbed. Impulsive, ignorant, fitful and unprincipled as they generally are, mere good intention in their governors is little available. High moral purpose, energy in actions, uniform dignity of deportment, general consistency, and enlightened humanity, are indispensable in the efficient prison governor. I believe that all these points, in their entire combination, are united in Mrs. F. "Immediately after reading some of the unprincipled attacks upon her in the public prints, I spent a Sunday in the prison, and after reading the Scriptures to the convicts collectively, I visited the greater number in their cells. I found each in a sober, humble and grateful frame of mind. How much of this sobriety and docility was genuine I do not pretend to affirm. Those who could not read the Bible and Prayer Book, which all possess, were desirous that I should read to them, or explain some passage they had heard read. A young friend, recently from the prison, informs me that at this very time many of the female convicts are deeply impressed with the evil of sin; that they are seeking heavenly wisdom, asking guidance and counsel; are striving against bad passions and bad habits, and looking to divine aid and gospel light for direction and effectual repentance. This state of feeling is as grateful to Mrs. Farnham as it could be to any Christian, any philanthropist, any friend to the ignorant, and 'them that are out of the way.' "Mrs. Farnham's attention to the laws of animal life is particularly favorable to the health of the prisoners, and much calculated to warn them against those excesses and mistaken indulgences, to which they may be tempted in their subsequent state of freedom. If they are not better in all respects for her discipline, it must be that they are intrinsically incorrigible. Under the previous administration, all infants born in the prison died a few months after birth. This mortality so shocked one of the humane inspectors, that he determined the children should in future be immediately removed from maternal care, as a measure of humanity. Mrs. Farnham instantly detected the reason of this fatality-a total disregard of ventilation in the hospital, and negligence of the aliment of nurses, produced it. These abuses being removed, four children, born and nurtured within the prison walls, are now living, at different ages, in health and vigor. That Mrs. Farnham should, in the least measure, endeavor to corrupt the unfortunate subjects of her care, is the most unlikely thing in the world. No person entertains a deeper sense of moral evil than she-none feels more compassion for its victims. A professing Christian herself-though we do not hold that profession makes principle, or that principle needs profession, to give it efficacy-she knows that the gospel is a sure guide, and that the carnal mind, the animal nature, needs its correctives to subdue the propensities to the law of the spirit-to God's law, revealed both in his Providence, and in his Word. I feel clearly convinced, that she would a thousand times rather quit her vocation for ever, than turn it to confirmation of sin, or inculcation of iniquity. I know that her love of mankind, her anxious concern for the welfare of society, must ever dispose her to use all her influence for the improvement of those who have sinned, or may, through negligence or evil communication, continue to disturb society. I believe she is engaged by the most upright and generous motives to do good to the convicts, and thus to benefit general society; and I have no doubt that she will be eminently successful in both, notwithstanding all misrepresentations of her measures and her character." Thus, either through her philosophy, or in spite of her philosophy, Mrs. Farnham, by her indefatigable zeal, and eminent firmness and integrity of character, has succeeded in producing a thorough reform in the prison under her management, and is still achieving very grand and noble triumphs.The friends of the old methods, therefore, may carp as much as they please, at her phrenological experiments; but while she can exhibit practices like these to the Christian world, she will be sustained by its enlightened opinion. Her career is a fine commentary upon what we alleged at the outset, that as to the humane treatment of offenders, for she regards them rather as unfortunates than as criminals, and makes reform and not retribution the end of punishment. It is in accordance with the Divine principle which teaches us to " overcome evil with good." We rejoice, truly, that the world is beginning to see the efficacy of this truth in many other respects. It is, indeed, a glorious privilege to live in an age when the spirit of genuine Christianity is penetrating deeper and deeper into the heart of society, and when goodness is supplanting more and more, in all the relations of life, the ancient faith in severity and force. AMERICAN WORKS OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE.* "Ut Pictura Poesis erit; similisque Poesi Sit Pictura; refert par æmula quæque sororem Quod fuit auditu gratum cecinere poetæ A TASTE for the more elevated productions of painting and sculpture is rapidly increasing amongst us, and day after day brings new evidence of artistic genius, that will eventually raise this country to a level in this respect with any of the nations of Europe. When it is considered that the attainment of excellence in these pursuits is peculiarly the work of time-that a profound knowledge of the happiest efforts of past epochs is most essential to brilliant success, it will be perceived that this is no faint praise. Our local position, however advantageous in other regards, is not favorable to our progress in the fine arts. Withheld by the broad Atlantic from the frequent contemplation enjoyed by Europeans of those chefs d'œuvre which have obtained the suffrages of mankind, and been established by the voice of ages, we have had to contend with almost insuperable difficulties. But thanks to national enterprise and perseverance, the first steps have all been taken. Institutions and galleries for the encouragement of art, have been founded in different parts of the country; American painters travel more frequently to Italy and France, and, we trust the day is not far distant, when we shall have imbibed as a people that true spirit, which is most likely to direct the artist to a just standard of excellence. We should neglect no means of enabling the mass to form accurate notions of artistic beauty. In England, with all her means and appliances, the people are sadly deficient, to the great prejudice of genuine works of genius, and they have yet much to learn ere they reject those gaudy and meretricious efforts, (which now pander to a vitiated taste,) for those unpretending and meritorious productions that are fully appreciated only by a judicious minority. It would be folly, therefore, to deny, that our judgment in works of art is yet unformed, vague, and, in most instances, erroneous. There are many persons of highly cultivated taste in this country, who find, in the noblest efforts of the chisel and pencil, the congenial embodyment of their own refined and glowing conceptions; but this is not sufficient for the interests of painting and sculpture. The fame and fate of artists depend even still more upon the verdict of the people at large; and until true ideas of art are more generally diffused, and the demand becomes greater for works of a high order, it cannot be expected that men of genius will devote the utmost powers of their minds to produce fine compositions. These considerations induce us to offer some few additional remarks upon the subject of painting and sculpture, in the hope that they may render the reader more familiar with those principles, which being impressed upon the mind, enable it to arrive at a fair estimate of the value of those works which seem most worthy of examination. The opinions we advance are perhaps not remarkable for novelty, but they cannot be too often recalled to * Vanderlyn's Landing of Columbus-Exhibition of the Art Union, &c. &c. memory, nor too widely circulated. The first question asked by those who seek information on the subject is, what is true art? The response immediately arises, that it is a faithful imitation of nature. Such undoubtedly is the fact. But when we reflect that nature assumes a thousand Varied forms, and that each painter and sculptor views her through the peculiar medium of his own mind, it will be acknowledged that there is great room for discussion. The habits, tastes, and observances of nations, too, are so different, that what one man lauds to the very echo, another may decry as barbarous and unnatural. To place art in a clear light before the world-to dispel illusions, and thereby give genius fair play, is one of the most important services that can be rendered the cause of civilization. This glorious task has been but partially accomplished, whether in France, England, or, we might venture to say, in modern Italy; but many have labored for its fulfilment, and all that we desire is, to afford our humble aid to sustain those principles and modes of thought which are most approved in the teaching and practice of the great masters. In all the varied phases of nature she possesses great beauty, but her productions, like those of art, are distinctly classified. Thus the genius of every painter, however peculiar, has its own field of performance, and thus have arisen the different schools into which the art, more particularly of painting, is divided. Whatever is good in its distinctive class of art, however low the subject, is worthy of respect, for in each of her realms nature, as we have said, is still beautiful. Thus, Teniers and Gerard Dow will live probably for an equal time with Raphael in the recollection of men, though how different their works, school, and reputation. It would be foreign to our purpose here to give a minute account of the various schools, and we will enter simply into a short dissertation on those principles on which some of the more elevated are based. In doing so we shall probably give the reader some insight that he has not hitherto obtained, into what we may justly term the poetry of art. The diversified figures, groupings, and scenery of nature, are only comparatively beautiful or defective. There are but few objects in her wide domain that reach the degree of perfection which the refined and glowing imagination of genius is empowered to conceive. A knowledge of this fact has given rise to schools peculiarly eclectic, and these, rejecting the deformities which, as many of the great writers on art have admitted, exist in most of her productions, have established certain standards of beauty to which it should be our constant endeavor to attain. The works produced by these very academies of art are, paradoxical as it may seem, the most natural. However beautiful individual objects may appear in nature, we rarely find in them that reunion of perfections which astonish us for instance in the Grecian statues. Every beauty that is possible for the painter to depict is certainly discoverable in nature, but scattered, as if by accident; and, even in her happiest efforts, there is almost invariably some slight deficiency, which is but too apt to dissipate all belief in her supremacy. The attempt to produce perfection by a close imitation of individual objects in nature had so often failed, that the grand secret of the beau ideal was at length revealed, and foo perfect m 0 "the sculptor from the rival forms Of loveliest nymphs each faultless feature chose, To mould the matchless marble." * 53 Nor was this system of selection pursued simply with regard to statuary. It extended also to landscape. Those peculiarities which are termed the |