THE MENTOR 1916.04.01, No. 104,
The National Gallery
LEARN ONE THING
EVERY DAY
APRIL 1 1916
SERIAL No. 104
THE
MENTOR
GREAT GALLERIES
OF THE WORLD
THE NATIONAL
GALLERY
LONDON
By Professor
JOHN C. VAN DYKE
DEPARTMENT OF
FINE ARTS
VOLUME 4
NUMBER 4
FIFTEEN CENTS A COPY
Why Knowledge?
“Knowledge gives power,” says the philosopher.“Knowledge enriches,” says the scholar. But thepractical individual exclaims: “Special expert knowledge isa personal asset, but how does general knowledge enrich?”
“Knowledge makes life fuller and more interesting.”And what does that mean? It means thatlife, through knowledge, may be made a joy and a blessingin spite of what the cynics say. It means that throughknowledge we learn to appraise things at their true value.Our eyes are opened to see other colors than purple andgold, our ears to hear understandingly other sounds thanthe roar of traffic, the shriek of an automobile horn, orsyncopated music. Knowledge reveals to us the nicershades of color that give us quiet satisfaction—the finerand gentler tones of Nature and of human life that affordus a lasting enjoyment. It teaches us that there arethings more “worth while” than ourselves.
Why do some of us ignore fine art, dismiss good bookswith indifference, yawn at good music, speed througha ravishing landscape at sixty miles an hour, and neglecta friendship that would bring us self-improvement? Thesky and mountains have a thousand messages for us, ifwe pause to listen to them. The sea is an oracle if westudy it. A good book is a mine of information if wesearch it. A fine painting is an inspiration if we cherishit. Good music is a constant joy if we give attention to it.And the voices of our fellow creatures are filled with preciousconfidences if we give our ears and hearts to them.
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