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Leader (1850-1860), 28th October 1854, Edition Town of 2, Page 1025, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      for private circulation at a fashionable watering-place in the North . Whether the j \ f < ijor Poems have been published , or are destined to appear , the Minor Poems being pioneers , we cannot say , but from a glance at the latter we should divine that the author was a constant reader of Tennyson and Shelley .

      Untitled Article

      We have hesitated to include Mr . Francis Tubneb Paxgba-ve's Idyls and Songs in our present Batch ; not , we regret to be compelled to say , on account of their merits , but in deference to their pretensions . These Idyls and Songs are purely and simply a pasticcio of reminiscences , scarcely disguised enough to excite even that agreeable curiosity with which we trace back an air of Rossini to its original creation by Haydn or Mozart . There is scarely a so-called original ' ¦ * poem" in the volume which does not assert its parentage , and Mr . Palgrave has laid the Poet Laureate , to whom he dedicates his pages , under special contribution . Often , while the idea is borrowed , every trick and tones is aped to a marvel . We only miss the genius , the art—in a word , the poetry of the model . The translations from

      the Greek , from Catullus and Horace , from the German and Italian , are respectably feeble ; the love-songs are languid puerilities , the passion is a sickly pretence . Altogether , we have felt it would be a bad precedent to notice more than summaril y these ambitious imitations . Mr . Palgrave is , it seems , a Fellow of Exeter College , Oxford , and ha bears a name of literary significance . His -verses , as may be supposed , do not fail of a certain correct finish , and even an occasional felicity of expression ; indeed , the elaboration is only too evident . There is nothing that would not grace an alburn and delight a tea - table * , in these Idyls ; but let us assure Mr . Palgrave , with all possible kindness , and before he commits himself more deeply to the delusion , he is no poet , and , perhajs , an indifferent mimic .

      Untitled Article

      Mr . James JECenry Powell is a working engineer at Birkenhead ; he is also a man of diligent self-culture , a man of heart and intelligence . Here is one of the many noble examples of the elite of our operative classes who devote their hard-earned arid scanty leisure to inspiring studies and consoling recreations' ; taking refuge from the weary round of work in the society of books , strengthening and refreshing their minds by silent Communion with the good and great of all ages . This unassuming little collection of studies is appropriately dedicated to Lord Goderich , and we are glad to find the writer acknowledging the kindness of his employers , who have encouraged his intellectual efforts .

      Untitled Article

      THE PRINCIPLES OF HARMONY AND CONTRAST OF COLOURS . ( SECONI > ARTICLE . ) It was Buffbn , the great naturalist , who first observed what he named accidental colours : he pointed out certain conditions in which these colours are visible . These are , —pressure upon the eye , or any sudden concussion , — a strong impression of bri ght light , as a direct ray from the sun , continued vision of . iny colour , —and change of vision from colour to white , or no colour . In these two last resides Chevreul ' s theory of contrast , simultaneous and successive ; but to these he adds a third condition , which he calls the mixed—i . c , when an entirely new colour is presented while the eye retains the " aptitude" to see the complement of a different colour . After relating many experiments , he says : —

      " When a purchaser has for n considerable time looked at a yellow fabric , and he ia then shown orange or scarlet stuffs , it is found that he takes them to be amaranthred or crimson , for there is a tendency in the retina , excited by yellow to acquire an aptitude to see violet , whence all the yellow of the scarlet or orango stuff disappears , . ind the eye sees red , or a red tinged with violet . If there is presented to a buyer one after another fourteen pieces of red stuff , he will consider the last six or seven leu * beautiful than those first seen , although the pieces be identically the same . What is the cause of this error of judgment ? It is , that the eyes having seen seven or eight red pieces in succession are in the same condition aa if they had regarded fixedly during the same period of time a single piece of red stuff ; they have then a tendency to see the complementary of red—that is to Bay , green . This tendency goes of necessity to enfeeble the brilliuncy of the red of the pieces seen later . In order that the merchant may not bo the sufforer by this fatigue of the eyes of his customer , he must take care , after having shown the latter se ven pieces of red , t <» present to him some pieces of green stuff to restoro the eyes to their normal state , if the sight of the green be sufficiently prolonged to excefed the normal state , the v . ycA will acquire a tendency to aeo red , then the last seven red pieces will appear more beautiful tlinn the othera . "

      A section is devoted to the physiological cause of the phenomena of contrast in which are given the explanations by Scherffor , Haiiy , and Laplace ; with which , however , M . Chovreul is not satisfied , remarking that : —¦ ' Every author who 1 ms treated of accidental colours agrees in considering them aa being th . o result of fatigue of the eye . If this ho incontestably true in the case of successive contrast , I do not bcliuro it to be so of simultaneous contrast ; for , in arranging the coloured band ;* in the inunncr I have done , as soon as we succeed in seeing all four together , tho colours are observed to bo modified before the eye becomes in the least degree fatigued , although 1 admit that it often requires several seconds to perceive these modifications . " Hut in not tliis time necessary , as is that which is given to tho exercise of each of our HeiiHt'M , ¦ whenever wo wiuh to explain to ourselves ft sensation that affects them ? " Tins following experiment illustrates my ideas—A coloured paper , upon which letters of a pale yrey had been trnccd , waa presented to me one evening at twilight ; on firnt looking at it 1 could not di . it inguirth a single letter , but in a few minutes I

      contrived to rond i Ik- writing , which appeared to mo to have boon traced with an in I ; of a colour couipk'uifiittiry to tluit of the ground . Now , I ask , if at tho moment when my vision waa diMiuut , my eyua wore more fatigued than when I first looked at tho paper without , licing able to distinguish the letters upon it , and which woro aeon to be of tho colour coiiiplciuuntary to that of tins ground ?" Tho sense of colour , and tho pleasure derived from what we cull tho harmony of colours , remain , after nil , amongst tho mysteries of our philosophy ; wo aro Accumulating facts by such researches us those of M . Clicvroul , and tlioso uro of valuable practicable application ; but the physiological causa is as fur removed from our ken as in regard to every other kind of sensation . It is nothing to say , tho cyo has an aptitude to sec thin or thnt colour , or desires to see tlicin , or that it 5 a constructed to sec

      white light , and so always endeavours to supply the colours "wanting by a spectral complement . As to the eye being constructed to see white light , how should this be , when the variety of colours about us is endless ? It should rather be made to see colours . We suspect that something much more mechanical will be found to be the cause . The sense of touch , for example , depends upon the conduction of an impression along a continuous filament of nerve ; perhaps in a manner similar to the conveying of the slightest mechanical impression from one " end . of a p iece of wood to the other . The sense of vision may be analogous , because it consists of the reception of very rapid vibrations upon filaments of nerve , which ^ vibration s are found to vary in their beat for every colour ; red vibrating 482 millions of millions of times in a second , yellow 542 , and violet 707 . In touch , we perceive more than one quality ; we can tell if the object is hard or soft , smooth or rough , angular or round , hot or cold , wet or dry ; somethin g besides contact . So , in hearing , we perceive the noise * of the blow of the hammer upon a bell as well as the musical sound ;

      and , what is very curious , this sound is not more pure than a primary colour , for it is accompanied with others which produce with it a harmony upon the ear . In looking upon a coloured disc upon a white ground , it appears surrounded with a halo of its complementary colour , as in BufibnV experiment ; and when the disc is removed , its place will be filled with an illusive disc of the complementary colour . Now it is natural t » suppose , that when ' Apart of the surface of the retina is made to vibrate by coloured rays , the surrounding parts of the nervous surface are also affected by vibrations of a less rapid kind communicated to them ; and when the colour is removed the vibrations begin to cease , the state of repose being preceded by the diminution of the vibrations and the s p ectral sight of the colour which affords the greatest relief to the organ . The result of fatiguing the eye with one colour seems to be accountable in the same way , the retina becomes less and less susceptible , and conveys false impressions of a lower rate of pulsation . Whygreen should be seen with red , or yellow with blue , it is not easy to decide ; one would suppose there must be some numerical ratio between their vibrations .

      M . Chevreul applies his system , most completel y ^ from painting in its highest sense through every kind of decorative use of it ; then to works of art in coloured materials of a definite size , such as the tapestries , damasks and mosaics , even down to clothing and horticulture . Of true pictures , and those purely ornamental , he says : — " The colouring of a picture may be true or absolute , and jet the effect may not be agreeable , because the colours of the objects have no harmony . On the contrary , a picture may please by the harmony of the local colours of each object , by that of the colours of objects contiguous to each other , and yet may offend by the gradation of the lights and shades , and by the fidelity of the colours . In a Avord , it offends by true or absolute colouring ; and the proof that it might please , is , that pictures in flat tints , the colours < of which are perfectly assorted to the eye , although opposed to those which we know belong to the objects imitated , produce , under the relation of general harmony of colours , an extremely agreeable effect . "

      " For a painter to be a perfect colourist , he must not onLy imitate the model by reproducing ; the image faithfully , in respect to aerial perspective relative to the variously coloured light , bat also , the harmony of tints must be found in the local colours , and in the colours of the different objects imitated ; and this is the place to remark , that if in every composition there are colours inherent to the model which tho painter cannot change -without being unfaithful to nature , there are others at his disposal which must be chosen so as to harmonise with the first . " In trade , ignorance of the laws of contrast has often given rise to disputes which could only be settled by appealing to Chevreul . " Certain drapers having given to a calico-printer some cloths of a single colour , — red , violet , and blue , —upon which they wished black figures to be printed , complained that upon the red cloths he had put green patterns , upon the violet the figures appeared greenish-yellow , —upon the blue—they were orange-broxon or co />/ jer-coloured , instead of the black , which they had ordered . To convince them that they had no ground for complaint , it sufficed to have recourse to tho following proofs : — " I surrounded the patterns with white paper , so as to conceal tho ground ; tho designs theai appeared black .

      " I placed some cuttings of black cloth upon stuffs coloured red , violet , and blue ; the cuttings appeared like the printed designs—i . e . of the colour complementary to the ground , although the same cuttings , when placed upon a white ground , were of a beautiful black . " It seems that there is a clothes' philosophy of a practical kind—science will enable us to put the best face upon a worn-out wardrobe . " A coat , waistcoat , and trousers of the same colour cannot be worn together with advantage cjtcept when new ; for when one of them has lost its freshness * by having be « n more worn than the others , tho difference will bo increased by contrast . Than new black trousers , worn with a coat and waistcoat of tho same colour , but old and slightly rusty , will bring out this latter tint ; while at tho same time tho black of tho trousers will appear brighter . White trousers , ruddUh-igrey also , will correct tho effect of which I apeak . We see , then , the advantage of having a soldier ' s trousers of another colour than his coat , especially if , wearing this coat all tho year , ho only wears trousers of tho same cloth during -winter . " Wo wee , also , why white trousers are favourable to coats of every colour , as I have already said . " The dross of ladies of all types of complexion ia elaborately treated : —•

      " If wo ^ consider tho colours which generally pass as assorting lucst with light or black hair , wo shall see that they are precisely those which produce tho greatest contrasts ; thus , sky-blue , known to accord well with blondes , i » tho colour that approaches the nearest to the complementary of orange , which is the basis of tho tint of their hair and complexions . Two colours long esteemed to accord favourably with black hair , —yellow , and rod more or lean orange , —contrast in the sumo manner with them . " " Tho linings of the boxes of a theatre should never bo rose-rod , wine-rod , or light crimson , because these colours have tho serious disadvantage of making tho flkin of tho spectators appear more or less green . " 14 . deUonto green is , on the contrary , favourable to all fiur complexions which aro deficient Ln rose , and which may have more iuipurluil to tlwiu , without inconvenience . " " VoIIovr imparts * violet to a fair akin , and in t . hin viow It i » Ium favourable than tho dcHcato green .

      • " Noises" aro miid to b « produced by irruffular vibration *; and mwimlsounds , by vibrations rcourriiiy «(• rugulm- intorvwlrf . J ' ursuln tf the analogy , w o might any thut dayliyht id tho result of irregular vibrations , and vobvra of equal or rythmicul vibrations .

      Untitled Article

      October 28 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1025

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 28, 1854, page 1025, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2062/page/17/