Page 134

A Word with "X "-A Known Quantity.
rope that hag given attention to the sub-
ject, has been finally rejected. The ab-
surd " study from the flat," the delight
of lazy incompetence in teacher and
pupil, is, as we understand, to be re-
stored in full vigor.
We do not know if we are telling
tales, but we will risk saying that in the
case of two manufacturers in this coun-
try, there has been a disposition mani-
fested to take a step in advance; a step
which, if taken boldly, and followed up,
would inevitably have important conse-
quences. A great carpet rmanufactory
and a wall-paper house have solicited
designs from a gentleman who is not so
much an Englishman as he is a man of
most unmistakable and original talent,
Mr. Jacob Wrey Mould. No man any-
where, we venture to say, is more capa-
ble than he of supplying us with deli-
cate, original, and varied designs; and
any manufacturer who should be so for-
tunate and so wise as to secure a mono-
poly of that fertile brain and facile
hand for a few years, would turn his
manufactory into a palace, and make all
who bought his goods his joyful and
thankful debtors.
A WORD WITH "X "-A KNOWN QUANTITY.
In the "Evening Post" of June 7th,
there was published a communication
from a person signing himself " X,"
ridiculing the " Pre-Raphaelite" picture,
in the Exhibition. The letter was not
long, but the skillful writer of it con-
trived by clever packing to get into it
a slander, a futile attempt at prophecy,
and a mean, unfounded insinuation.
The slander was thus exposed by Mr.
Moore, in a note published in the " Post"
of Thursday, June 15th.
To the Editors of the Evening Post:
Your critic "X," in his notice of my
picture in your issue of the 7th inst.,
makes certain statements which I notice
only because they are so plainly false to
the facts. Open discussion upon these
matters and frank statement of opinion
is not only right, but very desirable.
But a writer should be careful to state
nothing which he knows to be directly
false, in order to support his position.
Your critic says, "We never could count
the trees, nor the fence-rails, nor the
stones ten miles off, &c. But you see it
is done." This is absolute find unmiti-
gated falsehood.  Let " X " take his
most powerful " magnifier " and he can-
not count the trees, nor the fence-rails,
nor the stones ten miles off, in my pic-
ture.
There is no more detail given in this
picture than any person may see with
perfect ease, and with the naked eye, if
he will look. It required no " micro-
scope " to produce this work; but only
reasonable care and patience. I thought
the scene worth faithfnl recording, and
did my best; but with the utmost care
and labor found it impossible to repre-
sent the tithe of what I plainly saw.
Yours, truly,
C. II. Moonx.
Catskill, N.Y., June 13.
Mr. Moore might have spared his
ink. These men misrepresent with a
deliberate purpose of untruth. They
hope to effect by ridicule what they
cannot do by their own works-break
down the band of faithful young stu-
dents who are slowly pushing them from
the field they have usurped so long.
" X " and his fellows brought this same
charge last year. They have brought
it again this year, and they will probably
try it again next year. The writer of
this article, who to-day is " X," and
yesterday sported the alias of "A
Lover of Art," keeps a pet jest which
he is fond of introducing into his public
and private criticisms. " Myopian " he
has learned, from some source or other,
[August,