SPEECHES & WRITINGS FILE        [Testimonial to Luther Sadgwor]

Having been invited to present to you the young artist who is to enlighten 
and entertain us to night, it is a sore temptation at a meeting like 
this, to remind you of the cultural benefits to be derived from seeing 
some of the most famous pictures which have been painted by the world's
greatest masters. Busy as most of us are with the practical, I had almost 
said, the sordid things of life which sap so much of our energy and
consume so much of our time trying to decide what we can afford to eat
and wherewithal we shall be clothed, we have but few minutes left in which 
to think about art at all. And yet, man can not live by bread alone
any more to day than he could a long time ago, when this important state-
ment was made for the first time.
     It is a duty we owe ourselv es to set apart a little time in
which to learn something about art. The pictures one has in his home have
a decided influence upon the character of those who behold them every day.
     It is a decided advantage to know good pictures, for instance, 
when one sees them. When one's walls are adorned with good pictures, he 
not only derives pleasure looking at them, but he is distinctly benfitted
mentally and spritually thereby.
     It is our duty to put the best pictures we can obtain, jot only 
in our homes, but in our public schools, as well, so as to cultivate the 
taste of our children for that particular field of art.
     People whose judgement is to be trusted in the matter tell us 
that the future artists of this country will have African blood in their 
veins. There is all to more reason, therefore, that Colored children
should have every advantage in the domain of art that it is possible to
secure. It is very gratifying to see the earnest and successful efforts
put forth to educate the taste of our children in the best music and the
best literature in our public schools. But, in order to preserve a just 
balance, we must exert ourselves just as strenuusly to cultivate the 
taste of our children for the other arts, for painting, sculpture and 
architecture, so far as we can.

2
     It is always a pleasure to even hear of an individual who is trying to
accomplish something worth while in any line of human endeavor. But,
when one is personally acquainted with such an individual, and has known
him from boyhood, as I have known the yo8ng man who is to render us such 
a great service to night, the pleasure is intensified, of course. 
     Mr. Luther Sadgwar deserves great credit for what he has done
for himself, for he has studied conscientiously and continuously, ever
since he received his diploma from our Normal School. But, he [understandably?]
owes some of his success to inheritance without doubt. Mr. Sadgwa's 
mother possessed literary ability of no mean order and his father was a
wood carver of repute. For 14 years Mr. Sadtwar has been a teacher in
our Public Schools, for 10 years of which he has been [spent as] a teacher of art.  During
During this time Mr. Sadgwar has not only been trying to improve himself 
in every possible way, but he has done what he could to enlighten others 
by lecturing on drawing and painting before Teacher's Institutes, Community 
Centers, Art Clubs, at institutions like Howard University and has 
exerted himself in other ways to cultivate in others a knowledge of and a
taste for art. In May Mr. Sadgwar will become a Fellow in the Academy of 
Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Mr. Safgwar has [shown that] given indisputable proof of the fact he possesses some literary ability also, for he [has written] is the author of  several plays. In addition to his teaching and studying and delivering occasionallectures on his subject he has been interested in the life of the city and as President of the MuSo 
Lit Club, and as a member of various organizati-ns he has exerted an 
influence for good. It is therefore with genuine pleasure that I present 
to you Mr. Luther G. Sadgwar, who will talk to us about The Messages from
the Great Masters.

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.