Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

PHILOSOPHER AND MYSTIC
moving one to mystical thoughts both with his pictures and
with his written words. There is an indefinable quality
about his productions of the spiritual kind which render
them distinct and stimulating. The soft, clear expression
of his mysticism is often more convincing and decidedly
more moving than the outpourings of many mystic philosophers. One little anecdote, as given in a correspondence
with Richard Watson Gilder, will show what a subtle, per-,
suasive and beautiful turn his prose explanation of his spiritual ideas could take, and at the same time will show the
extreme difficulty he had in writing them. The Century
had accepted a picture entitled "Hope and Memory" which
he had painted some years before, and when they were about
to publish it Gilder wrote on December 4, 1900:
"With regard to that interesting picture of yours which
we wish to print, 'Hope and Memory,' could you not send
us a few lines-a prose poem, if you wish, or a Biblical chant
-no matter how brief-putting into words the thought that
you meant to convey?"
To this Howard Pyle replied, "I have meditated without
any result upon some text for my 'Hope and Memory' picture. Whatever is written should, it seems to me, have the
ring of poetry about it and I am tone deaf as to poetryI can neither write it nor understand it very well when it is
written.
"My Muse has sweated over the task that you have set
me to do. She has sat upon occasions for maybe an hour
at a time without producing any result and I do not believe
that it 'is possible f or her to do the work demanded of her.
"If I may make a suggestion it would be as follows. You
may know that I have illustrated Edwin Markham's book of
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