Mammonart: An essay in economic interpretationSinclair, Upton
History
Mammonart: An essay in economic interpretation
Sinclair, Upton
Arts and society; Economics and literature; Literature -- History and criticism -- Theory, etc.
But one provision must be made clear, said the rebel Witch Doctor; Ogi
and his friends must understand that they were to glorify the magic of
this particular Witch Doctor. When they portrayed hunting, they must
make it plain that it was the new Old Man who was head of the hunt; they
must make him wonderful and fearful to the tribe. Ogi and his pupils
answered that so long as they were permitted to make drawings of aurochs
and of hunters, it made not the slightest difference what aurochs and
what hunters they portrayed. Art was a thing entirely aloof from
politics and propaganda. And so the bargain was settled; the banner of
insurrection was raised, and the new Old Man became head of the tribe,
and the new Witch Doctor set up his magic behind the aurochs-skin
curtains in the far end of the cave; and Ogi made many pictures of both
of them.
(And I have walked through the palaces of kings, and through temples and
cathedrals in many lands, and have seen long rows of portraits of the
Old Men of many tribes, clad in robes of gorgeous colors, and wearing
upon their heads crowns of gold and flashing jewels; they were called
kings and emperors and dukes and earls and princes and captains of
industry and presidents of chambers of commerce. I have seen also the
portraits and statues of Witch Doctors of many varieties of magic; they
were called popes and priests and cardinals and abbots and college
presidents and doctors of divinity. And always the paintings were called
Old Masters.)
So Ogi became Court Painter and painted the exploits of his tribe. And
when the tribe went out to battle with other tribes, Ogi made pictures
to show the transcendent beauty of his tribe, and the unloveliness of
the tribe they were to destroy.
(And when my tribe went out to battle, its highly paid magazine
illustrators made pictures of noble-faced maidens shouting war-cries,
and it was called a Liberty Bond Campaign. And the story-tellers of my
tribe became martial, and called themselves Vigilantes.)
Now Ogi throve greatly, developing his technique, so that he could show
all kinds of beasts and men. The fame of his magic spread, and other
tribes came to visit the caves and to marvel at his skill, and to gaze
reverently upon the Inspired Artist.
(And in a certain hotel restaurant in New York I was admitted behind the
magic red cord which separates the great from the unheard of, and
sitting at a table my companion enlightened me with discreet nods and
whispers, saying: “That is Heywood Broun; and next to him is Rita
Weiman; and that’s Mencken just coming in; and that round little man in
the brown suit and the big spectacles is Hergesheimer.”)
The fame of Ogi, and the magic of which he was master, brought thrills
to the young women of the tribe, and they cast themselves at his feet,
and so his talent was not lost to future generations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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