The formal examination may not
be able to discover the artist teacher, but there is a sort of knowledge
that transcends the findings of an examination, that makes her identity
known. She is a real flesh and blood person and yet she has a
distinctive quality that cannot be mistaken even though it eludes
description. She exhales a certain exquisiteness that reveals itself in
the delicacy and daintiness of her contact with people and the objective
world. Her impact upon the consciousness is no more violent than the
fragrance of the rose, but, all at once, she is there and there to stay,
modest, serene, and masterful.
She is as gentle as the dawn but as staunch as the oak. She has
knowledge and wisdom, and, better still, she has understanding; she
needs no diagram. Her gaze penetrates the very heart of a situation but
is never less than kindly, and her eyes are never shifty. Her aplomb,
her pose, and her poise belong to her quite as evidently as her hands.
She is genuine and altogether free from affectation. Her presence
stimulates without intoxicating, and she accepts the respect of people
with the same naturalness and grace as would accompany her acceptance of
a glass of water. Both the giver and the recipient of this respect are
ennobled by the giving. Indeed she would far rather have the respect of
people, her pupils included, than mere admiration, for she knows full
well that respect is far more deeply rooted in the spirit and bears
fruit that is more worth while.
Pages:
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130