Follow up Thoughts on Ballantyne as an Illustrator.

"Terrible encounter with a Shark" from The Coral Islands

Ballantyne was not an extraordinary artist, but what makes his illustrations so very impressive is this: Ballantyne disciplined himself to master the skill of drawing, even though it was not his greatest natural strength. His skill was greater than his talent. This should be a lesson to all of us, particularly those who have been given natural artistic talent.

There have been plenty of artists who had little natural ability, but were able to master the tools and skills well enough to communicate the ideas they needed to, and give glory to the Master Artist. This is something to remember whenever we set our hand to the plow, whether an easy plow or a plow which leaves bruises on our hands.

Ballantyne is just one example of this sort of godly character. The nineteenth century was filled with average men who tended to be more disciplined, and took more pride in things like their drawing and even their penmanship. And so, when there are more men fulfilling their roles without whimpering or pushing it off, so there are more things accomplished for the glory of God.

The other day a friend sent me a quote by R.J. Rushdoony on this subject. In this quote Rushdoony is speaking of modern artists, clamoring for more subsidies so they'll have more free time to "create":

The simple fact is that this dream of subsidies and leisure to be "creative" is an illusion. It is not leisure which is productive, but work and rest. The best inventions are produced in the context of work and need, and the good writers and artists are those who are productive no matter what the circumstances...

Where subsidies and leisure operate, [Instead of steady work] the results are commonly mediocre and meager. One of the reasons why the world of literature and art today is so unrelated to reality is the fact of foundation subsidies for leisure to "create." The result is a divorce from faith and life. Inventiveness still flourishes simply because it is related to industrial research and development. In the arts and media, subsidies and leisure have replaced work and the Sabbath rest. The result is elitist art. There are no hierarchs in much of the world of art, i.e., men dedicated to sacred rule." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, p. 1065)

I think it is very important for us as young men to remember that God said we are to "work by the sweat of our brow" (Gen. 3:19). And for us to be trying to do only the simple things and the easy things is to shirk the role of real men. We cannot be men "clamoring for more subsidies" or more leisure. We must be men who are willing to overcome any obstacle in the path of obeying the Lord's commands. We must do things for the glory of God and, even if we are not perfect or gifted in an area we have been assigned to work, we must not try to get out of it, but should be thankful for the opportunity to put our backs into it and accomplish the goal before us.

-Joshua Titus