Hrview of Revtevs, $0/5/06. 



"THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD." 



Holman Hunt"s beautiful picture, " The Light of 

 the World," v.'hich has been on exhibition at the 

 Melbourne National Gallery for some weeks, and 

 which is to be shown in the leading cities of Aus- 

 tralasia before it is placed in the London Gallery, 

 has been visited by tens of thousands of people. 

 The picture has been sent out by the ONmer, Mr. 

 Charles Booth, and everybody who witnesses it is 

 under a debt of gratitude to him for his liberality and 

 thoughtfulness. Apart altogether from the artistic 

 pleasure which the thousands of people who wit- 

 ness the picture will gain, the moral effect of wit- 

 nessing such a sermon in picture must be tremen- 

 dous. We publish as a frontispiece a reproduc- 

 tion of this wonderful picture, but a black and white 

 reproduction cannot convey the faintest idea of its 

 beautv and colouring. The warmth is so great and 

 so natural that one almost seems to feel it beating 

 out from the picture. A good deal of adverse criti- 

 cism has centred upon the face of the Lord, but 

 if one sits and looks at it ior half-an-hour, there 

 is a strange fascination about the eyes that compels 

 one's reverence, and he -leaves feeling that the 

 painter has grasped a subtle conception of Christ 

 "which he, the spectator, would give a good deal to 

 get hold of. 



Of course the picture i.j an allegory. It sym- 

 bolises the beautiful and heart-searching words in 

 the twentieth verse of the third chapter of Revela- 

 f'on — 



Eehold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear 

 ^I.v voice and open the door. I will ccme in to him and 

 - ill sup with him, and he with Me. 



A word or two to nur readers as to the meaning 

 -<^ the picture may not be unacceptable. The broad 



general meaning of course is that Christ is standing 

 knocking at the door of a human heart, a heart 

 barred against his entrance, and over-grown with 

 ivy, a heart that has evidently been a long time 

 closed to Him. The threshold is also barred with 

 brambles and nettles and fruitless corn, symbolising 

 ignorance, sloth and prejudice. 



The dress calls for some explanation also. The 

 robe which he wears represents the power of the 

 Holv Spirit which was upon Him. The crowaT of 

 glory symbolises his Kingship, the clasps of the 

 cloak, among other things, the twelve tribes of the 

 children of Israel, representing Christ as our High 

 Priest and the fulfiller of the law. Thus the robe 

 and its garnishing and the crown represent Christ 

 in His three-fold office of Prophet, Priest and King. 

 The lantern light, strong, intense and fierce, re- 

 presents doubtless the searching light of conscience, 

 and afterwards the indwelling glory of God. The 

 light is not held by Christ, but chained to His 

 wrist, symbolising possibly the truth that the light 

 of conscience cannot be separated from Christ, and 

 that wherever it goes it is He Who is behind it. 

 The halo round the head of Christ is of course im- 

 aginarv as is the rest of his habiliment. Thr 

 rrown is intertAvined not with thorns, but 

 with living leaves, which instantly suggest the 

 leaves of the Tree which are for the heal- 

 ing of the nations. Such is the symbolism of the 

 picture, and we wish that all our readers throughout 

 Au.stralasia could have an opportunity to look_ at 

 ihis wonderful message in colour. After a time, 

 one forgets even all about the splendid gorgeousness 

 of the painting and becomes wholly absorbed in it^ 



message. 



MR. FRANK T. BULLEN IN AUSTRALIA. 



During the la>t frw years lectures have increased 

 vastly in public favour as a form of entertainment 

 In the old country. The English lecture bureaux 



re said to be in communication with over 2000 

 snrieties. literary institutes and other bodies, all de- 

 sirous of securinic the man of the moment. But al- 

 though lectures are yearly becoming more popular, a 

 change has taken place in the public taste as re- 

 gards the class -^f man in request. The professional 

 lecturer, with his miscellaneous list of subjects, is 

 no longer in demand. The que.stion with the 

 bureaux now is, '' Have you done anything ?" or 

 "Have vou been anywhere? If so, we want you 

 to talk about that one thing."' In short, people want 

 to see and hear the man whose writings have made 



.im popular. Amongst the most modt^rn men who 



have done things, and been to a good many places, 

 is Mr. Frank T. Bullen, author of ".The Cruise of 

 the Cachalot." '• The Log of a Sea Waif." and other 

 interesting books about the sea. The adventurous 

 life of Mr. Bullen, who will shortly arrive in Aus- 

 tralia to lecture, is as interesting as a romanc<- 

 bv Dumas; and he has strong special reasons for 

 coming to the Antipodes, for some of the most 

 momentous vears of his life were spent on our 

 coasts, " washed by the long rnll of Au.stralasion 

 seas " • and it was at Port Chalmers, in New Zealand, 

 that occurred that " change in the starboard watch. " 

 so powerfully and pathetically described in his auto- 

 biography. Five years have passed since the prosr 

 poet of the sea was persuaded to relate his adven- 

 tures on the platform, and he is now one of ihe 

 most popular lecturers in Great Britain. 



