The Journey of Tobias BY FRITZ VON UHDE, LEADER OF THE RECENT GERMAN SCHOOL WHICH PAINTS BIBLICAL SCENES IN MODERN COSTUMES. + “His father said, Go thou with this man, and God which dwelleth in heaven, prosper your journey, and the angel of God keep you company."-Tobit, 5, 6. T HE story of Tobias belongs to the Apocrypha. It is fanciful and picturesque; and the extravagance of the tale led long ago to its being placed, by the Protestant churches, outside of the fully accepted Scriptures. But its beauty and its deeply religious spirit have made this book of Tobit a favorite theme among artists, both ancient and modern. Von Uhde, the celebrated German painter who has done so much to bring biblical truths home to the present generation, here adds his modernized conception of young Tobias to the many older fancies of the scene. Tobit, the father of Tobias, is a rich and just man who suffers for his religion. Reduced at length to misery and blindness, he sends the lad Tobias to a distant city to collect an ancient debt. The father has prayed earnestly for his son, and God sends to him the angel Raphael who, disguised as a guide, offers to conduct the youth upon his journey. Tobias has become for all time typical of youth that sets out upon life's journey under God's guidance. VIII |