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The eighteen by five-and-a-half foot mural symbolizes man's
limitless literary horizons.
Come into Citizens Library to see the mural; it's magnificent.
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Books
are Many Lives is the title and central theme of
Malcolm Parcell's mural which was commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Fitch
in memory of Mrs. Fitch's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Colin McFarquhar Reed, for
the Citizens Library building.
The eighteen by five-and-a-half foot mural symbolizes man's limitless
literary horizons. The figure in the lower center of the mural
represents mankind who, reading, is brought into contact with all the
symbols of knowledge. At the left of the painting, Parcell has
depicted children's fairy tales and the land of enchantment. Moving
to the right are the large figures of the three fates who spin, measure,
and cut the thread of life and symbolize mythology and the mystery of
life.
The missile and artist's palette represent the arts and sciences while the
large central figure shows the vast store of fiction, drama, and romance.
They are the faces of life as portrayed by books. Next are
represented the world's great religions and religious writings. The
two large figures at right symbolize mankind's disputations in law,
philosophy, and religion, and the books represent man's knowledge of
himself. The final section depicts the study of nature.
Malcolm Stevens Parcell was an artist of international fame, whose
portraits, murals, and historical scenes won numerous awards. His
work is best known locally from the series of historical murals in
Martha's Pub in the George Washington Hotel.
He was born in Claysville, Pennsylvania in 1896, a son of the Reverend
Steven L. and Emma Minor Parcell. The family moved to Washington where his
father for many years served as the pastor of the Broad Street Baptist
Church. Mr. Parcell graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology
in 1918.
Several other works of Parcell are displayed in the library. An
original portrait of Steven Foster hangs in our public meeting room on the
main floor.
Citizens LibraryŠ2010
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