The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-02-11

BURN AND vANrEnLYN.

The inter re.t which Col Drfr took in the e1.
lucation Of youth has been before alluded to-
He aiways had a protege in training. upon
whose culture he bestowed unwearied pains
and more money than he could always afford
The story of vanderiyn, ihe most distinguish.
ed Protcge he ever had, was one which he Of.
ten related in these latter years.
| Hewas riding along in curricle and pail
one day during his senatorial term, when one
sfhis horses lost a shoe, and he stopped al
thenext bIacksmith's to have IL replaced. II
was lonely country place. not far from King.
ston, in Ulster county, N. Y. He strolIed
about while Tie blacksmith was at work, and
returning saw. upon the side Of stable nea,
fbva charcoal drawing Of bis own currricle and
horses, The picture, which must have beer
executed in very few minutes, was ~onder.
fully accurate and spirited, and he stood ad-
miring it for sometime. Turning around he
noticed q boy alittle way of. dressed in coarse
homespnn.
"who did tha,?' inquired Burr, porting tc
the picture * tsap wesS - iaSe I--bi
"I did it." sa'd the boy. a @ 6a
The astonished traveller entered into con-
versation with the lad; found him intelligent
though ignorant; learned that be was born in
the nsighborhood; had had no instruction in
drawing. and was engaged 10 work for the
blacksmith six months. Burr wrote a feu
words on piece OF paper, and said as he
wrote: ' 81 le sfa1 81 sasit aa7s g1r Is
"Mv bov, you are too smart fellow tn
stay here all your life. If ever you should
want to change yonr employment ard see the
world. just put clean shirt into your pock
!! ct, 60 to New York, and go straight to that
! address," handing the boy paper
He then mounted his curricle and was on,
| of sight in moment. Several months pass
ed away. and the circumstance had nearly IA.
d ID from the busy senator's recollection. Is A.
be was sitting at breakfast one morning, Al
Richmond Hill, aservant put into his hard q
| small paper parcel, saving that it was brought
by a boy who was waiting outside. Burl
opened the parcel, and found a coarse, coun.
try-made clean shit. Supposing it to be a mis-
! take, he ordered the boy TO be shown in.-
Who should enter but the genus of the road
| side. who placed in Burr's. hand the id antica
piece of pipers he had given him. The la.
was warmly welcomed Burr took him i,
his family, educated him, and procured hin
| instruction in the art which nature had indi
Gated shouldlbs the occupation of his life time
Afterward, Burr assisted him to Europe. wher.
he spent FIVE years in the study of painting
and became an-artist worthy Of the name.
| While Burr himself was wandering in Eu.
rope, Vandeylvn was exhibiting pictures il
the Louvre at Paris. and rec eiyed from Napo.
leon gold medal, besides compliments and
felicitations from the Emperor's own lips
Vanderlyn did all he could for his benefacto,
in Paris; but unhappiIy ne had the successfu
artists usual fortune--poverty imbittered b,
glory. He afterwards had commissions frou
Congress, and painted the well known ssLand
ing of Columbus" for panel in the rotund,
of the capitol at Washington. He also pain
ted the portraits Of Colonel Burr and Theodo
sia, from which the engravings were taken by
which their lineaments are now known TO tn,
public Vanderlyn died only five years ,ase
at Kingston, near the spot where he drew ID,
charcoal sketch which decided his career-E VI