The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-10-11
ANECDOTES.

THE CAST OF BEErHovEN.-Danhau
the painter, was an ardent admirer of Bee
thOven, whom he had met at many musical
gatherings in Vienna. 1t is undoubtedly
true that Beethoven was rather brusuue,
and carefully avoided forming any new ac-
quaintanceship whatever, but Danhaus, RS
frank and affable manners produced very
favorable impression on him. After the
two had met accidentally several times,
Danhauser thought he should like to take a
cast of Beethoven's face, SO as to preserve
for posterty faithful portrait of the great
man. He mentioned his wish on the first
opportunity, but Beethoven, under various
pretexts, endeavOred to avoid compliance,
confessing that he had not the slightest
wish to see his features reproduced, and
was too impatient to endure being posed
Danhauser, however, was not SO easily
beaten. He never ceased vaunting the
merit of model taken from Nature, adding
that Beethoven owed it to posterity to
hand down to them his features Danhau-
ser pleaded his cause SO warmly, that at
last Beethoven yielded, and day was
named for him to go to the painters house.
At that time, besides painting in oil, Dan
hauser devoted great deal of his time to
modelling, and inventing patterns, for a
mandatory of furniture and wood carvings
left him by his father
Joseph Danhauser, a pupil Of Peter Craft,
was born at Vienna, 1905. His genre pic
lures are very valuable. Among the best
of the WILL" and the Convent Supper. y
Many of his historical pictures, also, are
worthy of notice, especially the picture
which adorns the high altar of the Cathe-
dral, Eylau, and which represents Saint
Stephen and Abraham repudiating Agar.
Danhauser died in the flower Of his age, in
his fathers house, in Vienna. His name
has been given to the street he inhabited.
At last the day so impatently expected,
arrived the day on which Beethoven had
promised to 60 to Danhausers. The great
composer kept his word, and was most
warmly welcomed. After short conversa-
tiOn, Danhauser prepared for work. Bee
thoven, after taking off his cloak and cravat
was requested to sit down.
"You will not hurt my head, suppose, "
observed the composer, somewhat dismayed
at the preparations he beheld going on.
Danhauser tranquilized him, promising to
be quick, so as to abbreviate as much as
possible anything there might be disagreea-
BILE in the process. 70 Beethoven's great
astonishment, the painter began by pasting
thin strips Of paper on his eyebrows, and by
smearing with an oleaginous liquid, all parts
of his face where there was any hair. He
then asked the composer to put small
tube in his mouth, and to shut his eyes.
The reader must know that, to take the
cast of face, the latter is covered with
tepid plaster in liquid state. Tue plaster
soon gets cold, and forms a solid mass,
which, when removed, contains the exact
lineaments of the countenance. The opera
tion is exceedingly disagreeable for those
subjected to it, because the face is, SO to
speak, walled in, and the patient can breathe
only through a small pipe or tube. Besides
this, the plaster, when drying, produces a
very painful sensation, to say nothing of the
fact that it is no easy matter to remove the
cast, because every hair adhering to the
plaster is productive of pain. Danhauser
had purposely omitted explaining all this
to the composer, for fear the latter would
refuse to undergo the ordeal. Beethoven
had, therefore, not the slightest suspicion oil
what was in store for him. After the first
few passes of the brush employed to lay on
the plaster, he seemed alarmed, but, when
the plaster, in drying, began swelling and
irritating his cheeks and forehead, he was
both Mortified and greatly enraged. He
| bounded to his feet with his hair on end
and, while endeavoring to get rid of the
plaster, exclaimed:
You are an impostor, a scoundrel, 9
| monster !"
"For Heavens sake, Cdpeuneeister !
| stammered Danhauser, confused and stupe
| fed. But Beethoven, without allowing him
| to conclude his sentence, vociferated furi
ously:
Blackguard-cannibal!"
Permit me to-" said Danhauser.
Keep off" roared Beethoven. Fling
| ing his chair away, and catching up his hal
and cloak, he rushed toward the door
Danhauser ran after him to offer his excuses
But Beethoven, without deigning to hear
word, exclaimed: "Be off, you villain
knave, assassin. Take care never to come
near me, for will strangle you'll"
Having uttered these words, he went out
swearing and stamping his feet, with biz
face all plastered over with white, like tha,
OF the spectre in Don Juan" The dooI
was slammed violently to, and the unfortu
nate painter, terrified and confused, coulc
| still hear at distance the malediction:
| and imprecations which the composer wa:
hurling at his head. After that Beethoven
would not hold the slightest communication
with Danhauser. Every time he saw him
even at distance, he flew into passion
and avoided him as much as he could
1t was not long, however, before Danhau
face after all, and that, too, without excitins
any outburst Of rage. Beethoven was dead
The old Duke of B, as is we'll known
was a confirmed hypochondriac Buddl
met him one day coming from Sir jane
Clarke's, whom he had been consulting OIL
his complicated ailments. The Duke o
B" was looking profoundly melancholy
and out of humor.
/ WELL" said Buddle, with his usua
CHEEKY voice, "what did Sir James say 2"
what did he say" answered the duke
with the greatest irritation; the dashed
fool said had a temperament!
Temper, he meant" remarked Buddle
aside, and went his way.
We have thought that the funniest o
all "strikes was that Of the household
servants who wanted more wages because
Goals and provisions is high" But this i;
made of no account by the strike of the
beggars of Treves, who have been in the
habit of getting dole for praying on fxet
day for the prosperity of the town. Al
prices rose in the market so rose the price