Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-10-24

-'+s ''-Attil lt4tS lf f4t~t'illN ll.A4A nt
faces behind it. The painter looked past
! has subject to the race from which itSprang
| think Julian Scott must have done this
when he painted LA Petroleuse." 1t is at
Sach moments that art breaks through its
environment and becomes historical as well
as poetic, and instead of satisfying us with
an imitation. appalS us with dimly under
stood law. At such moments too. the artist
becomes -the->c servant of facts. Ills pencil
| reaches out beyond his ken and touches
/ mysteries which he cannot understand
Fortunately know the story of tie face
which in this picture is Ike a soiled crystal.
| showing in its uncertain depths the lights
and shadows which have nickcrcd crimlv
cn1u h in the faces of the race.
! Scott asked the woman to sit for him. The
/ fascination of a womanly beauty run to viz
/ or3us, almost masculine. voluptuousncss
may have been there. OR it NAV have been
the whim ofan arts: to portray that which
interested him. bat which he did not at
tempt to understand Vt all events there
was t'c woman, wiia her grand. sad face
AID her mingled lai.rucc and contempt. sub
mltting to be translated, and neither She nor
the artist f1r a moment sg=pectine that they
were diyuiging secrets.
After one or two sittincs she rave II nm
and the artist finished the picture from
memory. When it was done he cast about
for name. There was something in the
face that bailed him. The work represent
ed woman about twenty-five years of age.
with g shawl ncglgently thrown over the
ba~,. The dark hair pulled back and knot
tel IN the simplest manner left the animal
beauty ot the face and head exposed in clear
outline. 1t might he one of those English
collier wives. who, married for beauty.
were aitcrWard sold for beer Il might be
the daughter Of a Dutch race. whoScmlthcr-
bad pulled canal boats and worked in the
he-d, Trai~ing God ont of patient hearts. Ii
might pass for one of those Muscoyi-c Wo-
men who took pride in the brutal chasti-c-
meut~ cd their lords, but whose hearts were
WeIt away IN secret tears, creatures In whom
the woman had given place in the course OF
ages 20 the slave. If the face was English,
the expression was cosmopolitan The ont
lines belonged to the Saxon, the story be-
.onged 20 the world. The ewes were sadly
defiant Tears and fire lal been for years
poured out of them. \ dim TnthoS as of
centuries lurkcl IN and and about them. and
conIras ted s-uugely enough with the bitter
ness and menace Of the mouth. Over all
these there was the look ol inquiry, as If the
'ictu 3 were forever iatcrr-ting lie. 1t
was in word the record f mo.e than one
ger Grafton of rIass-5, r,-sr,--rr,,. ,,i-..,-
an lnaomllbe Aut uuayai.ing bravery.
- lie one day tore the drapcry from Tie
breast. and ciyin,, tre fe-se and i.,cri-', c,, /
-ialowy touclI berc and -boro as irtbc |
dust oftie street and the smoke of trccou- |
farr,tion had soilel IT, bc eIri.+eprl +. tbc |
work La Petr0leuSe "
Something in the iDrer,yaven cx,.-s>~i,n of /
this face insanity reminded me when | first |
saw the picture Of two incidents They
PASSED rapidly tlrol., nv nind-mcrc uhan- /
tom rccoleetions. Buti will tell Won what
;hev were. One was the memory of q
drunken cirI once .aw in Houston street
Sb. was certainly ro- orcr c;ohtee, wears ,.f .
acc. and was rrctti',-. even .sn,i-ome'v lrs..
cd bgt She VA. 7,fi7I1e irt..vi.-ltel
,roop of bows followed bor Vac-
.f,.,tel and 1a,,,bcl a+ Ler Mon st,r1eI |
and cDiayel the scene Tbe tirsv Ieer mad. F.
them roar. when She stumbled they broke I.
ont IN G..ri-ive cries and ,,hcn in a s+u,.il 1
cfor; 10 rid herselfof her rarserutors She /
G.lI and strreb her temrlc an thc iran mil .
in,- of am area. q horrible ..',o--s which nu-t
have sounded like fine ,larlits I'm tho Po- I
man area. broke ont ibo blow 1artialIv /
salerel her and She straiehtcncl herself /
with an otl.,+ and l,l..1 r|7,,,l H., ~, ,i-
NAL at blv ulon The crowd. At that mo- /
meut caught a elimr-e olhcr face. ItwaS /
not thccainclincs~s s., ,1n-l-b rs tlic c5,uminclcl /
expression bora of rb, sitnatian that rc- .
member. The dogrcl obetinacv of the drlb /
was MINGLED with fhc bcfrIess ,ronderncnt /
orthc woman. The nasc IF her head and .
the yicious oIe3-o of hey tooth reminded me |
Of q cobra. Int her owes ,rcro I'm or tcars.
and +all +, ono il,sl, ti,+ no 1,l I.,-, f,.Lt-
IND. 1.,,,.Ii,- ami III III to- 1;c. -
,.a7-e.,,+.r. ,,i-I,;,, anI ,,;tl,[-+ NIL scIr 1
i.;t, ami , -,itef,I r-;.-,,.,t;, jal .-r,,-,,
i,1., tbs H. ~ ~, I-,-.-,ti,. t,,.. ~
r.,rs lr,a.i lcr ',,,,,, =. ,.,r- anf ,1., I,.+I
.,,, ~ Ior.f,o - -. t., -r ,,;.i, /
her bl,,i-staipcd c,co i,7r;.I n, bo, lto,,I /
Ei,+ Shall noe, cr,.,. - -, |
,,r-bf If tl,c ci.,,.c,..~ Il ,u ~. In
co7
Tho ,o.p,.,,, I ...,, ..f, p.4-.1,....... r,
c,.,,,;,.I tI., .,,,,. -. c.l. .r., e.,
n a IF ,,:l.;,; IN
,o,ri,es. ~. - -
turned inf, -. w, ~ I.,.. ,..t;i
s,,,ofi,nes +,,+ t.,,.,4,-,,I.,.. ~; -.
,,,t. ,,s,,,. d, L,,.,+l.I IL 81, -. l,,..
head little a,erted rs if listening fora new
pursucr. or II may he for some helm against
herself
There Is ALWAYS sometime c,arcdor lupc,l .
for bei ina bor IL Is ont Of the mast only
that ncr rfl-4eeutions oaa come. for she has .
na fst9rr. Eut there arrives time when
II Is anxietv oiyes ulace to n clarinc inlincr-
rnce She has mot all tbe evils. and u,i,l,r-
time ba. nothing new for her. Then the
face. whether II he tlat of the woman who /
=. the victim Of her own vices or of the w.-
nan who suffers from those Of others, viii .
betray the result of her -trnsgle',. She has /
been worsted always. II She fought against .
/ herself 1t was only VII the dumo instinct /
/ oi Sei-pre>eryaton which nature gave her |
or the vanity which belongs to her sex, nev |
| er with the intelligent VIII OF one VINO mas /
| been taught that the enemy Inrked IN her /
/ own hcaft. II She i9usht against society it /
/ crushed her ANA laughed at her II Is true I
| that poverty produces much tue same cnect
as crime IN the same class OF persons. They
/ grow to look upon the restraints oi society
as the great curses oi their existence. Nlth
/ women OF the ignorant class tins lee-lns is
much more intense than with men. Prob
ably for the reason that they hnye less eam-
| prehcn-l9n OF abstract or general ideas.
! The woman. then, I say. who has under
| taken 10 fight the world with no other
weapons than her passions and her impulses
/ and the craft they cngcndcr. finds herself
/ bemmed about by a fate that is inevitable.
and the weapons she uses have grown in her
/