Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-09
The Partisan ssRapin.''
Humors of Art Life Among French Pain
tiers.



[From the Pail Mall Gazette
A cloud of smoke, roar of laughter
bravo, Bottomgate! bravo !" Some dozen
bearded, disheveled young men seated at
a table on which are the remnants of a meal
and many empty bottles. They all gazed in
one direction and renew thei, shouts, Bravo!
bravo!" small, pale fsced, haired
young man is dancing wildly at one end of
the saualid room. The son of an animal
painter, and intended for the church, it was
only after some three years of study for the
divine Office that he suddenly wearied of the
prospect of slipper garnished curatedom and
took to his fathers trade. TO this moment
he has not lost the effects of his pious train
ing, and will discourse for hours on religion
and its intimate connection with the devel
opment of art, paints Virgin, and st. Johns,
and spends the evenings growing more and
more pious he grows more befuddled.
Not that he is always thus, for many even
ings this warm summer weather he may be
seen with grisette- looking blonde on his arm
strolling toward the Square de Batignolles
(he lives IN the Montmartre quarter where
they will sit and talk till dark. Does he
lecture her on the comfort of religion, and
the subtle links between the divine and beau
tlful In art We can only say that her eyes
have almost the distant far-off look that
they have when she is posing (she is an ar
fists modeD as Venus for crowd of rap
ins' at one of these huge Paris ateliers
Other nights he takes her to a dancing place
on the outer boulevards, or to "Bulliers"--a
long way off, it is true, but lone must be
amused" Bottomgate has little studio of
his own. narrow street, a narrower door
way, and black passage Feel your way up
the dark staircase-up, up, ci7aQaienae open
the door. A cold gray north light Ono won
der the artists seek the comfort of the bottle
sometimes to wash away the memory of their
sunless north sky, freezing them into gloom;)
bed on the floor, ease1s, canvases, and bare
walls; washstand and chair are wheeled in
to the corner bedroom and studio in one,
sickly with paint odors.
But who are Bottomgate's friends French
and Americans, they are assembled at fare
well supper of a bony, under sized New
Highlander, who is returning to his native
country after three or four years study in
Paris. Coming raw lad, fresh from the
severe discipline of an Eastern States home,
he is leaving well certiicated in the peches
hibitor at the Salon. Eb'n-e e-zer B DIVERS,
as his friends delight to call him, initiating
his dry nasal tweng-Ebenezer Bowers ar
rived in Paris utterly ignorant of the world
In which he was to live so long, and having
high IDEAL almost reverence for art, was
somewhat taken aback when on entering the
atelier he and another mouveaa, large headed,
huge-ipped French dwarf were set to fight
a duel with long paint brushes. Each rub
bed his brush in color, red or green, (compli-
mentary colors by an atelier joke, and dab
bed at his opponents face or neck, hit in
the eye or mouth by either bringing mighty
applause from the crowd of smoking blouses
around the fencer- victims Eben-
ezer as 7o0uCeau was obstreperous and dog
ged, and a punishment for his sundry
complaints and murmurings when ordered to
go out and fetch drinks for his numerous
masters, he was made to spend whole night
boxed up in the wooden pedestal of a giant
cast, which was placed, extinguisher like,
over him, the cast on top to keep him fast in
his prison the while. Half stifed, dusty,
dirty, but amenable at the next mornings
exit, from that day Ebenezer was conquered;
nay, even became Jealous in bis Office as
1aoatgedu. One afternoon, coming back
liquor laden he attacked by the 7ao,tycnllp
of rival atelier near, and, after prolonged
struggle, robbed of his precious burden
Arriving torn, breathless and bleeding he
his misfortunes to his brethren,
who rose en- masse, and, quickly arming
themselves with sticks, umbrellas, fre-irons,
and large easels and stools, (these last as
rams,) led by Ebenezer, made
furious onslaught upon the hated neighbors.
The bitter clamor of 100 eager tongues, the
stormy thumpings on the stout door of the
rival studio castle lasted for some half hour,
when, that hinged barrier giving way, the
two wild hordes rushed at each other with
fury. Who can sing the deeds of daring of
these Greeks and Trojans of art ? The battle
was long ana bloody, ana EbeneZer hero.
When the gendarmes arrived and took the
rioters bodily off to the marie, Ebenezer was
last seen struggling, wriggling and kicking in
the arms of a gigantic garden, who, with
great difficulty, had collared this torn, foam
ing, squirmipg, swearing Yankee, still cling
ing to the fragments of a recaptured bottle
The two ateliers we're shut for six months
after this by order of the Minister, but
Ebenezer came back with an established rep
utation.
This spare American would not leave
to dance alone tonight were he