The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-03-10
THE MAN WHO PAINTED THE
 ARKANSAW TRAVELLER

who would doubtless have made a world wide -epu,ation had he lived past the prlr.e of manhood. was written by Mil- liam ,hesenbuy and published m the 4dySl1saa' ,Skaff Gazette m April. Is6o
 S.a:.es are told of the early youth ot Benisain West how he sketched taby sister n her cradle-and birds and fruits and flowers how the Indians taught him 10 prepare the red and yellow colors with which they stained their weapons; how he made his pencils ot cats hair and goose 4uills; and how his earnest boy efforts attracted the notice of persons who gave rim encouragement and placed him in the road to fame. Nith.the childhood history of Edward Washbourne favora- ble and striking parallel might be made. save in the particular feature of having men of mark and wealth to assis, him with 1.eans m the prosecution of his studies. His nrst attempts at drawing were made al as early an age as were those of the great painter. and manifested. doub:less. as palpable evidences of ge mus. He painted the birds. fruits and howe;s of his neighborhood with as rude color, and implements as any used by West; and the Cherokees wondered al his ssIi as did the Mohawks at the ef- forts of the little Quaker.
 W,:h the exception of assistance from his eldest brother. it IS not known that heAever received any amount of means that could be missed from the purse of d benef1ctor. He toilcd for bread even in his ,eens-took upon himself the rcspon- siblli:ies of manhood long before he be- came d man
 The father of Edward was an accom- plished and solid scholar. It was fouu- nate for his children that he was for in their youth there were poor means of ac- quiring an education Tn the western wilds. Mir. Washbourne himself taught his sons and daughters-saw and knew tor himself their progress and proficiency. He was not dependent upon the general economy regimen. or exercises of schools. as most fathers. for the advancement of his children he attended in person to those particular points that. in other cir -eums;ances, arc liable ;o be overlooked and neglected and encour- aged habits and dispositions that ,o any other than a parents eye would be un- noticed, or considered uninportant. Those who knew Edward often remarked. doubtless. his familiarity with old land- marSs IT the ordinary course of educa- ,ion-f features- by most persons. dimly remein oered, or forgotten. Ne recollect 90 have seen him. when he was but a small lad, dash of a ludlcrous caricature. and with all of schoolboy's care for making nice capitals, place beneath 1t the words. "1f Hny Af osfra." This was at tune of life when other boys have such small esteem for the classics that they seldom mix them with any of their pleasures. Many of his early drawings were attempts at representation or scenes in his class-books- father had been em inentiy successful in impressing them on his mlnd. The youth of Edward Washbouine was passed in the back woods. He had no incentive whatever to become an artist beyond his natural promp,:ngs within. indeed, his parents, knowing full well the poor prospect that Arkansaw held out 10 any one engaged in the inc arts. did not encourage him to embark in their pursuit At the same time. they offered no opposition to his inclina;ions. and only regretted that the held to he cultivated promised such poor reward. It must have been painful to a fathers heart to witness evidences of ge- nius tha,-in all probability, would remain unapp-eciated and useless.
 Edward acquired good education but before completing it. the duties of h,s father interfered with a continuance ot his teaching. The bes, schools of the country. al that time at Cane Hill (and second 10 none in the Mississippi valley now ,were availed of: and no student ever Jeff the halls of college more deeply ip,- bued with the classics and usual branches of science than Edward lef the school he attended. He continued to draw In ISto he made his first mark with colors. He was then sixteen years old. It would be needless to follow him-it would be re- beating an oft told taie; men looked at his pictures, his first struggles, thought. some day, he might make a painter. and felt proud that they had no fancy that would lead them to undertake such bu- siness.
 We know not who 6rst sat to Edward for portrait who paid him the first dol lar for his labor. But il was at Fors Smith this was done and in the year :, eight years ago. His first efforts, many of them, remain in that city yet They are but attempts" but there is not one of them that does not bear traces that indicate the certain outcome and fame of the hand that made them. In 1855 portrait painter, Harding, came to Van Buren. Edward sat in his studio so long as he remained there. He had never before seen an artist engaged al work, and he watched with eagemess the manipulations that were used by an acknowledged professor of his own busi- ness Whether his companionship with Harding proved beneficial or no,, cannot be said, but he continued to improve with each days experience with his brush. He was addicted to no vice or bad habit. consequently he had taken care Of his