The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-01

SO overcome was he, as he recalled
those days of toll and poverty, that he
fell upon the old mans neck and en-
braced him heartily.
After some of the grandest work of
his life in the Frue Kirke-Christ and
the Twelve Apostles, and others-he
returned to Rome, visiting on the way
Alexander of Russia, who, after Thor
waldsen had made his bust, presented
the artist with a diamond ring.
Although Protestant, accounted now
the greatest living sculptor, he was
made president of the Academy of st.
Luke, a position held by Canova, when
he was alive, and was commissioned to
build the monument of Plus VII. in
st. Peters. Mendelssohn, the great
composer, had become his warm friend,
and used to play for him as he worked
in his studio Sir Walter Scott came to
visit the artist, and as the latter could
speak scarcely a word of English, the
two shook hands heartily, and clapped
each other on the shoulder as they
parted.
When Thorwaldsen was sixty-eight
years old he left Rome to end his days
among his own people. The enthu-
siasm on his arrival was unbounded.
The whole city waited nearly three days
for his coming. Boats decked with
flowers went out to meet him, and so
many crowded on board his vessel that
it was feared she would sink. The MEM
bers of the academy came in body, and
the crowd took the horses from the car
riage and drew it themselves through
4 H., cd. 20, 1,n nf hn al
burgh. In the evening there was grand
torch-light procession, followed by a
constant round of parties.
So beset was he with invitations to
dinner, that, to save a little time for
himself, he told his servant, wilkins,
that he would dine with him and his
wife. wilkins, greatly confused, re-
piled, What would the world think if
it found out that the chancellor dined
with his servant ?'
1.-The world-the world Have | not
told you thousand times that | don't
care in the least what the world thinks
about these things ?" Sometimes he re-
fused even to dine with the king. Find
ing at last that society would give him
no rest, he went to live with some
friends at Nyso, seven hours by boat
from Copenhagen.
Once more he visited Rome, for a
year, receiving royal attentions all
through Germany. Two years after, as
he was sitting in the theater, he rose to
let IL lady pass. She saw him bending
toward the floor and asked, " Have you
| dropped something ~
The great man made no answer; he
was dead. The funeral was grand
expression of love and honor. His
body lay in state in the royal palace,
laurel about his brow, the coffin orna-
mented with floral crowns-one made
by the queen of Denmark-his chisel
laid in the midst of laurel and palm,
and his great works of art placed about
him. Houses were draped in black,
bells tolled in all the churches, women
| threw flowers from their windows be-
fore the forty artists who carried the
coffin, and the king and prince royal
received it in person at the Frue Kirke.
Then it was borne to the large mu-
scum which Copenhagen had built to
receive his work, and buried in the CEN
ter of the inner court, which had been
prepared under his own hand. A low
granite coping surrounds the grave,
which is entirely covered with ivy, and
on the side is his boyish name, Bertel
bartholomew Thorwaldsen. - Sarah
| "A. Bolton, IN Congregdtiondtst.