Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-09-05
For the SPECTATOR.
A Visit to Miss Bertha Won HiIlern's
Summer Studio, and n Trip with the
Artist to The Natural Bridge and


: with novelty to me. but also, perhaps. with
some little anxiety, lest ennui and myself
should become better acquainted before my
return. When set out on my visit to Miss
Won Hillern. however, my anticipations were
, of the brightest, nor was the realization less
rose-colored. Miss Won Hillern's studio is but
, a short distance from the farm house where
she boards. Most Of her celebrated paintings
| which were not sold during her winter exhi-
billions are now on their way to the most inn
portant of the public summer exhibitions. i
had the pleasure of seeing some of her works
which have not yet been given to the public.
One that admired very much is taken from a
legend ofthe seventh century in the time of st
Hubert. The scene of the picture is supposed
to be in the north Of England. and represents
a convent from which four monks have come
and seated themselves on the banks ola wind
ing river. The peaceful silence is abruptly
broken by a strange. weird rumbling. accom-
panied by the sound of oars, while the blue
sky and smooth river are overcast by fierce,
lowering clouds. Where the clouds meet the
water, is dimly seen a boat containing three
demons. and in their midst the dead body Of a
man. The monks, who cannot see the boat,
ask, In terror, what 1t means, when a voice,
which strikes like Ice to their hearts, answers:
I'VE are demons, carrying away the soul OF an
apostate." When the weather Is fine Miss Won
Hillern paints mostly from nature. One of her
large, unfinished paintings on the studio easel
| represents an old monk at the entrance OF a
cave; beside him a human skull. and at his
feet crouches huge lion. The back ground of
this scene is q primeval forest, the grand So
| lemnity of which is wrought out as only her
brush can do it. Boldness in laying on her col
ors is mingled with skill in her productions.
| and the general effect is of breadth and rich
| ness of tone. Surrounding the studio are the
| famous battle-g grounds of Fishers Hill. At the
| back of the studio path winds through some
parts of them. AS this is very pretty walk,
Miss Won Hillern and myself used often to go
there for stroll about sunset when the tops of
the North mountain were having their Grim
son bath. When the crimson faded into gray
however and twilight began to overtake us,
must confess I often felt little creepy.
thought Of the CHASTITY scenes once enacted
where stood; Of the air SO still and sweet and
peaceful, with only the distant lowing of a
COW or the song ofa boy driving home the cat
tie, to break the quiet and echoing to the ago.
nized cries Of the wounded and dying. was
also little startled wien the farmers wife
| told me how the wounded and dying soldiers
had been brought to the farm. On porch
at the back of the house, with weeping will
low dropping over it and q mountain stream
underneath, they piled the wounded soldiers,
and the arms and limbs cut off by the surgeons
were throw over the side of the porch to the
ground below, and the farmers would after
wards get cart and take them away. In front
| of the parlor door is big black stain which
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r. 10 we'll worth sea,no NTH ,ts MANY facili.
ties for a ffording com fort and amusement to
| its unfortunate inmates There ia a large
| balI.room where thew have dancing and enter-
tainments and this room ia very beautifully
| decorated with fancy articles made by the in
sane women who are taught by some philan-
| thropic ladies' of Staunton. From one of the
| windows we could overlook an enclosure
where the worst among the male patients
were taking the air-I was going to say enjoy
| ing but that word would be a terrible mockery
| In connection with those poor unfortunate
| creatures shall never forget that scens,-a
| den OF wild beasts could not be more horrible.
Some of them pacing to and fro, muttering in
coherently, others racing wildly about with
shrieks and means, or fearful, discordant
| laughter, Some groveling on the ground, 9TH
ers again standing motionless in sullen, brood
ing silence; and then, one and all, SO frightful
in appearance with their pallid faces wildly
glaring eyes and shaven heads. The most
frightful Of all to me was man who stood
under our window, looking up at us with an
awful smile on his coIorless Iips The doctor
in formed us that he had killed one of the at
tendants a short time BEFORE To me he seemed
to be gloating over 1t with that erpetual, aw-
full SMILE
We left Staunton on the B, O, in the after
noon for Lexington At certain part of the
road lust before reaching Lexington, thu cars
seemed to twist and writhe themselves like a
hugo snake. between wild. rugged mountains,
as though they werc literally forcing passage,
We stopped At the Irvine House IT in was the
dfnine-room there. that Darwin,s theory was
| forcibly brought to nv mind. The waiter in
charge of the table adjoining ours bore the
most perfect resemblance to a monkey have
ever seen, The shape of the head the features,
| the ears.-syen the solemn. worried look, as
you notice In the eyes of a monkey, all were
| ludicrously like, This individual, whom 1
naturally chrIstened 1.-THE Missing Link, ;" was
such a source of irrepressible amusement to
me that Miss Won Hfllern. in order that we
both MIGHT ca our meals in peace. was Obliged
| to have our places changed to where I could no
| longer see the unconscious object of INV nirth
| The following dav we visited the Natural
Bridge. We travelled the fifteen miles between
| that pIace and Lexington nv private convey.
ance driven nv a small sneeimen of the color
| ed race who however WAS very exnert in ham
ding the reins SAM, was verv stoltd. self
| nossessed and diqnjaed and retnrned the orins