The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-12-12
NORTH OAROLINA'S ARTIST.
A Young Man Whose Example is an
Inspiration.
fFr0M the State Chronicle.


A Young Man Whose Example is an
Inspiration.
From the State Chronicle.
Among the young men in North
Carolina under thirty years of age the
| Chronicle does not know one who bids
fairer to win success and fame for
himself and the State than Mr.. w. G.
Randall. His struggle against pow
erty and other disadvantages, and his
victory over them, if infinitely told,
would read like a romance. More
than ten years ago he had formed
taste for Art and the desire to become
a great artist, and every energy of his
being has been bent in that direction.
His life thus far presents an example
of industry, economy, courage and
determination almost without paral-
lei. Yet it was not until within the
last few months that he had been
enabled to devote his entire attention
to his chosen life-work for which
nature has SO richly endowed him.
He is native of Burke county and is
just twenty-nine years old.
just ten years ago he left his noun
tain home in Burke county for Chapel
Hill afoot. He walked to Winston,
rode from there to Hillsboro on the
train, and walked from Hillsboro to
Chapel Hill. He had only thirty
cents when he reached there. Mr..
Randall kept in little note book
sort of diary Of that walk and we give
few extracts:
| November 1Oth-Started to Chapel
Hill; travelled till midnight; slept in
Perkins school house.
Nov. 11-Started before day; ate
breakfast on log eight miles from
Lenoir. Passed through Lanoir about
10 o'clock. Children got scared at us
| A friend on his way to Trinity Col
lege was with him.-EDIToR. and
thought we were tramps. Dined three
miles from town and took nap. Got
to Mr.. Edmund Tilley's at 8 p. m.
and staid all night.
Nov. 12.-Started at 7.3O a. m.
Passed through Moravian Falls $50
p. M, and passed " ilkesboro at 4.
Got turned off from four houses. Got
to Mrs. Grady's, a widow, about 7
o'clock and staiu all nj ght. Travelled
twenty nine miles.
/ Nov. 13.-Started at z 80 and walk
ed hard all day. Got to the Yadkin
river at II a. m. Stopped at sun
down where shingles had been made.
Nov. 14.-Got up about midnight
and walked to Huntsville about
eleven miles. Lay on a hill near the
mill till day. Got the miller to put
us across the river. Got to Winston
at 2 o'clock p. m. Took the train at
5 o'clock and arrived at Greensboro at
III p. m. Jim left on the train for
High Point at $50. Slept in a vacant
f lot in a pile of leaves.
Nov. 15.-Left Greensboro at $50
a. m. and arrived at Hillsboro at II
a. m. Walked to Chapel Hill.
Mr.. Randall's purpose was not to
enter the University at once. lie
knew that he was not prepared for
that, as the writing and spelling in
I the diary show. His education thus
far had been obtained almost solely
from the public schools of his county
.. He hoped to get work of some kind
about the University so that he could
spend odd times in preparing to take
a regular course.
There was preparatory depart
} ment at the University then and for.
tunately Mr.. Randall was able to Dor
row few dollars to pay his board
and entered this department HI
boarded from then until June for les
than So a month. AS might be ex
pected his progress in his studies was
I rapid. and in September, 1880, he en-
tered the regular Freshman class. HI
t continued at the University unit
C June, 1884, when he graduated almos
: at the head of his class. He held thu
position of Librarian for several years
: and was at one time President of thu
) Dialeclic Society. During his course
: he had been doing work in Art, ane
had made quite number of portraits
for which lie received fair prices. III,
q was not yet able, however, to make {
!. living by Art. So in the Fall h
opened school in Marion, Mcdowell
county, where he was very successful
: for two years. All this time he hat
been working with view to complet
ing his education in Art, and in Octo
i DcT, lCOO, III; WtuC W LIE NdtIOud
: Academy IF Design, in New York
= where he spent one year, completing
J the course that the average pupi
y there spends from three to four year
e in completing. Besides this, in tire,
s months after entering the Academy 0
8 Design he received the appointment
i to a position to teach free hand draw
ing in a school for boys on Fiji
) Avenue, having been recommended
n for the position by his instructors
! This took only four hours week 0
}. his TIM. but it more than paid his ex
9 penses while in New York. Ate
completing his work in New York h.
q returned to North Carolina and die
d sone portrait work in the Western
8 part of the State.
!, In September, 1883, he began worl
9 in the University of South Carolina a
I Instructor in Free-hand and Mechan
icai Drawing and Descriptive Geom
n ctr H. could have remained il
!, this f.sision this year at an in
3 creased salary, but he was Offered
: the presidency Of Collegiate In
: s,itut in Texas at . still larger SALARY
and thought once of accepting it. HI
finally nade up his mind, however, t.
e give Up everything but Art, and few
= months ago came to Raleigh and set
+ lid va GRO rlad RI knor thot h,