Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1889-12-05
A Boy Who Berame a sculptor

In little Italian village there once
lived jolly stonecutter na,ned Pisano.
He WAS poor, of course, or :he would not
have been stonecutter, but he was full Of
good .humor and everybody liked him.
There was one little boy who loved old
Pisano more than anybody else in the
world. This was Antonio Clnova, Pi-
sano's grandson, who had come to live
with him because his father was dead
and his mother had:married a harsh man
who was unkind to little Antonio. An
tonic was a frail little fellow, and his
grandfather liked to have him near him
during his working hours. While PIsano
worked at stone. cutting, little Antonio
played at it, and amused himself with
making clay figures, drawing and cutting
into shape the small pieces of rock which
lay about the yard. The old grandfather
soon saw that the pale little fellow at his
side was wonderfully skiltul at it.
As the bay grew older he began to
help in the shop during the day, while in
the evening grandmother toli him stories
or sang to him. All these thin gs were
of great value to rim, for, without his
knowing it, they were improving his taste
and wakcniug his imagination. 1t so
happened that Signor Falicro, man of
great wealth and rare understanding in
matters Of art, had place near Pisano's
house, and at certain times entertained
many distinguished guests there, When
the place was very full of visitors old Pi-
sano was sometimes hired to help the
servants with their tasks, and Antonio
sometimes did work here for day or two
when some great feast was given. At
one time, when Signor Falioro was to en-
terataio very Large company at dinner,
young A ntoniu was at work among the
pots and pans in the Kitchen. The head
servant came in just before the dinner
hour in great trouble. The man who had
been at work upon the large ornament
for the table sent word that he had spoil
ed the piece. What was to be done?
The poor fellow whose business it was
to put the table in order was at mis- wits
erd.
While every one was wondering what
would be best to do. the little boy came
forward and sad:-"If you will let me
try think | can make something til at
will lo.'-"You.' cried the servant; ''and
VINO are you?''-"I am Antonio Canova,
the grandson of Pisno,' answered the
pstfaced little fellow.--A pray what
can you dos'-"l can nuke something
that will do for the middle of the table,
said the boy ''if You will let me try."-
The servant, not knowing what else to do
told Antonio that he might try, Calling
for a large quantity of butter the boy
quickly mol4cd great crochng lion,
which everybody in the kitchen said
was beautiful, and which the now re-
joicing head servant plaecd carefully up
on the table. At the dinner that day
there were mmlv Of the most noted men
OF trnice-nMrchantS, priaces, nobemen
and lovers of art-and among them were
many skilled critics Of art work. When
these people came to the table their eyes
fell upon the butter lion, and they forgot
the purpose for which they had ente red
the dintGs. ronm. Tney saw there soms-
thing Of higher worth in their eyes than
any dir.ner could be- namely, work Of a
genius
lEev looked at the lion long and care.
fully. and then began praising, and ask
ing Faliero to tell them what great sculp-
tor he had persuaded to waste his skill
upon work in butter, that must quickly
melt away. But Siynor Faliero knew as
little as they, and he had in his turn to
ask the chief servant. When the CON-
panv leanlcd that the lion was the work
ofa boy, Faiero called the boy into the
dining-room, and the dinner became a
sort of feast in his honor. But it was not
enough to praise the lad. There were
men who knew that such genius as his
belonged to the world, not to ths village,
and nothing could please them more
Than to aid in given him an education
Signor Faliero himself declared that he
would pay the lads expenses and place
him unier the instructions Of the best
masters.
This boy whose highest wish had been
TO become u stone cutter, and whose
home had been at his poor old grand
fathers cottage. became at once men,
Der Of Signor Faliero's family, living in
his palace having at his command every
thing that money could buy, and being
daily instructed by the best masters iu
Venice. But he was not in the least
spoiled by this change in his life, he was
still the same simple, earnest and faith
fol boy. He work cd as hard to gain
knowledge and skill in art as he had
meant to work to become good stone-
cutter, Antonio CGnova's course from
the day IN which he nodded the butter
into lion was steadily upward, and
when he died he was not only one Of the
greatest sculptors Of his own time, but