St. Landry democrat., 1890-06-14
ROSA BONHEUR'S YOUTH.

In a simple home in Paris could nave
been seen in 1929, Raymond Bonheur and
his little family-Rosa, seven years,
Auguste, Isadore and Juliette. He was
man of fine talent in painting, but was
obliged to spend his time in giving draw
ing lessons to support his children. His
wife, Sophia, gave lessons on the piano,
going from house to house all day long,
and sometimes sewing half the night to
earn a little more for the necessities OF life.
Hard work and poverty soon bore Its
usual fruit, and the tired young mother
died in 1888 The three eldest children
went to live with plain woman, LA
Mere Catherine" in the Camps Elysees,
and the youngest was placed with rela-
tives. For two years the good woman
cared for the children, sending them to
school, though she was greatly troubled
because Rosa persisted in playing in the
woods of the Bois de Boulogne, gather
ing her arms flu of daisies and marigolds,
rather than be shut up in school room.
II never spent an hour of fine weather
indoors during the whole of the two
years." she has often said nf theaNays since.
Finally the father married sagsin and
brought the children home. The two
boys were placed at school and Mr.. Bon-
heur paid their way by giving drawing
lessons three times week in the institu-
tion. If Rosa did not love school, she
must be taught something useful, and she
was accordingly placed in sewing estab-
lishment to become a seamstress.
The child hated sewing, ran the needle
into her fingers at every stitch, cried for
the fresh sir and sunshine, and finally
becoming pale and sicklv, was taken back
ponhnur borno The GnYInnS
painter would try his child once more at
school SO he arranged that she should
attend, with compensation met in the
same manner as for his boys. Rosa soon
became a great favorite with the girls at
Faubourg ST. Antoine school, especially
as she could draw such witty caricatures
of the teachers, which she pasted against
the wall with bread chewed to the consis-
tency of putty. The teachers were not
pleased, but SO struck were they with the
yigor and originality of the drawings that
they carefully preserved the sketches in an
album.
The girl was far from happy. Naturally
sensitive, as what poet or painter was ever
born otherwise, she could not bear to wear
a calico dress and coarse shoes and eat
with an iron spoon from tin cup, when
the other girls wore handsome dresses
and had silver spoons and mugs. She
grew melancholy, neglected her books,
and finally became so i'll that she was
obliged to be taken home.
And now Raymond B9nheur very wisely
decided not to make any plans for his
child for time, but see what was her
natural tendency. 1t was well that he
made this decision in time, before she had
been spoiled by his well meant but poor
intentions. Left to herself, she constantly
hung around her fathers studio, now
drawing, now modelling, copying whatever
she saw him do. She seemed never to be
tired, but sang at her WORK all the day
long.
Monsieur Bonheur suddenly awoke to
the fact that his child had great talent.
He began to teach her carefully to make
her accurate in drawing and correct in per-
ception. Then he sent her to the Louvre
to COPY the works of the old masters.
Here she worked with the greatest indus
try and enthusiasm, not observing any
thing that was going on around her.
Said the director of the Louvre, 81 have
never seen an example of such spplica
tion and ardor for work"
One day an elderly English gentleman
stopped beside her easel and said: tYour
copy, my child. is superb, faultless Per.
severe as you have begun, and prophesy
that you will be great artist. How
clad these few words made her. She
went home thinking over to herself the
determination she had made in the school
when she ate with the iron spoon, that
sometime she would be as famous as her
schoolmates, and have some of the COM
forts of life.
Her copies of the old masters were soon
sold, and though they brought small
prices, she gladly gave the money to her
father, who needed it now more than ever.
His second wife had two sons when he
married her. and now they had third,
German, and every cent Rosa could earn
was needed to help support seven chill
dren. esLa Mamiche," as they called the
new mother, was an excellent manager OF
the meagre finances, and filed her place
well.
Rosa was now seventeen, loving land
scape, historical and genre painting, per-
haps equally, but happening to paint .
poat she was so pleased in the work
that she determined to make animal paint
ing q specially. Having no money te
procure models, she must needs make
long walks into the country on foot to the
farms. She would take piece OF bread
in her pocket and generally forgot TO cal
it. After working all day she would come
home tired, often drenched with rain, and
her shoes covered with mud.
She took other means TO study animals
In the outskirts of Paris are great abba
toirs or slaughter pens. Though the
girl tsnderly loved animals, and shrank
from the sight Of suffering, she forced
herself to see the killing that she might
know how to depict the death agony or
canvas. Though Obliged to mingle more
~ less with drovers and butchers, no in
dignity was ever offered her. AS she sal
no ! bundle of hay with her colors about