Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-24
AN ARTISTS ENVIRONMENT.

with MS me, erect inquire anu kieg i
perial.
AN ARTISTS ENVIRONMENT.
Mr.. J. G Thorn. whose winter -colors were
sold at auction recently. is an artist VINO
has been noted for fifteen years TOT the
possession of an extremely long head wen
filed with gray matter. Ii happened Ia
this way:
When the art exhibition for the centen-
NAL of 1876 was decided upon aud artists
were invited TO send pictures, MI. lnom
did better. He went to Philadelphia and
gained admission to the unfinished gellery.
where be wished 10 study tho environment
Of his work. While there he noticed two
spaces, one on either side Of a big entrance
door. which were SO high and narrow that
il would be pretty hard work to ind
pictures TO fit them. These spaces be
carefully measured, aud going home won't
at once to work to paint pictures OF thss
shape. When the pictures arrived their
mechanical fitness befriended them as
we'll as their intrinsic excellence, ana tney
were well hung" while the names OF
the rejected were legion. a.
Art has made some advances IN TINS
country since 1876. but nobody mas yet
arisen earlier in the morning than Mr..
Thorn did on that occasion.
THE FORREST FIREs OUT WEST.
Twenty years or so ago some very good
friends of mine were burned up IN the
awful forest fire which swept over Pesh-
tigo. Wis, fire far more appalling in its
loss of life. though perhaps not more de-
structive of property. than those from
which Michigan has Just suffered. re-
member that the theory was advanced at
that time that the awful fate OF the Peshtl.
goers was O punishment Tor the SIN OF
Sabbath-breaklng, and the cousin OF my
burned friends announced that theory TO
me with some satisfaction. 1t seemed 70
soothe him 10 discover some reason Tor
the calamity.
But were j. and H Sabbsth-break-
ers?" / asked him.
mo, but lots of folks around there
WERE" he answered.
well, then" SAID II was twenty years
younger than now and had not learned the
exceeding folly Of argument" why were
they, who hadn't broke the Sabbath,
burned up while so many people out here
break il fifty-two times q year and are
none the worse for it?
He never answered the question.
A woMAN's HOUSE.
The most interesting and magnificent OF
the newer houses of New York will I'M
doubtedly be the fine Italian palace being
erected on Fifth avenue by Mr.. and Mrs.
G. p. Huntington. OF rather by Mrs. and
Mr.. Huntington--the former as active
director, the latter in the very important
role of the payer of bills. The house. with
its cool and regular exterior, us ar
Of restraint and sOlidity. is IN rather
refreshing contrast to some OF the
more frenzied productions of recent
years. Mrs. Huntington, who has very
good taste in such matters, Is practically
the responsible director of the. whole en-
terprise. She it is whom would-be deco
rators and furnishers and artists ply with
arguments, and her decision is final. The
interior of the house will be q revelation
when completed. The wood carvings in
particular will be the finest in America.
And to the house Mrs. Huntington VIII
bring a considerable store of art treasures
picked up in her wandorings and now GER
tain to have the richest of settings Tor their
beauty.
UNPAID DoCToR's Bills.
at is surprising" said young but
very successful doctor to me few DAYS
ago, "how many people there are in New
York who are amply able 20 pay their
doctors bills and who simply Will not do
il. This particular variety of bllks are,
of course. always changing their physl-
clans. so that the newest doctor to settle
in any neighborhood is apt to get the
not very profitable custom OF NUMBER
of them. Add the poor people who
would paw If they could, and any young
doctor may call himself lucky If he collects
even 50 per cent. of his bills. But Just "a
soon as man conquers place as a
specialist he has no such trouble. While |
was a general practitioner lost Thousands
of dollars of book debts. Since | de-
veloped specially have made only one
bad debt"
All of which does not speak very we'll for
the honesty of New York people who IN
dulge in the luxury of being i'll.
A FORTUNE IN sHoE-TIEs.
A big shoe merchant tells me that two
years ago man came into his office III tho
last stages of q dTunkaTd's decline, apDa-
rently, and exhibited an invention which
would reyolutiOniZe mems shoe -fastenings
aud make a fortune for some one. 1t was
some sort of an arrangement which closed
all the buttons at once by the turn OF an
invisible lever, and was rs much OF an i'm
proycment on the old method as the lever
skate is upon the old-fashioned kind. That
was the first and last the merchant ever
saw of man or model. and lie is wondering
now f the inventors secret went into a
grave in Potter's field. He cannot IN the
least recall the manner of working OF the
fastening.