The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-07-07
AN AS.Ny DED ARTIST,
SINGULAR MANIFESTATION OF
MYSTIC FORESIGHT.
Tho agony Of a Mother with Her. Chill
dren Around Her'-Was 1t Claip-
voyance?-A Hard Nut. for
the Scientists.

voyance?--A Hard NUt. for
the Scientists.
Some years ago M. LIE Rous: had, q
friend named Cabagnct 81 buildeH.
living at Argenteuil, near Paris, who
possessed clalrvoyant powers OF a res
markably high order. Cabagnet had
friend. q young sculptor. who at
that time was studying at Rome. and
during his absence Cabagnet wrote
him q letter couched in the follow ing
terms: h
& MY DEAR FRIEND: I am far from
and yet near you. My mind seeks
You out NANNY times a day. At this
moment ann by your side. Continue
your labons and be not discouraged.
You have worked we'll this winter,
That Little shepherd returning from
the fountain, will make you name in
the world, and the group you will ex-
ecute hereafter will most assuredly
cause you, to- triumph. The agony Of
O. mother with her children around
herr what an essentially dramatic
subject! 1t needs all the elevation of
your heart and the truth of your
emotions to, produce such a work of
art as, L see there.
The young sculptor: upon receipt
OF this letter. was astonished beyond
measure; having upon his easel at the
time a. picture representing young
shepherd. precisely as his friend had
descnibed. and knowing that Cabag-
net had nosmeans Of knowing by or
binary means, in. what way his brush
had been, employed.
AS to the second scene suggested by
the olairvoyant he had another mat
ter on hand. which was expressing his
thoughts. but nothing of the nature
which the clairvoyant had depicted
For everal years the young sculp or
labored on, producing each season
better work. and in due course he
married beautiful young girl and
settled down. quietly in Paris. Cab
agnet and the sculptor met occasional
IL during; the ensuing years, but the
subject Or the letter had long been
forgotten, one: being busy with his
money making schemes and the other
with. his, efforts, to- win the coveted
h0nors> Of his profession; neither had
much leisure. Or desire for Investigate
ing mysteries Then the artists wife
fell sick. and finally the physician re-
inquished all hope Of restoring the
beautiful woman to health. When
this dreadful fact reached the knowl-
edge. OF the sculptor and his children
they Were beside themselves with
grief. -" ..
Just before her death the sculptor's
wife Was seated one day upon the bed,
while her. two children, in an agony
OF grief over their approaching
separation, flung their arms about
her and wept piteously. BY the bed
side sat the father, his heart weighed
down with greater grief than he
had ever before experienced. Deep
as was his sorrow. the artists soul,
however did not fail to grasp the
poetry Of that terribly solemn picture
which the group upon the bed pre-
sented. After his wife died and the
sculptor returned to his studies. he
was continually haunted by the picture
which he had seen in her death
chamber, and he finally resolved as
a labor of love and memorial of his
affection, to transfer the beautiful
idealization Of sorrow to marble.
What pains the bereaved husband
took to perfect his work in this case
may be imagined. Inspired by the
memory Of an affection which had
never before been crossed by a
shadow. the sculptor put his soul into
the silent marble, an epltome of his
own grief. Needless to say that the
medal of honor was awarded this pro.
duction at the Paris Salon. where, it
was subsequently exhibited and. that
despite eNtlavagant offers which, have
been from time to time made the
sculptor for his work. it still remains
in his own possession. Yet from the
moment when the subject was, first
suggested to him in his wife's chanabes
the sculptor never remembered the
prophecy contained in tho letter
which his friend Cabagnet sent him
while yet serving his student appren-
ticeship among the classic. master
pieces Of Rome Neither does it APP
pear that Cabagnet himself ever
noticed in how remarkable, a manner
that impromptu bit Of prophetic work
Of his had been fulfilled.
Cabagnet however subsequently
died and the sculptor who for years
had seen little Of his friend. was one
day looking through q bundle of old
letters which he had received from
him at different times when he came
across the one which has already
been quoted. When he reread these
words, 'and the group you will exc.
cute hereafter will most assuredly
cause you TO triumph: the agony OF a
mother with her children around her
wi hat an essentially dramatic sub
ject! 1t needs all the elevation Of
your heart and the truth Of your
emotions to produce such work of
art as | see there. The first mixing
of how Cabagnet had foreshadowed
his great work occurred to the sculp-
tor. Then he saw how truthfully,
years before the idea had ever shaped
itself within his own mind the clair
voyant had gazed upon his MASTER
~ Il, lie, l.