The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-06
OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
sELEcTIOSs ron THEIR PBEAsUBE
AND PROFIT.
Some Instructive ms Well rs Enjoyable
Reading for the Children's Perussi.
Father Times Letter.
A FAITHFUL STUDENT.
nY z. V. G.

1t was in a plain. unpretentous little
house In the gay city Of Paris that Rosa
Bonheur first opened her bright, dark
eyes That was more than seventy years
ago. as the family register shows the i'm
portant event occurred in 1872. Her father
was an artist. and it may be said that
sbe Inherited her wonderful talent for
picture-malSing No doubt she did, for
artists are born, not made, but her re-
markable success did not come to her
without constant, persevering labor.
The mother died when Rosa was quite
a little girl. and she ana her two
brothers were sent TO board with n good
woman who tried faithfully to do her
duty to the mOtherless little ones COM
mitted TO her care. She sent them all 10
school, but Rosa did not take kindly TO
books, and insisted upon playing In the
woods Of the Bois de Boulogne and gath
ering buttercups and marigolds, which
grew there In great abundance. After she
had become famous she often talked OF
those two years in which "she never
spent an hour OF fine weather indoors"
When her father brought home a new
wife she was taken back 10 the little vine
covered cottage, and when IL was dis
covered that she really dlsliked 70 be tied
down 10 her books. she was told she
must learn "A trade by which she could
earn her own bread. Consequently she
was apprenticed 10 fashionable dress
maker, but she was 80 dissatisfied and
unhappy. and cried so much for the sun
shine and freedom TO which she had been
accustomed that her father took her from
bs. Oh fch nj har
vate school. Here she amused the other
girls by drawing witty caricatures OF the
teachers and pastins them against the
walls with paste made OF chewed bread
crumbs. Although scarcely pleased with
the subject OF her sketches the teachers
were impressed with the force OF her
drawings and preserved them In an album.
AT this time she was not what you might
call q happy child. Her father was not
able 10 dress her as handsomely as some
of the other girls and even her wonder
ful success with the pencil did not in her
mind make up for the difference that
troubled her artistic eye. She loved beau
t!ful things, and it hurt her soreiy TO
eat from tin cup with an iron spoon
while her companions were slipping with
silver spoons from dainty silver or china
mugs.
sensitive little daughter, her father de-
clded 20 leave her to her natural ten
denotes. and watch what fourso she
would pursue. IL did not take him long
20 find out the wisdom of this decision.
for as she went about her work OF draw
ing from nature. copying and making
models. he discovered that she possessed
talent far beyond his own. She was
happy, too, and sang like a bird while
laboring with a will. After teaching her
all ne was able. her proud father sent
her 10 the Louvre. and there she soon
displayed her wonderful ability in copy
ing the works OF the old masters
One day a grand-lOolVing old gentleman
stopped before her easel and said kind
iy' "Your copy. my child. is superb. Per
severe ard you win be n great artist"
IL is remark sent her home as Joyful as
q queen, and strange as YOU may think
IL. her thoughts were not about her won
deriui picture so much as about the sill
yer mug and spoon she would buy so
soon as the picture could be turned into
money.
Before she had reached her seventeenth
birthday she had painted a goat so
true 10 life that her father urged her
10 study animal life, and give herself 10
the special work OF painting animals
She had no money 10 buy models, So
with sandwich in her pocket. she would
start on long trips 10 the country, where
she could study animal life from the liv-
ing models on the farms without costing
her cent. Another plan OF study was
10 visit the slaughter-pens on the ont
skirts OF the city, where, while her tender
heart was throbbing with pity at sight
OF the suffering endured by the animals
she loved. she might learn how 10 pu.
that very suffering into the pictures she
was painting. The butchers saw how she
persevered IN her loved work and how
eaFer she WAS 20 perform e perfectly,
and they made n point 10 assist her In
every way In their power
On the roof OF her fathers house Rosa
made garden and flled n with honey
suckles. roses and nnsturtiums. and here
ehe kept n beautiful sheep. which served
for a model.
when she was nineteen she sent two
pictures-one az goats and eheep and the
other Of rahbits-io the Fine Arts Tx
hbition. Two years later she had flushed
twelve beautiful pictures. and before she
was twentv-seven her MAGNIFICENT paint
Ing. "Cantal Oxen" took the gold medal,
ana over all the world the story OF her
WONDERFUL success was freely discussed
Put the fame she had so early achieved
did not cause her 10 slacken her work or
make her careless about The performance
OF w. she continued 10 labor on early
ara ie,e and only a very short time
esc, whS nearing her SEVENTEEN mile
s'one bhe said TO frfendd. ~ have
peen faithful student since I wa ten
~" edH A faithful student, aithoush