The Russellville Democrat., 1893-11-09
r HER EARLY LITE.

Caroline Shawl Br90ks fhe aeulp
 hose fame ia yr5zat on two eonti-
 was born at Ciueinu1ti, O.. 1u the
 s4g. liar madden name wss -haWk
 sr father was a1 inventor and gel
 of aeus elniEenee, being the gE5Zi-
 e tks GFet stszu fire eugins that Ess
 useessfzlly operated. Bat, as with
 rveutigus, his plane were stolen
 as realized nothing fer his labors.
 G1swk came from a family sf artistH.
 2 mother painted i1 water goloEs with
 thar usaal ability, and otaer Feia-
 wsFe enRraverE oG great note in Bn-
 Ibus her great geuius- which ls
 Ing nqt inspired, may be in 8 meas
 aee0zuted for From her earliest
 a she painted and drew, but her work
 done g8iy through the proaptiuRs Of
 adedoa5is instinct as she had abse-
 ? no training u1tI her eighteenth
 when she became the pupil of J9hu
 kenstein, 0f Springfield, o., painter
 considerable smiEenes, and one yet css-
 2 70 Ds sstesDsl among the old mas
 She was hie only pupi--ths only one
 evsr C0nssutsd t9 iustruct-aud from
 she learned much Of the technical
 of art. for that genius which mekes
 warm fife blood e01rse through the
 s of marble s,atne and paints
 zurs that wslks forth from tbs canvas
 hat zsHins was born within her and
 dsd bat a cgarss 0f normal training to
 onisn the world with its handiwork. Drn hlm ske learned the finer lines of
 usiHg. which is but fine hand maid of llptuFs Everything t0 which she ksss tr4
 mind. and thus began the development passi0u for art which has dominated r life through these many years.
 h 1863 ahe married the Hon. Samuel ooks, of Cincinnati. They vent to 5t. yuis, then to Memphis, and finally, in 08, dritts3 to the Rice plantation. with 1 tan miles of Helena, Ark. Here she searas inured to the routine of existence
 farm, and lived @ fife of practical s. )usion, as months would often pass during fnieh she peveT saw a white ftee except |aose 0f her immediate household. Thus, |eyoaa ths iHhusnse of pr0ssic, bastl.ng |gfld, iB tbe eompaniopship of her own |3eals and few sssgciates developed that nnate genius which was within her born. bhe Daiutsd and drew and with her pene |r2ting eye sought out the hidden elements Df beauty iu nature
 All the duties which fall to ths lot of a .afmers wife dsvolged upon her, and sm0ng these was the work of the dairy. In order to have butter for nse she had to make it. She says that she well rsmen- oers the feeling Of thoss golden balls as hey were fashigned with the pressure of ger untaught fingers, and ss her paddle passed over the piastic msss which repre- lented the ffBits of certain churning # padnsily grew into the ssmbianee of a lheli. Thia was her first modelling in but ter and, little as she knew it thsn, it marked q new era in sculpture. With the .ueesss Of thig, her frst attempt, the in- Itinets Of the artist asserted themselves 1new, and she looked eagerly forward to he next churning Afterward, on the oils of butter she prepared for market, appeared the forms of fish, heads and other ,b jsct@, and so well did she do her work hat consumers thought them the impress ,f mold She never modelled the same igure twice, but was continually casting bout for new forms of beauty. This she continued for about eighteen months, when she modelled no more for several fearg.
 Her drst work that gained any eonsidera- ,ie note waa the model of an ideal head, made in 8 small milk pan and sent to a shureh fair at Helena in May, 1873, where t was sold for au amount sufficient 10 ,oof the church. 1t elicited much praise rom all who saw it.
 Among those who admired the work was ! Col Littieton, of Memphis, who sent her request that she make another for him. The subject chosen was Mary, Queen of 5eots, which was modelled in a milk pan n the hottest days Of August. When com ,leted il was sent to Memphis and exhib- ted with great eelat, receiving a number ,f commendatory notices in the press. An recount of t appeared in Harper Weekly, n which it was stated that "that house wife in the bsckwoods of Arkansas should ,e encouraged and her genius cultivated" At the October fair at Helena she had on exhibition a relief in memory of Col. Little on. IL was something new and the judges knew not what to call #, but .mong other awards which the young culptor secured was one on butter orms" She also took awards on the best Tayon, the beat water color and the beat ttraAf rilRWAAE kAE FNEraA4i4tf VI AEA ,enius. She says she knew nothing Of modelling, as she had never seen sculptor 4 work, so she called her works "atudies,P g she does ts this day. About this time gss the inception Of her most famous york, the Dreaming Iolauthe," and this vill make most fitting subject for the econd part of this chronicle.
 1.-THE DREAMING IoLAETHE.
 The history of this famous sculpture be- ins before the May study alluded to bove. One day che had large ehurning Q do, and as she was preparing for it rieud of the family rode up to the gate, ghich was some distance from the house, nd called to her that be had a book which ad been sent her from Helena, and that if he couid read it in half an hour she might ave it, as be would call for it at the end [ that time. It was a question of reading he book or doing the churning, but her Dve of literature prevailed and shs sat own to peruse the volume. It proved to 6 king kens's Daughter" a strong rama iu verge by Heinrich Hertz, Dan sh writer of great reuown. It made such deep impression on her mind that aD ieal of the heroine grew steadily upon CT. A 0rlet Hyu0pBis or the story VIII rove of interest and lead to a better un- erstanding of her work.
 Iolanthe, i'the Violet of Ani0u, " was the steI of Margaret of Anjou, who married Ieury VI, of England, and A daughter of good King Rene, a ruler of Provence in ls days of heroism. Soon after birth she .as stricken with blindness, but no hint her afiliction was suffered to reach the aild, and she grew to beauteous woman ood with no knowledge of the functions sight until Prince Tristan, heir t0 the irone of neigh boring king. om, and to whom she had been etrothed since her earliest infancy, re owed the spell under the most romantic rcumstancee, then, as became a gallant night, fell desperately in love with her, though be ig not aware of her identity e telis her of her remarkable defect, and, though she gees him not she returns his we. Finally a renowned leech restores sr sight, and she and the prince are mar ed as they ought to be. From this lovely romance Mrs. Brooks ,nceivsd the idea of an ideal lolanthe, and once fashioned the features in small oval