The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-09
A FATAL VISION.
How a Brilliant Idea Came
to Naught.
GENIUS NOT ENCOURAGED.
Heartless Sculptors Refuse to AID a
Great Enterprise Which Deals
With Cocoandt Shells.
GENIUS NOT ENCOURAGED.

The sculptors Of San Francisco are
wrathv and, as they think. with cause.
| An attempt has been made to degrade
their art, and though made possibly with
| innocent intent none the less have their
| nerves been Jared.
! The fall from the sublime to the ridic-
ulous has been made and worthy man
named Sresovich is the innocent offender
| against the peace and dignityIof aristocratic
| Bohemia.
Sresovich deals in product of the topics
-cocoanuts. Shiploads of this sim pie and
| useful nut are consigned to him and in
disposing Of them in various ways he has
found both pleasure and profit.
Above all else, however, he is business
| man. and finding a market for c0coanut
only in the desiccated form he cast about
for means by which the shaggy covering
Of nourishing food might be proftably
utilized.
As bis name indicates Sresovich belongs
to race ever noted as liberal patrons OF
| all things artistic. What wonder then
that his thoughts on business bent should
be tinged with brighter tnts than illumine
He pondered long. At last by happy
inspiration an idea occurred that seemed
! to offer a happy solution OF the difficulty.
Yes! yes!' he murmured to himself as
he strolled along the water front, Il will
by means of the desplsed covering of the
tropic nut popularize art among the
masses. the public taste in things artistic
will be elevated and IN a modest way L
will be benefactor."
The cause for this creditable self-com-
muning figured in the window OF store
where miscellaneous array Of monde
script articles. only to be found along the
line of docks. were piled up in dlsorderly
array. 1t was a crudely carved cocoanut
made to REALISTICALLY represent human
face and head
IF such use can be made OF cocoanuts,
why cannot on a more elevated and tar
more extensive scale put these shells to
profitable use and at the same time, in
stead of provoking smiles at a miserable
caricature, produce articles OF artistic
merit that will arouse love Tor the
beautiful"
TO think was to act. Procuring several
specimens from the waterfront dealer in
curios Sresovich HE'D him to his b me and
there turned his thinking powers loose.
Eureka! / have it!'' he exclaimed tri-
umphantly to himself. Il Will have repro
duced first the heads Of the country's
greatest warriors. and thus will be Incul-
Gated patriotism and love Of country"
Mr.. Sresovich may have rejoiced in
wardlv as he, with his minds eye, saw the
cocoauut head of the Father of His
Country" perched in the place Of honor in
some modest home.
end? Some little reflection brought light
to him. San Francisco boosted scrlptors
of merit, nay, eminence, in their profess
sion.
True, they generally work in marble.
but terra Gotta or clay are as one to them.
so why not give them chance at cocoanut
shells?
Having thus outlined his scheme he pro-
ceeded 10 put it into execution. He had
| his shells in the raw state and he also had
| a store wherein to dispose OF them in their
| finished state. The intermediate stage
was ali that had 10 be provided Tor, and
| that now seemed simple.
He would call upon and arrange with
several of the prominent Sculptors and
| make arrangements TO Keep them perma-
nently employed.
Born under Italia's sunny skies, the first
| sculptor interviewed by ,Sresovich was
| Victor Gulielmo, who received him with
an easy grace that inspired him with the
belief that here he saw man who would
enthusiastically enlist himself in the cause
he had at heart.
He explained his wishes. A sudden
transformation took place. Speaking with
the soft accents of the south. the sculptor
| exclaimed:
"Iam one artist, sir. Imak-a the fine
| figure, the Venus. Dian and the great-a
man. For this get-a one thousand doll-a :;
and you want-a me to cut the cocOanut
she'll Diavalo! Wbat-a you taxa me for ?"
| And gesticulating wildly he rushed from
the room.
Slightly discouraged. Sresovich tried to
| l. IL, kh1
Italians generally did place their ideals
| too high and utterly lacked the ability to
be artistic aud busineSs-like at the same
time.
| Rupert Schmid, so we'll known to local
| fame, was the next called upon and to him
! Sresovich unburdened himself. He was
disenchanted, however. when this scion of
the Vaterland. apparently DaralyZed by the
immensely of the order he was about to
receive, gasped out in pityiug accents:
'Mein Colt in HimmelP
| SO far things had not progressed as IA
vorably as Mr.. SreSovich thought and hoped
they would, aud somewhat downhearted,
| but with hope still burning within him. he
| adopted different tactics with the next
studio he visited.
| There he encountered Barrett, an Amer
| lean, member of the Bohemian Club,
and jolly good fellow, but matter-of-fact
and busness-like as well. Sresovich pro-
ceeded to cautiously inquire how his rates
ruled in the open market.
''Ah, you want some heads made and
desire to know the cost" said the chiseler
of stone. well, If you want only one
will be compelled to charge you $1,000 OF
course If you want more / can" but he
was talking TO empty air.
Down the street meandered disilu-
stoned man. A scheme-new and quite
original-knocked out of sight.
Tho vieinp Of voalth and ortict;o nuto.
prise had melted away and vanished like
q DRAM