Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-09-06

NOV ho 'tppTesseu tIh OF lbs lest
known Pietures-How He Brought About
a Happy Marriage.
One of the unique characters of the
state is Marcus Mote, the veteran Qua
Eer artist of Richmond. He is now rs
years Of age and is very feeble. His
memory OF things that happened III his
youth and prime is keen and true, but
the events Of the day pass as the sum
lneT clouds. 1t was he who first detied
the Quaker antipathy to art in oil and
brush, and be secured the petition which
caused the legislature to provide that
tho public SCHOOLS of Indiana should
teach DRAWN, The petition was pre-
scented by senator Baxter, since de-
ceased. Two years previously the Qua
ker artist had secured the teaching Of
drawing in the public schools Of Rich
ylond by ordinance,
Marcus Notes talent was born with
him. Tt is said Of him that when only
~ years old his mother came home
from meeting II day and found him
scratching g rude picture on the foot
board Of the bcdstoad viii, a piece Of
charcoal. Til" Qaakers held that paint
ing was Of the devil and savored Of
iIolatry. Tho boy was rebuked, with q
remark, 81 do believe this mischief
Was born in thee. -
There was no r~olenting as tho lad
grew up and the propensity to draw
agid paint developed. lie was forbidden
to- indulge his talent, but he could not
bq repressed. 1t is evident that had he
met with encouragement and aid, in
stead of rebuEc, fame and fortune would
have crowned the artist with their rich
est laurels. As it was Marcus had to
take to the woods for his colors. The
primaries he derived from red root, or
from red ink, the yellows from yellow
root, and for blue he was obliged to con
tent himself with blping from his moth
er's washing tub.
"The only stealing ! have ever DONE"
he said to a Journal reporter, twas in
taking bluing from my mothers bluing
bag. For brushes l used the hair in the
squirrels tail, and l used to accompany
my father when hunting so as to get the
tails for my painting. At first all my
work was done with the pen. When I
secured my first box Of water colors I
worked as late at night as l could and
then spent the rest of the night awake
picturing what L would do
AS the boy grew to manhood he be-
came more asSortive of his art and per-
sisted in painting landscape and por-
traits i'll spite Of the grumbling of mem
bers of the meeting. He lived then in
Warren county, o., and attended quar-
terly meeting at Waynesville. He was
chosen clerk Of the meeting at one time,
which led to the protest against his
work rising to the surface. He would
have been disowned had not Thomas
Evans, father Of the we'll known oil mil-
lers of this city, used his influence to
prevent it.
Marcus Mote lived in Lebanon, o.,
for many years and personally knew the
great Tom Corwin. whose portrait he
painted for the state of Ohio. 1t hangs
III tie statell0uSe at Columbus, marked
by an unknown artist" In speaking
of this painting the artist said:
"My daughter happened to be in Co
lumhuS and went 10 the Statehonse. She
discovered tho inscription. Corwin came
to M / day when he was at home
from congress and said that the fellows
down lit Washington seemed to think
that nobody in Ohio could do anything,
and that he lad refused TO sit for Il por-
trait tJg an artist there for that reason.
He wanted tiin work done at bGmn Tie