The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-18

AS A STUDENT OF CHEMISTRY
HE LIVED lybrffE SHADOW of
THREATENED BLINDNESS FOR
T'T'" - 91YEARs. -
HIGH SUCCESS .oe AT sixTs'
the Aesthetic lNadAsonie bright
sss's'F Bits FROM Punch. y

Genius never baked more PERSISTENT
+olys than when drawing George du sMau-
r1er up to the mountain top of fame.
Every road nearly of his own choosing
was refused by the headstrong sprites
VINO picked out other paths which end
ed IN the laurel. From childhood his
dearest ambitions were frustrated nots
all at once, but one by one-linked dis
appointments. long drawn out His
highest success came later in life and
in most unexpected manner.
n When seventeen years old Du Mau-
+srier, then living with his parents jim,
Paris, fell~down in his examination at
the Sorbonne for his bachelor degree.
SIhls mortified him, but it didn u dis,
turb his father That parent was set
IN MS way, and that way was science.
lie hated everything. that ewassnot sei4
eneee and .deSpfsed all books, classics in.
cluded, which were. not on scientific
subjects AS Du Maurier pere was de-,
termined that Du Maurier fills should be
scientist, the failure of the boy in his
examinations was no annoyance.s Ts1e
family went to England, and George
was sent to the Birbeck Chemical Lab
| oratory of University Colleges Dro
Williamson thought the boy an unsat-
isfactory student of chemistry, for
George spent his time drawing 1cari-,
catures 9ec .+-a
WOULD Be A MUSICIAN.
But drawing was not what the boy
wanted most to do. His ambition at
this time was music and singing. The
father, naturally, might have felt COM
plimenteds at this choice, for he's had.
so his son has said, "tfle sweetest. most
beautiful voice that I have ever heard.
and if he had takensSup singing as
profession would certainly have been
the greatest singer of his time. There
were millions in his throat We were
all musical in eur@fanli1y, my father,
my sister, the sister who married Glenn
ent Scott, most gifted pianist, and
then myself. i was at that time crazy
about music, and used to practice my
voice wherever and whenever I could,
even on tops of omnibuses. But my
father always discouraged me- 1 re-
member one night we were crossing
Snfithfield market together, and I was
talking. to my father about music. I
am sure that I could become a singer
c@lASA II y Ott 1ihCzI w Ia prove IL TO
you. II have my tuning fork in my
pocket. Shall I show you my Al?
Yes. said my father Il ). should
like to hear your idea of an A. $50
sang the note. My father laughed.
Do you call that an A? Let me
show you how to sing It, And then
! there rang out a note of music low
| and sweet at the outset and swelling
as 1t went itilrs it seemed to fill all
Smithfield with divine melody I can
! never forget that scene, never; the
dark night. the lonely place end that
wave of the sweetest sound that my
ears have ever heard. Some time later
my father relented and gave me few
music lessons. > l won HIM over by
showing him drawing which I had
produced in Wiliiamson's classroom. in
which ] was represented bowling grace
fully in acknowledgment of the ap-
plause Of an audience whom had
electrified with my musical talents.
My poor father, may add, as am
speaking of his musical powers, died
in my arms-as he was singing one
of Count De Segur's drinking songs.
He Ieft~thisc world almost with music
on his lips
George remained at the, Birbeck
laboratory two years, and then his
father set him up in fine laboratory
on his own account MY father"