The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1898-02-10
A MASTERPIECE.

"A MASTERPIECE.
During the career OF the FIRST Napoleon
there lived IN the little Dutch town Of
Brent 4 young man named Hans Freefurt,
a painter, of very moderate attainments IN
bis chosen profession. In all else he was
capable, himself pleasant person, popular
with his townsfoik and neighbors.
But be was far from happy, for be craved
above all else the reputation Of greet
artist II was not for money at all that he
wished celebrity. It was the honor and
fame that be desired. In short, the young
man was ambitious beyond all words
Hans had tried industriousiy to paint
good pictures. The room was ililod liter
ally 10 overlooking with these daubs
Their number was the resuit Of peculiar
trai., Of thoughton the part Of tho painter
He had said to himself:
my pictures are bad, undoubtedly very
bad but--and piously thank heaven for
this--there IS not tho shadow Of pretense
about them. Az the first glance they carry
the conviction Of their complete iDferiority.
Here IS no attempt to cloak faults Of draw
| ing or Of color No one can say that my
pictures are not honestly bad ones. Now,
u HuUUJci ~ lllHA - Oh DaAs 4 hNfCf sA4SA+t
capacity for only limited number Of
these wretched creations, let me say 500,
| TO be thoroughly on the safe side. / VIII
paint 500 pictures, and warrant the I've
! hundred and first will be a masterpiece. =
TIe was still working at tho 300 and his
skill was improving, the necessary conse-
quenee Of hard, honest work, but Hans
was discouraged and began to doubt bis
| hypothesis. He YVES long way from that
| five hundred and first picture, and he
could not help dreading lest, after this
wedding OF himself for the five handredth
dino, thawext picture, when finished,
uaia I'VE not IA DO q MASTERPIECES, might
reach the Louvre.
Masterpiecei Louvre Asquick Is a fash
be saw plan for satisfying at one grand
| coup bis ambition and patriot veil
An hour later no laid this plan before his
friend Quentin.
The great emperor was then IN tho midst
| Of those prodigious thefts which have
more than all else endeared him to tho
really thoughtful and earnest sort Of
Frenchmen. His victorious armies from
all over southern Europe were constantly
returning laden with the most precious
works Of art
In Greece, take what be might, he could
hardly go wrong, and therefore could trust
to his own judgment, but Ia Italy and tho
southern countries there Is good reason to
believe that his choice was guided chiefly
by the actions Of tbs GUARDIANSHIP the yari
BUS art repositories and that be selected
Gil times, the paintings OF tho marbles
hich appeared 70 be the subjects Of great
s est solicitation 10 their owners.
Now rams plan for Che attaining Of his
/ ambition was bis: Napoleon Was Of the
time absent on some iittie expedition IN
the north. On his return, ~ be passed
| through Brent, which 10y ID bis direct
line to the capital, the great man must be
made to steal one OF Hans pictures, and
with some show Of violence II possible,
that the affair might have the greater pub
licity.
The theft accomplished, his fame as an
artist was established He would DO nc
counted genius at once and the time
| would have come for him 70 exchange his
privacy for publicity and to increase his
| correspondence, as all wise geniuses do, in
| preparation for death,
The emperor entered tho city on April 4
Ho was not overpopular with tho Dutch
so there WAS no demonstration as be passed
| through the town, nor did he seem to ex-
poet it. The day was hot, and he pushed
steadily onward, evidently anxious to
reach Paris.
Suddenly his attention was attracted by
| q piercing cry overhead Looking upward
. 6astily he saw, leaning out OF a window
a Wild LOOKING man, bristling with artists
acooutermenta, who gazed fearfully for a
moment at tho caynoade beneath and
then shot back from the window as II at
/ tacbed 20 an elastic cord.
The emperor halted. His instinct told
him he was on the tIiAi Of high art, and
in moment tho few doubts he bad were
put to fight by his catching glimpse Of
the same Young man and another equally
rufiianly looking person struggling over
the roofs OF some neiRhboring houses, car
rying between them what was evidently 3
| large canvas.
Soldiers and an officer were at once or
dered In pursuit, A house was broken
| into, some little damage done and much
disturbance OF the DoighborhoOd occa
STONED, and eater an indifferent race, the
overtaken and brought 1are the emperor.
| who then for the first tina confronted
Hans eighty 9th dAub
IL staggered syen Napoleon. ard Hans
afterward Acknowledged that be verify be-
lieved that II it had nor been far the pro
testatlons Of tho townspeople, bis and
| Quentin's plans would have gone for
naught. These two had thrown fhem-
selves on their knees and begged the en-
peror la suppliaiit terms 70 return this
painting, the work OF years, intended for
the cathedral OF ST. Apanias.
And all the people round about--and by
this time the littlo street was completely
blocked-impiored bis majesty to spare
this precious work, speaking out OF pure
good viii toward Hans, who. az I'have
said, was n great favorite, and whom they
saw to be Ia distress at the thought OF his
loss,
The emp@or was renssured. There could
be no longf any doubt as to the pioturen
superiorityS Besides. tho artist had ahoM
him all the elements of genius. He hadSa
wonderful bead OF hair, ran but poorly.
was lax In his CATERS, laxer IN his gait.
In short, the oircumstantiRl evidence
was overwhelming, and, as Thoreau has
said anu,atir,,oa otrrrtr,,rkank{al axrt.4arr.