The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-27

responsibility of the women of the day,
INF we rive thanks to Him who made us,
that thew have proven equal to their duty
and privilege. "The heart of her husband
doth safely trust in her-
Mr. Marks then proceeded to introduce
one after another the speakers of the ev.
ening. AS toastmaster he acquitted
himself very ably and his introductions
were all of the most graceful and eloquent
character. The address Of the evening
was delivered by Mr. Frederick A,
Tompson who spoke in substance as fol-
lows:
MR.. TOMPSON'S GRAFTON.
Mr.. Tompson took for his subject the
celebrated Benvenuto Cellini, and for
half an hour highly interested his audi
ence by his tale of that great goldsmith
and sculptor's life, from which we take
this sketch. A great portion of the ora
ton was devoted to the wild. weird esca'
pades and roamings of CellinL Mr..
Tompson said in part:
1t seems to me not entirely out of place
at this time to call to mind certain events
| III uUb lllc VI ASOuf0nubO S0lllu1. OuG III
thu most unique characters of the six
teenth century, who, being the greatest
goldsmith of his time, a sculptor. musi-
clan, something of an engineer and ali
author, was also the most staggering of
aallants, the hercest of swordsmen and
the prince of egoJiSts. His genius was
remarkable and his work as an artist adj
mirable, yet it is as an author that he
has become the best known. He says
in his autobiography that "all men of
every class, who have done something
creditable, ought being trustworthy and
honest men, to write their lives with
their own hands," and accordingly, at
the age OF fifty eight, he began. the story
of his eventful career.
Symonds tells us "His autobiography
is the record of action and passion.
Suffering, enjoying, enduring, working
with restless activity, hating, loving,
lowering from place to place as impulse
moves him, the man presents himself
dramatically by his deeds and spoken
words, never by his ponderings or medi-
tative broodinga 1t is this healthy ex-
ternality which give Its great charm to
Cellini's self portrayal and renders it an
imperishable document for the student OF
human nature"
Baretti, saws: "The life of Benyenuto
Cellini, written by himself In the pure
and unsophisticated idiom of the Floren
tine people, SURPRISES every book in our
literature for the delight it affords the
reader. From this autobiography l
have taken such extracts as seemed to
me suitable to give rough outline of
Cellini' g life.
Benvenuto was born at Florence in
the year 1900, his family having been for
three generations land owners in that
part of the country. His father was
musician, a worker in ivory and maker
of musical instruments.
Passing over the first few years of Gel.
lini's childhood, we find that his father,
a member of the Court Band, being very
anxious that his son should adopt the
same profession, began teaching him to
play the flute, and until his fifteenth
year he continued to study music, al.
though he already showed great predilec-
tion for the fine arts.
At fifteen years of age he entered the
employ of one Antonio. goldsmith, and
in few months, hy his steadfast appli.
cation to work, surpassed all the other
p rertices.
Celnni was first of all goldsmith, and
although but few of his masterpieces sur
vive, he stands out prominently in the
lead among the masters of his time. To
be goldsmith ami sculptor was all his
ambition, and he believed himself to be
the first goldsmith and not less than the