The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-09

is great ply for it was in Itself one OF
the most picturesque, rambling old red
houses TO be found anywhere in New Eng
land. sketched II from many points but
the most attractive was looking past the
cedars down the road where the clear sur
face of the bowl mrrored the broken
form Of Monument Mountain. This was
Hawthornes favorite view, for ii was pre-
cisely what he saw-withogt the house, of
course-from the window of his den" In
the southeast corner on the ground floor.
/ had to be contented with sketching the
exterior, for although l often tried to OBJ
tain access to the house to make a picture
/ never accomplished it. Some rich
old bear of bachelor, thwarted in love.
and said to have been fond of Hawthorne
and books-but never believed Thought
the old house and lITed the life of a re-
cluse there with the homeliest and kindest
old woman / ever knew. She let me peek"
In once when the master was gone but
glance was all l ever got of the interior
OF that mysterious mansion. / have for
gotten the owners name, as / always do
forget disagreeable people and things, and
shall never forgive him for denying me
the privilege of sketching Hawthorne's
room in the old Stockbridge house
Passing on southwark from The Bowl"
the wheeling was rough for Lenox, but
the views were fine. On the edge of
Stockbridge we left the main road between
the two villages and crossed to Prospect
| Hill Road, where the wheeling was as
smooth as on any road in France Circling
Prospect Hill are some beautiful country
homes, though few are built on the ex-
tensive and ornate plan which marks
those of Lenox, but the view is a dream
OF beauty. The valley farms along the
Housatonic and the wooded sides of rug
"A
| picture that one scarcely dares to look
for such a one this side Of his Castle
/ In Spain" There are many reasons for
this, the greatest of which is undoubtedly
the fact that the view is due south. There
| is an Understandable charm about noun
tain side and valley when seen through
the blue haze of a summer afternoon.
Each tree and mass of forest presents its
shimmering gilded green edge like the
sheen on crinkled velvet, while detail in
the shadows are swallowed up in masses
OF tender blue, of indescribable sweet
ness. To paint this sort of thing is the
despair of artists. They all try II sooner
or later but they never more than hint
at the real beauty. 1t is like painting
the sun itself. and wise is he who is
contented with getting something of the
truth of such scene and does not try to
pai-; 1t so that 1t will look real, like a
for such effort always ends in failure
The objects become as hard looking as if
they were made of porcelain. Sontag sue
ceeded with such effects in blue, while in
golden tones Of late afternoon the great
s. r. Clifford came nearer TO nature than
any other artist ever did.
1t was not exactly fair subject to
paint, for the view was down hill %
but at Minister Choates coy little sum
mer home hugging the hillside close to
| the road, as snugly as ground spar
rows nest, the view was more charming
than at any other point for a brilliant,
old-fashloned garden full of hollyhocks
| of every color glistened in the sun. A
| gorgeous foreground this pageant OF
| bright tints, backed up by the melting
shades of mountain blue This was
| at Z o'clock in the afternoon and
| from experienced observation | know this
was the finest moment in the whole of
| this exceptionally fine day to have seen
| this view BY comparison, al another
time, or on sunless days, this woGld have
been a tame view indeed Only a pain
| ter knows the keen disappointment of
| going to paint a scene at a different time
=! or season. Sometimes one doubts his