Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18


Of army oma6sfs. aad there was no tedious
civil service examination to keep out those
who wishsdsao enter the service. Men Of
ability. with fatf 1efsacnce. were then able
to secure positions with but little trou-
Die. and. being uhder the charge OF an
army. all things a1eing equal, could easily
In those esFiy az. the coast survey was
west eornersbr 1erses Avenue ne a aDd'
street southeast, 1n tho building which is
now known1as. tie Hotel Varnum- This
r was the Principal once although hot other
overflow onaees tass OCCASION required.
/ His Rkny Names.
At the tiuasE Of Nfhistler's entry upon de-
partmental stfe Id was known as J. A.
Whistler. atWest Point he had been known
as James Wffstlef.n and while his full name
was James Abbott McNein Whistler. he
had since his advent as an artist gone by
the name OF j. MeNeill Whistler.
The coast survey was then under the
charge of Captain Benham, friend OF
George Washington Whistler, West Point
artist. S-.-
Whistler. ST.. had resigned his commits
sion in the army TO enter private life as
an engineer, and among the engineering
works, which occupied his attention may be
mentioned the building of the railroad from
St Petersburg to Moscow which seems to
have been q remunsrative occupation and
during some years of his life in Russia he
was accompanied by his son. James "A.
Whistler. -. - MI -. a.
Life abroad. and his subsequent life at
West Point. had developed In young Whts-
tier pronounced liking for the life Of a
Bohemian and from this Bohemian style of
living 1t Is easy to trace the source OF the
many eccentricities> which 80 strongly
marked his later life.
Life at West Point.
While at West Point he showed unusual
ability in drawing and an originality that
can fairly be termed genius His drawing.
while excellent, was performed in such
peculiar. manner that no one seemed to be
able to anticipate what the result would
be. for he would draw the shadow before
drawing the object which was supposed to
cast the shadow or draw a hand or foot,
and then afterward< draw the rest OF the
body to which the hand or foot belonged:
and with all this eccentrfcity of method
there was no faulty drawing, his hands or
feet fitted the Fest of the model perfectly.
1t was an illustration Of his disposition at
an early time, for he entered West Point
at sixteen, to ignore rules and convention
alities and demonstrate that there were
other paths which led to the same end
that were fully as reliable as those which
had been recognized and followed for gen
era tons. =. .-.'
Drawing was his star study, and, of
course, one study was not sufficient for the
curriculum of West Point: and 1t IS need
less to say that he did not graduate. Pos
siibly by this the world lost an engineer as
famous his father had been. but it
gained an artist whose name is remembered
a thousand fold more readily than the name
of the father, eminent engineer that he
was.
A Map Engraver.
After the studies at West Point it seems
70 hay, an owing to the
friendly relations existing between Wis
tier, ST.. and Captain Benham. to secure
young Whistler a position as an engraver
| in the coast survey.
| While the ability, of young Whistler seems
to have beep ABUNDANT. his interest in his
| work was fage froN satisfactory. To him
it did not seem sieA,mlt that the work was worth
| doing. Possessed, Of an artistic tempera-
ment, the ehkrayfpg of maps was wholly
unsuitable ID, his tastes.
For LANDSCAPES Whistler seemed to have
TO PARTICULAR u, fonapess, but there was al.
in aa this n ssS s map
work presented suDiaue features and the
margins Of his maps usually contained
sketches Of sPms Of the queer people he had
course these vera always cut away before
the plate was used for printing. otherwise
the survey Would haye in its possession
choice seleetaA9p q Whistler as very early
His period ' # .sefSes in, the survey vas Of
brief duratiop. and at the expiration Of six
months be had clased his departmental, life
and never e ii f gIfI TO- Washington In "a
CLERICAL ears aeasea sresafa Of punctuality fol,
lowed whistler 5thra4lfgh life: An American
who had Whistler.s name on his. list as an
artist worth seeing. wrote Whistler to the
erect that he would be pleased to see him
on certain day, at -4.30 pm. to which
life he had never been able. to go anywhere
at 4:30 promptly, ..,.t3 go: 49,.