The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-12
WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
That John James Audubon. one of the
greatest naturalists and ornithologists that
the world has known, was an American by
birth. and loved with a passionate devotion
Ills native land and the feathered inhabi-
tants of its mountains. marshes and woods.
is a matter of national pride.
That Audubon in the days OF his struggles
to attain all that he dreamed Of attaining
was closely associated with st. Louis and
nearby localities is Of especial interest to
st. Louisans. though a fact now seldom re-
called or entirely lost sight Of.
There are none left in ST. Louis to re-
member the days when Audubon came and
went between St. Louis and the old French
settlement OF Ste Genevieve. where he had
established a store. destined to be Of no
more account in his career than to mark
one more failure in his attempt to be
business man.
Just now when there is a revival Of tho
Audubonic spirit-the surprising and unex-
pected having happened in the Joining OF the
powerful League OF American Sportsmen
with the Audubonic societies to restrain the
ruthless slaughter Of the winged creatures
of plume and song-to be told that only Just
recently the crumbling sign that once swung
over the door of Audubon's store in Ste.
Genevieve has been relegated to the rub
bish heap is to make one regret that even
the most interesting Of landmarks must
give way to civic improvements.
The United States Government has In
dorsed the movement of the Audubonites
and the League Of Sportsmen' to protect
tho feathered tfibe, and dame fashion hav-
ing nothing else left to do has declared her
self as ready to go without feathers II need
be upon her winter hat But to avoid this
terrible depression the inventive Inilliner
has set his or her wits to work and there
IL promise from the present outlook that
the feathers of the common barnyard fowl
will appear In the autumn in a guise that
the honest cock and hen would not them
selves recognize as their cast-of clothing.
It was somewhere between the years Of
1910 and 1S12 that Audubon established him.
self in a small store in St. Genevieve. then
q French settlement on the banks of the
Mississippi, trying in vain to down the i'm
pulses strongest within him-those of the
poet. painter and naturalist, in an effort
to become successful business man, while
all the time his fortune was growing more
and more depleted and the streams and tho
woods beckoued TO him with silent but
powerful fingers; and he would yield to the
temptation and slip away from his buying
and bartering to study nature In the Mis-
souri, woods.
That Audubon's only sister lived for many
years in st. Louis, well known in society
half century ago as Nine. Berthoud, the
wife of prosperous citizen. Nicholas Ber-
thoud. is & fact also now forgotten, and
one that appears TO have been entirely over
looked by Audubons biographers. In his
own writings the mention made of this sis
ter by Audubon is scant, though it is proof
enough of his affection for Their that ne
presented to her complete set Of his
Birds Of America" the first print from his
original drawings. the copy that Audubon
preserved for his own use. from the limited
number Of the enormous volumes upon
which he expended lifetime of labor, and
was finally obliged to go to Edinburgh,
Scotland. to publish.
This set Of books is the most valuable
copy Of the Audubon works extant. and now
forms one of the most treasured possessions
Of tho Mercantile Library.
1t is the inscription upon the hyleaf of
each one Of the big books that establishes
beyond doubt the kinship of Audubon to
Mime. Berthdud of St. Louis. Though for
some reason an effort was made to obliter-
ate the inscription in the books. except the
autograph Of Audubon. in one of the vol
umes It still remains fairly plain that the
books were presented to Ny dear sister
ana friend, Berthoud" (The baptismal
name of this sister Is supposed to have been
Rosa.)
Some time about 1850 or 1855 several
wealthy friends and supporters of the Mer-
camille Library decided that SO valuable a
work as that known to be in the hands Of
Nine. Berthoud should be owned by tho