Charlevoix county herald., 1907-11-09
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.)

Copyright, by Joseph Is. Bowles)
(Mrs. Winnie Ream Hoxie has the dis
tinction of being the only American .wom-
an who has had her statues accepted by
the United States government and placed
in the marble room OF the capitol at
Washington. Her life-sze marble figure
of President Lincoln is familiar to all
sight-seers In the capitol, while the heroic
oronze of Admiral Farragut Is one or the
best works of art in Washington. Statues
of many other great Americans have been
made by herr
The field of sculpture for women is
unlimited, but the workers are few,
for one must have a very decided
talent-a genius for ito enter the
field at all.
There must be no mistake about
this. Mediocrity will not do. Indus
try and application will not do. Per-
severance will not do. The only rea-
son for men or women trying to fol-
low sculpture as a profession is that
they are SO .irresistibly lmpelled
toward 1t and impressed with their
own ability that they cannot possibly
resist the impulse to model in clay.
Many girls have sought advice on
this subject, asked how they could
know If they had marked ability or
talent, and also, desiring to be sculp-
tors, what method l would suggest,
what teachers recommend? At these
questions I have sometimes lost my
temper and told them that they could
soon find out by shutting themselves
up with some clay and seeing what
they could evolve from the crude ma
terial. l have told them that. like
love, this knowledge comes not by
appointment, but at some unexpected
corner 1t springs forth" A good way
the only way to test the matter
would be to take some common pot
ter's clay Git seems almost sacred to
mo)-and IL, alone land unaided, they
cannot instantly bring forth some
thing beautiful or artistic from its
weird depths, where statutes lie i'm
prisoned, then let them come forth
from that room, leaving hope be-
hind" and let them then and there
forever abandon all idea of being
sculptors and following in the foot
steps of the divine Angelo"
My own experience when making
my first steps in the study of art
study that has been such a great
pleasure and comfort to me all my
life long-may be of interest. :
A mere child-a delicate GIRL had
never been in a studio until the fate
full day when l was taken to Clark
Mills studio by a friend. He was
modelling in clay and l was instantly
impressed with the fact that l, too,
could model, and in that very hour
made my first essay. In two months
had made in clay the likenesses OF
Thaddeus Stevens, Reverdy Johnson,
Gen. Custer, Gen. Grant, Gen. McClel-
Ian, Gen. Thomas, Gen. Fremont, Rep
resentative John Wentworth of Chi
cago, Gen. Frank p. Blair, Senators
John Sherman and Nesmith, Parson
Brownlow. Gen. Morehead Of Pennsyl-
vania, Representative Garfield, Gov.
Yates of Illinois and Abraham Lin
coin. they were all life-size busts
and have copies of them all here in
my studio now, and l look at them
with deep and affectionate gratitude,
devoted friends, inspiring me to in
dustry, application and high ambition.
These busts were said to be striking
likenesses and the senators and mem
bers who were lookers-on at my early
efforts took deep interest in their
young protege and had the kindness,
sympathy and courage to uphold will
ing hands.
If a woman feels that she has un-
usual talent for sculpture and desires
to enter this field, let her determine
to make it her life work. Let her
not be handicapped by marriage.
Every one can marry, but not all
can model. Not that l discourage
matrimony-an institution so noble
in itself-but it is distinctly not con-
ducive to development in art. Hus-
bands naturally are jealous of any
other love, and mothers heart
yearns more tenderly over her real
than her clay children. Little ones de-
mand constant attention, and there is
work enough in house, be the serv-
ants never so plentiful, to absorb the
constant attention of woman and
keep her busy day after day, week
after week and month after month.
II woman student is really seri-
ously in earnest let her study anat.
omy and draw from the nude. Let
her put her whole soul into her work.
II she can afford 1t, let her engage
experienced teachers that she may
profit by their experience, and let her
follow every advantage that means
will procure. But II she cannot afford
these helps, let her take the clay in
her own untutored hands and work
out her own salvation.