New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-10-28
MR.. LA FARGE'S HEALTH
He Discomses EntertGintngly on.
That and Other Things.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

| stated that I was to undergo a serious surgical
| operation. and this was to be the second time
| that myself "the aged artist" had been COM
| PEELED TO submit to the surgeons knife. Your
| notice also went into the fnaccuracy Of saying
| that in the spring had gone through an opera
| ton for Intestinal trouble: then statement
/ which is really q great deal worse because &C
| curate. that I in my seven fourth year
| four years beyond the proper time. according
| to the Sunday school quotations. And in the
course of your notice it is intelligently stated
| that the National Arts Club had arranged
| dinner for me- but owing to my health It had
been Indefinitely postponed. I need not say that
| this is a serious reflection on the gentlemen Of
| the Arts Club, to whom anything could have
| been con1ded for one does not publish ones
| intestinal troubles
| Last week this matter source OF arnuse-
ment to me, and also Of certain pleasure from
getting inquiries and letters. etc. from people
| who kindly took interest in my health or
| anything affecting me- Moreover. II brought
me- q visit from my doctor whom I had not
| seen for several weeks. I have not seen him
| yet but he left his card SO I do not feel neg
| lected- I also received a most charming visit
| from a young reporter sent by The Herald" to
! inquire about generally, which visits we
| artists receive at certain times of the year. We
| talked about art, praised certain American art
some historical points referring to the eighteenth
| century French dream Of colony in the Scioto
| Valley, which dream brought my great grand
| father here in the late sos and the early sos
| The dream was interrupted by the putting
! death Of most Of the noble drearners who, for
! the good Of mankind, had organized that great
! scheme. On the other side the Indians had also
| done their best All this is being published
| by the press of tie University of Cincinnati.
] TVI73e
| reporter, but it did me- and reporters are some
! times very charming people, At the end Of this
! lon6 visit this young gentleman told me that
! thele had been something in The Tribune and
The Journal which had sent him up and
! then learned Of these soaring facts, or errors.
By this time, however. beginning TO SUI
fer from these statements. One Of the best known
! Of persons interested in art has just written
| to me- from the West that he did not call upon
/ ne as agreed because of the newspaper article
/ and, Of course, if am very sick man, under
! going an operation. I cannot expect to receive
! orders or be countenanced in going on with my
| work, great deal Of which requires at least
! supervision and following out OF many details
l happen to have great deal of important
| work in glass. and some in painting, which I
| carry through best I may. and which has
| usually been fairly successful with the artists
! and the public; but, as I am led into talking
! L
interesting TO me, and which is also interesting
| in general manner, and this is that I have
! been off and on an i'll man since the years 1866
and 1867. I paralyzed by what LATER was
supposed 10 be lead poisoning which affects
! some Of US painters very much and which can
/ be continued in the practice of the art OF what
/ is called stained glass; where lead Is much
/ used and fills the air and the hands, etc of
the people engaged. Notwithstanding, I havo
/ H.,
illness, Indeed. TO point moral think that
such q condition is an enormous incentive for
struggle. The lame foot of the late Lord Byron
was part of his equipment for becoming a great
English poet. The same for many of the paint
ers-take Mr.. Whistler for instance, and one
OF the greatest, Delacrotx, always IL man.
from similar trouble to mine The result has
been the same for me from my Iameness. which
has not always been apparent, but which is al
ways there. and which city life and the neces-
sary use of the cab cat which my friends laugh
do not tend to diminish. In the open air of far
away countries one is better Of everything, and
I have walked and been in the saddle for days.
Some thrty-odd years ago. when I undertook
the beginning Of decorative work in churches
by painting Trinity Church, nay kindly assist
ants had always to help me up the 3O-fOot lad
der to the great scaffOldings-NOt TO men
ton St. Gaudens, who is dead, and others-Mr.
Maynard, for instance, will remember our
conditions This did not prevent my painting
on the wall, sung a narrow board sixty
feet above the floor of the church. with
arm passed around rope and holding my pal
lette, while the other was passed around the
other rope. and I painted my last figure,
eighteen feet high. which had TO be finished
the next morning at o'clock I painted Ave
hours that night in that way, and painted for
t1enty-one hours out Of the twenty four. For
a sick man. you can see that the strain well
met and many times since I have had to go
through this physical strain OF painting a big
picture on the wall from the scafoldings.
The operations Of art are largely intellectual.
and can be met by a life devoted to study and
the requirement Of the proper knowledge. We
have h, and have still a good many dlstin-
guished artists who go on with their work late.
The Frenchmen OF the sos and Cos persisted
far UP into the TOs and SOS and that Is without
our daring TO think Of the past far away, when
Michael Angelo and Titan worked up 20 a very
late period of life Most Of the great paintings
Of Titan. as you know. such the marvellous
Charles W and I do not know how many hun
dreds Of others were painted after his seventy
Afrh wear In fact, VS. know, he passed
awav at ninety-nine owing to the pesrilence
which attacked Venice. AS artist friend OF
mine used 10 say if 1t had not been for that he
might still be painting.
I cannot hope for such a lengthy chance of
doing work and enjoying that wonderful! art OF
expressing ones emotions, but I think that
NAV still go on for little while. Certainly
yoIr artistic and literary assistants will re-
member the statement Of the great japanese
artist Hol-usai, in his seventy fifth year, when
ha said: Now I am beginning to know enough.
Wait until I an efghry-fve or ninety. and you