The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-08-26
THE TWO PATHS,
Iropyright. 1909. BY American Press ASS
By +. 4. mitchell.


Passing through the rooms, he stopped
to look at the half finished copy OF a
Titan. The copyist, shabbily dressed
man, looked up and, diyining that the
visitor was capable critic, asked in
good American English for his opln-
ION Of bis work.
You being fellow countryman Of
mlne," replied the other, II win give
you a truthful opinion. You are max
ang botch. OF t."
Tho copyist sighed.
Let me take your seat, and I viii
help you out"
In half an hour under the visitors
touch the copy was an exact replica Of
the original painting
"ThereT said the man who bad fin
ished 1t. "Come and dine with me this
evening at my hotel Nothing remains
10 complete the work but to take the
freshness out OF IT,"
The stranger accepted. ate the first
good dinner he had had In a month,
drank quart of wine, lighted
Havana cigar and asked:
ITO what do I owe this interest
from a strangerf"
sympathy. I was once a strug-
Cling artist myself"
And how. may ask. did you come
No prosperY'
by painting pictures"
The guest removed his cigar from
his lips and looked at his host in as
tonishment.
"Your nameT
''Tom Barrons."
II confess I never heard Of you"
Il have a great many aliases, all of
which yen have heard often Listen
and will tell you the story OF my
success Having q fancy for art
became a painter Having struggled
for recognition for ten years without
getting it. began to ask myself why.
The answer was that could originate
nothing. Then | started In TO make
living copying noted pictures In for
elgn galleries. l discovered that
could not only copy; ! could initiate.
mot long after this an art dealer
in Paris announced that an original
Glotto had been discovered In a Sc
cret chamber OF a building that was
being torn down. He had purchased
1t and offered It for sale. l shall not
mention the exact price he got for It
but It was a fortune for any man.
One day an italian from Florence ar
rived In New York with a Titian-a
head of a girl, stif as a fourteenth
century girl, but lovely under a head
OF sunny hair. He sold ii TO a mer-
chant prince fora fortune. stu lat
err one OF the London picture shops
stumbled on Guido Rent There
was no one in England rich enough TO
buy it, and a subscription was started
to keep 1t in the kingdom. The crit
les vouched for its genuineness, and
thousands Of pounds bought It. An
art journal published a long article by
a struggling critic enumerating TWEEN
ty-four points in the picture that were
found in all Guido Rents pictures,
This critic is now the Ruskin Of
Europe.
.sThis wine is not to my taste. Let
US try champagne. That's better.
aAt intervals original Correggios
Rembrandts and pictures OF other ia.
nous artists were found in out Of the
way places. most of them incrusted
with the dirt Of centuries and the
names Of the painters partly illegible
They were always approved BY critics
though on some these gentlemen diff,
fered. Nevertheless they were snapped
UP at enormous prices"
The speaker paused.
And you are
"Giotto, Guido REM, Rembrandt and
lot of others who lived before men
had learned how to paint"
And you perpetrate these?"
1Only as accessory before the fact
painted the pictures, the dealers did
the rest.
There was a long silence between the
two, after which the seedy man said;
II have a garnet across the Arno
with number Of my unsold pictures
III 1t. win you 60 with me and look
at themy'
with pleasure"
Arriving at the room, the occupant
Displayed one painting after another
On al easel. When the last had been
seen the rich man said.
aYou have what / lack, originality
while I have what you have not, the
mower of imitation. Besides, you are
4 genius. Possibly had You been born
II some village near Munich Or Ores
den Won might have been one Of the
great modern painters. AS it IS you
must continue to be bad eopyist
Fine pictures to be paid for IN Amer
lea must bear a foreign stamp NJ
produce fortune they must bear the
name. genuine or forged, Of an artist
who has been dead three or four CEN
turtles"
"tsive me an opportunity to soothe
my conscience BY accepting 2 gift from
me-
what giftg'
ut may not be too late for you 70
achieve that success which your abll-
tiles are capable Of producing. VIII
furnish funds to introduce your wares
The seedy man drifted away into
thought Finally. returning to his sur
Foundines, he said:
Il do not condemn you for follow
ING the path you saw before you lead
ne 10 success. 1t Is the path Of q man
Of business rather than an artist. AS
- - nafh fhop0h II leads to