New-York tribune., 1909-12-27

York specialist, and the next day an opera
ton for appendicitis was performed. The
patient seemed 70 be doing well. but this
morning a change set in. and the end came
about $50 o'clock.
Mr.. Remington came here last Nay 10
make this his permanent home. He was in
his forty-eighth year and was d native of
Canton, " Y. TO which place the body will
be taken tomorrow afternoon. following
prayers at the house. The funeral will be
in the Universalist church at Canton at
o'clock on Tuesday afternoon.
Frederic Remington, the illustrator, paint
e. and sculptor. whose pencil, brush and
gifted finger tips have caught and pre-
served for all time the picturesque frontier
life the Western plains. was the son
OF Colonel Samuel P. Remington, dis
tinguished Civil War soldier. who was ed
itor OF The Ogdeusburg q. " Journal
and d prominent politician IN that part
OF the state. The son wao became so
| famous was educated on the other side OF
| Lake Champlsin, at the Vermont Episco-
pal Institute. in Burlington. and later at
the Yale Art School and at the Art Stu
dents League. in this city.
In addition to being OF powerful build
and robust personality. the artist came nat
uraIly BY his love of the fresh, vigorous
outdoor life which he depicted 50 unerrng-
~ from d line of martial ancestors, who
fought FOR the land which they wrested
from the wilderness. His first American
ancestor was John Remington, who came
over from England in 1887 and settled in
Newhuryport, Mass. -Four OF his ancestors
fought in the Revolution, and his grand
father took part in tie War OF 1872.
Remington early displayed 4 foudness for
drawing and all outdoor sports At Yale
he played on the football team, Of which
waiter Camp was captain. After leaving
college he became clerk for a short
time, but on inherting small fortune st
the death Of his father he immediately
Went into sheep ranching in the South
west
IN doing thts, however. he was gratifv-
ing only o7e-half of his natural Iongfngs-
that for life in the open, for unlimited
horizons and association with sirnple
strong fronuersnen and horses. He had
sun 10 hnd out that as business man he
could NOT hope u thrive, and the Amerj-
can public had still 20 wait patiently. he
cause unccnsciousIy, for him 10 realize
thai art Vas his function. and 20 begin
producing those pictures Of pure aninla-
tion which made MIN famous
His money gone and his sheep with il he
got back 10 New York by hook or crook.
almost literally walking 10 the city and TO
support himself tried d clerks lob again
this time in a United States Express office
! But he could not stand bookkeeping and
confinement at a desk He wanted to be
an artist as he was born" wrote Julian
Ralph, but still ne did not know it." He
tried another job IN commercial Office,
gave II up almost Immediately, and then
for several days lived the wretched life
of a big unemployed boy, without money
or confidence in himself. in this stony me-
tropolis. When he should have been sheen
ra1ching he had been drawing pictures Of
COW punchers and ponies and Indians and
Federal soldiers. When he should have
been keeping books he had been sketching
the life about him and building air castles
fresh air castles
In his desperation he had an inspiration.
He called on Richard Watson Glider, and
talked TO that gentle. impressionable editor
about the Indians or Arizona and New
Mexico and the Tancheros and cavalry
men and the bad men and cowboys and
horses. And Mr.. Glider told him TO go
back 10 the land OF his love and write
stories around the pictures he should draw
of the spirits of that country Of which he
could converse in such u marvellous man
ner
So that was the beginning In addition
10 his gifts graphic artist, ne became
writer OF no mean merit but that was
purely a side issue He kept on writing
and painting twice as much as he wrote.
and then suddenly he decided he would be-
come q sculptor, too. 1t was at this point
in the fall of 1895 that his friend, Julian
Ralph, chanced upon him.
II went with him 10 IN artists zrr01Iv
shop" wrote the journalist, where he
bought a frame for q horse and frame for
q man-skeleton figures of wire such as
sculptors use. 7 am going 10 DO a horse
and rider in bronze" said he. I have
watched d sculptor al work. and am dead
sure L can do it. I want 70 make both
sides Of a horse. I am tired OF painting
only one side at a time "
and out of this beginning grew that
series of small bronze figures by the artist
which were distributed to the public
through Tiffany. The most famous of these
was The Broncho Buster" which was pro-
nounced very good" by Saint t-Gaudens. and
as compared successfully with the small
bronzes OF Barbedienna in Paris. This
piece was presented 10 Colonel Roosevelt
by bis Rough Riders at the eud OF the
Spanish war His most ambitious work as
a sculptor was the production of a cowboy
figure of heroic size in bronze. which was
set up in Fairmount Park. Philadelphia, a
year ago
one of Remington greatest services was
20 the regular soldiers on the plains with
whose interest and dignity he first Inn
pressed the country. Before he began 10
draw ard paint the people had thought OF
the soldier only for what he had done in
the Civil War and OF the regular army OF
the day as an organization containing a
few heroes ot that struggle. for the rest
It was little force kept out West TO hold
the Indians in cheek But Remlngtou's
sketches surprised and educated tine masses
of Sle people as much as they Interested
item
H. the words Of an adniring critic I'VE