Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-01-06

'NN'
~ tally constructed for trade
R@H or any OF the socal'ed or
NWA binary occupations OF life,
FST and doesn't care anything
about amasS'nP y fortune
or fame in mercantile 0! ire. hanical
lines. If he is that kind o. d lad. he
may have any one OF a rumbcr Of spe-
ctal leanings For :nst-r;* + His;:t
aspire to be a great traGri;an. or Il
pianist, or-or an artist
1t Is the last occupat'ol tu>it z "oc-
cupation' advisedly here) III 1t .!ali be
he subject OF this little tax. II your
boy has leanings toward painting o"
the higher forms OF Grawing-and by
tean1ngs means native abiii;y. more
han mere inciination-ly ali mean
encourage him; for there is a big fu-
ture awaiting him out i. the world.
and he will not have to sc through so
many hardshipS as he might find in
other lines of endeavor before he sue
:eeds. There are plent: OF illustrators
and painters hat make money big
money, and there is room for innuEler-
able others on the same high plane.
However, out Of all the millions that
take up various lines of lie work,
probably a greater percentage fail by
the waysfde in art han in any other
line not even excepting the stage. Aad
all Of this, or most OF it. comes from
the enthusiastic praises OF relatives
ings. natural to every hoy and girl.
which are mistaken for high artistic
promise.
Because your boy can make draw
ings that seem fairly good OF houses
and barns and cows, it means in itself
nothing more than that he might be-
come a good copyist ultimately II
draw a fair ordinary salary. Il certain
~ does not mean that ne is all artist.
But if he has Imagination and original
Ideas and can get at the underlying
reality. the point, of the thing he is
trying to depict, and can push these
ideas out through the end CT his pen
or pencil or brush. he has something
in him worth c~ultivating. ever if his
drawing, his technique. is faulty.
Technique can be acquired: but he a
never learn to be original and to have
imagination.
The srt schools are crowded to the
doors with students that mistook abil-
1ty to draw for artistic instinct, and SO
great is this percentage that more than
one well-known and sensible artist has
declared that it would be a vast benefit
to the people at large If every one OF
these Institutions was transformed Into
a school OF craftsmanship; for the dor
mant artist will find a way to make
himself known, even if there Is not a
single school to go to.
These remarks are not made to dis
courage you, o to hinder your boy If
he is an artist in embryo. These OBJ
servations are only to encourage eau
ton.
But, taking it for granted that your
boy has Imagination and originality
not genius or rare talent, but only the
ordinary degree-he will have
shown it long before he Is sixteen, as
The walls and barn doors and fences
and school books and teachers COM
ments will have made manifest. At
that g he can go to art school If he
"2SucS Ikdt 40, l. soo , ooAo " poJ
his These Will not eces
sarily be any more b his cost OF liv-
ing; for there are numerous institu-
tons provided with funds giving free
tuition to deserving young aspirants.
But II you cannot afford to send him
to school, and he must go to work,
don't make the mistake Of putting him
at sCrle trade on the false idea that he
CAT, make more money; for he can
probably earn as much in the begin
ming at an occupation In keeping with
his ambition, and he will have the
greater reward RS he advances.
One OF the best schools of training is
in newspaper Offices where art tahs
arC employed. OF course. the method
of getting a job Is by applying to the
manager Of the art department. The
newcomer will spend most Of his time
In the beginning at the duties Of an or
binary Office boy; hut before long he
WILL be set to drawing borders on pic
lures, and pasting pictures together on
what are known as "layouts' quitting
sroups together in groups just as they
are to appear in the paper, before be-
Ing sent to the engraver). He will, Of
course. be observing what the artists
ara doing. and will be practising him
self whenever he gets an opportunity.
and. possessing determination, will ar
range to attend school during odd
hours. ..
After awhile the manager will give
him unimportant assignments. and he
will be .yratifed finally at seeing one
OF his W compositions appearing IN
print to illustrate some article, or joke,
or story.
By the end Of three years he Will be
receiving probably $40 a week, and by
this tine he should have shown pretty
definitely whether or not he ID going
to make q success In art. In two
wears more he should have found q
.scectaltv. ii he has any, whether In car
etocnins;, comics. portraits, dramatic
nvws sroriee, or scenery In general,
and wiz be receiving any where from,
$50 I week Up. Many artist. have
.haa~z At fle zenith of their careers b.