The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1913-12-03
ACase of
Mingled Faculties
By EDWARD L. FORSYTHE


life legacy enabled me to go abroad
with the view to try to make paint
er of myself. | realized that l was
beginning too late in life to hope for
much success. One should learn to
handle a brush when the muscles are
young and flexible.
/ studied awhile in Paris, but my
fears were realized. In my concep-
tons / felt every confidence, but when
/ attempted to put them on canvas /
failed. l determined to return home
by way of Italy, where / proposed to
regale myself among the works Of art
I would find there. Having spent some
time in Florence and Rome, 1 went on
down to Naples. where I intended to
take passage for America.
| found here in the most beautiful
bay in the world temptation to make
one more trial with my brush. While
1 was at work I fell i'll. My room
was with a widow in a house that
overlooked the bay. During my sick
ness / would get out of bed and. seat
ing myself in an easy chair. wrapped
In rugs, sit gazing out through an open
window upon the scene before me.
What is especially fixed in my mind
is the varying views which seemed to
be passing before me like panorama.
At one time the water in the bay would
be a deep, then light green. Again
it would be a deep or pale blue.
There were times when there were
streaks of silver in it. At one time
the island of Ischia, to the northward.
was bathed in purple; then Capri. di-
rectly before under the influence of
the setting sun, would be tinged with
scarlet hues.
My landlady had a son, Emilio, about
fourteen years old. in whom I was in
terested, because he showed a consid-
cradle inherent artistic taste. His con-
ceptions were Of little or no value, but
his ability to execute them was consid-
cradle.
"Ah, my boy" l said to him, ''if |
could return to your age and devote
myself to art l could put the beauti-
full things / am capable of seeing on
canvas for the admiration of the world.
These pictures the bay affords are
commonplace to you. If they were to
you what they are to me you would
be esteemed great painter"
While he made no reply to this,
noticed that it made a great impress
sion upon him. I said it before 1 was
taken i'll, and afterward, when I was
suffering, he came in often to see me.
not to talk, but merely to be with me-
1 remember especially his doing this
when sat in my easy chair before the
window absorbing the different views
the bay afforded me-
AS soon as | recovered I sailed for
America and did not revisit Italy for
eight years. On my return l found in
paintings of the bay of Naples that
brought me strange sensation. They
represented the bay under different
conditions that had impressed me dur
ing my illness. AS no human face is
exactly reproduced in another, so none
VI IhNSC NIC"S NONllu pC S@NdNIly
plicated on different days. What es-
pecially impressed me was that there
were five of these views, each one of
which / had seen in nature itself. l
looked for the name of the artist on
the painting, but it was not there.
Accosting one of the gallery officials.
1 led him to the pictures and asked
about the artist.
''Those pictures" he said, were
painted by mere boy. 1t was sup
posed that he would become one of the
famous artists of the world, but he pro-
duced only these works, which were all
executed about the same time"
"Why is there no name on them?"
Because the boy who painted them
would not consent to put his name
there"
"Why not?"
Il have understood that he had some
childish within that he was not entitled
to any credit for their merit"
"Do you know his name?"
Yes. 1t is Emilio Murelli."
Emilio Murelli?'
Eyes. signor. Why are you so sur
prised"
Eight years ago 1 knew an Emilio
Murelli," 1 replied when 1 had collect
ed my faculties, "a boy who had con-
siderable ability to execute, but not
the true artistic individuality. He was
a worker, not a dreamer. I cannot
understand how he could have produc-
ed these pictures"
The official shrugged his shoulders.
as the Italians do when they are
stumped, and left me.
/ tried to find Emilio, who was now
a man, and failed. More years have
passed since then, during which have
taken a deep interest in those subtle
conditions which on rare occasions in
dictate a mingling of two different
souls. l have put upon the incident
have related an Interpretation of my
own, though confess it is a mere sug-
gestion. l consider it possible that
while my personality was weak and
pliable through illness, there was some
thing in Emilio that enabled him to
draw from me my appreciation of the
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