The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-10-29
Mrs. Wilson WOOdrOW'S Article
BY MRS. WILSON WOODROW.
Tho world famous writer on vital suhIeots.

There ia an Armenian boy who wrote
me not long ago, His letter was stiff
and stilted in its unfamiliar use of Eng
lish. and his idea was badly conveyed,
but somehow as | read that Uneven
scrawl | caught a sense Of color and
imagery.
He told me that he Ionged to become
a painter. His mind, | gathered, lived
in dreams OF pictures--the vivid, glow
ing conceptions of his f~ancy-but when
he tried to transcribe them to canvas
his hand failed him. The result was
only a futile daub.
Yet he never doubted his ability TO
create masterpieces OF art. II was sim
ply his utter lack Of training that stood
In his way and baked him, FOR there
was no one among his narrow list OF
acquatutances in this country who pos
sessed any Of the secrets OF the paint
er'g craft, and the nature of his WORN
prevented HIM from seeking any OF the
schools or courses of instruction,
He was harnessed to an uncongenla
job, he said. where the hours were lone
and >where-naturally II he was forever
dreaming he received no advancement
aud but, very meager pay. 49,,
Now | may be mistaken, but ! be
lieve that boy il n genius, have
never seen any OF his efforts at Gre
alton. I have only his letter to 50 on,
But, as say, there was something III
that which arrested my attentlon-a
something quite apart from us very
commonplace form and composition, and
sun reveals itself through obscurlnG
clouds.
1t was his vivid personality, for per
sonality viii always express itself, nc
matter what medium It chooses. ~ tht
great painter trios TO write, " the great
writer tries TO net, II the great actor
tries TO paint, the performance In cAct
case may be OF the crudest and fault
est character, but It will nevertheless
carry a note Of distinction. n certain In
dividual twist, ONE hint of that quality
which has made Its creator eminent II
another way,
The intellectual force hack OF thu
cartoons John Barrymore, used to draw
was but another expression OF the ar
he has since shown in Justice ant
peter T%hhetson," and the same vivac'
ity and magnetism that Caruso shows
on the stage can he found in his rapid
fire sketches and ca%ricatures,
ThaCkeray was n %satirlst both witt
nen and pencil. Dickens, loving private
theatricals, brought to his stage repre-
sensations the same u%nctuous hume
and broad humanity which distinguished
his writing. with "rrilby" Du Mau
rier was an illuminatlve Of himself II
the pictures as IN the text GeorG'
Cohan's writing, singing, dancing, com.
position, managing and producing IL al
stamped with the same trade mark
and | have no doubt II he took up paint
ing or sculpture It would he equal,
"peppy" and CohRnesque,
But to return TO my Armenian hoy
\ renius-lot 1t he granted that he l
one-R stranger IN a strange land strug
g,iugs with a new language, new custom
new ideas; poor and obliged. to drudg
at an uncongenial task for the sake o
his mere daily bread; nursing In hi
soul dreams Of beauty, yet through hi
want Of skill unable to matertaltSe then
upon canvas; barred by conditions tror
the instruction he Graves; without an,
sympathetic or comprehending associ