The Coolidge examiner., 1934-05-11
Portrait Of His Mother
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON

By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
HEN the special Mothers day
WrVT stamps were placed on sale re.
Nh n Gently. there was added another
Wv chapter 20 the romantic story 81 a
woman who Is undoubtedly Amer
ica's most famous mother. FOR
q the stamps bear the reproduction
.G9, Of James Abbott MeNelu Whistler
law famous painting which Is called
10 Arrangement IN Gray and Black p
but which IL more familiar 10 bis
(~ n fellow.Amerlcans as whistler
~ Portrait of His Mother" or. more
I'll simply stll. The Mother"
Although Anna Mathllda McNeiII
Whistler needs nothing more than
this painting 20 guarantee her immortality. yet
the choice OF her portrait for reproduction on n
special commemorative stamp issue this year
tthe nrsi time. incidentally. that such notice has
been takc0 Of Mothers day. is an additional
honor conferred upon her. In all of our history.
only three other women have had that dIsiinc.
ton They were Pocahonias the Indian prin.
cess; Isabella. the spanish queen and Martha
Washington. wife of our FIRST President But
Anna Matilda McNelu whistler ls not the only
one who Is honored In this years Mothers day
stamp. II was issued also 20 commemorate the
one huntreith anniversary of the event which
took place In lowell Mass. on July 10. 1885,
the birth OF the who was 10 achieve such
worldwide fame himself and 10 bring a similar
worldwide fame TO her by his portrait OF her.
IL Is doubtful II any other painting ever put
on canvas is so well known 20 10 many people
Reproductions OF IL. running up into the millions
In numberS have been printed and these prints
have gone 20 every corner Of the earth During
the last year and a half. while IL was In this
a.
government 10 was exhibited IN ~ leading cities
throughout the United States and Il is estimated
that during It's triumphal tour more than 1000.
COO persons viewed H. Several hundred thou
sands more VIII have been added 20 that number
before IL Is sent back 90 Paris late this month
Nor the agreement with the French government
calls for It's return by June u 20 resume IT'S
honored place In the Louvre
For ave months OF the time that the painting
was on tour OF the country II was exhibited
at the Chicago Art institute In connection with
A Century Of Progress But among the thou
sands who IL there and who also saw the
replica OF Fort Dearborn on the exposition
grounds Il Is doubtful II one In thousand
realized that there was a historical. II not a
cultural. Ink between the world famous paint.
lng. the highest exempllhcatIon OF a mans skill
In the line of fine arts and the crude archtec-
ture OF building which had only the very utill-
tartan purpose OF preserving the lives OF its In.
habltants from savage hatred That link is the
theme OF this story
The story has It's beginning In ireland more
than i75 years ago. In the year l7as there was
born 10 an English family named whIstier llv-
Ing there. sen 20 whom was given the name
OF John. Long before he had reached HIS maJori-
ty young John Whistler ran away from home
and Joined the British army. In lTT7 he came 10
America as soldier In the expedition with
which "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne intended
TO deal crushing blow 10 the American colo
nies. But the rapler thrusts OF Daniel Morgan
and Benedict Arnold warded of that blow al
Saratoga. and the end of the year saw John
Whistler a prisoner OF war along with the rest
OF Gentleman Johnny's" army. Mark that fact
WELL for II has curious aftermath.
Before the end OF the Revolution whistler as
a paroled or exchanged prisoner was back in
England where he soon afterwards was dis
charged from the army Then he fell In love
with the daughter OF one Of his fathers friends
eloped with her. came 10 America a second time
and settled az Hagerstown, Md In 1871 this SOL
dier who had worn the scarlet uniform Of Old
England put on the nondescript uniform OF
lieutenant adjutant In tie levies which made up
a part OF the army OF the new republic From
that time he served continuously on the
Northwestern frontier under ST. Clair. Wayne
and others who were trying to break the power
OF the savage tribes that were resisting the west
ward push OF the American frontlersmen
In 1877 Il was Captain John Whistler and
IN 1903 he stationed at Detroit. The Louisi-
ana Purchase had flung our frontier from the
Mississippi back 10 the Rocky mountains but II
we hoped 10 make good our possession OF this
vast empire there must be garrlsons in the heart
OF the Indian country. One OF tSe strategic
places for such garrison was at the foot OF
Lake Michigan al a place variously called Chi
cagou. Chlkago. Chekakou and half-dozen simi-
Ear spellings. So. early in 1893. the Inspector
general OF the army stationed at Cumberland
Md. gave orders for the building OF post there