1 mm l ■mm 
 
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UNIVERSITY OF 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 School of Library 
 Science 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00022245152 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/youngartistorselOOhugh 
 

 
THE 
 
 YOUNG ARTIST; 
 
 OR, 
 
 SELF-CONQUEST; 
 
 LITTLE BOYS AND LITTLE GIRLS, 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. HUGHS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "HOLIDAYS IN THE COUNTRY, ETC. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 LINDSAY AND BLAKISTON, 
 
 1850. 
 
STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN. 
 PRINTED BY I. ASH MEAD. 
 
 (2) 
 
PREFACE 
 
 We frequently find that the greatest 
 enemies we have to encounter, are our 
 evil inclinations ; but if we take as much 
 pains to eradicate our prominent faults, 
 as the hero of this little story, our efforts 
 will be crowned with similar success. 
 
 (iii) 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 "Fred, my boy/ 7 said Mrs. Waldgrave, 
 as she entered the room in which her son, 
 a boy about twelve years old, was seated, 
 "have you learned your Latin gram- 
 mar V 
 
 "No, mother, not yet." 
 
 "And why haven't you?" 
 
 " Because." 
 
 "Because what?" 
 
 "Why, because." 
 
 "That is the answer you gave me be- 
 fore, but is not a reason." 
 
 "Well, because," said the boy, smiling, 
 
 (5) 
 
6 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 " I don't w&at to do it, at present. I J m 
 not in the " tumour for it, just now." 
 
 "What are you doing at present?" 
 
 " I 'm touching up a view that I took 
 yesterday from the back porch." 
 
 " You might as well have said, my boy, 
 that you were playing, which you liked 
 much better than attending to your 
 duty." 
 
 "No indeed, mother, I 'm not playing," 
 replied the boy earnestly; "I am trying 
 very hard to improve myself in drawing, 
 and to learn to be a great artist. That 
 would not be playing, w^ould it?" 
 
 "To become a great artist, would be 
 no child's play, certainly. But are you 
 aware, Fred, how much is necessary before 
 you can become one?" 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 7 
 
 " Oh, I know I shall have to take a 
 great deal of pains to learn to draw, and 
 to understand the management of light 
 and shade, and all those sort of things. 
 But it would be my delight to study 
 them; I never could get tired of such 
 work! 7 ' 
 
 " Don't deceive yourself, my boy. You 
 think so at present, because you have 
 never, hitherto, done any thing in the 
 way of drawing but as an amusement. 
 But wait till your work is criticised by 
 some one who understands the art, and 
 that which you imagined was excellent is 
 proved to be defective in almost every 
 particular, and then see whether you will 
 not get tired of the labour of touching 
 and retouching.' ' 
 
8 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 "I'm sure I never should," returned 
 Fred, earnestly, "and I only wish, ma, 
 that instead of sending me to study that 
 stupid Greek and Latin, and algebra, and 
 natural philosophy, and such things, you 
 
 would let me go to Mr. 's drawing 
 
 school, and then see whether I would not 
 soon become a great artist." 
 
 " Do you imagine you could ever arrive 
 at much excellence, with an uninformed 
 mind?" asked Mrs. Waldgrave. 
 
 "I don't see what the stupid things I 
 have to study at school, can have to do 
 with the work of an artist," said Fred. 
 " He has only to look at things, and copy 
 them as he sees them in nature, and then 
 I suppose he is pretty sure to be right." 
 
 "The power of copying, even though 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 9 
 
 nature be the model, is only a very infe- 
 rior branch of the art/' returned his 
 mother; "yet even in that, a knowledge 
 of the mathematics, and many of the 
 principles of natural philosophy, is essen- 
 tial. But to be a great artist, it is neces- 
 sary to have a cultivated taste and a 
 refined and enlightened mind, to enable 
 you to conceive and combine, with just- 
 ness and propriety, for that alone can 
 make a great artist." 
 
 " Do you think, mother," asked the boy, 
 with a look that seemed to say, he had 
 found a refutation of his parent's asser- 
 tion, "that all the great artists we hear 
 of understood Greek and Latin? You 
 know, Martin was at first only a painter 
 of porcelain, and Wilkie was the son of 
 
10 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 a poor Scotch peasant, and when he was 
 only four years old, and a lady who had 
 a very large nose, happened to call at his 
 father's house, 'wee Davie,' as they called 
 him, was very busy all the time she was 
 there, and after she was gone, and his 
 father looked to see what he had been 
 doing, he found he had been drawing like- 
 nesses of the lady's nose. I suppose, 
 mother," continued Fred, after having had 
 a hearty laugh at the thought of the man- 
 ner "wee Davie" had been employing 
 himself, " his grandfather must have been 
 of your way of thinking, for when he 
 looked at the noses, he shook his head, 
 and said, 'Ah, Davie, my man, I 'm afraid 
 these things '11 never do you any good!' 
 And then again, you know, ma, when he 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 11 
 
 went to church, he used to take a piece 
 of burnt stick, that he might draw like- 
 nesses of the sexton's queer face, as he 
 sat nodding all the time the minister was 
 preaching. By these means, he brought 
 himself into notice, and we are very sure 
 it must have been done without the aid 
 of either Greek, Latin, or mathematics ;" 
 and the boy said this in an exulting tone, 
 as if he had settled the question beyond 
 dispute. 
 
 "All this is very true, Fred," replied 
 Mrs. Waldgrave, smiling at her son's self- 
 satisfaction ; " but it does not in the least 
 affect my argument, for if you follow Wil- 
 kie's fortunes a little further, you will soon 
 see that he prosecuted his education with 
 avidity, and though I will not pretend to 
 
12 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 assert that he was a classical scholar, 
 (though I am inclined to think he was,) 
 I am very sure he was a man of a highly 
 cultivated mind, and very extensive know- 
 ledge. And the same may be said of all 
 the artists, whether ancient or modern, 
 who have distinguished themselves by the 
 originality and brilliancy of their genius. 
 But independent of all this, the studies 
 you are pursuing, my dear Fred, are of 
 great importance to you, as a means of 
 correcting a defect in your disposition, 
 which, if not overcome, will completely 
 prevent your arriving at excellence of any 
 kind." 
 
 "What is that, mother?" asked the 
 boy with considerable anxiety. 
 
 "A want of perseverance and resolu- 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 13 
 
 tion to overcome difficulties," answered 
 his excellent mother. 
 
 "That is only when I am engaged in 
 some dull, stupid studies. When I have 
 work that interests me, I can persevere 
 as well as anybody." 
 
 " That is exactly what I say ; you want 
 determination and perseverance to over- 
 come difficulties; and no one requires 
 these things more than an artist." 
 
 " How so ? How can that be, mother ?" 
 
 " Because no one is more exposed to 
 severe criticism than artists are; for 
 every one thinks himself at liberty to 
 remark upon their defects." 
 
 "Well, but such remarks would only 
 give me an opportunity of correcting my 
 faults and sooner overcoming them." 
 
14 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 "When I looked over your composition 
 the other clay and pointed out the mis- 
 takes, what did you do?" Fred hung 
 down his head in silence. " Did you not,' 7 
 continued his mother, "tear it up in a 
 passion, and throw it into the fire?" 
 
 " Because," said Fred, the flush of 
 whose cheek proved that he was ashamed 
 of his fault even at the time he attempted 
 to extenuate it; "because I had taken 
 a great deal of pains with it, more than 
 I ever took in my life with any composi- 
 tion, and I was so vexed to find it so full 
 of mistakes, after all." 
 
 "And if Mr. S were to come in at 
 
 this moment, and examine the sketch that 
 you have been working at all this morn- 
 ing, do you think he would not be able to 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 15 
 
 point out as many defects in it as I did 
 in your composition?' 7 
 
 'Yes, I am sure he would." 
 
 " And what would be the consequence ? 
 Would you get into a passion and tear it 
 up?" 
 
 " Oh, no, I would be obliged to him for 
 his remarks, and try to correct my picture 
 by them." 
 
 "And do you think your mother less 
 deserving of respect?" asked Mrs. Wald- 
 grave, looking at her son with affection- 
 ate seriousness. 
 
 "Oh no! dear mother," said Fred, 
 earnestly ; " don't think it would be from 
 any want of respect to you ; it would only 
 be because the one was more interesting 
 to me than the other," 
 
16 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 "Then can you not, my boy, give me 
 credit for knowing what is good for you, 
 when I assure you it is of the utmost 
 importance to you as a man, a gentleman, 
 and an artist, that you prosecute your 
 studies with diligence, and thus not only 
 lay up a store of valuable knowledge, but 
 at the same time acquire the habit of 
 applying yourself to that which is useful 
 without always requiring that it should 
 likewise be amusing. 7 ' 
 
 "I will, mother, indeed I will," cried 
 the young artist with energy ; " you shall 
 see how diligent I will be ; and if I do 
 not learn to like my studies for their own 
 sake, I shall, I am sure, at least take 
 pleasure in them as a means of giving 
 pleasure to you." 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 17 
 
 "Well said, Fred!' 7 exclaimed a voice 
 which always sounded like music in the 
 
 boy's ears, for it was that of Mr. S , 
 
 whose fame as an artist, kindness as a 
 friend, and politeness as a gentleman, had 
 always gained the boy's warmest respect 
 and admiration. "I have done," conti- 
 nued the gentleman, "what at first sight 
 might have the appearance of meanness, 
 for I have been acting the part of a lis- 
 tener, though I hope my familiarity in 
 the family will serve as my apology. 
 Finding the front door open, I came into 
 the entry, without ringing the bell, and 
 happening to hear some of the conversa- 
 tion between your mother and you, I 
 thought it a pity to interrupt what was 
 likely to be of so much service to you, and 
 2 
 
18 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 therefore determined to remain a listener 
 till I had found your excellent mother had 
 made the impression I was sure she could 
 not fail to do; and at last had the satis- 
 faction of hearing that she had succeeded. 
 I now have double pleasure in telling you 
 the errand that has brought me here this 
 morning. Having obtained permission to 
 take you to see Steinhauser's exquisite 
 piece of statuary of Hero and Leander, 
 which has just arrived, I came now for 
 that purpose; but as my wish is not 
 merely to gratify your taste, but to assist 
 your excellent mother in her views for 
 your general improvement, I leave it to 
 her to determine when you shall receive 
 this treat, for a treat I assure you it will 
 be, of a higher description than anything 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 19 
 
 you have ever yet experienced." Fred's 
 
 eyes, as Mr. S spoke, beamed with 
 
 delight, and when he paused, they turned 
 to the face of his mother with a look of 
 anxious inquiry; but the next moment, 
 and before she had time to reply, the 
 noble boy said, with a beautiful and in- 
 genuous smile, "I believe I had better 
 pronounce my own sentence, for I am very 
 sure that mother will be more indulgent 
 than I deserve; I think, therefore, sir, 
 that as neither Hero nor Leander are very 
 likely to run away, you must not take me 
 to see them till I have deserved the treat 
 by attending to my studies with as much 
 diligence as I do to my drawing." 
 
 " As your father, when he went to fight 
 our battles for us in Mexico, left me as 
 
20 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 joint guardian with your excellent mother 
 over you and our sweet little Ellie," re- 
 plied Mr. S , "I should not be doing 
 
 my duty, Fred, were I to say a word to 
 shake that noble resolution, and shall 
 wait till you tell me you think you have 
 a right to go." 
 
 " How long a trial do you think I ought 
 to have, ma?" asked the boy, fixing his 
 eyes upon his mother's face with a look 
 of great anxiety. 
 
 "That I will leave entirely to yourself, 
 my son," answered his excellent parent. 
 "I hope and believe you are convinced 
 now, that as an artist merely, a well-in- 
 formed mind is essential to your advance- 
 ment; and as you are well aware that 
 there is no royal road to knowledge, I 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 21 
 
 hope there is not much more requisite to 
 induce you to make use of the excellent 
 opportunities you possess of becoming all 
 that your friends desire to see you, and 
 that your excellent talents will enable 
 you to make yourself." 
 
 "It will be a pretty hard struggle," 
 said the youthful artist, as he seemed to 
 review, inwardly, what he was about to 
 undertake ; " for I shall not only have to 
 force myself to what I have n't much taste 
 for, but I must constantly struggle against 
 that to which inclination is always draw- 
 ing me. However, what must be done, 
 must be done, and I am determined." 
 
 Then turning to Mr. S , he said, with 
 
 a firm, resolute tone, " I will not go to see 
 Hero and Leander till I have succeeded 
 
22 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 in getting head of my classes, and can 
 say that I have not got into a passion 
 when my mistakes were pointed out to 
 me." 
 
 "So be it," returned Mr. S ; "and 
 
 from this moment I will never make any 
 inquiries respecting your progress, but 
 will wait till you give me notice that you 
 are ready." 
 
 None but those who know what it is to 
 give up, not only a favourite, but a per- 
 fectly fascinating pursuit, and to pore day 
 after day over studies that present but 
 little interest to the mind, can form an 
 idea of the self-denial which our young 
 hero had to exercise. He had hitherto 
 construed his Greek and Latin, solved, or 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 23 
 
 rather endeavoured to solve his problems, 
 and answered the questions put to him 
 in other studies almost mechanically, for 
 his mind was continually dwelling upon 
 the ideal pictures that were floating in 
 his imagination ; and the moment he was 
 released from these more abstruse pur- 
 suits, they had been totally dismissed as 
 having no part in his duties, and his pen- 
 cil was taken up with an avidity that the 
 temporary deprivation had increased to 
 an almost sickly longing. Now, however, 
 he resolved (and Fred had a mind that 
 was capable of great resolves) that his 
 pencil should never be touched till all his 
 lessons were fully and completely pre- 
 pared, and if he lost a place in any of his 
 classes, he enjoined it on himself as a 
 
24 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 deserved punishment, that the pencil 
 should not be taken up that day. To 
 a boy of his quickness and talent this 
 would have deprived him of but a small 
 portion of his enjoyment, had he hitherto 
 been in the habit of exercising even a 
 moderate share of application ; but as it 
 was, boys his juniors in age, and very 
 much his inferiors in capacity, far out- 
 stript him in acquirements, and he had 
 frequently the mortification of seeing 
 those take place of him whom he was 
 well assured a very small degree of study 
 would have enabled him to leave far be- 
 hind. This, yielding up his mind to one 
 absorbing pursuit gave him but little con- 
 cern; but no sooner was he impressed 
 with the idea that even that one passion 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 25 
 
 was dependent on the studies which he had 
 hitherto neglected, than their importance 
 rose in proportion in his estimation, and 
 he determined that everything should in 
 future be subordinate to the cultivation 
 of his mind. Frederick, though a boy of 
 great talent, was yet only twelve years 
 old, besides which he had unfortunately 
 laboured under the disadvantage of hav- 
 ing a father, whom in many respects he 
 but too closely resembled, and whose ver- 
 satile and wavering disposition served 
 only to encourage him in his contempt 
 for all studious application. That father, 
 however, consistently with the lightness 
 and frivolity of his mind, had, at the com- 
 mencement of the Mexican war, placed 
 himself at the head of a company, and 
 
26 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 proceeded to fight for a feather, leaving 
 a beautiful young wife to watch over the 
 education of a son that was just entering 
 upon a period of life when of all others 
 a father's watchful care was most needed. 
 But faithfully did she perform the task 
 assigned to her ; and the care of her boy, 
 and of a lovely infant that had not enter- 
 ed the world till after its father had left 
 home, engrossed all her attention, and 
 seemed to share her existence between 
 them. She had often before tried to rouse 
 her son to a sense of the necessity of 
 greater application to his studies, but 
 never, till the morning on which we have 
 introduced them to our readers, had she 
 succeeded in touching the string which 
 vibrated on his heart. This, however, 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 27 
 
 being accomplished, she resolved to leave 
 the rest to himself, for she knew him to 
 be a good and conscientious boy, and 
 whatever he had engaged to do he would 
 accomplish, however much it might cost 
 him. It is true that it often gave her 
 pain to see his distressed and perplexed 
 countenance whilst poring over his Greek 
 roots or Latin rules ; but she knew that 
 though the price was a dear one, he was 
 practising a lesson of application and self- 
 control that would benefit him through 
 the rest of his life. She forbore, there- 
 fore, to make any remark, though not the 
 slightest effort escaped her. Her eye, 
 like the ever- watchful eye of Providence, 
 saw all, and noted that it was good. 
 Several weeks elapsed, but though Mr. 
 
28 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 S. frequently visited them, Fred never 
 gave the slightest hint about Hero and 
 Leander. One day when that gentleman 
 was there, another artist happened also 
 to be present, and the conversation 
 chanced to turn upon this beautiful piece 
 of statuary. Fred sat drinking in, with 
 the utmost intensity, all the criticisms 
 that were made. At length, the gentle- 
 man, happening to turn his eye upon 
 him, and being struck with the extreme 
 interest which his countenance expressed, 
 asked him if he had seen the piece. 
 
 "No, sir," replied our hero, whilst his 
 face became suffused with a deep blush. 
 
 "You seem so much interested in the 
 subject, that I should be glad to take you 
 to see it," added the gentleman. 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 29 
 
 " Thank you, sir/ 7 replied Fred, still 
 blushing exceedingly, "but Mr. S. has 
 already promised to take nie." 
 
 " Well, suppose then you join our party 
 to-morrow. Mr. S. and I have just made 
 an appointment to meet there, and we 
 can then both have the pleasure of 
 witnessing the effect it may produce on 
 you." 
 
 "I am much obliged to you, sir," re- 
 turned Fred, exceedingly embarrassed; 
 "but I cannot go to-morrow." 
 
 "Why not?" persevered the importu- 
 nate artist. 
 
 "Fred has a special engagement to- 
 morrow, I know," said Mr. S., kindly 
 interfering to relieve the boy's embarrass- 
 ment ; " but it will not be long before he 
 
30 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 goes to pay his devotion at the shrine of 
 Steinhauser's genius." 
 
 "Well then, remember, S., when you 
 take him, you must let me know, and I 
 will be sure to be there. It will be no 
 mean treat, to witness the first introduc- 
 tion of one so alive to the subject, to such 
 a master-piece." Mr. S. gave the required 
 promise, and the subject was dropped. 
 But it did not thus pass away from the 
 boy's mind. On the contrary, it rested 
 there, and served to spur him on to 
 renewed exertions. 
 
 One day Fred's teacher gave notice 
 that he would expect, on the following 
 Friday, a Latin thesis from each of the 
 boys of our hero's class. This was al- 
 ways an arduous business to Fred, for he 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 31 
 
 had never taken pains to impress the 
 rules of grammar on his mind, so as to 
 enable him to call them up whenever re- 
 quired, and had frequently to spend the 
 time in hunting for them, which ought 
 to have been devoted to the subject on 
 which he was WTiting. The labour thus 
 incurred, put his resolution to a severe 
 test, but he was determined not to yield, 
 and day after day, as soon as his other 
 lessons were studied, instead of going as 
 usual to his pencil, he took up his compo- 
 sition, and revised and re-wrote it over 
 and over again. Nay, so completely had 
 it taken possession of his mind, and so 
 resolved was he to finish it, in such a 
 manner as to secure his rising, at least, 
 a step or two in his class, that on the 
 
32 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 Thursday night, after being in bed some 
 time, he rose again, and lighting his lamp, 
 commenced with renewed earnestness an- 
 other revisal and re-writing, working at 
 it till all the family had been long sunk 
 in repose, and he himself had become so 
 overpowered with sleep, that he was sev- 
 eral times startled, by the dropping of the 
 pen from his hand, and his head coming 
 in contact with the table, as he nodded 
 over his task. It was finished, however, 
 at last, to his satisfaction, and duly laid, 
 on the Friday morning, with the produc- 
 tions of the rest of the class, on the 
 teacher's desk, for more deliberate exami- 
 nation at a future period. 
 
 " I am anxious, and yet almost afraid, 
 to know the fate of my thesis," said he 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 33 
 
 on the Monday morning, as he sat at 
 breakfast with his mother. 
 
 " Whatever may be its fate, you will 
 have the satisfaction, Fred, of knowing 
 that you have tried your best, and spared 
 no labour, in finishing it off." 
 
 " There is one very smart and very dili- 
 gent boy below me, Ned G-lenthal. He 
 had to go to the foot of his class on ac- 
 count of absence, but has kept creeping 
 up a step or two, ever since he came back. 
 If I can but keep him from getting above 
 me, I shall be satisfied, for I think before 
 very long, I can manage to take place of 
 all the rest in this class, as I have done 
 in all the others." 
 
 "Still, even if Glenthal should get up 
 to his old station in the class, I hope you 
 
34 THE YOUNG ARTIST, 
 
 will not on that account allow yourself 
 to be discouraged/' observed his anxious 
 parent. 
 
 " There is one comfort," said Fred, who 
 seemed to be calling together all the sub- 
 jects of consolation which in such a case 
 he knew he would so much require : "I 
 shall be better able to enter into another 
 competition than I was when I com- 
 menced this, for I have learnt a great 
 deal by poring over the grammar as I 
 have done for this composition, and I am 
 determined what I have now gained shall 
 stay by me." 
 
 "You have found then the reward of 
 industry," remarked the mother, as she 
 looked at her boy with a sweet and cor- 
 dial smile. At this moment the room 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 35 
 
 door opened, and a son of Dr. W , 
 
 Fred's teacher, entered. 
 
 "Why, Hal! what has brought you 
 here so early this morning?" exclaimed 
 our hero with surprise. 
 
 "I am come/' returned the boy, "to 
 say that father was taken suddenly sick 
 last night, and will not be able to attend 
 school to-day." Fred joined his mother 
 in sincere expressions of regret at the in- 
 disposition of his teacher, to whom he was 
 much attached, and then ventured to ask 
 young W if he knew whether his fa- 
 ther had examined the compositions yet. 
 "Yes, he had read them on the Saturday 
 afternoon," was the reply, 
 
 "Do you know how I stand?" asked 
 Fred,, and his heart fluttered as he spoke. 
 
36 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 " You have only lost two places/' an- 
 swered the boy. 
 
 " Only lost two !" repeated Fred, strong- 
 ly emphasizing the first word ; " and pray 
 who have got above me ? Glenthal for one, 
 I suppose." 
 
 "Glenthal and Wilcox." 
 
 "Wilcox!" exclaimed our hero with 
 impetuosity, while the colour rushed to 
 his face, and his eyes almost flashed fire. 
 "If that poor plodding drone has got 
 above me it is of no use for me to try any 
 longer. I wish I had the thesis here, 
 that I might stuff it into the fire, and 
 give the whole thing up at once. I will 
 take my place at the foot of the class 
 when I go back to school, and stay 
 there ;" but as he uttered these words, 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 37 
 
 the eyes of the boy fell upon his mother's 
 face, and he beheld there such an ex- 
 pression of deep concern, that in a mo- 
 ment his fiery passion forsook him, and ' 
 with a sweet and gentle smile he said, — 
 "But it is folly for me to be vexed be- 
 cause Wilcox has got above me. I called 
 him a plodder, and his very plodding is 
 the thing that has given him the advan- 
 tage. I will therefore turn a plodder, too, 
 and then I think he will not long keep 
 his advantage over me." Had Fred 
 sought for an immediate reward for this 
 victory over himself, he would have found 
 it abundantly in the change in his mo- 
 ther's feelings, which her expressive 
 countenance bespoke as plainly as any 
 
38 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 words could do ; and he was still more 
 gratified when he heard young "W 
 
 say, "Father told me there was no doubt 
 that yours was the best composition in 
 the class, taken merely as a composition, 
 but as he had sa.id that the places should 
 be taken according to the grammatical 
 mistakes, you must be obliged to go 
 down." 
 
 "Down, down," said Fred in a cheer- 
 ful voice, "well, never mind, it shall be 
 up, up, before long. You shall see, Hal, 
 how I will plod over my Latin grammar. 
 Mother used to say I liked to read but 
 not to spell, I liked to do sums but not to 
 learn tables, and I liked to construe La- 
 tin but not to learn the rules ; but I now 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 39 
 
 find that those who wish to arrive at ex- 
 cellence must submit at first to drudge." 
 
 After Henry W had taken leave, a 
 
 bright halo seemed to surround the face 
 of our young and ardent hero. Perhaps 
 it was a reflection from his mother's 
 beautiful countenance, as she told him he 
 had made her feel happier than she had 
 done for many years, for though he had 
 sunk in his class, he had risen in her es- 
 teem and approbation in a manner that 
 she had not dared to hope. She then pro- 
 posed, as a reward for a victory which 
 she said she considered more honourable 
 than any General Taylor ever won, that 
 he should devote this accidental holiday 
 to the exercise of his pencil. 
 
40 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 The delighted boy considered for a 
 while whether he could afford himself 
 such a treat, but recollecting that his les- 
 sons were already prepared, and that a 
 revising of them in the evening would be 
 sufricient, he took his paper and pencil, 
 and going to the porch, where his mo- 
 ther, with the little Ellie on her lap, was 
 already seated, he placed himself on a 
 step in front of her, and commenced the 
 delightful task of completing the view 
 which had so strongly seized upon his 
 youthful fancy. 
 
 The distant scenery (for their residence 
 was a short way in the country) was un- 
 doubtedly beautiful; but to those who 
 love to contemplate human nature, the 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 41 
 
 home view was infinitely more interest- 
 ing, for who could behold with indifference 
 that lovely woman, who had not yet lost 
 any of her charms, seated with a counte- 
 nance of thoughtful but pensive contem- 
 plation, which was uninterrupted even by 
 the playful child that kicked and fondled 
 on her lap ? The bright gleam that had 
 shone on her face when she saw her boy 
 struggling nobly against the same un- 
 happy weakness that had been the bane 
 of his father's existence, had gradually 
 given way to a more thoughtful expres- 
 sion, as her mind reverted to the trials 
 she had to undergo in consequence of the 
 errors of her husband. 
 
 Mr. Waldgrave had commenced life with 
 
42 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 all the advantages of family, fortune, and 
 talents, and had very early become united 
 to a beautiful, intelligent, and amiable 
 woman. But all these favourable cir- 
 cumstances had failed to make him 
 respectable, from his unfortunate want 
 of perseverance in any valuable pursuit, 
 and his inability to resist temptation. 
 This weakness had gradually undermined 
 every better quality, and his excellent 
 wife, though long devotedly attached to 
 him, had, at length, while yet in the 
 bloom of life, been brought to rejoice in 
 his determination to follow the army to 
 Mexico, as it removed his baneful exam- 
 ple from the son, whom she saw invested 
 with all his father's talents, but whom 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 43 
 
 she was most anxious to save from in- 
 heriting that unhappy parent's vices. 
 She had lost several children between 
 her first-born and the lovely infant that 
 had not seen the light till after its father's 
 departure; and which seemed to have 
 been sent to win its mother's heart from 
 sorrow and anxiety; but even its sweet 
 and playful caresses, the encouraging 
 smiles of her many friends, nay, even the 
 soothing consciousness of her own recti- 
 tude and virtue, had failed to shed so 
 bright a beam over her fine face as the 
 noble moral victory which her darling 
 son had that morning gained over his 
 wayward passions. But sweet and inter- 
 esting as is the picture of mother and 
 
44 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 son and the little playful infant presented 
 to our view, we must, for the present, 
 withdraw from it, and proceed with our 
 little narrative. 
 
 Fred proceeded to school the following 
 morning with vigour and animation, and 
 met the boys that had superseded him 
 in his class with a frank, good-natured, 
 and cheerful countenance. Wilcox, whose 
 plodding qualities the young artist had 
 hitherto contemplated, with a feeling al- 
 most bordering on contempt, was sur- 
 prised, on meeting him, to see Fred hold 
 out his hand in a friendly and cordial 
 manner. "You have got above me, I 
 find/' said the latter, "in Latin composi- 
 tion, but you needn't expect to stay 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 45 
 
 there ; I will have you down the next time, 
 or my name's not Frederick Waldgrave." 
 
 "If the doctor continues to go by the 
 grammatical mistakes, I 'm not afraid of 
 you/' replied his opponent, "but let the 
 sense of the thing be taken as the rule, 
 and then I'm a gone coon." 
 
 "I'm not afraid of him for either the one 
 or the other," said Ned Glenthal, who 
 had joined them in time to hear Wilcox's 
 modest reply, but who, though he was, as 
 Fred had declared, both a talented and 
 diligent boy, was not without a consider- 
 able share of self-conceit; "I am above 
 him now, and I defy him to bring me 
 down!" 
 
 "You had better not be too self-confi- 
 
46 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 dent/' returned our hero, struggling with 
 his temper, to avoid making an ill-natured 
 retort; "for I intend in future to be as 
 bright as Glenthal, and as persevering as 
 Wilcox." 
 
 "Then I am sure, we shall none of us 
 have any chance with you," said the mo- 
 dest, industrious Wilcox; "you are the 
 smartest boy in the school, when you 
 have a mind to work, and if you are going 
 to be industrious too, you will carry all 
 before you." 
 
 " I should like to see him try," retorted 
 Glenthal contemptuously, as he swung 
 himself on his heel and joined another 
 group of boys. The manner in which 
 Glenthal had spoken, and the good hu- 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 47 
 
 mour with which Fred had heard him, 
 raised a strong party spirit in our hero's 
 favour ; for a small matter is sufficient, at 
 any time, to excite a party feeling amongst 
 a set of schoolboys. 
 
 Fred, however, discovered no inclina- 
 tion to encourage the testimonials that 
 w r ere, from time to time, given in his fa- 
 vour through the course of the day, and, 
 indeed, thought so little about them, that 
 he did not consider it worth while to 
 mention to his mother anything that had 
 passed between him and his school-mates. 
 Perhaps it might be owing to his having 
 another subject, still nearer his heart, 
 about which he wished to consult her; 
 for, as soon as he got home, he went to 
 
48 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 her and said, whilst a modest tinge over- 
 spread his cheek ; " Do you think, mother, 
 I might venture to show the drawing I 
 finished yesterday, to Mr. S. ?" 
 
 "Certainly, my dear, you couldn't do 
 better. It would gratify him to receive 
 such a mark of your confidence, and his 
 remarks couldn't fail to be of much ser- 
 vice to yourself." 
 
 " I see a great many defects in it my- 
 self, already, but, as he will, no doubt, 
 point out a good many more, I could, 
 perhaps, correct them all at once." 
 
 Whilst Fred was yet speaking, a ser- 
 vant came into the room, to say, that 
 Lewis Wilcox wished to speak to him. 
 Wondering what could have brought his 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 49 
 
 schoolmate, in such haste, after him, Fred 
 put his drawing, which he had already 
 taken out of his desk, on a chair near 
 him, and hastened out of the room. It 
 proved, that Wilcox had come to bring 
 Fred the news, that almost all the boys 
 in the class, had joined in requesting 
 Dr. W. to give orders for a composition to 
 be written, which was to be judged of by 
 its general merits, and not merely by its 
 grammatical accuracy, and places to be 
 taken in the class accordingly. This the 
 doctor had agreed to, only stipulating, 
 that three gentlemen who had no connec- 
 tion with the establishment, should be 
 the judges of the merits of the composi- 
 tions ; and by way of preventing any 
 4 
 
50 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 suspicion of partiality, each writer was 
 to sign a feigned name, and, at the same 
 time, give in a sealed paper, containing 
 the assumed and real name of the author, 
 which was to be held by Doctor W., till 
 the decision was made. " JSTecl Glen thai," 
 continued Lewis, "tried very hard to per- 
 suade the doctor, to make next Friday 
 the day of trial ; but, we all opposed him, 
 and Dr. W. said, as he did not wish it to 
 be a take-in, but a trial of real merit, he 
 would not have it to take place till the 
 regular composition day, and as that isn't 
 till the last Friday in the month, you 
 have plenty of time before you, and I 
 hope, Fred, you will beat Glenthal, for 
 we all want to see him down." 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 51 
 
 " 1 don't want to see him down ; but, I 
 want to see myself up," said Fred, smil- 
 ing; "but have you heard what subject 
 we are to write upon?' 7 
 
 " The subject is to be patience," replied 
 Lewis, "and I am sure, Fred, if you can 
 write only half as well as you practised 
 it this morning, you will be certain to 
 get up." 
 
 Wilcox now took leave, and our hero 
 hastened back to the parlour, to explain 
 to his mother what he had not, before, 
 thought it worth while to speak about. 
 He met her in the entry, coming down 
 stairs. 
 
 "Where's Ellie, mother?" asked he; 
 for she was so constant a companion of 
 
52 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 her mother's, that he wondered at seeing 
 his parent without her. 
 
 "I left her sitting on the carpet, play- 
 ing with her toys," answered Mrs. Wald- 
 grave, as she entered the parlour. But 
 the moment Fred, who followed imme- 
 diately after his mother, cast his eyes 
 towards his sister, he gave a sort of 
 scream and rushed forward, but it was 
 too late to prevent the mischief. The 
 child being near a chair, had raised her- 
 self up by it, and having laid hold of her 
 brother's drawing, had very industriously 
 torn it into small pieces. Fred stood, 
 perfectly pale with emotion, for some 
 minutes ; and his mother saw the conflict 
 that was passing within. She watched 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 53 
 
 him with extreme anxiety; but, being 
 determined to leave it entirely to himself, 
 she did not say a word. 
 
 At length, the victory was gained ; and 
 the noble boy, stooping down, took the 
 infant kindly in his arms ; saying, as he 
 did so, " Ah ! Ellie, Ellie, thou little know- 
 est the mischief thou hast done!" This 
 victory over himself, which, considering 
 all the circumstances, she felt to be wor- 
 thy of that of the great Newton himself, 
 whose language he had imitated, was so 
 much more than she had dared to hope 
 for, that, overcome by her feelings, she 
 burst into tears. "Kiss ma, Ellie/ 7 said 
 the amiable boy, as he placed the infant 
 in his mother's arms, "and tell her, bro- 
 
54 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 tker is only preparing the composition, 
 he has to write, next month." 
 
 The succeeding month was one of close 
 and earnest application to our young fa- 
 vourite ; neither was it unaccompanied by 
 frequent and severe trials of temper ; for 
 Glenthal, who, we are sorry to say, was 
 far from being as amiable as he was tal- 
 ented, chose to assume the position of a 
 rival, and, as a consequence with him, 
 that of an enemy. Fred, however, who 
 had risen victorious over the destruction 
 of a picture, on which he had long and 
 earnestly laboured, was not likely to give 
 way under the little petulancies of a 
 schoolboy. He frequently reminded Glen- 
 thal, in the gentlest manner, that he had 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 55 
 
 had no hand in the arrangements, which 
 had been made respecting their compo- 
 sitions, and though he should certainly 
 strive his utmost to excel, he would not 
 be a bit the less a friend of the more 
 successful candidate, if he were beaten. 
 But where jealousy is allowed to creep in, 
 it is in vain to expect reason or generos- 
 ity to abide ; and Fred, at length, felt that 
 his only plan was not to see the affronts 
 that were offered, or even to seem to sus- 
 pect that they were intended. 
 
 The important day, at length, arrived, 
 and Fred saw by his mother's looks, that 
 she was even more anxious than himself. 
 " Though I may not succeed," said he, as 
 they once more discussed the interesting 
 
56 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 subject at the breakfast-table, and he was 
 desirous of diverting his parent's mind, 
 from the feeling of anxious suspense un- 
 der which he saw her labouring ; " I shall 
 still be a great gainer by this month's 
 study; for, I have now, in a great mea- 
 sure, overcome the drudgery of learning, 
 and have, besides, acquired such a habit 
 of application, that it is now no trouble 
 to me." 
 
 The mother's countenance showed her 
 satisfaction at hearing him thus express 
 himself, and the ardent boy hastened to 
 school to learn the fate of his composi- 
 tion. 
 
 The three gentlemen, who had been ap- 
 pointed judges, did not come till after- 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 57 
 
 noon, when, receiving the various papers, 
 they retired to an apartment adjoining 
 Dr. ¥'s. school-room, to read them over. 
 
 All seemed to agree that the contest 
 lay between G-lenthal and Waldgrave; 
 and, though all appeared to unite in 
 wishing the latter to be the successful 
 candidate, they were no less unanimous 
 in believing it would prove to be the 
 former. 
 
 Glenthal sat with a proud and sullen 
 frown upon his countenance, and went 
 through his lessons, as if he had sustain- 
 ed some injury. Not so our hero. He 
 had schooled his mind into the belief 
 that, whatever might be the decision of 
 the judges, he, as he had told his mother 
 
58 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 in the morning, would still be a gainer. 
 It is true, that as he contemplated the 
 possibility of the award being given in 
 his favour, and thought of the pleasure he 
 would have in telling Mr. S. that he was 
 now ready to go with him to see Hero 
 and Leander, his pulse beat quicker, and 
 his heart swelled with fuller and deeper 
 throbbings; still, his countenance was 
 serene, and he spoke and looked like one 
 who could bear disappointment, though 
 he would rejoice most heartily if he should 
 prove successful. 
 
 At length the door opened, and the 
 judges came forward. "Here are two 
 compositions, upon the merits of which 
 we are unable to determine," said one of 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 59 
 
 them; "the one belongs to Hero, the 
 other to Hercules." 
 
 "Let me determine/' cried Fred, rising 
 in the ardour of his feelings, and speak- 
 ing with a clear and distinct voice; 
 " Glenthal is the Hercules, and he de- 
 serves it better than I do, for my industry 
 is only like a shooting meteor, but his is 
 the regular and useful light of the polar 
 star; as far, therefore, as uniform dili- 
 gence is preferable to a sudden spirit of 
 industry, is he more deserving of reward 
 than I am." 
 
 "That all sounds very well, Waldgrave," 
 said Dr. W — - smiling; "but I am afraid 
 it is not very sound reasoning, for any 
 one who has known how difficult it is to 
 
60 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 overcome one bad habit (and I believe 
 there are few who have not experienced 
 it), must be sensible of the merit of him 
 who has conquered many. Our present 
 difficulty, however, is merely of a literary 
 nature, and not a question of morality. 
 I propose, therefore, as Glenthal is al- 
 ready above you, that he should go head, 
 and you take your place by his side." As 
 an answer to this proposition Fred tried 
 to raise a clap of approbation, but all was 
 still silent, and a general expression of 
 dissatisfaction prevailed. "My proposal 
 doesn't seem to be approved of," contin- 
 ued the doctor, "and I should like to 
 hear if any one has a better to suggest. 
 Wilcox, you look as if you wished to say 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 61 
 
 something, — let us hear what you have to 
 propose. Speak out^ man, for I never yet 
 heard you say anything of which you need 
 to be ashamed. " 
 
 "I would propose, sir, that Glenthal 
 should be considered head of the class, 
 and Waldgrave second ; but, also, that we 
 should all join and purchase a medal of 
 merit, to be given to Frederick Waldgrave 
 as a token of the respect and admiration 
 of his class-mates." 
 
 This was followed by loud and enthu- 
 siastic clappings, and our hero withdrew 
 amidst the unanimous plaudits of his ad- 
 miring companions. 
 
 On his arrival at home he found Mr. 
 S , and the artist to whom we have 
 
62 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 before alluded, sitting contemplating a 
 picture, which, on looking at it, Fred saw 
 to his surprise was his own drawing. He 
 cast a look of wonder and inquiry at his 
 mother, who immediately understood and 
 answered him. "I was anxious to give 
 you some decided mark of my approba- 
 tion, my dear boy," said she; "and sup- 
 posed I could not do it better than by 
 restoring your lost picture. I therefore 
 carefully preserved all the scraps, and 
 have employed myself to-day in joining 
 
 them, after which I sent for Mr. S , 
 
 to show him your creation and my re-cre- 
 ation." 
 
 " It was very kind of you, mother," re- 
 plied Fred ; " but I am almost sorry you 
 
THE YOUNG ARTIST. 63 
 
 have taken so much trouble about it, for 
 I think I could now make a much bet- 
 ter drawing." 
 
 "I have no doubt you could do so/' 
 
 said Mr. S ■; "but I would advise you 
 
 to take good care of this, nevertheless, for 
 when you are the great artist, which I 
 predict you will some clay become, this 
 picture will be reckoned very valuable, as 
 an enduring proof of the early develop- 
 ment of your genius." 
 
 "And whenever the circumstances at- 
 tending it are known," said his proud 
 mother; "it will tell an honourable tale, 
 by proving him the hero of a victory 
 which even the sage philosopher might 
 be proud of," 
 
64 THE YOUNG ARTIST. 
 
 * 
 
 " And now, S ," said the artist who 
 
 had stood by, admiring the boy's modest 
 but glowing countenance; "let us hasten 
 to the shrine of Steinhauser's genius, for 
 I long to introduce the great master to 
 our young artist." 
 
 THE END