Life — July 27, 1911 — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MEISBAE Life’s Family Album Mark Fenderson WwW discovered ourselves one day de- liberately reflecting about Mr Fenderson’s pictures. There is about them an individual quality that is ex tremely interesting. One somehow gets the impression that they are thrown off with th Mr. Fenderson sat himself down in an idle moment and sketched them off with the precision of the p as he pst careless case; just as if jects! And such admirable insight into the essential qualities of things in gen- eral! We determined to drop in on him at once, and without more ado we found ourselves in Eighteenth street “Mr, Fenderson, we desire to. know where you were born.” “Tn Minneso “And when did you first become an art Mr. Fenderson was plainly embar- rassed by this question, so we altered it in accordance with nature “When did you first know that were an artist? “My first experience as an artist was on the road ing tea, for ton.” “And so you did not astonish the world when you were a child and annoy a traveling salesman, sell- Quaker tea house in Bos your parents with the harrowing thought that you never would amount to any- thing?” “T believe not. I just came up quite naturally, After being born in Minne- sota I lived in Maine, and after arrivin at the tea stage in my career found my- self as far West as Chicago. It was then that I began to draw pictures.” “ And what were they like?” “1 wouldn't dare tell you explicitly. It is sufficient to say that they came under the head of cartoons. I suppose I must have grown tired of Chicago, and so I found myself drifting East, and the course of time I sought Pittsburg as a haven of refuge.” “ And there? “L continued to draw cartoons for the papers for some three years. Then once more the spirit beckoned ew York “And to Lire. Y I haven't yet recovered from the crisis of having my first picture in Lire.” “And you may also know, Mr. Fe derson, that Lire: feels in a way the s: pout any newly found friend. To para- phrase Keats: “*Then feel we like some watcher of the skies When a new artist. swims within our ken And now that we have you regularly in- stalled as one of our best contributors, can you not tell us something more about yourself? You are too modest, and not explicit enough.” Mr. Fenderson smiled. “TI can tell you of a thing that once appened to me, which it seems to me orth while recording. One day when 1 was a boy I called in Boston upon F. G Attwood.” “You mean the Lirr: artist who used to delight so many of our readers?” “Yes. Even at that time [ had artis: tic aspirations, and [asked Mr. Attwood if he thought it paid to be an artist.” “And what was his reply?” “He said: ‘My boy, it is the only thing that pays, whether you get any money or not.’ And I have been think ing of that ever since.” The Knock Answered PPORTUNITY knocked once at the man’s door, To the surprise of Opportunity the man appeared and said “T don’t want any mining stock, and I don’t want to invest in bamboo plantations, and I don’t want to buy a sand plant in Arizona, and I don't want any Belgian hares of squab farms, or mushroom cellars, or —— “ But, my dear sir,” Opportunity inter- rupted, “I do not bring you any such offers. I am only here to show the way to rivet yourself to the good job you are now holding Whereupon the man invited Oppor- tunity in: MAN AND SUPERMAN comicbook The Stat deal § {Cfo