Life — November 16, 1911 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

-LIFE- Life’s Family Album A ngus MacDonall cr appears from an extensive exam nation of the facts, that Lirr con- tributors were entirely undiscriminat- ing and impartial in their choice of birthplaces. A Lire contributor may be born anywhere. So far as we know, none was born in New York. A num- ber have come from New England, and not a few from the great Middle West. Mr. MacDonall, for example, was born in St. Louis, and, as if to show there was no hard feeling. straightway moved his goods and chat- tels to Chicago. And then to make matters worse, he sought the seclusion of Connecticut. Every evening now, in that interesting State, he can be seen reading seed catalogues aloud to his wife. Another remarkable—or rather quite commonplace fact, in regard to Lire’s contributors is that the talent— or genius, if you will—for creating things seems to be a gift by itself and to develop along lines of its own, with- out speciai regar4 for environment or early influence. Some artists have re- ceived a severe technical training; others have sprung into their work ap- parently without it. Yet, when we come to trace their lives, we invaria- bly find that they have unconsciously selected the particular influences which have moulded their future. It is not a long flight to Westfield, it being quite easy to go there by bi- plane without stopping. It took us nearly forty minutes to make the jour- ney and then we had some trouble in locating Mr. MacDonall, but at last we found ourselves duly ensconced in his studio. “Yes,” he said, “I was not only born in St. Louis, but I was raised by my grandmother, my parents having died when I was very young.” “And your art proclivities?” fter my early school days I found myself, at fifteen, in an architect’s of- fice, and for six years I worked there as an apprentice.” “ Acquiring valuable technical knowl- For one thing, | learned how to apply myself—that is half the battle. During this period I spent a single term at the St. Louis Museum of Fine Arts, drawing from the antique. This ended my work un- der a master.” “And your first drawing?” “Was sold to a St. Louis paper. I received for it the magnific one dollar and a half.” “I suppose so. THE BERTILLOD “How did you come to leave Louis for Chicago?” “T wanted to get a contrast, so I went to Chicago on my wedding trip. While I was there I met a genuine au- thor—he told me so himself—and he insisted upon reading his book aloud to me; it was a humorous book, the author laughing so heartily himself as he read it, that it produced upon me the opposite effect and I made a set of pictures for it that would have drawn tears from the Angel Gabriel; how- ever, they paid my wedding expenses, and I still feel kindly toward Chi- cago.” It is almost unnecessary to add that Mr. MacDonall is one of Lire’s most valuable stic contributors, his half- tone pictures covering a wide range of human interest. Reward S . PETER (to fair applicant): What caused your death? Fai Areticant: | wa in a hospita Perer: Private room and four nurses, 1 suppose? Fain Arriican No, I operated on was in a ward, St. Perer: Select your wings. ROM politician explain, deferred maketh the SYSTEM IN THE HOME, OR, WHO STOLE THE JAM? comicbook een