History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 136

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358

USA > Missouri > St Louis County > St Louis City > History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men > Part 136

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Schneider, F. A. H. Demokratische Presse, 1853-55.

*Sehurz, Carl. Westliche Post; Lectures.

Schutte, George A. The La Salle, 1873.

Seeman, A. C. The Mirror.

Singleton, William R. Daily Evening Gazette, 1842. Smith, G. W. Daily Commercial Bulletin, 1869.

*Smith, Arden R. Republican, Evening Chronicle. Smiley, R. L. Temperanee Watch man, 1873. Snow, D. J. Temperance Battery, 1853. Sonnenschein, S. H. Jewish Tribune, 1881. Spitz, Rabbi. Jewish Tribune, 1881.

*Spalding, Josiah. Missouri Republican. Spaunhorst, H. J. Amerika.

Stone, P. P. Merchant and Banker, 1875.

*Stevens, W. B. St. Louis Times, Globe-Democrat.

Staley. People's Organ, 1850.

Steele. Workingman's Advocate, 1831.

Stone, Mrs. M. H. The Mirror.

Stone, Mrs. S. I. Spectator.

Sylvester, R. H. St. Louis Times.

Taylor, J. D. St. Louis Evening Post and Mystic Family, 1845-48.

Taylor, John M. City press.

Teasdale. Central Baptist, 1873. Temple, George. Democrat.

Thayer. Democrat.

Thomas, William L. St. Louis Commercial Gazette, 1875-83. Thompson, H. M. American Inventor, 1881.

Treat, Judge Samuel. Missouri Reporter. Trotter, D. W. R. Central Christian Advocate.

Traey, J. L. Dispatch. Ustiek, T. W. Watehman.

Viekroy, T. R. Phonetic Teacher. Vance. Fountain, 1848-50.

Van Antwerp. Missourian, 1845. Valland, L. F. Missouri Demoerat.

*Waterloo, Stanley. E'vening Chronicle, Republican. Walther, C. W. F. Der Lutheraner, 1853-73. Walster, A. Otto. Volksstimme des Westens, 1878.

Watson, Thomas. St. Louis Pennant.

Weston, H. J. Baptist Quarterly, 1872.

Wenzell. Missouri Blätter.

Wetmore, Alphonso. Saturday News, 1837. Werz, H. Missouri Sehulbote, 1861-65. Willstaedt, L. Figaro, 1874. Williams. Weekly Courier, 1867.

Willieh, L. Puek, Lantern. Wilhartity, A. Neue Welt, 1869-71.

Widmar, R. M. St. Louis Journal of Commerce, St. Louis Handels Zeitung, 1857-59. Willett, Edward. St. Louis Times.

Wilbush, A. Demokratische Presse, I853-55. Willis, M. W. City press.

*Woleott, W. V. Journal of Commerce, Puplic Opinion, Jour- nal of Agriculture, Evening Journal.

*Woods, Dr. S. B. Evening Chronicle.

Wolf, John. Tribune Française. Wull. Friedensbote, 1849.

*Yeaman, Rev. W. Pope; born in Kentucky, 1832; St. Louis, 1870. Central Baptist, 1871-72, 1876-77 ; Leetures.

Zider, H. F. St. Louis Courier, 1874-75 ; St. Louis Dry-Goods Reporter and Price-Current, 1873-74.

" The private libraries of St. Louis have only recently begun to be considerable, either in extent or in, char- acter. This fact is largely due to the mixed character of our population. While the French element pre- dominated, business, political life, and social affairs clicited the chief interest. The German element has to a great extent been composed of men and women whose energics were absorbed by industrial pursuits, and their artistic sympathies found the most satisfac- tory expression through music. Hence, while in our musical history the Germans Icad in representation, and while names like Boernstcin and Bernays are eminent in the ranks of our local writers, yet the sympathy through literary forms has not been the commonest manifesta- tion. The other elements of a primarily foreign popu- lation would naturally find their time sufficiently occupied without the devotion of much time to special literary culture. The native American population has largely consisted of those to whom the struggle for existence was too immediate to leave leisure for exten- sive reading.

" The few individuals who had accumulated private libraries were most frequently men of retired lives, and the dispersion of their effects by death or removal has destroyed all but the recollection of their collec- tions. In some cases, as in that of Governor Reyn- olds, valuable libraries were confiscated or destroyed during our civil war.

" Using library as a word intended to express a reasonable number of valuable books, collected with reference to some rational and distinctive aim, private libraries are owned by the following ladies and gen- tlemen : 1

Mrs. Beverly Allen, #Gerard B. Allen, Mrs. Thomas Allen, Mrs. D. Robert Barelay, #Dr. G. Baumgarten, Mrs. Franeis P. Blair, *A. F. Blaisdell, Miss Susie Blow, Rev. W. W. Boyd, *Maj. Bryan, W. J. S. Bryan, Mrs. J. J. Cole, E. C. Coleman, D. F. Colville, #Newton Crane, #F. M. Crunden, #Eugene Cuendet, H. I. D'Arey, H. A. Diamant, *John A. Dillon, B. V. B. Dixon, #William R. Donaldson, W. B. Douglas, *H. L. Dousman, George D. Drake, John N. Dyer, James B. Eads, #Lucien Eaton, "George S. Edgell, #Dr. W. E. Fis- ehel, Rev. John Fulton, Rev. Dr. Ganse, *Col. T. T. Gantt, *James S. Garland, James C. Ghio, #W. J. Gilbert, *William J. Glasgow, #Samuel T. Glover, Dr. John Green, George D. Hall, W. G. Hammond, *Britton A. Hill, *E. A. Hiteheoek, *Henry

1 The collections marked thus * have special value, and well represent the ancient and modern elassics, art, dramatic litera- ture, natural science, political history, English literature, Shakespeariana, French memoirs, books relating to Napoleon, philology, philosophy, theology, Americana, and illustrated works.

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

Hitchcock, Clarence Hodge, *James K. Hosmer, Mrs. G. L. Hughes, #Halsey C. Ives, *Horatio Jones, Archbishop P. R. Kenrick, #Rev. F. M. Kiclty, Chester M. Krum, Mrs. R. J. Lackland, #Rev. J. C. Learned, *George E. Leighton, J. H. Lionberger, Henry Lucas, Dr. Karl Luedeking, Judge G. Madill, William MeBlair, Gustav V. R. Meechein, *II. H. Morgan, J. W. Noble, James O'Fallon, John O'Fallon, John C. Orrick, C. S. Pennell, John D. Perry, Rev. T. M. Post, *W. H. Pulsifer, #Eben Richards, F. L. Ridgley, #L. B. Ripley, *E. C. Robbins, *Rev. M. Schuyler, *William L. Scott, "George E. Seymour, J. H. Sheets, *J. R. Shepley, #H. T. Simon, R. B. Smith, *D. J. Snider, #M. S. Snow, *F. L. Soldan, S. H. Son- nenschien, H. S. Spaunhorst, Dr. A. Strotholte, #Maj. Suteo, H. C. Thorn, "George F. Toner, *Charles H. Turner, E. H. Twin- ing, *Mrs. W. H. Waters, #Sylvestor Waterhouse, #H. W. Wil- liams, *Mrs. William Young.

" The publishing business in St. Louis has neither employed large capital nor been of more than indi- vidual importance. To this there are notable excep- tions in the direction of law, which, through the efforts of F. H. Thomas & Co., George I. Jones, and W. J. Gilbert, has become an interest of magnitude, while the publications have a high reputation. Mr. Jones has, furthermore, done much for the city by the high character of his miscellaneous publications, such as Hosmer's " History of German Literature," Snider's "System of Shakespeare's Dramas," Morgan's " Topi- cal Shakespeariana," Woodward's " History of the St. Louis Bridge;" and in the direction of educational publications, Henry W. Jameson has done enough to entitle him to personal mention."

Among the publishers, David B. Gould 1 has achieved a well-earned reputation as the directory- maker of St. Louis. He was born in Caldwell, Essex Co., N. J., Sept. 7, 1844. He appears to have inherited his faculty for book-making, for his grandfather, Stephen Gould, is said to have been the first publisher of law books in America. The house which he founded in New York City is still in ex- istence, being now conducted by Banks Brothers, his great-nephews. The Goulds settled in New Jersey as early as 1700, and were prominent and public-spirited people of that region.

Young Gould received the usual common-school edu- cation, and attended college, but did not graduate, being impatient to mingle in the active affairs of life. In 1864 he went West as clerk of the Ordnance Depart- ment of the United States army, and was located at Fort Scott, Kan., where he remained until the close of the war, when he returned to his old home ; but finding the sphere too contracted for one of his enter- prising disposition, again removed to the West, and in 1866 began at Chicago the compilation of directo- ries. In connection with this business he was identi-

fied for some years with some of the most important places in the West and South.

In September, 1871, he located permanently in St. Louis, and commenced the publication of the "St. Louis City Directory," which he has issued annually ever since. Mr. Gould has given this work his en- tire time and attention, and for completeness, cor- rectness, careful attention to details, etc., his publica- tions are not surpassed by any similar works in America. He employs such system and energy in the business that, although the growing population of St. Louis compels the yearly addition of from five thousand to seven thousand names to the directory, the period employed in getting out the work has, during the past ten years, been shortened thirty days. In addition to this great undertaking, he publishes a "St. Louis Business Men's Directory," a " Blue- Book of St. Louis," and a " Map of St. Louis." Mr. Gould has also published directories of Peoria, Springfield, and Bloomington, Ill., and it is his in- tention to cover, as rapidly as practicable, every im- portant point in the West and South.

Of his standing as a business man it may be said that he very early secured the confidence and good will of the people of St. Louis, and has retained them ever since. He at once identified himself with the city, and there has hardly been a public movement of any kind since he established his residence in which he has not taken a prominent and active part. Ques- tions of transportation, both by rail and river, have engaged much of his attention. He was a delegate from St. Louis to the River Improvement Convention at St. Paul, and was secretary of that body, which did more for the improvement of the upper Missis- sippi than all previous agencics. Upon this and kindred topics he has written much for the public press. There is hardly a citizen who has devoted more time and money, proportionately to his means, to advance the interests of St. Louis, and there is certainly none who has exhibited such implicit and enthusiastic faith in the future of the city, as is shown by his large investments, made from the profits of a prosper- ous business. He is an ardent promoter of the pend- ing scheme to reconstruct the streets of St. Louis with granite, and in this, as in all things else, displays the carnestness of a man of liberal and enterprising views, who has not only the courage to express them, but the energy to carry them out.

Innumerable enterprises claim and receive Mr. Gould's support. He was the founder and father of the St. Louis Club, and for three years was a director and chairman of its house committee. He is a director in the Provident Savings Institution,

1 Contributed by F. H. Burgess.

David B. Gould

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

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ART AND ARTISTS.

one of the enterprising and flourishing banks of the city. He is also a member of many fraternities, but while willing to do his share of the work, has pre- ferred that others should fill the offices and enjoy the honors.

Mr. Gould's wife is Emma E., the only daughter of Dr. M. V. Allen, of Chicago, and a direct descend- ant of Gen. Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary hero. They have three interesting children.

Mr. Gould has a beautiful residence at 3457 Chest- nut Strcet, St. Louis, and an elegant summer house at Oconomowoc, Wis., where in the intervals of busi- ness he enjoys life rationally, finding no greater pleas- ure than in the society of his family and friends.

" The following is a list of the publishers of St. Louis :

" Advocate Publishing House, American Baptist Publication Society, American School Book Company, M. S. Barnett, C. R. Barnes, Becktold & Co., Belford, Clark & Co., Bollman & Son, W. S. Bryan, R. A. Campbell, James. H. Chambers, Chris- tian Publishing Company, Norman J. Coleman, Concordia Pub- lishing Company, Charles B. Cox, Logan D. Dameron, Everts & Co., P.J. Fox, Gilbert Book Company, David B. Gould, Historical Publishing Company, E. F. Hobart & Co., G. I. Jones & Co., Journal of Commerce, Moses King, J. J. Lawrence, J. C. MeCurdy & Co., National Publishing Company, Parson & Co., Review Publishing Company, Scammell & Co., J. T. Smith & Co., Spectator Publishing Company, St. Louis Magazine Company, St. Louis Religious Press Association, W. H. Stevenson, Sun Publishing Company, F. H. Thomas & Co., Thompson, Tice & Lillington, N. D. Thompson & Co., William F. Wernse & Co., Charles F. Anderson, E. F. Gambs, Harker & Pritchard, Charles Jennings, Ferd. P. Kaiser, W. H. Kerns, Louis Lange, John B. Lee & Bro., Frank McDavitt, James H. Matthews, George W. Matthews, McClelland & Winter, Samuel H. Soyster, St. Louis Baptist Publishing Company, St. Louis Board of Publication, Thomas & Stone."

CHAPTER XXXVII.

ART AND ARTISTS.1

THE art history of St. Louis has passed through two distinct phases. This has followed naturally from the peculiar characteristics of the inhabitants. The earlier settlers were mainly French. These brought with them the inborn refinement belonging to people who have grown up in the midst of a cultivated so- ciety, and who have inherited through many gencra- tions a genuine taste for and lively appreciation of works of art.

Such people, though doubtless for the most part

unable to analyze and give an explicit account of their preferences, must still possess, in the form of taste, a discriminative judgment that would well-nigh unfail- ingly select intrinsically valuable, and as unfailingly reject valueless productions. They thus without hesi- tation preferred a fair copy of a really significant work to an original one that possessed no vital mean- ing. In this way, it is well known, there grew up in Europe at an early period a demand for copies of the better class of paintings.

Of copies thus called into existence many were brought to St. Louis and the surrounding region by the earlier French settlers. It doubtless happened also that an occasional original picture by a really great artist found its way over, though the fact that few specially wealthy families were counted among thesc early immigrants reduces such probability to the minimum.2

At the present day many of these old paintings have fallen into the hands of people who, for one or another reason, do not care to retain them. It often

2 This scarcely does justice to the earlier inhabitants of St. Louis. They did not practice art to any great extent, but they did encourage it by securing pictures abroad and by having portraits painted at home. There were a number of very good portrait-painters in the country, who every year made winter tours to the South, and it was a favorite route with several of these to pass up the Hudson to Albany, across country to Olean, down the Allegheny to Pittsburgh, and thence to Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, and New Orleans. A great number of the old portraits in St. Louis were painted by these itinerant limners. The first directory, that of 1821, mentions the fact that the town at that time contained "one portrait-painter, who would do credit to any country."

Gabriel Paul was then the architect and building the Cathe- dral, and the compiler of the directory takes great pride in claiming that "the Cathedral of St. Louis can boast of having no rival in the United States for the magnificence, the value and clegance of her sacred vases, ornaments, and paintings, and indecd few churches in Europe possess anything superior to it. It is a truly delightful sight to an American of taste to find in one of the remotest towns of the Union a church decorated with the original paintings of Rubens, Raphael, Guido, Paul Ver- onese, and a number of others by the first modern masters of the Italian, French, and Flemish schools. The ancient and precious gold embroidcries which the St. Louis Cathedral pos- sesses would certainly decorate any museum in the world. All this is due to the liberality of the Catholics of Europe, who presented these rich articles to Bishop Dubourg on his last tour through France, Italy, Sicily, and the Netherlands. Among the liberal benefactors could be named many princes and princesses, but we will only insert the names of Louis XVIII., the present king of France, and that of the Baroness La Candele de Ghysegham, a Flemish lady, to whose munificence the Cathedral is particularly indebted." Of course the paint- ings of the old masters are copies, not originals. The directory also makes mention of the fact that even at that early day drawing was part of the regular curriculum of St. Louis Uni- versity (then called College) .- J. T. S.

1 This chapter is the joint work of Professor H. II. Morgan and W. M. Bryant. In giving it without material alteration, the author does not wish to be held responsible for all its con- clusions, nor for the tone of some of its criticisms.

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

happens, therefore, that one of these is brought to light and offered for sale. Some of them bear the signatures of artists more or less celebrated. These, 'which from the nature of the case in most instances must be, and very likely in all cases are, copies, to- gether with many more altogether without signature, are often confidently claimed to be original works of this or that great master, on no other ground, it would seem, than that , there is no longer any clew whatever to their origin ! At the same time, it is not to be denied that many of these works have genuine merit; some of them, indeed, a high order of merit.

It is to be observed, however, that during this entire earlier period the absorbing interests were those of a community struggling to develop the resources of a country as yet in its primitive condition. It was impossible, therefore, that the art interests of the time should be such as to develop any productive activity in the field of art.

The second phase of the art history of St. Louis presents characteristics no less marked than those of the first. The growth of the city involved the in- fusion of elements other than French, so that in course of time the latter became wholly subordinated, both in numbers and in influencc. The transition period, indeed, is one well-nigh destitute of art inter- est of any kind. The new elements entering into the population of the city brought energy, enterprise, thrift, but all this was concentrated almost wholly in the direction of accumulating property in its most abstract form,-i.e., in the form of wealth, money as wealth.

This stage, however, was not, as it could not be, a permanent one. Those who had accumulated wealth began to feel the necessity of its being realized in other forms than in that of mere money, if it was to be wealth in any true sense; and no very extended research was required to make clear to them this fact, that wealth has from time immemorial unfailingly sought realization in works of art.

Nevertheless, people without art-culture, and even wholly destitute of traditions concerning art, cannot, from the very nature of the case, safely rely upon their own judgments in the choice of works of art. It happened, therefore, that the earlier collections in this second phase of our art history were of exceed- ingly varying merit. The tendency was, and in some degree still is, to decry the art of the renaissance, and to insist upon the immeasurable superiority of the art of the present over the art of all former time. Pic- tures were purchased rather from the celebrity of the artist than from any clear conception of the signifi- cance or valuc of the pictures themselves.

At the same time, while the distance of an artist in time was held to be proof of his inferiority, the dis- tance of an artist in space was but too likely to be taken as fairly conclusive evidence of his superiority. Nor does there appear to have been the slightest sus- picion of the necessary incongruity existing between these two tacit assumptions, the former of which was but one with the light opinion entertained of the re- naissance art, an incongruity sufficiently apparent when one considers that those most distant and there- fore greatest artists are found in France and Italy, the very countries where the richest traditions of the renaissance centre, and without which the great art of the present would have been simply impossible.

It must, however, be borne in mind that this was but a preliminary stage. With inerease of inquiry has come increase of knowledge, so that the purchases of works of art have been steadily more and more discriminating, while the evidences of defective judg- ment in the determination of earlier acquisitions are gradually disappearing from our galleries.

The influences leading to this marked improvement in the art interests of the city have been many and various. Among these influences the art exhibitions held from time to time must be counted as highly significant. The first was held in Oak Hall in 1857, and this may be regarded as the date of the revival, or, in an important sense, as the date of the origin of a genuine art interest in the city.

For a number of years past art exhibitions have constituted a special feature of the St. Louis Annual Fair and Exposition. These have generally been made up mainly of paintings, representing the best class of work of many of the foremost artists of both Europe and America.

Besides these, other occasional exhibitions have been held in the Mercantile Library roonis, in the reading-room of the Public School Library, and latterly two specially noteworthy ones in the new Museum of Fine Arts. These have all been " loan exhibitions," the pictures being supplicd from the private galleries of the city. Much credit is due to H. L. Dousman and other collectors named below for their public- spirited liberality on these occasions, which has been of great value in educating the public taste.

Again, the collections that came to be formed, as a result of the newly-awakened interest, gave by reflex influence a strong stimulus to that interest. The ear- liest of these collections worthy of mention began to be formed in the years immediately succeeding the close of the war. A number of these have come to include not merely an extended array of pietures for which large sums of money have been paid, but pic-

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ART AND ARTISTS.

tures which, with very few exceptions, are genuine works of art of a high order of merit. Such are the collections of H. L. Dousman, Charles Parsons, Daniel Catlin, F. O. Day, John J. O Fallon, S. A. Coale, J. G. Chapman, Benjamin W. Clark, Edwin Harrison, George E. Leighton, F. L. Ridgeley, John A. Scud- der, John R. Shepley, and W. S. Stuyvesant, which contain good and important examples of the work of nearly two hundred of the most celebrated of modern painters. The works in these collections have been chiefly, though not entirely, selected because repre- sentative of artists of high repute, and together afford the means of study of much of the best of modern art.

Others, guided in many instances by knowledge born of real study of art, and in other instances by a well-defined and cultivated taste, have made collec- tions which may be said to exhibit more of the indi- viduality of the owners, notably H. C. Ives, G. Baum- garten, Martin Collins, S. M. Dodd, W. W. Harris, Henry Overstolz, E. A. Hitchcock, Frank Desloge, W. J. Gilbert, Horatio M. Joncs, H. T. Simon, J. B. Henderson, Thomas E. Tutt, G. O. Carpenter, A. B. Thomson, L. M. Rumsey, G. S. Walker, M. Rumsey, H. C. Wilson, B. H. Brownell, E. S. Warner, and D. F. Colville. Some of these collections arc the ex- pressions of taste or feeling in a special direction, as for engravings or etchings, and some are composed exclusively of the works of local artists.

Hercules L. Dousman,1 who has perhaps the finest private art collection in St. Louis, is the only son of Col. Hercules L. Dousman, who, as one of the lead- ing minds of the Northwestern Fur Company, con- tributed largely to the opening up to settlement and civilization the vast territories that lie west and north- west of Prairie du Chien, Wis., as far as the bounda- ries of the British dominions and the mouth of the Columbia River. Col. Dousman was born in 1800, in the island of Mackinac, and after receiving a thor- ough commercial training in New York, became, while still quite a young man, connected with the North- western Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor, its founder, was then manager, and in which Pierre Chouteau, of St. Louis, was subsequently one of the controlling spirits. In 1826, Col. Dousman was sta- tioned by his employers at Prairie du Chien, under the nominal control of Joseph Rolctte, a gentleman who speedily comprehended the great abilities of his youthful friend and coadjutor, and yielded to him the administration of the affairs of his company in that region. Thus at an age when most men are deliber-

ating on the choice of a career, Col. Dousman became the practical Governor of a territory larger in arca than France and Germany combined, and the potent agent through which civilization has supplanted bar- barism throughout a section which bids fair to become the richest and most populous in the republic. He was one of the most remarkable men of his day, and among the wild tribes of the Northwest his control was unhesitatingly admitted. A friend of his, Gen. Henry H. Sibley, in a paper read before the Histori- cal Society of Minnesota, speaking from long years of personal knowledge, borc testimony to the extraordi- nary power he wielded aniong the Indians, who, while they fearcd and respected the determined will of Col. Dousman, revercd him as a man whose justice was cqualed by his kindness, and whose word could be relied on implicitly in all transactions. Indeed, he was their friend as well as their law-giver, and his rule was acknowledged with a hearty loyalty that could only spring from warm personal affection.

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History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 136

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898 Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts Number of Pages: 1358

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358