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handsome fortune in that profession and was a man of intelligence. He admired the painting,
but said " that if he could paint as well he would not waste his time on portraits but would devote himself
to historical subjects; and he mentioned the Death of Socrates as one of the best topics for illustrating the
moral effect of painting." Upon the confession of the painter that he knew nothing of Socrates, Mr. Henry
took from his library a volume of the English translation of Plutarch and read the story. West's imagination
was aroused, and he executed a painting of the subject which when finished attracted much attention and was
of peculiar advantage to him, for at that time Dr. Smith, Provost of the College at Philadelphia, happened to
be at Lancaster. After seeing the picture and talking with the artist " he offered to undertake to make him
to a certain degree acquainted with classical literature; while at the same time he would give him such a
sketch of the taste and character of the spirit of antiquity as would have all the effect of the regular
education requisite to a painter."
Benjamin accordingly went to the capital and resided at the house of Mr. Clarkson, his
brother-in-law, a gentleman who had been educated at Leyden and was much respected for the intelligence of
his conversation and the propriety of his manners. Provost Smith gave to his pupil a peculiar training. " He
regarded him as destined to be a painter and on this account did not impose on him those grammatical
exercises of language which are usually required of young students of the classics, but directed his
attention to those incidents which were likely to interest his fancy, and to furnish him at some future time
with subjects for his easel. He carried him immediately to those passages of ancient history which make the
most lasting impression on the imagination of the regular bred scholar and described the picturesque
circumstances of the transactions with a minuteness of detail which would have been superfluous to the
general student." It was at this time when confined in bed during an illness that he discovered for himself
the principle of the camera obscura.
At the end of his Philadelphia studies the question of
settling him in some profession for life came up, and Gait gives a description of a solemn scene with discourses,
prayers, and a final dedication
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