He was born in the
suburbs of Paris, an only child; his father, interested in little
building speculations, maintained his family in modest comfort. The
mason wished to make an architect of his son, and Marcelo was in the
midst of his preparatory studies when his father suddenly died, leaving
his affairs greatly involved. In a few months, he and his mother
descended the slopes of ruin, and were obliged to give up their snug,
middle-class quarters and live like laborers.
When the fourteen-year-old boy had to choose a trade, he learned wood
carving. This craft was an art related to the tastes awakened in Marcelo
by his abandoned studies. His mother retired to the country, living with
some relatives while the lad advanced rapidly in the shops, aiding his
master in all the important orders which he received from the provinces.
The first news of the war with Prussia surprised him in Marseilles,
working on the decorations of a theatre.
Marcelo was opposed to the Empire like all the youths of his generation.
He was also much influenced by the older workmen who had taken part in
the Republic of '48, and who still retained vivid recollections of the
Coup d'Etat of the second of December.
One day he saw in the streets of Marseilles a popular manifestation in
favor of peace which was practically a protest against the government.
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