Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard., 1853-01-19
THE JACKSON STATUE.

Saturday 18th january which deserves to be noticed
/ The merit of the work alone would be sufficient t
Justify than ordinary degree of attention. bu
the circumstances under which 1t was begun and car
red to a triumphadt completion, render it il
| American art-an in all art-and make it at Ieas
as noteworthy any rumor set afoat by politca
I intrigue, or circulated by the press.
The great admiration which gathered like sunset
| glory round the memory of Andrew jackson at the
close of his splendid and stormy Iife resulted in a
determination on the part of political Association in
washington city, to erect great monument to his
name. They raised sum of money for the purpose
what, we do not exactly knew-but not sufficient
to attract the greed of foreign harpes nor to furnish
food for Intrigue as to disposal at home. Indeed
understood that considerable difficulty experen-
ced by this Association in discovering any competent
person willing to undertake colossal bronze statue
OF their hero, at the price they were able TO offer and
he money they had raised lay for some time in sort
of Limbo, nobody knowing exactly what would be-
come of it, and still fewer feeling the curiosity to
enquire into its condition.
In the meantime there lived in South Carolina an
iterate and obscure young mechanic named Clarke
Mills. He had been taught the trade of plastering
walls; and four years ago he was working at his
trade, in different from the several hun
dred other plastering apprentices and iourneymen
pIaserers in the city Of Charleston But this plain
youth "wore yet a precious jewel in his head, -
which has seldom failed to prove a talisman to
nown and glory, if not to wealth or fame. He had
the natural gift for perceiving and creating the beauty
Of form and outline, and without any aspiration be-
yond the pleasure Of its perhaps, he moulded
certain heads and figures in clay. The force and
truth of these rude efforts attracted the attention of
bis fellow citizens. They conceived the idea that
they had found rough diamond, aud they got up
subscription to send him the to be polished
in Italy. With the money thus rendered him Clarke
Mills set out on his journey, The road lay through
Washington Those who had control Of the aforesaid
fund there merely learning the fact that South Ca
roiua sculptor in the town his way to Italy,
and knowing no more, waited upon him and made
him offer of the money in their hands if he wond
execute their commission. Mills declined their pro-
posal without hesitation. He told them that he was
no sculptor-knew nothing about bronze, and had
never even seen an equestrian sta.ue and that there
fore the undertaking proposed to him perfectly
absurd. Here the thing wonld have naturally ended.
Bat after the interview over, he conceived the
idea of that form and attitude the final realization of
which was the other day witnessed by the conntry.
Ee went back to his proposed employers, told them
that he could do it, and they rashly and wisely list
ened to his words.
The next step to be decided on, was the casting
of the bronze. The moulding of colossal statue
has hitherto been reckoned of the most difficult
mechanical feats. vast and costly machinery has
been hitherto employed in such works. In only
places in Europe does this machinery exist,
and TO these places all the models have been hitherto
sent for casting. But young Mills fortunately
too ignorant to know the difficulties in his way. He
recollected to have seen in his native woods
iron chain fall into pile of pine wood burning
under earth after the common method of ma uufactur
ing charcoal ;-this chain was melted. He drew
from that fact the simple deduction that If the heat
of that charcoal kiln would melt brass, it would also
melt zinc copper and tin into bronze and that if he
could construct small furnace the plan of that
kiln, combining the caloric Of small fire till it became
intense, that he could dispense with trip the
seas-disPense with all the old gigantic furnaces
and with cord or two of wood make bronze enough
10 cast Goliah himfelf. Before attempting l., how
ever, he consulted many learned gentlemen his
plan, and they all gave him very sclentlc and salts
factory reasons why he could not produce a great
heat without great draugh; and that therefore his
design was impossible. Practical men o. course
more firmly set against it than the saVans, but the
charcoal-making plasterer remained unconvinced.
He set about his work. He made his new furnace,
and succeeded. With little foundry Of few feet,
and few sticks of wood, he has melted all the bronze
necessary for the largest metal satuae in this ceun-
try, and one Of the largest in the world.
He did not accomplish his designs without many
failures and much trbulation His first bronze was
bad !; his mouds went wrong he was harrassed by
cenceed officials, and hindered by want of money.
But it is hard TO stop of real genius whez he
becomes possessed-fanatic1L-o an original idea.
Difficulty delayed but perfected the work; and on
last Saturday, in the presence of the natlons repre-
senatives, amid the roar and glitter of national
pageant, the unetered ,unaught. crude mechanical,
not " bred in Athenan stall, unveiled to the world
statue which casts a shadow of eclipse every
work of art yet this contnent-a thing which
will rank with the greatest creations OF art anywhere
and the creator with the Angeles and Cellinis of
the past, and with every memorable name that time
will yet bring forth.
Ii is equestrian statue of an American general.
The horse curvets and the rider performs salute.
Both full of spirit and fire. None can look at
either, learned unearned, without being powerful
ly impressed by the energy and grace which they
display, and this take to be the true criterion of
genius in art.
The creation of this statue marks epoch in
the history of bronze and in the history of equestrian
statues. The only support of all that immense mass
OF metal the two hind legs of the rearing horse
No other portion of it touches the granite pedestal
The circumstance gives inconcevable degree of
lightness and viger to the whole conception. No
other equestrian statue in the whole world IS made
so. 1t has been thought impossible to sustain
weight so immense on such support. The famous
statue of Peter the Great only on the hind
legs, but the tail and serpant twined around
the legs; while the Wellington statue lately put up
at Edinburgh, is almost on its launches. Lucky is
it that the Carolinian knew little Of artistic tradition,
and less about mechanical rule. Had he been learn
ed man he would have stuck well 10 the
simple truth Of every day experience that two legs
of a living horse of flesh and blood are enough 10
hold him up without breaking, or have drawn the
still more simple deduction that therefore two brass
legs might hold up a similar body of brass.
Richmond Examiner.
The Charleston Courier celebrated its semicen-
tennia anniversary on the 10th inst, by sump-
tuous entertainment to the whole press Of that city