New-York daily tribune., 1854-08-29
srArrES IN ENGLAND.

STATUES IN ENGLAND.
1t has long been q standing reprOach to England
thst her Ca1tons, her Shsksperes, HamPtens aud
Cromwells are unhonored by any public memorials,
though the squares and public places OF her chiet
cities are decorated with statues Of the inbecie and
vicious Hanoverian Georges, aprohigate aud spend
thrift Duke Of York, or of naval aud military heroes
AZ Marlborough Nelson and Wellington. This fact
wss rightly cited as proof Of how much'the fesdai
spirt predominated in English society. But straws
thrown up into the air indicate the way the wind Is
blowing, and three public statues inaugursted or COM
peted within the last six weeks in England seem TO
denote that very significant change in the wind OF
public opinion has taken place with this generation
First among these the statue to the great George
Stephensop to whom the civilized world is everlast-
inpy indebted as the creator almost of railroads-in
sururated at the Euston square Station of the London
and North Western Railway; next is the monument
70 tie late poet Thomas Hood, Kensal Green Gene
tery; and finally, the completion Of the statue Of
John Elliott the Corn Law Rhymer, the Poet OF De-
mocracy and the Rights of Labor, to be placed in
fr.nt of the pOst-ofice in Sheffield.
Nor are these the only facts Of the same import;
Psr ent itself has just given evidence OF the al
tered spirit of the times in this respect The statue
of Charles that stands newhere in the city had
fallen into deplorabe state of decay, aud Govern
nent agreed to ask for vote of money for its repair
Sir William Molesworth, the Wing Radical me nber
of the Cabinet read the Artists report the state
of the monument &" its broken lnees, shattered
sides, dilapdated tail to House of Commons
uproarous with laughter and the vote was asked Of
the House and granted by it, not because Charles
was king, but because lie S9ur's finest work OF
sart" should not be allowed to go utterly to ruin.
The only words uttered in Parliament on the merits
of Charles l. were spoken By Mr.. Wise, who charac-
terized him as ''an enemy of public liberties" The
dilapidated statue a symbol Of the fallen nl1euce
of certain social and political ideas.
While the House of Lords some twelve years ago
refused statue to Cromwell in their august House,
among the other rulers of Engsnd the Crystal Palace
Directors have just decided that Oliver and Richard
Cromwell shall have statues in similar connection
at Sydenhsm; and ireland too speaks in the sans
sense the Dargan testimonial, changed at Dargaa's
request from barren monument to Indus
trial College, (the Dargan Institute is surely many
steps in advance of the Dublin testimonials Of thirty
years ago to George ", 1.-THE first Gent. in England"
In significant contrast with the successful edifcation
ited society, stands the unsuccessful movement
started by certain toady Lord Mayor of London,
for statue to Prince Albert So generally was this
movement discountenaned by the press and society,
that the Prince had to step forward, cut the unspon
taneous movement short and beg that the money
might be diverted to charitable purposes.
When the Sheffield fle-maker, the poor Grub st.
literateur and the Syne collieryboy able to win
for themselves monuments in feudal and funkey En-
gland it would seem that the shade of Richard Ceur
de Lion has to congratulate itself that the year
1853 provided him with monument. 1t will soon be
too late for such historical characters to look for
canonisaiion because the People who know how to
honor the Stephensons Hoods, Elliots aud Dargans
will prefer for subjects of glorifcaton such men as
Csxton, Bacon and Milton to any pussant Pantagenet
or Lancastran In the meantime this visbly changed
current of opinion coheres with that general social
and political evolution which is now so steadily de-
f.udaizirg Britain; of which, indeed the phenomena
we have recounted are sign and an outgrowth