The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1856-07-29
The Statue of Washington,

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No event in the celebration of the birth day
Of the Republic will equal in importance or
interest the unveiling of the Statue of Wash
ington aud lis presentation to the City of New
York. Washington needs. no monument; nay
more,-the erection Of monuments TO him is
absurd, almost an affront to the country and u
the world but the erection of statues in his
honor is a very different matter. The two
things are supposed by many persons to be al
most identical in their meaning, at least, if not
in their form bui this is great mistake
Monuments and statues are not more palpably
unlike in their forms than they are radically
different in their object, ,and-.so to speak
their idea. Amonument is erected to perpetu.
ate the memory of m event or person: but q
statue is tribute from Art to Worth and
Genius, and honor paid, which when duly paid,
honors thespayer In primitive times stone
is set up to mark and keep III memory an event,
as for instance Jacob aud Labao, 10 be wit.
ness of the covenant between them. More
cultivated people can do little better than 10
hew the stone into some symmetrical form,
such as an obelisk or apillar. In the Bunker
Hill Monument we have fine specimen OF the
] monument pure and simple legilmately used
That there was a battle of Bunker Hill would
never have been forgotten but>with the destruc'
ton of the literature of America and England;
but the place and the date might, in the lapse
of ages, have been forgotten, had not this ODE.
lisk been erected, to tell TO the world through
all time, that then and there took place the first
great notable struggle for American indepen
dence.
To erect monument like this to Washing
ton, is, plainly, a work Of the absurdest su.
pSrerrogalon and thus that ridiculous struc
ture at Washington is doubly ridiculous
ridiculous both in itself and in its purpose
ridiculous ab ouo. But as to statues of Wash
ington, there should be one at least in every
principal city in the land and It IS shame to
New YoSk that until now sbe has not paid this
honor to the Father Of his Country. That she
has been relieved of that shame is chiefly, we
might say entirely due to the taste, the public
spirit, and the exertiens of.one among her most
esteemed citizeDs- Colonel James Lee. Mr..
Lee has been bent on achieving what he will
tosmorrow so.suecessfnlly4 have achieved, for
six years past. He has been often rebufed, but
never discouraged, and now he has The pleasure
.6f being abe, with the aid Of several. gentle
flmen WHO have, with a spirit kindred 10 bis own
1sTesponded to- his appeals. TO pfesem I'd .ths
! citizens tofs New York one of tEe fj5est scplos
sal. bronze siatpe The word. - = & 4
\. - J. zss 9 :, aala q 5 esy g
country yma6;s Ms e sBrowes a Statue
Of w ashiagt6n, il will lf9bssa monnment Of bis
skill and fine appreciation Of the character ol
his great; subject It. represents Washington
1 on horseback ; aud Mr. Browne. with very
good judgement, has given; us agroupexpres.
sive Of dignity and placid; power, although ii
equestrian statues We look for striking action.
The figure is seated at perfect ease, and the
horse is stopping at quiet walk. Washing,
tons noble head is finely modelled, the resen,-
bIapce being chiefly to Houdon's bust, modified
somewhat, however, by Stewards portrait.
The horse is a noble animal "a fine, stall
wart, intelligent, high bred creature, worthy oI
his rider ;,but Mr., Browne has not been tempted
into ANY OF that equestrian fopPishaess by
which an; exaggerated air Of blood and mettle
is SO often given to horses in statues pictures
His group has the greatest merit which it could
have,-taithfulness in spirit and form to both
its competent parts.
J By assingular, and we are assured. a mere
.accideat, the remodelllngs Of thia statue wa,
1:commeiIced on the 22d February, 1862 tts
model WA, completed inithe adtpmn 4of 1853
and the casting made at the Chioopee Foundry
near Springfield, Massachusetts,. in June; %
the present year. 1t does great credit to. tina
foundry, aud especially to ,Mf.. sLangton, zlh'
Superintendent who watched over it at-fb,
time when the metal was poufedinto the mould
I under alarming circumstances, with devotion
quite heroic. The bronze is of a very beautiful
quality, although some persons wi)lfnd it lighte
than they expected; but time and the weathe
will darkenit Our readers may like to know
that the metals composed ofcopper-ss parts
tin, parts; zinc, 2 parts; lead, part. TIN
statue stands at the junction of Broadway ant
Fourth Avenue, near Union square, facin,
southwark the best position for it in the city
Its cost is thirty Thousand dollars, which, 70
: The encouragement OF art, and the honor of tn
city, could not have been more judcously es
pended The inauguration Of the Statue form
the principal. feature in the, city programmm
for the celebration Of the 4th of July.
; FLOWERS FOR GREAT BRITaIN.-.An esidenc
of the facilities of intercourse between this countr
and Great Britain, presented blythe Ssteamshi
lines, was afforded BY the last trip Of the Persi'
A gentleman Of Brooklyn, who takes considerabl
interest in Horticulture, had a beautiful boque
prepared for the purpose of presenting to frien
and commercial correspondent in Liverpool {
, similar taste. This was boxed and prepared fu
, the voyage. A letter has been received fror
: Liverpool which states that the flowers came t
band apparently as fresh and fragrant as if the
had heen gathered only rhe daY previous. an