Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-08-31
The y,rr,n,an statue OF Warrington.

We were much interested anu grained Dy
q recent visit to see the productions oil our Gel
ebra,el and talented artist, VIM. j. HUBBARD,
ESQ.,, at his Bronze Foundry at Sidney, in the
suburbs of this city. Our curiosity had been
excited BY the fame Mr.. Hubbard has acquired,
modest and unassumming as he is, from his
magnificent bronze duplicates of Houdon's
Washington. And our anticipations were
rather increased by the idea Of our short trip"
to view the peculiar productions" OF far-famed
Munich and the skill of her workmen, so near
this quiet city of Richmond. We did not
find, however, the vast furnaces and workshops,
the Skilf,l artisans and all the appliances SCI
ence and art contributed to finish Crawfords
great Equestrian Statue i'll your Capitol Square.
But our expectations were not disappointed
We found our kind ana courteous artist busy
amongst his workmen with cliisel and bile,
polishing md finishing the golden metal,
giving with his master-hand the last delicate
touches 10 bring life and expression TO his
copy Of the great original.
II iskrown to many O.! orr readers that EirSl-
mia possesses the only truthful and l'fe-like sta
t1e Of Washington. Her Legislature. rs early as
1874, passed = resolution requiring his image to
be made in the purcs, marble, by the most emf
nent sculptor Of Europe. The order was en-
trusted 10 Jefferson and Franklin, who engaged
lIoudon. then the greatest of living artists
lie visited Mount Vernon in l1S3, and then and
there took Il ptasttr r'Ai n the entire BODY OF
the hero. thus preserving the very form ana
features of our Nations Fathcr-Hirglhia SOU.
The result is before us. If we could doubt TINS
majestic presence, this person'tlcatloH "' sfs".-
ness. grandeur aad beauty; if our mind, school
| cd to consider some created myth ot genius
over ideal. the many indiSp,ltable facts exist
inc, would dissolve the illusion forever. We
farm wi,h clad confidence to this noble>t image
Of the most noble man, and arc relieved 10 lrel
that Chantry's, Canova'S or Greenough'S, even
| StuarL's and Trumbul's, is not err WASHING
Ton after all. Lafayette shook his head at the
picture Of Stuart. He could only see 4 faint
resemblance in TrulnbullS; but mutely he
razcd on the statue by lloudon, till tears flow
ed from his eyes, and he exclaimed, with deep
emotion, That is the man liinSclf-l can al
most realize he is going to move"
In order to preserve this precious relic 10 pos
terily, The Legislature of Virginia granted t
Mr.. HUBBARD the exclusive right 10 take casts
from the Iloudon marble; and he has faithfully
fixed, in imperishahle bronze. every lineancnt
and every expression Of the original. AS the
white marble seems to glow with lifc.like SEM
blancc, SO the golden-hued metal seems inspired
with the ProInethian lre-and thus have we
secured, for all time, the perfect imascof Wash
ington.
Virginia first honored our artist with her
patronage, and placed Il statue in her Military
Institute. Both North and South Carolina
followed, and have secured duplicates. New
York is considering. Missouri is acting, and
we learn a subscription is HOW on foot in st.
Louis for the purpose Of securing u copy Tor
that city. The following notice we take from
the Missouri Democrat. The tribute is so
beautiful and just that We need not offer eS'
cuSc for its appearance in this connection:
GrnimI: WASHINGTON IN TIL COURTHOUSE
SQUARE.
If from the tombs of the glorious dead,
Americans were privileged to summon one 10
stand before them vital rs in his prime, that
one would be, by universal acclamati"ii, HEo.
WAsur*Grn$. i, may, indeed, be l~iausibly
said that the American conception of Wash
ington is an ideal, q myth. But it should be
remembered how intensely the great love OF q
great people clingS around n true and devoted
| friend, and how divine is the inspiration and
how Ged.likc is tile mantle with which such 4
love aniuates and invests the man who has, at
last, honestly tried TO deserve II. Such was
Washington's purity "f purpose and such tns
reward, and the two conspile to make him IN
Gnitely grander and more beautiful than all his
deeds.
AS work is 4 service for man, and, therefore,
man greater than work, so the greatness ofthe
great man is only indicated by what he has
done. while il consists exhaustlcSsly in what
he is. ). noble spirit is capable OF Il limitlcss
influx nf noblencss, and when q life Of gencr-
Gus self.sacriicc has dcepencd and refined its
nobleness to almost angelic volume and rich
ness. the consciousness Of the gratitude of q
great nation makes n character so glorious as
to exalt that gratitude into worship-makes
such Il being as good ,nen have hailed as Ill
vine, and as the ~ancicnts were wont 10 reveT-
cncc as u goal. Such q spirit was that which
once iiluunin"l and shed its celestial halo
around the vcnnraicl Inst which slumbers at
Mount Vernon. 90 reproduce That form and
those features. and 20 set thcin III holy truths
before the eve of losteritv- how apparently i'm
possible a task lft II dofS seem 10 hHre been
| dpn,. George Washington, irradiate with heroic
| hpnignity, commanding in divine sincerity, may
be pondcred, studied. admired and loved
| in the events and glory Of almost his personal
presence, in 81. LoH;x. tinm IL" courthouse,
| reader, and Won will there find tic true ideal
of Washington realized. CriliciSc YOU may,
but the attention will only leatl you The more
to feel that some majestic presence, rs chat Of
Washington himself, stands almost breathing
before yp:.'
If We except the llolilon-the Firginian
statue-wc have no standard likeness of the
Great Father OF his Country'-and this, the
only original statue in existence, has been al
most forgotten or neglected, while thu inven-
tons Of rcriis-merc mythical ;.bni tons
have been hnnored with inches in tic national
mind, as Iitrr ideals o. Washington. whom
they arc no more like than the fabulous heroes
Of old, and having no resemblance to each
other. ':ls portrait Of 4 friend should be Il
likeness; ami we nope, now that llnudon's
truthful alnl worthy representation has been SO
faithfully duplicated in inperishable material,
it will become a national standard, before
which we may feel, in the majestic presence Of
ou, Washington, as he looked and stood when
rcsiguing the command Of our armies-soldiers
who wouii have gladly crowned him King
New lork will not fail to enrich her mugnif.
cent Central Park with so appropriate n monu.
ment. Philadelphia OWNS no monument Of
Washington, and yet there are few places, ex.
oo.t SJ,,,pt Inr,,nD mara On rp1 IN btc ,oo,no