St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-09-20

onorablcs from abroad the surviv-
nc relatives the orators-ail were
here, and the procession was great
The ceremonies Of the Inauguration
commenced with a prayer by the Rev.
DR.. Perry, of Natchcz, Miss, which
was a singularly beautiful and APP
propriatc invocation of the Divine
blessing upon the proceedings OF the
lay. The Grafton was by George
the historian. Then came
he unwilling of the statue by the
artist, William Walcott. 1t had, I'M
til now, been wrapped clear to the
base, in the folds of splendid flag
but in an instant the cnvious banner
was unfurlcd and the statue, majestic
and beautiful, stood revealed before
the eyes of the assembled thousands.
There was a moments hush, while
each one gazed in woundrous admiral
ton, and then burst shouts and cNcia-
nations from every lip. All expecta-
ton had been surpassed. No one had
looked for so exquisite a work of Art
so splendid memorial of the hero
of Lake Erie. ii was statue worthy
of classic lands--a monument that
would grace any city in the world
The statue was cut from single
block of Carrara marble, imported
expressly for the purpose from Italy,
and which weighed, in its natural
state, seven tons. The design was
made in July, 1858, by William Wal
colt, native of Ohio, who has studied
and practiccd in Europe, and the cut
TING was done by John O'Brcn, an
freshman, assisted by James Butler.
Actual work was commenced on the
Goth of December 1858, since which
time both artist ard workmen have
been kept constantly busy.
The monument and statue is twenty
five feet high, Perry appearing in a
naval dress, with one hand extended
as if in battle. His countcnancc, it
- cold. ovrrnssaa. ovnl.ot;a'', enA The
attitude and expression are life-likc
and spirited.
The contractors for the work were
r. Jones & Sons, of Cleveland. The
entire cost of the statue, including
the foundation, the two figures at the
sides, and the splendid alto reliero,
was $4,000. This amount was Who'll
ly raised by subscriptions of the cit-
zcns of Cleveland.
The Grafton by George Bancroft
was remarkable for its brevity. 1t
could not have occupied more than
twenty minutes inits delivery. Near
ly half Of it was panegyrical of the
State of Ohio, which, he said, "rises
before them as the majestic witness
of the benefcient reality of the Demo-
cratic principle" He thus continues
"a commonwealth, younger in
years than he who addresses you, not
long ago having no visible existence
but in the cmigrant wagons, now
numbers almost as large population
as that of all England, when it gave
birth to Raleigh, and Bacon, and
Shakespeare, and began its continuous
attempts at colonizing America. Each
one of her inhabitants gladdens in the
fruit of his own toll. She possesses
wealth that must be computed by
thousands of millions, and her frugal,
industrious, and benevolent people, at
once daring and prudent, unfcttcrcd
in the use of their faculties, restless
in enterprise, do not squandcr the &C
cumulatiuns of their industry in vain
show, but ever go on to render the
earth more productive, more beautiful
and more convenient to man master
ing for mechanical purposes the un,
wasting forces of nature keeping
exemplary good faith with their pub
lie creditors building in half a cen
fury more churches than all England
has raised since this continent was
discovered cndowing and sustaining
universities and other semnaries Of
learning. Conscious of the dynamo
mic power Of mind in action as the
best OF fortresses, Ohio keeps no
standing army but that of her school
teachers, Of whom she pays more than
twenty thousand she provides a IL
brary for every school district she
counts among her citizens more than
three hundred thousand men who can
bear arms, and she has more than
twice that number of children regis.
tered as students in her public schools
Here the purity Of domestic morals is
maintained by the virtue and dignity
Of woman. In the heart of the tenn
pcrate zone of this continent, in the
land of corn, Of wheat, and the vine,
tie eldest daughter Of the ordinance
of lIST, already the young mother of
other commemorative, who bid fair to
vie with her in beauty. rises in her
loveliness and glory, crowned with
cities, and challenges the admiration
of the world. Ilither should come
the political sceptic, who in his des.
pair is ready TO strand the ship OF
state for here he may learn how to
guide it safely on the waters. Should
some modern Telerlachus, heir to al
island empire, touch these shores, here
he may observe the vitality and
strength of the principle of popua,
power take from the book of expe
rience the lesson that in public af
fairs great and happy results follow
in proportion to faith in the efficacy OF
that urincipla and lnarn IN rohnk a