Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-05-28
POWERS, STATUE OF WASH
TNGTON.

washington paragraphists, under the
head of g Restitution, !" have recently
announced that Powers statue of
Washington, i" taken by General But
Ier.n and we may add, so long to
be seen in the Patent ONCE, has peen
returned to Louisiana; and thus dept
of gratitude, which the art world owes
General Butler, is paid with sneer.
In the year 1910, number of spirited
gentlemen of New Orleans resolved to
have that city graced by some valuable
work of art. The statue OF Fulton was
very properly agreed upon, but 1t was
finally decided to have " ashington, A
public meeting was called, and Richard
Henry Wilde, Esq of Georgia, the
statesman and poet, was the chosen or
ator of the occasion. The audience was
composed of the very elite Of southern
society, congregated for the winter in
the Crescent Cftv, Sargent s. Prem
tiss. then in the height Of his fame as
an orator, happening to be in the city,
stepped into the meeting in search OF a
friend, lust as Mr.. Wilde was cOnclud-
ing his address, and on the instant
some one rose and said, . Prentlss IS
present - The announcement was
electrical; the ladies sprang to their
feet and waved their handkerchIets, as
the gentlemen, thus encouraged, liter
ally carried Mr.. Prentiss to the stand.
His speech was one of extraordinary
i y
peal for art ever delivered in any coun-
| try. As he warmed with his theme ne
developed the grand idea of the genius
| of civilization lowering over our land,
scattering the seeds of knowledge,
founding the halls of science and the
| galleries of art. He dWeIt especially
upon the nature and power of sculp-
ture. showing how the halloWed Vene-
ration of the patriot is kindled by the
ideal presence of the illustri0us dead,
I Il 4 IL naFn
| tiOual and household gods, to keep
alive the spirit of patriotism, and ap-
palling, by the aspect of its intellectu-
1 al majesty, the enemy of freedom and
1 virtue, The result of the meeting,
/ closed with such a brilliant and uneX-
pected display of eloquence, was the
| raising of $25, 600 for statue of WASH
| ington. Hiram Powers, at this time,
was just making the climacteric point
/ of his fame, and he was commissioned
| to put in immortal marble the patriotic
| sentiment of New Orleans. In due
/ time the statue was finished, and when
| it reached Louisiana the State House
| had Just been completed at Baton
| Rouge. To that suburban village 1t
/ was carried, and deposited in niche
| at the head of the grand stairway,
| where it was as much buried up from
an excellent or satisfactory view as If
| it had been placed in vault. When
General Butler took possession of Ba-
ton Rouge, it was not deemed possible
| to hold it, for even New Orleans was
seriously threatened. With foresight
that should ever cause him to be hon
ored, he had the State library and pic
lures taken to New Orleans, and deem
| ing the statue most valuable, he order
ed it, for safe-keeping, to be deposited
/ in the Patent Office at Washington.
| When Breckenridge assaulted Baton
Rouge, the capitol building was some
what damaged; subsequently one wing
was fired; then the other wing was de-
/ stroyed by the same deVouring ele-
ment, and nothing remained but black
ened, CHASTITY walls. Louisiana is in
debted to General Butler for the pre-
servation of it's State Library, and for
| the possession of this statue. We trust
that this statue will eventually find q
fitting place in New Orleans, which
cityit was originally intended to adorn
and in the language of the most elo,
quent of modern orators, may II
prove to be national and household
god, keeping alive the spirit of patriot
j ism, and appalling, by the aspect of its
intellectual majesty, the enemies o
Il freedom and virtue.-BUe1ai7tg Express