The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-06
SchWanthaler's Statue.

ScnW Wantu8lef'S StaIuos
"Resti that is what you need, DEAR"
said the good little wife of the metal
founder. "Think, here is the fifth day
since you have slept, or, indeed, scarcely
eaten. Oh, wish yon were sculptor
painter! Any one whose work grows
under his hand, knows not half the ankle
ty that you, my poer husband, undergo"
True, my love, quite true; but l am
proud Of my power to do what q sculptor
nor painter could never do. It requires
some nerve, some self controlling power,
assure you, to make mass of such stub
born material as have to work, melt into
q perfect figure"
"And you have the nerve, know, Will
helm; but this last grand work, I fear,
will tax you too much. But viii not talk
to you. Lie down and Sleep"
And Muller, overcome with 20 many
nights ard days of excitement and expo
sure to alternate heat and cold, as he di-
rected the feeding of the enormous fur
mace, standing in draughts Of air through
the chilly October nights, and fevered with
anxiety, threw himself into large chair,
and closed the weary eyes VIII ose lids were
so heavy.
1t was now quite dark; but Catherine
crept softly to the window, first putting
out the light, lest it should waken him,
and sat down to watch the brilliant yet fit-
full glow that lighted up the neighboring
roofs and trees, streaming and quivering
from the foundry. For it was Schwanths-
Ter who had undertaken to design the
great work which King Louis l. had pro-
al hat zf ~t nfnh <cv-
ossal statue of Bavaria; and it was Muller
who had been engaged to carry out the
artists idea.
Schwsnthaler had been three years in
forming his model. 1t was in clay, and
was sixty-three feet high. The artist was
fortunate in finding metal founder who
could so truly follow out his idea. Muller
was q man Of large capacity, strong per-
ceptive facilities, and artistic taste. He
came to his work with Q graceful appreci-
alton of the honor conferred upon him,
and a, resolution to exceed, if possible,
the expectations Of his principals in the
work.
For five days the immense cauldron
which held the metal had been constant
ly watched, the master taxing his brain to
ascertain the precise amount that would
be required.
There was no judging how long this
state of things were to last. The entire
mass might not arrive at the boiling point
for week. The air was close and hot, as
if sirocco had passed over the city, and
the Door workmen felt its burning breath
yet not word or groan attested their suf-
ferings.
For them, however, there were inter
walls of rest-for the master there was nc
rest, unless the troubled slumber into
which he now fell, might be called so
His anxiety had been increased by the
after-thought which had occurred to him
the daring attempt to form the whole into
one grand figure at once. 1t was q bold
thought, but it was governed by master
mind. Whenever the molten sea began
to boil, it's flood-gates were to be removed
and its contents would flow into the 81
gantic mould prepared for its reception
A single inch of vacuum. q single crack
even, and the statue would be ruined.
But Muller slumbered and Agnei
watched. Through the great, wide oper
doors of the foundry, she could see, BY
the strong light, the faces Of the six mel
on duty. Their faces, with the dark red
| fire quivering upon them, looked lik'
those of demons; and when they stirred
the caldron, it seemed like some horrible
sacriicial rite of pandemonium-
She could distinctly hear the roar OF tn,
mighty flame, and every sound STRUCK
upon the heart of the devoted little wife
| for she knew tha. her husbands mortifi
cation and disappointment in case o
| failure, would be intense. And thel
Muller,was not rich, and the pecunisr.
loss would half ruin him. She thought o
the two sweet child angels, sleeping q
calmly in the room above, unknown Il
the cares that hung wearily about thei
father; and she got down softly from he
sear, and put up whispered prayer 70
Wilhelm's success.
As she rose from her knees to resum
her watching, the broad glare shone fu
upon her face. A moments earnest looh
aud then she rushed to the chair wher
Wilhelm sat in an uneasy slumber.
"Oh, wake my husbandP' she cried
"The foundry is on firei"
In moment Muller was wide awake
and thinking that if he should try to e.
tinguish the flames with cold water
would destroy both furnace and metal, b
rushed to the door and was gone In a
instant
Another fear seized the wife. In Wi
helms care for his furnace, might he nt
expose his life too recklessly? Olce sh
determined to go to the scene of dissste
but the sleeping infant must not be lie
alone. She obstinately refused to have
hand maiden in the house, preferring
work for her husband, while his labor Wa
SO hard. The confinement would ha7
been wearing, had not her light, buoyaI
spirits triumphed over it.
She ian out into the street, and heal
the people mastering to 60 to the fr
She saw two of the neighbors rush on
and she seized the arm of one and sal
"Do nothing until Wilhelm gives tf
word. i beseech you to remember thi
and keep others from tampering wit
the fire to bring destruction upon b
work"
She repeated it to others, and assiste
in saving her husband from the accidel
he dreaded. When Muller arrived, he d
rected the men to put wet clothes upo
the roof, to stifie as much as possible II
flames, for he saw at once that it could n,
be extinguished without running his wor
/ The whole building was on fire, lightir
ND the whole midnight sky, from whlt
, the young October moon had long hou
ago disappeared. All at once he cried o'
, to the men to let the fire burn, for Il
. metal was beginning to boil.
, Breathlessly they waited until the who
teeming mass bubbled no. The burnir
beams fell around the caldron, the TO-
dropped in, and every heart throbbed
most audibly as Muller pulled the gre'
plug that confined the metal, and its to
rent of dark fluid gursled out into u
mold.
: 1t was mighty deed for those rude, u
polished men to do, and they stood vii
, folded arms and solemn countenances 90
ing upon their work.
They then extinguished the remains
I the fire, and left the statue In its coloss
cradle to harden into perfection. Null
| went home, all traces of fatigue or anxi
ty having left him. It was near mornin
} but Agnes made him 60 to bed, where
, slept for hours the sweetest sleep he b
, ever known
As there had been prayers for the su
T cessful issue of the work, so now the
f was thanksgiving that No accident b,
marred the Joy that was universally e
pressed. The workmen had been ke
from harm, and the noble statue, ten tim
: the height of man, met the approbati'
r of the King and its designer Muller's fl
E tunes were mended by this revelation
/ his powers, and the little wife gre
prouder and prouder of her husband. {
3 the 11th of October they each year hold
T high festival in commemoration OF th
eventful night.