New-York tribune., 1872-05-24

hent work of that OiS1nRuSntu NitioA IN iVN
Eight years, ladies and gentlemen have gone Dy snoe
the first nitiaory steps were aken but TO produce
tSe nost Wonderfully endowed man the world has ever
known ordinary undertaking ior any seupto,ii pi
And when IL is remembered that 1t has been scveri
fines attempted and never successfully, II VIII pS
great triumph for an American sculptor IL az accom-
DELAY Of a6ont year has been occasioned by want
Of Inc base of tho monument which is 10 be msae & or
stone regarded by the artist as the most om and
the statue, and which had to be nrocurcut 70 suppose
wrought in Scotland We had every reason ntpaet q have
that II would in compliance with 'be bvins mat assur-
ance il intention TO have had sno - tie noet's
Srth It has not however arrived, and unwilling that
another should go by we nave g tale uace 10
base erected that the mausura'o" n''s"' '''
SHAH not ladies and gentlemen say anything to you you
,,, flo slioc of shakespeare That VIII DC the pro
{nce Of the eshed and venerable American poet
who here to-day as me orator e 'he on5 apnause
NV labors those Of my colleagues, VIII emu tn eaN
ng siakespearos image here amidst trees ana howess
loved; which has SO exqusiely descrbed and which
were him the fruitful themes Tor so many oeauiu m t
and instructive SMILES. There remains then out 10 ten
der. as do, on behalf OF the Sontr11uP9si P tls
perpetual gift through them, TO the City OF New-Hork
forever. loud applause.l
At the conclusion Of this address, which was spoken
by Judge DAILY in clear ringing, carrying voice, Mr.
10 A. Ward the sculptor Of the statue, and Mr.. j.
grey Nonld the architect OF the pedestal pulled the
cords connecting with the drapery OF the staue-hagsPf
our Republcwhch instantly fell away and revealed as
manly OF sCuptuTed manllneSS as tnc lover VI
art could Wish. The multitude deeply affected at
this crownug moment, and its paudits-loud, and long
continue0-bespoLe a deep and genuine enthusiasm.
After q musical inCTlude-a spirited ana tender per
fornance Of schller's Invocation TO Artists e. Au die
Runstler '-Hon. Henry c. Stebbins came forward ana
spoke as follows:
ADDRESS OF ACCEPTANCE BY THE HON. He G'
sIEBBINS.
JUDGE DALY On the 23d Of Aprll 1864, an appheatoh
was made 10 the Commissioners of Central PARK TOT per
mission TO lay foundation Of monumental statue OF
William sEakes This application was ihaue III DC
half OF the actors and managers OF the CITY Dy tue l'e
James H. Hackett. William Wleatley, Edwin B0oth anu
yourself The request was cordially grantea py th the
Commissoner ard today ann & Cato 20 , uioI S iS is he
President Of tho Department OF PARKS 10 accS. ln re 4e
half Of the Board and OF tie Clty OF NeW-1OIk the
statue which has been erected Ious t,t Ss
vided by citizens with Their charactersIlG IDera
The generous conception formed by you ana your asso
cates ls uegt hoS nc to4eS a. nv his sueeess i'm
producnc this enduring image Of the worlds grealet
poet-a work which VIII remind coming geneIaos @ @ 1o ~
we we're able TO appreciate the genius ana know now 10
6tiy honor the memory OF Shakespeare. - 4. ,-. 90
Dtpartmcut Of Public Parks desires 10 ASSIST as
far as il can in lending interest TO the ceremonies
this day, as on all Ike occasions Wheh 1he VI
This great pleasure ground for tic people are enhhncea
by work, OF kindred character In TINS spacious 0ut-Ol
s1oT gallery there are already truthful memorials OF
TWO great Germans whose genius fluids as full apprecia-
lion by cur catholic metropolis as IN tle anu vi tnolr
birth To the busts Of Schiller and Humboldt we now
add the fun length OF the who was not only poet
out whose ntuitions enabled hlm TO anticipate the I
results of HumbOldts science and even those OF tne
marvellous discovery whose author ana peIIecteI 10
also hv another statue IN TINS lnclOsuFe
The spot selected 1Or TINS statue haIinoHes Ml' @ tno
designs of the architects Of the Park and with the plans
constructed with reference 70 such creations this 1t
was expected that monumental works would Inc ana
are most likely in throngs and where there Is
greatest proprey in furnishing objects Tor contem-
patOn and study full OF interest and instrucyeness
as the efgics OF the great anu good OF pas '
as well as works Of imaginative art which shalI mus
ate the events the thought the sentiments ana the
ideals of our own epoch. ~
Without deainDg any longer the attention of this vast
William Cullen Bryant, the congenial task which mas
been ftly assigned To him. There is no man OF onr
generation whose eulogy Of Shakespeare eo1ia give 10
the great departed mort ~ ie % Stad
there is none among living poets whose hao s.hnos anus
nigh i'm the worlds esteem. AS one who has long Deen
Identified with the PARK which is to-day so honored ana
enriched, peculiarly rejOiced that Quincy ward
and Bryant nave united here and to give express
sion 10 tuat tender and glowing appreciation
Of shahc which SO universal among the clzcns
9tNcw-YOIh.
What pity II at tie last the statue had been IN
worthy True, il was easy believe that the hand
That made the Indian Hunter-dug up in some Hercu
aneum New World earth-mOund, how easy for con-
statue that, born in plain New
York workshop worthy Of the Vatican or Trbune-it
was not easy to believe the hand that made
the Hunter had lost its cunning. But
Brown made The Washington and then, Brown made
the Idncoln-and who could be sure that man could
take tho step from the Indian savage Shakespeare the
ideal type OF civilized man But there stands the work
and who shall dare to say that it IS unworthy Of the
being 10 strives 10 recal That lit is like Shake
spearc who saYf But it is not for lack Of study Of
what we have left his mortal presentmen for lack
Of thinking the We find him in his work; no,
nor for a lack Of a multitude Of cOunseOrs, that
fit be not like him. it falls short 1t has been in the
ecuptors brain and hand long enough to be matured
and fetched up the ideal he has pictured in his minds
eye Of .his great subject And surely, merely por-
trait as something possibly like the man Shakespeare,
we have nothing near good in the world. There is
Roubi!Iac's windy work-there be the portraits,
stratford bust and stratford picture, and
Chandos, and Droeshout, and the celebrated
mask. recently discovered. little known but
probably the only real lkeness-and, with this excep
ton, what they all. JonsOns lines have, as il were,
sanctifed Droeshouts mechanic engraving, but this is
except its confirmation of the type that through all
the portraits. and that find glorifed and seizing
as with the force Of conviction, in the mask. This
mask has, If not misinfO. med, been made the
groundwork Of Mr. Wards head OF Shakespeare And IL
Is head that will repay the incest study, for its refine
ment its strength, its expressiveness its nobility, its
elegance, Incompatible. Let any one take up any
collection Of engTayng after the socaed portraits Of
Shakespeare, and after study Of them and effort TO
Imagine how the with that face ever wrote the
Plays the sonnets any line Of them-let him
shut the book and look at Wards Shakespeare and he
will, should think believe the Play and the sOnnets
and beside easily possible Of that gracious figure.
OF course the bust IS the main thing; that must
near satisfy all is lost But there be no
doubt or the bust and look at the figure. Shakes
peare has been pacing his chamber, reading and has
stopped in his reading reflect His head is bent his
left hand rests lightly his hip. his right hand holds
his manuscript and his right arm is thrown the
end OF his short mantle which flung from his shoulder,
he has caught up by involuntary movement The
attitude Is the simplest the most natural the least
strained IN the world-absoluely free from sagneSs