The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-26
CONGRESS AND ART.
10 tns EDITOR OF ran HERALD ~ r'

CONGRESS AND ART.
10 tHB EDITOR OF rHR HERALD
whether or not we are getting the worth OF our
money In the art works which are being ordered by
our Representatives In Congress is coming to be
. question OF considerable importance, In the
stftctest commercial sense That we arc nlling
The places reserved for statues OF our great men
with the useless performances OF trtners In art
there can be not the slightest doubt. These per-
t0rmances are useless, because they fail in al
most evesythang--in fact in all things they should
accomplish. ,tt H.f. Ed.
There Ia now on the way to our metropolitan
museum ef art the collection OF antiquities found
ny General de Cesuola In Cyprus. In this coAec-
ZION there are some heads In terra Gotta showing
the peculiarittes of the people of Cyprus. Imagine
how well the statues OF Lincoln, for example-botn
the'one here and the one in Washington-would
represent 20 '''the coming man" the peculiarltles
OF the people OF the United States, or now wen the
performance Mr.. Mills isspleased to call an eques-
trian statue of Jackson would represent the
,manner'of horse that great man was accustomed
to ride, or his manner OF Iidlngl 40 E#
some time since $4,000 was set apart by Con-
gress for statue Of General Rawlins and, in
order that the best talent might be secured
for this work artists generally were invited TO
compete. So far no filter step to secure good
work could have been taken. Then, OF course,
committee had 20 be appointed to select from
whatever sketches might be presented the one
best fitted for the purpose. .ra
II Congress wanted q report en- the condition Of
.sur forttfcations Congress would scarcely appoint
. committee onartists to make such report. But
here Congress wanted decision as to the merits
Of various sketches submitted for proposed
statue and Congress appointed committee COM
posed Of men OF great eminence, no doubt, in
their several walks of aife-Governor Cooke,
Mr.. Sponord, who is Librarian Of Congress; Mr.
CLARK, who he said to be architect and ought to
have known something about the matter. but it
seems did not; and then General Babcock, who Is
Q friend OF President Grants and knew General
Rawlins was chairman OF the committee. For All
practical purposes committee of taiiors might as
well have been chosen.
Amongsthose who competed for this work was
e personnamed Bailey. Now this same Bailey had
gone down into the wilderness and "taken" a
bust Of General Grant while he was engaged in
lighting 1t out on that line. And, moreover, this
same Bailey is said sto be making an equestrian
statue OF our President Of which the horse is re-
ported ito be about thirty feet long. He Bailey
might therefore, with much fitness be termed
sculptor to His Excellency the President The
President designated the sketchamade by this per-
son as the one tobe accepted, and the committee
II twas as il seems to have been, q foregone
conclusion that this work should be awarded in
other to spend their time and scanty means
IN useless competition No more exquisite
crGe Soal sno REALLY s Pc conceived S It is hard
statue to General Grants friend, but 1t was add
ing insult 70 injury to allow the people no voice as
70 the kind OF statue they should have. Probably,
though, the President never took the people into
account.
There were number OF sketches submitted by
various artists, and among the number there was
one at least well adapted to the purpose Insomuch
suentiy in that sense work Of art How So well
Atted the modeller to whom the commits
on was awarded we'll m to make * o
OF . French dancing master called Washington,
which figure stands in front Of independence Hall,
word, less likeness Of washington than Of ' any any
other person or thing. The modeller OF this re-
made more faithful likeness to his original, re-
Piled substantially as follows:-'It does not matter
WIENER tne statue Is likeness 70 washington or
erations will not know the difference ana they
WIN accept as statue Of Washington anything
shat makes grand appearance"
Now, the Greeks-our sculptors ore fond o! al
luding to the Greeks-were 1t seems, 'of a different
opinion for their portrait statues have about them
unmistakabe evidences OF fidelity TO even the
slightest peculiarities of their SUBJECTS Gods and
men to the sculptors OF that country were two
to their portraits and divinity nifty as they
to their gods In the Museum Of
bench, some fifteen or twenty marble heads
broken from their trunks; and these heads adj
mirably illustrate the conscientiousness OF the
fists OF that epoch Every popularity Is faithfully
given so that In each head we have an unDlstak-
able Individuality. These heads are In Athens, but
there are Photographic representations OF them
here.
No doubt the people are good natured enough to
allow His Excelency the President to have appropr
atons made for statues OF his friends and relatives
and they will not be apt to make any serious OBJ
jections 30 long the statues are good ones But
even General Grants services to the country Will
not excuse his interference in matters about i
which he knows not half so much
never have thought that in going aside from
his plain duty to interfere la this matter that he
was setting precedent fraught with the greatest
Admitting the person to whom this work was
awarded to be the most capable Of all who offered
0eelgns-apd 1t Is clear enough he not-the
way in which the whole affair or the competition
was managed could only give rise to feeling of
Dceptcism on the part OF artists the potency
OF anything other than influence in competition
for public works Now the people have a right to
know from the committee whether or not its men,
beers were influenced by the President or by proper
motives IN their decision and If they have not
chosen from among them the best portrait
they have failed in their duty and they viii
be held accountable for their failure Under the
present usages In such matters two three time
serving. narrow minded men may not only give
birth TO lasting insult to the people, but may
materially retard the progress OF art and enlbitter
ana turn TO naught the lives Of artists who would
otherwise be fruitful in noble and beneHcent
works.
II what has already been done in this matter can
DO undone, and the great BARN that must follow
such hollow mockeries OF JUST ce be ayerted. Con.
gress could not do better thing than to appoint
committee composed otmen whose Judgment will be
d worth and who are less loyal to the President
and more loyal to truth than were the members OF
the present committee
LOVER OF TRUE ART.
COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS.
Lecture by Professor G. A. Youag mt
Urns