The Morning herald., 1877-05-18
THE HALLECR STATUE.

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TIE HALLECR STATUE.
The New York World, says: The
statue of Halleck was unveiled in Central
Park with inappropriate ceremonies. MT
Bryant, who is always ready to promote
the success of any literary occasion, made
some remarks which were pertinent aud
proper. Mr.. Hayes pulled the string which
unveiled the statue with as much ability
and dignity as can be expected of a msn
engaged in that not exacting duty. Mr..
Whiuier's pleasant poem expressed hop'
tat New Workers would remember aud
revere Halleck, but Mr.. Whittier evident'
/, had his doubts. Mr.. William Allen
B ,tler, however, the orator Of the day,
discoursed about Halleck in way which,
" are panied to say, was rather reckless.
Mr.. Butler began by saying that he would
"l.ave to the critic and the bicgrapher
"the task of ofmeasuring and adjusting the
"rsla,ive rank Of the poet in the dominion
Of "letters," and if Mr.. Butler had done
this it would have been all right, only the
composition of an oraticn on Haileck would
have been hard matter. 1t was a hard
m,tter at best, considering how little most
people know Of Halleck, except that he
wr)te "Marco Bozzaris," and a few pretty
lyrics, and how little most people care
Bat Mr. Butler overdid his theme to such
an extent that Ha!leck, if he had been alive
and present to hear what MIR. Butler said
about him, would have got away as soon
a. possible, covered with confusion, and
that nobody could have guessed, but for
Mr.. Buffers explicit illusions to Ha'leck,
about whom Mr.. Butler was talking. 1t
was not correct to say that Halleck gave
to Marco Bozzaris "a crown which Cesar
never wore," and it is preposterous to say
Of Halleck,s elegy on Lieutenant Allen.
or Of anything else that Ha!ieck ever
wrote, that it is to be placed "by the side Of
the Lycldas of Milton"
These are examples ofrash speach which
is not commendable. The whole of Mr.
Buffers oration is several sizes TOO large
for its subject, aud this is to be deplored
We ought BY all means to commemorate
our really memorable New Porkers bv
statues in the Central Park, and we believ.
that Ha|leck's memory is entitled to a
statue. Bat our local patriotism, although
itmuch needs reviving, should not lead Il.
to absurd lengths. We should bv all
means beware of establishing Little Ped
lington Pantheon. They have been doing
something Of that sort in Ros,on, and it ia
apt to turn out, after generation or 90,
tina. the demigod is not made of very dur.
able timber. 1t weuld be extremely an
moving for New Yorker to be asked bv
an intelligent stranger what somebody had
done whose statue was in the Park and to
be compelled to answer that upon his hon.
OF he did not know. We repeat that there
j. no dasger of this in the case of HaIleck.
We think the Park Commissioners are
quite right in admitting his statue to the
Park, but we also consider that they wou!d
be nearly right if tuey were to draw the
line at Halleck. He has been dead 80 long
that most people who know his poetry
all have arrived at toIerably exact notion
OF his dimensions. THIS fac. that makes
Mr.. Buffers tall talk about him aston
ishing and painful to those persons, a. it
would have been to Halleck himself. Mr..
Buffers energy would have been in place
if Halleck had been one Of the five or six
English poets Of the century, instead Of
one Of the fifty or sixty. To discourse of
such a man in such a strain is strictly
Pedlipgtonian and provincial. A cult-
vated foreigner reading Mr.. Buffers ora.
tion might be excused for asking who va.
Mr.. IIalleck and who was Mr.. Batter, and
for failing to find himself fully informed
even after he had been told that Mr.. Hal,
leck was the author of " Marco Bo,zars -
ard that Mr.. Butler was the authsr Of
Nothing to Wesr."
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