The Opelousas courier., 1884-08-09
The New Wonder Of the
World.
London Telegraph.

London Telegraph.
The pyramids of Egypt, the hanging
gardens of Babylon, the tomb OF Mau-
illus, the temple Of Diana at Ephesus,
he statue of Zeus by Phidias, the pal
zee of Cyrus, the stones Of which were
.emented with gold, and the Colossus
# Rhodes were accounted the seven
wonders of THE world of antiquity. vi
his septet of gigantic marvels only the
pyramids remain, defiant OF time. A
ew shattered columns still mark the
site of the fame of the Ephesian Artemls,
md now and then some bricks turn up
TO remind us of the glory of Babylon
the Great. ,.n
1t would be a task of no small diff
Guilty, perhaps, to name eve monu-
nents in the present era Of civilization
10 which might, without question, DC
assigned supremacy as of wonders OF
he world for if one class of judges
named St. Peters at Rome, the crystal
Palace at Sydenham, Versailles, the
Kremlin, the Escurial, the library and
readino room of the British Museum,
and the Alhambra, at Granada, another
md u more utilitarian section might
maintain that the tubular bridge over
he St. Lawrence at Montreal, the
Mont Gents and St. Gothard tunnels,
Krupp's cannon foundry, the London
and Northwestern railroad workshops
II Crewe, Barclay 81 Perkins brewery,
md the London docks We're far more
astonishing illustrations OF modern
wealth, ingenuity, industry and power.
Thus it would be judicious not to be-
STOW too hastily the proud title OF a
Wonder of the World on NJ. BartholdIs
colossal bronze statue ofLiberty, which
has been solemnly handed over by M.
Jules Ferry to the Minister ofthe United
States in Paris prior to the t~ransporta-
don of the prodigious effigy to New
York, where it is to be erected on Bed
loe's Island, a small islet with an area
Of about a third of a square mile, stu
ated two miles southwark of the Bat
terv and Castle Garden, the lowermost
noint of the Island of Manhattan, Oh
which the city of New York is built.
Bedloe's Island belongs to the United
States government, which has long
maintained there a ratification called
Fort Wood !; and it may be considered
fortunate that a monument which is
described as a gift from the French to
the American people should be erected
on glound which is the fee simple OF
Uncle Sam,
The Federal Government cannot
ALLEVIATE such a monument. and they
will be bound to keep it in repair. Had
it been presented to the municipality
of New York city its future could
scarcely have been reckoned upon IN
reserved confidence.
Time alone can show whether this
enormous brazen figure ought to he con,
sidered a wonder. For the nonce, it i:
sufficient to acknowledge that it is I'm,
doubtedly a curiosity. and that the
movement which led to its being offered
by the young republic of the Old World
to her still juvenile but elder sister
ia the New is quite al curious as the
record of the modelling aud casting o.
the statue by NJ. Bartholdi. The emf
nent sculptor, has, it would appear, q
passionate propensity for the produc'
ton Of big things in plastics. He il
just the kind of artist owho in older
times would have beeu commissioned
to execute the statue of Jupiter cas-
from the armor of the conquered Sam
mites which. when it was set up OIL thu
C~apitoline Hill at Rome was plainly
visible from the Alban Mountains.