Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-01
BARTHOLDPS GREAT STATUE.
AN ENGLISH ACCOUNT OF ri now IT WAS
MADE-ITs ART VALUE.

been at work for the past oight years. II Is
out and away the largest statue of modern
times The Colossus Of Rhodes, as will pres
emily be seen, was nothing to it II could
carry the bavaria" or the "HermRnn" in its
arms II towers to the skies from the facto-
ry yard OF tho Rue de ChazolloB, and the
view from its coronot sweeps clear OF the six
story houses, and right beyond the walls OF
Paris. 1t is to stand on Bedloe's island in
tho bay of Now York, and is TO boar in its
hand a torch lighted by electricity, which is
to symbolic 'Liberty onlightening tho
world"
The statue has had all sorts of vicissitudos.
Its conception is due to the great French
sculptor Bartholdi who has q passion for
working on the colossal scale but he and II
few faithful friends had no little difficulty in
persuading the public of two hemisphorcs
that they wero in want Of this work. A
Franco American committee was formed in
France with very influential names-M. La
boulaye, NJ. Oscar do Lafayette, NJ. do Ro-
ohambeau, NJ Paul do RGmusat, NJ Wad-
dington, &c and the Franco American COM
mitteo duly issued its proposals for subscrp-
tions in France and in the United States.
They were put in worry seductive form-tho
republic of France was to mako this pretty
gift to her elder sister of America. Every
body said it would be good thing, but few
pun uOWu thb AAAbuNJs AAOW0NbAi " hAhh "a
vigorous beating of the big drum on platform
and press, by concerts and lectures and balls
and fancy fairs, as well as by generous dona-
tions, the money was got together and the
statue Of Liberty now stands finished in its
Paris workshop, the most extraordinary work
of its kind OF all timo.
Tho moment after its presentation the
workmen will begin to take it to pieces for
transportation to America, where 1t will bo
riveted together again to stand for eternity.
Tho Dimensions are almost ludicrously large.
The figure alone in sheer height, clear Of all
reckoning for the coronet stands lO5 feet
tho extreme length from the sole of the foot
10 the ond Of the torch in the outstretched
hand is 1877 feet inches; the pedestal of
granite will be SO feet high, and the two to-
gether give a grand total Of 220 feet for the
entire work. The monument of Fish-stroet
hill, the lofliest isolated column in tho world,
is but POP feet high; while the far famed
Colossus of Rhodes stood only about 40
feet without his stockings. Tho work has
been going ON all those years, slowly but sure
ly, at the copper foundry of Mondint ct Cie.,
near the Pare MonceRu, in great workshop
built specially for it, The further the cop
persmiths advanced with their task the moro
lilputian they became in relation to it. What
were mon, for instance, or the children Of
men in that awful eye measuring 80 inches
from corner to corner A G-foot man stand
ing on the level of the lips only just reached
tho eyebrow. While they were working on
the crown of her head, they seemed to be
making a huge sugar cauldron; and they
jumped with Bomo easo in and out the tip of
the nose. Fifteen people might sit round
the flame of the torch, and they would resch
that elevation by spiral staircase within the
outstretched arm.
Tho dciailg of lho rongtruction are hardly
less curious. Something light was wanted
for transportation to the other side of the
globe, and something strong as well, TO ona-
bic tho statue to resist tho wear and tear of
the clements, for at Bedloe II will stand in q
very exposed place. 1t was decided there
fore to make it of plates of very thin copper
only an eighth Of an inch thick forming
an inner and an outer skin about foot apart
and TO fill the space between them with sand
especially toward the base, so as to give the
statue the requisite soldity. The colossal
statues Of the past were either of solid metal,
or were filed up with masonry or woodwork.
It was impossible TO adopt that plan in the
| present instance the cost Of the metal would
| have been too great and the difficulty Of
transporting insuporable. AB 1t is the small
plates can be easily unriyeted packed on
| board ship, and riveted together again when
| they reach their destination. The sand can
be az easily poured in or drawn of for re-
| pairs for any particular part. The two skins
arc to be kept in their places by gigantic
| skeleton framework in iron, running four
| square from the basement to the very crown
of the hoad exactly like the framework OF O
lift, and meant to servo that additional pur-
pose when the statue reaches its destination.
| Tho solid iron frame is to be carried up into
| the extended arm, which has all along pre-
| sented a mechanical problem of peculiar diff.
| fculty its leverage with tho weight of the
torch being very great indeed The frame
work. therefore, runs down almost to the
centre Of tho body and well below the centre
of gravity. Some people-and among them
| MIR. Story, the great American sculptor
think the statue will never stand and that
| the winds and waves will play havoc with it.
1t is not solid enough, and never can bo with
its epidermis of mere copper and sand. II
| it could not be in solid metal like the older
works, it might have been in masonry or
wood covered with copper plates. But this
| is question for engineers rather than for ar
lists, and the engineers are quite convinced
that Liberty" will resist the Atlantic storms.
A word should be said about the artistic
merit of the statue, and this, in spite of its
size, is very considerable BArtholdi is used
TO working on q large scale, and he knows his
craft 1t is impossible, perhaps, in our day
| " mhhe hnythlnR qulIe ulBnlneu oI bucn u
subject The figure must pose and pose the
atrically and some people have found fault
with the stride and the gesture. But the
general merit is incontostable. The drapery
is both massive and fine some parts, where
tho sleeve falls under the right arm, for in
stance, arc as delicate and silky in effect as If
they they had boen wrought with a fno CHS
el on the smallest scale, and In others the
folds lie in great imposing masses. The face,
again, while classic in general treatment, ia
not without expression. The most objection
able thing, perhaps, is the coronet branching
out into star rays, each of which is to be a
point of electric illumination for the universe,
or at least for New York bay.