The Concordia eagle. [volume] (Vidalia, La.) 1873-1890, 1885-07-04

entered the magnificent harbor
of New York that the definite
plan was made clear to the
mind of the artist. The SUI
peru spectacle inspired him and
he exclaimed to himself; yes.
in this very place shall be rails
ed the Statue ofLiberty-grand
as the idea which it embodies,
radient upon the two worlds"
M. Bartholdi made a five
months artistic tour through
the United States, from the East
to the West and from the North
to the South. painting and de-
signing and finding acquaint-
ances everywhere. He met
Longfellow. Sumner, Grant, Pc
ter Cooper, and a humber OF
other notable men in every
sphere of life, and received ev-
erywhere such encouragement
that he returned home assured
"that when they should begin
the carrying ont of the idea in
France the United States would
second them, and that the draft
drawn by Messrs. Laboulaye,
Lafayette, Henri Martin and
their friends upon American
sentiments should not be pro-
tested"
THE MEETING AT NJ. LABoULAYE's
On his return III Laboulaye
called a meeting of his friends
at bis honse. Bartholdi impart
ed the results of his journey,
his impressions, the welcome he
he had received. the co>laborers
on whom he could count. and.
presented the plan of the monu>
ment be had made. Henri
Martin, whose place has recent
ly been filed in the French
Academy by DeLesseps. speak>
ing ofthis meeting in an offici-
al address. said
at was needful for US to discover
thought in ha -mony with the object
to be attained The artist presented
it to us in form that bore the stamp
OF genius. He had conceived the cell
ebration of tho anniversary of indie
peudence, applying 1t to a sublime
phrase which sums up the progress
of modern terms elderly Enlight-
ening the World.u M. Bartholdi
proposed to represent this great idea
by statue of colossal proportions
which would surpass all that have
ever existed since the most an
Client times. We adopted this plan
with enthusiasm. A committee was
organized. Artists, public men, con-
stituted bodies, general councils, mu-
nicipal councils and chambers OF COM
merce associated themselves together
in the enterprise, and the movement
which had started from so modest an
Origin became a genuine national dem
onstration."
The plan of the Franch-American
Union, the society which has under
taken the carrying out of the colossal
Statue of Liberty, was not launched
upon the pub bile till 1874 Up to that
time 1t had been organized, the means
had been prepared and the first mod
els of the statue had been made. Sub
scription lists were circulated
throughout France, bearing at the
head the following, prepared by NJ.
Laboulaye
"The monument of independence
will be executed in common by the
TWO ptOpios dssoctdJcu III Inls u a'o'-
nal work, as they were of old in es-
tablishing Independence. In this
way we declare by an imperishable
memorial the friendship that the
blood spilled by our fathers of cid
sealed between the two nations. 1t
Is the treaty of friendship which
should he signed by all hearts which
feel the love OF their country"
This appeal met with ready re-
Spouse. The birth of the work was
celebrated on n ov. 6, 1875, In the Ho-
tel of the Louvre, by banquet which
was attended by illustrous represen-
tatives Of the arts, letters, press and
politics, from both America and
France. Ministers, Deputies, Munic-
ipal Counsellers, Generals, savan Is,