The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-01-21
The Second Battle Of Bennington.

lhSihS III thV hOWoPsPCio eNho Ia WIN
mittee meetings. This time the fight is
not against the redcoats ~; the dis
turbance is over design for monu-
ment to commemorate the more san
culinary but less wordy battle. Instead
of General Stark's laconic address there
is interminable talk; instead of clang
of steel, the clash of editorial quilts.
The bottom question seems to be
whether the monument shall be archi-
tectural or sculptural, one which shall
produce its effects, like the Bunker
Hill or Washington structures, by the
size and grandeur of its dimensions, or
one that shall tell the story it is de-
signed to commemorate by artistic con-
ception and execution. The vulgar
factory chimney, with some refined
minds, has stripped the towering ODE
lisk of its esthetic qualities; with 9TH
ers, square or cylindrical, massive or
cloud piercing, such piles as have been
reared to commemorate the 18th of June,
1775, or the fame of the father of his
country, are essentially barbaric, I'M
meaning, having no intelligence and tell
ing no story; furthermore, such monu-
ments could not be built for any sum the
association can reasonably hope to OBJ
tain, so an architectural monument is
entirely out of the question. Arriving
at this conclusion, for these reasons, the
committee adopted " sculptural " de-
sign, the work of Professor Weir of
New Haven. The description of this
design shows an unhewn granite shaft
rising from the base of rough granite
blocks placed on mound, and sur
mounted at height of forty-five feet
from the surrounding level by bronze
statue fifteen feet high. The statue is
supposed to represent General Stark,
or a typical New England soldier of
the revolutionary period. AT the foot
of the shaft are four more typical fig
ures of colossal size. The directors
of the association unanimously adopted
the report of the committee on design,
and thereupon the battle of the critics
and the committeeman began. The
Rutland Herald assails the design and
the committee that approved it; the
Free Press comes to the rescue; the
Springfield Republican, influential cti-
zens of Bennington and members of
the Battle Monument Association join
in the assault upon Professor Weir's
design; an exciting meeting of the as
ISOLATION is held and stay of proceed
ings ordered. So the question is still
one of design. Architectural monu-
ments, mere piles of granite or mar
BILE, may be british and barbaric, tell
ing no story of what they are designed
to commemorate; but it is not clear
that any sculptural design could any
more successfully unfold the tale of
Stark's victory, except through the
medium of living interpreter, to
whom the artist had given the cue to
the conceit or fancy he had wrought
into bronze or stone. There is a deal
of esthetic nonsense in this whole bust
ness. Artists and critics, or quasi ar
lists and critics, have got monumental
maggot in their heads and are wrung
with the agony the grub inficts. A
similar class of people went into hys-
terics when Lincoln, in an important
state paper, used the vulgar word
sugar-coated," because it exactly ex-
pressed his meaning and I" the plain
people" would understand him. The
"plain people" can distinguish the
obelisk on Bunker Hill from factory
chimney; to them it speaks of rugged
valor and patriotism in simple Anglo
Saxon, while they might be at theil
wits end to divine the incomprehensi
bleness of a A." sculptural design" Some
honorable and durable monument
should be reared to the memory of the
patriots who fought at Bennington
Dullt VI Jul hdtiNC SidlitC, iiolIS IL
massive solidity and unadorned grand
eur" it should be ga fit emblem boil
of the events in memory of which it il
raised and of the gratitude of thos'
who have reared it," "The record o.
illustrious actions is most safely depos
tied in the universal remembrance O
mankind" No monument can full,
tell the story of the event to be com
memorated or prolong the memorial
"but one object is, by this edifice, t.
show our deep sense of the value an,
, importance of the achievements of on
, ancestors; and, by presenting this wort
of gratitude to the eye, to keep aliv
, similar sentiments, and to foster a con
{ slant regard for the principles of tn
Revolution" We wish that whose
l ever in all coming time shall turn hi
eye to Bennington may behold that tn
= place is not undistinguished where
= decisive battle of the Revolution an
! of the world was fought. This is tn
0 conception which Webster had of tn
{ purpose and the character of the MOI
a ument that should mark Bunker Hi