The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-08-13

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while coronet of lights will be placed
on the spurs of the diadem. 1t is eal-
culated that these lights will be visible
on clear night at distance of eighty
eight miles at sea. This will make the
statue one of the most important light
houses on the coast.
The outer wall of the fort, which COW
ers about half of the island, and comes
down nearly to the waters edge on the
southern side of it, is to be left stand
ing, and will make very massive and
effective frame for the statue, which
will be placed in its centre. From the
inner or parade wall of the fort ter
race will rise to the base of the pedes-
tal-the space beneath the terrace be-
ing utilized for the machinery for the
electric lights and the elevator.
THE SCULPTOR.
The distinguished French sculptor,
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, by whose
Enlightening the World" has been
shaped. was born at Colmar. in France,
and is about so years of age.
As pupil of the famous AIRY Schef-
fer, his artistic ability was recognized
ini," executed in 1852. His name was
first brought into prominence. how
ever, in the United States in 1872, when
his well-known statue of Lafayette was
forwarded as gift from the people of
France and placed in Union Square.
New York City.
At the Centennial, where he was one
of the French Commissioners. he was
awarded medal for the exhibition of
the bronze statues of Peace" THE
Young Vine Grower" and Genius in
the Grasp of Misery" He is also a
Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in
his native country.
1t was his wish that France should
present to the people of the United
States a suitable gift commemorative
of the traditional feeling of good will
existing between the two Nations. He
therefore volunteered his artistic SER
vices for the construction of an enor-
nous figure representing Liberty En-
tightening the World" to be placed on
Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor,
and he became so enthusiastic in car
rying on the project that when sub
scriptions Jagged he pledged his own
private fortune to defray the running
expenses OF the work.
Bartholdi has made his mark in Pa
risian art, and is at present engaged
in the sculpture of a massive lion out
of the solid rock ip the side of noun
tain at Belford, which will be eighty
feet long and thirty feet high.
Gen Charles p. Stone, formerly of
the United States army, has been en-
gineer-in-c of the undertaking, and
Richard NJ. Hunt architcct-in-chief
ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
The conception of monumental work
seems to be characteristic of certain
degree in the advancement in the civ
ilization of nations. Without mention
ing monuments properly so-called-
dolmens, nenhirs, columns and pyra-
mids-we generally discover in the
history of all great nations mention of
some one colossal statue. Its concep-
tion often mars the apogee of local
progress. The ancients erected many
immense works in honor of their di-
whites. With them the omnipotence
of god often appeared to depend on
the magnitude of his image, which.
however. they always try to endow
with all possible force and majesty.
The most imposing figures we recog-
nize as their most powerful and most
yeneratcd gods. In ancient Egypt the
colossi formed an essential decoration
of the grand temples and palaces. Be-
sides its magnificent pyramids. its obe-
lisks 100 feot in height, its gigantic
tombs, its innumerable and enormous
sphinxes, Egypt was covered with stat
ues fifty and sixty feet high, cut from
single blocks of stone.
Herodotus mentions the colossus of
Osiris, which was ninety-two feet high.
At Memphis few years ago there was
exhumed the statue of Rameses H.,
which was forty-nine feet high. Be-
fore the entrance to the palace of Lux
or were seated four similar colossi forty
feet high. Near Gournah can still be
seen the fragments of a gigantic seated
statue of Ramesis the Great, cut from
a single red granite stone. The two
colossi of Memnon measure more than
sixty-two feet each, and with their
pedestal weigh more than 1,436 tons.
The four seated statues which dec
crate the facade of the great temple of
lsamboul were sixty-one feet high.
The Greeks, also, erected many stat
ues TO their divinities; they were most
frequently of bronze or covered with
plates of gold and ivory. .-s
The Minerva of Phidias was thirty
nine feet high. In reality it was a
wooden statue. supported on the in
side by iron-work, and covered with
beaten and sculptured sheets of gold
and plates of ivory finely carved. This
was all put together with so much
nicely of handling that it was impossi-
BILE to discover the joints. The cele-
brated Jupiter Olympus, by the same
sculptor. was also of gold and ivory.
Tho god was represented seated, and
was forty-two feet high.
Phidias made several other colossal
Minervas, one of which, the ''Athena
Promachos," was entirely of bronze.
fifty to sixty feet in height. The Colos-
sus of Rhodes. the work of Chares of
Lindos, was erected 800 years b. c.,
in honor of Apollo. To assure its sta
bility it was filed with large stones.
Nevertheless it was overthrown by an
earthquake.
Rome, especially under the Empire,
erected many colossal bronze statues,
most often representing Caesars deified
during their lifetime. That of Nero
by Zenodorous. was 1l0 feet high.
In Japan can be seen q bronze statue
of the great Buddha. seated, which is
fifty feet high. In China and India the
greater part of the gigantic idols are
of masonry or OF wood roughly carved.
Wood, except in rare cases, as the
wooden horse of Troy. has hardly ever
been employed in colossal statuary,
save in the interiors of temples.