Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-22
CAPITAL STATUES.
Marble and Bronze Ornaments that Have
Cost Upward of Million DOllars-Curious
Visitors

CAPITAL STATUES.
Marble and Bronze Ornaments that Have
| Cost Upward of a Million Dollars-Curious
| Visitors.
| Statues, statues, and statures, it may
be said, are what Washington is most
| celebrated for, writes Washington cor
respondent of the New York Herald.
The great men of the nation perpetually
| live here, either in an official capacity as
| legislators or in etfigy. Just now the
| statues are the great attraction. When
the president, cabinet, and heads of bu-
reaus return they will divide the visitors
| attention. When congress is in session
that body and the capitol will be the
| center of interest.
| To make the marble and bronze statues
interesting it will be sufficient to say that
they cost upward of 100000. That
amount has been expended in the produc
ton and mounting of the equestrian and
| pedestal figures winch are scattered
around the public parks, in front of the
| capitol and in Statuary hall. More than
that, there are probably as many works
of art of this class in Washington as there
are in all the cities of the United States.
1t was some years ago regarded as evil
dence of genius to condemn everything
IN the way of painting and sculpture
| about Washington. 1t indicated large
| experience abroad, for where else could
| an American have his taste properly cul
tlvated! Certainly not at home. 1t was
| likewise the habit of letter-writers to be-
| little the lnfantile effort of country not
| yet century old to perpetuate in endur-
| ing brass and stone the memory of those
who deserved recognition from their coun-
| trymen. The fippant tongue of the ig
norant no longer wags, and gifted cor
| respondents find the statues Of public
men more engaging theme than criti-
cizing works of art of which they know
| nothing.
classification of the statutes will give
the reader a better idea of whom they
represent. The presidents, for instance,
are always regarded as great men, and
are presumed to be worthy of enduring
fame, yet only Washington, jefferson,
Jackson, Lincoln, and Fairfield are to date
deemed worthy of immortal rank. Wash
ington has four statues, Lincoln three,
Jefferson two, and the others one. Again,
of the twenty-one vice presidents, George
! Clinton, of New York, has this field of
honor exclusively as his own. Then there
! have been upward of two hundred mem
| bers of the cabinet since the foundation
| of the government. The first secretary
! of treasury, Alexander Hamilton, lives
| here alone in marble. OF the thousand
silver and golden-moved senators, Gen.
E. D. Baker, of California, and Jacob Col
lamer, of Vermont, are all that are now
in session in Statuary hall. The judiciary,
with its long line of eminent justices,
knows lonely Chief Justice John Marshall,
of Virginia, and Chancellor Livingstone,
of New York, who administered the oath
of office to President Washington upon
| his Inauguration in New York city in
1899. Theology and religion strike hands
in the person of Martin Luther and Roger
| Williams. Science recognizes the grand
name of Prof. Henry and genius the lame
of Robert Fulton. OF the great naval he
roes of the war Admiral Farragut is fire.
quently mistaken for a New York fireman
of the olden day, his long spyglass sug-
costing the butt, while Admiral Dupont
holds his field glasses so close to his
breast as though about to pitch a red-hot
| ball across the field at Dupont circle.
The peace monument was erected by Off
GERS of the navy, but does not commemo-
rate the name of any particular officer.
The one continental army officer in
marble Is Ethan Allan. Gen. Greene,
| brass cast in an equestrian statue and on
foot. The other generels whose names
are kept alive in FURNISHED bronze are
Washington, commander-in-chiefo of the
| Revolutionary armies; Jackson, of the
war of 1872 and 1915; Scott CT the Mex
lean war, and Mcpherson, Thomas, and
| Rawlins, of the war of the rebellion. All
but Rawlins have grand equestrian statues
| His has been on a reservation southwest
| of the state department.. 1t has been so
| blackened by exposure that from its gen
| eral design and appearance it is better
| known as the Pirate of the Potomac, near
| whose banks it stands. Congress has
ordered it to be removed to a more suit
| able spot and reburnished. The old col
onial congress has the statues of Hancock
! Franklin, Adams, and Sherman to pre-
serve its meRsry. John Winthrop repre-
SCENTS the old continental governors, and
William King of Maine, the governors of
the United States, and Muklenberg, of
! Pennsylvania, stands for the house of
representatives, of which he was a memb-
er several terms, besides his distinguish
ed service during the Revolutionary war.
! The only one not assigned is Jonathan
! Trumbull, of Connecticut, an eminent
! patriot of the Revolution, who deserves
]
aim the term Brother Jonathan, origin
ated on account of his skill in expedients
to meet the necessities of the eontinen
tai congress.
Then they are the symbolic figures of
Freedom" surrounding the dome of
the capitol; "The Discovery of America"
'The Settlement of America" "The Pro-
| gress of Civilization" some alto-relievo
! ~, % kho old
statues of Peace" and War on either
side of the main entrance, and busts and
! panels by the dozens. Washington's
equestrian statue represents him at the
battle of Princeton, with drawn sword
and on a very spirited horse apparently
! frightened up the fray; again, he is
! standing as Citizen George, the cele-
brated work of the Houdin. A third
statue is the colossal one by Greenough.
! "Pater Patriie, on the esplanada at the
east front of the capitol, and the fourth
is the central figure in the group com
posing the Progress of Civilization of
the United States in the tympanum
| over the senate portico. These evidences
| OF regard for the Father of His Country
cost the government in all S125,OO0.
Lincoln is next honored. He is on a
monolith in front of the city hall, and
| this was the first statue erected to his
memory in the United States, it being
unveiled near the close of President
Johnson's administration. President
| Lincoln, with manuscript in hand, is
among the marble atatues it Statuary
| hall, but the one that does him the great
est honor is the thrilling group in bronze,
Emancipation" in Lincoln square, re-
presenting him standing on a monolith
of freedom. A slave kneeling at his feet
with manacles broken is about to rise.
On his left is the trunk of a tree, with
| lash and manacles strewn about. These
! statues cost about $4,000.
Jefferson is next honored with two
statues, one in bronze, the other of mar
BILE, costing not less than $4,000. The
one in bronze is by the celebrated French
sculptor David, and has not only the mer-
it of being the finest statue in Washing
ton, from an artistic point of view, but
was modelled under tho personal super
vision and suggestion of Lafayette. 1t
has wonderful history besides Commo
dore n. P. Levy, United States navy, was
a man OF wealth and an ardent admirer
of Jefferson. Near the beginning of Jack
sons administration in 1929 he thought
it would be cOmmendable act to perpet-