Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-11-04
THE BARTHOLDI STATUE
THE ACTUAL MOULDING FIRST
BEGUN IN 1878.
Frestdont Cleveland, sscI otarles
Esai ard, whttney.s.ansnr and POST
master General Villas Present nj the
UewanH0nlgs.

New YoRK, Oct. 2S.-The dedicatian of
Barthoidis colossal statue Of 'Iiberty
Enlightsning the World" erected on
Bedloe's Island, In New York harbor,
takes place to-day with imposing cere.
monies. The day 10 being generally OBJ
served Rs q holiday In this city. The
official programme Of the exercises on the
island includes the firing of signal gun
prayer by the Rev. DIR. Storra addresses
by Count de Lesseps, William M Enrts,
President Cleveland, M. LeFaiyre and
Ohaunoey nj. Depew; saiyos from all the
guns In the forts and vessels In the har-
Dor; the singing Of the Doxology, and
benediction by Bishop Potter. In the
evening the statue will be illuminated and
there will be fireworks ON Bedloe's and
Governors Island and the Battery. Presi-
dent Cleveland, Secretaries Bayard, Whit
ney and Lamar and Postmaster. General
Villas left Washington yesterday after
noon and arrived in New York last night.
They will remain at Secretary Whituey's
house during their stay In New York.
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
The history of the Bartholdi statue from
first 10 last In a oheokered one and goes
back through all sorts of delays and diff
cultieB for almost 20 years. Il was,
strangely enough, just NJ the close OF the
disastrous war with Germany and while
the horrors of the Commune were still
raging in Paris that M. LabOulay,, the
founder of the French American Union,
first definitely broached his patriotic pro
ject Of building in this country joint
memorial Of the struggles of the French
and Americans in the revolution, and sent
the young sculptor Bartholdi to the
United States to find, IL possible, some
suitable and happy idea. The first sug-
gestion Of the statue, perhaps, dates still
back 10 dinner given under the empire
by M. Laboulaye at his country house,
Glavigny, near Versailles.
The actual moulding of the huge cast
began In 1876. The birth of the statue
was celebrated on November 9Th of that
year by dinner at the Hotel du Louvre,
at which the American minister, Mr..
Waahburne, and all the prominent members
Of the French-American Union were
present. The right hand OF the goddess
was struck of In Its colossal proportions
and sent to the Centennial Exhibition at
Philadelphia in 1875.
The statue itself was paid for by public
huDhCflDtlDuh VI rIouCu Dobpios n
bill accepting the statue and setting apart
the site for the same passed Congress in
1877. The work of raising the money TO
build the pedestal progressed slowly in
this country until the New York World,
In March 1886, took the matter up and
opened subscription list OF its own for
the purpose. By July total OF $102, ,006.39
was turned over TO the committee and the
pedestal was finished in April 1886.
Meanwhile the statue had been brought
to America on the French man-o war
Isere in the summer of 1886.
Bartholdi himself chose Bedlow's
Island l5 years ago for the site of bis
great monument. No spot, in fact, could
have been happier one for the purpose
From the shores of the bay the level islet
looks like the mere natural base of the
vast statua and its solid-faced pedestal.
Out away from any rival objects, large
or small, dwarfed or dwarhng, the colossa
figure stands clearly against the free back
ground Of water, land and sky, blending
with them easily and simply, like al
image drawn, as the goddess is, on tbei
own scale. And II the great brony'
figure fits, like one of its own rivets in th'
copper sheath, into the surroundings O
sea and sky, the granite pedestal finds
ready-made support to the double star
shaped inner walls of old Fort Wood.
Following are the dates of importan
A -