Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-02
A GREAT WORK OF ART
The Lafayette Monument and What
It Looks Like,
Lafayette and His Comprehensive
Present Condition of the WOrk-Delay
In Shipment-The Site and the Pedes-
tai,

O. HE pedestal for the famous Lafayette
IA monument is all ready for the magnificent
Z work of art that is to surmount it, but
y the bronzes and upper pedestal of the
- monument are still in Paris, undergoing
those finishing touches that sll artists seem to
think are necessary on a work of this magni-
tude before letting it go to its permanent
owners. The Secretary Of War, under whose
direction as a member Of the commission Sc
lected by Congress to see to the purchase and
construction of the monument a greater pa TT
OF the work has been done. is now waiting for
word to come from United States Minister Reid
at Paris that the sculptors have finally COM
pleted it and it has been shipped to this country.
1t was at first hoped that the monument
would be received in time for it's erection and
unwilling before the adjournment of Congress.
in order that the ceremonies might be witnessed
by the largest possible number of the states
men of the republic that was founded with the
not at all Insignificant aid of the troops COM
manded by the men whose memories this noble
bronze 10 to perpetuate in the minds of the
American people. and above them all Lafay cite,
whose figure surmounts the whole. But there
have been so many delays in the shipment of
the work that now it is seen that il will be i'm
possible for the unwilling to take place before
the adjournment, however late that may be.
and it il now planned to have the event come
of soon after the reassembling of Congress in
December.
THE PEDESTAL
The present cause of the delay is the neces-
sity TO recut some of the stones forming the
upper pedestal, which forms a part of the
monument made by the French artists. The
lower pedestal has been quite completed and
may be seen any day on the southern side of
the square that has always been known as
Lafayette Square" opposite the White House.
notwithstanding the presence in the middle of
TAFT Of Andr
Jackson IL Is rather low for a PEDESTAL but
this Is necessary on account of the other stones
that serve to throw the figures into their proper
positions, with the gallant general whose name
10 given to the whole on the extreme top. 1t
Is Of gray granite, an American stone, thus
being symbolic in its relation to the other
which Is all French. There is first a straight
rise of about foot and half, and then two
or three graceful curves that bring the fiat top
about two feet and half from the ground
square and about fourteen feet across. The
ground around thee base is sodded to about
three feet out, so that the statues be in
speeted at close range. The work of laying
the foundations and erecting the pedestal was
done under the direction of Col. Ernst. COM
missioner Of public buildings and grounds, who
was ordered to do this by the Secretary of War
An appropriation of 5000 was set aside for
this purpose. In digging for the foundation
several old water and gas pipes were struck, and
and spring of water discovered that
hindered the work considerably.
THE SITE.
The readers of The STAR are by this time
familiar with the controversy that ragged for q
week or two over the question of the selection
of site for this statue. Its actual life was not
more than a week. although Secretary Proctor 8
predecessor in office, Judge Endicott, found il
serious problem The difficulty lay in the
fact that the square had always been known as
Lafayette Square and that it had been so named
by Washington In his plans for the city bearing
Il
the marquis But in the center Of the square
there had been erected this costly statue OF
jackson on the rearing horse, the MASTERPIECES
OF Ozark Mills, which had become Landmark
OF the city To take 1t down was out of the
power OF the Lafayette monument commission.
who were vested with no other authority than
TO place the new statue in whatever place they
thought best. To place the two in the same
square would be TO violate all sorts of prece-
cents and canons Of art; but there was no way
out of the difficulty but to put the newcomer
on one side Of the lot and wait for Congress to
give It's permission to a removal Of the Jackson
statue to a more appropriate site.
The howl that went up at first about this Sc
lection has subsidized 70 a very large degree al
the people are beginning to grow accustomed
To seeing the pedestal in the position given il
by the commission. II remains to be seen
what effect the placing of two such large works
in the same line will have upon the artistic
sense Of sight
LAFAYETTE AND HIS coMPArRIors
The sculptors Of the statue are Alexandra
falguiere and Antonin Mercie. By an act ap-
proved March 8, 1855, the Congress of the
United States OF America authorized the Score
tary OF War, the chairman of the joint commit
tee on the library and the architect of the
Capitol as q commission to contract for anc
erect statue, with suitable emblematic de
vices thereon, on one of the public reserva
lions OF Washington. to the memory Of Lafay
cite and his compairiots. Thereupon a compe
tition was opened, and NM. Faiguiere and Mer
Gle having been invited to send in q design
their sketch was finally accepted The con
tract was signed in Paris December 81, 1887. b,
the sculptors, and signed at the city Of Wash
ington January &c, 1885, on behalf Of tn,
United States by William C. Endicott, Score
tary Of War, William N. Evarts and Edwars
Clark, architect Of the Capitol
The subsidiary figures selected by the com
mission, after consultation with almost ever,
historical society IL America. and with man
noted authorities on American history. an
Rochsmbeau and Duportail, and d Estaing an,