The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-30
Public Statues.

In another column we copy an article
from our interesting contemporary. the
Garden and Forest. showing ample quail
ifcatIcn on the part Of tho critic to dis
cuss subject OF very great public i'm
portance It is about public statues. These
come to adorn or to aff1ict . city from var!-
GUS sources; through genuine public
spirit, or through some lesser feeling that
springs from motives 80 limited in active
sympathy that 1t may amount to little more
than the qualification Of personal affec-
ton or vanity. Statues In which all are
interested and which stand with un-
Improbable propriety in public places
are very few. Fortunately they belong
generally to the better class Of monuments,
since arising from broad appreciation OF
q mans character or services and Of gen.
eral desire to perpetuate his memory. the
importance Of the enterprise and the money
available compel the Proclamation Of e.
pert Judgment that is respected and the
employment Of an artist Of recognized 1T
ness for the work.
II one should set out to hunt for the orig
inal and conceiving source Of many Of our
statues, he would find himself when he
reached it in the midst Of very dubious
motives, from which the impulse to
| render honor to . deserving memory
or to increase tho artistic adornment Of
streets and places was very far removed. II
an obscure sculptor, with only the ambition
to get his name before the public. has q
| friend who can push his model Of some more
or less noticeable man, on the understand
ing that the artist furnishes his great and
talented services for nothing, the chances
are high OF such disinterested project ms-
terializing finally in some public place as
the image Of q citizen commemorated in
bronze under an ostensibly grateful upris-
ing OF his former associates.
Another sort Of movement which results
in statues. and whose persistence Is always
liable at last to break through the ordinary
barriers that protect the general interests
with regard to art and to the apportionment
OF monumental honors may arise in some
special body OF citizens possessed OF reasons
particular and personal for expressing their
estimation OF public man. An example Of
this Is seen In the statue to the late
SAMUEL =. Cox in Aston place. There was
no more earnest and steadiast friend and
champion OF Mr.. Cox than The SUN.
and his memory would have been
pleasantly cherished by his country and
especially by tho citizens Of New York,
in any event. But the letter carriers, In
feeling Of peculiar gratitude to him
for his services to them, accepted the
doubtless gratuitous design by Miss LAW
son for q bronze statue OF Mr.. Cox, and
gratefully raised money to have 1t made.
This model was 30 vicious in art and 90
unfit to be admitted among a city's orna-
ments that the committee before whom such
matters have to be submitted In New York
city, consisting Of the President OF the
Metropolitan Museum, the President oil
the National Academy OF Design. and the
President of the New York Chapter OF the
American Institute Of Architects, promptly
rejected 1t as unworthy OF exhibition. But
the letter carriers, still bent upon accom-.
plishing their purpose to testify to. their
feeling toward Mr.. Cox. and through this
identical statue. invoked tho Board OF
Aldermen. and finally obtained site beyond
tho Jurisdiction OF the proper Art Commit.
tee. and the statue stands to-day. an often.
slve warning against all works of similar
history. 1t is, In truth. no honor to Mr.. Cox
and in no wise creditable to it's promoters.
In this country, also, whore so many
natlonallties come to be represented
the newcomers long to SEQ some rem.
inisccnce OF their native land. and turn
to IL monument OF Its most conspicuous
man. There are various such monuments
OF distinguished foreigners, some bad and
some good.
1t would be impossible to crlticise oil pub
lie monuments by the standard of the great
statues OF the world. The latter are very
few yet the e'fec. OF those selected justly
AMI with decent regard to tho public esti
mates md interest Is, rs Il rule, most
beneficial and admirable. But the critic IL
tho G0rden and Forest who speaks *
seriously and inteIligently upon this i'm
portant matter. eliminates the soundnes!
Of tho genera! principle that should DO OBJ
served In setting up statues, namely, tina
though many may como few should N
chosen.
Ever since. in the early part Of the year
the Atlantic steamship companies wore com
PEELED to take undesirable immigrants bacl
to Europe. they have boon striving to devise
SONS means by which they may 10 relieve.
from the expense and trouble to which The!
were thus su objected. Some OF tho companies
are more careful! than they used to be In observ
Ing the terms OF our immigration laws, ant
two or three OF them havo made provision 10
certain Kind OF Inspection Of Storage pas