Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-21
drawn and chartered than let the thing 70

NeA- NY GEAR tellow, N you feel as you do,
and II you're rIght-which i doubt-the only
step for Won to take is to do another figure. II
you can whip this one into shape by altering
1t you have 20 DO another"
Yes, he said. chats all very well. but my
time is up. The contract requires that it shall
be delivered in bronze on the 18th Of April.
Here it is the middle of January now"
"Oh, but that could be easily arranged.
Write to the committee and ask for an extern
sion Of time"
Don't You suppose I've done that already?
cut the committed Do you know the sort OF
Npeople the committee Is composed Of? Stock
brokers, merchants. lawyers, politicians; men
who know less about art than Won or [ know
about csoteric Shintoism, but think they know
everything. / did write to them. i told them
| wasn't satisfied with what I'd done and
asked fer years extension. What do you
suppose they answered. They came up to
the studio in body only three days ago to in
spect the thing, and, blockheads that they are,
they were delighted with it. Extension of
time? No, indeed 1t was perfect, superb,
stunning; even elegant. What action! And
what iikenessi might be as dissatisfied ns
pIensed-yery proper and becoming modesty.
But they were oyerjoyed; and that was the i'm
portant thing. They wouldn't hear of an OK
tension Of time. Unjust go up ut once and be
unveiled on Decoration day."
We'll" said /, probably your committee
men were right after all. Probably it is good
and you're mistaken. / can't believe it's as
bad as you say, because, as l told you when /
saw il, really did think it an immense sue
cess"
81 don't care what you thought. don't care
what anybody thinks. An artists last court Of
appeal in such matters has got to be his own
Inner feeling, his own artistic conscience. My
inner feeling has spoken; judgment has been
handed down; the case is closed. IL the
SO, 000, 600 inhabitants of this country arose as
one man and pronounced the thing right it
wouldn't make the slightest difference to me.
l know it's wrong"
''Well, I'm awfully sorry for you. old fellow.
I'm sorry your feeling should be what it is;
but L m quite certain that after the statue has
gone up, you'll get reconciled to it. Ii you
come to talk Of failures, every work Of art that
has ever been turned out on this planet was n
failure in the eye of the artist himself. The
thing accomplished always falls so far short of
the thing conceived Of and projected. But to
other people-to those that haven't that origi-
nal conception, that ideal, forever in their
mind eyes, to compare the finished product
with-to them it seems all right. That's law
OF art, one of arts primary conditions"
Again, what you say is all true enough in
general way" More retorted. ''but again it's
untrue Of my special case. My failure isn't a
relative failure, i'll positive failure. 1t isn't
simply that the figure psles by comparison with
what had hoped it might be-comparisons
aside, it's absolutely bad It's false, it's shoddy,
it's sensational
''Well, you know, it's always open to you to
throw up the commission" said l. '.though
that would be cold comfort. Tell your COM
mittee people that the statue does not satisfy
you, refuse to deliver it, and let the whole bust
ness drop"
''Yes, exactly; and ruin myself forever and
day. To begin with, I've got to have the
money. could get on very well without it for
another year OF so, but I've got to have it
sooner or later, because I'm up to my ears in
debt I've been living on borrowed money
V,O xvh nd rnf r oyott l,o
pay for this can't settle with my creditors.
But in the second place it would blast nv
career eternally. Who do you suppose would
ever entrust another commission to me- if
went back on this at the last moment, as you
propose? No, can't afford to throw up the
commission"
Well. then, what are you going to do? What
can't be cured must be endured. / don't see
but you'll have to make the best Of it"
'Iu tell you what I'm going to do. I'll tell
you in three words. It's to tell you that. that
I've come here tonight to tell you what i mean
to do, and to ask for your assistance"
"WeL, go on, go on" prompted - he
paused.
I'm going to smash II" said he.
''Smash it!'' i exclaimed.
"les, smash it. I'm going to take a crow
bar and shove it under the generals feet and
give it tilt and topple the whole thing over
on to the floor, where it will lie. a shapeless
mass OF clay. Then I'm going to sit down and
perjure my soul by writing to the committee
and telling them q whacking bang. I'm going
TO tell that owing to some unsupported weak
ness Of the interior supports my statue has
fallen, kerfopt and is a hopeless wreck; then
shall ask them for a years extension of time. in
which to do it over again. They can't refuse it
in the face Of such q terrible calamity Then
III model q new figure. and, with Gods help,
one that / shan't be ashamed Of That's what
mean to do
.'Humph! Rather heroic treatment" said 1.
Two years work thrown away. Mighty few
men would ever have the pluck to do it."
Heroic treatment? / don't know. Dis
eases desperate grown by desperate appliances
are relieved or not at all, he quoted.
Gas for throwing away the work Of two
years, it comes hard. can't deny, but that's
my misfortune. I'd rather throw it away than
let it stand if know it's bad, wouldn't I! No,
I've thought it all over, and I've made I'D nv
mind Its the only way out of my difficulty
It's got to be done, aud it's got to be done to-
night for the casters are coming tomorrow
I've had sharp tussle to bring myself to the
point OF recognizing the necessity; but now
that's over. and I'm ready for the fray"
He spoke eheerfully, almost lightly but his
face was as white as wax, his eyes burned and
his voice shook a little.
by Jove. old man, cried, ~ admire your
pluck. No one but an artist could make such
q resolution as that. Any other man would saw.
Let ii go for what it is But that is art
divinity. the sacred fire that differentiates il
from every other form of human labor In
other trades men seek an approximate good; in
art the good man seeks Is absolute. No make
shift will content him. He can never saw to
himself, Well, it might be better, but still it
will do So long as he feels that it could be
better he must work to make it SO. No. till he
believes 1t as good as human endeavor can
render it is he able to call it finished. After
ward, Of course, after it's gone from his hands.
after it's got cold. then he realizes that iii
riddled with imperfections. but he's got to
think it right or he can leave it. don't believe
any one but an artist could understand your
state of mind
'Oh. my state Of mind be hanged, and be
hanged, too. all your high-falutin' talk about
art and artists. It's a mere question of COM
mon honesty and of common expediency As
an honest workman cant deliver botched lob
and pocket my employers money, and as q man
with his eyes open to the main chance can't
let piece OF work go out of nay shop that will
damage my reputation. Come, now, put on
yonr overcoat. You've got to bear me COM
pany. Its got to be done tonight, and con-
fess haven't quite the strength of mind to do
II alone I've planned it all out, premeditated
and prearranged it, just as l would a murder.
But lind lack the nerve for execution. want
moral support Come along"
Look here, More; wait bit. wouldn't do
it tonight, If were you. I'd stop and think
for while first. Write to your casters and put
them Of for q week. Then lock up YOUR studio
and take vacation. Go out of town. Amuse
yourself. Then come back and look at the
thing again Perhaps with o fresh mind il will
strike you differently. You NAV see a way to
remedy it without destroying IL. ANYHOW, 1
wouldn't take such an irrevocabie step as the