The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-03-19
Montana's Celebrated Statue OF jus
tice Successfully Cast at Chi
cago on Saturday.
1t Is Indeed Thing of Rare
Beauty and Marvel Of
Art.
To Montana Belongs tho Credit of Opening
tho Eyes of fJnstioe.-Tho MagniA-
cent Statue.

CHICAGO, March 18.--In the presence of a
distinguished company Montana's silver
statue of Justice was successfully cost to-
day. Sixteen hundred pounds OF sterling
silver were used in the operation. For the
past six weeks half dozen Of the most .ex.
pert founders have been engaged in prepar-
ing for the event. The mould which would
reproduce the plaster model was made by
Sculptor Park from French clay and hard
ened by baking. IL was then placed in a
pit and prepared for to.day's event.
Among those present we're President
Palmer, of the national commission, and
President Higinbothan, OF the Chicago di-
rsctory; Chief Skf. of the mining depart
ment and Judge Bickfo,d, Montana's ex-
ecutive commissioner, An hour after the
molten metal was poured into the mould
the latter was removed and the statue,
which is indeed thing OF beauty, was re-
vealed. In the white shining metal the
majestic proportions of Parks model are
seen to the greatest possible advantage.
The total cost of the statue is stated to be
$4,000. Not only is the statue an exact re-
production of the figure OF Miss Rehan, but
the features are hers also. The height OF
of the statue ia five feet ten inches. and it
will stand upon silver Qlobe two feet in
diameter. The statue will remain in this
vaults of safe deposit company until the
time has come for placing it IN jackson
park.
Justice stands with one foot on a globe,
and the entire outline of the splendid and
massive figure gives the idea OF a forward
movement. The goddess wears tunic
which drapes the figure from the swelling
breast to point just below the knee, but
SO perfect ia the sculptor's work that every
limo of the neither limbs is visible, and the
statue seems alive from the unshod feet to
the bare arms and the graceful Grecian
knot OF hair upon which rests the starry
crown of this modern Astraea. Immense
strength and exquisite grace together with
q superabundanoe of life and movement,
of the model at once. The left arm, beauti.
fully modelled. holds afaft the historic
scales and the right grasps firmly the fa-
miliar two-edged sword which points
downward at an angle of forty-fvo de-
grees. The expression of the face is grave,
but gracious, and the full-orbed windows
OF the soul seem to pierce the future. The
tunic. or rather the drapery, with its metal
Rirdle, is Greclan even to the smallest de-
tail. and the robe is brodered most beauti-
fully.
The figure rests upon the back of Mon
tana eagle, also of solid silver. From the
eagle to the top of Rehan's head the statue
nine feet and rests upon plinth |
of solid gold, the base being formed of min
eral bearing rock. The whole has heighth |
of fifteen feet. The silver was furnished by |
the Firt National bank of Helena. through |
Ex-Gov. s. 4. Hauser, and Hon. w. A. |
Clark Of Butte. The gold in the plinth is
l,.. tA~l oeI
Maiden, Mont. The American Bronze
company, of Chicago, cast the immense
affair-by far the largest statue of its kind |
in the world-and for this work the COM
pany receives SO, 700.
AT the close of the Worlds fair Messrs.
Harvey and Higbee intend to take the
statue on tour of exhibition both through |
Americn and Europe. Heavy bonds. all |
around, are. of course, demanded and given |
for the safe return of the precious minerals |
10 the Treasure state.
To Montana belongs the honor of remov-
ing the bandaRe from the eyes of Justice, |
heavenly maid, who for no satisfactory rea-
years or more. The first sculptors. the
earliest painters. the primeval wood en-
yravers all depicted Justice with very wide
open eyes. All the way along from 1900
down to the eighteenth century. Justice
Was able to see as we'll as any of her classi.
or bandaged them simply to conform to the
Roman idea that Justice is blind to the in
lividual, should be execrated. "Justioe,
'ir, is the great interest of mankind on
,arth." said Daniel Webster, and now let
Is hope we shall never find her blind again.
The older artists were wont to show her
With cornucopiain in one hand and Il sceptre
u the other.
1t is presumed. OF course, that you know
Who Justice was, but the story is so pretty
hat there is temptation to retail it here.
ustice WAS n Titan maiden known in
ireek mythology as Astrae, who descended
o the Garth aud mingled with the human
ace during the golden age. but when the
liver age eDoued she fled to the mountains
nd only came down from their Businesses
Is the shades of evening fell. She hid her
elf from the sight OF men, of whose iniqui.
les she grew aweary. After the beginning
I tho brazen and iron age she could no
onger bear the injustice of mankind AMI
aking wings she flew back into the skies
here Jove set her among the stars, maxi
1g her the constellation Virgo. where she
I'LL looks down on the wicked ways of l
len.
In the light of this pretty myth could
here be ANYTHING moro appropriate than
lat mountainous Montana. choosing TO. 4
s contribution to the greatest festival
lat earth has ever seen, u representation
the truant goddess, formed of the miner I
Is that constitute the wealth of nationsp