The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-18
ADA REHAN As JUSTICE
The Silver Statue Severely
Criticised By a Chicago
Newspaper Man.
HER RIVALS HAVE THEIR REVENGE
She Wears a Sour Expression and
Her Pretty Feet and Ankles
Are Disfgured.
HER RIVALS HAVE THEIR REVENGE

The clay model for the statue of
Justice, to be cast in solid silver as an
exhibit of the natural wealth of the
State of Montana, is now finished.
1t was on exhibition at the studio of
the sculptor, r. H. Park. It is mod
elled after Ada Rehan.
Admirers of the actress will be
somewhat surprised if not disap-
pointed. The wonderful points of
excellence in her physique are SO well
covered by a squarecut, long under
garment that, minus the scales and
sword, the statue could easily be
mistaken for the lay figure OF a
theatrical costumer. The counte-
nance is in the heroic mould, looking
TO the front. Outlines OF the figure
are lndiscernible under the wrappings
OF drapery. The right arm is extend
ed downward and outward, the hand
grasping a ~toy-shaped sword. Inc
left arm is outstretched. with the fore
arm elevated and the fingers lightly
closed on a pair of scales. The neck
vi d uSLlC6 . u11oOl "Ga1 10 IA AAAA
ing from a point on the left shoulder
near the neck to an inch or so below
the shoulder On the right arm.
HER RIVALS AVENGED.
When Miss Rehan is confronted by
a pale blue drawing of what purports
to be the Montana Goddess of Justice,
she will be tempted to go off some
where and expire. The public can
probably stand it, for the public is
tough and long ~forbearing. Lillian
Russell and Pauline Hall and the
other t-erpsicnorean and histrionic
fairies may take an extra hitch i n
their suspenders and sing a merry ira
la-loo, for they are. avenged.
The thrifty devotees of high art,
whose devotion TO beauty and booty
is credited with the perpetuation of
the silver statue of Rehan, have got
SO far along with their inspired labors
that they are enabled to publish a
blueprint map of the Montana figure
mounted on a turkey gobbler with
wings and tell rampant. The blue
print diagram represents the fair but
sightless goddess, nee Rehan, with
her good sW ord arm tied TO her side by
a nightie about six sizes too small.
While she grasps her trusty cheese
KITE in a manner that would indicate
q heroic resolve to vindicate the YER
acity If her druggists scales, there is
no possible way by which she can use
it until somebody cuts the strap
which binds her right arm to her side.
1t is possible that this halnpered con-
dition of the goddess was premedi-
tatedly executed by the artist as a
measure of self-defence, for there is
grave reason to believe that, if the
sword could be freed, the head of the
designer would be the first to fall be-
meath its blow.
1t is not the province of an art critic
to go into hypercritical details on
corning the methods of the artist, but
in this instance the "make-up"o Ada
Rehan certainly comes within the
scope of criticism. Without question
ing her privilege to adorn Jne-ah-
terminal facilities of her nightgown
with Irish shamrocks and harps of
Erin, or even intimating that Miss
Rehan is injudiciously b~oycotring
the corn doctor. it is certainly proper
to suggest that she should have
changed dressmakers before appear
ing in the role of the sightless god
dess. The measurements to which it
is said Miss Rehan submitted herself
must-if one is to take the statue it
self as a standard-have been made
by two persons; one working by the
day, and the other doing space
work. i
The artistic surveyor of the Rehan
form devine who worked on the off
side gave that side of the statue a
tunic big enough for Vera Ava or
.tBig Steve, the fairy of the police
force" 1t bags under the armpit,
and is only saved from floating away
like a mainsail by a girdle of the belt.
On the right side, however, the artistic,
who was evidently working on a
salary and whose stock of material
had run short, has made the gown so
tight that it holds the goddess's arm
closely to her side, giving the sleeve
the appearance of having been forcibly
pulled down over the shoulder.
SHE LOOKS SOUR.
1t is Miss Rehan's head and feet, as
shown in the statue, that will startle
the public, however. The features
are sour. The face would indicate
that the statue is that of Nemesis in
stead of Justice. The expression
might resemble that of Lillian Russell
or Mrs. Beach when they heard that
Mrs Rehan had been selected as a
model for the statue. 1t may also re-
semble Miss Rehan's face when she
gazes upon the so-called work of art
for the first time, but certainly not as
she looked when the anatomical en-
gineers were marking her off by metes
and bounds, unless they were sticking
pins in. her calves and making re-
marks about her feet.
Speaking of feet and things, it is
a that Rehan has an elegantly
turned pair of ankles. If SO, the
artist, or sculptor, Or physical en-
gineer has mislaid them. They are
built on the plans and specifications
of a fire hydrant. Otherwise they are
poems.
The thrifty gentlemen who are
e~levating art and their W bank ac-
count in one fell swoop in the Rehan