New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-26
THAT ST GAuDENS MEDAL.
rur OrADRo.cENTENNIAL COMMITTEES KEN
so~s FOR INsIsTIxG THAT 1T BE Modified

rur oi.ADRo-CENTENNIAL COMMITTEES REA-
SONS ron INSISTING THAT 1T BE MODIFIED.
v,,shinc,on. March . CSpcciaD.-Th" Worries FAR
medal dispute IS to up in Washington again III
a fcw days Mr.. 81. Gaudens. VINO "esS"Vu "e
medal is now In Eew-York AT work on the reN'' ~
side OF the design - modify u accorunH '" III,
s.,,,c Ou,dro-C Centennial Committees IDEAS 81
"r,,dcstv' and "leccncy" In art Some OF the COM
,,i,,ee declare the medal "a open 10 criticism IRON
an artistic point Of view. which. however they are
willing to let pass. but the nude figure OF young
man a. a symbol Of America never
There are two or three things about the russ
oyer the medal more Interesting than mere differ
ence OF opinion on the nude In art. Why do the
Ouodro-C cntcnuia Committee take N" medal IN
hand at all and by what authority 30 they nave
Mr. 81 Gaulons change the accepted design To SUIT
their notions Of "modes,y" and "dec"ncy In art?
Th, whole question belongs 20 tho SECRETARY OF the
Treasury. who alone has the right to make fuss
over the medal.
The question to the actual acceptance OF the de-
sign fails to get an answer which would pace the
rcspon visibility. or show mat II ever was accepted or
that Mr. s.. Gaudens was paid for II, or that
ANYBODY. In fact. has anything 10 do with this I'M
portant rart Of the fuss" When II comes TO the
responsibility Of accepting design 30 faulty that 1t
Is neither modest" nor decent" nobody seems -
be- ready 10 be- held accountable. The committee,
say that Assistant Secretary Curtis signed the let
tor Of acceptance Mr.. Curtis says he never signed
Il
ccptance formally or otherwise Of Mr.. ST. Gaudens's
design. The Committee on Awards and Mr.. 81
Gaudens looked after the medal. which was left in
thsr hAndS ana ihseI ng 900 Tlf tps sun
posed the Committee on Awards accepted the de-
sign and as Tar as he understood the situation the
responsibility rested there Mr.. Curtis declares there
II no evidence that any body ~ the Treasury from
the Secretary down has the least objection TO the
design AZ to the Committee on Awards every man
Of them stands by the medal not only as a work OF
art. but design eminenily modest and typical
Of events ceommcmora!ed by the great Exposition
the ears Of the Quadro|Ccntennial Committee the
knowledge OF another medal. This medal which
purposes, may be Justly open to the criticisms o!
being neither modest nor "decent"-but not
artistic merit: II IS a grossly exaggeraied imitation
OF the ST. Gaudens design illustrating the Paige
their exhibit at the Exposition. 1t was obtained
ostenslbiy through note OF introduction from Sen
reality stolen by the person introduced. after
looking at the st. Gaudens design about three min
the Mint. in whose care the ST. Gaudens design
inirusted for saie,keepinE. to guard AGAINST and
Paige medal. designed from memory and about
three minutes" study. was soon pictured in the
The Quadro-C tennia Committee sent for IT, and
1t was pronounced fac-simile OF the Worlds Fair
about the medal. OF course 1t all about the
reverse side with the youth representing America
Some OF the Senator's said the medal was not mod
est and others that 1t was not decent" and all
united in a resolution that the reverse anyhow must
TO the few people who have seen the Worlds
Fair Medal and Paige imitation there can be but
one opinlon--the imitation figure OF America is AZ
much of IA fac-simile OF the original a pugilis IL
OF IA Raphael cherub. However considering the
three mnutes' and memory. the designer got in
some clever strokes this fac-simile" which finds
80 much favor with the Quadro- Centennial Commit
tee art critics.
Four hundred years compared with the Old
World Is the youth OF America. The America or
Mr.. 81. Gaudens IL the embodiment of youthful
vigor and grace. And II may be added that French
critics regard the 81. Gaudens design by far the
90 pg1 IN
worlds Fair. notwiths landing the opinion OF the
Qnadro-c Centennial Committee that 1t Is not mod
est and not decent"
There VIII be about % 0C0 medals 5000 OF the num-
Der 10 American exhibitors. Eight thousand ndI-
Vldual medals among G5O0OO00 OF people cannot make
mem very common. When Mr. st. Gaudens ventured
on the innovation OF representing America by a male
nghre instead OF the typical woman he made radi-
cd departure and one which is at the bottom OF the
uouple aiter all This Is admitted by of the
S1uadro-Cent ennial Committee who say a female
laSure would be less Objectionable. partly because
custom makes IL 80. Then again. America as a
word Is feminine and should be represented by 4,
female hgure Evidently Mr. st. Gaudenss idea
~ns not one or gender but OF strength combined
~'h youth ana beauty, shown by the 1.-THE grace
iui' strons hglre OF his America.