Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11

CIas- e Barber, the present engraver of
we mint The second Mr.. Barber was the
CSsisher OF the present issue of subsidiary
silver coin. He is also generally credited
with the design for the trade dollar. though
the work vas done by mis- father. And the
eagle on the trade dollar, Director Preston
adys' Is the finest eagle ever designed for
enc OF our coins.
Not an Easy Task.
III the sculptors believe that they are &C.
ing to have an easy time preparing or pro-
curing designs for the new dollar, they will
md themselves much mistaken. One rea-
son why the work of designing has always
been given to the mint engraver 1t that
the designing of medallic work requires a
peculiar knowledge which few engravers
and fewer artists possess. A design which
appears exquisite in black and white may
he utterly unsuted to a medal. There are
several good medal designers in the United
states. The one with the highest reputa-
ton Is Henry Mitchell of Boston. New
YORK has several medal artists. Faber of
fnHade!phia designed the life-saving medal
OF Inc Treasury Department. Antrobus of
Chlcaso designed the Grant medal And
he Seward Robinson medal was designed
by George Coffin Of the Treasury Depart
fnent at Washington. There are several
good designers besides Mr.. Barber in the
lT,hiL.delphia mint, One Of these. George
T. Morgan, was the designer of the silver
dollar now in circulation-the dollar of 1873.
Ine prize to be given by the Sculpture
society Is probably the only reward the
successful artist will receive even IL his
design Is adopted by the government. 1t Is
possible that COngI ess will make a special
appropriation to pay him something more
but the Secretary of the Treasury has no
discretion to go outside the Treasury De-
partment for artists.
No Money for Special Designs.
He can spend money from the mint APP
DrODrtatiOn Of
gravers, but not for designers Very few
people know this, and in fact very few
know the laws which govern the director
of the mint in the matter of changing the
coin designs. and hardly week passes
that does not bring to Mr.. Preston some
cast or drawing offered for sale as a coin
design. On the floor of the mint directors
once now L. wooden box containing a
plaster cast sent by Chas. a. Hensel of
Phliadelphia- The design is the reverse OF
the silver dollar ana the central figure Is
the eagle bird, in profile. with outstretched
ninions. short time ago q New Orleans
wom3n-an amateur-sent Mr. Preston n
'Fe"inS or the figure of Liberty. which the
mint director says Is the finest design sub
United since he has been connected with the
bureau. He wss obliged to return 1t with
the Information that the Treasury Depart
ment had no authority to buy it.. Artists
who are ambitious to shine in history as
the designers of the coins of 1898 would
better tLrn to the National Sculpture So
ciety for recognition and reward.
There Is another plaster cast in Mr.. Pres
toms Office in which he finds great deal
of amusement. 1t is the substitute design
FOR the diverse of the worlds fair medal
sent In by st. Gaudens. after the youth
whom the Senate committee called OBJ
scene had been rejected. Mr.. st. Gaudens
mad received 5000 for the rejected design
and when he was invited to send in a sub
sutute for 1t he was advised that the de-
partment would not pay him any more
money. He sent In a model with appro-
pirate lettering covering all of the face ex-
cept little space at the top. on which a
very impertinent looking eagle strutted In
a wreath OF laurel. and a panel below, in
which the name of the prize winner was to
appear. The whole thing looks as though
Mr.. st. Gaudens might have run 1t off in
an idle hour. With this new effort came
a modest bill for $1,000. which was prompt
ly returned unpaid. And by the way, 1t is
not generally known that the President
himself passed on Mr. st. Gauden's first
design. His criticism was not at all on the
nudity OF the figure. He remarked that the
left leg of the young man looked as though
IL had been broken and badly set And so
1t did GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.