Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-22
CHAT ABOUT GEORGE.
The Idler Comments on the HOudoun
Statue Of Washington.
WHY HE REARS BACK so.

VIII uE hEhhN DhVh CV.
It Was the Husband and Not the Horse
Colonel Harwood Fell With
"Thud."
The Houdoun statue Of George Washing
ton, which stands in the rotunda OF the
State Capitol is as much like the old
General as was his reflection in the lit
tie piece of looking-glass which he used
to shave himself by. i don't mean 10
imply by this that i ever saw the VIC
tim Of the hatchet joke myself, bur then
Hon. J. T. Lawless, the Secretary OF tho
Commonwealth. youches for the accuracy
of the likeness, and / repose as much
confidence In him as / do in Websters
Dictionary. When Mr.. Lawl.ss says
thing you can rely on the fact that there
are no typographical errors in his state-
ments. Even IL he were to tell me that
/ was handsome. l would believe him.
though as general thing / am BY no
means pleased with my peculiar style
OF beauty. And so / am prepared TO as
sert that the Houdoun statue Is magni-
cent representation OF our country's papa.
Some people aver that the figure Is too
erect-that II rears back too much, just
as the hero of melo-drama does when
he says, 81 spurn your gold" amid the
plaudits Of the peanut-eating gallery
gods. BE this as it may ] propose to
explain how the artist came to make the
General In that attitude and In the out
set l wish TO confess that | get most of
my information from publication OK
Messrs. w. w. Scott. the State Libra
rian. and w. @. Stanard. and from Mr..
Iawless-a gentleman OF profound re-
search. and an enthusiastic reader Of the
Code of Virginia.
Houdoun, the sculptor, was one Of the
most celebrated artists Of his day, and
IL was for this reason that he was Sc
lected to make the statue. TO cut
long story short land 10 avoid mistakes.
which | always make when | strike an
historical strain, he left France early
IN August 1875. and two months later
opened his little carpet-bag. containing
three celluloid collars and toothbrush,
within the sacred walls of Mount Vernon.
He ana George knocked about together
and sucked cider through the same straw
about a fortnight, when the sculptor shook
the dust OF the colonial mansion and
spent the rest Of his time doing
America, which was then "a brand new
country with scarcely any Of the paint
rubbed off it. The sculptor left for France
the following January.
While at Mount Vernon he took a cast
Of Washington's face. carefully noting
that historic mouth which Bill Nye says
was so admirably adopted for the de-
structon of full-dress pumpkin pies. and
also equippng himself with statistical
information about the Generals shape.
1t made George rather impatient to have
HoudOun, who always had the ends Of
his mustache waXed, tagging around after
him everywhere he went. and measuring
him with a tape-line every time he ate
pie or swallowed piece of souse. but he
didn't say anything, though history re-
cords the fact that he did a powerful
lot Of thinking"
When Monsieur Houdoun wasn't PES
tering George in the above described man
ner, he had a way of smoking the eX-
Presidents pipe, and when he didn't do
this. he would hoist his feet on the man
telpiece and read all the latest scandals
in the semi-anuual newspaper before the
a chance TO look at the headings Of the
articles. or to read the last two lines in
order to see whether the stories were ad-
VeTtlsements
George thought Houdoun was wasting
time, but HOudoun knew what he was
doing and didn't need to ask anybody
for information.
one day when the sculptor and the ex-
President were sitting down together
at a quiet little game Of poker, a servant
came to George and informed him that
a pair Of horses which he contemplated
buying were awaiting his inspection in
The front yard. wash and "Hoody,'
who had gotten pretty familiar with each
| other. despite the difficulties mentioned
above tripped out to take a look at the
brutes. George asked the price of the
steeds, and was told that the tax would
! be $500
zone thousand dollars" he exclaimed,
| in presidential indignation, and with that
/ q look of grim hauteur and scorn came
| over his face. The revolutionary nero
! knew tina: the owner of the horses was
| irving TO fleece him. and the thought SO
! aroused his wrath that he unconsciousiy
| drew himself up in the proud attitude
which is so finely depicted in the statue.
I Ii was then that Iloudoun. who had been
| carelessly chewing a tooth-pick. suddenly
/ exclaimed: II ave him. l ave him.
and snatchng a pocket kodak from his
: linen duster, snapped it on the only man
who ever positively declined TO be Presi-
! dent a third time, and thus caught the
| immortal attitude. 1t was with this Iose
| in mind that the sculptor subsequently
made the famous statue.
IT may be of interest to the Richmond
I a., vrh e. al
/ the steamer To return 10 France he
! iingled in the pocket of his knickerbockor
/ pants $3.50 pieces of American dough"
I which he received in payment for the
/ statue. In addition to this all his eN
pcnses to America were paid, and tradi-
/ ton has IL that the itemized account
/ which he submitted was appalling in the
multiplicity of the sundry entries. such
! as Refreshments" "swtchback rides"
/ "car-fares," and "fred oysters" The
/ life of the sculptor was also insured ly
| our people for the time he was away
! from France but he very courtCously
| declined to avail himself Of this eenerJsi-
! ty. and magnanimOusly returned 10 Paris
n live man. Such uneXampled absence
/ Of selhshness is worth a more appropriate
encomium that the mere memory Cf a
( bucketful OF paltry American sheckels.
"You think we ministers have a nice,
| easy time Of It," said young clergyman
! 10 an admiring assembly of friends few
| days ago. but, alas. you don't know. OF
| course, the marriages are all right
! there's something in them-but funerals
| are dreary. uphill work, and what with
! consoling the bereaVed and leading them
| TO think the deceased was a first-class per-
| son. We preachers have hard, hard road
| to travel. To make my lot harder. too,
| am absent-minded. This morning when
| got up / found two notes for me, and
| both demanded my immediate attention
| one informed me that old Mrs. Cad
| abouts husband was dead. while
| the other announced the departure OF Sis
| ter Melinda Johnsings superannuated
! horse, a venerable family relic that had
! nibbled the grass of thirty summers. OF
| course, / had TO so to see beth Cf the af-
! fiictod, and offer sweet words OF conso-
| lation. i never was much in this line
| anyhow. and so l decided, by way of
! breaking myself In, to make my first call
! on the fearful possessor of the defunct
/ fuiiiup