The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-02-01
THE HEROES OF TEXAS.
History Of the Statues In the Hyde Park
Studio at Austin.

Studio at Austin.
Mrs. Looscan's fiue article recently
published in the Galveston News aud
Houston Post concerning monuments
to Texas heroes is very timely and in
this connection we would like the
public to know what has already been
done at Austin.
When Benedette B.. robin of Austin
was elected president of the board OF
lady managers at the Dallas conven-
ton, the board being auxiliary to the
Worlds Fair Exhibit association theA
located at Fort Worth, afterwards
removed to Waco, then to Galveston,
she, as president of the board OF lady
managers, proposed to have some
beautiful memorials to adOrn the
Texas building and decided to call
upon the women and children of the
state to aid in perpetuating in marble
our grand Texas heroes, Sam Houston,
Stephen F. Austin, in statues, and
Rusk, Fannin and Crockett in busts.
The proposition met with ready
response, and after corresponding
with noted sculptors in the United
States and ia Paris, France, Elisabet
| Ney, the sculptures, who has won re-
nown in Europe by her statues and
busts of some OF EurOpe's most re-
nowned men-Bismarck, Garibaldi
Liebig, jacob. Grimm and the unfor-
tunate romantic king of Bavaria,
Ludwig III, the blind king of Hanover,
(the last OF the Guelisl by her beauti.
ful st. Sebastian, adjoining one of the
great cathedrals in Europe, was
called upon and consulted.
The ladies had raised a few hun.
dTed dollars as a statue fund, when
the official announcement was re-
ceived that the men OF Texas had for.
feited their charter and that all hope
of Texas being represented at the
great Worlds Fair was abandoned.
This was indeed sad blow to the
women of Texas.
Benedette B. Hobin, with heroic
courage determined, with the sid of
her board, to raise sufficient money to
have at least beautiful rendezvous
for the convenience and comfort of all
Texans visiting the "White City. d."
This great undertaking by the women
was begun with the hope and fond ex.
pectation that the state legislature
and County Exhibitors' association OF.
Texas would come to their assistance
and make an exhibit of the resources
of the state.
Everyone is familiar with the de.
plorable apathy and neglect of our
State government and exhibit associ-
alton. All ought to be familiar with
the unself9b, untiring, wholly unre.
Quilted services of Benedette.B, Tobin:
the undaunted energy and courage
displayed from the beginning to the |
end of the fair; how the beautiful
Texas building was kept open and
the most cheerful hospitality so much |
admired, was extended not only to |
our own people, but to all visitors
from the states and foreign countries.
At the moment the men of Texas |
avowed their inability to carry out
their plan, the women had to take the
responsibility of erecting the building,
and the first idea of adjoining it with
statues and busts of Texas heroes
would have been abandoned if Elisa
beth Ney had not generously offered
to give, for the purpose OF carrying
out the beautiful idea OF the women
of Texas, her skill and time as free
offering on the altar of heroism.
Only Sl150 had been raised by the
Statue clubs, but upon condition that
after the sufficient means should be
raised to produce them in enduring
marble and have them placed within
the corridors of the capitol, Elzabet
Ney recalled from oblivion the forms
and features of two of Texas cher
tshed heroes, and Texas therefore had |
the good fortune to see in the center
of her building at the Worlds fair the
statue of Sam Houston,
which won so much admiration. es-
pecially from artists of all countries
visiting Chicago
The statue of Austin, unfinished at |
that time, is now also completed, and
will, with the statue of Hous.
ton (when that shall have
returned from Chicago, remain
in the studio at Hyde park,
awaiting fultillment of the condition
of the contract, to-wii: That sufficient
means shall be raised to have them
done in marble, after which they will
be presented by the Women of Texas
to the Capitol of the state, and to
Elisabet Nay and Benedette B. Tobin,
Texas for generations to come shall
owe a debt of gratitude for their price
less legacy.
The daughters of the Repuhlicn
seem fitting association to lend their
assistance to the Statue club, but
the whole state should awaken to the
necessity of aiding in this patriotic un-
dertaking, thus preventing long Sc
clusion of these statutes in the studio |
in Hyde Park, awaiting their resur-