The Indianapolis journal., 1897-02-01
AN ARTISTIC SCANDAL
NATIONAL SCULPTURE SOCIETY
QUARRELs WITH ROHL-sMITH.
His Was the Successful Model for the
Sherman Statue Accepted by Sol
diers and Civilians.

NEW YORK, Jan. 31.-It is definitely an
nounced that the proposed exhibition of
the models for the Sherman statue, TO be
erected in Washington, for which the
award was finally made, and announced
by the National Sculpture Society some
months since, will not be made. Mr.. Barr
Ferre. secretary of the society. with refer
ence To this, makes the following state
ment: 1.-The National Sculpture Society
deeply regrets that it must withdraw its
announcement that the models in the final
competition for the Sherman statue are to
be exhibited. but feels it is without blame
in the matter. The announcement was not
made until all concerned, including Mr.
Carl Rohl-Smith. the successful competitor
had consented TO this use of their models;
and the delay was caused by Mr.. Rohl-
Smiths absence in Europe. Everything
seemed favorable for an effective exhibit
tion, which must have been not only in
terSsting. but instructive to the art world
of America when letter from Mr.. Rohi-
Smith made any further action impossible
Writing from Chicago under date of Nov
II, 1896, to the secretary of the society, he
says:
- My last intercourse with the National
Sculpture Society was an exchange of tele-
grams the day after my model was
chosen by the Sherman statue commission
in which L stated that / would exhibit my
sketch model, together with those of the
other competing artists. when L returned
from Europe in the fall. Since then the
action of the National Sculpture Society
towards me, a member of the society, and
towards the Sherman statue commission,
has been such as TO make II, under the cir
cumstances. impossible for me to take part
in any further exhibition OF models.
Mr. Rohl-Smith certainly wrote under a
singular misapprehension OF the case. since
the National Sculpture Society has never
i'm any way. reflected on his character or
standing. personal or professional. nor
questioned the artistic merit of his work
nor even criticised his procedure. II has
not called him TO account in any way. nor
has Ii taken any steps to which he as an
artist or as man, could take the slightest
exception.
What the society did object to was the
manner in which the competition for the
statue was closed and the award made. =
objected to the assumption on the part or
a committee of soldiers and civilians that
they, the soldiers and civilians, knew bet
ter than a committee of sculptors and
architects-men chosen by themselves ana
who had especially studied the original
model-which was the right design. 1t OBJ
1ected, moreover, to the apparent breach or
faith by which competing Sculptors who
had every right to expect that the award
would be given according TO that chosen
expert opinion, yet which was given partly
In disregard of II. partly I'm despite OF H.
No one has blamed Mr.. Rohl-Smith for ac-
cepting commission which was offered him
by those having legal power to make the
offer. Those whom the society has blamed
are the officials who selected a work of art
for other than artistic reasons. Ii is not
necessary TO speculate to the motive or
those who have misled him into taking
such stand. They have succeeded. how
ever. in furnishing another example as to
methods which, in this instance the So
ciety has deplored, and have done every
thing possible to preclude even helpful crit
icism until IL is too late to be of use