The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-21

glimpse of 1t just as soon as he reached
the great iron centre.' So says the Pitts
| burg Dispatch, and 80 was the fact. II
New YORK apotheosized Liberty in bronze
and Charleston apotheosized Priapus in
monument of material admiral bly,
adapted to the purpose, what could be
more appropriate than ga towering str,lc-
ture of brass and iron in the one CITY in
all the world where brass and iron reign
supreme in industry"-''a statue
that will crown Pittsburg as the greatest
| iron center in the world?" The idea was
entirely satisfying to the aesthetic feel
| ings of all in that region who considered
| the matter.
| There were, of course, other considera-
tions than the aesthetic-the matter OF
cost, for instance. But once the poet
| Thompson awoke the slumbering capa-
bility of all who heard him into thought,
| the practical matters were easily disposed
of. The Bartholdi statue on Bedlow' S
Island cost in the neighborhood of half a
million dollars" but there would be no
need OF making this one so large" says
the newspaper already quoted. The re-
duction OF size would reduce the cost.
And then las everything except the fig
VIII DC OF iron and steel, most of the ma
terial can be donated by the manufaotur-
ers, SO that the cost will be reduced to q
very great Degree So sit is estimated
that the total amount of money needed
wall not exceed $3.50, 200, and it Is said
that the iron men, in addition to furnish
ing the material, are willing to furnish
large amount of the cash." In short,
IL may be regarded as determined fact
that Pittsburg is to be, in due time.
crowned with statue of Tubal Cain.
= course, "as yet the project Is SO much
In its infancy that few details are OBJ
tainable," and fewer than might have
been otherwise obtainable are to be- had
because ''it had been the intention to
guard the secret with the greatest care
until such time as the projectors cared to
| announce it to the public" But at best
an official statement of the details would
be q matter OF relatively small moment
The matters Of chief Importance are that
Tubal Cain is to be apotheosized in o
bronze statue.
However, some other details than those
pedestal have "been learned positively"
There is the location OF the statue, for
instance. ''The proposition is to build it
in the Ohio River at a point just below
the conjunction Of the Allegheny and
Monongahela rivers and 100 yards or
| more from the shore. Here "passen-
gers on every boat coming up the Ohio or
| down the Monongahela or Allegheny and
those coming into the city by most of the
railroad lines,' will see it and 'get their
first idea of the city of Pittsburgh from q
contemplation of Its features. *The
question as to whether the proposed statue
would not interfere with navigation was
taken into consideration, but the river Is
SO wide at this point and the statue is to
be located so near to the shore that it is
expected the river men will offer no OBJ
Jections and that the necessary consent
can be secured from the Government
And then, although artists have not yet
been asked to submit designs, something
IS known of the ideas of the promoters in
regard to the general form of the statue.
- 1t is suggested that the anvil In front of
the ancient blacksmith contain a great
platform upon which visitors could
stand" If there be an anvil, Tubal Cain
VIII necessarily poise huge hammer
above 1t, and cit is proposed to illumi-
nate the statue at night with electricity
by means of great lights on the ends of
the hammer, and it is also suggested to
nave sparks flying from the anvil"
But here the story of this long-delayed
apotheosis of Tubal Cain must end.
Whether 1.-THE ancient blacksmith shall
be represented as turning out "spear
heads and lance tips''-his favorite occu.
pation-or plough points. which he made
on occasion for price, is still to be de.
terlnined. Whether his methods of reduc-
ing ores shall be limited at is also matter
for discussion. But it is fairly certain
that no reference will be made to the cele-
brated occasion when, having fermented
the juice Of grapes drunk of the product,
he proceeded to dance wierd and awful
dance to the twanging of his brother
Jubal's harp, which he had stolen for
the OCCASION" For since Boston has
set the seal of her disapproval on such
riotous art by rejecting the physically
perfect but morally Objectionable BAG
chante, all other towns of like state of
responsibility must be on their good be-
havior.