The record-union., 1897-03-07

When the colossal bronze figures re-
Gently finished by E. D. Berry sculptor
OF New York are placed in position in
front of the Congressional Library in
Washington the Capital City will be
able to boast of one of the finest heroic
groups in the entire country. They
form part of a large fountain, and the
beauty of the figures are much en-
hanced by the sparkling streams of
water that play around and over them.
The centerpiece of the group is a fig
ure of Neptune, eleven feet high. The
pcse is one of latent strength, as be-
comes the sea god, and the figure is
marvellously well executed. A pa
triarchal beard adorns the face and the
massive muscles stand out with hercu-
lean impreSsiveness.
This figure will be f1anked on either
side by the figures Of sea nymphs
mounted on strange creatures with
heads of horses and tails of fish.
The nymphs are eight and half feet
high, and their mounts are of equally
colossal proportions. The nymphs be-
stride { the animals with graceful
strength and grasp the names in
manner suggestive of perfect domin-
ance
The figures are nude, and will seem
to be riding into the midst of the va
rious streams of water that will play
upon the necks of the animals from all
parts of the great basin. The water
Will come from the mouths of monster
turtles lurking in the'front of the basin,
as if in defiance Of the sea king and his
attendant nymphs. and the turtles will
have things all their own way, for
! there is no provision for the gigantic
figures to retaliate.
In the day time the effect will be
beautiful enough, but at night, when
the electric light illuminates the scene
with thousand sparkling flashes, it
will be daZZlingly fine. The sculptor
has been engaged on the groups for
almost year, and regards them as his
best work.
The English Society of Authors had
large gathering at its annual dinner on
February 10th. Sir John Lubbock pre-
Sided-as if to show that he could face
the sorrows as well as the pleasures of
life-and made an address on the pro-
gress of education and the reading
habit during the past generation:
They had been told he said, on high
authority that no wise man should ever
read new book. But while he yielded
to no one in his admiration for the mas
terpieces of antiquity, we must remem-
Der that they were now but thinly
spread over the past. In the first place
there was no such thing as really old
book. Mr.. Gladstone wrote a book on
Homer and called it "Juventus Mundi"
II ha1,
misleading title. In the history of the
world-he did not mean the physical
universe-but even in the history of the
world of man, the siege of Troy was an
affair of yesterday. And yet few, if
any, books went back even that little
way. Take Homer as having written
three thousand years ago-had there
been down to the present time one book
in ten years which could be called
masterpiece from a literary point of
view? Indeed, until quite recently
there were no novels, there were no
children's books. The Romans had a
saying that a child should learn moth
ing that he could not learn on his feet.
The devotional works Of medieval
times, with some few exceptions, were
no doubt works of art, and full of lovely
pictures, but as for the meaning, they
might apply what the school child said
of a parable-that it was a heavenly
story with no earthly meaning. When
they came to this century-and even
omitting living writers, of whom they
could not judge fairly-the case was
surely different. 1t had produced in
England alone Scott, Thackeray, Dick
ems, George Eliot Kingsley, Macaulay,
Carlyle, Grote Tennyson, Browning,
Wordsworth. Shelley, Keble, Byron,
Darwin, Tyndall, Huxley. and many
others. Moreover, the progress had
been steady and gradual. Even thirty
years ago education was at a low ebb.
AT that time there were several hun
. dred schoolmasters and schoolmis-
tresses-mainly, he believed, the latter
who could not write. SO that we had
not only, as Lord Sherbrooke said, 10
educate our masters, but even to edu-
cate our schoolmasters.
5 Giosue Carducci Is one Of the most
famous of living Italians and is called
in his native country "the uncrowned
laureate" He has been professor of
literature in the University of Bologna
since he was y, and is said to have
learned Latin and patriotism from his
father one Of the celebrated Carbonari.
Carducci is described by a recent
writer as having been at times the idol
OF the Republican party, owing to the
views he has expressed on national
questions, but he IS also admired by
the Monarchists, and he is on friendly
terms with the royal family and visits
them at their country home. He has
written odes to Queen Margherita and
sometimes lectures before her and her
ladies in waiting at Rome. The saying
about prophets at home is falsified in
Carducci's case, as very great respect
for him is felt throughout all Italy,
and ii is stated that heads are general
IL barred at the mention OF his name.
Like most men of genius. Carducci is
more or less eccentric and not always
very cordial to visitors. A story is told
of his reception of a young student
from Pavia, who made the journey to
Bologna on foot, wishing to see and
talk with his famous countryman. He
encountered Carducci at his own door.
What do you want?" asked the poet.
II came to see the great poet, Car
ducci."
well, now you have seen him, you
may go."s
And the student went.-Chicago
Daily News.
The "Art Journal" (January) repro
t1uces two remarkable works by Mr..
Whistler, who, it says, has exhibited