The evening times., 1898-10-26
TO HONOR POE.
His Bust for the Library of the Uni
yersfty of Virginia
(From the New York SUM-

From the New York SUM-
Once more the memory of Edgar Allan
Poe is to be honored by the people of the
South This time the memorial is bust
of the poet executed by Mr.. George Julian
Zolnay and destined to adorn the library
of the University of Virginia, in Char
lottesville. Mr.. Zolnay has just finished
the bust in clay, and yesterday at his
studio, at Madison Avenue and Fifty
ninth Street, the first private view was
had
The bust is over life size and will be
cast in bronze by a New York firm, and
as soon as possible set up in the rotunda
of the library of the university. The Sc
lection of this location for the Poe memo
rial is In itself one of the greatest hon.
ors that the academic body can bestow
in the eyes of students and alumni, for
the rotunda, although new building, is
an exact reproduction of the original edi-
flee, destroyed by fire in 1895, which was
planned and erected by Thomas Jeffer-
son, the founder of the university.
Two years ago, under the lead of
Charles W. Kent, Phi. D., professor of
English literature in the Linden Kent
School of the university the Poe Memo
rial Association was formed and since
that time great interest has been taken
in all that pertained to the life and ca
reer of Poe and a new school of critics
has sprung up. The reason for the par
ticular interest felt in the poet by this
Southern college is that for brief pc
riod Poe was a member of the under
graduate body. 1t was m 1926 that Poe
was presented by private tutors for ma
circulation and entered upon his studies.
His career as collegian, however, lasted
but a short time, for while the faculty
were pleased at his rank In scholarship,
there were evidences that his conduct
was not such as to appeal to their best
Judgment. In a few months Poe was
called before the governing body and the
sentence of expulsion pronounced. The
particular offense against good order that
resulted in his dismissal was probably
gaming. an amusement common enough
in the South at that period, and probably
very largely INDUCED in by the students,
but with his natural aptitude for ever
being in hot water, Poe seems to have
been caught so flagrantly that his mis-
demeanor could not be overlooked The
present honor about to be done him Of
fers rare example of the healing pow
ers of time. 1t, is a very rare thing to
find an educational institution adorning
its library with a bust of a member ex-
PEELED from its scholastic ranks.
With the birth of this Poe Memorial AS
sociation new interpretations have beef
made concerning the motives and habit.
of the poet. Prof. Kent, who has studied
Poe's life carefully, maintains that he wa
more sinned against than SHINING. Fl,
says: Poe was no drunkard, not even al
habitual drinker. but was easily tempted
and. when yielding. easily overcome b,
intoxicants. He struggled with more O
less pertinacity against their baleful eff
fects. The story of his life is not of vice
but of pathetic struggle against it. TIL
imaginative faculty was his essentia
mark, and he was in all things the artist
When the association decided to Obtain
a memorial bust a number of leadin;
sculptors were invited to submit sketches
and did So Mr.. Zolnay's was the only on
that appeared to express the views hell
regarding Poe by the committee, and ac
cordingly the commission was placed il
his hands. The bust just completed Is tn
first of a series of similar size that are t
be placed in the university library.
This is the second creation of Mr.. Zol
nays that adorns the university. His frs
work was the tympanum of the academi
building, a piece of work ferty-two fee
long.