The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-29
TO COMPLETE TIE MONUMENT.

The people Of Indiana are to be congrat-
ulated on the unanimous decision of the
monument committees of both houses to re-
port bill appropriating 10000 to complete
the soldiers and sailors monument accord
ing to the original design. We say the peo-
pie are TO be congratulated because It is
their monument, erected by them in memory
Of Indiana's sons and as einblematic of their
liberality and gratitude as it is of the hero
ism of those to whom it is especially dedi-
Gated. Completed it will stand for ages as
an object lesson in art an educator of the
young, an incentive to patriotism and a
proof that republics not ungrateful. To
leave it incomplete would be like leaving
the Statehouse without dome or rotunda,
and would be as offensive to artistic taste
as it would be to public gratitude. An I'M
finished monument to Indiana's soldiers and
sailors would be like a gift with string to
it a thank-offering with qualifying
clause.
As the present proposition contemplates
the completion of the monument as orig
inally designed it may not be out of place
to remind the Legislature that every depar-
ture from that design has resulted in mar
ring the monument and in compelling the
costly retracing of unwise steps back to the
original plan That design was adopted
with the greatest care. The law of 1887 re-
quired notice of the receiving of designs to
be advertised in the cities of Indianapolis,
Chicago, Cincinnati, New York and Boston,
Circular letters were sent to a large num-
Der of American architects asking them to
submit designs. and the competition was
open to the world. AS a result of this adj
vertising seventy designs were submitted.
A commission was appointed to examine and
report upon them consisting of Professor
William Ware, of the School of Architec-
ture of Columbia College, New York; Prof.
John L. Campbell, of Wabash College, and
Gen. I. A. Morris of this city. The COM
mittee spent two weeks in examining the de-
signs, from Jan. u to Jan. 81 1888, and their
examination resulted in unanimous verdict
in favor of a design which proved to be that
of Mr. Bruno Schmitz. of Berlin. His de-
sign was designated by a motto, and the
committee did not know, when the award
was made whose design they were select
ing. The original design as approved by the
commission and as shown by engravings
now in the state library. contained the stone
sculptured groups of War and Peace which
are now being placed on the east and west
sides of the monument. They were intended
and expected to have been built into the
monument when it was in process of cree
ton. The departure from that plan resulted
in marring the monument and a final return
to it has proved unnecessarily expensive
The same is true of the fountains which
have had to be reconstructed in accordance
with the original plan, which includes also
all of the features for which an appropria-
ton is now asked. AS these features were
a part of the artists original conception
and necessary to a harmonious whole to
discard any of them would be to mutilate
what should be a complete work of art,
while the fact that they were accepted and
adopted by the State through representa-
tives authorized to act in the matter would
make the discarding of them indefensible on
business grounds. 1t is quite possible that
these considerations, as we'll as gratitude
to Indiana's soldiers and Sailors had some
weight in leading the committees to decide
unanimously in favor of reporting a bill for
the completion of the monument according
to the original design, and the same con-
siderations should induce the Legislature to
pass the bill.