The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-10

surface" he admit ted. 1T means the com
ing of a great thing 10 New York and to
America. From time immemorial it has
been said that we lacked public spirit. and
| especially that as a people we lacked ar
| tistsc appreciate on. What could be more
public spin than the way the country
| is preparing to receive The man who took
! the Philippines? What could more clearly
| iudicat e artistic appreciation than the
way in which the city of New York met
the sculptors' offer of free work and OPP
propriated $4,000 for material and Ia
| Dor
"Deweys coming has a significance
| which none of us dreamed 1t would have.
| He brings with him not only the laurel
| wreathes of a lighters victories, but he
| has started a movement without knowing
il himself which will be of incalculable
| artistic benefit to the American people.
Our cities have been by no means as slow
in such matters as they have been credited
with being. Every American city of size
has many things to its credit on arts
books, but nothing of the magnitude of
these Dewey decorations has ever been
started on pure enthusiasm in any city in
America. The whole thing will be an
object lesson TO the scuptors; It will prove
TO them that the people and those who are
elected TO govern them are not so wholly
out of sympathy with artists and art feel
ing as they have been supposed to be- IL
will be an object lesson to the people; il
will show them how greatly art can add
to a demonstra ton of this kind and will
also prove to them that the artists of New
York are as patriotic as any one Is and
more than ready 20 cooperate with other
citizens in adding to the glory of a great
national event"
How the Arch Is Being Built.
The construction of this arch is much
more interesting than the building of any
| other similar structure has been, because OF
| the great haste with which 1t is being
done 1t was only three weeks ago that
the first enclosure of pine boards was put
nm in the street where the arch now stands.
almost completed. At that time the sculp-
tors had not enirely finished any of their
models and all that could be erected before
| these were finished was the bare
frame work of the arch. At the
same time that this board fence
was put in the middle of Fifth
| avenue the basement OF Madison
| Square Garden was turned into a great AMI
interesting workshop. 1t was there that The
| sculntors' models were to he enlarged from
| small CLAY images into heroic figures ready
for rosition on the arch, From twenty to
| sixty men were employed in this work and
| their manner Of going at 1t was strange to
| the Iavnoan's eve First of all a small
| model This was notched by inches and
! from each notch a plumb line of black
| thread was dropped until 1t struck some
| important point on the model itself After
| these had been carefully adjusted, SINH
lar and much larger square frame was
| built and hung at hight somewhat above
the point where the completed statue was
| 10 reach. From this plumb lines exactly
corresponding 10 the little ones hanging
| from the smaller square were dropped, ana
those marked the relative positions of the
measured points in the larger statue.
A vast Studio.
There was no chipping of marble, no
| delicate chiseling with fine tools In TINS
vast sculptor's studio. The mass or the
| 6pures was built up of common excelsior
| dipped in plaster. White spattered work
| men piled handful upon handful or this
| crude material up until it Appropriated
tbe shane of the figure to be initiated.
| After this was accomplished they took
| INV road to Rome. With chisels and
knives they chipped the plaster off; with
| hatchets they hacked at it; with saws
| they sawed it; with round-ended Sticks
| they modelled it; with brooms they swept
| # Then came the artists themselves.
| Sculptor Ward in his studio, wearing his
| undershirt and his overalls, was carefully
| dressed when compared to the artists
| after they began their work in Madison
| Square Garden. Attendants stood by with
pans of plaster as the sculptors jumped
| about putting the finishing touches on
| their tributes to Dewey's greatness. No
man held himself down 70 his own figure
They were all working together with one
| object In view-the completion of great
| whole to do honor to a great occasion
| Wherever they could be of use they work
| ed. No spectators were permitted to both
| -r them nor even friends to visit them.
How closely they have had to figure in
order to complete the work in time is
| shown by the fact that the last figures
win not leave Madison Square Garden
| finished until the day Dewey lands in New
| York city and the day before the great
parade Of which the arch is to be the
| feature.
whether or not the enthusiasm which
has carried the plans for the reception
| of Dewey so far with rush will last
| long enough to raise the $4,000 neees-
| sary to make the arch permanent is ex-
| tremely doubtful. Even II It is" said
| MIR. Ward, many things will need to
| be considered carefully. First of course
| the design of the arch has been hurredly
decided upon and might be afterwards