The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17

"AlI this has another significance"
Mr.. Ward said He was hard at work
on the touches needed to finish his great
group His years sit lightly on him.
The tale of time told by his gray hair
and pointed white beard is belied by the
athletic lines of his active figure. He
is no plush acketted sculptor dabbling
daintily He wore a white, clay-spat"
tered undershirt that day, and his
trousers were the overalls Of the hard
working hod-carrier. He prcfassedly
was pleased with all parts of life except
his own group (Which stood in brown.
shining clay behind him a turning
Standard, and modesty alone might him
slight the merit of that Two assistanta
were working with the mud which filed
the great clay chest in one corner Of the
enormous room, and they were vistbly
proud of their master and Of his work.
Mr. Ward beamed benignly.
TT all means more than we see on me
surface" he admitted. 1T means the
coming of a great thing to New York
and to America. From time immcmo'
rial it has been said that we lacked
public spirit and especially that as a
people we lacked artistic appreciation.
What could be more public spirited tlan
the way the country is prepari e to re-
ceive the man who took the Philipplr IS?
What could more clearly indicate utis-
tic appreciation than the way IN when
the City of New York met the sculptors'
offer of free work and appropriated
S150000 for material and labor.
''Dewey's coming has a significance
which none of US dreamed 1t would have.
He brings with him not only the laurel
wreaths of a fighters victories, but he
has started a movement, without know
ing it himself, which will be of meal
culable artistic benefit to the American
people. Our cities have been by no means
as slow in such matter as they have
been credited with being. Every Ameri-
can city of size has many things to It's
credit on arts books. But nothing Of
the magnitude of these Dewey decora-
tons has ever been started on pure
enthusiasm IN any city in America. The
whole thing will be an object lesson to
the sculptors; 1t 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
feeling as they have been supposed to
be. 1t will be an object lesson to the
people; it will show them how greatly
art can add to a demonstration 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
to cooperate with other citizens in add
ing to the glory of a great national
event.
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
up In the street where the arch now
stands, almost completed. At that time
the sculptors had not entirely finished
any of their models, and all that could be
erected before these were finished was
the bare framework Of the arch. At the
same time that this board fence was put
up in the middle of Fifth avenue the
basement Of Madison Suqare garden was
turned into great and interesting work.
shop. 1t was there that the sculptors'
models were to be enlarged from small
clay Images intoheroic figures ready for
position on the arch. From twent, to
sixty men were employed in this work,
and their manner of going at it was
strange to the I2yman'S eye. First of all
small square frame was put over the
ARTISTS model This was notched by
inches, and from each notch plumb Inc
Of black thread was dropped until 1t
struck some important point on the model
itself. After these had been carefully ad-
justed a similar and much larger square
frame was built where the completed
statue was to reach From this plumb
lines exactly corresponding to the little
ones hanging from the smaller square
were dropped, and these marked the rela-
tive position of the measured points in
| the larger statue.
There was no chipping of marble no
de b ate chiseing with fine tools in this
vast sculptors studio. The mass of the
figures was built up Of common excel
slor dipped in plaster. White spattered
workmen piled handful upon handful of
this crude material up until 1t approx
mated the shape of the figure to be imi-
tated. After this was accomplished they
took any road to Rome With chisels
and knives they Clipped the plaster off:
with hatchets they hacked at 1t; with
saws they sawed It; with round-ended
sticks they modelled 1t; with brooms thew
swept 1t. Then came the artists them
selves. Sculptor Ward in his studio
wearing his undershirt and his overalIs,
was carefully dressed when compared
to the artists after they began their work
In Madison Square Garden. Attendants
stood with pans of plaster as the sculp-
| tors jumped about putting the nfshing
| touches on their tributes to Dewey's
| greatness. No man held himself down
| to his own figure. They were all work.
| ing together with one object in view
the completion of q great whole to do
honor to great occasion. Wherever
| they could be of use they worked. No
spectators were permitted to bother 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
will 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 a rush will last
/ long enough TO raise the $3.50 necessary
to make the\arch permanent is extremely
doubtful. Even If it IS" said Mr.. Ward,
''many things will need to be considered
carefully First. Of course, the design of
the arch has been hurriedly decided upon
| and might be afterward much improved