The labor world., 1900-02-17


Their Popularity Passes Away.
During the last two years the world
has been making history at a rate that
puts the managers of the Eden Musee
upon the mettle. Heroes are being
turned out fresh every hour: and, as
making a wax hero requires al least
two weeks, it is easy to see that the
wax-works artists are up against a
hard proposition. They caught up with
the Spanish war long ago; and any of
the heroes of Cuba or Manila may taste
the sweets of fame by strolling into
the Musee and there seeing himself as
large as life and rather better looking.
incidentally it might be mentioned
that the great-in-War are not above
granting themselves this little indulg-
ence The Musee employees have had
a chance to compare most of the
counterfeit presentments with the liv-
| ing warriors, at least once; and some
OF the heroes were so pleased by their
duplicates that they acquired the
tMusee habit and call upon themselves
whenever they are in town. On the
whole, it is easy to see why the visits
should be satisfying. The artists have
dealt more kindly with the heroes than
nature and time, and, though the fig
ures look like the originals, they look
more like the public idea of those or
iginals: Admiral Dewey hasn't been so.
/ appreciative Of the artists efforts as
some Of his fellow officers 1t is a
tritle ungrateful Of him. too, for they
did uncommonly well by him. The like
ness is good; but there's a suggestion
of perennial youth and beauty about
the counterfeit that the genuine arri-
1 Gle lacks. If Mrs. Dewey had met the
Waxen Dewey before she met the flesh
and blood hero, the Admiral would
have stood no show at all.
The wax Dewey sprang to life, if the
figure may be admitted, like Minerva,
fully armed from the brain of the
IMusee JOVe. Manila demanded him
and he appeared without delay In
fact, it is said that he holds the record
for speedy incarnation. The admiral
always shows an ability to get there on
time, or a trifle ahead of time. AS
ne had pressing engagement in the
Philippines he couldn't give sittings to
the Musee sculptors, but they had his
photograph and that was enough. The
Iscientists who, from single bone of a
Ifossll construct the whole animal. are
mot circumstance to the ,Musee art
lists. Having the admiral's photograph,
they set at work, with absolute as
surance Of success. Relatives and per-
sonal friends Of the hero were called
INTO consultation on the subjects OF
complexion, dimensions, eyes and hair.
Ihey came early and often and crit1-
clsed the work as it progressed. When
they We're satisfied the wax figure was
a thing to make glad the heart of the
hero of Manila. It must be a cheering
thing to know that to his relatives he
looks as the wax admiral does.
Some of the heroes gave the Musee
greater opportunity than Dewey did.
They posed for the figures. General
Miles wasn't among this number, and
General Wheeler was. The latter re-.
marked, wisely enough, that he reck-
oned the Musee was bound to have him,
and if he had to be duplicated in wax
he would rather have the thing like
mess than caricature. Hobson felt
the same way about it, though pos
lsibly from other motives; but they do
say that Fighting Boy Evans, when
| approached about the matter, used
| 'langWldge. AS a penalty, he is
posed IN the corner, with nothing to
iamuse him save an extensive view Of
the backs of his brother officers Tle
Musee management insists that great
| care has been exercised in giving to
leach hero a characteristic attitude, and
in pursuance Of this laudable idea
Hobson is shown stepping forward
from the group, with n'outstretchedshand
land shining eyes, intently, bent. upon:
Anna Held. who smiles at him a,cross
the hall. Another victim os1er charms
Islands behind her. William Jennnings
I3fyan;;:: with hands Z: icenched and
thumbs turned in, lis so absorbed in the.
little actress that he ignores McKln-
ley. who looks, speculativeIy, at the
| boy orator. from his place among the
| crowded heads, and wonders which of
them will go to the lumber room in
1.-THE near future
] That storage room at the Musee
would be an interesting study for poets
and philosophers, The- history of the,
last rs Years is piled up there; and the
men Of "a day: all have their dusty
inches, though the world has already
forgotten them. When a waxen hero
or beauty or murderer has outlived it's
Usefulness and the publfcss interest, it
! makes way for newer celebrity, !. and
begins it's march toward oblivion in
the melting pots. Perhaps 1t: consoles
! "a hero to..sknoW: that he will be re-
Iincarnated and possibly blossom out.
as a part Of. a great tenor Or "a wife,
beater;; and, after all, the cast frolns
| which he was shaped endures. No
| cast is ever destroyed at the Musee,
and from the collection, which now
! numbers thousands, duplicates Of every
wax figure ever displayed in the
| museum could be obtained. The wax
Of the old figures is melted and used
again, and the papier-mache parts of