Evening star., 1901-04-06
met by the tug Mitchell NJ. Davis, Captain

met by the tug Mitchell NJ Davis, Captain
Crowder.
The Sculptor.
Franklin Simmons was born at Webster.
Me-, January IL, 1872 He is distinctively
an American sculptor. His ancestors were
among the early settlers In New England.
His great-grandfather, Samuel Simmons of
Rhode Island, was an officer In the conti-
mental army and suffered the hardships of
the winter at Valley Forge. At the close
of the American revolution Samuel Sim
mons removed from Rhode Island to Maine.
There. as stated. the artist was born. 1t is
said there is no record that any other mem
Der OF the Simmons family showed artistic
talent or promise. excepting in the matter
OF music Franklin, in his infancy it is
sald, eVinced delight in pictorial represen-
tations, and his interest in art was mani
rested when he became acquainted with
the lives OF great painters and sculptors.
At that period in the town of Bath. which
was Mr. simmons home there were no
works of sculpture and he saw his first
statue. at the age of sixteen, while on a
visit to Boston. That statue was Chan
treys Washington In marble, which
STANDS In the rotunda of the state house
AT that time there was little work for a
sculptor, and the parents and friends of
MI. Simmons viewed with concern his de-
termination to enter upon the periIous
pursuit The enthusiasm of the young ar
tlst could not be suppressed and his first
statue, that of Major General Berry, who
IeiI IN the battle Of Charlottesville, did
much to give him reputation Mr. Sim
mons visited Washington in the winter of
ls64-o, receiving sittings from nearly all
the leading generals of the federal army
ana from the members of the cabinet of
PRESIDENT Lincoln. The state of Rhode Is
land gave him a commission to execute a
statue of Roger Williams and this now
stands in Statuary Hall at the Capitol
When that statue had been finished Mr.
Simmons went to Europe, examining the
works of the masters in the NarionS nar mi
tails OF the old world, and finally settled in
Rome for purposes of study. That was in
1868 Rome has been his some since. Mr..
Simmons considers that it was there his
career really began. His industry has re-
suited in the production of a large num-
Der OF works in almost every department
of the art. The friends of the sculptor say
that if he had followed his tastes he would
have confined himself to ideal work, but
for examples of this there were not so
many orders as for portrait busts and pub
lie monuments. The result has been that
his time has been divided between por-
traiture and ideal sculpture.
his first statue was Of a Scriptural sub
Ject, and was purchased by Mr.. Apple
ton of Boston. His next statue was of
Medusa, and then followed Miriam and
Penelope, both of which were several times
repeated in marble in various parts Of the
world.
Among the public statues produced by
Mr.. Simmons are Roger Williams. William
King, presented to the United States by
Maine; General Grant, presented to the
United States by the Grand Army of the
Republic; Senator o. P. Morton. which
stands in the capitol at Indianapolis, and
a statue of Longfeilow, which stands in
Portland, Me. Mr.. Simmons is also the
sculptor of the Sailors and Soldiers Monu-
ment at Portland. which is surmounted by
a bronze figure fifteen feet high, symbolic
Of America
Mr.. Simmons. with his wife, sailed from
Europe on December and arrivedpat New
York December 20. They then came to
Washington.