The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-01

ure or "A COLOSSAL AcnllleS IN cray, were
OSCILLATIONS of his own. Greenough was
a superior man, ardent and eloquent, and
all his opinions had elevation and mag
nanimity. He was a votary Of the Greeks,
and impatient of Gothic art"
on the base of the statue, also design
ed by Greenough,' are inscribed words OF
Gen Henry Lees GRAFTON before Congress,
Dec 10, 1899, which were embodied az
well in the resolution on the death of
Washington introduced into the House
on the 18th by John Marshall, then rep
resentative from Virginia: First in
War, First in Peace. First in the Hearts
of his Countrymen."
On the back of the Roman chair is the
following Latin inscription:
Simulacrum istud
ad magnum Libertatis exemplum
nee sine ipsa duraturum
Horatius Greenough
faciebat.
The desire to honor Washington with a
suitable statue was early manifest. On
August Z, 1885, the Continental Congress
resolved unanimously, ten States being
present that an equestrian statue of
George Washington be erected a the
place where the residence of Congress
shall be established. The resolut on
further specified that he be represented
'1n Roman dress, holding truncheOn
in his right hand, and his head encir-
cod with a laurel wreath" This resoiu-
ton was carried into effect
On the 18th of February, 1892, the
| House of Representatives resolved That
| the President of the United States be
authorized to employ Horatio Greenoush,
of Massachusetts, to execute, in marble,
full length pedestrian statue OF Wash
! ington, to be placed in the center Of the
rotunda of the capitol: the head to nc a
| copy of Houdons Washington, and tho
! accessories to be left 20 the alignment Uf
! tho artist" The Secretary of STAT I'M
! mediateiy addressed a letter Of inst-uc-
| tons to Grcenough for carving the res
olution into effect. The contract itself
with the artist was made under the
act Of July 4th, which appropriated S. 900
80 OF able the President OF tie Fol ed
| SITES to contract with skiitul ur st
| ID "Aecute, in marble, pedestrian
stdsute of George Washington, 10 he
| placed in the center OF h. rotu ado Of
tue capitol"
The question as to what constituted
| pei ea1Iar statue was popua-ly nj, . ed
~ tho tue. The artist evidently dsre-
corded the controversy, 4 he was at all
aware OF it, and followed the bent of his
! own desire; and the authorities them
/ selves accepted without question the I'M
| draped Roman Washington enthroned
| in a chair of state in fulflment of a con-
| tract which, as we'll as the act of SEQ
! TENDER ., 1871, making the final appro-
| priation, expressly called for pedestrian
/ statue.
| The statue. which weighs nearly TWEEN
ty-one tons, was chlseled in Florence.
Upon its completion the difficulty of
bringing it safely to America arose; and
| by a resolution passed May q. 1s4O the
| Secretary of the Macy was authorized to
| take immediate measures for its transpor-
| tation and erection in the national Capt.
! toll. Commodore Hull was sent with
vessel of war to take it on board, but
when he found it would be necessary to
| rip up her decks in order to place the
cumbersome burden In the hold he demur-
| red. merchantmen, the American ship
| Sea, Capt. Delano, was then chartered
for the purpose, her matches enlarged and
abe decks otherwise prepared to receive
the huge marble The passage was made
in safety in spite of the danger from
such an unwieldy cargo, and the statue
was transferred to the Capitol without
breaking. in 1s41. The doors at the east
front of the building were found however
to be too small, and the masonry had to
be cut away before the marble finally
reached its proposed resting place in the
rotunda, at Greenough's request, between
its center and the door leading to the
library.
I'm this hail." writes Dickens in 1912.
Mr. Greenough's large statue of Wash
ington has been lately placed. II has
great merits, OF course, but II struck me
as being rather strained and violent for
its subject. 1 could WISH however, to
have seen It in a better light than it can
ever be viewed in where II stands
The effect of the statue generally was
disappointing. 1t awakened the ridicule
especially of the congressional wits and
connoisseurs, and the Senate. In 1872 add
ed an amendment, which was finally
adopted to the appropriation bill pro
viding $1,000 for its removal. When. on
May II. this clause came before the
House. Mr. Keim of Pennsylvania moved
to amend st. by IAN appropriation OF So
600 for the construction of a suitable pedes-
tai to the statue, to, he approved by the
President and heads OF departments"
This was the straw that broke the con-
gressional camel's back. The debate
which ensued was highly amusing. and.
If not In the Globes. might require ex-
purgation.
MIR. Keim in support OF his Amendment
said, that so far as the committee we're
concerned, they were willing that the
statue should remain as II was, much
like a Hindoo suffice with marble
corpse on funeral pile. The question
was merely whether the statue Of Wash
ington should remain on a pedestal or
yellow pine boards, covered over with
coal dust or be removed TO O moro ap-
propriate place and have "a more sulta-
bic pedestal" Mr. Joseph r. Ingerson
observed that the statue had been p,ac-
ed in the center of the rotunda in a spot
which bad been previously prepared 10
receive so great a weight, by the cree
ton In the story below. OF a mass OF
solid mason work reaching up TO ond
supporting the floor OF the apartment
The Secretary had given directions to
the sculptor Pcttrck 10 prepare the de-
sian or suitable pedestal"
After q few more words by Mr.. niger
soil euogistic OF petirick, who was =
pupil o. ThorNaldeen. Mr.. Wise inquired
whether "tho pedestal was not ia stnet-
ness "a unri Of shc ststue ana WHISTLER
NJ arnslaual na. not bound 10 com.