Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-05
WILL MEET MONDAY
Advisory Committee for the
Grant Memorial.
MANY VIEW MODELS
GEN. WESLEY MERRITT AMONG
THE VISITORS TODAY.
More Than Ordinary Interest Mani
Tested by Public-Mr Rhind's
Impressive Scheme.

Gen. Wesley Merritt, a member of the
advisory committee to the Grant statue or
memorial commission. spent an hour or
more among the collection of designs in
the basement of the Corcoran Art Gallery
this forenoon. He was accompanied by
Mrs. Merritt, and they both evinced great
interest in the collection. AS on yesterday,
many women were among the visitors
The commission. which will finally deter
mine which of the models submitted in
competition shall be adopted for the per.
manent structure. is composed of Senator
Wetmore. chairman of the Senate com
mittee on the Library: Secretary Root and
Gen. Dodge, chairman of the statue COM
mittee of the Army of the Tennessee
In making its decision, the commission
will have the assistance of an advisory
committee. composed of Lieut.. Gen. Scho-
field and Major Gen. Merritt. L. S. A. re-
tired: Messrs. Burnham and McKim of the
District Park commission, Mr.. French of
Boston and Mr.. St. Gaudens of New York
prominent artists.
Committee to Meet Monday.
This committee has been requested to
meet the statue commission in the office of
the Secretary of War Monday at IL o'clock
after which the committee will proceed to
the Corcoran Gallery Of Art and make
thorough inspection Of all the models on
exhibition. in order to determine their rela-
tive artistic merits.
The province of the advisory committee
is to determine for the benefit of the statue
commission the six most meritorious de-
signs. Out OF these six the commission
will select the design to be adopted for the
memorial or statue. Each of the six sue
cessful artists will receive $1,000 for his
model.
Personnel of the Committee.
The personnel Of the advisory committee
excites the most general approval among
all the competing sculptors, the architects
associated with the sculptors and the 9TH
ers who are interested in having the most
appropriate and the most artistic monu-
ment possible.
The plans of the park commission have
apparently been carefully studied and thor
oughly digested by the general public. as
we'll as by American artists. There is a
general desire expressed in the hall where
the models are displayed that the Grant
memorial shall fulfill the park commission
plans.
In consequence of this general attitude the
presence of Messrs. Charles F. McKim and
Daniel H. Burnham, both of whom are
me mbers of the park commission. is re-
garded peculiarly fitting. 1t is accepted
mission scheme jealousy any one
could desire and that the award is in no
danger of conflicting with the larger plan
for identifying the national capital. Their
judgment eminent architects is also ex-
pected to aid the committee on the award
in obtaining the most appropriate arch-
tectural setting for the accepted model.
French and Saint Gaudens.
Sculptors. critics and every one else unite
in praising the selection of Daniel Chester
French and Augustus Saint Gaudens
members of the advisory board. AS one
of the competitors said this morning:
Their emipence as sculptors and their
breadth of character lift them high above
any question of jealor y or favoritism.'
Their ability 10 advise the committee
to the sculpturesque value of the designs is
thought to be manifest. Mr.. French is a
hero to the other American sculptors His
Death Arrestins the Hand of the Sculp-
tor is accepted by them as combining with
the rarest success the two qualities of
scriptural solidity of design and pictur-
sequences of effect. A dozen notable monu-
ments in the largest American cities have
given him an extraordinarily wide reputa-
ton.
Prominent in Sculpture Field.
Mr. Saint Gaudens and Mr.. French are
as prominent in the field of sculpture as
any other contemporaneous modelers, with
the possible exception Of Rodin and Fall
guiere. An example of Saint Gaudens
wonderful skill and deep inspiration can
be had within an easy walk Of Washington
the impressive and battling Adams monu-
ment in Rock Creek cemetery.
The Shaw monument in Boston, by Mr.
Saint Gaudens. has lately excited the widest
interest in his career. No two sculptors
probably could have been so generally ac-
ceptable to the competing artists as Messrs
French and Saint Gaudens.
Lieut. Gen. Schofield and Maj. Gen. Mer-
rift are to serve particularly men who
knew the subject OF the monument and can
advise as to the artists success In sug-
costing Gen. Grants personality.
The collection Of models as a whole is one
of the finest ever submitted for competition
in this country. The Star has given
a brief description of the more than
score of designs. but such a description
could not do justice. A number OF the
models are worthy Of particular mention.
An Impressive Scheme.
Upon entering the hall model that one
is attracted to is the very impressive scheme
of Mr.. ]. Massey Rhind. the New York
sculptor who modelled one of the famous
Aston bronze doors for old Trinity Church.
New York. 1t Is somewhat different in con-
certion from the ether models exhibited, in
asmuch as the sculptor has expressed n
single thought showing a big. simple, dig
nified memorial. like the man In its dignified
simplicity and greatness. or, as one might
say trHthfuily, "Grant-like."
The size of model of the equestrian statue
is large enough to admit perhaps OF more
DETAIL aud the sculptor has been compli-
Eented upon the excellent portrait. This