The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-21

been waiting for for ever so many
Christmases.
Postmaster Van Colt says that he
is going to make an especial effort to
place in this boys stocking several of
the forty tops named in the letter.
Two American Artists Christs.
Apropos of the rapidly approaching
Christmas, well known artist yes
terday told me the interesting story of
how two of the best known Christs by
American artists were executed.
These Christs are by J. G. C. Ham
ilton, the New York sculptor. and
Thomas Eakins. the Philadelphia
painter. The one is nine-foot figure,
carved on the largest crucifix in the
world, which stands in the Roman
Catholic cemetery in Buffalo. The 9TH
er is the painting called THE Crucifix-
icn," which attracted the attention of
thousands of Worlds Fair visitors,
and which was painted primarily for
exhibition there.
According to my informant. artist
and sculptor each found it absolutely
necessary in order to realize his OBJ
ject of portraying faithfully the cru
Gifted Christ, to nail q fresh corpse to
a cross. and use the gruesome exhibit
as a model.
Only in this way was Mr.. Hamilton
enabled to discover how the muscles
would act under such conditions
which would show in ridges and knots,
which would swell. and which would
either remain or become f1abby. He
was extremely fortunate in obtaining
the body of man who had been dead
only few days, and to this fortuitious
circumstance he himself has ascribed
a large part of his success with the
monumental crucifix. For the dead
mans muscles were still pliable and
responded quite readily.
No less an ecclesiastical authority
than the Pope has praised this piece of
sculpture highly. When shown an ex-
cellent photograph of the work, he was
particularly pleased with the manner
in which the muscles were brought out,
and when told how the sculptor sue
ceeded in reaching such results, he ex-
claimed.
"Ah, the Christ must surely have
looked this way, when He was on the
cross"
Another thing that interested the
Pope in connection with Mr.. Hamil-
toms crucifix was the support that the
sculptor placed at the Christ's thighs.
When Mr.. Hamilton first nailed the
corpse on a cross the body, of its own
occurred several times in succession,
and each time after only a few min
utes' suspension. From this Mr. Ham
ilton argued that when Christ was
crucifled His body must have been
braced somewhere so as to keep the
dead weight from pulling the hands
loose. He found by experimenting
that slight support at the thighs pre-
vented the hands loosening, and such
a support he incorporated in the mon
ument.
The Pope held that this discovery
was exceedingly important. so he COM
manded that his thanks be given to
the discoverer.
Six months later Mr.. Hamilton re-
ceived the Pope's appreciation. In the
meantime it had taken the usual course
of Vatican communications.
The Papal secretary had sent II 10
the chnrch's representative in Wash
inton: who had sent Il to the Archbish-
OBJ Of the diocese where the crucihx was
executed, which was in Cleveland; who
had sent IL 10 the Archbishop Of the
diocese In which the monument was
erected: who had sent II to the Arch
bishop Of New York, in which diocese
Dir. Hamilton lives; and who finally
handed It to the person IL was intended
for.
MT Eakin's Christ also has rather
unusual history.
IN order to get something some
what akin % what be held - be the
true light and other surroundings ~
fhe great tragedy on calvary, day aft
eT day he took his model - the roof