The Washington times., 1902-02-09

select one of this five. to receive tn.
| award In due course Of time some thirty
or more models were submitted and
placed on exhibition at the War Depart
| ment, and finer collection OF models
for an equestrian statue was never be-
fore brought together in this country.
Paul Bartlett and Macmonnies each
brought superb design from Europe.
where they had worked. and the strong
| est sculptors residing in America were
represented by brilliant examples Of their
| skill. The exhibition created much en-
| thusiasm and 1t was predicted that at
! last Washington would have a statue that
! would not only be monument 10 the
memory Of General Sherman, but would
| be monument to art as well.
/ The eminent jury of experts. after care
tui and conscientious consideration, Sc
| iected the five models from which the final
| selection should be made. but the Com
mittee OF the Army of the Tennessee ig-
nored their recommendations and gave the
| award to man whose model was COM
rnonplace and wholly inferior to the Sc
ieeted five, but who possessed the proper
! influence with the ruling spirit Of the
committee. This was indeed blow to
art and an insult to the artists whose ad-
vice had been sought 1t was more: it
was grossly unjust to the competing
sculptors, for they had been led to be-
lieve that the decision of the experts
would be accepted and their advice fol-
lowed. Congress was appealed to- Since
Government funds were appropriated. the
Government would have the right to OBJ
ject to the award.
Senator Wolcott backed by the petit
tions of the leading artists of the country,
collectively and singly, introduced reso-
luton of enquiry and made a strong and
convincing argument in its support, but
the political backing of the general who
engineered the whole proposition was
more potent than logic and justice. and
the resolution was lost. The sculptor
has since died and the homely. inartistic
pile of granite back of the Treasury is
the only visible result of the episode.
Some day another commonplace statue
VIII be unveiled; monument to politics,
to ignorance, and Indifference to art This
is but one of many cases where public
money has been wasted upon inferior art.
Indeed. it is the rule, not the exception.
The people of the country have been swim
died, for they haze paid for the best and
have not received it-but they are not
aware OF it-they know not gilt from gold.
There are a number of bills before the
present Congress which call for large ap-
for various statues and pic
lures. Should these bills pass, can we
1are hope for better results? We fear
not. because the same conditions exist.
What. then. is the remedy? asks the
thoughtful American. Indifference, born
Of ignorance, is the cause. The natural
remedy will come when our children are
taught that beauty stands for something
they are instructed in
ethics and philosophy as well as in math-
then the citizen will not cast
MS vote for men whose god is mammon,
whose philosophy is greed, whose politics
evolve around themselves; when our
congress is composed of men who are
educated in the largest and broadcast sense
then good art will be recognized and
by the Government.
We speak of halcyon days, in the mean
ime il the better element in Congress
ould be induced to create an art coH:z.is-
ion with life tenure. and the President
ppoint the ablest men to serve upon it.
his aggregation of the bad and common
lace in art might cease at once.