The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-26

whom, prospeotively. a conception no
sooner ZONES than 1t Is . reality, and who,
retrospsctively. may DO gifted with q SINH
larly intensified vision-the Long Iland
priest stands as q man who In six months
learned to be q sculptor. At any rate, he
made a statue Ger his church
HIS CHANCE m LlFE.
Meanwhile Barnard was not making
statues. or IL 60 he was making them for
his own delectation. He Gould get nothing
TO do and he resolved TO retire to the West
and live in the country, giving up art and
the cultivation Of the people for the Guilt
walton Of the land.
His preparations were under way when
he received n day 6 letter from the archi-
teot who at the moment 10 perhaps the most
conspicuous member of his profession In
America, Mr.. Huston Of Philadelphia, asking
him to come to that city TO talk about a
commission. He threw 1t into the waste
basket. He didn't know Mr.. Huston. Com
missions had lost interest for him.
A few days later Barnard was In the
excellent and still too little known library
OF the Metropolitan Museum when an at
tendant who knew him remarked:
Barnard. you're a Pennsylvania. aren't
you? Why don't you go In for some work
on this new State house they're going TO
put up?'
Pm going West said Barnard; going
to the country"
You're"
by the way, / remember now" Barnard
replied, getting a letter q few days ago
from a man named Huston. He wanted
me to go to Philadelphia to talk about some
commission"
What did you do with it?"
Threw it away. I'm going West
The friendly attendant went to the tele-
phone, called Mr.. Huston's office, and In
a few minutes set the architect and the
sculptor talking.
Are you Barnard? Did you get my
letter? l want to talk to you about the
new State Capitol that Pennsylvania Is
going TO make a monument Of. ! don't
know you. but we've all seen some Of your
work; you belong here and we want to talk
with you about some commissions for the
decoration
'I've given up sculpture. I'm going out
to live in the country
Nonsense! Here's life work for you.
We've got 100000 for decoration and
we're going to make it a big thing
well, I'm going West in a few days
and III stop of at Philadelphia and see
you. but
"A few days! You don't know me. You
don't know who you're talking to. / want
you here tomorrow morning-or tonight
HAD IDEAS.
The face OF life and Of nature changed
Nnr barnard that ni0hf Tho DiOhf fvrnaA
to day, a glorious day in the mind Of this
dreamer. He went to Philadelphia the
next morning and there began what here in
ancient Moret has turned almost into a
tragedy.
When Mr.. Barnard got to Philadelphia
he found that the 500. 900 which he had
imagined was for ~sculptural decoration
had dwindled to $500 600. However. that
made little difference, since it was not
money but a new chance in art which had
given him new life overnight.
The plans for the new building were
shown him with their provisions for sculpt-
ural adornment. The elevation was the
chara ~cteristioI architectural production for
public buildings in America. with the horses
from the top OF the lesser Arc de Triomphe
OF the Place de Carrousel, the old entrance
TO the Tuileries, for one Of the sculptural
adornments, and other equally we'll known
monuments Of the Old World designated
for reproduction at other points Of the
building where the architects wanted
soul tural decoration.
In the flush OF the new life which he felt
opening before him Barnard did not hesi-
tate at this very first meeting with the
architect and some Of the commissioners
OF the Capitol building project to speak his
mind freely. They asked him il he cared
to undertake the work. He said yes with
delight, but he Immediately outlined a
scheme OF decoration, so far as the sculpt-
ural portions OF it we're concerned, radi-
cally different from that set forth in the
plans.
He could not undertake. he said, to dupli-
cate the famous monuments indicated in
the plans; this was to be a Pennsylvania
building, and it's adornment should be ao-
complished through art American In its
impulse, its inspiration, as well as In it's
execution. He went further than this. as
an artist properly trainsd to submission
to architects wouldn't have done. and
dared to suggest to the architect a revision
OF other details Of the general plan.
Instead Of having the building rise alb
ruptly IN it's plane, he suggested the idea
Of an imposing approach like that Of the
Trocadero, and that at the corners Of the
Capitol should be erected soulptured groups
representing the fauna Of the State-the
wild animals which roamed there before
Europeans discovered the continent-a
heritage, perhaps, from his own early hunt
ing days further West, this idea was-and
groups figuring the peoples who had made
the State, the Indians, the Sootch-Irish, the
Quakers, the Welsh.
THE COMMISSION DOWN.
Surprising as it may seem, these ideas,
Barnard says, were accepted, and Mr..
Huston was 80 well pleased at having a man
who might have been expected to be ready
TO crawl on his knees for a job hit out on his
own account that when Barnard went on
to suggest other conceptions OF his own for
the other sculptures on the building, in place
Of the known statues which were 10 have
been reproduced, the architect and the
other commissioners fell into the sculptor's
plan and agreed that he should give the
State building a distinctive art and link