The sun., 1907-08-18
ST. GAUDENS'S ZEAL IN HIS ART
CARE THE SCULPTOR GAVE TO
DETAILS or MS WORK.


Wholly suited with Few of the Things lie
Turned Out His Criticisms an Hls own
werk -GemIc incidents of n Hunt for
Models FOR the shaw Memorial.
WASHINGTON. Aug. Ill believe that
no sculptor ever gave more attention to
the minutest details Of his work than the late
Augustus Saint Gaudens," said a painter.
a friend for three decades Of the dead
| artist, who makes his home here. He
possessed a truly royal discontent-not a
| discomfort Of the ostentatious. self-dep-
J recatory sort. but the sort which causes
AN artist generally to be only half satisfied
or wholly dissatisfied with his work.
Few things that Saint Gaudens did ever
| came out Just 10 glit him. except, perhaps.
the Peace of God figure in Rock Creek
Cemetery here.
That heard him say when the figure
was set up. 'is the best thing have done
| or can do. put my name TO that gladly.
1 shall never do any better. nor even 30
we'll
"Ie wasn't man to dwell upon the inn
perfections Of his own works for the palpa-
| bile purpose Of having those to whom he
made these plants assure him that there
were no impsrfections. His was the
keenest eye In judging his own work.
and possessing Celtic fairness he never
deceived himself
| -'They like the Farragut piece in New
! York. once heard him say. and I. too.
used TO like IL. / think now. though. that
| missed the idea and was bit theatrical.
| or, better, rhetorical there
-Of his works in low relief he liked the
portrait Of Robert Louis Stevenson better
than any.
Stevenson was meant for eternity.
he told me once. without any sculptor's
aid, but I am glad that the thing ] did
OF him came out 80 well. broke up three
attempts at getting him before was satis-
fed, and the thing cost me some years
OF genuine work odd times. But who
wouldn't be willing to work his life away
to make Stevenson really expressing
the manl'
saint Gaudens worked with the energy
and steadiness Of a brcklayer engaged
in overtime and double pay opera
tions. but he never slouched over any
thing. He had enough commissions to
carry him well into the twenty-irst
century. and he had quite stopped
taking any orders in recent years unless
the subjects were such as appealed keenly
TO his most ambitious sense. He stopped
making potboilers when he gave up cameo
| cutting. and he never handed over bit OF
work for approval and acceptance until he
himself was as satisfied with II az he ever
conld be with his own work.
! "An example OF the immense amount OF
thought and actual bother he devoted to a
work was the memorial to Robert q. Shaw.
comma nder Of the Fifty-fourth Massachu-
setts Regiment. who fell at Fort Wagner.
| Taking this commission in 1884. Saint
Gaudens finished the work in 1895.
Nor was he slow or fussy worker. He
simply meant TO be right and would not go
ahead till he felt sure that he was right.
-Of the fourteen years given to the Shaw
memorial only about two were spent in
actual work The rest Of the time was given
to planning and cancelling plans. modifying
and rearranging ideas. and. not the least Of
the trouble, getting fit models for the soldier
figures in the piece. He brought his first
idea almost to completion before he reached
the conclusion that it didn't make the picture
and then he pulled it right down and started
anew on a wholly different scheme.
He did a good part Of this work in Wash
ington, and he had some curious expert
/
soldiers in the work. particularly the negro
soldiers.
The blacks Of Washington have always
been afraid OF the night doctors. and the
more ignorant among them believe in the
night doctors TO the present day. Perhaps
| at the North the meaning Of night doctor
may not be understood.
| .The night doctor obsesses the minds Of
| T. xvho hav
live in numbers. He's the chap who's sup
posed to kill them after nightfall in order
TO turn their bodies over to medical colleges
for profit.
.The average Washington black will keep
his distance. II indeed he dosen't wheel
and bolt for 1t. IL he's addressed by white
man pretty late on a dark night-every
white man is a night doctor to him. Some
Of them really carry their razors for the pur-
pose OF protecting themselves against night
doctors. though their contention in this re-
spect is never allowed when they are fetched
up in court for toting weapons.
Saint Gaudens. with the Irish sense OF
humor in him, revelled in 1t when he was mis-
taken for a night doctor by darkes whom he
tackled after nightfall with view TO getting
them 10 pose for him. He had the keen.
| alert look OF SOfnc neulCdi Inen, anu ne
answered 10 the last item to the ignorant
negro's idea OF what night doctor ought to
look like. Saint Gaudens had to go prowl-
ing after dark for his models. for he worked
as long as he had any light in his studio,
without intermisson even for food.
-The kind OF negro man he wanted for
his Shaw memorial piece wes the charac-
teristic woolly headed African with gen.
uine Congo features. and the negro OF that
type in or around Washington was bound
to be Of the sort to be haunted by the fear
OF night doctors.
Saint Gaudens was coming uptown to his
living place on a Fourteenth street car
one night in 1894 when, glancing out OF the
car window at the people lined up at the Y
1 street transfer station. he caught sight oi
husky black who it instantly occurred
to him was the exact man he wanted for q
Shaw memorial model. This was before
he was familiar with the ways Of the blacks
In this section and he went at his Job In G
way that was all wrong, as he laughingly
acknowledged.
He bounded OF the car just a. IL wal
about to stsrt-the black he had his eye
on was waiting for . downtown car-snd
rushing up TO the negro ne took him by
the coat lapel and said to him in his some
| that nervola wav.