New-York tribune., 1908-07-26

Bronze Effigy of Queen
Alexandra. Tardy Rec
oenition of Her
Popularity.
,,,,-,ss. 1905 by the Brentwood oompany.I

,-,--,xs. 1905 BY the Brentwood Company-1
.ytbonrh Queen Alexandra has been for forty-
a.. years one Of the most universally popular
- ,n English life, and no end Of good,
oo,.11v among the suffering and the poor, has
- ACCOMPLISHED through her initiative and
.auence vet il is only now that for the nrst
,,roe the compliment has been paid TO her OF set
,,,s ,,p her statue in a public place 1t is par
.,.,iarlv fitting that the bronze effigy whicn
on-esents her in her coronation robes should
heve found site in the grounds of the London
Tyosn,tsl of which she is the president. and to
,rb,cb II has been presented by the members OF
,ba hoard CT governors and Of the staff of that
institution.
For Il there is one branch Of philanthropy to
,.h,ch more than any ether she has devoted her
self since she first came TO England. near half
century ago. from Denmark. it is TO hospital
work particularly to the improvements in the
nursing OF the soldiers and, in fact, of the
.nr service in general. She has not only car
ried 10 its present wonderful stage of develop
rnent the methods of caring for the sick and
wounded IN war, begun by Florence Nightin-
gale "the Lady of the Lamp" during the
Crirnean War. in 1854 and 1855 but has also
succeeded in placing the profession of the sick
nurse Of civilian life upon an entirely different
footing 10 that which it occupied in the days
when Charles Dickens limned in such clever
word painting the immortal figures of "Sairy
Camp" and Betsy Prigg"
QUEENS AID TO NURSES.
To-day the profession of sick nurse is an
honored calling. which calls for education. and
also for the delicacy and breeding OF a gentle
woman. The nurses form a corporation each
member Of which holds q diploma bearing the
efigy Of the Queen as active president of the
body They wear her badge. and at least once
year many hundreds-nay even thousands Of
tllem-are brought into contact with her majesty
e. gatherings which she causes to be Organized
in the grounds OF buckingham Palace or some
equally convenient place, where she passes
through their lines. chatting to many of them
and presenting badges and diplomas to those
who have earned special comuendation.
She has likewise organized a large and -four
ishing pension fund for them. as well as a hand
some and stately home in London and II IS
worthy Of note that Americans have contributed
largely to both the fund and to the building
i is therefore eminently fitting that the statue
OF Queen Alexandra should find a place in the
grounds OF the great London Hospital. and the
Earl Of CreWe, Secretary of State for +ha COL
ones. who unveiled the memorial was not far
wrong when he declared that looking at the
records Of those prfncesses who had been con-
sorts Of the Kings of England, from the present
Tudor and Plantagenet rulers. back to the davs
OF the consort Of Henry / whom the Deon1e
loved TO call the good Queen Maude." he did
not think that there was one of that illustrious
hst who had been so completely enthroned in
The hearts OF the nation as Queen Alexandra
STATUES FOR MEDIoCRITIEs.
II draw attention 10 the erection of this the
first statue Of the gracious helpmeet of Edward
VII Il ic S+o Of
public places are exceedingly rare. as compared
with the extraordinary number of marble and
bronze effigies representing members of the
sterner and less attractive sex. Statues of men
abound in such numbers on both sides of the
Atlantic, but especially IN Europe, as to have
developed into a positive nuisance and memo
rials OF this nature set up to all sorts of
worthless individuals and insignificant mediocrI-
ties. who should be forgotten instead of being
thus commenorated. It is fortunate under the
circumstances that many Of their statues are
made IN such fashion as TO admit Of tne heads
being removed, and those OF others grated on
in their place. Indeed, in France statue grating
has become quite an acknowledged industry.
Among the causes for the amazing disparity
between the statues Of men and of women one
OF the principal is undoubtedly the consideration
Of dress. Feminine attire IN all ages even in
that OF the Garden of Eden, has run TO extremes
and 10 eXaggeration, and while this may be
dered temporarily tolerable through fashion, yet
details that may be regarded as wholly modish
by one generation appear preposterous and alto
gether ridiculous those that follow. Con-
temporary paintings and engravings convey to
those OF who too young to recall the era
Of the third Napoleon the fantastic diameter OF
the crinolines set by Empress Eugene, and
which from an artistic point of view viii always
be accounted as the most objectionable Of the
evils for which she has been responsible.
L IS impossible TO conceive any sculptor of
Tote giving his as creator the statue
OF woman thus arrayed 1t would convey the
idea of species of nightmare in marble or in
bronze, and although there were some great
feminine figures in the history of the middle of
the nineteenth century. when the crinoline
loyed its apotheosis, yet not one OF them has
been commenorated in stone: at any rate in
that attire True. L can recall statue of Queen
Victoria and of her husband, the late Prince
Consort. dating from the early sos. but both of
IN q sort Of flowing robe, suggesting the reign
OF Edward III, and he IN the tunic reaching to
lie knees that are accustomed TO find In the
Portraits Of Robin Hood
EFFIGIES OF QUEEN VICTORIA.
The other statues OF Queen Victoria-there are
not many Of them. perhaps d dozen scattered in
the various portions OF that vast empire upon
which the sun never sets-show the Queen in
her wioOwhood and old age. when the crinoline
Aad disappeared, il IS TO be hoped forever, and
where the artist took advantage Of her notorious