Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-16


peoples President; homely. gaunt. I'M
calmly; and his homely figure. clad in ILL
fitting clothes of the ugly modern type
held one of the Hottest souls that ever
burned within the breast of mankind 1t
is Saint Gaudens' peculiar quality that,
without abating one jot of the truthful
ness OF portrayal of the mans outside
aspect, yet makes that outside aspect of
little weight because of what is shown of
the soul within. We look at Saint
Gaudens' mighty statue of mighty Lin
coin, and we are stirred to awe and won
der and devotion for the great man who
in strength and sorrow. bore the peo-
pies burdens through the four years of
our direst need. and then. standing as
high priest between the horns of the altar,
poured out his own lfeblood for the ma
ton whose life he had saved.
In this quality of showing the soul
Saint Gaudens' figures are more impress
sive than the most beautiful figures that
! have come down from the art of ancient
Greece: for their unequaled beauty is of
the form merely, and Saint Gaudens is
of the spirit within.
Describes Republic of Art.
Mr.. Roosevelt was followed by Mr.. JUS
serand, the ambassador of the French re-
public. who directly described the great
| republic Of art. not to be found in an at
las, yet with well defined frontier, and
including citizens of every origin, and told
of the old and new buildings, occupied by
the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris, which is
one of its capitals. There it was, he said
that, more than forty years ago went a
young American student-well equipped
conversant with the French language
eager and earnest. Augustus Saint Gau-
dens. Mr.. Jusserand told his hearers, was
popular from the f1rst-ready not only to
labor industriousIy, but to take his fun
with the rest. He was dubbed the Red
Indian by his colleagues. but in the end
the american savage" carried off all the
honors.
Speaking of the visit paid to Paris by
Saint Gaudens many years later when he
had won distinction in his own land, Mr..
Jusserand touched upon his friendship for
Paul Dubois and told of their common
love Of beauty-a love which in Saint
Gaudens' works finds manifold express
sion. And in all these works, he conclud-
ed. there is the same characteristic sin
certify, the same evident aspiration, the
same vitality and life which must make
them great not only for today, but for all
time.
Brazilian Ambassador Speaks.
Il can well understand why no Amer
lean genius ever dreams of another inn
mortality than that which his own coun-
try could assure to his name'' Joaquin
Nabuco. the Brazilian ambassador, re-
marked. But, like science. art is one,
and name to live forever in art is bound
to conquer the world. l believe Saint
Gaudens will live forever. and that his
conquest has already begun.
1T is not difficult to recognize immor-
tally at first sight. From Plato and Phi
dlas to Emerson and Saint Gaudens every
immortal mind caused that impression
from the first. I recollect the first time /
came In contact with Saint Gaudens, the
day l landed in New York, when l saw
his Sherman. I did not even know by
whom the statue was. but I at once real
lied that 1 was In face of one of the most
inspiring symbols of triumph that art had
ever conceived. I had again the feeling
which one always experiences at the sight
or an unexpected masterpiece. when l
found myself in a drawing room of this
city before the Wayne MacVeagh tablet.
1t was so simple, yet never to be forgot
ten. Going later to the Rock Creek Gene
terry, / went sure that / would meet an
immortal work; but how could have ex-
pected that apparition? No doubt was
any longer possible.
Only Genius Can Express Eternity.
"Only genius can express eternity OF
all modern creations that is the one to be
associated with the Night of Mcclellan
gelo. They are very different in form,
but both are reflections of the same dark
ray Of mystery, which borders and, for
the mind. outglares the whole light of
creation. Here. however, the impression
hight have been suggestion; the first two
were direct revelations.
DO not believe that glory is in the dis
penSation of the critics. 1t existed long
before them. 1t flows from its own source.
Glory is chiefly distributed by the emula-
ton and the despair of men of the same
craft struggling in vain to reach the per-
lection another has attained The "I ives
of P2infprS'' nf VoCari toll co. tS
awarded in the profession. sometimes by
generous rivalry, other times by envy
even by hatred. The artists, however
would be impotent by themselves to con-
secrate the work of genius; it is necessary
that their knowledge be completed by the
emotion OF the masses. whose heart null
safes in it. We are drops in the ocean:
nevertheless we all try to have the con-
science OF the ocean, and not only that of
the drop. In each of us here, amid these
glorious surroundings of his, that con-
science reflects the image Of the great
American sculptor. This Is glory; this is
Immortality"
Address by Ambassador Bryce.
Ambassador Bryce spoke as follows:
MY only justification for coming here
tonight to say a few words regarding the
work and fame of Augustus Saint eau
dens is to be found in the fact that he was
partly Of Irish stock and born in Dublin
Without disputing with my colleague, the
French ambassador, how much Of his
genius belongs to the Gaelic and how
much to the Gallo Roman branch of the
Celtic race, may be permitted to observe
that students of heredity always attribute
much to the mother where men Of genius
are concerned. Whatever share of the
honor of having produced this great ar
fist may be due to Ireland / am bound
to claim it. because Ireland, which, con-
sidering how small country 1t is, has
given birth to an unusually large number
of persons distinguished in literature and
| science as we'll as in the public life of the
British Isles and Of America, cannot claim
many names famous either In painting or
In sculpture.
Gifts of Irish Race.
1.-THE gifts of the race have not gen.
orally seemed to lie that way. 1t is not
for me to discuss the place which Saint
Gaudens will hold among the famous ar
fists of the nineteenth century. Sculpture
indeed has since the great Italian masters
died out nearly four hundred years ago,
not held so supreme a place in art as it
did in the ancient world.
Il suppose that we should agree that
| among those who. have fourished since
Michael Angelo, the highest renown has
been won by the Italian Canova and the
Icela nder ThOrwaldensen, and the praise
| which was bestowed upon them was less
that of originality than that of having re-
turned to and emulated the manner OF
the Greeks