The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-01-04
MONUMENT. TO
LEW WALLACE
How "Bea-HuF's" Author VIII
Be HOnOTet In Washington.
GIFT FROM HIS NATIVE STATE
Statue of Famous Soldier and Patriot,
Heroic In Size, Will Be Unveiled In
she bsfr 81 Fame at the Capitol Be-
fore Distinguished Assemblage.

fare Distinguished Assemblane.
General Lew Wallace, soldier, pa.
trfot, statesman dfplomatist and au.
thor, is to receive the highest honor In
the gift of his native state Qndiana)
and his country when on Jan. IL, 1910
his ef1igy in marble will be unveiled In
the hall of fame In the capitol at
| Washington.
More than anything else done by
the great author, his work in giving to
the world his imperishable "Ben-Hur-
A Tale of the Christ" has earned for
him this superlative honor. It was
President Garheld's gratitude to Wal
lace for the immortal romance that
made him minister plenipotentiary to
Turkey-a gratitude which the whole
| nation shared and which the civilized
world echoed, for Ben Hur" has been
! translated into and read in every Ian
guage used in the known literature Of
the globe.
Monument of Heroic Size.
Statuary hall in the capitol has be-
core the American hall of fame, for
here the several states of the Union
honor their greatest men. Indiana in
placing General Wallace among them
recognizes his services to his country
and the heritage of posterity In his
written monument. his ''Ben-Hur."
Fair God" Prince of India" and
nfhor xrorIye frox,, bic NON Each rko 70
is allowed two representatives in that
wonderful statuary hall. General Wax
lace will share the place of honor with
the war governor of Indiana. Oliver p.
Morton.
The statue of General Wallace
which will be unveiled is the work Of
Andrew O'Connor of Paris, one of the
best known sculptors in Europe II is
Of Carrara marble and Of heroic size,
being seven feet high. The figure is
clad in the uniform of a major general
of the United States. The committee
which selected the artist to make the
statue and to decide on the details OF
the work was appointed by Governor
Hanly, acting under an act of the In
diana legislature.
Many Famous Men Will Attend.
One of the most interesting features
of the unwilling of the statue on Jan.
II viii be the presence of the grand
sons of General Wallace, Lew and
Noble Wallace, sons of Henry L. Wal
laee.% Lew Wallace. Jr, will pull the
evs6 Sah A.
The exercises will be of more than ma
tfonal interest and will enlist the serv-
ices of many men prominent In the
highest circles in the United States.
Midday has been selected as the hour
for the ceremony. William Allen Wood
win make the presentation. and Gov
ernor Tom Marshall. on behalf of the
state of Indiana, will respond. Senator
Albert J. Beverage will deliver an adj
dress, and the Rev. DIR. Dudley will
offer a prayer. A poem written for the
occasion will be read by its author.
James Whitcomb Riley. lifelong
friend Of General Wallace. Both con-
gress and the senate will be represent
ed officially by delegations.
The Indiana society viii have Wal
lace meeting on the evening of Jan. Ii,
and several prominent men will make
addresses. At this meeting 1T is ex.
pected the survivors of the Eleventh
Indiana regiment, which was General
Wallace's command in the early part
Hof the civil war. will be present In as
body.
me monument of marble in Wash
i1gton Is the concrete and material ex-
preston Of the monun, EFT In the hearts
of the grateful thousands who honor
and revere the great author of Ben
Hur."
A Woman's Good Deed.
The book really owes its printed ex-
istence to woman When General
Wallace took his manuscript to New
York and gave it to the firm Of Har
per Bros. 1t was passed from one to
another of the firms readers, and each
of them rejected 1t as improbable.
Wallace himself told the story to G.
r. Towle, manager of the company
which is presenting the dramatization
VI Liz 1UlIAt4SSs luIlUSu4 lllG COu1ttf
Ben Hur said General Wallace,
.'cane near having an mtimely death.
James Harper. to whom it was first
given to read in manuscript, sent it to
the several readers employed by his
company. and they each rejected IT
Mr.. Harper gave as the reason the
generally accepted belief by readers
and publishers that no religious novel
could be made u commercial success.
And when he showed me the list of
failures Id this line it locked as though
there was mush force in the argument
But was tenacious. and Kept after
him, for my faith IN my book grew
stronger with opposition. st last he
agreed to look over the manuscript
himself. and he toek If home with lliifs
BY some chance his wife read 1t, and
after she had finished II she sud b
ATr. Harper. .If son never print aaath
OF book. print .sBen-TIiIr : The rleN s
day Mr.. Harper ordered the heok to
press. So. after al. # Wsss 4 woman S
Who saw clearly the Possibilities 81