Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-13

have, some day, a memorial bridge
linking the Lincoln memorial with
Arlington.
The design of the memorial is the
work of Henry Bacon, New York
architcst approved by the Memorial
Commission. His idea was that the
memorial to Lincoln should be com
posed of four features statue of
the man, a memorial Of his Gettys-
burg speech, a memorial Of his second
inaugural address, and a symbol of
the United States which he preserved.
Each feature will be related to the
others by means Of design and posi-
ti0n and each will be 50 arranged that
it will become an integral part of the
whole in order to attain unitya and
simplicity in the monument Each fea-
ture is meant to impress the heholder
with its greatest force ad this it is
sought to accomplish by means of
isolation. though not TO the extent of
impairing the relation Of each feature
to the others.
The most important single object
Will be the statue of Lincoln. tie plan
being for a seated figure placed we'll
III ltIt bsiNkSlouIii VI tlIE lGI SGSl Elt1lli-
Der. The sculptor has not yet been Sc
leeted. This chamber will be unoccu-
pied by any other object that might
detract from the effectiveness of the
statute and the visitor will be alone
with It.
The smaller halls at each side of the
central chamber each VIII contain a
memorial, one of the Gettysburg ad-
dress and the other of the inaugural
address, in bronze letters on monu-
mental tablets, while adjacent low re-
liefs will relate in allegory Lincoins
qualities as evidenced by those speech
es.
While these memorials will be seen
from every part of the hall they are
to be partly screened from the central
charlber by means OF a row Of Ionic
columns.
Surrounding the walls inelosing these
memorials TO the man, is planned a
collonnade forming a symbol of the
Union, each column representing "a
state--S6 in alone for each existing
at the time of Lincoln 5 death. on the
walls above the collonnade supported
at intervals by eagles will be 4S me-
mortal festoons one for each state now
existing.
BY means of terraces the groun6
on which the memorial will stand will
be raised until the building itself will
be 45 feet higher than the present
grade. First a circular terrace 10oo
feet in diameter will be raised II feet
above the present grade and on its
outer edge will be planted four con
centric rows of trees leaving in the
center a plateau 755 feet in diameter-
greater than the length of the Capitol.
In the center of this plateau surround
ed by wide roadway and walks Will
rise an eminence supporting a stone
terrace wall IA feet b9gh, 256 feet
long and 1876 feet wide. On this tor
race will stand the memorial build
ing of white marble lines of pure
creek beauty reflected in the waters Of
the lagoon at the foot of the broad
steps.
The movement for this Lincoln me-
mortal was started in 1902 by the late
Senator Cullom of Illinois, Lincoln's
friend. who died only a few weeks
ago, Just TOO soon TO enable him to
see the fruition of his purpose. From
1902 until last year The plan was II
progress, final action having been tax
en- under another bin introduced by
Senator Cullom in 1910. Various suS-
gestfons as to the form the memorial
should take were submitted and con-
sidered. among them an arch on Me-
ridian Hill, memorial at Fort Stew
ems, a memorial bridge to connect Po-
tomac Park with Ellington cemetery
and a government road to GettysburS
At times there was considerable feei-
ing displayed in the controversy.
1t is notable that the site finally
selected by the Commission of Fine
Arts. the memorial commission ana
Congress itself. is the one first recon-
mended by the park commission un-
der the act of 1902 Many of the OBJ
iections made at that time to the site
have passed with the years. The city
had not developed so far in that di-
rection at that time, the site was not
so easily accessible and the ground
was much lower and more swampy.
The members of the Lincoln Memo
rial Commission are: William II
Taft. chairman; Joseph c. S. Black
burn, recently appointed to fill the
vacancy left by the death of Shelby NJ.
Cullom: Joseph G. Cannon, George
Peabody Wetmore, Samuel Walker
Mccall. Champ Clark and Thomas s
Martin.