The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-11-09
A WHOLE MOUNTAIN FOR A
CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL


other monuments carved from the
living rock have in project danger
Gus rival. The Daughters of the
Confederacy are planning to memoir
ialjze the lost cause" by monu-
ment hewn on the sheer side Of
Stone mountain, an elevation six
teen miles from Atlanta, Ga. This
mountain is thought to be unique
geological structure, in itself a
single, huge boulder with a perpen-
dicular face a thousand feet IN
height. The prospective plain is to
transform this solid stone into hall
with columns hewn from the face
without any resort to the builders
method of placing stone on stone.
The facade will have three colossal
figures, the central one being Gen.
Robert E. Lee, who will be fianked
by "Stonewall" Jackson and Joseph
Johnston. Two wings of an army in
action will come from the East and
the West behind the two figures,
making splendid array of horse
and foot soldiers, exhibiting all the
struggle, anguish and death of bat
tie. The curtain formed by the
mountain is three thousand feet
across and over one thousand in
height, and on this will be depicted
the story The property, formerly
owned by Mr.. Sam Venable, has been
donated to the Daughters of the
Confederacy and they have enlisted
the services of Gutzon Borglum, the
sculptor, who outlines his scheme m
the Atlanta Consultation:
THE only fitting memorial of the
South of "a, built by the equally
Great South of today, is to recon-
s;ruct as we can the great character
of those days, and in colossal pro-
.rortion carve them in high and full
relief in action, mounted and on
foot, moving naturally across its face
to the east.
These figures should be in scale
with the mountain; they must be
visible and readable at distance Of
several miles; their likeness recog-
nizable and maintained. The group
ines would represent the official
heads of the South, including Off
GERS, calvary, artillery, and infantry.
Portraits should include the fore
most men in the different branches
of the service.
"The size of the figures can only
be definitely determined after the
work has begun, but they will be au-
proximately 35 to so feet. This is
possible. In its effect it would stand
alone in memorial and monumental
work in the world. 1t could be done
in sections and presented to the
world by kind of installment, be-
ginning with the principal figures
say. Lee. Jackson, and johnson as a
group, and later another group, Ill
viding the work into parts"
The immense cost of this under
taking, estimated at 100000, is
entailed by the exigencies of work.
Electrical machinery of the most
modern type must be used, explains
Mr.. Borglum, the workmen hanging
in steel cages from the brow of the
/ cliff. The danger of falling would
make it necessary to work from
above rather than from scaffolding
built from the ground.
The funds for so great an enter
prise will have to come from a ma
tionwide subscription. Each state
in return for a column in the temple
dedicated to it will be asked to sub
scribe $25, The United States
, government will be asked to donate
"A large sum to make national park
at the foot of the mountain. "One
| man in New York has volunteered to
subscribe ten thousand dollars and
to find nine other men to do the
same. The Daughters of the Con-
i federacy, with subscriptions already
in hand, are to undertake the COM
Ipletion of the sum. The whole
South" we are told, lis enthusiastic
over the proposed plan. Borglum
las been there twice, and says it is
the most wonderful thing in the
world"
The Stone mountain monument
idea, we are told, was born of sew
eral brains, and its accomplishment
viii be due to many men and wom-
en-
William II. Terrell originated the
idea with his proposal to erect q
temple at the summit of the noun
tain. his plan having been changed
by Mr.. Borglum. who believes it
! would be more tittinsly carved at the
I basis. In an editorial in the Hearst
newspapers more than a year ago.
John Temple Graves advocated a he
roic statute of Gen. Robert F. Leo
at the top of the mountain The