The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-18
AMERICAN WOMENS SPLENDID GIFT
 TO MARK HUNDRED YEARS OF PEACE


 of William Pitt which American women resident in England commissioned from Derwent Wood A. R. A, some months ago, in commemoraton of the 100 years of peace between their own country and that of their adoption. and whick is to be placed either in the capitol or in the library at Washington, will be ready for shipment across the Atlantic. was told today by the sculptor, who is half American himself, that his statue of Pitt, which has aroused the enthusiasm of the many distinguished folk who have seen it, is now being carved in the finest serra Vega, Carrara marble and that he hopes to have it ready for delivery by October 1 next, at the latest.
 Some of the best known American women in England. including the Duchess of Marlborough, the Duchess of Rox- burghe, Mrs. Mackey and Miss Mary Hoadley Dodge, are, of course identified with this project to mark the centenary of the signing of the treaty of Ghent by presenting 8 commemorative statue to the United States. but it was in the patri- otic and fertile brain of Lady Paget, daughter of the late Paran Stevens Of New York, and wife of Iieutenant-Gen- eral Sir Arthur Paget, that the idea orig mated Lady Paget is on the continent at present, as the moving spirit of one of the biggest volunteer hospitals that has been started for wounded soldiers of the allied nations. but 1 talked with her just before she left. in the drawing room of her beautiful house in Belgrave Square, where the walls are hung with priceless tapestries and where the trophies of war and big game hunting are mounted side by side, and foand her still keenly in- terested in tile sts.de project, despite the fact that most sT us over here have for gotten that such a thing as worldwide peace ever existed.
 "There are number of us,'' she said, "who, having married Englishmen, now make our home in the mother country. but who always remain American at heart And when l suggested that we should do somthing to mark the peace centenary, the idea caught on instantly. Ar6 then we had to think out just what would be the very best thing to do. First of all wrote some 600 letters, and at once the money for carrying out some plan came flowing in. With $15,00O in hand the
 
 it on something that would be peculiarly fitting as coming from American wives of Englishmen
 Naturally we did not wish to overlap any of the other plans for the great com- and when we decided that 1t should be a statue which we would offer to the United States. we quickly chose that firm friend of America's. William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham, as it's sub ject The clay model was completed just before the beginning of the war; and is one of the most beautiful pieces of stat uary I have ever seen, certainly the finest thing that Derwent Wood has yet done, I think There is, of course, to be spe- cial inscription on the pedestal
 William Pitt, Earl of Chatham and the prime minister in English his- tory, was, of course, the statesman who fought so strenuously and continuously for the cessation of the taxation of the American colonies and who, possessed of great knowledge and keen foresight, put so forciby before the British government the whole case of America. He was the great personal friend of Benjamin Frank lin, who had been sent over to Great Britain as the agent for the United States. and the last speech of this aged but fiery orator in the House of Lords  arms of his supporters. the scene of which is the subject of the famous pie ture nove in the House of Lords), was for the freedom of the United States. He was the grandson of Governor Pitt of Jama- ica. who took a great interest in him.
 There are several well known statues or William Pitt already in existence One was placed in the House of Lords in 1850. and another is in Westminster ab- bev A replica of third, which Is in the Museum of Cork, is at Georgetown, U. S. A.
 It was at first thought that the gift from the American women in Great Brit ain should be a copy of the statue in the House of Lords. But when 1t was found possible to engage the services of that brilliant sculptor, r. Derwent Wood A. R. A., whose father was an American, the first plan was speedily overthrown, and proposal for an orig final figure was put before Derwent Wood.
 The work of Derwent Wood is of course. by no means unknown to Ameri- cans, for some examples of his beautiful statuary are in the possession of Henry Phipps of Fifth avenue, New York, of his son. J. Phipps of Westbury. Long Island. and elsewhere in the United States.
 InOuR1 Stlll QultS yOuhb tAi' Sc'i ca 's'f American has attained a distinguished nosition among the famous artists of Eu- rope. his career having been continuous succession of brilliant achievements. His mother is English and he was born at Keswick, Cumberland, while his educa-
 tion was of the most cosmopolitan order, his studies having been pursued in Eng land. Switzerland and Germany.
 cit was at Karlsruhe that he first began his artistic career. Later on he returned to England and became student at the Royal Academy of London. There he won the gold medal and the travelling scholar ship, which took him for some time to Italy. He afterwards became assistant tc Thomas Brock H A.. the sculptor. Hon. ors were awarded him at the Paris Salon and four years ago he was made ar associate of the Royal academy.
 It is because his work shows such i'm mense depth and knowledge of form thai
 Derwent Wood has won and holds tht
 dne position accorded him among tht
 leading artists of Europe. All that ema- mates from his hands indicates his strong leanings towards ideality, and avows hoW
 strongly influenced he is by the great
 classic Greek sculpture. Tn the beautiful
 and sure manner in which he builds uI
 a design traces of his deep study of ths
 Greek are observable, and his purity O. outlook makes for results that emphasiz<