Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-11
UNDERTAKING LADIES
VIZ AsHINGToN, D. c., Dec. 6.-The Ma
By Frederic j. Haskin

three heads cut out o. the top of one block
of marble, leaving the lower part of the
block for pedestal. It is further unusual
because the three heads are of women. There
is now only one statue in the Capitol to the
memory OF woman and that is the marble
figure of Frances Willard, given by the State
of Illinois to Statuary Hall in 1905.
| The new gift to the Capitol is a memorial
| to Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, three women who
| first sponsored the then forlorn cause of
women's rights. The idea of immortalizing
| these women in marble was really conceived
| long ago, when it was planned to display
! busts of them at the Worlds Fair Adelaide
| Johnson, the scuptor modelled busts of Su-
| san Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton from life
| but the time for memorial seemed not
| quite ripe then, with the feminists' aims un-
| achieved. Now, when the work to which the
pioneers gave their lives is completed, a me-
| mortal has greater significance, and Miss
| Johnson has resumed work on the combina-
ton statue on larger scale than was first
| planned.
The national woman's party is raising $50
| 600 to pay for the material workmanhip.
ana transportation of the stone. The mate
rial is an eight-ton block of Italian marble
CHOSEN by the sculptor at Scravezza A pho
| tograph sent from her studio at Carrara,
Italy, shows the statue in process of compile
ton. The three heads stand out above the
huge base of the slab. They are arranged
IN triangle, all facing one way
Ihe sculptor has promised that the work
VIII De finished and sent to Washington in
| time for the opening of the woman's party
convention, February Is. AS that day is the
| iO1st Anniversary of Susan Anthony's birth
| day, the women are anxious to unveil the
| statue in its place in the rotunda of the Capi-
| toll, then.
.. Red Tape
Much red tape is necessary in CAPITOL af-
| talrs, even to make present. The Library
| Committee in the Senate is in charge of
! matters of art in the building, and Senator
| Brandegee, Of Connecticut, chairman of the
| committee, has long been known as a fiery
| opponent of suffrage for women During the
| crisis in the Connecticut legislature this sum-
| mer, however, he saw that the suffrage
amendment was inevitable, If not by Connec-
! tlcut, then by some other state He there
lore came out with letter urging Connecti-
cut to ratify the amendment, and since then
senator Brandegee has so far become recon-
clled to women in national affairs that he
agreed to use his influence to have his COM
mlttee report favorably on the matter of
placing the memorial in the rotunda at the
| next session of congress. With this support
there is small chance Of congress refusing the
gift
The rotunda where the statue is to be
placed is the great hall below the dome of
! the Capitol. The hall contains eight large
! paintings showing important scenes in the
| history of America. Above these runs the
celebrated frieZe which was begun by Brumi-
dl, the Italian artist, and which for years has
| lacked only few feet of completion. The
| painting, done in gray, back and white, to
simulate bas-relief, seems to be a series of
| Indians, settlers, and soldiers following one
another around the wall, or occasionally fac
ing the other way to become part Of a picture
! IN our early history. Brumidi had planned
the entire frieze, but he died. and since his
Tune no artist has been found who could keep
IN fhn niui%
work. Scaffolding il still suspended by the
frieze where an artist recently tried out his
skill.
The rotunda in unfinished, except for
few chairs for the use of blue-coated guards,
and half-dozen statues near the walls This
collectlon OF statues now consists of Lafay-
cite, L1ncon, Grant, Hamilton and Baker in
marble; Jefferson in bronze, and a plaster
cast of Washington from the famous statue
by Houdon. There is also bust of Washing
ton in bronze, and great head of Lincoln
rising out of marble block, by Gutzon Bor-
glum.
An Unbeknown Great Man
Next to the massive Lincoln head. the
statue labeled Baker" attracts the most at
tention, because few people can place him in
history His clothes are of cut which sug-
gests the time after the Revolution and be-
cause he is reproduce. life-size instead of he
roic, he looks short and chunky Even down
Capitol it required some wracking Of brains
and consultation of encyclopedias to drag
forth the facts that Colonel E. d. Baker was
noted warrior in the Mexican War, a Sen
ator from Oregon and finally died leading
desperate charge early in the Civil War at
Balls Bluff
After all, Baker was a man of distinction
but placed by Washington, Jefferson, and
Lincoln the visitor is usually puzzled as to
his Importance. Probably some people will
be equally unfamiliar with the women who
are to be added to the occupants of the ro-
tunda. 10 the women who have been fight
ing Tor Suffrage they are household names.
susan b. Anthem, j particular, has always
been name to conjure with in feminist
circles.
Susan B. was brought up by Quaker
father to the belief that both men and wom-
should be economically Independent. She be-
gan to teach school at fifteen years, and
from then on, whether teaching or lecturing
and campaigning for suffrage, she was a
working woman to her death at eghty-six
years.
The most interesting incident in her life
is probably her attempt to vote in the presi-
Dental election of 1872 as test of the 18th
Amendment. She was arrested on Thanks
giving Day, and the case was tried the next
'nne in little New York county court
The judge, who from his mannerisms has
come down in history as "most ladylke
nudge" lined himself up with convention and
tradition. He decreed that 'the sentence of
the court is that you pay fine of one hun
dred dollars and the costs of the prosecu-
tion," to which the prisoner returned "May
it please your honor, I shall never pay dol
lar Of your unjust penalty"
The judge, believed her. and as one biog-
rapher says, mot wishing to incarcerate her
to all eternty. he added gently. MADAM