The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-03-15
BY Boyden Sparks.


When American doughboys en-
! tered Metz on the heels Of the re-
| treating Germans who had held the
city subject since 1870, the French
| populace, frantic with joy, entered
| into a celebration with their rescuers
| This demonstration reached eli
max when a moose was tossed about
| the bronze neck of the Whiskered
horseman labeled Wilhelm l, who
from the back Of his metallic steed
on a great pedestal had glared down
for almost a generation, at the peo-
pie of Alsdce.
The equestrian statue was tumbl-
ed from its base by a pull on the
ropes energized by the arms of Amer
lean soldiers. old Frenchmen and the
wives and children of men who had
risked firing squads in 1914 TO join
the Tri-color; and IS it fell and was
shattered in Il cloud of dust it was
an exact symbol of the end of PruS-
sian rule in the no longers' lost pro-
vinces Of France.
There were members OF the over
seas organization of the knights OF
Columbus in the Metz celebration,
and to one of these came the thought
that has finally germinated in the
commissioning of Paul Bartlett, the
sculptor, to make Il replica of his
bronze equestrian statue OF the Mar
quis de Lafayette that has stood IN
the Court of the Louvre since 1908.
1t was in Metz that General Lafay-
cite first heard of the bloody effort
Of the American colonists to win
freedom. from an English gentleman
more or less a replica of Wilhelm l
George Hit was there that his
heart was enlisted in their cause.
Metz was Lafayette's home. So,
through the contributions. of 6OO,-
600 and more members of the
Knights of Columbus the home of
this hero of the American Reyolu-
ton is to have an enduring remind
er of the love and gratitude OF the
United States for France IN like
ness of Lafayette that is Intended to
commemorate the return TO France
of Alsace and Lorraine and to mem
orialize the American soldiers who
died in accomplishing the end of
PrussianiSm.
The Louvre Statue.
Fair in 1900 the school children Of
America gave 100000 pennies to
provide a statue of Lafayette to
stand in the court of the Louvre.
They were in q hurry to see their
gift materialize, just as the Knights
of Columbus are now. So a tenn
porary plaster statue was modelled
by Paul Bartlett and erectef
This remained IN paaesssae -1sfi5lt !
dozen years, crumbIed auG stained
by the weather, until it was an eye-
sore. But at the end of those
years this American sculptor at work
in his Paris studio had finally achiey
ed clay model of General Lafa-
yette, with upraised sabre, mounted
on a huge Percheron horse. An
other year was required to make the
bronze statue from molds taken from
the clay model and finally the bronze
horseman and monster steed were
hoisted into place atop a fitting ped
eSt2l.
1t is a marvel of details, that
statue. from the blade of the sabre,
10 the curling lips CT the Percheron.
1t Dominates the court of the Louvre
in which it stands, and that court
is the centre of the artistic world.
There is a knot in the tail of the
horse that might nave been tied by
Lafayette's orderly just before one
of those long marches through the
mud of New Jersey when the Reyo-
Iutionary soldiers were out-maneuy-
ering the hired Hessians. Best of
all is the face Of Lafayette, sharp
featured, Intelligent, aristccratic.
The pedestal of the statue in the
Louvre was purchased with the pro
ceeds Of $25.000 in bullion appro-
priatad by Congress to be cast into
souvenir dollars which sold for 81
each, so that with the money contri-
buted by the school children there
was a general fund OF 100000 am
pie to pay for the gift. And in 1908
the completed bronze horseman was
unveiled.
The sculptor Chosen.
The casts from which the bronze
was made have gathered dust in the
Paris studio of Paul Bartlett ever
since. After the knights of Column
bus began to seek an American
sculptor to make a statue of Lafa-
yette 10 replace that odious bronze
likeness of the father of the former
Kaiser, Paul Bartlett was about the
only man they considered seriously.
He is rather q difficult person to
catch fitting as he does between two
studios in New Yory, another III
| Washington and another IN Paris
! but caught he was, and when ne
! heard that another statue OF Lara,
| vette was wanted he said it couldn't
| be done. especially in the short place
| of time allowed by the Knights OF
| Columbus men. Anyway, he said
as far as he was concerned, the
| etatua in the Louvre court was La
| fayette. He had worked on that fol
| about eight years all told and 1t wa!
| his best. He mentioned the exist
ence of the casts and explained tha
replica could be cast in bronze
which would be identical in every
thing but age with the original. The
| Knights of Columbus became inter
| ested. Mr.. Bartlett said the casts
| could be made in good time for un
yelling on the anniversary OF the date
of the relief of Metz. The deal Wa'
closed then am there.
| The Statue Is Completed.
The molding Of the statue has beer
| practically completed in Paris ant
Mr.. Bartlett is working on four bas
reliefs, which are to be mounted OF
on the sides of the pedestal. Thi'
pedestal is being designed by Thoma:
Hastings, the New York architect
If this design is executed in the
United States the pedestal will b.
built of Indiana limestone; if it il
executed abroad it will be made o
Alsatian sandstone.
One of the bronze baSrellefs, tha
opa dnciUnad for the front of tht