Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-09
Immortalizing Ladies
~ Frederic j. Haskin

1
tional Capitol is soon TO have n new
statue added 70 it's collection Of inmor'als
| This statue will be unlike anything else
| in the capitol in that it will consist Of
/ three heads cut out of the top of one
! block of marble, leaving the lower part ~
| the block for a pedestal. 10 ~ further
unusual because Che three heads are ~
women. There is now only one statue in
| the capitol 10 the memory OF a 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 n me
| mortal 30 Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia
Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, three
women who first sponsored the then Tor
| lorn cause Of wornen's rights. The idea
| of irnmortalizing these women in marble
was really conceived long ago, when il was
planned 70 display busts Of them at the
| Worlds. Fair. Adelaide johnson, the
sculptor, modelled busts Of Susan Anthony
| and Elizabeth Stanton from life, but the
! time for a memorial seemed not quite ripe
/ then, with the feminists' aims unachieved.
| Now. when the work 10 which the pioneers
! gave their lives is.eOmpleted, q memorial
1 has greater significance, and Miss Johnson
/ has resumed work on the combination
statue on q larger scale than was first
| planned
The national woman's party ls ralsing
| $4,000 10 pay for the materials, work
/ manship, and transportation OF The stone:
/ The material is an eight-ton block OF
i Italian marble chosen by the sculptor At
/ Seravezza J. photograph sent from her
/ studio AZ CSrrara, Italy, shows the statue
/ in proce1s Of completion. The three
! heads stasd out above the huge bare OF
4 1t ycd TRAN ytc
! all facing one way.
The sculptor has promised that the work
/ will be finished and sent 10 Washington ~
time for the opening Of the uonnen's party
/ convention, February Is. AS hat day =
/ the lOlst anniversary Of Susan Anthony ;
/ birthday, the women are ANXIOUS 10 unveil
| the statue in its place IN the rocunds o.
the capitol, then.
Much red tape is necessary in capitol
affairs, even 20 make q present ne
/ library COMMITTEES in the Senate - IN
/ charge of matters Of ART in the building,
/ and Senator Brandegee Of Connecticut,
/ chairman Of this committee, has long been
/ known as a fiery opponent Of suffrage Tor
women. During the crisis in the Con.
necticut Legislature this summer, how
ever, he saw that the suffrage amendment
was inevitable, II not by Connecticut,
/ then by some other state. he therefore
/ came out with letter urging Connecti-
t cut to ratifv the amendment, and since
/ then Senator Brande- &c has 40 far be-
/ come reconeiled to women IN national
+ affairs. that he agreed 70 use his influence
I to have his committee report tavoraoly
/ on the matter Of placlT g the memorial N
I the r0tllpda az the next session of Con-
/ gress With this support, there - small
4 chance 81 Con gress reflsing z the GIFT.
i The rott1nda where the statue "a % Dc
/ placed j. the great hall below the dome oi
7 the capitol The hall contains eignt large
! paintiI "a showing important scenes IN
! The history of America Above these r1Ens
/ the celebrated frieze which was begun by
/ Brlmidi. the Italian artist, and which
4 for wears mas lacked only few ieet OF
completion. The painting, done N gray,
/ black, and white, 70 simulate bas-reiief,
] seem. 70 be a series Of Indians settlers, and
! soldiers following one another around the
/ walls, or ccasiOrally facing the other way
/ 70 become part Of of picture IN our early
/ history 8rurnidi had planned the en-
4 tire friere. but he died, and since as time
/ no artist has been found who could Keep
/ 20 the spirit and technique OF the Brnnllci
work. Scaffolding Is still suspended by
/ the fireze where an artist recently tried
/ out his skill
/ The rotunda Is unf,Irnished. except for
/ q few chairs for the use Of blue-coated
+ guards, and a half-dozen statues near the
/ walls. This collection of statues now con-
=ists OF Lafavetee, Lincoln, Grant. Hsmll-
ton and Baker in marble; jefferson n
bronxe. ana a plaster cast OF Washin g-on
from the famous statue by Hcudon. There
Is also a bust of Nashing gton n bronse,
and a great head u Lincoln rising out Of
a marble block, by GutEon Borgium.
An UNBEKNowN GREAT Man.
Next 20 the massive Lincoln head,
the statue labeled Baker attracts the
most attention. because few people can
place nm in history His clothes ara Of
a cut which suggests the time alter the
revolution, anu because he Is reproduced
life-size instead OF herolc, he looks short
and chunky. Even down in TIE office Of
the superintendent OF the capitol 10 re-
Quired some wracking Of brains and con-
sulation of encvclopedlas 20 drag forth
the facts that Colonel +. D. Baker vas
noted warrior IN the Mexican War, a
Senator from Oregon and finally dle0 Lead
ing desperate charge early IN the CIvII
War at Balls Bluff.
After all. Baker Vas s man Ot dis
TI0cEloU, DllL paced bN " dSAilllSLOli atA-
ferson, and Lincoln the visitor IS usually
puzzled as 70 his Importance. Probably
some people will be equally unfamiliar
with the women who are TO be added 20
the occupants of the rOtunda. To the
women who have been lighting Tor SUI
frage they are household names. Susan
b. Anthony, IN particular. has always
been name 10 conjure with n feminist
circles.
Susan b was brought up BY Quaker
father 70 the belief that both men and
women should be economically indepcnd-
.ent She began TO teach school 40 -
wears, and from then on, whether teach
ing or lectmng and campaigning for
suffrage, she was a working woman 20
her death AZ S6 years
The most interesting incident IN her ilic
Is probably her attempt 90 vote IN the
presidential election Of 1872 aS q test OF
the 14th amendment. She was arrested
on Thanksgiving Day. and the case was
tried the next June IN q httle New York
county court
The Judge who from his mannerlsnls
has come down in history as q most
ladylike Judge, lined himself up with
convention and tradition. he deCreed
that the sentence of the court IS that you
pay fine Of one hundred dollars and the
costs Of the prosecution" TO which the
prisoner returned May il please your
honor, | shall never pay dollar Of your
unjust penalty,
The nudge, believed her. and as one