Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-01

Washington. d. C, July 2e.-Joaauin
Miller. the picturesque poet OF the
west is to be immortaliEed in wash
irrton-s far as a bronze bust I'M
yelled with speeches and songs can
immortalize a man.
A good many people have come to re-
gard joaquin Miller as one OF the
greatest American poets Tho British
acclaimed him an such during his life
time, perhaps because they read his
poetry before they became acquainted
with the man. over here, attention
WAS arrested by the sensational facts
that he liked to live alone In cabin
in the mountains: that he preferred
to build the cabin himself. that he
wore long beard like that OF Moses
in the famous Michael Angelo paint
ing. and that he wore IL because he
admired Moses and the painting. that
hs attended a reception In England in
overslls. These and many other BIZ
aarre tales Americans heard about Jo-
aquin Miller. and his poetry became
for most people anly another manifos-
tstion OF strange personality such
as his addiction to top boots.
Like walt whitman and other
strongly individuaiistic poets, Miller
! Will probably always no subject OF
controversy. But California. hls adop-
ted state. has begun to realize that
joaquin Miller understood. better per-
haps than any other poet tho beauty,
terror and romance OF tho pioneer west
| and that the record preserved in his
| poems Is a valuable heritage.
The California society in Washington
paid tribute to Joaquin eight years ago.
when the poet was still alive. when II
had one OF his log cabins placed in
Rock Creek park with appropriate GER
omony. This cabin joaquin had built
when he spent some time In tho cap
tai on his return from Europe. He
located n spot in a sufficiently rustic
corner OF the city, and made his cabin
of stones left over from the Washing
ton monument and timber from Rock
Creek park After he left this resi-
dencc for his California mountain
home. tho section around the cabin
was built up into city squares. and A.
Joaquin was always associated with
nature unimproved. the California so
cie,y arranged to have tho cabin
placed in clearing BY Rock creek
Here the bust Of the poet is 10 be
placed. Gertrude Boyle tho sculptor
who has modelled the heads OF John
Muir, Luther Burbank. and other fam
Gus westerners. n the only person who
ever modelled Joaquin while he was
alive.
she has three studies OF him one
Of which she liz to have cast In hronze
for the memorial
Miss Boyle. who has Jus, been 10
Warrington to sec the place where the
memorial IN to be located. told tho
writer how she went to Joapuin's CAL
itornia mountain retreat on The
flights" overlooking Oakland She
went to model him, but he urged her
TO make bus, Of his mother at once.
lie tNeemed 80 impatient to have his
mother modelled that Miss Boyle set
tied down In one Of the mountain cab
ms nearby and went to work, and tho
bust was completed Just before Mrs.
Miller died
Then. the sculptor stayed on In the
little colony Of artists. writers, and
people who wanting quiet. had col
lected in the half dozen cabins near
the poet. For eight years she stayed.
and during that time she had ample
opportunity to study and model him.
Typical outdoor statue
The bust, which is to he placed In the
National Capital Shove tho poet in the
familiar pombrero hat with his flowing
beard and keen eyes The lines OF
coat over one shoulder are suggested
to represent the clk's hide coat he Of
ten wore slung over his shoulders. The
face 10 a careful likeness. Aside from
that tho bust gives the Impression of
rough simply cut lines. II IL typi-
cally an outdoor statue. heroic in size
and most Impressive from a short dis
lance Mis- Boyle rays she tried to
mako nor statue suggestive Of the ele-
mental outdoor type Of man that Jos-
quin was,
Ho never pogcd for Mise Bowie con-
sciously They talked and read to-
Eothor-at one period she read the en-
tire Bible aloud to him. once she saw
him nghtlnS forrat fire that menaced
HIS little colony.
ne was 40 intensely eager and de-
termined an he worked that day" phe
fayF. II watched him closely And tried
to put something Of this force and