The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-16
Frederic Haskin's Letter
WASHINGTON in Marble and Bronze,

I Immediately after Washinrtor
died, congress planned a monumsrt
for the rotunda of the capitol ara
: passed a resolution to ask M,
! Washington II the body of the for.
mer president might lie in the ca.
cular hall beneath the rotunda
Mrs. Washington answered. givinv
her permission. 1t was fitting, con.
gress felt, that the Father of Ills
Country should lie inithe center AZ
the capitol, at the exact spot which
l. 'Enfant had marked as the center
Of the city. It was also thongb,
fitting that a monument should Ia
placed over the tomb. But corrn-
spondence, plans and committee
meetings went on for 80 years with.
out anything being done.
Then. the proprietor of Mt Var.
non, John Washington. refused con
sent to the removal of Wasbinstoa
to the capitol. and the incident was
regarded as closed. Plans for the
monument, however, were spurrrd
I'd by his refusal An American
sculptor named Horatio Greenougb
was commissioned almost immed.
aitely to "execute in marble a uu
length pedestrian statue OF Wash.
ington TO be placed in the cents,
of the rotunda of the capitol, the
head to be a copy OF Houdon's
Washington and the accessories
left to the Judgment Of the artist
Washington in Roman Dress.
- Greenough proceeded to create
the most argued over statue Of
Washington that has ever been pro
duced. OF the features there was
no criticism. But Greenough chose
to represent the statesman, Wash.
ington, rather than the soldier, and
he dressed the figure in a toga,
la Julius Caesar. The figure was
represented sitting, with the waia
practically bare, and with a drap-
cry covering the lower part of the
body thrown over one appraised
arm. This conception led to endless
discussions, jokes and even to in,
dignaticn.
Greenough scoffed at people who
could not appreciate the poetic OF
artistic in sculpture and who were
appalled, by a staue without a shirt
But the weight Of public opinion
seemed to be against him.
Long before, when Houdon was
, working on his statue, Jefferson had
written to Washington asking in
what costume he would like the
statue to be made. And Washington
| had answered in the formal letter
; style of the time that he was salts
fed with whatever might be judged
proper, but that perhaps a servie
adherence to the garb OF antiquity
might not be altogether so eXpeii-
ent as some little in favor OF the
modern costumes"
! Jefferson agreed with him and
replied: 81 think a modern in an
antique dress as just an object Of
/ ridicule as a Hercules or Marius
with a periwig or chapeau brass"
After this correspondence Wash
+, ington was represented by Houd0n
! in the continental uniform which
! he wore as Communicated chief.
/ Washington dislike of the R0-
man toga on moderns was held ~
to Greenough's discontinue The
statue had almost a tragic career
The career had started inauspic-
iously when the elton statue could
not be got aboard a warship "a
bring it from Italy to the United
| States without damage to the ship
| A merchant vessel was finally re-
modelled to accommodate the In
DortaDt cargo and the statue was
got into the capitol with only little
injury to the doors.
Then, the light in the rotunda
was not good, and the colossal
| Washington was removed TO the
east plaza of the capitol. The statue
was not modelled for outdoor e.
hibition, and the sculptor feared et-
posture to rain and snow would
cause delicate corners to split Of.
So the figures had to be covered IA
winter by an unsightly wooden hut
until finally all controversy was
closed by removing it to the
| Smithsonian institution.
This has left the capitol minus It's
monument to the national hero
There are two copies OF HOudoni
statue IN the capitol, and a bronze
bust by David d'Angiers in the
rotunda, but no great, outstanding
statue. The rotunda beneath the
dome is still awaiting the long
promised monument commemora.
tive of Washington victories and
achievements.