The New York herald., 1922-04-22
CIVIC VIRTUE RISES,
HIS BACK TO MAYOR
Position Of Statue No Reflec-
tion Upon Board of Es-
innate Art Critics.
FACES MONEY DISTRICT
MacMonnies, Unknown to
Crowds, Watches the Going Up
and Hears Some Comment.

At eleven minutes to yesterday
afternoon a gang of workmen cranking
windlass as gingerly as If they had
been handling a basket OF hummins-
birds eggs delicately obeyed the slow
iy dropping forefinger of Getulo Picci-
rili gave one final, slow turn to tne
crank, and 10. the Rough Guy. Civic
Virtue" among the intelligentsia, set
tied into his permanent position upon
the PEDESTAL OF the fountain in City Hall
Park-with his back squareiy to the
| City Hall and the art critics that there
! in dwell.
! One second later an expression Of vast
relief oversprcad the sensitive face OF .
tall. spare man, pale. blue-cyed and
with craving pointed beard. who had
merged himself, unobserved and un-
identified by nearly all, in the thronI
that circled the famous statue. He was
the author of "Civic Virtue" the nat
who had thought it out and worked It
out in ten years of concentration. Fred
| erich MacMonnies. Turning to a friend
| he said:
THANK God for that. My heart was
! in my mouth
Danger for As Hours.
Piccirilli, ono OF the brothers who
executed the great marble group and
upon whom had fallen the responsible
| ity OF moving twenty-five ton 3rt
treasure. valued at at least $4,000 Git
any money valuation ran be placed
upon it) without accident. threw up his
| hands In a gesture of relief. For neal
~ forty-eight hours. while the group
was being moved or being shifted at
10 ON nf nd
to position. there was always danger of
irreparable injury. for art is not ham
died as one handles bricks or coal.
! So the main job was done. and all
| that now remains is to remove from
the figures of the group already In
place the protective swathngs OF plas-
ter of paris and straw and to put into
position smaller figures and to exca-
vatc tho marble steps that lead down.
ward on all sides from the pedestal cf
! the fountain. They are now covered
deep with hardpacked cinders.
! Mr. MacMonnies. studying his work
with a calm and critical eye. explained
why the statue must stand facing away
from City Hall. facing indeed toward
Wall Street. the Piunderbund. the Trac-
tion Trust and the vested interests. 1t
is not altogether. as one might suppose,
because the Handsome Heavyweight re-
about him BY women called into the
discussion by the Mayor. nor even that
he took uinbragc at the Mayors own
urfriendly remark. II don't like the
looks Of that fellow" 1t is because,
| in the proper scheme of things. the
group stands in a definite relation 10
tho part of the city in which it is placed
/ With It's face To the City Hall it would
/ ignore the whole system OF streets to
1 4. 90 .t.1 4 n -
a detached thing. Facing southwark 1t
comes into intimate relation with the
whole district. and when the old Federal
Building is removed. this, Mr.. MacMon-
MES said. will be seen very clearly.
The final adjustment OF the statue
WAS accomplished after slow. careful
work that went on from early morning
and in the presence OF thousands.
The Passcrby Critics.
! About every body In the crowds that
came and went (thcre was jam at the
noon hour and again in the late after
noon) constituted himself or herself an
art critic. and many or the judgments
were quaint Also, the event brought
out the humor of peculiar brand that
seems TO belong to New York crowds.
A partial transcript of stenographic
notes or this babble would have run
IKE this:
"Heeza big guy aw right"
"T'll say he is!''
"Th' bigger they are tn harder they
fall. Maybe Hylan amt through wit
that guy
'Betcha Hylan knocks him fer a row
| OF ashcans."
| What's the big idea? WHATS this guy
| supposed TO represent"
I, TITS statcher, you poor nut! Don't
You know A statcher when you see it?
! .All tn parks have got EN-"
Hes sure one big walloper. Lord.
what legs. And will you look at them
arms on himi'
"oh. Mamie. isn't he too sweet for
anything! Isn't lie lover"
Noble conception, Henry. nobel The
city should be proud OF having such n
piece of art in one OF its parks"
"Hey. Mike. who chippcd out this
! guy? What's his name. this IIoozls?"
What dye mean. Hoozis? Don't you
read the papers? The felia's moniker' 5
McManus. He's up in Charley Cullsin's
district-Tammsny guy"
my Gawd. Kitty, betcha | wouldn't
let no man get me under his feet like
that--no street.
And so II went most OF the day, with
| occasionally fluent soul moved to
oratory as he addressed group on
what's what In the world OF art.
n