Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-26
The HQSkin Letter 90 .t1 %:sa1
LINCOLN MEMORIAL DEDICATION.

Washington, D.. c., May 2S.-The
30th of May this year will be marked
by a ceremony Of interest to the whole
nation, and one unique in the history
of the United States. When the Lincoln
Memorial here is dedicated on that date
the president Of the United States, two
former presidents, and the sons Of
still two other former presidents, will
be present. President Harding, Will
liam Howard Taft and Woodrow Will
son, will take part in the ceremonies.
There will also be present Robert Lin
coin. son Of the great Lincoln, and
assistant Secretary Of the Navy Theo-
dore Roosevelt, son of the illustrious
man of the same name who occupied
the White Housef or almost two terms.
Beyond all question, the Lincoln
Memorial is the most beautiful work in
marble on this side of the world. 1t will
take rank with the library of con-
gress, the Washington monument, the
White House, and the Capitol as a
point OF interest for visitors to Wash
ington in the future.
Immediately upon entering the main
portal the heroic statue Of Lincoln is
seen. The figure is seated but be-
cause Of its enormous proportions it is
y feet high. 1t is the work of Daniel
Chester French, noted American
sculptor. Had Mr.. French elected to
portray Lincoln standing, the figure
would have lowered 38 feet in the air.
|, The marble for the statue was
brought from Georgia, and in the
rough weighed no less than 427
tons. T~wenty-eight great blocks of this
tine grade of stone were used. and
IN the completed statue weigh It's tons.
The sections of the statue were cut
in the marble in the yards of the six
p1cclrilh brothers in New York City.
A score of marble cutters were kept
busy for IS months completing the
work. which was then transported to
Washington in sections.
The model made by Mr.. French was
only five feet high. From this per-
fected piece of sculpture, the marble
cutting art made possible the enor-
mously enlarged marble replica.
Some Remarkable Paintings
The great seated figure is, of course.
the main point Of interest in the
Memorial. Next to it rank the paint
lngs by Jules Guerin, of st. Louis,
n OF Americas foremost painters. Mr..
Guerln for some years past has made
his home in New York, and the paint
ings for the memorial were done in his
studio there.
In keeping with the heroic propor-
tions of the Lincoln statute, it is in
teresting to note that the canvas alone
for each of the paintings, which are
so feet long and IL feet high. weighed
300 pounds when work on them was
commenced. They are hung 80 feet
above the floor of the Memorial.
The finishing of these paintings re-
quired twice as long as the business of
cutting the marble blocks into a
finished statue. For three long years
Guerin worked in his New York studio
before the result was satisfactory to
him. The titles of the two pictures are
Emancipation" and Reunion" Four
human figures appear in the paint
ings, which from a mechanical stand
point are made to endure for centuries
without cracking or having the paint
cruinble. Mr.. Guerin mixed his pigments
with kerosene and white wax in order
to guard against deterioration.
There are but two other main deco
rative features of the Memorial. The
first is the famous Gettysburg address