The Dolores star., 1923-07-27
L4CRGS2Y

Of the battle Of New Orleans, the orator being
Stephen 4. Douglas, then senator from Illinois,
Clark NiIllS born in New York and early losing
his parents, drfted to Charleston, S. c., where he
obtained work in plaster ana cement mill. Art
education he had none, but says dorado Taft, In
his History of American Sculpture" Mills Yam
kee wits with him. and he discovered
n new method of taking cast from n living face.
Then, resolved to try cutting In marble, he pro-
cured block of Carolina stone, and commenced
Il bust of John c. Calhoun Although unfamiliar
with the professional methods, he invented a sys-
ten Of his own, and succeeded In producing the
best likeness ever taken Of Calhoun. The bust
purchased by the city of Charleston, and Mills
was presented with gold medal by the Common
wealth.
Fame followed quickly and John Preston, a
wealthy gentleman of Columbia, befrended the
young artist. Mills started for Washington TO see
the stauary in the capitol, but stopped off long
enough In Richmond to view the Houdon statue
Of Washington. This was the first statue he had
seen.
At Washington, continues dorado Tuft Mills
eagerly looked at the statue Of Washington, by
GreenOugh, and though he thought the anatomy
perfect, Ire could not associate General Washing
ton with the statue The crowd of visitors. far
as he could learn, invariably condemned It for
want Of historical truth. He came to the con-
cluslon while standing there TINT should he ever
have an order for statue the world should find
fault for his giving too much truth and not for the
want Of IT," And It would seem that he carried
out precisely this vow, when he created the much
mallgned Jackson statue.
During Mills stay IN Washington he was ap-
preached by the Hon. Cave johnson, then postmas-
ter general and president of the jackson monument
committee, with an invitation to furnish designs
for a bronze equestrian statue Of the victor of
New Orleans. Having seen an equestrian
statue, the sculptor felt obliged to refuse the fiat
tpriD nffar pntr ,hn
finally resolved to produce design, and the final
result of his labors stands In the center of
the park opposite the White House.
For nearly year Clark Mills worked patiently
on Il small model on new principle-that of bring
ing the hind legs of horse directly beneath the
center of its body, thus producing perfect balance
Mills bought land near Lanham, Md, and built a
foundry and studio and he was about to begin
the melting and recasting of the bronze cannon
from which the statue Is made gale destroyed his
studio. Before he could rebuild It, the foundry was
destroyed by fire. 1t was after all this added to
the breaking of cranes the bursting of furnaces
and six failures in the body Of the horse that the
first equestrian statue to be made by an AmerI-
completed
From his original designs he produced n replica
for the city Of New Orleans and directly afterward
began work upon the Washington statue-lately
removed for repairs from Washington circle And
upon the completion of this work he cast the
statue OF Freedom, ATOP or the Capitol DOME from
designs by Crawford.
OF Mills equestrian statue of General Jackson,
Lorado Taft has this comment to make:
'Who today begrudges this brave pioneer his
little need Of success? Let us hope he never be-
came conscious Of his defects. His grasp of his
subject Is purely mechanical one; his motif in
the statue, problem in equilibrium. He had new.
er seen an equestrian statue there was none in
this country to see. 1t seems at first Thought
strange that Americas initial performance in this
line should be Of surprising audacity, but 1t is the
story Of all beginnings; the intrepidity of igno.
rance; the inevitable approach in the most round
about way and equally important, the lack of gen.
uinely artistic inspiration. Having no notion or
suspicion of dignifed sculptural treatment of n
theme, the clever carpenter felt nevertheless the
need of a feature Perhaps he had heard of 'ac-
ton. At any rate he built n colossal horse adroitly
balanced on the hind legs; and America gazed
with bated breath. Nobody knows or cares
whether the rider looks like Jackson: the OK.
traordnary pose of the charger absorbs all atten.
ton. all admiration"
In comparison with the Jackson statue tho "nro-
dlgious congressional joke" Mills next effort tho
Washington statue, is tame. Instead of BALANCING
the brazen steed on single hoof, logical no.
quence from previous effort, Mills. suggests Taft
gave his admirers Napoleon crossing the AIrs
effect. But whatever we think of Clark Mills tho
sculptor, We owe debt Of gratitude to Clark MIlla
our first professional founder Of statuary."