Evening star., 1923-02-11

Indeed, one looks in vain for any
curved line on a free surface, except
in the volutes Of the graceful Ionic
columns that turn the ends Of the
memorial chamber into sanctuaries for
the mural paintings. This absence
| Of the ornate is in keeping with the
cause of memory, for it is Lincoln.
the simple mad strong OF character,
| that one should see and feel In that
silent chamber. The eye must not
/ be seduced by any detail. but, as in
a temple to a Greek god, there must
be the overwhelming, csntripetal
force of the statue itself.
AS one stands in that cool and
quiet chamber and Eazes upon tina,
| huge figure of the great statesman,
with its serious face and purposeful
eyes, he feels that he is in tho i'm.
mediate presence of the man himself
| 50 lifelike Is the carved marble. The
absolute harmony between the i'm
mense chamber and tho heroic figure
is illusioning to the point OF dulling
ones sense Of dimensions. Since this
| work is the most monumental OF its
kind in America, some little consid-
GRAFTON of its details can not be amiss
r X *
IF tall man should stand on a
i level with Lincoln's feet. he could
barely touch the knee Of the figure
with his finger tips, so gigantic is it
while the head measures over four
feet in height. and the whole statue
rises above it's eighteen-foot pedestal
twenty-five feet. When one remem-
bers that the figure is seated. these
figures take on added significance.
The weight Of It is 270 tons. Such
heroic proportions necessitated the
carving Of tho statue in sections from
twenty-eight blocks OF Georgia
marble. The sculptor, Daniel Chester
French. after the completion Of his
ave-foot model, decided that the cut
ting OF the same should be intrusted
to the even skill of those famous
six Piccirilli brothers Of New York,
any one Of whom can take up the
work that has been begun or con-
tinued by another. SO exact were
these sections that they fitted to-
gsther with such precision that the
assembled statue presents to the OBJ
server the solid and harmonious lines
that result from one hand shaping
one block of marble.
As he sits there dominating the
unadorned chamber, bare as were his
early years. with his hands resting
above the bound fasces. symbolic OF
authority Che spake as one having
authority, ono feels the spell OF
greatness enAnating from him
a greatness wherein vision and
patience and lonely understanding
were coupled with a humanity tina,
made the people love him and yield
TO the witchery Of his name.
In this man reason and emotion
were Joined like form and color ir
a, flower" and that is the secret o,
the potency Of the seated figure, fol
| in hand with a humility that came
from his deep sense Of mans help.
| lsssness and dependence upon God
and His pity for bruised and bafIia6
humanity. There is no better example
Of his power to draw hearts to hin
than 10 furnished by London Punch
After years Of merciless caricaturl
Of this man. this paper was at las,
convinced Of its error in judging hin
and voiced its changed heart in:
"Yes, he lived to Shams ne from my sneer,
To lame my pencil and confute my pen
To make me own this hind Of princes peer,
This rail splitted-atrue born king OF men.
After the wonder and the majesty
| Of it all has flooded the pilgrim. h,
turns, breathless with alteration. ane
seeks the wall inscriptions and tn,
ineffable pageantry Of the murals
brief. colorful frie1es. as they are, o.
the procession Of the Qualities Of thi,
man whose Character presided ovel
event"
One passes from the central cham,
Der into the Ienie-pillaYsd hall to tn.
right and sees cut In the stone Of tn,
! end wall In three columns Lincoln,
| 'aeccnd Inaugural Adaress' i.sKomaI
letters that are a. direct ana plair
and forcsful ~ the earnest msanins
Of that great speech. The whole Il
. tablaturs nanked by bound fasces
at whose base sit marble eagles will
wings half spread from tho body
That speech il an open book OF hi.
steadfast purpose to complete wha'
he had begun, trusting as he evel
did that he was on the side OF God
1t grips one poignantly ~ he stands
and reads 1t. 1t clarifies his own hax,
vision and reveals through 4 knowl
edge Of subsequent events the power
that lies behind a sincere and lofty
purpose. As the years shall pass un.
counted hosts shall stand, one by one
or in small groups. from all the na'