Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-09
John Milton Bust
at Colby Library
Almost Priceless

Although unkHOWu ~ eHc ih"JOi
ity of Colby students, there stands in
the old Library a work of art that
is almost priceless. 1t is an 'bject
that has, in it's history. inspired
praise from Browning. Hawthorne
and other famous men. 1t IS the
bust of John Milton sculptured in
marble by Paul Allers.
The bust was modelled in Rome in
1857, 20 years before coming to
Colby. by Paul AkerS: whom Haw-
thorne then described as a young
American sculptor. of high promise
and rapidly increasing celebrity. He
had already modelled Una and the
Lion and the Dead Pearl Diver; the
and the perfection of its execution
not only promised great things but
fulfilled the promise. The Milton
had been the dream of years. Ak
ers read and reread the noble poems
and passionate prose in which Mil
toms soul is revealed; he learned all
the biographies had to tell of the
circumstances of his hero'S life; then
having acquired this intimacy with
the man, he went to England to
study the traditions of his outward
semblance in such contemporary
portraits as remain. All these ira
ditions. so far as they are consistent.
are faithfully followed in the Aker's
marble, but informed and dignified
by the scMptor's better acnuaint-
ance with the poet. The portrait is
therefore strictly historical, but also
an ideal work.
This bust was in Aker's studio in
r..
who was then in Rome. sketching
that work the following paragraph
occurs: I'm another style. there was
a grand calm head of Milton, not
copied from any one bust or picture.
vet more authentic than any of
them. because all known representa-
tons of the poet had been profound
ly studied and solved in the artist S
mind.
The bust over the tomb in Grey
frlars church. the original miniatures
and pictures. wherever TO be found,
had mingled each it's special truth in
this one work: wherein, likewise, the
long perusal and deep love OF the Par
adise Lost, the Comus, the Lycidas and
l. ALLEGRO. the sculptor had succeeded
even better than he knew in spiritual
izing the poets mighty genius. And
this were "A great thing to have
achieved. such a length of time after
the dry bones and dust of Milton were
like those of any other dead man."
This is Hawthome's judgment of the
identical bust which stands in the col
lego library. So long as the Marble
faun is read. this generous recognition
OF a worthy achievement will he re-
membered; and so long as the marble
endures, it will be approved
In the fall of 1858 the Milton bust
was brought to this country and the
opinions of the public concurrec with
Hawthorne's earlier Judgment, as he
had anticipated. Akers died in 1861
and the bust was stored in Boston. At
one OF the dinners Of the Colby Alumni
the suggestion was made that it would
De IN every way fitting act to pre-
sent the bust to the college. that Paul
Akers was a Maine sculptor, and his
work ought to find home in his native
state. 1t was found that the marble,
valued by Akers in his lifetime at
$4,000, could be obtained for $1,000.
Hon. Henry w. Paine of the class of
$780, president of the Boston Assccia-
tion of the Alumni. headed the list of
subscriptions; and so when the full
amount was made up and paid over, the
bust became the property of what was
then Colby University.