Evening star., 1925-10-18

On the right Of the victor of Gettys-
burg. in the center, stands the>figure
of Fame, straining up and beyond
in joyous hope to see the future.
An unquenchable thirst for things not
yet achieved gives her the unrest of
ceaseless striving. the unattained
reach of things not Yet grasped.
SO passionate for achievement is
her mood that the figure of Energy.
that stands on her right, sharply
draws his arm from that of War and
reaches forward to support Fame
whose left arm rests against Loyalty,
a stalwart youth drawing back the
cloak from the shoulders of Meade
with one hand, and with the other
lifting above the generals head the
commemorative standard of wreath
and garlands, like a nimbus about
saint, for, if ever worship glowed in
eyes. the eyes of Loyalty are turned
in pure alteration upon his chief.
That group of three figures on
Meade's right is one of marked beau
ty for so much of youth, its eager
ness and its fire, is there, as well as
the enchanting loveliness of young
bodies.
nN the opposite side. the central fig
" ure is Progress, less passionate
than Fame. but more steady, more
certain of its own latent power, there
fore dynamic and self-nurtured, the
eyes lighted with the fame of law
and order. Indeed. the face of
Progress seems set like a beacon on
the grim shore whose troubled waters
sweep out and away in the sable
wings of War.
Progress feels the need OF contact
with Chivalry, that at his right draws
the cloak of war from the shoulders
of Meade There is, somehow, wist-
full pity in her face, ennobled as 1t is
with the courtesy of the strong FOR
the weak.
To the left of Progress stands in
determined strength the stalwart fig
ure of Military Courage, his arm
drawn through the arm of War, with
no intention of relinquishing the hold,
although Progress would draw him
away to things of the future. His
gaze away from War is but falf-
hearted. and he does not greet the
unknown with a smile. He seems as
loyal. almost. to War as Loyalty is
to the commanding general of the
Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg
Out of war came the plangent
qualities of loyalty, fame. energy,
chivalry. progress and military cour-
age. and yet they renounce their
origin wholly or in part to support
the virtues that lead the world
forward out of destructive conditions
into constructive power. Some one
put it succinctly when he declared
that civilization comes riding in on
a gun carriage. Emerson would have
it that:
I'm the mud and scum of things.
Something alway, alway sings.
Hence dualism is felt as one sazes
at the marvellous group-the duallsm
that is felt in all nature-the eternal
warning of the forces that make for
peace and for war. The mind is
forced to admit that the very quail
ties that make for progress have their
origin in war. 1t is, perhaps. one of
the unsolvable mysteries OF thls curl
Gus earth existence.
So far as Washington is concerned,
the Meade Memorial will seem de-
parture from the usual in art, for
nothing in this city of monuments
combines on so great scale the per-
trait work of the sculptor with so
daring a symbolism (the new Ericsson
group will carry out on a smaller
scale a similar treatment. 1t Is
sculpture of a high order. 1t is ex-
ecuted with a perfection of detail that
ranks it with the noblest marbles in
the city. 1t will surrender its hidden
mea ming only to those who are
willing TO give it searching study.
No descriptive Interpretation of
Graf1y's masterpiece would. however.
be complete without the historical set
ting that called it forth, so with little
or no emphasis upon military tactics
(of interest chiefly to the student of
war;. let us glimpse some of the
pages of history that placed Crafty s
! Ieoro ~ tho -.-'''c :-""<l", with
Shrady ) Grant. 70. e.thin ;h- :eh