Evening star., 1926-05-30
BY LEILA MECHLIN.


+ chief interest last week was
the unveiling and dedication
of the John Ericsson Monu-
~ ment, which, with an un-
usually impressive ceremony,
took place yesterday. Unfortunately.
the cutting of the monument, wnIth As
largely in stone, has moi been COM
pleted. therefore Il plaster model was
used in it's stead for the dedication
ceremonies. This monument lS the
work of James Earle Fraser. one OF
our foremost American sculptors, ana
in it's conspicuous position, not far re-
moved from the Lincoln Memorial. In
Potomac Parkwat, it Will heIeaftef
be one Of the sights Of washington.
In this city of memorials this monu-
ment stands out as something quite
different and apart. 1t embodies in
its design a portrait figure of John
Ericsson, the inventor and designer
of the Monitor. But the main portion
of the monument Is given over to al
legorical representation OF the IN.
rentor'S characteristics. On q round
pedestal in we'll arranged group
stand figures personifying Vision. Ad.
venture and Labor. AT the feet OF
Vision, wrapped in voiumfnous cloak
or coat and in evident contemplation,
son, whose willingness to work ana
love of adventure enabled him to
achieve that which he envlstoned.
1t is a great thing when work In
sculpture not only fulfills the require
inents of art but speaks In unequiV-
ocal terms to the passerby. 1t Is
well, when q monument is reared to
a mortal man, that it should set forth
his immortal characteristics, me-
inorializing spiritual achievement
rather than physical supremacy. This
the John Ericsson Monument does.
1t is essentially plastic, impressive in
mere bulk and outline. There Is
beauty in form and in mass, but back
of this is beauty of design, beauty OF
intellect, beauty of significance. A
new standard is set by Mr.. Fraser.
through the medium of this work, In
monumental sculpture.
James Earle Fraser, 1t will be re-
membered, was the sculptor Of the
statue of Alexander Hamilton which
stands on the south steps Of the
Treasury-one of the best portrait
statues not only in Washington, but
that has been produced in this coun-
try, vieing both in interest and merit
with MacMonnie's great statue Of
Nathan Hale, which stands in City
Hall Park, New York. Mr.. Fraser
was also the sculptor Of the John
Hay Memorial and of that interesting
equestrian. "The End of the Trail"
embodying the spirit Of the Far West.
which was a notable feature of the
San Francisco Exposition.
James Earle Fraser's impression.
able boyhood was spent in the Dako-
tas. his father, Alexander Fraser,
being one of the engineers of the
Northern Pacific Railroad. His play.
mates were Indian boys and girls.
When the railroad was completed the
family moved to Minneapolis. 1t was
there that the young sculptor began
his training in art. Later he went to
the Chicago Art Institute, and from
there to Europe. He was fortunate
enough to become pupil of Angus
tus Saint -Gaudens, working in the
great masters studio in Paris at the
time the Sherman Statue in New York
took shape After five years of this
apprenticeship he returned to New
York and took up Independent work
I'm his own studio. 1t was in the early
days there that he did a beautiful me-
dallion of the children Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Harry Payne Whitney. Later he de-
signed and modelled the gold medal
for the American Academy Of Arts
and Letters and the medal of honor
for the American Institute of Graphic
Arts. Some years ago, when new
scent piece was to be issued, he was
given the commission for its design
and modelled the figure Of a buffalo for
one side, the head of an Indian chief
for the other. Every one who has In
his purse one Of these coins possesses
a work in sculpture by the great sculp'
tor Of the John Ericsson Monument.
To ENcr 10 EtY~cC VTyf1
chosen to model a war memorial for
the Bank of Montreal, the most beautf-
full statue, Royal Cortissoz says, thus
far related to this subject. Writing Of
this work some time ago in '"The Field
of Art" in Scribner's. Mr.. Cortissoz
remarked: "It commentaries the valor
of a portentous body of men from the
bank who died OH the field OF battle,
more than 800 Of them. Fraser inter-
preted their deeds. not in dramatic, but
IN serenely meditative form. He mod
eled standing figure Of Victory, a
cleaning white image, which he has
placed among the colossal pillars of
dark granite that make the salient
feature of the atrium. The statue Is
INTELLECTUALLY in harmony with its
environment. It Is literally part of the
building, and Fraser's conception of
his task was, no doubt, determined In
q measure by an architectural view
of the matter. But what has interest
ed me in this superb memorial has
been the fact that the artists imag-
tnation. profoundly touched by the
war, was never for a moment dislo-
Gated or detached from the atmos-
phere in which, as an artist, he had
been accustomed to work. He
adhered to classical ideas, was almost
Greek in his treatment of form. He
looked to the spiritual side Of victory.
its calm steadfastness, its mood of ex.
elted resignation. He thought only
of what was nobly tragic in the world