Evening star., 1926-11-11
THE NORTH WINDOW
By Leila MecIin.

tust across the river from Windsor,
VT, without even Il post office OF It's
own, nesties the little town or Cor
nish. Here, not on a village street
but In the midst of a large. beautl-
full estate, Is an art museum OF
unique interest and character. the
Saint -Gaudens Memorial. This COM
pr!ses not only Saint-Gaudens' two
studios, but his home and his buria!
place with their picturesque setting
among the pines. Here 1t was that
Augustus Saint -Gaudens spent the
last 25 years of his life ana that
some of his most famous works were
modelled. For those who love beauty.
1t has become a place of pilgrimage:
More than 10000 persons have signeo
the register at Aspect in the past
few years.
1t was back in the eighties.
biographer tells us, that Saint-Gau-
dens came here at the suggestion OF
his friend. Charles G. Beaman. a
partner of William NJ. Evarts. The
sculptor was at that time working
on the model Of his standing Lin
coin of Chicago. Up in this hill
country. MIR. Beaman told him, he
would find plenty of Lincoln shaped
men"
A century-old brick tavern was
remodeled as a home and an old
stable became, under the magic
touch of a gifted architect, the Studio
of the Pergola, the sculptor's own
workroom. AS students multiplied, 8
large New Studio" was built and
again rebuilt. These stand today
just as Saint-Gaudens used them,
and gathered therein are examples Of
his work. On the walls are TO be
seen his exquisitely modelled. bas re-
lief portraits, on pedestals and
suitably placed. are reductions of
and studies for his monumental
works. In one of the studios the
Angel OF Victory" for the Sherman
statue in New York, serves as pre-
siding genius. From Edinburgh and
Paris to Chicago and Washington.
his creations are far flung. But
only in the studio at Aspect may
one get a comprehensive view of his
art. Hero where many Of the works
were created one feels still the spirit
OF the master and Is touched and
moved and inspired by the exquisite
beauty of his renderings."
X X X u
Here it was that Saint -Gaudens
worked most happily with his young
pupils. many of whom were destined
to acquire fame, and here gradual
ly he drew around him famous col.
ony OF artists-Herbert Adams. James
Earle Fraser, Henry Herring, Frances
Grimes. Stephen and Maxfield Par
rish, Kenyon Cox, Thomas Dewing
and John W. Alexander; among
writer's. Winston Churchill, Percy
MacKaye. Witter Bynner and Will
liam Vaughn Moody; and among
musicians, Arthur Whiting, Mime.
Louise Homer and others.
It was these happy comrades who
planned and celebrated in June. 1905.
at Aspect the now-famous masuue
of The Gods and the Golden Bowl"
| commemorating the twentieth ami.
versary Of the founding of the Cornish
colony.
Under n renaissance canopv OF
warm toned Vermont marble, DESIGNED
by William NJ. Kendall of the firm of
Mckim, Mead & White, is a Roma n
sacriticial altar, a reproduction Of one
! modelled by SaintGaudens' studio asa
| sistant, Henry Herring. for the cere.
/ monial finale Of this masque. Here
rests all that is mortal of the great
/ sculptor.
After Mr.. Saint-Gaudens' death his
widow. without regard to self-interest,
! kept the house as we'll as the studios
open 10 visitors. Her son, Homer
! Saint Gaudens, now director Of fine
arts at the Carnegie Institute, Pitts
burgh, who has had his Summer
| home, Rarberry House, nearby, has
| iCiTYnI with hfS iv, 4ev
! the entire place to his fathers mem.
! ory. That 1t might be a perpetual
monument to Augustus Saint-Gaudens
! the whole was Incorporated in 1919
! and chartered by the State of New
! Hampshire. 1t was understood that as
! long as Mrs. SatntGaudens lived she
| should have the use of the home. Mrs.
| Saint -Gaudens died last Summer, and
| it is necessary now for the trustees to
| take over the responsibility which, un-
/ til her death, Mrs. SaintGaudenS per.
| sonally assumed. One hundred thou.
sand dollars is required for a main
, tenance fund, and this the trustees
are now seeking--little enough, 1t
would seem, as compared to the value
OF the memorial to the people of Amer.
lea. The hope is that the sum will be
| realized through many small gifts be
! tol<ening widespread interest.
| Not only will 1t mean much to pre-.
| serve this place as it now stands be
| cause Of it's associations but as q wit.
ness to art In it's full significance Ref
erence was made in this column last
week to Mr.. Hergesheimer's professed
WEAKNESS of art. None could visit
| Aspect and retain such an attitude
! In an age such as this-an age which
| is said to be entirely ION wheels"-it
! is peculiarly desirable that such a
| place as Aspect should be preserved.
X
We have here in Washington one OF
| Saint -Gaudens' masterpieces, perhaps
| his greatest masterpiece-the Adams
| If one wants to know how this came
! into existence and what Saint -Gaudens
| himself had in mind when he modelled
| it, one need only read the Biography
and Letters" of the sculptor. edited
! by his son. This statue gives us in
Washington special reason for remem
| bering Augustus Saint -Gaudens and
| for gratitude to him. Not only does
! it memorialiZe the one in whose mem
| ory 1t was erected, but forever does
| it answer such doubts as those of Mr.
| Hergesheimer's kind who question the
| immutability Of art. AS a well known
writer and lecturer on the drama has
| said. this statue is so supremely quiet
| it lifts one out Of the commonplace
| out of the everyday world.
\ X + X
Saint -Gaudens spent quite a little
time in Washington and It should not
be forgotten that he was a member
of that now famous commission ap.
r0iv,fod NV ho 20 70 -.