Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-17

figures Of sculpture in Union Square
were further accompanied by carvings
in wood, showing InjunS with leaves Of
tobacco, or perhaps Pocahontas saving
the neck of Capt. Smith, a World
War veteran. But wooden Indians
which even reminded one of Tammany
chiefs are now gone-they are out of
style. So are figures of Washington,
Lincoln and the Frog or Dago or Greek
1t is not intended to ga rid entirely
of these old antiques, but New York
will shove them over, out of the way
and sort o. hide them with cedar trees
and bushes, while in the very center Of
Union Square they propose to erect a
glorious monument to Charles Murphy,
to prove what any Irishman may be-
come. here in free America, whether on
the force or in City Hall or Tammany
| Hall.
| Now does not that make a beautiful
| pair-Mrs. Civic Virtue, still unclothed
! and in her right mind before City Hall,
and Mr.. Murphy himself looming like
Liberty Enlightening Tammany IN
! Union Square,!
It's going to be the greatest show on
earth-show of bad taste and blasphemy
! of patriotic sentiment.
| OF course, according to modern art
veyS nothing to the mind or magma
ton or emotions: it lives for its own
| sake until it will die of hamilton. 1t
must tell no story, adorn no tale, inspire
no sentiment. In that view it makes no
difference what Mr.. Murphy's record is.
His elevation to a 12-foot pedestal, with
a bronze frieze illustrating the spirit OF
| liberty, and the Is coats of arms OF the
| original colonies-coatS now in
/ i ~ oSY1 COLI
mer is cloSing-will not conflict with
! any canons of modern aesthetics.
! Maybe the whole Declaration OF hide
pendence will be printed on the pedestal,
| in big letters, that he who reads may
run, but that is not wholly decided, for
! the question of whether it should be in
Hebrew or Gaelic disturbs the commit
| tee. A compromise may be necessary by
| substituting, To the victor belong the
| spoils." which is short enough to repeat
| in several dialects comprehensive to
Tammany's constituency. A fine bronze
! tablet telling about Mr.. Murphy will
| decorate the pedestal. Out of the ped
! estal will rise a stalk like a Mexican
| cactus-90 feet high. It's all going to
cost $4,000, which Tammany will pro-
vide.
Yet one thing is lacking-and it may
start scandal if not remembered. 1t
is too far from Union Square to City
Hall. and some fool gossip will be sure
to start tale that there is rift be-
tween Mr.. and Mrs. Civic Virtue, unless
they get together It would be awful
If the story got out that there might
be a divorce, on the ground OF 1ncom-
patibility of temper, or desertion, or
worse. AS head of the home, it is
Murphy's legal right to dictate where
L. sIa -1,aI 10 &c MT -
Virtue to hasten up there to her hus-
| bands new home. That is right in
front of Tammany Hall; she will find
herself among strangers, up there, but
politics make strange bed-fellows."
It was old Aristotle. who defined
beauty-"Beauty is the splendor of
truth" Even if Truth remains down
a deep, deep hole where Tammany pre-
fers distantly to peer at her, as it might
look at an aquarium monster. her
Civic Virtue and consort Charles F.
Murphy.
The message of Art Is the perpetual
ton of such qualities of beauty as the
artist desires to express. The pushing
aside of effigies of George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Lafayette
to make room for glorified Murphy,
WIlOSe LOWERING SNdlI VIII OVeICOp CLlcLl
all. speaks eloquently of the modern
ideals of New York and the message of
Americanism which is to be presented
to the incoming immigrant, as well as to
the millions of natives of the Land Of
| the Free and the Home of the Brave"
No longer first in war, first in peace
and first in the hearts of his country
| memo longer the hero of human
freedom in "a government Of the people,
EN,. 10 kNrK< IL
longer the personification of self-sacri-
flee on behalf of humanity-none of
these virtues shall be hereafter conspicu-
GUS ideals of America. Tammany steps
upon the pedestal The boy who would
emulate the glorious,
'Toils much to earn a monumental pile.
That may record the mischiefs he hath
done"
tcouyriSht 1893. By Paul v. coIins,)