Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-24
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

With elaborate ceremonies the statue
OF Gen. George H. Thomas at the inter-
| rr section Of Fourteenth street
noIseS and Massachusetts, avenue
in Art was unveiled November 49,,
1879, in conjunction with
the annual reunion of the Society of
the Army of the Cumberland. This
statue had attracted-as it still at
tracts-wide and favorable attention
as an equestrian work of art The
Star of November 81, 1879, thus COM
ments upon the subject Of horse statu-
ary":
"It is always a pleasure to welcome q
new work of art and to honor one who
deserves well of his country, and it Is
not the correct thing to look gift horses
in the mouth, even though they be
bronze. But while we welcome another
equestrian statue and mean to appreci-
ate whatever is good In it, we would ex-
press some regret for the comparative
absence of other forms of Statuary in
our public grounds. Simply as q work
of noble art we can but think that the
Greenough Washington in front of the
Capitol Is worth them all. If those who
would honor our military heroes con-
time to put them all on horseback, they
will soon defeat their own objects in
measure. A horse is very useful to
general in the field, but It is not nee
essary to even a general in bronze.
While the world has few examples OF
great success in works of this kind, 1t
is nevertheless dangerous form.
We can never get beyond the Greeks
in these things. The Panathenaic pro-
here, is study for all time. There
we are pleased to see finely developed
men marching beside ponies. Brumidi
follows the worthy example in his latest
work in the Capitol. The quadruped
cannot be so dwarfed in these equeS-
TRAN statues. If anything like horse
is made. it must be a full-Sized and
noble horse. The man suffers accord
ingly. Between the hero and the spec
tator, dividing the admiration of the
latter. must necessarily stand e bigger
object than the hero.
About all that portrait sculpture can
do in these days is to confine itself to
the bust. We no longer have bodies;
or II we have we conceal them. This
cannot be helped. Washington, fortu-
nately for Greenough, had form, or is
supposed to have had which would
bear exposure. But think-or rather
don't think-how Mr.. Lincoln would ap-
pear under such treatment! What a
subject for colossal bust was the head
OF Gen. Scott! And what a subject for
a horses back was the stomach of Gen.
Scott Sculpture in this direction in
evitably resolves itself to this--a human
face and suit Of clothes. If those
who order these statues will have their
works live as works Of art, they must
accept the inevitable. We have the full
length statue of Gen. Rawlins without
horse, but can any one look at him,
his head and brow entirely lost under
his hat, without wishing that the sculp-
tor had attempted only a grand and
worthy bust, with the resolve to accom-
plish that or nothing? If he could not
ennoble his subject. he should not have
belirtled it. Yet We suppose he made
just about what he was required to
make. While judging AMI enjoying and
giving thanks for these works in the
generous spirit in which they are di-
rected, we would whisper to the future
committees who arrange the matter
that they will best accomplish their OBJ
ject If they give us the heroes them
selves, pure and simple. or so much of
them as modern civilization will per-
init. and that when they shall have put
into six grand busts as much money
and labor as have been put into our six
equestrian statues, and shall have heard
the verdict, they will rot soon return to
the horses and tailor's clothes"