Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14

people. however fail to understand Crawford's
Statue Of Freedom with It's inconsistent Indian
headdreSS, fringed Grecian robe and circle Of
stars on the brow. It would be di6acult TO
classify this statue IN the realms Of art for it is
neither ancient nor modern, classic nor Ameri-
can.
Thomas Crawford was a sculptor Of marked
ability and tremendous energy. Besides the
Statue Of Freedom he was granted commissions
for the bronze doors of the Senate and House
wings Of the Capitol and also the Senate pedi-
ment He did not live to see any of this work
entirely completed. He was born March a.
1914, in New York State and was the father of
F. Marion Crawford, the novelist. The artist
received $1,000 for designing the statue for
the dome Of the Capitol, which he referred to
as THE Statue of America" and sometimes as
ARMED Liberty" He wrote the United States
Government from Paris April l. 1857 requesting
the authority to have the statuary cast under
his personal supervision at the Royal Bavarian
Foundry at Munich, then the most famous
foundry in the world. But his aspiration was
never fulfilled, for the artist died four months
later on September 10, 1857, in London.
After Crawford's death his wife undertook to
complete his contracts. On April 49, 1853, the
plaster model Of the Statue of Freedom was
loaded on the bark Emily at Leghorn, Italy, and
started its voyage to the United States. Three
days from port the vessel sprung a leak which
persisted for 80 days, then the ship docked at
Gibraltar for repairs. On June Is she set sail
again for New York. But the sea was stormy
and the weather rough and in four days the
ship was leaking again. The sailors wrestled
with the leak for IL days, then they began to
throw the cargo overheard, AZ cases of citron
and $50 bales Of rags were sacrificed before they
finally reached Bermuda with the bark Emily
making water at the rate of 16 inches an hour.
At Bermuda the vessel was condemned and
the precious statuary for the United States
Capitol was stored on the island for several
mn he rna ~ tk1n Al
ped to America piecemeal on various boats, and
the last Of the Statuary finally arrived in WASH
ingtOn about year after it had started across
the stormy Atlantic from Italy.
"A LMOST six years had now elapsed since the
commission for the statue had been given,
four years had passed since the design had been
executed, and many more years were fated to
pass before the figure was finally cast into
bronze and placed into position. The Republic
was In a troubled condition, Civil War seemed
imminent, and work on the Capitol was
suspended
When the plaster model of Freedom finally
reached its destination it was put together by a
talented Italian artist, who worked intermit-
tently about the Capitol and set upon a wooden
pedestal, for exhibition purposes, in the old
House Of Representatives Statuary Hall.
Thus in the range of ordinary vision it fur
nished a perpetual topic for conversation and
it was hkened to Daniels Biblical description of
the fearful dream of the tyrant Nebuchadnezzar
The prophet said, Thou, o King, sawest a great
image whose brightness was excellent and the
form thereof was terrible"
This monstrous statue is indeed great
image"-19h feet high-whose earnest, staring
eyes, wide nostris and open lips seem to be
brOod1ng over profound secrets Her long,
graceful drapery Is heavily fringed and held in
place at the breast by y brooch monogrammed