Evening star., 1932-07-24
DANIEL. CHESTER FRENCH: Sculptor. By
Adeline Adams. Boston: Houghton- Mimtn
Co.


Chester French. sculptor To him
it owes some of its finest sculptural
art Best known within the French
group Is great Lincoln, enshrined
within his own Memorial Building
BESIDE the Potomac. Another, in front of thei
Institution for Deaf Mutes, is tenderly beau
tiful creation. the humane and gifted CaIlau-
Oct, teaching speech to the eager and ardent
child leaning against him seated in his chair
In Statuary Hall ct the Capitol is Mr. French,s
sturdy figure Of Senator Lewis Cass of Michi-
gan, honored by place in the Paris Salon
Beside these heroic figures are the two fountain
memorials, poetic. symbolic beautiful That
one below the White Hou5e hidden in its own
enclrcllng greenery, raised to the memory of
Archie Butt and Frank diIlet, victims of the
Titanic disaster. The other one in Dupont Cir
Gle honoring Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont
These two are, primarily, aIlegories of the sea
embodied subsequently in marble and running
water. Most beautiful! Truly distinctive and
character. site of this artist.
Adeine Adams offers us now as addition To
our highly treasured collection of Daniel Ches-
Ter French's WORK. an intimate study of Mr.
French Not biography. according to the
author. An essay instead. Yet the true
geographic content is here and to it is added an
intimacy OF revelation not usual to that form
This advantage comes from the long friendship
OF the author with the family-Mr and Mrs
french and their dau2hter-in the New Eng
land home Of Chesterwood. Written not long
before Mr. Frenchs death this brief study is
untouched by the sadness that would naturally
have marked later writing We should have
missed unavoidably. something of the man.
something of the playfuiness and wit. the
cheerful serenity, the tender consideration for
others. the smiling, high hearted courage that
perVaded a lifetime of supreme dedication tc
our countrys art"
The study begins with the lad, handsome
n of
whose family accepted the Law professionally
winning both local and national recognition in
that field. But Dan would have nothing of the
law A dreaming fellow, SO the neighbors said
using up good time, whiting rabbits and other
small live things out CT turnips, perfectly good
turnips too. SO the neighbors said
Swiftly the reminiscence runs out into Dan
lei Chester Frenchs study of art in America
and in Europe. Speedily a picture book.
emerges from the description and discussion.
These pictures are of the famous SCULPTURES
made by the artist. Beside them is running
comment upon each, the occasion that inspired
it. the deep inspiration that sourced it. the skill
that wove idea and medium to artistic reality.
naming Of the place which each of these works
may BE- found useful BOOK and an engrossing
one
Here is the familiar Minute Man Of Con-
cord" And here the beautiful and lingering
monument to Martin Milmcre IN Forest Hill
the Hand Of the Young Sculptor" Here is the
bronze bust Of Ralph Waldo Emerson vital and
expressive. Here is In Flanders Fields" and
"Deathand the Young Warrior" both war me-
morials So. from New England and New York
to the Pacific Coast they stand from North 10
South through Washington and on to Georgia
tributes to a peculiarly poetic genius. In hail.
and museum and park in the traffic of city
streets, they bring cause to the hours preoccu-
patton for second of time in feeling the touch
of beauty to the heart. Just one deep-breathng
second of release
For its spirit of intimate acquaintance and
deep friendship for its appreciation of this man
IS artist for the intelligence Of it's comments
for its concise treatment from which no essen
hal and illuminating thing IS missing for all this
we, here in Washington, who possess as a city
so much of Daniel Chester French's work. look
upon this study as sort of special message to
us And once-just by blessed chance had
q few weeks, at table, with that beautiful FAM
lily. all three. So, quite specially this is my book
but that is something else. Adeltne Adams
story belongs really to the Capital City, as
whole. by way Of it's lovers of art
MAID OF ATHENS: A Novel of Today. By
French Strother. New York: Doubleday,
Doran &, Co.
A NOVEL of current life, cleverly wrought
to the skinlning reader Essentially,
nevertheless, Greek tragedy, classic in au-
stere acceptance of the fates, pursuing i'm
placable, Furnishing those disobedient ones who
step aside from the lines laid down for them
by destiny when the world itself was made.
AS story it is that of Thea Milo, the young
and lovely Athenian, the great actress who
night by night lifted her townsfolk into an
ecstasy of joy over the passionate fervor of
her Antigone where the maid merged into the
genius By day the girl moved about her SIM
Ole in the of her father and
brother. Plain folks. subject to old Greek
customs. like their neighbors. And one of
these customs was the practical barter of
daughters into wedlock. And Akopoulos. the
wine merchant of Patras, had looked upon the
beauty and genius of this girl as maybe,