Evening star., 1946-06-09
Fifty Years Ago

monument OeSiQn ana QlStlnctl0n OF
Accepted erecting a struc-
ture of granite and
bronze in this city to commemorate the
achievements of Gen. William Tecumseh
Sherman. This conclusion was reached
at noon today by the members of the
National Sherman Monument Comnis-
sion." Three other designs s--submitted
by P. w. Bartlett, j. Massey Rhind and
G. H. Niehaus-were rejected. Symbolic
figures representing war and peace,
four bas reliefs showing the general
In action, three statues Of soldiers and
statue of "a young woman adorning
shermans sword" and finally an eques-
trian statue of the general himself, it
was explained, would be features of the
composition. The ground to be covered
was estimated as Sc feet 9 inches long
by 49 feet 6 inches wide Mr.. Rohl-
Smith wanted his work to stand on
'the gently sloping ground north of
the Treasury Building" 1t now appears
on the south end of that edifice-and
the young woman adorning' has been
replaced with a fourth statue of
soldier
A campaign in which The Star had
played leading role came to a trium-
phant conclusion
Congress Approves when Con gress
libroN passed and sent
to Pres d ent
Cleveland an act providing for the
establishment of a public library in
and for the city of Washington. The
issue of the paper dated May %, 1896,
contained an editorial to the effect that:
For what has been done many people
deserve to be thanked and some of them
will long be gratefully remembered for
the services they have rendered the
community in pushing to a successful
issue the legislative endeavor over which
rejoicing. even loud rejoicing, would be
entirely proper" Among those credited
with helping the achievement were
Senator Mcmillan, Representatives
Babcock, wellington and Grout, the
Washington Board of Trade, the labor
organizations, the District Commission
ers, the Board of School Trustees "and
number of other public spirited organ
izations and individuals" But the
truth OF history must be preserved and
in order that this be done, The Star
takes this occasion to exult openly in
the fact that the free library bill is
The Stars own child-a small child yet
perhaps but healthy and full of promise
and likely to become one of the con-
spicuous and most valuable institutions
of the National Capital"
A lengthy article in The Star for Nav
80, 1896. told how: Mindful of the fact
that the picturesque
lndions red man, adorned
Disoppeorino with his primitive
paint and feathers
and armed with his characteristic
weapons Of wood and stone, has
become an almost extinct species, to
be regarded by another generation as
a curiosity the Government of the
United States has devised a novel
method for preserving the forms OF
such uncivilized types as remain for the
view of posterity." The plan referred
to called for the manufacture of a
collection Of plaster of paris figures"
in which will be reproduced every de-
tail of measurement, expression, color
ing, costume and armament of repre-
sentative types of all the red nations
now hourishing." According to those in
charge of the enterprise, 'the work will
be the first of the kind to combine the
exactness of science with the grace of
art" Prof. Otis Mason of the National
Museum was to direct the proceedings,
and the photographs used in the project
were to be made by "the expert ethno-
photographer" william Dinwiddie The
latter was to carry into the field his
own portable studio and laboratory.
Subsequently, he took his camera to