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| JWB, 2010 |
The statue,
one of two sculptures in the city (The other is Storks at Play in front of the Lincoln Park Conservatory) provided
for in the will of lumberman Eli Bates, was dedicated on a gray afternoon. Chicago Mayor E. A. Roche headed the
dignitaries on the dais, and Abraham Lincoln II, the 15-year-old grandson of
the late president, released the flag covering the statue as upwards of 10,000
people watched.
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| JWB, 2010 |
There is the old-fashioned carelessly
rolled collar falling in reversed furrow over the thick silk cravat. There is the old-fashioned shirt-front, with
the two wide plats on either side of the middle one with its honest buttons and
buttonholes exactly in the middle. There
is the medium low wrinkled vest, none too well fitted, and the long round
old-style black corded watchguard passing about the neck and carrying the watch
to the left pocket of the vest. There is
the old frock coat, its slightly shirred sleeve tops, its loose, bagging
sleeves, its buttons none too tight in their places . . . There are the loose
trousers, ill-fitting at the ankles, and the Western square-toed boots. Thus attired, almost lank, grave, careworn,
Yankeeish, and homely, Abraham Lincoln, by the grace of God working in his soul
and into his aspect, stands before men, proving under the hand of genius that
classic drapery is not indispensable to artistic effect in sculpture nor theatrical
accessories necessary to make the human form seem somewhat divine. The bronze chair of state relieves the
austerity of the figure and appropriately symbolizes the exalted function of
the office it suggests.
The ceremony
was disrupted just as the martyr’s grandson was pulling away the flag that
covered the statue. As the First
Regiment Band began to play Hail Columbia and the men of Battery D began to
fire a 38-gun salute, a horse drawing a two-person cart was spooked by the
sudden noise and plunged through the crowd before attempting to jump a fence
and entangling itself in the wires.
Mrs. C. L.
Dunning was thrown over the horse’s head, and Miss Ora Cody jumped out of the
cart. Neither woman was seriously
injured, but the members of the constabulary cut the 38-gun volley short.
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| JWB, 2010 |
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| JWB, 2010 |
The statue is a good place to seek out in the next few weeks. Stand before the likeness of a politician who rose above the fray, made the hard choices, and ultimately paid for it with his life. It gives one something to think about as we head toward November.
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1 comment:
Very nice colors & theme.
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