Out-Door Monuments 



the people are blind and deaf to the differ- 

 ence, in aspect and message, between such 

 works as these two. Hundreds of persons 

 of all classes daily stop to study the Farra- 

 gut statue, while, if we watch at the other 

 end of the park, we find that scarcely a 

 glance is ever directed to the Seward. St. 

 Gaudens's statue of Lincoln not only adorns 

 the city of Chicago and teaches its people 

 what sculptor's work should be, but helps 

 to interpret the greatest of Americans to 

 generations that never knew him. It is im- 

 possible to think that it will not have great 

 influence upon the conscience and patriotism 

 of the youth of Chicago. But will the youth 

 of New York profit much by the Lincoln 

 statue on Union Square ? And who has ever 

 cared to inform himself about Bolivar af- 

 ter seeing his grotesque equestrian figure in 

 Central Park ? 



The proportion of bad monuments to 

 good ones in any American city to-day is 

 probably at least ten to one ; and the col- 

 lective effect of so many poor works in de- 

 forming our public places, and discouraging, 



207 



