conceived a bitter dislike for this new fresh genius who thought his own thoughts and was grand enough in spirit to ignore the horde of imitators and push them entirely out of his artistic atmosphere, so that they would not hinder the natural flow of that sublime quality in art,sincere individuality. But this great man was gifted with two rare qualities, besides his genius, silence and determination. Here indeed was a fine starting point for the new era in our professional life, a nature so strong and gentle that nothing could swerve it from the direct and simple path to great sculpture, that through honest individual feeling expressed with strength and power. The silence of the man was a terrific power in itself and he silenced his enemies in this way many times. It is impossible to think that he ever hated any one, he simply put them out of his mind and went on with his work. First of all there was a stalwart nobility in the character of Mr. Saint Gaudens that is entirely lacking in those who have assumed to occupy his place. The reason that his work was so full and strong, breathing of nobility and truth, was because these qualities in hered in the man. He could not express anything in a cold, soulless way. Whatever his little outward faults were, if he had any, they never went deeper than the surface, and there always remained that well-spring of the sublime mystery of his own nature. When he was angry at the mean tricks resorted to by his brother sculptors, it was because of a fine sense of the injustice to his profession. He saw no reason for it and therefore condemned with merciless speech those who degraded art for their own ends. This combination of sweetness and strength and these great impulses drove home into the clay a vigor and refinement which is not possible with a cold, cunning and calculating mind. In the hour of the writer's own suffering, this towering genius did not hesitate to When this quiet, reserved and dignified It is natural to speak of his "later works," but in truth there are no later works. He labored so sincerely to the end that the first was as good as the last, and his long training in the Ecôle des Beaux Arts and in Europe made of him a master from the first to the last day of his work in the active field of his profession. his home has been renover The writer cannot pass the Shaw Memorial, in Boston, without instinctively lifting his hat, not for pose or effect on the passerby but out of reverence for the presence of those silently marching slaves in whose faces is that wonderful expression and human cry for freedom, for justice and for life) Pre The sculptor is forgotten, but his ideal dominates the mind of the spectator. Truly, this is great sculpture. forgotteme to nust, tr Not far away from this masterpiece is another work, cold and meaningless, just legs and arms of animal and man. One has only to look at these two works in close proximity to discover on the instant what a vast difference there is between sculpture developed from character and that manufactured without it. It is well to call attention to this difference at this time, when we are passing through one of the most distressing periods of commercialism in our art life SE THADDEUS S. C. LOWE: ONE OF AMERICA'S BENEFACTORS. BY GEORGE WHARTON JAMES. EVENTY-FIVE years ago there was born at Jefferson Mills, now known as Riverton, New Hampshire, a boy whose future life was little dreamed of by those who heard his first baby cry. There were other children in the family and the parents were poor, yet the mother found time to read something of the better literature of the time, and she had been thrilled with Jane Porter's interesting novel, Thaddeus of Warsaw, shortly before the birth of her boy. Who knows what dreams the sensitive mother heart had for her unborn child? Who knows what ambitions stirred within her as she asked herself what her child should be? And with a mother's pride and a mother's ambition she daringly gave to the tiny creature of pink flesh that had so recently come to her arms the high-sounding name of Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt. Two were great patriots and great military heroes. How foolish her neighbors must have thought her! "How absurd the triple and heavy name with which she has weighted down her son," the more learned doubtless exclaimed; and yet it is no figment of the imagination to assert that Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe grew up to benefit and bless more people by far than did both of the historic heroes whose names he bears. When quite a lad, Lowe's father died. As the family was large the mother was required by the selectmen of the town to do what was quite common in those days, viz., sell out the services of her son for a certain period to whoever would care for him. The man who bought Thaddeus' services was rough and rude, and he treated the lad so harshly that he determined to run away. Not far from where the noted Waumbek hotel now stands is the cottage from which he fled and outside was a pile of his pocket, trudged Photo, by Steckel, Los Angeles, Cal. PROFESSOR LOWE AND MRS. LOWE AT 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR WEDDING, FEBRUARY 14TH, 1905. blossomed out into an aëronaut. One of his first friends and helpers was Tilly Haynes, the well-known hotel man, who then lived in Springfield, Massachusetts, and who said: "Come to Springfield and give us an ascension on the Fourth of July and we 'll pay you well." On the strength of the promises of friends he went ahead, constructed a fine balloon and prepared for the ascension, which was a complete success. Others followed in rapid succession. He was making a name for his daring and his ability; but he cared nothing for that. He was learning. His ascensions were not made for glory; they were for study. Long before the applause of the giddy and excited crowds below had left his ears he was taking careful note of the air-currents through which he passed, and the direction other currents were flowing. Scientists soon began to learn what he was after. His ideas were new and novel. He scouted the thought that we were compelled to remain in ignorance of the weather until it came. He ventured the bold assertion that the time would come when the government of an enlightened country like the United States would soon inform the people of the respective sections what kind of weather they might reasonably expect for the following twenty-four or fortyeight hours. He was laughed at, of course, as a visionary, but other and wiser men further questioned the studious youth with the far-seeing eyes, and listened in amazement as he outlined the possibilities of what he conceived to be the duties of the United States in this regard. And in later years, when his ideas were taken in toto and out of them was formulated the United States Weather Bureau, then the scoffers began to realize as scoffers have always realized when too late that any fool can scoff, but it takes a wise man to listen and heed. Among the wise men who heeded Lowe's ideas was Joseph Henry, the greatest American scientist of his day, and then Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Lowe was certain that at a certain distance above the earth an aircurrent would be found that invariably flowed eastward, no matter how the surface currents were blowing. To thoroughly test this he built the largest aërostat ever constructed. It was 150 feet perpendicular diameter, by 104 transverse diameter, the upper portion being spherical. When fully inflated with hydrogen, its atmospheric displacement amounted to a lifting force of twenty-two and a half tons. For its outfit were provided, in addition to the car, all the necessary scientific instruments and a Francis metallic life-boat. schooner-rigged, so that all reasonable precautions would be taken against accident. The gas envelope weighed over two tons, and the net-work and cordage added another ton and a half, while the extra outfit and passengers brought the total weight up to over eight tons. A practical purpose for the use of this balloon was the bringing of speedy news of the markets of Europe to this country, for it will be remembered that the Atlantic cable, though laid in 1857, was practically useless until 1866. Professor Henry, however, was not willing to allow Professor Lowe to risk his life on this trans-Atlantic trip until he had first demonstrated the existence of the eastern air-current. He practically said: "Why can't you build a smaller balloon, and when all the surface currents are blowing westward make an ascension? Then if you come eastward for any long distance, we shall be reasonably certain that this eastern current exists, and I will then further your plans all I possibly can.” No sooner suggested than done. Professor Lowe built a balloon, went to Cincinnati and waited for telegraphic reports that should tell when all the surface winds were blowing westward. When the news finally came, he was at a banquet, in full dress clothes, and with a high silk hat. Yet such was his enthusiasm and delight at being able to go that he would not wait to change his clothes, but dressed as he was, made the ascent. Murat Halstead, the distinguished editor of Cincinnati's leading newspaper, wrapped up a jug of hot coffee for him in a blanket, and amid the shouts of his |