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AN AMERICAN MONUMENT TO
SURPASS THE PYRAMIDS
(Augustus Lukeman in The City Builder) ’
When I took the commission to
create the memorial to the Southern
Confederacy on the face of Stone
Mountain, near Atlanta, Ga., I found
that my predecessor had cut into
the solid granite an unfinished head
of great size, with two large holes
on each side of it, and that he had
destroyed whatever idea or design
he may have had or contemplated.
This left me free to create my own
ideas and design a composition that
would embody the unfinished head,
which was already carved. It meant
also that I must use the rough stone
masses, with the holes on either
side. My general design had to con
form to the physical conditions as
they then existed, and, therefore,
both the head and the holes largely
magnified the difficulties in the cre
ation of a new design for Stone
Mountain.
It is difficult to realize the enor
mity of this task. The equestrian
figures to be cut into the face of the
mountain will be 153 feet in height,
as high as a ten-story office building,
or as Hollins N. Randolph, the pres
ident of the association, has express
ed it: “The great Sphinx of Egypt,
if placed on General Lee’s shoulder,
would conceal only a part of his
head. General Lee’s shoulder will
form a ledge of granite on which
could be constructed a platform
large enough to seat cofnfortably 50
people. The head of a six-foot man
standing on General Lee’s moustache
is on a level with General Lee’s
eyebrow.” It is planned that this
gigantic piece of sculpture shall be
done in three parts: first, equestrian
figures of Jefferson Davis, General
Lee and General Jackson in the at
titude of receiving a review of the
marching army; second, directly be
hind the three leaders, two color
bearers and four other generals who
are to be chosen by the state his
torians of the South; third, the
marching army, so designed as to
give the illusion of thousands of
marching soldiers—infantry, caval
ry, artillery, all arms of the service.
To that idea for carving the moun
tain into a gigantic panorama has
been added a conception for the cre
ation of a great Memorial Hall in
the solid rock at the base of the
mountain, directly under the vast
work of sculpture stretching 1,600
feet across the granite. In this vast
scheme will be the Memorial Hall
dedicated to the women of the South
land, the tomb of the Unknown Sol
dier, a museum, a great lagoon or
reflection pool, a facade of colossal
columns cut out of the mountain, ov
er the architrave of which will be
an entablature with an nscription in
six languages, so that in centuries
to come students may read the
purpose for which it was created:
The inscription will read:
To the Valor of the Southern
Soldiers
The hall to be cut out of the solid
granite will be larger than any other
similar hall ever created, larger than
the famous tombs of the second
cataract of the Nile and larger than
most of the natural caves in the
world.
It is a staggering thought that this
vast monument will veritably outlast
the ravages of time and remain for
centuries without end as a monu
ment not alone to the soldiers of the
Confederacy or to the women of the
South, but also to the achievements
of the twentieth century. Geolo
gists estimate that this mountain
erodes at the rate of one-fourth of
an inch in 1,000 years! Think of
what that means—this monument
will endure forever, or into another
geologic age! Perhaps, when all
life has perished from the earth and
the whirling planet enters a new
phase, that evidence of the imagina
tion and handwork of man of this
century will carry into mute ages its
great story of the valor of the sol
diers of the South. Or, as has been
said by Mr. Randolph:
“Since remote antiquity mankind
has striven to erect a monument
which time could not destroy, but
never has the yearning been realized.
Stonehenge is a jumble of granite
slabs. Those marvelous temples east
of the Mediterranean whose black
marble columns were transported
from the headwaters of the Nile
are but mounds of debris. The
Pyramids of the Pharaohs are slow
ly crumbling. The glory that was
Greece and the grandeur that was
Rome have faded and fallen.”
But this monument cannot fall; it
is part of the earth; it will be one of
the last parts of the earth to crum
ble. The Parthenon is gone; the
Coliseum at Rome is only a mass of
stones for tourists to photograph;
records, histories, and buildings de
cay as even the Pyramids are decay
ing after 3,000 years, but in this
imperishable natural stone at its
natural place on earth will be the
inscriptions that may comprise the
Rosetta Stone for future ages.
The first step in the creation of
this vast panorama of the Southern
army on the face of the mountain is
the fashioning of a series of small
models about fifteen inches high.
There are to be three of these, in
accordance with the division of the
panorama into three parts, as I have
described earlier in the article. When
the details of the first small model
were complete, and approved, it was
enlarged five times into a more per
fect detailed model, known as the
master model. Finally, the master
model will be enlarged sixteen times,
into the final design upon the moun
tain. The actual design of the mas
ter model will be transferred to
Stone Mountain by a series of math
ematical measurements which will
plot the course of every curve. A
scale will be set up before the mas
ter model, which is about eleven
feet high, or one-third larger than
the life size of a man and horse, and
every square inch of the model will
be accurately plotted with relation
to its distance from the scale; when
this design then is transferred to
the granite of the mountain each
sixteen inch area will conform in
to the measurements
the master model. The creative work
of the sculptor will be done largely
on the master model. The larger
creation will be mainly a job for the
carvers, though the sculptor will su
pervise.
Physical difficulties are, of course,
enormous, and in some cases will
necessitate departure from strict ad
herence to faithful detail; we' must
take such artistic license as the phy
sical conditions «require. For in
stance, it is known to artists who
have created military statues that
the mounted officer carries his sword
or sabre suspended by a strap, it is
not fastened to the belt as it is when
he is dismounted. Strict adherence
to this known fact would require
us to cut a narrow piece of granite
sixteen feet long to represent the
strap—so narrow and fragile that
it would probably fall down the side
of the mountain of its own unsup
ported weight.
Therefore, we must fasten the
swords to the belts.
In cutting the panorama upon
the mountain we shall work from a
steel scaffold erected before the face
of the mountain. The work of cut
ting the first group—Davis, Lee
and Jackson—has begun, and con
struction of the scaffolding has
started; as soon as the scaffold is
completed the work can progress
rapidly, so that these three figures
should be finished in about two
years.
At the foot of the mountain, un
der the procession of the heroes,
the Memorial Hall will be cut into
the solid granite. It will be fifty
feet deep, ninety-five feet long, and
fifty feet high, in the form of a
semi-circle, with thirteen engaged
columns of the lonic order thirty
feet high, each column to represent
a state in the Confederacy; an en
tableture directly over the archi
trave of the columns and carrying
directly across the semi-circle will
be an inscription to the women of
the South, for this memorial Hall
is to be dedicated to them. In the
center of the hall will be a colossal
female figure, representing Memory.
Between each pair of columns will
be a tablet eight feet wide and
twenty-five feet high, in which will
be cut the names of the states, set
in gold. Below each tablet, in the
form of a continuous band cutting
across the thirteen columns, is a
vault, the face of which will be
carved with a garland and the name I
of each state. The vault will be
used for the Confederate roster of
each state. Directly under the band}
is a stone seat and in front, on the
floor or stylebeth, will be an inlay
of golden bronze in the form of the
coat of arms of each state. The
capitals and the bases of the thir
teen columns will be in gold.
The Memorial is to be approached
by an entrance 650 feet from the
mountain, the main entrance being a
gateway forty feet wide, flanked by
two pylons—a cluster of three col
umns twenty feet high. At right and
left from the pylons will run a low
wall terminating in necessary build-
EARLY COUNTY NEWS. BLAKELY, GEORGIA
ings. Upon entering the approach
to the Memorial the visitor will des
cend three steps to an esplanade,
which will contain a sunken lagoon
125 feet wide and 300 feet long. An
unusual feature of this sunken la
goon wijl be that a deep recess cut
under the mountain will give the
illusion that the water flows under
the towering pile of granite. This
illusion is not created by any of the
other great reflection pools of the
world, either at the Lincoln Memor
ial or the Taj Mahal; in those great
edifices the pool terminates at some
distance from the structure and
stands apart from it. On the es
planade around this pool will be
walks and rows of seats for those
who visit the Memorial.
On a platform thirteen steps
above the lagoon, and reflected in
the water, will be tomb of the Un
known Soldier, giving the impression
that his bier is floating upon a barge
into eternity.
The visitor will ascend by steps
and esplanades to another flight of
forty-eight steps which lead directly
to the Memorial Hall, each step
designating a state in the union in
the order of admission to the union.
On each side of the steps will be a
wall twenty-five feet high and eight
feet thick, which will terminate in
an engaged pedestal surmounted by
a large incense-holder fourteen feet
long and eight feet wide. It is the
intention that these urns be used on
special occasions for the burning of
incense. On either side of the great
stairway are two large flagstaffs,
which will be used on ceremonial
occasions.
The facade of the Memorial Hall
will be cut out of the solid granite of
the mountain. It will have six Doric
columns, each forty-one feet high
and seven and one-half feet in diam
eter. Each column would weigh 150
tons if disengaged. Between col
umns will be thirteen feet of space,
large enough to admit the passage of
a railroad car, which will be used in
the work of excavating the rock.
Looking down from the steps of
the Memorial Hall into the lower
basins, the visitor will have the im
pression of a vast amphitheater capa
ble of seating tens of thousands of
spectators.
The members of the association
who are undertaking such a vast
project are to be congratulated upon
their daring and patriotism. History,
indeed, has a precedent for such an
achievement. After the victories
over the Persians, Pericles gathered
together in Athens the best sculptors
and architects of the ancient world
for the purpose so creating what all
concede to have been one of the
finest and most beautiful structures
of all time—the Parthenon. History
tells us that the sculptors, architects
and directors of this enterprise
fought over their diversities of opin
ion, only to come together again to
i finish the great task they had begun.
So in the Renaissance Cellini and
Michelangelo had differences with
their employers, and in his anger at
the pope at the time of the comple
tion of the Sistine chapel Michelan
gelo painted the portrait of the
pontiff in .that part of the ceiling
set aside for the representation of
the Inferno. Stone Mountain like
wise has had its difficulties, which
we hope are now ended.
TELEPHONES AND
MOTOR CARS IN 60
PER CENT. OF HOMES
Sixty per cent of the homes in
America’s largest cities are supplied
with both telephones and automo
biles. This was one of the interest
ing facts disclosed in a report of
a survey made by the General Fed
eration of Women’s Clubs in 22
cities, including 1,722,570 family
grounds. Facts reported included:
Seventy-nine per cent of all homes
are lighted by electricity.
Seventy-four per cent use gas for
cooking.
Seventy per cent are equipped
with electric irons.
Sixty per cent are equipped with
telephones and automobiles.
Fifty-nine per cent have gas heat
ers.
Forty-seven per cent have vacuum
cleaners or other kinds of mechanical j
sweepers to lighten house work.
Twenty-three per cent have power
driven washing machines.
Hartford, Conn., reports the largest
number of houses equipped with run-|
ning water and sinks. In Cleveland
73 per cent of the houses are equip-:
ped with stationary laundry tubs and
running water.
On the other hand kerosene lamps
still are used in 25 per cent of the
homes in Atlanta, Ga.; Wilmington,
Del.; New Haven Conn., and Spring
field, Mass.
See Buster Brown, Mary Jane and
Tige at the Seenca Theatre tonight
(Thursday).
CONSTRUCTIVE
CRITICISM
AND SUGGESTIONS GREAT AS
SISTANCE IN IMPROVING
RAILROAD SERVICE.
That constructive criticism and
suggestions are of great assistance
in improving railroad service is
pointed out by L. A. Downs, Presi
dent of the Central of Georgia Rail
way, in a statement issued today.
For nearly five years his company,
through paid advertisements appear
ing in this and other newspapers
published along its lines, has been
giving the public information about
the railroad situation in general and
the Central in particular. Each of
these advertisements has closed with
the for constructive criticism
and suggestions. Mr. Downs states
that the response to this request
has been gratifying, and that, as a
result of the suggestions received
from friends and patrons, both the
railroad and the public it serves have
benefitted through improved service.
Among the ways in which the rail
road is continually seeking to im
prove its service, the Central’s presi
dent cites the purchase of new
equipment of the latest type and
most improved design, the construc
tion work that is always being done
on some portion of the system, and
the frequent and careful inspection
of locomotives, cars, tracks and all
the other facilities used in render
ing service.
Mr. Downs says that there are
more than eleven thousand men and
women working for the Central of
-Georgia. He states that while all
of these are given examinations to
determine their fitness for positions
with the railroad, they are only hu
man and are therefore just as likely
to make an occasional error in their
work as is the railroad patron to
make mistakes at his farm, office,
store, shop or home. He says that
the patrons of his company seem to
recognize this, and that few of the
criticisms or suggestions received
have been about purely human er
rors.
President Downs closes his state
ment with the request that the
friends, patrons and employes of
his company continue to show their
interest by sending in suggestions for
still further improvements. He
points out that the railroad patron
will often notice some defect that
has escaped the most careful atten
tion of the railroad worker. He
says the Central is anxious to safe
guard its reputation for good service
by correcting whenever possible ev
ery imperfection reported to it; no
matter how small that defect may be.
TREASURE HUNT.
The public is invited to join in
the Treasure Hunt given by Epworth
League at Lovett’s Chapel (Ferrell’s
Cross Roads) Saturday, May 22nd,
beginning at four o’clock. Treasure
hidden is a brand new gold piece
and will be found somewhere be
tween Mr. W. J. Long’s home and
home of Mr. John Adams, not lower
than one foot below surface of earth
and not above three feet of surface.
Admission, 15c and 25c. Apply to
Mesdames A. R. Bailey or W. J.
Long. Refreshments will be served
to contestants immediately after the
hunt.
PUBLIC SALE OF LAND.
GEORGIA—EarIy County:
There will be sold by the under
signed on the first Tuesday in June, I
1926, before the court house door of
said county, in the city of Blakely,
Georgia, at public outcry, to the |
highest bidder, within the legal hours
of sale, the following described real
estate, towit:
Fifty (50) acres of land, part of
lot of land number One Hundred
Fifty-six (156) in the Twenty-sixth
(26th) District of Early county, Ga.,
beginning at the southeast corner of!
said lot and running west Three
Hundred Sixty-six and Two-thirds
(366 2-3) yards; thence North Six j
Hundred Sixty (660) yards; thence;
East Three Hundred Sixty-six and'
Two-thirds (366 2-3) yards to East
lot line; thence South Six Hundred!
Sixty (660) yards to starting point.i
Also Five (5) acres in the North-;
west corner of the South half of Lot!
of Land Number One Hundred
Twenty-five (125) in said district;
and being Seventy-six (76) yards \
wide East and West and Three Hun- j
dred Fifteen (315) yards long North
and South.
Said sale will be had under and
by virtue of a power of sale contain
ed in a deed to secure debt executed'
by Joel J. Hill to Charles Forman
on the 9th day of November, 1920,
and recorded in Deed Book 34, page
177, in the office of the Clerk of the;
Superior Court of said county, said ;
deed to secure debt being transferred I
and assigned to The Life and Cas-i
ualty Insurance Company of Ten-1
nessee, on the 14th day of January,;
1926, and default having been made
in the payment of the debt to secure
which said deed to secure debt was
executed.
This 4th day of May, 1926.
P. D. RICH,
Atty, for Life and Casualty
Insurance Co. of Tennessee.
So delightfully good and pure—
bottled ORANGE CRUSH.
Balloon and high pressure tires
vulcanized. W’e make a specialty of
this line of work.
BROOKS’ WOCO-PEP STATION.
THE STEGOMYIA—A CRIMINAL AT LARGE!
By Joseph A. LePrince, Senior Sanitary Engineer, United States
Public Health Service.
(Editor’s Note: This newspaper is
co-operating with health authorities,
anti-malaria workers and the Gorgas
Memorial Institute in a campaign
which has for its object the elimina
tion of malaria in the United States.)
The Stegomyia—a criminal at
large!
This mosquito has killed by thou
sands and caused financial losses of
millions. She is one that can con
vey yellow fever and dengue. She
has the regulation convict’s black
and white stripes, but is yet at large.
In colonial days the Stegomyia
mosquito killed off a large portion of
the population of Philadelphia, and
since then has often created havoc
with business, and caused shotgun
quarantine zones to be
around many towns. She has cre
ated disastrous yellow fever epi
demics in a number of states, and
has delayed the development of our
southern ports. She has also inter
fered seriously with our trade with
southern republics and made coloni
zation of South American nations
unsuccessful for centuries.
Some years ago when I was enter
ing the harbor at Guayaquil I asked
a salesman how he happened to be
traveling at that time and on that
boat and he said: “My predecessor
is in the cemetery here—yellow fe
ver—but I get a bonus if I come
through alive again this trip.”
As late as 1903 yellow fever tem
porarily laid waste a large section of
the Rio Grande Valley. In the grand
old days of the clipper ships, sailors
saw the mists in the tropical valleys
and called it “creeping Johnnie,” and
there were innumerable superstitious
and blood curdling yarns about yel
low fever. Everybody was afraid of
it and many kept well away from
cemeteries for fear of “breathing it
in.”
Then came the Spanish-American
War and the situation became so
critical that it was a question of
conquering yellow fever or getting
out of Cuba. We Americans dis
covered there the criminal respon
sibility for it all—found that she
multiplies only in man-made contain
ers, in or near inhabited houses, and
nowhere else.
Then General Gorgas drove yellow
fever out of Havana and soon after
from Panama. That was twenty
five years ago. We should have
learned by this time to get rid of
this criminal family, but it is still
at large.
We find her bite irritating and
painful; and always find her gone
when we slap at her. A considera
ble part of our yearly twenty-five
million dollar bill for house screen
ing is paid to stop her from annoy
ing us; yet we let her remain.
When dengue fever entered into
the country a few years ago you
could watch it spread along the
railroad routes from town to town.
Its advance was rapid from the
Atlantic to Central Texas and was
a very good indication of the way
in which we are helping-the Stego-
t GREAT REDUCTION IN RAILROAD
♦ RATES
o
♦ For Vacation, Sight-Seeing, Education, Pleasure,
Health and Recreation—Season 1926.
>
♦ From May 15 to September 30, 1926, the Central or Georgia
| Railway— The Right Way—in connection with other railway and
♦ steamship lines, will sell round-trip tickets at reduced fares to
♦ Lake, Mountain, Seashore, Health and other resorts in the
a United Stated, Canada and Mexico City, also to New York,
I Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore via Savannah and ship.
t Reduced round-trip fares are available for trips going and
returning the same route; also for 60-day circle tours to New
♦ York and Boston via Savannah and ship, returning all rail, or
♦ the reverse.
♦ Many attractive tours embracing rail and water travel,
X sight-seeing and educational tours for organized parties are
X available from time to time.
J Popular priced excursions will also be run between various
♦ places during the summer season at extremely low rates.
t Short distance picnic excursions for Sunday Schools, So
£ cieties, Fraternal Organizations, and similar organizations, will
r be granted under certain conditions, between points not more
► than 75 miles apart, during period April 1-September 30, at
» very low rates.
I Many conventions will be held at various places during the
r summer months, account of which will be announced from time
► to time.
» A variety of greatly reduced round-trip fares, with liberal
£ return limit, will be available from the Southeastern territory to
£ Tybee, (Savannah’s Beach), and to Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic
► Beach. Mayport, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Lanark and
► Panama City, Fla., from May 15 to September 30, 1926.
► Tybee (Savannah’s Beach), “Where Ocean Breezes Blow,”
£ is one of the most delightful seashore resorts on the South At-
► lantic Coast, and is accessible to the people of the Southeastern
► territory by reason of the splendid through train service of the
£ Central of Georgia Railway to Savannah, thence by frequent
► train service between Savannah and the Island.
► Our Passenger and Ticket Agents will be glad to plan your
summer trip, arrange your schedules, and tell you the cost, with
£ the idea of affording you the greatest comfort en route and pro-
► viding the greatest sight-seeing, educational, pleasure, health
► and recreation value at a minimum expense.
t Illustrative and descriptive booklets of summer resorts, ed
£ ucational and sight-seeing tours, etc., will be furnished upon ap-
► plication.
► We “Say It With Service”
► CENTRAL OF GEORGIA RAILWAY
“The Right Way”
r Frederick J. Robinson, General Passenger Agent, Savannah, Ga.
myia to multiply at our homes.
Lady Stegomyia has robbed us of
thousands of lives and millions of
dollars. She will not be eliminated
until we make up our minds to toler
ate her no longer.
If we prevented this mosquito’s
access to man-made water containers
it would be the end of her. She is
the easiest of all the mosquito tribe
to destroy, and yet remains the
worst pest in our southern towns and
villages.
A GOOD MOTHER
RECEIVES CALL TO
COME UP HIGHER
Funeral services for Mrs. Ella
Carmichael Reed, who passed away
at her home, near Hilton, at 8:30
o’clock Tuesday morning, May sth,
were conducted Thursday morning
at the family residence, Rev. R. E.
Zachert officiating. Interment was
in Blakely cemetery. The pall-bear
ers were her nephews, namely,
Messrs. Eugene, Clarence, Fred and
Edwin Martin, Robley Johnson and
H. W. Johnson.
Mrs. Reed was born in Sumter
county on December 25, 1861, and
moved to this county with her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Carmichael,
while still small. She was married
here on October 18, 1882. To this
union were born five sons and five
daughters.
Mrs. Reed, whose death brings
sorrow to a wide circle of friends,
is survived by three daughters and
two sons and by two sisters and
two brothers. Mrs. Reed was a con-
I secrated Christian and a consistent
: member of the Missionary Baptist
I church, at Sowhatchee, until her
I death, and a faithful attendant upon
i the services of her church until pre-
I vented by her failing health.
She lived a life of charming gen
tleness and Christian faith and
works and endeared herself to all
whose good fortune it was to know
her. There never was a dearer moth
!er and companion.
The attendance at the funeral was
large and floral offerings were lav
ish and beautiful, and testified to
; the esteem of this dear mother who
had lived her Christianity in her
daily life and passed to her reward
with the blessed assurance that she
will meet her Savior iii that land that
is fairer than day.
“We cannot say, we will not say
That she is dead—she is just away;
With-a cheery smile and a wave of
her hand,
She has wandered into an unknown
land,
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since she lingers
there.”
ONE WHO LOVED HER.
Call for ORANGE CRUSH by
name and be sure it is in the krinkly
bottle.