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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 PRESENTED BY ^^ iy' 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
 

 •^ .; 
 
 V 
 
 
 ■-^ 
 
 -\- 
 
 Sir 
 
 W. H. SEWARD. 
 
 ENGRAVED BY W ROFFE, FROM THE STATUE "BY RANDOLPH ROGERS. 
 
(?• 
 
 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 THE CEREMONIES 
 
 AT THE 
 
 UNVEILING OF THE STATUE 
 
 OF 
 
 WILLIAM H. SEWARD, 
 
 IN 
 
 MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK, 
 
 SEPTEMBER 17, 1876, 
 
 WITH 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE AND LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 N E \\' YORK: 
 D . A P P L E T O N & CO M P A N Y 
 
 549 &- 5 5 J BROADWAY. 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Not many years ago New York had no statues. Often 
 has this fact been urged upon our attention : many and un- 
 compUmentary have been the attempts to explain it. We 
 have been accused of lack of patriotism, dearth of public 
 spirit, and want of culture. We admit the fact, but we de- 
 cline to accept the explanations. The fault, if fault there 
 were, lay not with us, but with the age. The world, to a cer- 
 tain extent, has outgrown statues. 
 
 Sculpture is the oldest of the arts. In the childhood of 
 the race, before man had fairly learned to read, and could 
 write but slowly and laboriously, the sword made history, and 
 the chisel recorded it. Assyria carved her conquests on her 
 palace-walls ; the records of Egypt are hieroglyj>hed in her 
 temples and her tombs ; to her heroes Rome decreed statues, 
 that their names might live, and their deeds be unforgotten. 
 
 We have better means for accomplishing such ends. The 
 sculptor is no longer an historian. Tyj^e has superseded the 
 chisel. We are right in refusing to revive the methods of 
 younger and less-advanced civilization. We devote a news- 
 paper paragraph to events, whose like we find imperishably 
 commemorated on the walls of Nineveh and Luxor. The 
 pages of printed history sufficiently record for us the names 
 of men to whose peers the senate and people of Rome have 
 voted statues. 
 
 But we do not altogether reject sculpture. It does what 
 
4 
 
 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 print cannot do ; it perpetuates the features, the very person- 
 aHty of departed greatness. In bronze and marble the dead 
 still live, and we see them face to face. Few are they, who, 
 being dead, yet speak, and leave a place no living man can 
 fill, and onlv those few are worthy to stand imperishable, im- 
 passive, and inactive, amid living men of future years, who 
 are bearing the burden and the heat of newer days. Only 
 those men, whose lives bear lessons that cannot grow trite, 
 should stand through the ages dumbly teaching those lessons 
 to posterity, and to them we should decree statues. 
 
 William H. Seward was such a man. His was a career 
 that stamped itself ineffaceably upon the history of his coun- 
 try and his time; his an influence that will mould the future 
 of republican government ; his a name that sheds unfading 
 lustre on his native State. He was worthy of a statue, and 
 the citizens of New York have honored themselves by giving 
 him one. 
 
 The storv of this action is here briefly recited. 
 
 The credit of originating the undertaking properly be- 
 longs to Mr. Richard Schell, who some three years 'ago first 
 proposed it to a few prominent New-Yorkers, among whom 
 were E. D. Morgan, C. K. Garrison, Jolm E. Deveiin, Thur- 
 low Weed, George J. Forrest, R. E. Mount, Hugh J. Hast- 
 ings, W. H. Appleton, Lawrence R. Jerome, Daniel Butter- 
 field, and Sidney Webster. 
 
 These became at once interested in the matter. It was 
 soon found that the necessary funds could be raised with little 
 difficulty. A large number of gentlcnien well known in busi- 
 ness, art, and the learned professions, gave their aid, and an 
 executive committee was appointed composed of the follow- 
 ing-named gentlemen: \Villiam H. Appleton, chairman; 
 Edwin D. Morgan, Richard Schell, Lawrence R. Jerome, 
 Frederick Law Olmsted, Isaac Bell, Richard E. Mount, Sheri- 
 dan Shook, Charles W. Griswold, Chester A. Arthur, Abram 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 5 
 
 S. Hewitt, James Bowen, John D. Maxwell, John E. Develin, 
 William R. Martin, Elijah Ward, De Witt C. Wheeler, George 
 M. \'an Nort, and George J. Forrest. 
 
 It will be notieed that men of widely-dilTering political 
 convictions were assc^ciated in this committee. The same 
 remark will hold gooti in regard to the list of subscribers to 
 the fund. These flicts are significant, as tending to show 
 what was the nature of Mr. Seward's fame. 
 
 Mr. Randolph Rogers was consulted as to the probable 
 cost of a bronze statue, that would be worthy of the city of 
 New York, and of the fame that it would perpetuate. His 
 estimate was twenty-five thousand dollars. It was determined 
 to raise this sum by procuring two hundred and fifty sub- 
 scriptions of one hundied dollars each. The money was soon 
 subscribed, and in a few months Mr. Rogers was commis- 
 sioned to model the statue. Apart from his deservedly high 
 reputation as an artist, there were other reasons that pointed 
 him out as the most proper man to whom this important 
 work could be intrusted. Mr. Seward had been the sculptor's 
 early friend. Mr. Rogers, while employed as a clerk in a 
 New York counting-room, showed taste and aptitude for the. 
 art in which he has since become famous, modeling the head 
 of a lellow-clerk, and afterward making a bust of Hon. Lewis 
 Cass. Mr. Seward saw these, and, appreciating their promise, 
 furnished the money that enabled Mr. Rogers to go to Italy 
 to study the art he loved, and to lay the foundation of his 
 great success. 
 
 The model finished, the work was cast in bronze at the 
 royal works in Munich. The finished statue arrived in New 
 York early in September, 1876, and preparations for publicly 
 unveiling it were at once made. 
 
 The location of the statue, with the consent of the Park 
 Commissioners, was fixed at the southwestern angle of Madi- 
 son Park, at the crossing of Twenty-third Street, Fifth Ave- 
 
6 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 nue, and Broadway. Wednesday, September 27, 1876, was 
 the day appointed for the unveiling and presentation of the, 
 work, and the Hon. William M. Evarts was invited to deliver 
 the oration. No more fitting choice could have been made. 
 The eloquent lawyer had been a life-long friend of the great 
 statesman, and his prompt acceptance of the invitation made 
 it certain that the occasion would be a most interesting one. 
 Careful and thorough arrangements were made for the 
 ceremonies ; the comfort and convenience of all concerned 
 were carefully provided for. Mr. Sheridan Shook, of the Ex- 
 ecutive Committee, presented the services of Gilmore's famous 
 band. At the appointed hour everything was in readiness, 
 and a large concourse had gathered about the veiled statue. 
 The weather, unfortunately, was lowering and unpleasant dur- 
 ing the whole afternoon ; but this seemed to have no effect 
 upon the audience, that in all respects was worthy of the 
 occasion. Some idea of its character may l)e gathered from 
 the following list of the names of a few of those who com- 
 posed it: General Hancock, United States Army ; William 
 Lloyd Garrison, ex-Governor Morgan, Professor Draper, 
 Charles A. Peabody, Professor Doremus, William H. Ap- 
 pleton, Thurlow Weed, ex-Governor John T. Hoffman, Col- 
 lector Chester A. Arthur, District-Attorney Phelps, Henry 
 Bergh, Salem H. Wales, Commissioner Thomas S. Brennan, 
 ex-Judge Porter, Rev. Dr. Ormiston, C. M. Da Costa, A. B. 
 Cornell, General Shaler, ex-Commissioner Van Nort, John D. 
 Lawson, Judge Noah Davis, Commissioner George J. For- 
 rest, Hamilton Fish, Jr., ex-Commissioner James Bowen, 
 President Wood, of the Board of Education ; Elliot C. Cow- 
 din, John H. Draper, and most if not all of the subscribers to 
 the fund. 
 
THE CEREMONIES. 
 
 Shortly after three o'clock Mr. William R. Martin, Presi- 
 dent of the Park Commission, opened the proceedings. 
 
 Remarks of Mr. William R. Martin. 
 
 We attend to-day to the unveiling of the first statue erected 
 in this city to a citizen of our own State. You will see, seated 
 in dignified repose, the semblance of the man who actively 
 participated in the political and personal conflicts of his time, 
 which were as critical and decisive as, in his foresight, they 
 were irrepressible. He served and aided in saving his coun- 
 try, and was not spared himself From the turbulence of 
 these conflicts he has emerged to a serener place in the his- 
 tory of his country, and time — which at last sets all things 
 even — will pay whatever debt is owed to him. The statue is 
 the work of Randolph Rogers, a citizen of this State, though 
 long resident in Rome, whose fame has been established by 
 his works. He has executed works of national reputation, 
 and has gained professional positions of honor abroad which 
 he has been the first American to obtain. This statue is a 
 gift to the city of New York from the gentlemen by wMiose 
 contributions it was made and erected. They are represented 
 to-day by Hon. John Bigelow, Secretary of State of the State 
 of New York, in the absence of the Secretary of State of the 
 United States, who, on their behalf, will present it to the 
 
8 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 city. It will be received on behalf of the city by the Mayor, 
 after which you will listen to Mr. Evarts, the orator of the day. 
 
 Mr. John Bigelow, Secretar)' of State of the State of New 
 York, then presented the statue to the city. 
 
 Remarks of Mr. Bigelow. 
 
 Mr. Mayor: The State of New York to-day desires to 
 do homage to one of its illustrious dead. I am charged by a 
 body of its lepresentative men to present to this metropolis 
 to-day a monument by ^vhich the noblest of arts seeks to per- 
 petuate the mcmor}' of William H. Seward. [Applause.] In 
 the name of these gentlemen, whose enlightened liberality, 
 cooperating with the genius of the artist and with the heav- 
 enly grace which teaches men to regard gratitude for eminent 
 public services among the first of national as well as personal 
 duties, I rcciuest the city of New York to accept this monu- 
 ment, and to see that it shall be placed where it shall be the 
 inspiration, while grass grows or water runs, of the student, 
 the lawyer, the patriot, and the sage. [Applause.] 
 
 The statue was then unveiled. Gilmore's band played 
 a collection of national airs, after which lion. William H. 
 Wickham, Mayor of the city of New York, accepted the 
 gift on behalf of the city. 
 
 Mayor Wickham's Remarks. 
 
 Mr. Bigelow and Gentlemen: In accepting this statue 
 I must express the thanks of the city for the munificence 
 displayed by those who have made the gift. The work of a 
 distinguished American artist, it is a credit to him, an orna- 
 ment to the city, and an honor to the country, which, in ap- 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. g 
 
 preciating- this production of his studio, shows that it has 
 attained what has been said to be an evidence of the hi<jhest 
 civilization — the culture necessarv to a correct estimation of 
 excellence in sculpture. The list of those who have con- 
 tributed to the fund which has been expended in this addition 
 to the number of our notable works of art, contains the names 
 of many of the best known and most respected of our fellow- 
 citizens, of many who are examples of all that is deserving of 
 esteem in the community. In choosing from among them 
 one to be the spokesman to make this present, the selection 
 has appropriately fallen u]ion \ou, sir, who have been, during 
 a busy lifetime, so closely identified with our progress in de- 
 velopment of the enterprises by which letters and art adorn a 
 city. It is only to be regretted that we do not have the fur- 
 ther pleasure, which had been promised, of having with us on 
 this occasion our eminent townsman who, with honor to him- 
 self and to New York, has been, successively. Governor of 
 the State and a member of the Ignited States Senate, and is 
 now Secretary of State — in each of which great offices Seward 
 had the opportunity to exhibit his own remarkable abilities. 
 Of that conspicuous citizen himself, whose face and figure 
 are in this monument so perfectly reproduced, it is not neces- 
 sary for me now to speak further. His friend and disciple, 
 the accomplished scholar and brilliant advocate, who is al- 
 ready upon the platform, will do that with an eloquence which 
 I could not expect to emulate. 
 
 After another musical interlude, Mr. Martin introduced 
 the Hon. William M. Evarts. The following is Mr. Evarts's 
 address in full : 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 MR. EVARTS'S ADDRESS. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : When I was asked by the 
 committee to take some part in the inauguration ceremonies 
 of this day I yielded my consent with alacrity, for it called 
 me to an office of affection and duty. I could not, indeed, 
 compare myself, either in the length of the acquaintance or in 
 the intimacy of the political associations, with Governor Eish, 
 wiiose absence you, Mr. Mayor, have lamented, and who has 
 followed so closely Governor Seward in all the gi'eat places 
 that he filled. Much less could I match myself with the life- 
 long friend, Mr. Weed, who honors us with his presence here 
 to-day [applause], who attended on the first footstej)s of Mr. 
 Seward in his entrance upon public life, and was by his side 
 in all the steep ascent of his long career — his friend, his ad- 
 mirer, his counselor, his constant mediator between the obli- 
 gations of statesmanship and the exactions of politics. But 
 in the last twenty years of Mr. Seward's life, a period dating 
 from Mr. Webster's death and a new leadership in our politics 
 — a period of transition from the schemes and frames by 
 which compromise and conciliation had endeavored to smooth 
 over the transcendent question of our politics, to the intro- 
 duction and the continuance of the irrepressible conflict by 
 which alone that issue was to be settled — during that period 
 which, in the greatness of Mr. Seward's achievements, belittles 
 all that preceded it, I enjoyed his friendship, was honored 
 with his confidence, was enlightened and instructed by his 
 companionship. I may feel, therefore, that I can bring some- 
 thing of personal appreciation to the view that I may be able 
 to present of his position in the history of his country, of 
 his place in the career of a great people. 
 
 It does not comport with the proprieties of the occasion 
 that I should narrate the events of Mr. Seward's life, or un- 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. n 
 
 fold his character in the presence of this vast assembly of 
 his countrymen. Much less do I need to exjjlain or justify 
 the conspicuous honor of this monumental statue which a 
 people, so sparing of this form of glory, has within four years 
 after his death, in this great State and in this great city of the 
 Union, placed as the visible sign and seal of the adoption by 
 his countrymen of the character and renown of Seward as one 
 of their greatest possessions. Nor is his fame bounded by 
 the limits of the State, or of the great country, in which and 
 for which he lived this life of public service ; for, as the Athe- 
 nian orator said, "The whole world is the tomb of illustrious 
 men ; it is not the mere monumental inscription in their 
 native land that records their virtues." 
 
 The life of Mr. Seward naturally divides itself, from the 
 period of his manhood to his death, into four divisions of ser- 
 vice to the country — service always from the beginning to 
 the end. From 1824 to 1836 he was a lawyer, with an in- 
 terval of service in the Senate of the State. From 1836 
 to 1848 he filled the most prominent part in the service of 
 the State, with intervals in which he resumed again his place 
 as a lawyer and as a citizen. From 1848 to i860, in the 
 Senate of the United States, he led and filled out the great 
 progressive movements of our politics, and in the rolls of 
 renown his name stands second to none of those who pre- 
 ceded him. From 1S60 to 1872, in the administration of 
 great affairs, in times of transcendent interests and of gravest 
 difficulty — and in retirement after the complete triumph both 
 of his politics and of his statesmanship — by his unparalleled 
 ability to govern, he conducted the country to smoother seas 
 and calmer skies that succeeded the tempest in which he had 
 been the pilot and the savior of the state. 
 
 Another feature in Mr. Seward's political career worthy 
 to be noticed is this, that he divided his life in the service 
 of two great parties, in each of which he was conspicuous 
 
12 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 in its formation, in its development, in its defeats, in its 
 prosperity, and in its final triumph. From 1836 to 1856 
 saw the rise, the growth, the preeminent power, the great 
 impression on the politics of the country made by the Whig 
 party. From 1856 to 1872 is shown the rise and prog- 
 ress of the Republican party. He had as much as any one 
 to do with its foundation, with its discipline, with its instruc- 
 tion, with its triumph, and with all the great transactions in 
 which it led. Now, where do we look in this long history 
 for Mr. Seward's part in it — in the life that he led of citizen, 
 of lawyer, of legislator of the State, of Governor, of Senator, 
 of diplomatist and manager of the interests of the great nation 
 as its Foreign Secretary — where do we look in the whole for 
 any failure in duty, for any shortcoming in ability, for any 
 uncertainty of faith, of courage, of conscience, or of power.? 
 If he had been only a lawyer, no doubt there have been more 
 famous and more learned lawyers in the country. But I 
 venture to say that there is no lawyer, so small a portion of 
 whose life has really been devoted to the service of the pro- 
 fession, that could overmatch him in dignity or importance of 
 causes, or in the noble advocacy that he ever gave to the right 
 without fee or reward. If I were to select from the records 
 of all lawyers' services in this country, I might find greater 
 arguments, more splendid rhetoric, more skillful strategy, 
 more wonderful ability in pleading, and more fame in the 
 vast fields of forensic agitation, but I know of no one who 
 has done nobler things in his profession than William H. 
 Seward. I would give up all other glory in the profession, 
 if it were needful, to have it said of me that I defended 
 William Freeman against the world in arms against him, 
 and saved not him so much as the jurisprudence and the 
 justice of the State. In his duty as a judge of the highest 
 court in the State, you will find the same valuable and the 
 same effective service to the public. Then, indeed, we had 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 13 
 
 something of State rights in tiie true sense, when statesmen 
 in their phices in the State maintained its honor, its power, its 
 dignity; when they did not follow any lead or dietation of 
 Federal power, but determined what were the right and duty 
 of the State, and hrmly pursued them. 
 
 MR. SEWAKU IN THE WAR. 
 
 And now we come to consider his career in the Senate of 
 the United States. We trace him from the time he stood in 
 fact the sole Senator of the United States that maintained 
 fully and fairl)- the doctrines concerning the issue of slavery, 
 which could be distinguished on the one side from compro- 
 mise and on the other side from the extravagance of mere 
 abolitionism. And in that twelve years, up to the year i860, 
 when he became a candidate for the presidency and left the 
 Senate, he had collected about him twenty-seven Senators of 
 the same faith and of the same opinions. Who shall say that 
 in a lifetime a man cannot accomplish great results even in 
 so vast a country as this, when in twelve years you see such 
 noble attendance around sucii a leader.' And when the great 
 question came up whether a party that had thus been led up, 
 whether a people that had thus been served, was to choose 
 among the favorite citizens for the highest place this states- 
 man, and when the choice fell upon another, and when 
 triumph — and the first triumph of the party — crowned with 
 the chief laurels a younger soldier in the great cause, thence- 
 forward, without a moment's pause, without a sentiment of 
 doubt, without a single flaw in the composure of his spirit, he 
 took the place of supporter of the head of the party, and en- 
 countering the storm which had been developed by the prin- 
 ciples which he had advocated and which he had maintained, 
 he quailed before no responsibility and failed in no duty. If 
 the anxieties that touched the private citizen in this supreme 
 
H 
 
 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 period of a nation's history were too much to be borne with- 
 out anguish and soHcitude, what must have been the troubles 
 that surrounded this statesman who had seen his leadership 
 envelop the country in the storms and perils of a civil war ! 
 But as from the beginning conscience, duty, patriotism, sacri- 
 fice, had been the sustaining motive, so these were adequate 
 to meet all the perils and to prevail against all the disasters to 
 the state. 
 
 We come then to administration, in which he assumed a 
 share in the conduct of affairs, most difficult always when a 
 nation is to be carried through a civil war. Then a revolt 
 against the Government, more extensive in area, more numer- 
 ous in its adherents, more powerful in its resources, than ever 
 had been quelled by any government in the world, by its 
 suppression showed the true strength of a nation that as yet 
 had no historical assurance that it had the necessary means 
 and resources for preserving its authority. Yet he met the 
 peril, and he carried his share of the battle through, in a man- 
 ner that challenged the admiration of the statesmen of Europe, 
 and secured the favor of the whole people. 
 
 TRAITS OF MR. SEWARD's CHARACTER. 
 
 When we look for the traits of character, which in all these 
 various forms of duty make the life of William H. Seward 
 one always and the same, what do we find them .'' Serenity 
 of judgment, that power of calm reason which could not be 
 disturbed by casual impressions, nor threatened and alarmed 
 by temporary passions, that judgment which made him the 
 master of the confused counsels of others, and by connecting 
 it with the future could hold the present to the past. Next, 
 there was great forecast by which he was able to keep up the 
 mental processes which were working out their legitimate 
 conclusions in the public mind, and would yield no faith to 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 15 
 
 less intelligent, less faithful, less accurate observation. For 
 it is forecast that leads fortune. There is no prosperity you 
 can fail of if prudence be your constant attendant. Nullum 
 numen abcsf, si adsit pritdcutia. But besides that there was 
 patience, without which forecast and serenity do not com- 
 plete the domination of human affairs that is possible to 
 men. " One of the great points," says Pascal, " in success is 
 to know how long a time it takes to succeed." And how 
 many an enterprise, military and civic, fails for the want of 
 that patience that could wait until the explosion to see 
 whether the reef would be demolished ! 
 
 Now this great character suffered as much in his lifetime 
 from misconception and from misrepresentation, from politi- 
 cal abuse, as any less pure and less faithful servant of the 
 country. When shall we learn that that evil disposition in 
 human nature which makes truth and charity so difficult in 
 little things is tenfold more strong in human affairs where 
 great men and great transactions are concerned.? When 
 shall we get over the feeling that evil spoken of great men is 
 true because we cannot see the personal motive that wings 
 the barbed arrow.? And, fellow-citizens, if only truth were 
 spoken against our great men there would be but little scan- 
 dal in our public life. For men who love truth do not love 
 to speak evil. 
 
 No doubt the greatest achievement of statesmanship with- 
 in our age has been the maintenance of the American Gov- 
 ernment amid the perils through which it passed, and, prob- 
 ably, the most difficult and the most unprecedented prosperity 
 in the great and general success was the administration, in a 
 civil war, which could so absolutely prevent foreign interven- 
 tion and maintain peace with all the rest of the world, and 
 then was able to secure and confirm, after the trial was over, 
 that absolute deference that has since been paid to us by the 
 nations of the world. And this when we know that it is not 
 
1 6 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 enough to be able to avoid just causes of quarrel, or just 
 causes of intervention, but that a statesman must see to it 
 that, whether just or unjust, there is no intervention. There 
 was the signal triumph of tlic diplomacy of Seward. Did he 
 abate one jot or tittle from the proud claims of his country.'' 
 What did he do? He had the wisdom to see that the sur- 
 render of Mason and Slidell, against the irritated repugnance 
 of the whole nation, was the measure toward England that 
 the principles of public law required, though England had 
 done all she could in her history to teach us to break it. He 
 made his countrymen understand that if they could afford to 
 do right because it was right, they could better afford to do it 
 when, besides being right, it was necessary to save the nation. 
 He expelled the French from Mexico when our civil war 
 was still pending, when the P'rench Empire was longing to 
 recognize the rebellion and to take part in the contest, and 
 had planned the invasion of Mexico for that purpose. He 
 compelled them to evacuate Mexico, and would have saved 
 Maximilian himself if it had been in the power of compromise 
 to excuse so great a crime as the invasion of the nation. He 
 was triumpiiant over every effort on the part of a European 
 nation to get hold of a ground or opportunity for the recog- 
 nition of the rebellion and for interference with our country. 
 And then, when our triumph was complete, when our pride 
 and our resentment were thought to be at the highest, by 
 wise forecast he insisted upon it that England should remove 
 from between the nations the great grievance we had suf- 
 fered and they had inflicted, lest it should be a matter of 
 estrangement and hostilities between nations of one blood 
 and one civilization, and induced the conciliation of arbitra- 
 tion so that the difficulties were ended without war. Tell me 
 whether, amid these cares of a divided country, there was 
 any abatement of the high tone of American diplomacy in a 
 course of netrotiations that could thus drive the French from 
 
THE SFAVARD MEMORIAL. 17 
 
 Mexico, and conciliate the Enijlish to agree to a trihuiial to 
 pass judgment upon their conduct ! I do not l<no\v wiicre 
 you will find, if you study the history of the European 
 nations, or the records of antiquity, a greater service or a 
 greater triumph. 
 
 Now, Mr. Seward, during all this life of controversy, had 
 certain very definite, very compreiiensive political principles, 
 having no connection with mere party interests, but of great 
 value in all American statesmanship, if it is to be manly and 
 prosperous. He had an unflinching faith in popular institu- 
 tions. Never, from beginning to end, will you find in his 
 support of party, in an\- measure of his administration, one 
 single de]Kirture from that faith, and from the purpose to 
 make that faith felt and respected in the world. He believed 
 that it was the consent of citizens that made the safety and 
 the greatness of a state, and not the power that could coerce 
 their will. Cojisciisns non pot est as facit civitatem. He had 
 unfailing confidence in the ]iermanence of the Union and 
 thorough admiration for the Constitution. Whatever others 
 thought of him as disobedient, as rash, as dangerous to the 
 fortunes of the country, he never yielded to any one, in his 
 own opinion, in fidelity to the Constitution, and in faith in the 
 nation. And for the rest, what is there to be said of him? His 
 was a great career — in all respects a great career. Great was 
 he in intellectual ability, great in moral qualities, great in the 
 opportunities which served him, great in the perils that he en- 
 countered, great in the triumph of his politics, and great in 
 the prosperity of his statesmanship. The theatre upon which 
 he acted was wide and conspicuous ; all nations could behold 
 it, all nations could judge of it ; and he is great in his fame, 
 which is now secure alike against discordant opinions in his 
 lifetime and against posthumous detraction. His fame is 
 our fame. If his fame is not worth defending, no fame of an 
 American is worth defending. If we cannot uphold our 
 
1 8 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 greatest and best men, assuredly we are scarcely worth up- 
 holding ourselves. 
 
 Now, fellow-citizens, let us carry from this celebration in 
 honor of a great statesman some permanent impression of 
 the value to a country of such characters, of the benefit of 
 the exam])le of such men, and of such services. Let us 
 attend with due observance the toils and sacrifices of living 
 statesmen, made in the public service and for the public wel- 
 fare. And as to that dear and great country itself — made 
 ever dearer and greater by its worthy dead — let us fail in no 
 duty to it, and from it withhold no service. Great states- 
 men, indeed, die, but the state itself endures. Prmcipcs 
 viorfalcs rcmpjiblicani crtcrtiam esse. 
 
 Mr. Evarts's perfect eloquence was listened to with the 
 most earnest attention and gratifying appreciation. It fit- 
 tingly concluded the ceremonies of the day. 
 
A SUCCESSFUL WORK. 
 
 After the ceremonies of unveiling the statue of Seward 
 in Madison Square were over, a crowd of coming and depart- 
 ing spectators lingered around it until twilight obscured the 
 glimmer of the new bronze. There was now ample oppor- 
 tunity to inspect the work from all sides, and to estimate the 
 value in Art of this last monumental decoration of our city. 
 No photograph or other delineation of it having been given 
 to the public, the statue was new to all, except to the few 
 who may have seen the original model in the studio of Mr. 
 Randolph Rogers in Rome. 
 
 The location, in the first place, is one of the very best 
 that could have been selected. On the southwestern side of 
 Madison Square, facing the large triangular open space made 
 by the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, it enjoys 
 all the necessary advantages of light and distance. By a 
 lucky chance its proportions— which might be called moder- 
 ately ct)lossal — are exactly adajncd to the position. It is 
 large enough to be distinctly seen from the western side of 
 Fifth Avenue, yet not so large as to impair its details on a 
 nearer view. Being seated, it is restful, while the attitude of 
 attention is so pronounced as almost to suggest action. As 
 a whole, Mr. Rogers has been decidedlv successful in his con- 
 ception ; and, if he had but carried out the latter simply, 
 boldly, without regard to conventional expectations, he might 
 have given us an entire!)- admirable work. The pose of the 
 
20 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 body is well chosen ; the head is slightly turned to the right, 
 the trunk is easily erect without being rigid, and the right 
 leg, thrown over the left knee, gives the lower limbs a direc- 
 tion opposite to and balancing the head. The right hand, 
 holding a pen, is thrown back naturallv outside the arm of 
 the chair ; the left hand, supported, holds a manuscript. The 
 head, lifted, has an intent, listening air ; but it is that of a 
 listener who is on the point of speaking. The likeness to 
 Seward is not so marked in the front view, on account of the 
 new, burnished appearance of the bronze, as it will be when 
 the metal is darkened by exposure; l)Ut, in the profile view 
 — especialh' from the eastern side — it conies out strong and 
 clear. Mr. Rogers has made the chin, which retreated and 
 was decidedly the weakest feature in Mr. Seward's face, a 
 little more prominent than in life. In doing so, however, he 
 has only carried out the promise of the heavy evebrows and 
 the aquiline ncjse. In the same spirit lie has added a very 
 little to the cerebellum, and tiie result is a head which will be 
 instantly recognized by an)' one who ever saw the original, 
 because it exteriorly expresses the intellectual qualities of 
 the man. 
 
 The faults of the statue are such as might easily have 
 been avoided. In a figure of colossal proportions it is diffi- 
 cult to indicate stature, antl although this might have been 
 done by bringing the back of the chair as high as the shoul- 
 der-blades, something of the grace and freedom of the attitude 
 would have been lost. Future generations, judging only from 
 this monument, may suppose that Mr. Seward was a tall, im- 
 posing-looking gentleman ; the legs and arms are certainly 
 too long for the body ; the latter are well modeled, however, 
 and in harmony with the head and trunk ; but the legs, from 
 the knees down, are marred by trousers apparently matle of 
 leather or buckskin soaked in water. No man can involun- 
 tarily throw one leg over the other without a shortening of 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAr.. oj 
 
 what the recent Dress Reform Convention in PhihKleljjhia 
 calls "the garmenture;" the cloth will be drawn up, showing 
 the complete outline of the foot and ankle. But Mr. Rogers 
 makes it cling closely to the shoe, giving the contours, es- 
 pecially of tiie left leg, a character which is positively disagree- 
 able. This is especially apparent when the statue is viewed 
 from the western side. Mr. Seward sits in a curule chair of 
 a Renaissance character. This is not a matter of much im- 
 portance, except as the height of the seat suggests a oreater 
 stature than he possessed. But the two piles of heavy folios 
 and the parchment scroll under the seat — what do they mean .? 
 They have evidently no connection with the clear, decided, 
 expressive action of the figure, and they offend the eye in 
 every view of it except from the rear. They are stowed under 
 the chair as if their use were at an end, and tiie scroll, if it 
 were not bronze, would roll off the base and drop ujjon tiie 
 ground. One cannot but feel that Mr. Rogers has here 
 yielded to conventionalism what his artistic sense would have 
 forbidden. These blemishes need to be noticed all the more 
 because they do not directly spring from the requirements of 
 the subject. 
 
 The pedestal is necessarily much more massive than that 
 of Bartholdi's statue of Lafayette, yet it is not wholly satis- 
 factory. Perhaps the fault is in the unusual projection of the 
 thin upper moulding, which gives to the entire base a charac- 
 ter something like that of the pictures of the Ark of the Cove- 
 nant, in old Bibles. If it had been lighter, simpler, and more 
 symmetrical, the undoubted vigor and individuality of the sit- 
 ting figure it upholds would have had a more fitting relief 
 But, take the monument all in all, it is one with which, in the 
 present state of monumental art, we may be well satisfied. 
 
 To make this record more complete, we insert the follow- 
 ing description of the statue : 
 
2 2 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 The figure is of bronze, of colossal dimensions. Mr. Sew- 
 ard is represented as seated. The actual height of the bronze 
 is ten feet, and in a standing posture the figure would reach 
 a stature of about fourteen feet. 
 
 The base of the pedestal is of New England granite, while 
 the pedestal itself is of the variegated marble of Spezzia. On 
 the face of the pedestal is this inscription, in raised and gilded 
 letters : 
 
 WILLIAM H. SEWARD, 
 
 GOVERNOR, 
 
 SENATOR, 
 
 SECRETARY OF STATE 
 
 OF U. S. 
 
 The height of the entire monument, including the pedes- 
 tal, is twenty feet, and tiie effect is massive and imposing. 
 Fortunately, the location is one of the best that could have 
 been selected. On the southwestern corner of Madison 
 S(juare, facing the large space made by the intersection of 
 Broadway and Fifth Avenue, it has every advantage of light, 
 distance, and atmosphere. The attitude of the seated figure 
 is that of rest and contemplation, such as a man would assume 
 in the intervals of writing. The right hand, hanging care- 
 lessly over the arm of the chair, holds a pen, while in the left 
 hand is a manuscript. There is a certain alertness in the 
 lifted head, that marks the statesman and man of affairs. The 
 entire position is well chosen. The head is slightly turned 
 to the right, and the body is erect without rigidity. The 
 right leg is thrown over the left knee, balancing the attitude 
 of the head and neck. The whole conception is strong and 
 natural. The new and glittering appearance of the bronze 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORfAL. 2- 
 
 renders it somewhat difficult to judo^e of the likeness of the 
 face to Mr. Seward's, except when it is viewed in profile. The 
 darkness that results from exposure will soon remove this 
 difficulty, and doubtless the full face will then appear strong; 
 and vigorous, as docs now the clearly-cut profile. The stature 
 indicated by the seated figure, and the proportions of the 
 chair, are somewhat greater than those of Mr. Seward, but this 
 was necessary to give grace and ease to the position. The 
 legs and arms are well modeled. Mr. Seward is represented 
 as seated in a senatorial chair, his cloak thrown over its back, 
 the drapery relieving the rigidity of its outlines. Two piles 
 of heavy folios, with a roll of paper lying on them, are under 
 the chair, and serve to give solidity to the lower portion of 
 the work. 
 
 The statue seems to be much admired bv the public gen- 
 erally, and careful criticism, in this case, confirms the popular 
 verdict. It is in all respects worthy of its conspicuous posi- 
 tion — a credit to our city, an honor to the memory of Mr. 
 Seward, and a constant source of gratification to the gentle- 
 men to whose generosity and public spirit New York is 
 indebted for it. Their names fittingly close this brief record 
 of their work. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 John T. Agnev 
 
 Alaska Fur Company. 
 Daniel S. Appleton. . 
 George S Appleton.. 
 John A. Appleton... 
 William H. Appleton 
 William W. Appleton 
 Chester A. Arthur. . . 
 Lloyd Aspinwall 
 
 New York City. 
 
 B 
 
 Samuel D. Babcock. . .New York City. 
 
 Geori^'e F. Baker " " 
 
 Eugene S. Ballin " " 
 
 James H. Banker " " 
 
 Goldsborough Banyer. " " 
 
 S. L. M. Barlow 
 
 A. H. Barney " " 
 
 D. N. Barney " " 
 
 Henry H. Baxter " " 
 
 Abram B. Bayliss " " 
 
 T. B. Baldwin " " 
 
 Gunning S. Bedford.. " " 
 
 John S. Beecher " " 
 
 Edward R. Bell " " 
 
 Isaac Bell " " 
 
 R. M. Blatchford " " 
 
 George Bliss " " 
 
 George Bliss, Jr " " 
 
 Daniel C. Blodgetl.... 
 
 John Bonner New York City. 
 
 Robert Bonner " " 
 
 William A. Booth " " 
 
 Jas. Bowen . Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y. 
 Benjamin H. Brewster. . .Philadelphia. 
 
 James M. Brown New York City. 
 
 Ambrose E. Burnside. Providence, R. I. 
 
 E. G. Burkam N.w York City. 
 
 Charles E. Butler " " 
 
 Daniel Butterfield " " 
 
 New York City. 
 
 C 
 Benjamin F. Carver. 
 
 George Cecil 
 
 Edward S. Chapin 
 Henry G. Chapman 
 S. B. Chittenden.. 
 Joseph H. Choate. 
 George C. Clark . . 
 James B. Colgate. . 
 William Constable. 
 Edward Cooper . . . 
 Alfred A. Cohen . . San 
 Nathaniel A. Covvdrey 
 Elliot C. Cowdin .... 
 David Crawford, Jr. . 
 Addison Cummack . . 
 
 Charles A. Dana New York City. 
 
 A. B. Darling " 
 
 Francisco, 
 New York 
 
 Cal. 
 City. 
 
26 
 
 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 George Dawson . . .' . . New York City. 
 Charles Delmonico ... " " 
 Lorenzo Delmonico. . . " " 
 
 John E. Develin " " 
 
 Piatt K. Dickenson. . . " 
 
 William B. Dinsmore. " " 
 
 A. S. Diven Elmira, N. Y. 
 
 David Dows New York City. 
 
 Henry Dolan " " 
 
 Joseph W. Dre.xel " " 
 
 William Butler Duncan " '' 
 
 William M. Evarts. . . .New York City. 
 
 F 
 
 Cyrus W. Field New York City. 
 
 William G. Fargo " " 
 
 H. C. Fahnestock " " 
 
 Richard C. Fellows... " " 
 
 Harvey Fisk " " 
 
 T. J. S. Flint 
 
 James D. Fish " " 
 
 George J. Forrest " " 
 
 M. Franchot " " 
 
 E. L. Frank " " 
 
 James Freeborn " •' 
 
 G 
 
 Cornelius K. Garrison . New York City. 
 William R. Garrison. . . " " 
 
 Sheppard Gandy " " 
 
 J. H. Gautier " " 
 
 R. S. Grant 
 
 U. S. Grant, President of the United 
 
 States Washington. 
 
 Martin E. Greene New York City. 
 
 A. W. Greenleaf 
 
 C. E. Gregory " " ' 
 
 George B. Grinnell " •' 
 
 Moses H. Grinnell " " 
 
 B. W. Griswold " " ; 
 
 Charles W. Griswold. . " '« 
 
 William H. Guion.. 
 Walters. Gurnee... 
 Jay Gould 
 
 .New York Citv. 
 
 H 
 
 Peleg Hall New York City. 
 
 Fletcher Harper, Jr. . . " 
 
 Hugh J Hastings " 
 
 A. S. Hatch 
 
 Rufus Hatch '< 
 
 Silas C. Herring " 
 
 Abram S. Hewitt " 
 
 John Hoey >< 
 
 John P. Howard " 
 
 Solon Humphries " 
 
 Wilson G. Hunt " 
 
 John Hunter << 
 
 C. P. Huntington " 
 
 Henry A. Hurlbut " 
 
 Benjamin H. Hutton. . " 
 
 Robert C. Hatchings. . " 
 
 W. H. Hutchinson.... " 
 
 J 
 
 Frederick P. James. . 
 Lawrence R. Jerome. 
 
 E. C. Johnston 
 
 David Jones 
 
 George Jones 
 
 John D. Jones 
 
 • New York City. 
 
 Harvey Kennedy New York City. 
 
 Robt. Lennox Kennedy " " 
 
 Lawrence Kip '< << 
 
 Henry Knickerbacker. " " 
 
 William Laimbeer.. 
 Charles A. Lamont. 
 
 J. F.' D. Lanier 
 
 Arthur Leary 
 
 . New York City. 
 
THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 M. H. Levin 
 
 Johnston Livingston . 
 Louis L. Lorillard. . . 
 
 Thomas Lord 
 
 J. T. Loubat 
 
 James Low 
 
 . New York Citv. 
 
 M 
 
 William H. Macy New York City. 
 
 John U. Mairs 
 
 William D. F. Manice. " " 
 
 Lewis May " " 
 
 John D. Maxwell " " 
 
 Daniel S. Miller " " 
 
 Alexander Mitchell.. Milwaukee, Wis. 
 Edwin D. Morgan. . . .New York City. 
 
 Edwin B. Morgan Aurora, N. Y. 
 
 George D. Morgan. . .New York City. 
 J. Pierrepont Morgan. " " 
 
 James M. Motley " " 
 
 Lansing C. Moore. ... " " 
 Richard E. Mount. . .. " " 
 
 Levi P. Morton " " 
 
 Thomas Murphy " " 
 
 Orson D. Munn " " 
 
 Robert Murray " " 
 
 O 
 
 Charles J. Osborn New York City. 
 
 William H. Osborn... " " 
 
 Frank Osgood Staten Island, N. Y. 
 
 George A. Osgood New York City. 
 
 William Osgood " " 
 
 William Orton " " 
 
 Thomas J. Owen " " 
 
 Francis A. Palmer. . . Nev 
 
 Daniel Parish 
 
 Joseph Park, Jr 
 
 Levi Parsons 
 
 Charles A. Peabody. . . 
 
 York City. 
 
 27 
 New York City. 
 
 Edwards Pierrepont 
 
 John Ponder 
 
 Howard Potter " " 
 
 John V. L. Pruyn Albany, N. Y. 
 
 Robert H. Pruyn " <' 
 
 Percy R. Pyne New York City. 
 
 George A. Robbins. . .New York City. 
 
 Stephen R. Roe West Point, N. Y. 
 
 E. P. Ross Auburn, N. Y. 
 
 Samuel B. Ruggles. . .New York City. 
 
 Russell Sage New York 
 
 Edward S. Sanford. . . " 
 
 Henry Sanford " ' 
 
 Henry S. Sanford " ' 
 
 I Milton H. Sanford.... " 
 
 j Augustus Schell " < 
 
 Richard Schell " 
 
 George S. Scott " ' 
 
 Isaac Sherman " ' 
 
 I Elliot F. Shepard " 
 
 j Sheridan Shook " ' 
 
 Abia A. Selover " 
 
 James M. Selover " ' 
 
 Frederick Shuchardt. . " ' 
 
 Charles A. Secor " ' 
 
 Joseph Seligman " ' 
 
 Francis Skiddy " ' 
 
 Samuel Sloan " " 
 
 Henry N. Smith " " 
 
 James D. Smith " " 
 
 Augustine Smith " " 
 
 E. Delafield Smith.... " 
 
 Paul N. Spofford <' " 
 
 John A. Stewart " " 
 
 William E. Strong " 
 
 A. V. Stout 
 
 George Starr " " 
 
 John Stewart, Jr " '< 
 
 E. G. Spaulding Buffalo, N, 
 
 City. 
 
 Y. 
 
28 
 
 THE SEWARD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Edwin W. Stoughton.New York City. 
 Cecil, Stout & Thayer. " " 
 
 J. S. T. Stranahan Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 Benjamin L. Swan, Jr. New York City. 
 
 Henry M. Tabor New York City. 
 
 Motes Taylor 
 
 John T. Terry 
 
 Henry Thompson 
 
 Charles L. Tiffany .... 
 
 William Toel 
 
 John F. Tracy 
 
 William R. Travers. . . 
 John B. Trevor 
 
 V 
 
 Henry F. Vail New York City. 
 
 Cornelius \'anderbilt. . " " 
 E. W. Vanderhoof. ... " " 
 
 Aaron J. Vandcrpoel. .New York City. 
 George M. Van Nort.. " " 
 Jenkins Van Schaick. . " " 
 
 Thomas M. Vermilye. " " 
 William M. Vermilye. " " 
 
 W 
 
 Abraham Wakeman . . New York City. 
 
 J. Lester Wallack " " 
 
 Elijah Ward 
 
 George C. Ward " " 
 
 William H. Webb.... 
 
 E. D. Webster Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 Sidney Webster New York City. 
 
 Thurlow Weed 
 
 James Whitely 
 
 Wm. Whitewright, Jr. 
 William H. Wickham. 
 
 Francis Work 
 
 John C. Work