SYMBOLIC STATUE OF LIBERTY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5285, 23 December 1946, Page 7

SYMBOLIC STATUE OF LIBERTY

NEW YORK LANDMARK 60 Y^ARS OLD. 1 NEW YORK. The Statue of Liherty which was unveiled 60 years ago on New 'York Harbour's Bedloe's Island. has hecome symholic of the world's struggle for freedom — a symbol for the United Nations. This was the original intent of Frederic Auguste Batholdi, the sc-ulp-tor from Alsace, who wrote that he had planned the statue to serve great men and grand ideas. • Since the last rivet was driven on October 27, 1886 the Statute being unveiled the following day in the presence of President Cleveland and Eturopean and American notables, millions of European's have hailed the statue as their personal" symbol of freedom. At a special trihute dinner at the Hotel Astor, the American Committee for Protection of the Foreign Born celehrated the ideal of friendship expressed by the French people who gave the sfatue to America. Louis Saillant, Secretary-General of the World Federation of Trade Unions, paid trihute to the demoeratic ties which still hind the people of France and the people of the United States. Great Tribute. Bmt even greater tribute is paid the Statue of Liberty i'ndirectly by the meeting here in the United .States of the delegates of freedom-loving nations. When M. Bartholdi wrote that he desired to put his name "at the feet of great men and at the service of grand ideas," the thought of a world organisation for freedom appeared dim and distant. The United States itself had emerged only 25 years previously from a devastating Civil War. Yet only J30 years ssince that cold, drizzling October day in 1886, when the unveiling took place, New York Harbour and the Statue of Liberty have taken on new significance of; fi-eedom and promise not only for new immigrants to the New World, hut for delegates to the new world order. The . Statue of Liberty was conceived by a group of French patriots shortly after the American Civil Wai\ Bartholdi had visited America and was fired with the love freedom in the new republic. He eonvinced friends of his that France should pay trihute to thi's nation across the sea. His ideal was realised when the people of France, through hundreds of thousands of donations, made possible the colossal work of art which dominates this harbonr. To symbolise even more completely the demoeratic tradition of the Statute, thousands of Americans contribnted to huild its great hase. The 'New York. World recorded in those days that the Statue was not "a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of America, hut a gift from the whole people of France to the whole people of America." Unable to Speak. Eighty thouisaind subscriptions of less than one dollar each were received hy the World to help pay the cost of the pedestal. The largest subscription of 2800 dollars came from a Brighton Beach henefit. As New York Harbour once again began to awaken, following the United States' most devastating maritime strike, and ships hegan to show steam, an amusing incident of GO years ago was recalled. Tugs and harbour ships made so miutch noise with their whistles that the ceremonies on Bedloe's Island were seriously handicapped. Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, ofiicial representative of the French Government, unable to speak because of the terrible din, said "Steam was invented as a benefit, and its progress is wonderful, but at the present it is an evil and retards the progress of my speech." The only thing to mar the day, however, as the Woidd recoKled it, : was the "miserable weather."