The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1983 (10. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1983-11-01 / 11. szám
Page 6 THE EIGHTH HUNGARIAN TRIBE November, 1983 see on Bedloe’s Island (Liberty Island) in New York Harbor! This compassionate “Mother of Exiles,” once upon a time an unwanted alien in the land of freedom she now symbolizes, has now welcomed to America millions of immigrants from all over the world — the poor and the oppressed who migrated to the “Promised Land” in search of a better way of life. Her work still goes on. She continues to embrace the tempest tossed who seek refuge in the United States of America. AN IDEA IS BORN During the mid-1800’s, the attention of the whole world had been riveted on the Civil War (1861- 1865) that threatened to rip asunder the United States of America. Some nations hoped that the American experiment in self-government would fail, while others, among them the citizens of France, prayed for its survival. They, in particular, were appalled by the agonizing struggle between the North and the South over the issue of slavery. They fervently prayed that the American Republic, dedicated to the same principles as their own, would emerge from its ordeal still united. In April of 1865, their prayers were answered. The United States of America survived. The Republic endured. Slavery was dead. But so was the great Captain whose strong hands guided the American “Ship of State” through the dangerous shoals of the four-year-long struggle. Those powerful hands, which could have tenderly bound the deeprooted wounds left in the wake of the Civil War, were forever stilled. President Abraham Lincoln — “Honest Lincoln” to the people of France — was dead, victim of an assassin. The shot which killed the 16th President of the United States reverberated around the world. France was stunned. Never before in their long history had the people of France so mourned the Chief of State of a foreign country. Sorrow shrouded city ar.d town, village and farm, chateau and cottage. A shadow of sadness blanketed the “City of Light.” Paris wept. While France was still in mourning for the “Great Emancipator,” a group of distinguished men gathered at a dinner party hosted by Edouard de Laboulaye at his chateau in the village of Glatigny, a suburb of Versailles. Laboulaye’s dinner parties were famous. Statesmen, diplomats, politicians, educators, scientists, journalists, writers, poets, artists and other members of the intellectual elite of France eagerly sought invitations to enjoy superb cuisine, vintage wines, aromatic cigars, and stimulating conversation. Customarily, the talk at Laboulaye’s dinner table centered upon politics, international affairs, and, in particular, upon current developments in the United States. On this particular occasion, the discussion centered solely upon what had happened in the sister Republic across the Atlantic. For Laboulaye was fascinated by and deeply concerned over America. And, although he had never visited the United States, he did have many American friends and acquaintances with whom he carried on a voluminous correspondence. To him, liberty and the eternal vigilance its protection and preservation required, were of special interest. It was this interest, in fact, that motivated him to accept the presidency of the Anti-Slavery Society of France. For these reasons, Laboulaye was probably the man most knowledgeable about the United States in all of France. During dinner, Laboulaye’s guests applauded the end of the bloody Civil War in America and expressed their profound grief over the untimely death of “Honest Lincoln”. They then listened with great interest as their host compared the ideological similarities between the French and American Republics. He also spoke of the sympathy and goodwill that existed between the people of both. He then voiced his wish for the presentation to America of an ever-lasting French gesture of friendship and unity. One which- would seal, once again., the bond between France and the United States of America. A bond, he emphasized, which had been signed with the blood of the French troops who had fought and died in defense of the thirteen colonies during the American Revolution. There was one guest present at that dinner table whose imagination was aroused by Laboulaye’s words. He was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a thirty-one-year-old sculptor, famous throughout Europe for his heroically-scaled works. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) —Photo courtesy of the New York Historical Society Bartholdi was born in Colmar (Alsace-Lorraine) on August 2, 1834. He was raised by his widowed mother in Paris. There he studied architecture, painting under Ary Scheffer, and sculpture under the tutelages of Jean-Francois Soitoux and Antoine Etex. His specialty became monuments. At the Exposition Universelle of 1855, a bronze statue of General Rapp erected in Colmar brought his unique talents to the attention of all Europe. Soon many of his works appeared in the parks and squares of major cities. Bartholdi, a close friend of Laboulaye, had come to Glatigny on this occasion with the intention of making some sketches for a bust of his host. But his primary mission was completely forgotten as he listened intently to Laboulaye’s words and took notes. An idea was born. It would become fixed in Bartholdi’s creative mind — a monumental work of sculpture rivaling those created by the great masters of ancien'; Egypt!
