| Show THE CLOSING ERA A FEW days ago a number of prom anent ladies in denver assembled it at the residence of governor boutt and discussed the propriety of purchasing preston po powers 31 gres great t work of statuary enera entitled ane e closing era bra the fatuous famous sculptor agreed to reproduce io in bronze heroic size this group for the ladies accepted the proposition and the work will be placed an in the hall of statuary at the columbian exposition in chicago in 1898 as typical of colorado at the close of the exposition the status statue will be removed to denver there to be permanently pere man manent e n aly ly located about the closing era there Is ie something feelingly pathetic as well as heroically poetic it represents a wounded buffalo that has fallen while trying to escape its indian pursuer the pyo prostrate strate animal though supposed to be breathing its last yet gives suggestion ot of movement the indian hunter affords a fine 00 contrast 12 his left foot is resting on the haunch of the bison his face is in repose but it items contemplative the dying animal suggests to him the extinction of disown his own ram race in the veins of preston powers there runs some indian blood and it is this fact which also adds significance to the work his father hiram powers was also a sculptor of note his work the last of the tribes 1 attracted wide attention it represents an indian maid fleeing from civilization his son now depicts the declining indian and the dying buffalo preston powers was born in italy in 1843 1848 he is now instructor of sculpture in the denver university he learned his bis a art rt f from ra m hi his 8 f father ath er th the 0 poet john 0 whittier gave the name the closing era bra to the group men tinned hesayo he says the mountain eagle will seek in vain for the wild hunter and bison in the future and in this changed world only their graven semblance in eternal stone will be found there is much of pathos in the thought but while the buffalo has really become almost a creature of the put past those thome who think the numbers of the red men are decreasing are only superficial inquirers into the facts and figures of the present |
