There is not much doubt about the feeling in the
House of Commons, at any rate, about the proposed Roosevelt statue. With all respect to the distinguished sculptor, Sir William Reid Dick, the model finds little approval in any aspect, but on the insistence that the President should be shown sitting, not standing, there seems to be something like unanimity. It is quite true that most honourable Members are not connoisseurs, but they do know, perhaps better than the sculptor, that Franklin Roosevelt practically always had to sit, by reason of the effects of infantile paralysis, and they dislike the idea of his being portrayed in a pose he so rarely assumed. It seems clear, too, that a large number of people who have subscribed to the memorial fund take the same view. The final decision—or the revision of a decision already taken—rests with the Pilgrims' Society, advised by the Royal Fine Art Commission ; I gather that scme or all of the members of the latter body were in favour of a seated figure. I hope those responsible for deciding otherwise will have the courage to change their minds.
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