=Sculpture.= Of the sculptural designs, the two lions on either side of the main approach are by E. C. Potter. They have been subjected to much criticism, mainly of a humorous nature, and in the daily press. This adverse comment has not been endorsed by critics of art and architecture. Mr. Potter was chosen for this work by Augustus St. Gaudens, and again, after Mr. St. Gaudens' death, by Mr. D. C. French, also an eminent sculptor. Any layman can satisfy himself, by a brief observation of the building as a whole, that the architectural balance of the structure demands figures of heroic size to flank the main approach. With that requirement in view, the designer of such figures has but a limited choice of subject, since there are few living creatures whose forms possess dignity without being cumbrous. The sculptor in this instance has followed well-established precedents in designing the lions according to the canons of decorative art. They are as realistic as would be suitable for figures of this size, and in this position. [Illustration: PHILOSOPHY BY PAUL BARTLETT] The groups in the pediments are by George Gray Barnard; the one in the northern pediment represents History, and the one in the southern, Art. The figures above the fountains on either side of the main entrance are by Frederick MacMonnies; the man seated on the Sphinx, on the northern side of the entrance represents Truth. On the southern side, the figure of the woman seated on Pegasus represents Beauty. Above the figure of Truth is this inscription from the Apocrypha (1 Esdras, chapter 3): BUT ABOVE ALL THINGS TRUTH BEARETH AWAY THE VICTORY The inscription above the figure of Beauty is: BEAUTY OLD YET EVER NEW ETERNAL VOICE AND INWARD WORD This is from the twenty-first stanza of Whittier's poem, "The Shadow and the Light." The six figures above the main entrance are by Paul Bartlett; naming them from north to south they are: History, Drama, Poetry, Religion, Romance, and Philosophy. Above the entrance are inscriptions concerning three of the component parts of The New York Public Library. They are as follows: THE LENOX LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JAMES LENOX DEDICATED TO HISTORY LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS MDCCCLXX THE ASTOR LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JOHN JACOB ASTOR FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE MDCCCXLVIII THE TILDEN TRUST FOUNDED BY SAMUEL JONES TILDEN TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF SCIENCE AND POPULAR EDUCATION MDCCCLXXXVI Beneath these is this inscription: MDCCCXCV THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY MDCCCCII Of the dates in this inscription, the first, 1895, is that of the incorporation of The New York Public Library; the second, 1902, is that of the laying of the cornerstone. The statue of William Cullen Bryant, behind the Library, is by Herbert Adams. * * * * *