eorge 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.

* * * * *

=The rear of the building= should be viewed from Bryant Park. The long
windows are to light the bookstack. Some critics have commended the
rear of the building very highly. Mr. A. C. David, in the article
previously quoted, says:

"This facade is very plainly treated, without any pretence to
architectural effect. It is, indeed, designed frankly as the rear
of a structure which is not meant to be looked at except on the
other sides. Any attempt, consequently, at monumental treatment has
been abandoned. The building is designed to be seen from Fifth
Avenue and from the side streets. The rear, on Bryant Park, merely