The Proposed Statute and Location
Some years ago I took a trip up to Edinburgh from Oxford and visited the gravesite of Adam Smith. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to see, as the site was covered with beer cans and rubbish. Needless to say, I picked up the trash and tried to restore a little dignity to the location of the great man’s body. My friends at the Adam Smith Institute in London have resolved to do better and are raising funds to commission and erect a bronze statue of Smith in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. I’ve contributed to the project myself and have sent out letters asking Cato Institute Sponsors to contribute, to which quite a few Cato Sponsors have responded. Anyone interested in making a donation, whether grand or modest, may find the relevant information here.
I’m sure going representational will make it easier to raise funds from a more conservative donor base. But don’t you think they might fare better at getting people to actually notice the thing if they went in another direction entirely? I’ve found that large bronze sculptures of dead guys in wigs have a nasty habit of receding into the landscape of large cities.
I visited Smith’s grave in March and am happy to report that it was quite clean at that point.
Great idea Tom, thank you. We will try to find sponsors here in Georgia too.
Gia