Court of the Universe
Fountain of the Setting Sun
Quite as lovely in every detail as the preceding is the Fountain of the Setting Sun. It is in the opposite portion of the sunken garden where, when the sun is in its descent, it is shadowed by the Triumphal Arch of the Nations of the West.
Crowning the pillar is the figure of a maid, her drooping wings and languorous pose denoting relaxation, a suspension of the day's toil. This statue was also modeled by Adolph A. Weinman. The supporting shaft conveys an impression of buoyancy and there are friezes above and below the bowl of the fountain similar to those of the Rising Sun. At night the columns which support these figures are aglow with concealed lights, and the beauty of the fountain is wonderfully enhanced.
Court of the Universe
The Fountain Pool and Tower
The inscriptions on the two Triumphal Arches in the Court of the Universe are drawn respectively from Occidental and Oriental literature. It was designed that the large central panels possess a cosmical, an epical, or an elemental quality, and that the smaller panels on either side deal with abstractions, such as truth, nature or beauty. In accordance with this plan, the inscriptions on the Arch of the Setting Sun facing away from the court are as follows:
The panel at the left of the attic, representing Italy, reads
The world is in its most excellent state when justice is supreme.—
Dante.
The panel in the center of the attic, representing Germany, is inscribed
It is absolutely indispensable for the United States to effect a passage from the Mexican Gulf to the Pacific Ocean; and I am certain that they will do it. Would that I might live to see it—but I shall not.—Goethe.
The panel at the right of the attic, representing France, reads