Mark Twain’s letter about the Statue of Liberty ______.

Do you know America’s most famous woman is the Goddess of liberty, i. e. , the Statue of Liberty? It was conceived in 1865 by Edouard de Laboulaye and designed by another Frenchman, Frederic Bartoldi. They wanted to honor liberty and friendship.
     It was hoped that the monument would be completed by 1876 when America celebrated its centennial. Fund raising and manufacture of the statue in France went slowly. It was 1885 when the 214 crates containing the statue reached New York.
     Americans were initially embarrassed for they had not raised the money to pay for the erection of the base. Fund raising by popular subscription was behind schedule. One fund raising method used was to have popular Americans write letters which were then auctioned off. Mark Twain wrote a "tongue-in-cheek" letter suggesting that Miss Liberty didn’t deserve a statue.
     The base and statue, together 272 feet tall, were completed in 1886. From a technical standpoint, the statue is a marvel. The inner structure was designed by the French engineer, Alexandre Eiffel. His design for the stressed copper skin of the statue anticipated many of the principle utilized in modern aircraft.
     After a century, the monument began to show signs of deterioration. Just as Frenchmen had created the Statue, so it was with renovation. A Frenchman noted the decay and French and American craftsmen and contributions brought about the renewal of the Statue in time for its centennial. Liberty is still popular in France and the United States.