| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Plans for goddess statue ruffle feathers in Roseburg |
| 2004-11-22 |
| She may not be as well know as Athena, the goddess of wisdom, or Aphrodite, the goddess of love, but Hebe, the ancient Greek goddess of youth, is at the center of a flap in Roseburg, worlds away from Mount Olympus. At issue are the plans by city boosters to place a statue of Hebe in a city park to replace one that stood downtown almost a century ago, until it was toppled in a mishap with horses. But some in the town see the goddess — often depicted bearing a goblet of intoxicating nectar — as a bad example for the youth of Roseburg. "She is offering an intoxicant to the gods," resident Dick North told The Oregonian. "She doesn't uphold morality. We need to have a better model for the community's youth." Opponents are also worried that a statue of Hebe would offend Christians and foster goddess worship. The original Hebe in Roseburg was the brainchild of the city's Women's Temperance Union and a group that later became the Roseburg Women's Club. The two groups chose Hebe as a way to promote the benefits of water over whiskey. The 12-foot-high fountain, which had water spigots at a height for people to drink and a lower catch basin for dogs and horses, also marked the boundary between the "wet" and "dry" sides of town. Until recently, attempts to bring back Hebe had failed. But in 2002, the Roseburg City Council voted unanimously to allow a group to raise money for a new statue, to be placed about a block from the original perch. This time, though, the statue ran into some stiff opposition. So far, about 150 people have signed an anti-Hebe petition — about half from Roseburg and the rest from outlying towns in Douglas County. Two weeks ago, though, the City Council voted 4-3 to allow the statue to go forward if supporters raise the needed money by the end of next year. Hebe backers are reinvigorated, said Thomas Whitney, a member of the fund-raising committee. Pledges and cash now top $10,000 toward a goal of at least $15,000 or possibly up to $30,000 for a different design. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |