Washington sentinel., 1854-05-27
s..y,, From " Das Ausland," published at Stuttgart
A German Travellers Criticisms on Wash
ingtOn.

mStOns
That this city presents rather strange ap-
pearance, is well known. Seen from Capitol
hill, the government edifces rise to view here
and there, lofty and colossal, as if erected for
the use of giants, and between, in the long ex-
tended streets, the eye wanders about among
the small houses and shops, or over the broad,
houseless spaces. True, there are plenty OF
noble looking dwelling houses, but they seem
to disappear beside the huge public buildings,
and the broad streets and squares. The effect
of the whole is as il, after conhagration, a
few persons had again settled on the spot, and
the first few buildings were up as specimen
of what the city is to be.
Again: As to the public buildings, they
are all built in majestic style, and worthy oi
the power of the Union which so far and wide
rules the land and seas. A nobler collonade
than that which adorns the treasury building
can alone be found in the ruins of the Gracco
Sicilian cities. The Capitol is one Of the most
magnificent specimens of architecture in the
world. In the detail there are indeed faults,
for instance, in the position Of the wing; but
as whole it produces proud and grand ef-
feet, and it would be difficult to find nobler
location than the hill on which it stands.
The portraits upon Colonel TrumbulPs bat
tie pieces look down upon one as if they were
alive; they must, in fact, be true to their orr
ginals, as the colonel was personally acquainted
with those whom he has placed upon his can
vass. But as the position and expression of the
separate characters were decided beforehand,
any high artistic generalization was not to be
thought Of All the works of art which one
sees in Washington are pervaded by the proud
feeling, we are the freemen of America i AS
to the artistic value, one can almost say, only
that which is not by Americans is good.
When native American has succeeded in fol-
lowing foreign examples in producing plan
in purest taste for a work of art, some mis-
shapen goblin or other is sure to mount his
back and drive him out of his path something
must be changed or something added-so
changed in his character and out of the way
that nobody can help laughing when the work
is finished.
1t is so with the Capitol and most of the
other public buildings in Washington. Some
curious thing or other is added, which spoils the
harmony, though in these cases one overlooks
the disturbances in the grand impression they
make as whole. But stranger is sick
enough when he meets such monstrous archi-
tectural abortions as the huge gingerbread
buildings of the Smithsonian Institute, or that
huge box, the General Post Office, which, how
ever, is pure American. A still droller ill-luck
seems to pursue the native artists in their
statues. The Americans had heard of Jupiter;
of course they must have Jupiter to them
selves alone. There they have made of the
good Washington a sort of private Jupiter
So Greenough has placed him, in the style o.
his model, the Olympian Jove, upon seat in
colossal form-not in q temple, however, but
out in the park. The white marble is very
beautiful, but not much better wrought than a
large garden figure hewn by one of our artists
out OF sandstone. Washington holds out a
sword with his right hand, and raises his left
towards heaven, as though he would say: "Here,
take this sword, and Gods vengeance be upon
you you use it unrighteously" Seen from
distance, one could easily imagine this,
although he cannot easily understand why
Washington should smile so much, or be SO
nearly naked However, on coming nearer, 1t
strikes one that he has just come ont OF the
bath, and is asking somewhat threatenlngly
"Is nobody coming to shave me?" On the
steps to the grand entrance tothe Capitol stands
Persico's Columbus The naval hero is make.
ing rope dancers posture, and with a "hurrahl
throwing up a ball, which is intended to re-
present the newly y-discovered hemisphere, and,
naturally enough, is bracing himself by resting
his left hand upon his person behind. But
now an Indian woman creeps about him, as if
she would say, "God preserve us from that sort
of people !"