The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-09
~, nj the Capital.

Don Piatt gives tue IOhOWuB SPICY orltl-
L., Of the ''art" works at Washington. The
.hstcb will be appreciated by all who have
suffered while inspecting the speCimens:-
n there is one thing more than another
.hont this city to cause a sensitive man to
howl with anguish, IL Is the display OF what
some benighted minds are pleased to call art
while at intervals we encounter some speoi-
mans that will pass, the great majority is OF
the sort to make one shudder, and appreciate
the dread command once promulgated against
.raven images. OF these, the worse, II there
eesn he A worse, are the production of that
6snd in human shape called Clark Mills. lie
hos assaulted the sacred memory of the Father
"a bis Country iu brazen efigy, set mp be-
tween Washipgto and Georgetown hao
this thing been dug out In some of the mines
- Sontb America, we might accept 1t as a
snr;ous relic of barbsrous people. AS 1t ls,
n stands a fearful nightmare of stallion be-
atrode by a symboical creature whose face and
6onre are as devoid of character and express
sion as a town pump. There 1t stands, IN its
circle of stunted trees and faded grass, hke
the god of ugliness, reigning over desolation .
paksdness. ~.
Conntrv is terrible, it sottens wonderfully be-
tors that made on Old Hickory in Lafayette
,ouare. All the political spite of generation
.nosndered in the bosoms Of the old Wings,
condensed and occupied and possessed the
soul of Clark Mills when he conceived his
Jackson. The bitter old Wings may rest in
nssce. Clark Mills has avenged their wrongs.
In everlasting brass he is held up to the
ianobter and ridicule of humanity. He who
tooR the responsibility, and swore by the
Rtsrnal as he put his military heel on the
necks of his enemies, and strobe on in hard
sned indifference over broken banks and
violated Constitution, in just retrlbution is
held MP to endless irony Ono pun) before the
house he once was master OF. :.
can understand the deyilish mallgnity
that enacted the brass Jackson; but | cannot
understand the motive for the terrible assault
made on that useful animal, the horse. Con-
oeiye II you can, oh curious reader, innocent
of Washington, the clumsiest dray horse that
ever eccentric nature put together, suffering
from an acute attack of bots, and rearing in
mad agony, and you have faint approach to
Clark Mills assault on the animal.
On this insane monstrosity sits the so-called
Jackson, in a pointed swallOw-tail, wildly
waving his hat and defying the laws of gravi-
tston. | once, many years since, called
lady's attention to JacksOn's impossible seat
in the saddle, and she responded wittily:
"All the filter as a representative of Old
Hickory. Did he not defy all lawsf Why
not the law of gravitationY Had this won
derful artist put him on a mule and had the
mule kicking up, it would have been all the
more happy"
And now we are threatened with a national
calamity, in the shape of monument to the
memory of Lincoln. My venerable friend
the honorable, and, in financial way, able
friend-General Spinner, has furnished me
with photogra phic views of the proposed
monument. / look at them and shudder.
They are such things as come in sfter-dinnsr
dreams, when plum puddings and rnince-pies
deaden the stomach and stimulate the brain,
until horrible things take shape and sorely
oppress the sleeper. A ree-corhered, pyra-
midal structure towers up, made of solid
granite and fairly plastered over with figures.
At the base impossible horses are wildly
plungipg, evidently scared at the monstrosity
in their rear. The impossible horses have on
them impossible riders. They are supposed
to be military people, such as Captain Jinks
OF the Horse Marines.
On the summit sits, in calm indifference to
the row below, the late lamented. He sits in
the position men always do when writing on
monument. have at times written on the
head of barrel. would not like to be per-
petuated in granite and bronze when writing
on barrel. l doubt whether my posterity
would admire me in such position. Lincoln
has had a table de mutt brought him On which
10 rest his parchment. As Lincoln was an
angular, tall, thin, and awkward man, this
efhgy is great success. II is as great q
success as the statue of Lincoln before the
city buildings, and that makes one shiVer. II
Is 80 like.
Immediately below Lincoln sit, at three cor
ners, Liberty, Justice, and Time. OF these old,
Time seems to be in the worse way. Liberty
and Justice are doing pretty well, but Time
seems to be very sick. Perhaps he don't like
1t. should think he wouldn't.
On the next ledge appear some twenty-five
people carrying on a violent alteration.
least this is the condition of two sides. Vi
the third the group seem to have rec overet
from their little unpleasantness, and are sit
ting down to a game of old sledge or draw
poker. This Is pleasanter spec acle, an
relieves one from grave apprehension.
The ledge on which the disputants are ur
happily placed being narrow, the fear come
over one that they may be knocked off an
come to grief among the plunging horses 8
the base. This alarm is in some measuI
allayed by the fact that the figures are 81
ourely anchored by huge bolts through th
heels, and that the several coat tails are we
pinned behind with like iron bolts. If thi
fact could be stated in plain English Oh tn
monument it would be we'll, and give tn
spectators repose the monument sadl
lacks.
On the step or ledge below, we have tn
American citizen of African descent, in tn
various attitudes so common to that class il
monuments, and seen nowhere else.
learn that the whole affair is lob.
sort OF grand gift enterprise. That is
while the granite and bronzs figure of Mr.
Lincoln, and those OF Liberty, Justice, an
Time, with the Statues of the reconstructed
are to be paid for by general subscription
any one contributing the necessary fund
San have himself anchored and pinned I
mnnnmant A. al