The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-05-09
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Deer ya
Visiting farafu days here at our State
Capital have thought. perhaps, some OF
your rca8cts may be Interested 10 little
description off, a very pretty and pic
iunsqus place i S ucstling among The
mountains sud 80 following the wiudings
5f he beautiful Winoosa river that Il Il
almost Impossible 10 obtain view Of the
entire village from any one standpoint.
], IS too early la thc season, Of course, to
see tbc place la rs most attractive guise.
bat when All these groves and avenues Of
trees are ia fali foliage Montpelier must
be sort 81 earthly paradise, circled
round by hills which form q fsr more im-
pcnelrab.o barrier against the outside
world thau did the rivers whichmade The
confines Of the old Eden
The State House Is naturally the most
conspicuous building Of the town. IL
stauds on handsome elevation, yet with .
q far higher Hill FOR back ground, and is
a stately ediiicc. II built of granite, ia
simple, massive Doric style. The dome
seems to me little ont Of proportion
too large and ntl quite in harmony \
with the rest Of the building. Il is sur (
mounted by colossal statue Of really .
don't know who. but Ceres guess Ger I
family It Is not Liberty, for shc has not .
DE needn't cap MOI Justice, forthe scales
are not there. Ai~any rate the figure Is .
not good one, ard uasmuch as i Is a
sham, pretending to be OF solid metal
when it Is only wood covered with some
SORT OF gliding, iccl ii To be my duty Ia .
condemn H. The porch is ornamented
with a fne statue OF Ethan Allen, whose /
grand figure, with appraised hand, in The
act, I suppose, Of bidding the British 1ur
render, Ia The name of God Almighty and |
the Continental Congress, makes a very
appropriate aentinal Anticipating future |
possibilities, a littlo party Of ladies, Of
whom was one, availed ourselves Of the /
open doors and polite services Of the jan
itor TO 70 in boldly to those stately legis !
lative halls The walls ofthe corridors are
decorated with pictures of our soldiers,
grouped according to their regiments;
while on silver shields, near by, are en-
grayed the names Of the engagements in
which they tool, par, with some details Of
the same. The legislative and senate
chambers are spacious and handsomely
finished and furnished, We sat down in
luxurious easy-chairs and concluded that
when the sovereign people send MS there,
If they viii give us as good pay and not
make us work any harder than our pres
ent representatives, we will be quite re-
signed to our fate. There is fine library
too, for the benefit of members, which
might well 90 far towards making legis-
atye life quite desirable. To be sure
there is large number of those dreadful
volumes of Messages and Documents,
which our husbands and fathers are al
ways secreting lest we sell them 10 TIM
peddlers, but there are enough readable
books 70 over balance the dispiriting eff
fects Of these ponderous tones. Quite a
number Of fine engrayings ornament the
library walls; while in the Governors
room, which is a pleasant parlor-like place,
there are numerous oil paintings of our
distinguished governors and judges.
There is O room devoted to Natural His
tory, with many specimens Of our native
birds and beasts, very life-like in their at
titudes and expressions; also quite extern
siyc cabinets of minerals, shells and fos-
sis, The little people who were with us
were quite appalled, by fierce looking
catanount, who glared down on us as if
ruling passions with him were still strong
in death. Indeed | was very glad myself
that he was 'lifeless, defunct, without any
doubt, the lampIof his being entirely out"
On the whole think our State house
creditable affair to the little Green Noun
tain State
In the way Of schools the Montpelier
people have a very fine graded school
1 house, where some four or five hundred
children find ample accommodation and the
best of teaching. Miss Mary Burnham,
Of Manchester, is prominent among the
teachers and great fayorite with her
pupils and their parents. The Methodists
have fine academy buildings, on Seminary
/ Hill, almost completed, where they will
no doubt have one Of their hourishng
denominAtional schools.
1 OF graceful church spires the village
/ has It's full share. counted six from my
window, Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist,
Unitarian, Liberal Christian and Con-
gregaiionul, all Of them fine buildings and
/ several Of them remarkably well designed.
1 II was my good fortune TO attend service
on the Sabbath in the new and beautiful
Congregational church ofwhich DIR. Lord
4 is the pastor. The building is purely
Gothic-the only true ecclesiastical arch.
! itecture. The LOFTY upspringing arches,
the graceful carvings, the gorgeous col
orings, the richly stained windows, thro'
which the lights like glories fall, all these
are ike a grand hymn Of praise, iuarticu-
late but All the more impressive. The fine
organ stands IN deep recess back OF the
i pulpit, and over il in letters "quaint and
olden Is carved, Worship the Lord in the
beauty Of holiness Over the principal
entrance are carved The words OF Christ,
| an tie Door BY me fany man enter
! IN he shall be saved, aud shall 20 IN aud
out, aud ind pasture. While other beau