Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-08-13
4 Small Thlng.

The beauty Of a landscape depends upon
little things. a patch Of green in favor.
able location; falling shadow from a
cloud few cattle grazing or sleeping on
meadow a cottage baihed in the sun
light; carriage laziy climbing HILL
these sometimes give peculiar fascination
to duc scenery, and give it its charm, with.
out ones knowing the reason. A wrong
shade in the inside coloring Of a church
a failure in the carpet to blend with the
walls or the cushions, or little irreguority
in the curves Of the arches, will take away
the effect Of the best architecture and no
one can give the reason why he dislikos IT,
A di,cord that neither grows out Cf the
harmony nor returns TO it, will spoil the
noblost symphony bunder in conyersa.
ton takes away it, relish. We are de-
pendent on little things for cur pleasure
and for our comfort A dead Ay in an
aabasier box Of ointment will make it
stink, and when it is floating with oil its
legs spread out in the gravy or sauce Of
our dinner, it disturbes the action Of stom-
ach aud intcstincs, aud produces singular
distasic Of food
Butworse than a bcgssriorhe foreground
Of an Italian sunset, or a crowd Of lou y lq-.
-aroni on the vine.clad slopes of F,osoli /,
worse than drab cushions in church where
the carpet is green; worse than the blum
ders Of a musician in the execution Of o.
symphony Of Beethoven worse than a & y
in spicery or sauce, is gilt statue on the
top Of a granite State House We have
sometimes wandered through grave.yaris
where the pious affection Of bereavcd friends
expressed itself in gliding the letters that
were cut in the marble monument that
marked the resting place Of the dead. We
have seen gided bulls and horses on the
cupolas Of barns and stock houses Bur
these incongruitics Of high art are uot
worthy TO be named with the anomaly Of IA
huge wooden gided statue as the final on
the dome Of massive Doric capitol 1t
is like a clown at funeral a pop.gun
after a salyo Of artillery joke on a
prayer
There are statues on all the great build.
ings Of the world. The Cathedral Of Milan
is covered with the marble masterpieces Of
the great sculptors Of the pest The
Church Of St. Peters, and the mighty col
lonnade that eucircles its square, are adorned
with heroic images of the dead saints of
the calendar St. Stephens Hall and the
glorious Schoubrun, are not ignorant OF
harmonious final statues in marble and
stone. But Of all the historic building. oI
the world we know of but one that /.
crowned with a gilt statue The Capitol oil
Vermont is beautiful building 1t stand,
sercnely against the hill, like the Pariheuor
at Athens, and gains by the contrast But
the quiet icpose and strength of its great
columns, and the perfect simplicity auC
majesty Of its calm Doric architecture, ar,
surmounted and overtopped by gilt stalu,
done in wood
We had hoped when father Time ha(
rent apart the planks of which it was made
aud thrust his fingers into the great seaui
and crevices which he had caused, it would
be permitted to come down from its con
spicuous pedestal and rest in a congenia
obscurity. But alas, the great rents o.
time are being caulked aud scanned viii
pine and putty; heavy coats of paint con
ceal the mending processes and we under
stand "bran new gilt covering is to b.
thrown over its huge shoulders. If w
must have the statue, why not give it th
color of granite? The untaught eye ma,
imagine it is granite. We might tolerat
the statue if we thought it stone, but W
shall continue to dospisc it when we know
it is Of gilded wood