National Republican., 1873-06-28

filed with lilies and surrounded With ferns, fox
glove and wild nowers-lakee whose surfaces re-
nect all the beauty OF the rising hills.
TBE oLD SOLDIERS CRowa
What In the world the old soldiers want Of 90
many crows Ia q mystery 90 where you viii IN
the grounds and youil sec crow hopping along
the grass, or hear one cawing over your mead.
They are not Wild, like country crows about a
con-neld. They seem to know that they are
living among people impressed with some such
notions as prompted Mephistopheles TO Rllude to
q snake as "hls aunt" And thus reminds US Of
the fact that some Of the oldest OF the old sol
dlers are very fond Of cultivating and protecting
nnt-hla for the reason that the ants frequsnty
anOrl them sight Of grand battle, on one side
OF the rOad they'll have lot OF red ant-hills, ana
on the other q lot OF black ones, Some bright
sunday afternoon, (the ant soldiers, lust IKE
human TROOPS, always select sunday for bat
te) the red ants marshal their forces under lLeir
Grant and sherman and sheridan, and go over
and attack the black ants and Kill about ten thou
sand Of them. The military movements OF these
insects are wonderfully Interesting TO people VINO
are In the profession"
rHE LIBRARY.
The time Of the veterans is not spent In Idle
ness When not at rest or work. they arc read
ing. They have q choice library OF about two
thousand volumes, and q large. wcll-furnishcd
reading. room, In which may be found all the
standard newspapers Of every state In the
Union, together with several foreign ones. Be
sides the newspapers, they are subscribers Tor
all the leading monthlies and the English quar-
teries, 10 into their library at any time, aud At
least nifty old soldiers will he found engaged In
reading. Sergeant Smith Is the librarian He Is
about sxtJ-ye years Of age, and Is still male aud
hearty" and what u more remAkable, hls
october that he paid her avlsit
TnE CHAPEL
The old soldiers, looking forward to their ac-
ceptance as recruits In the "church triumphant, -
are not unmlndful Of their duties In the ''church
militant" and In the silence Of the tall oaks
theI have built neat chapel Of freestone OF
course, they entertain different religious conyc.
tons, but they divide themselves into Catholics
and Protesta1ts. Every sunday they have two
/ services, one for each, and they have In the
chapel one religious service during the week.
ruE OLD SOLDIERS A. TEMPERANCE NES.
Greatly to their credit, number Of old sol
dlers have organized among themselves d.
vision Of the sons Of Temperance, and their di
| vision u q large and nOurishlng one. TheJ
occasionally hold public temperance meeting
and have their friends and speakers out there
from the city, and as q division they visit theiI
brethren.
IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS.
Daring the year they propose many improve
ments aud additions. Among others q statue ol
heroic size will be erected to the memory ol
General Scott who Is very justly regarded a
the "Father Of the Soldiers Home" This statu,
Is TO be erected on Scotts Point, which com
mAnds one Of the most beautiful aud extensive
| views In the District. THIS statue will be un
yelled with ceremonies OF the most imposing
character and Il will afford q happy occasion
for some great orator.
The old hospital Is being converted Into dor
mitOry, which, when completed, Will afford com
Portable accommodations for one hundred mOr'
inmates, room that will be required by the fas
growing popularity Of the place.
new model hospital Is also under constTuc
ton on the old Cottage grounds, which Will b'
most conveniently htted up TO accommodate,
1fty patients. Other minor improvements vii
be made and great attention gwen to the beau
tifying Of the grounds.
VINO ARE THERE.
All sorts OF soldiers are there, representing
every branch OF the service-soldiers OF the wa
OF 1919, the Mexican war, the Indian war, and o
the late lnteTnecine war, and soldiers OF tn
frontier army; soldiers without legs or arms an,
soldiers with legs and arms, but VINO are as help
less as u they had nelther-and there Ia no plac
In all the world the old soldier Is so well care
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