Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-04-09
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY.
From our own Correspondent

From our own Correspondent
It would weary your readers were
to attempt to tell the story again of the
wonderful magnificence and architec-
tural grandeur of our nations Capitol.
Suffice it to say it is all on a scale i'll
keeping with the spirit of resplerdent
glory and excellence in which the ma
ton is wont to distinguish itself. With
eyes bedaZzled with. the splendor on
every hand exhibited, we bid adieu to
the tessellated floors, the rich Mosaic
walks, the bewildering beauty of the
labyrinthian passages, the grand and
solemn rotuuGa and its res0undiEg ech-
oes, the enchanting paintings and stat
uary-among the furner, the great pic
ture of Com. Perry, at line battle of
Lake Erie, i'll the act OF leaving his dis
tabled flagship for another, always at
tracts large crowds OF admirers, who
hang in Unsuitable admiration on the
beauty and ravi-hing spirit of the scene
so inspiring, so natural, 50 heroic, so
manly and American! We step softly
into the Presidents room, said to be
the graDdeSt one in our country, we
cautiously SEA. ourselves on the richly
attired velvet-finIshed chair, or lounge
upon the splendid sofas, or tread soft
ly on the rarest carpet, while we are
lost in wonder al the matchlesS archi-
lecture of the place, its magnificent
chandelier, its beautiful Mosaic ceiling,
its deep golden cornice, its busts and
portraits of the nations honOred dead, |,
its festooned tapestries, its whole con-
summate perfection Of splendor, We
pass quickly cut, and mix in the hum
drum of voices as they echo and re.
echo through the spacious corridors ol
! this great citadel of attraction. Again
we mingle with the inevitable crowd
that pours like a restless illimitable
stream, through passage and stairway
through doors and dome; through halls
and rotunda; all in search of pleasure
or profit; all speaking common Ian
guage, and boasting common cOun'
try; all proud of the same flag, all In
spired by one only sentiment
"This is my own my native land"
And we think of the hallowed associ
ations that cluster about the spot, anC
lwonder, what after all, is the destiny
the God of nations has in store for US a!
a people, and we ask,
Where are the feet that trod these halls,
Full twenty years ago."
And the hollow mocking echo come
back, "Full twenty years ago." Man!
are gone from us forever; others ar
putting their house in order;' other
are actively engaged in the great dra
ma of life; soon, however, to act til,
: final after-piece. THUS it is with us all
and go will it be with Us all, one gener
+ alton succeeding another, till at las
comes the end. We could but rehec
on the busy stream of humanity as i
iostled past. and remembered tina
: whatever might betide us as nation
whether our happy country should a
last succumb to the evil machination
of wicked men, and go down anon,
the rubbish of crumbled despotisms O
: the old world; or, as the beacon-ligh
:, in the grand march of mans civiliza
ton and ultimate trinmph; of this
was sure--tbis man, this genus homo
will go on, and on, and on, touchin
/ the beginning and the middle; so wi
, he reach the end of time. Whethe
/. liberty Survive or PERISH mans gen
eric power will go on, like the curren
g of mighty river. down life's eventfr
t stream, ever ending, ever beginning
: always changing, yet immutably tn
same! Then we pray devoutly,
"Our fathers God, to Thee,
: Author of Liberty,
= To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright,
I With freedoms light,
Protect us by Thy might,
t Great God, onr kingi
r We follow the surging crowd, an
s find ourselves vending our way up tn
+ capacious stairway leading to the ga
leries, and around devious halls, fin
}, ourselves looking down upon a seen
+ worthy the pencil of an artist-the ha
I of the House. We remain only Il mt
+ lnent; il is adjournment hour, and W
: hurry over to the Senate gallery