The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-07-27
OUR CENrENNIAl.Ll i LETTER.

OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.
The GOVERNMENT BUILDING ARMY
AND M1R1NE MoNsrRos1TIEs -INDI,
AN RELICS 0REs-WoNDER-
Full Observation-Disclosures OF THE
PosT OFFICE DEPARTMENT. -. Vi
Special crs.pondenes etlse Anderaoa hts,l;geneey.
PHILADELPHIA, July 20, 1876. a.
Ibid think at first that I would go
systematically through the different
buildings of the Exhibition, finishing
onsnp before j began with another; but.
it iadreadfaily ttilesome work to continue
writing on one subject, no matter how,
absorbing the interest, so; for the future.
/ have concluded to move wherever my
inclination leads-perhaps one or two
days in the. Government Building, and
several visits to Machinery Hall. / will
not forget the Ladies' Department, nor
the many isolated points of interest that
go to make up this wonderful Exhibi-
tion.s
My advice to visitor to the Centen-
malls, don't forget to examine the Gov
eminent buildings. Here are models of
ships, elegant and clean cut, fore and aft,
that look as though they would cleaye
the water like an arrow; pigmy moni-
tons, defying shot and shell; villainous-
looking torpedoes, whose mission is to
send whole ship-loads of poor devils to
NDayy Jones' locker; riAed cannon, whose
chief delight is to knock4spots out of an
enemy nine or ten miles away; and shot
and shell of indescribable power and
.destructibility, the very contemplation
OF which is filled with visions of man.
gled legs and arms, and all the horrors
/. that surround the dreadful panoply of
war. One thing made me mad. Here
was the great American Nation coming
up to Worlds Exhibition, and yet in
its representations of the plastic art l
: doubt if such ibelous denominations were
ever conceived before in the heavens
above, or the earth beneath, or the wa
ters that are under the earth. Such
soldiers, sailors and mariners we're never
seen since the world began. One repre-
sentative of the Marine Corps stands at
the southeast door; he. looks as though
he had been fed for ten years on Sour
milk and cabbage. He has frightened
look, as though he had first received the
shock of giant torpedo in the rear, and
was about to retreat in double-quick
time. Another brave soldier looks as
though he was slowly recovering from an
attack of acute collie, and was anMously
watching the approach of returning
symptoms; and still another gallant tar
looks as though he had been knocked on
his beam ends, and was emphatically
going off upon his ear.
Disguised at the vile libels on our SOL
diers and sailors, / wandered down to the
Indian collection till I came to case
containing some murderous-l looking war
clubs; they were all knotty and gnarled,
and looked as if they would crush in a
mans skull like an egg-shell. I am not
naturally sanguinary, but my fingers
itched to get hold of one of those clubs.
Then / should want some one to catch
for me the Secretary of the Navy, the
jolly Robson, and the late Secretary of
War, Mr.. Belknap, and unmindful of
their eminent services, I think should
take exquisite delight in Draining them
with one of those war clubs. Shades of
Decatur, Perry and Lawrence! if per-
mitted to look down from above, what
must be your righteous indignation as
you contemplate these murderous efigies
of the noble American sailors? Ghost
of brave old Farragut, haunt this lubber-
ly Secretary till these ibels on our hon.
est tars are removed; and you, brave
men, who went down with the Cumber-
land, rattle your white bones around his
couch at night as punishment for the
disgrace which these vile efigies inAict
on our soldiers and sailors. Stir him up
with pitch-forks and all sorts of uncom-
Portable things till they are hidden from
sight, and the Government building is
relieved from the infamy of their pres
ence. There are some exceedingly inge-
NOUS and marvellous machines here that
seem to be almost gifted with human
intelligence; but it is more than this, for
human intelligence is subject to mistake,
but these machines never err. Look at
the eHelope machine which stands near
the post Office, it is indeed a marvel of
marvels. A dainty little lady sits beside
it in an easy-chair; she looks the picture
of serene comfort, and well she may, for
she has nothing to do but to enjoy her
self at the government expense. Occa-
sionally, for amusement, she may take
out a loose bundle of envelopes to fan
herself with, but the machine does all
the work. Describe it, I can't. All 1
can say is, that you put in a bundle of
paper and it comes out first-ciass envel-
opes.