The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-02-16
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
ART AND NATURE-FUN AND FURY.
The Brush ana the Easel-Two Noted
Characters-Lectu Fami'
Iy QuarreI-WbO Sold Out
the Presidency-The
Inst Day OF
silver.
Correspondence OF the Register.


WASHINGTON, d. G, February IA.
The presentation OF Carpenters paint
ing of the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation, 70 Congress as gift, from
Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, who had,
purchased i. for that purpose, for twenty
five thousand dollars, gathered to the
galleries Of the aouse Of Representatives,
at an early hour the beauty and the chi.
yalry of the capital. There was very
large sprinkling, too, OF the nations
wards, who have to be classified to them
selves, not from any desire to make an
odious distinction, contrary to the spirit
of the Fourteenth Amendment and
the Civil Rights bill, but because, having
the highest regard for exactness and
accuracy, especially in any reportorlal
capacity, / cannot enumerste them
among the beauty and chivslry OF the
capital.
That Daub.
Edmunds, of Vermont, objected to the
gift of Mrs. Thompson with ap.) because
il was daub. We think Edmunds was
wrong. He torgets that this is republic.
He overlooks the fact that all are equal
Bat besides we would like to ask the
artistic Green Mountain boy what would
be the use of upsettlng long line OF un-
broken precedents. Are not oil the
pictures that sdorn (2) the walls OF the
capitol daubs? Are not all the statues
in the hall jobs2 Can one, standing IN
the rotunds, and gazing upon the repre-
sentations of the heroic past, fail 70 DO
struck with amazement2 If se looks,
for instance, at the Surrender OF Lord
Corn wallis" he wonders if, in that
dsy, ali mankind was made in
the same mould, for he sees
a dozen or more fat, greasy,
and slick George Wsshingtons, all OF the
same size, the same features, the same
en- Jonpoint, all dressed in blue and buff,
gazing upon u dozen other similar
George Washing gton's, dyked in gorgeous
scarlet. A cleaner shaved, better dressed
and better fed set of veterans never were
seen, and then as they are all reproduc-
tions of the same face and figure, you are
saved the fatigue OF having to scan each
separate individual, and if you have 3
smsttering of history, you know that the
red George Wsshingtons are Cornwsllls
and the Britishers, and that the blue aud
buff George Washingtons are the Amer.
leans and the French allies. 80 you see
dauJs have their advantages. The Corn
wallis picture is fair sample of most OF
the pictures of tie Capitol, which GER
tainly has not developed into temple
Of art.
The picture hung over the Speakers
chair and was covered by large star
spsngled bsaner. The flag was very
pretty one, and some irreverent souls
thought the picture was pretter with Its
veil than without. AT o'clock in came
the long procession of Senators. The
Vice President wheeled into line beside
Randall, the others scrambled for sests,
wherever they could be found. Mrs.
Thompson with ap), was escorted TO a
prominent seat. Her sad but refined
countenarce showed that she was getting
the worth of her money. She looked as
though it was her funeral, and so 1t was.
Carpenter, the Artist,
had a front seat. lie looked troubled.
He seemed meditative and sorroWiui.
He had the air of q man who had just
awakened to the realization of the fact
that in trying to perform worthy
action he had perpetrsted q
great crime. j. Wilkes Booth
might have had just such an expression
on one of his long rides toward the Rap
psnhannock. Carpenter certainly muir
dered Lincoln and his whole cabinet,
whilst Booth only took the life Ct the
President, and compsssed that oil Sew
ard. The picture is large. Most bad
paintings are. That is the only way they
can be made to pay. Many people buy
paintings like they do calico, by the
yard. There is nothing positively sug.
gcstive of the subject. 1t is purely and
solely realistic. No, not that but an at.
tempt at the realistic. The likenesseS
are as fine, should say, as the majority
of cheap wood cuts which are published
in illustrated weeklies. Mr.. Lincoln is
sitting erect, and looks every inch the
martyr. he has the appearance OF being
crsmped for space, and his feet Is drawn
IN under his chslr rs if he was max
ing room for q lady 10 pass IN
a street car. Mr.. Seward is very much
in the same fix, and the whole batch look
as if they were pail bearers, waiting, IN
the presence OF one of the family, for
their hats TO nave the Grape put upon
them. Mr.. Lincoln has aqulil IN his
hand. but he seems 10 have concluded
not to sign the thing after all. Certainly
the picture don't excite your enthusiasm
and with such theme an artist, IN iulI
sympathy with the subject, would have
accomplished something grand. Gar
fields speech of presentation was good
one, and IN taste and time. which is not
always prominent feature of his ora
tions. He showed that LircoIn's sct was
no, so much humanitarian one as wsr
measure. Old Aleck Stephens, with whom
originated the expression "Slsvery Is the
corner stone OF the Con!ederacy, wa:
the other speaker. His speech
will compare fsvorsbly with those OF hi'
pslmiest days, and his perorstion Wa;
very fine. Montgomery Blair is the only
person living who was present 8! thu
Cabinet meeting, and he now sets him
self up 10 be the Moses OF the Democracy
The whirligg OF politics is one of those
things, in the immortal language OF Dan
dresrv, which no iellsh can find out
MRS. Myra Gaines.
saw, to-day, srm in arm, geing dowr
the corridors OF the capitol, Mrs. Myr,