Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-28

lnceSSant; the sofas that are placed
around the walls have men stretched
out on them, staring into the galleries;
the gas light comes from above through
the stained glass ceiling, and gives a
most peculiar, tiresome, glaring effect.
The gallery seats are uncomfortable,
straight backed, about the width Of a
hoop-pole, and so close together that
ones knees are jammed black and blue
Yet, in spite of it's discomforts, it is a
grand old room, in grand old building,
that with its corridors, statues, paint
ings and marble walls, gives delight to
every lover of the beautiful. Last night,
as we were leaving the Capitol, we
paused in the immense rotunda, that is
now empty, save the rows Of pillars
that stand like sentinels around the
edge upon the wide marble floors, and
the statues that CLEAN from the shad-
ows of the encircling promenade Above
the dome swells, like giant hollow
snhere, it's galleries winding up, up,
In the distance, to the canopy Of gor-
geous sporting nymphs that from their
height look down always upon the NOV
ing current Of humanity.
On the wall beneath the first gallery
there is wide plain space of plaster,
perhaps fourteen feet high, extending
clear around the room. Above this, or
from this plain base springs the curve
OF the dome, ornamented with fretwork
and relief clear to it's apex The plain
space is now being ornamented in fres-
co, and the effect when the work is COM
pleted will be indescribably artistic. So
skillfully is the work being done that
the shading represents exactly the
curves of statuary About 300 figures
are now complete and one-eighth of the
circle is finished. The desi gns are allie
gorical. Many persons are incredulous
when told that the shining nude figures
are not carved of marble, and set in
stately recessed procession about the
wall Nonsense, [ can see the light
shining back of that statue. 1t stands
out from the wall. That's no painting.
You are misinformed," | heard one
naughty lady reply to her escort few
days since.
AS we paused in the rotunda to ad-
mlre the cOnglOmerate marble of the
pillars, which contains pebbles of all col
ors, and in size from pea to an apple,
yet polished as highly as the celebrated
Scotch granite, young custodian
sitting near the door remarked that the
marble was very handsome. very"
we assented enthusiastically 1T was
quarrled near here, down the river away,
not far from Mount Vernon" 1T is
very handsome" ''The frescoing will
improve the rotunda immensely" 1T
is masterpiece of art" Eyes, [ sup
pose that's very fine work. Everybody
who comes here says so" "But these
marble figures and these pictures, made
by a brush, amt the only ones in this
hall. l know of form near where you
are standing that wasn't ever painted
or chiseled, and yet it has eyes and nose
and mouth" began to grow cold with
"skeer." 1T has been standing right
where it stands now ever since this
building was made, and hundreds of
thousands of people have touched it, but
no one ever saw it unless | pointed it
out to them
Maniac and spooks," I exclaimed
mentally, moving away.
Here it is, a regular antique, con-
tinued the young man, laying his hand
on the marble pillar near where | was.
There isn't no work of the old mas
ters that equals that
The spot he pointed out was a dark
gray pebble, so shaded and mottled as
to form bust half the size of head.
The features were perfect; the short
curling locks and uplifted eyelashes
shaded to the nicely of life
Here is cherub," moving to anoth-
er picture and pointing to a white spot
the size of hickory nut. Sure enoug gh,
it bore the wide-open eyes, fat cheeks
and pOuting mouth of Raphael's angels.
Here on the fourth row is bust of
Shakespeare, and here is Tweed's face"
and spectre lady, all in flowing white;
from the fancy folds of her mantle looks
out pale face, with dark, sad eyes, and
hair strangely colored a pale gold.
Here is skull, grinning and hideous;
and a tiny hand, laid in dimpled beauty
against a dark green stone. Here a
white lily an old-fashioned lily. We
never see them any more in the new
lists OF flowers, but some of us can re-
member how they scented in June the
old, straight borders of country gardens.
Strange, that near Mount Vernon, deep
in the rock quarry, there should ever be
fashioned in imperishable stone, a lily
so like the creamy chalices of youthful
days.
The pictures in the marble pillars are
a new discovery, and add to the interest
OF the quaint rOtunda that nature and
art alike combine to decorate
The youth who first saw the picture
in the granite has sat by the door of the
rotunda several years, escorting visitors
who desired his services. That he has
found so new and unique an amusement
in the curious conglomerate, is source
OF interest to lovers of the rare and
quaint in nature.
The grounds of the Capitol, under the
control Of the most celebrated landscape
gardener of the New World, Olmsted,
OF Central Park fame, are showing ev
cry day nearer approach to the COM
plete design of the artist. Wide
stretches of emerald lawn, clumps of
shrubbery, a few stately trees, bits OF
color set like gems over the park, make
lawn Of such proportions and beauty
that all who saw the place in it's weeds
and big trees few years since acknowl-
cuSe al lHlpTOVcmenC. LHc UIodu CuTV-
ed stone coping outlining the park, and
the magnificent entrance to the west
gate of the grounds, cannot for grand
eur be excelled.
The Colville Folly troupe has been
here. The girls were all beautiful and
young, yet the show was not an assured
success. 1t was too leggy for the prim,
and not sufficiently dec0llete for the
fast. The lower limbs, which the silken
tights displayed, were models, but the
jackets were high to the chin, and long
to the finger tips, and gave not a
glimpse of shoulder or arm. Miss Ros-
eau, starry eyed blonde, who a year
ago was singing from psalm books in a
choir, is the musical attraction of the
Folly. In response to an en- core she
gave the exquisite ballad:
HE is sailing o oer the sea,
He is coming home to me,
Baby mine
1t was beautiful bit of acting as
we'll as singing. The slow movement of
the extended arms, making the sailing
motion of the ship, in the first line; in
the second the upward lifting and pas
sionate clasping of the hands, then the
sudden dropping Of the head over the
words Baby mine" had natural fervor