The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-11
Yankeedom In Southern Eye.

the North, writes 10 Mrs. y. r o.-"ho
gave the letter to the ~. {. Presbyterian,
as follows:
WASHINGTON CRY, Sth, Sept, 1880
What a magnificent city Washington is! |
walked up Massachusetts avenue this morn
ing. What noble streets, the
are lined with fine old aspen and maple tress.
The houses so handsome and stately, tue
Yards aud sparks filled with %shrubbery, roses
geraneums, vines-everything beautiful.
The beds of foliage plants are particularly
str king. The centre Of q leaf, for instance,
a bright yellow star filled in with dark
crimson, and bordered with light green or
white. The effect of a mass them is simply
gorge IS. So many fiji q buildings have
gone up since | was here. My eyes are
strained with looking. In Franklin square
last evening. every body appeared, to be
out strolling and e%njoyingit. Ladies dress
ed about as we do in the evenings at home,
bareheaded, and with little children run.
ming around. The pretty rustic seats filled
the grass so trinity cut, the grand walks so
neat, the flowers and fountains and trees so
fresh-It was all so lovely. 1t isa great
treat for a little ''couahy' like me just to
walk down a great busy, bustling rushing
CITY street and see. The bookstores the
jewellry stores! the fall opening of millin-
cry and drygoods; and thousand and one
new and rare and costly things at every
turn. / seem to be getting new ideas all
the time.
10th. We have been to see the new
White House set of china. 1t cost the
White House $4,000. and cost the manufac
turer $l5, 600. But then he can sell as many
sets as he pleases. There are four hundred
painted with a different picture-laDdscape
or flowers, or a scene of some sort, all Amer
,can; illustrating our scenery, or history
or products, or something natural. For in
stance on one dish was painted a prairie on
fire in the distance, in the foreground a
beautiful prairie hen taking wing. On an
other was Niagra Falls in the back ground;
in the foreground an Indian stretched out
on the ground beside a deer he had just
shot. Some of the scenes appear to have
been suggested by Cooper's novels. On
one plate was a branch of our ivy-kdlmtd.
lSome call it "calico-bush" you know
Looks as if it had just dropped off the tree.
On another was a pine branch with cones.
/ feel sure some one OF the artists have
been ir North Carolina, for there are our
very weeds to the MISUNDERSTANDING
weed, &C., and one scene was especially
'possum up in a tree, men and dogs and
torches below.
think the china stores are about as
tempting as any others. A new lot of ware
Just from Paris caused me to break the
me tenth commandment all to pieces. In
deed | don't know if it isn't the tcunt of
money that is the root of all evil. In one
case | saw an exquisite flower va c that was
simply a bunch of delicate pink roses caught
together in some mysterious manner to form
the vase. 1t was SO lovely, and so small, l
thought | might venture to buy that. | in
quired the price. The shopman said very
politely SIS. SO | retired. Such exquIs-
lie little dishes to hold eggs, so much new
fashioned table ware, and such dainty dew
ices. | thought of you at every step. But
when don't | think of you and wish Tor you
to share my pleasures l want to show
you the view from the front windows OF
nv bedroom; look over acres of house
tops and spires and domes. the Capitol, the
Smithsonian, and many elegant churches to
the Potomac in the distance, and across it
large public buildings far away. In the
morning it is a never ending delight to look
out, and at all times in the night when it
is only a broad expanse of twinkling lights.
18th. The Capitol has had SO much orna
mental work lone on it since | was here last,
that it seems me as lift were all new. The
effect is much greater. The frescoiDgs,
gliding. mouldings-the paintings, and cell
ings are magnificent to behold, all along the
ceiling of the halls leading past the Senate
chamber and the House Of Representatives
are exquisite lunches of flowers on PANELS,
each different. There are superb mirrors
in the reception rooms, finely covered mar
bic mantels, pillows of parti colored mar
bles, statues, richly designed doors, inlaid
fioors-well, it is all dazzling. And they
are still adding to it all the time. Inside
the otunda, near the top, figures and scenes
are being painted that stand out as if they
were statuary. The artist was sea. ed on a
little scaffolding high in the air. 1t looked
fearful. The artist who began the paint
ing, fell from that height last year. He
caught on something and was not killed on
the spot out the shock was too great, he
died from the effect of it. n. and | climbed
up 365 steps the very top of the dome.
what a most beautiful city Washington is
The wide avenues appear to radiate from
the Capitol but | believe in reality they do
not. The grounds are greatly improved.
A very fine stone railing e~ncloses them. The
entrance gates are ! eaut ful. The Ill airs for
gas, six of them, at the main entrance, cost
s., 600 apse,e.
From the Capitol we went to the Congress
sional gardens opposite. They are ablaze
with tropical beauty. | wish Mrs. B. had
some of the fern-trees. l stood under them
and the great fronds dropped over me. The
banana and palm leaves are as large as a
small boat.
18th. | heard DR.. Cairn, of Edinburgh.
preach yesterday in Mr.. Chester's Metropoli-
tan church. Passing the Capitol grounds on
our way, rich and gay with beautiful flow
ers, on one of the mounds among the ger
aniums, [ saw some tall yellow flowers
waving about and tossing their head, as
boldly as any. And what do you think they
were? Only our dear old North Carolina
golden rods. When we entered the church
they were sing Come thou Fount" 1t
sounded so familiar and 50 sweet, | felt like
lifting up my voice then and there, and
joining in before we were seated.
DR.. Cairns is a hale white haired old rem
tleman with a noble English face. and "a very
peculiar accent and gesture. His text:
But HIS Name shall endure torerer." Tie
exordium was very fine.
On our way home re went Town North
Carolina avenue which is "a broad, fine street
as yet few houses on it but plenty of limp