Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1880-10-09
THE NATIONAL CAPT Toll.
One ofthe Grandest buildings In the World.


heart beat high with pride and patriot
ism. Critics may tell us that it will not
be perfect building while the central
front recedes; that is, until that is built
out beyond the fronts of the wings, and
until the main dome is supported by les
Ser domes that are visible. Bnt nobody
cares for critics when gazing at the
marble pile rising over the velvet turf
and lifting its snowy dome like a cloud
itself among the clouds.
Wherever you GO. in Washington or
its neighborhood, turn about, and there
is the dome looking over your shoulder.
You see it as you approach the city, you
see it when You are far down the river.
you see it from Arlington heights, from
the Maryland hills, and out at the Sol
diers' Home, not::only through the famous
Vista, where it rises out of the surround
ing branches all by itself, like phantom
of old Rome, hut as You look over
charming landscape where the Potomac
CLEANS like silver thread out of the
deep blue of the haze on the horizon,
and the dim classic outlines of the other
plendid public buildings. made almosts
dreamlike by distance, give you doubt
if you are Oh this Western continent.
The Capitol stands almost in the cen.
ter of the plan of the city. The corner
stone was laid in 1893 by Washington.
The building was Of freestone from Ac1uia
creek, painted white, and was origin
ally much smaller and more SYM
metrical. 1t was burned by the Brit
ish in the war Of 1912, and was only
rebuilt after stormy debate in Con-
gress, which was assembled somewhere
else. But with the growth of the coun-
try it was found much too small the ex-
tensions were ordered, their cornerstone
was laid with Daniel Webster as the
orator of the day, and they were COM
pleted in 1863. The structure has cost.
in all, about Sl3, 100000.
One would gather little idea of the
size of this building by being told that
it is $50 feet long by 325 broad; one
might better comprehend it, perhaps,
on learning that its ground plan occu-
pies three and half acres.
As you stand before it, you see that it
consists of the old building in the CEN
ter, beautiful thing in itself, e 'qssic
style, connected, on each side, bya al
ridor Of fiutcd columns with the vast
wings, which are built of white marble
from Massachusetts,, and are each
temple in itself. The one on the south
side is the Senate wing the other is
used by the House Of Representatives
The whole stands upon rustic base
ment of granite, and beneath that is a
sub-hasement, hidden by the green turf
of the terraces.
Each of the wings has three porticos
Of fiutcd Corinthian columns, every col
umn cut from single piece of marble.
A carriage-way runs under the eastern
porticos, ny which one enters the base
ment, the middle entrance opening into
the Crypt; and on the fronts are the
most superb staircases of white marble
that can be imagined, supported by i'm
mense blocks or buttresses, and SO broad
and lofty that when one looks at either
Of them one only remembers the motto
Sic itur ad asfra. And so it is, indeed.
As you mount the central one of these
Fights, you observe on the pediment-
that is, the gable-like portion above the
columns and entablature, group carved
n high relief representing the Genius Of |
America replying to flattering Hope by !
pointing to Justice holding the constitu-
ion; corresponding group, by Craw-
ord, occupies the same position on the !
ront of the Senate wing.
On the flat top of the upper buttress
If the main stairway are two groups of
;tatuary, one representing Columbus
holding globe, with an Indian girl at |
his feet: and the other representing |
civilization. or the settlement of America,
~ means of hunter with his dog saving
woman and her boy from the toma-
iawk of the Indian.
The portico itself here is 16O feet long,
md carries "a columns, each 30 feet
nigh. In inches at either side of the
,rcat doors are colossal figures of Peace
md War, and over the doors is another
'as-relief rerresentating Fame and Peace
Washington.
As you pause now and look back, you
lave tho Capitol surrounded on every side
" anample space Of green sward; directly
n front of it stretches paved space in
which is Greenough's huge semi.nude
tatue of Washington, and on either
Idle Of that and beyond it, picturesquely
nclosed by low copings of colored stone,
5 n mark axuuicifolx, 1o;1 ont ,,v;tb A,,,, |