The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-03-10
Our George Endeth His Travels.
LETTER NUMBER ELEVEN.

that Congress never could be got together that
could pass removal bill. The War, State and
Naval building, now in process of completion, is
of itself sufficient to anchor any Capitol If
should attempt to describe it, should fail and
my description would be in bankruptcy before |
had fairly begun | could not begin to express to
you the extent and elegance of this building,
without ehsrterng the entire transportation stock
OF all the Express companies in the L. S. l could
not begin to paint its beauties to you without
having paint mill running day and night, and
| then IT the hands should strike you see where it
would leave me. l am told by gentlemen who
profess to know, that good judges who have travel
ed the world over that there is no one such
| building anywhere, and | swallow the statement
easily myself, although my swallow is so construct
ed that pill in my mouth makes as much trouble
| in getting down where it wants to begin work as
| II 1T were the Egyptian Obelisk. In placing this
building first on the list they do not except Wash
ington and Fulton markets, in New York city.
visited the old Ford theatre, where Mr., Lincoln
was assassinated. II is now owned by the Gov
| ernment, and used museum partly. Nearly
| opposite, in red brick house. white marble
tablet is let into the outside wall on which is an
inscription, stating that in that house Mr.. Lincoln
| died. As | wandered about the theatre could
hardly rsalize that within its walls such tragedy
| had taken place. Here where stood the stage;
here the box in which the President sat there the
spot from which the assassin fired the fatal shot
| There the door through which he fled. How dim
all this now seemed to me, and yet how vivid it
| was to me at the time it occurred. What Won
| dertul thing time Is 1t is the only thing that
heals all wounds. and etlaces sad memory, and
outlaws notes
| | visited the Corcoran Art Gallery and was most
| interested in rotice that read on the door
W hlle the Gallery is free TO visitors, notice on
one of the doors announced that on certain after
moons of each week al admission would be charg
ed, one afternoon | think Immediately sat down
| on the steps, and in my mind made directory of
| the people IN my native town, and wondered who
among them who could attend any entertainment
! from an opera 10 a funeral, five days in the weeE
| fer nothing, would select the other day when
| they could pay for the same thing, and | sat and
pondered till the janitor came out and asked me
to get up he could shovel the snow off the steps,
and l could not think of one | am not attempt
ing to explain this notice, but am telling what is
true, that one afternoon, Wednesday believe, you
can visit the Gallery paving an admission fee OF
twenty five cents, and the other days you can 90
for nothing and spend your quarter for beer.
Ny avoirdupois is but little rising l25 pounds
but in the presence of Art have no difficulty in
| taking myself by the slack Of the pants and hold
ing myself ont at arms length | mean that feel
my litteness l cannot appreciate Art as Art
wants to be appreciated. If all the celebrated
paintings and sculptures of ancient and modern
| times were placed in d row, and | had money
enough to take all the new three per cent loan, l
do not think that would give over two dollars
and half for any one Of them | never buy any
thing for the sake of getting chrome with it.
| With this little preface | will leave the Corcoran
gallery for some one else to describe
| The Smithsonian Institute and the national debt
are TWO objects of interest IN Washington, and |
took in the former, it being the smaller of the
two. | found that it a museum, belonging to
the government. When my friend proposed to
go there told him that must first 60 to my ho-
tel and get my dress suit and white kids. and tx
up little. "Oh pshawm said he. what do you
want to dress up for to go into that old museum
''Mu-museum did you say ! gasped, why, |
have always supposed that the Smithsonian Insti-
tute was young ladies boarding school, Well
we went there and found, he said, collection
of all manner of curiosities, and terrible odor of
extinct life. In some rooms Of the building it
seemed if there heavy morgue age on
them, drank in the beauties of the place as well
| could with my mouth and done up in a
handkerchief, and held my breath long that
when stepped out doors and drew a long breath,
| exhausted so much air, that the air in the build
ing rushing out to fill the vacuum, broke ont sew
eraI large windows, but fled before the attend
ants learned the cause of the disaster
My time in Washington being all used up. time
is nloDr4 you will recoect,) took the cars for
Baltimore, as was told that there was a curiosity
there worth seeing On arriving in the city en-
qulrea my way to the locality where this curiosity
was situated, and crept up a very steep hill on my
hands and knees and arriving at the top
paused, There before me was the article in ques-
ton, if | could believe my eyes There it was
standing firm foundation. finished and com
plete in all Its parts and cut into Its hard granite
was the marvellous statement that the state of
Maryland had erected to the nemOry of
............
Wv ~ 'o' i''' l.
Foor Old man, when you look down from above
auu see the mynads OF boys and men, and pies
and saloons, and uncompleted mouu1fents, and
streets and avenues, all bearing Your name don't
forget to throw your optic over the State of Mary
land, and let it rest for moment on that granite
I"e' ou 'n"' NH III p"i'l'oIe' anu 10 then relheh
Der tIl"I however UhsrateluI rePuoleS may De-
N"iH i'nu u"' uoAe 'ne SQUARE thlug oy you
IL 'oii an "eie ou' S'e'sn
Jung ''ii'o'e vas S'iu'ls' SUNG
o 'A' ''Iee'S are auUlIa0'F Hl'eu lof Sllu'us
e
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