National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-05
A SPLENDID FETE
IN HONOR OF THE NEW PRESIDENT.
Scenes Of Bewiidering Beauty in and About the
Museum Building-Tie Approaches to the
all-Distinguisled People Present
ct the Presidents Leyee.

One of the most convenient avenues OF
approach to the national ballroom was by way OF
! Ninth street through the Smithsonian grounds.
Here the Metropolitan Street Railway Company
| had prepared a covered walk, extending from
street 10 the north entrance of the building.
through which all persons not in carriages could
come up to the Museum expeditiously and with
least annoyance. The approach by this way was
by far the best afforded in the entire grounds
for beholding the magnificent appearance OF the
Museum building. On either side of the walk lies
an open space with only here and there tree, so
an uninterrupted view of the structure is afforded
Close by the building indeed the trees are rather
thickly clustered, but by means enough 10 pre-
vent good view in the flashing, glarinS showers
of radiance poured from the electric light ON the
building and the half score of calcium lights IN
the grounds. The view. indeed, was p!cturesquely
beautiful. Thelight So intense that the dark
frondage ofthe evergreenS stood out IN Doid reile1
from the nights darkness its color and form dis
tinctly revealed while the delicate, feathery lines
of the eaess branches of the deciduous trees were
traced against the dark background of the sky,
each separate limb and twig clearly defined and
as brightly depicted they ever were i'll the mel
low light of full moon. The play of the radiance
upon the trees and shrubbery reminded one, in the
weird and picturesque effects of the illumination
ofthose
TALES OF ESCHANTMENT
where the black depths of the lofty Norand forests,
in the sombre shadows and silence ofthe midwin-
ter midnight were suddenly lit up with the lurid
glare of thousand baleful witchlights and were
wolves with long black tresses and snowy bosoms,
danced on the cleaning snow around unholy fires.
Flashing out from the central minaret of the Mu-
scum the glittering electric light. like huge and
angry eye, irradiated the entire building with its
clear white light, in which, at times, faint
rosy tint flushed and fiickered and fell. The
material grandeur of the structure, as well as
its ornate appearance, was as clearly revealed
as in the sunshine. In the form of Greek
cross with central turret that looks at first much
like u Saracen minaret without the oriel balcony,
and with projecting gables artistealIy arranged it
preserves TO quite wonderful degree an air of
light and airy grace, considering its immense area
and the necessary want of height of its one-story
walls. Viewed from an approach north, with the
palid glare of the calcium lights overpowering the
gas Jets in the grounds its aspect picturesque
in the extreme. In fact, the entire grounds, mass
of lights and shadows, exhibited their artistic
beauty of design in the most favorable manner.
The dark-red sandstone of the Smithsonian, with
its clinging ivy its quaint turrets, its lofty tower,
took on deeper and brighter red and bore itseIfin
the lime-white sheen of the calcium lights with
rejuvenated air that seemed the reflection of its
younger and fresher neighbor. The shaded alleys
near by, lined by the leafless aspen the bare brown
naples the graceful llleayed white pine, and the
thick-set stunted fir were alternate checquers of
shine and shade, bright and glarins where the
light struck and where it failed to reach black as
only the shadow of the fir can be. But over and
above ALL through leafess branch and evergreen
bough streamed the lights from the dome and the
minaret of the Museum till the upper air was
radiant as the fast breaking dawn. Usually as
still and silent in the night watches as deserted
graveyard, the Smithsonian grounds this night
were
ALIVE WITH PEOPLE;
people on foot people on horseback people in car
rageS rushing restlessly hitler and thither. The
dim and generally solndless recesses of the Smith
sonian echoed and re-echoed to the hum of merry
voices and the tramp Of hurrying feet. The goal
of all this hurry the aim of all this hustle, the
quaint-turreted bnilding under
whose swelling dome President was to receive |
the first congratulations of his term, and his prede
cessor TO fall back without decoration insignia
from the seat of the ruler to the ranks of the ruled
From the black night outside, with its itful glare
and garish CLEAN, to the sumptuous splendors |
within was bat step.