The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
Washington Letter.
The Unueiling Of Farroguts Statue
(From Our Regular Correspondent


Another statue has been added to the many
that stud the squares and circles OF the Ma
tional Capital. Although we have in wash
ington no less than six colossal equestrian
statues commemorative Of distinguished gen
erals and their horses; this statue to Admiral
Farragul Is the first that has been erected III
honor of a naval hero. The unveilIng ccrc
mony was performed with due pomp and pro
prle,y. The crews of all the vessels OF the
North Atlantic squadron took part in the pro
cession, which vas further swelled by the de
,achmcnt OF marines, regular soldiers and the
splendldly uniformed volunteer companies OF
Washington. The cadets from Annapolis, to
the number If 800, were also marshalled in
the square IN full view of the bronze etfigy OF
the heroic old salt" doubtless with view OF
suggesting to the ambition OF the future guar
dams of our ports and coast the metallic i'm
mortality which they may aspire to deserve
THE cadets, however, were not to be baked
of an opportunity to flirt with the many pretty
girls on the terraced seats around the statue
during the awfully long speecheso of Hon. Hor
ace MAYNARD and Hon Daniel voorhees,. Al
given signal, to the accompaniment OF boom
Ing artillery, the stars and stripes that had
yelled the statue were removed and the old adj
miral stood IN a lfelike and energetic pose
with one foot on a coil Of rope, holding long
od.fashloncd telescope IN his hands. Prcsi
dent Garfield accepted the statue, in few
I, IA Lno hanp
as much praised for ITS brevily as were those
Iof Mcssrs Voorhees, and Maynard for their
length.
As work of att the statue has been much
admired, but, when say 1t will compare very
favoiably with the many statues OF this city,
make II non comnittal remark. The fault OF
nearly all our s'atuary is too much strainlnP
for III, atric effect The ideal of the eques
TRAN statues seem, with one exception. to be
caught from the startling workmanship of n
militia colonel on training day. They lack
that strength and force of rcposc which is seen
IN the statue OF Frederick the Great at Pots
dam, of Napoleon at Cherbourg, and of the
Duke of Wellington in London. Battle
chargers do not rear and buck at the blare OF
drums, nor do their riders wave their swords
and hats Both horse and rider deport them
selves in u cool, uncycitcd, Christian way. II
is only the untutored grass fed stallion, when
mounted by alawyer or farmer IN regiment
ais, that assumes the heroic attitudes we see IN
SO many statues and pictorial representations
The one marked exception to this style OF
statuary Is in the statue of General Scott and
his horse, which, If it were not for the awk
ward position of its legs, would be an admlra
bic work Of art. The horse is represented in
II supposed walking gait, with all four feet or
the ground, but in such position az no quad
ruped assumes except when about to scratch
the ear with the hind foot
| Irregular CorrespondcnCe)
| ST. Petersburg, April 1S, 1881.
| The city of the car may, in short, be de
fined rs larger edition--its population 10 moi
so great, but its area is trcmcndOus-oi the
city Of the German kaiser You may ascrlbe
the sadness the monotony, and the silence Ct
metropolitan life IN Russia to the merciess
asperity of the climate; still would venture
to point out that what is known as "cold
snap in New York city, although it does not
last 50 long as a Russian winter rivals tie in.
tensity OF that winter IN its nipping and eager
kecnness, and yet that there are very few open
air spcctacles to be seen in this working world
buster and more joyous than Broadway be-
tween A. T. Stewards dry goods store and Tiff,
C,py'c Ifntnu G,natn nj about 4 II ~
you may urge that st. Petersburg must needs
be melancholy just now, under the dire be
reavcment which has fallen on ITS loyal popu.
lation; aud that all the fashionable world be
ing IN mourning they cannot be expected to 60
shopping in the Ncvskoi or the Great Mors.
kaia, in snort, that for season, all CHEEKY life
and sociablity have been crushed out of the
great city 1t will not cease to remain dali and
melancholy so long rs it remains what it is
his imperial maJesty's Jail. 1t is nothing moie
nor less than hugh prison, with hundred and
fifty thousand jaiors IN civil and military uni
form to look after about five hundred tbous.
and prisoners, of whom a 1.-THE perhaps may
be legally or illegally DESTROYS of having u
free constitution establishes while the remain.
ing ninc.tenthS do not know what free
constitution is; are not lit to enjoy Its
privileges; would not know what to do with a
constitution if they got one, beyond setting
forth much more swiftly than their slcighs ev-
cr travelled, post haste to the devil, mundane
ly speaking. But Is the capital of Russia to
remain jail' If you doubt its beng one,
go there aud sec things for yourself Try how
you like your letters opened in the post Office,
and your kilograms subjected TO the revision
Of the official censor. See what effect is pro.
duced on your temper by being continually
subjected to surveillance and espionage, OF by