The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1882-11-11
LETTER.
Regular Correspondence.

Washington. y, G. October %, 1882
The city is just beginning to receive
Its winter compliment. and to look
otce more like the Capital Of the Uni
ted States. Many Of the fashionable
people, who have been away during the
summer. have returned. aud the fam1
liar faces of certain statesmen alone are
wanting to remind US that this is the
seat Of government of the most gigan
tic young nation in the annals of the
plane, called the Earth the only planet
by-the-way. about which either MIR
Beecher;or Mr.. ingersoil knows much.
The fist thing that strikes the five
months absentee on his return to the
Capital is the Washington Monument.
Fortunately it only strikes him 6gnra
lively; if it should strike him square
the hypothesis of physical indestructa
bility might be proven absurd by Il NE
lancholy example. This monument
that is intended to oveitop every mona
ment in the world already overtops
everything in Washington and is still
skyward. 1t promises to realize all
that its projectors designed. aud will
doubtless be- the most impressive beau
tiful. and I mus: say astounding piece
of architecture in the world, I, of
course, do not mean to say that it will
reflect a. much genius in design, or
science and labor in execution as many
other architectural trinmphs of the
world as for instance St. Peters, St.
Pauls or the Cathedral Of Cologne /: but
for W. inspiring grandeur and chaste,
sublimity this plain white shaft, lis
base on a level with the ocean and its
head in clouds excels them all.
Another third has yet to be added
to its stature, and then will come the
question of surmounting figure. What
shall it be ? Various designs have been
suggested by native and by foreign ar
fists. No design has been deinitively
adopted. A statue of Washington
in..older to present a recognizable like
ness from such an attitude. will have
to be of more than colossal size, and a
horse of proportional size would, be out
of the question. Besides Washington
has already one colossal equestrian sta
tue in the city 1; and a sentiment is
growing in favor of h%onoring washing
ton more. and the horse. and all that
the horse typefies less. We have al
ready a glut IF colossal bronze eques
trian monuments to wal ; so many in
deed, as to be ont of accord with oul
peaceful a%nnals, and the genius of inst
buttons which are military. bnt civil.
The monuments to peace in the
United States. are sufficiently visable
to the students and the philosopher and
to any one in fact who reads and re-
fleets. But it were better that the
triumphs OF peace and industry, states
mansnip and science should be so sym
bolized and honored, as to make them
palpable to fools.
l would like to see on the top of this
monument. a statue of Washington as
he stood at the close of his presidential
teri willing to leave his exalted sta
ton for the farm +; and by him. with
an electric light in his hand, to make
them visible in the darkest night his
distinguished contemporary. known in
both h%emispheres as the frs. to apply
electricity, Benjamin franklin.
Such a group would be "a suggestion
and an impressive history. 1t would
be thoroughly modern and American
1t would speak more eloquently of that
which is greatest in our past and imost
suspicious for the future of mankind,
than all the monuments to war in Chris
tendon and Heathendom grouped to-
geiher.
Music and culinary art An egg mol