The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-11-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON CITY-ITS STAT
UES AND NONUMENTS.
WAsnINaToN, d. c., Nov. 4, '82.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov. A, 'S2.
To the Editor of The GorristOwn Gazette:
The only solid sobriquet that
Washington has yet earned is: "The
City of Magnificent Distances" The
streets are so broad, the parks are
SO numerous and so spacious, that
every locality is like the name the
Observation-Disclosures citizen want
ed to give Alaska. He wanted it
called Damlongwayoff,' as suggest
i've of its remoteness, and in compi-
ment of the country from which we
purchased it. But Washington real
ly deserves the name of the Monu-
mental City more than Baltimore, if
not more than any city in the world.
France, with all her warGke
Kings and Emperors from Pepin to
Napoleon III, has not produced as
great a crop of colossal bronze gen.
erals on colossal bronze horses, as
the United States has. Washing
ton has two equestrian statues of the
Revolutionary war-Washington s
and Greene's; one of General Jack
son which may be said to belong to
the war of 1912, since it is surround
ed by cannoncaptured at New Or
leans; one of General Scott, made
by an artist that never saw horse,
for it represents that animal in a
position impossible to be taken by a
horse-with his left fore and left
hind legs extended forwa9dly and
rearwardly, and the corresponding
legs on the right side drawn under
him, with all foEr feet on the ground
in supposed walking gait.
That such colossal stupidity
should stand in bronze is travesty
on common sense, to say nothing OF
art. The late civil war has statues
of three generals and several others
in prospect.
The contemplative New Zealand
er when he roams amid the ruins OF
Washington, a million years hence,
will doubtless conclude that war
was our chief industry, and that the
charger of General Scott has a mi
raculous pose. Imagine volumes Of
art criticism on the misplaced legs
of Scott's horse, such as have been
written on the lost arm of Venus Of
Milo.
The monument, however, that
dwarfs every other monument in
this country, and that is intended to
more nearly touch the moon than
any structure ever built, the Tower
of Babel not excepted, is the i'm
mense shaft that is now being erect
ed in memory of the Father Of bis
country. 1t has, as yet reached
only two-thirds of its projected alti-
tude; but its dizzy eminence is even
now the theme of those who have
witnessed its gradual growth. What
amimpressive effect must its sublime
completed heighth have upon those
who gaze upon it for the first time
1t is not yet known what figure
will be used to surmount this mon
ument.. Various. designs have been
suggested and various artists have
published-theiF views and submitted
illustrative drawings. The artist
who suggested crowning the monu-
ment with the Goddess of Liberty
extending her arms in blessing, has
not been heard of since some Jour.
nalistic critic wrote that his picture
''looked like a belated woman hail.
ing a street car" l think the most
appropriate surmountin n . piece
would be statue of Washington
himself not on horse back, but rep
resenting him declining renomi.
nation to the Presidency after be
had had enough oft.