Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1882-02-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Having lew lclSuIc HOuAS AAOn7
day, resolved to devote them to Q
first visit to the U. s. Senate Cham
Der, and, as probably many OF your
readers have yet to make their first
visit to our highest legislative seat,
thought it would be well to prepare
them for what they win see there.
Oh what magnifcentscene was
before my eyes Gin prospect / mean
as l assembled the noble Capitol steps
and by dint of constant inquiry and
determined, systematic b0thering
of every man / saw with blue
coat, l at last made my way to the
Senate gallery. I had read descrip-
tons of the Athenian Areopagus
and the Roman Senate; had seen
pictures of the noble Parliament Of
Great Britain-but these, thought
/, are nothing compared to the grand
and venerable body 1 am so soon to
behold.
All! how clearly I remember the
picture before my mind as l put my
hand on the knob of the gallery
do0r-a vast chamber, everything of
gold and silver or at least rosewood
and mahOgany-rich Persian car
pets. pictures by Raphael, Murillo
and Rubens adjoining the walls,
ivory-inlaid tables, gorgeously up
holstered chairs, i'll each Of which
sits grand old Senator, attired in
blacksmith long gray beard and
flowing hair; patriotism and pro-
found craftsmanship expressed in
every feature--all listening with rapt
attention to every syllable flowing
from the lips of a brother Senator,
who is lauding the glories of his
country and declaring with tears in
his eyes that he is anxious-O! so
anxious to shed the last, the very
last drop of his hearts blood for her.
This, 1 say, is the picture before
opening the door. Let me show you
the after-scene and let me assure you
no boy ever paid % cents to get in
to poor circus and felt more disap-
pointment over it than / felt when I
took my seat in the gallery of the
q. s. Senate chamber. All the gold
and silver vanished at the first
glances; a second glance revealed
the absence of my classic pictures,
rich carpets, rosewood, ivory, &C.,
and third glance destroyed the
very soul Of my picture, for not even
my ideal Senators were before my
eyes. began the information of one
of Jeremiah's lamentations over
Jerusalem, at least the first word of
it-for my unhappy memory wouldn't
reach any further than "Aleph."
Yes, my pretty picture had fallen to
the earth and "great was the de-
struction thereof" Let me tell you
just what / did see. A small cham
Der, not a bit larger than King Street
Hall, one picture, dimmed by age
and an appetite for dust, which had
always been given full play; car
pet which would by no means do
honor to a dining room, a great
many desks which looked suspicious
ly unlike rosewood, but like pine,
and which very much resembled our
public-school desks; handsome
rostrum, easy chairs, clock, four or
five sofas, a lot of books and papers
scattered under the desks and
around the floor-and last of all the
noble legislative body itself, or
rather, l should say, about one-third
of it. Yes, there were the Senators
but not quite the Senators Of my
picture. The clerk was reading the
journal, for his own especial pleasure,
it seemed, for there was not Sena-
tor paying the slightest attention to
him. OF the seventy-six who draw
their salary as U. $. Senators, there
were only about twenty-five present.
Some of them were reading news
papers, some writing letters, while
some, who seemed to be utterly I'M
able to think of anything to do, were
leaning back almost at full length,
with both hands strenuously clutch
ing the pro.llndities Of their
breeches' pockets, and with a tar
off dreamy expression in their eyes.
l need not say that soon concluded
that they were not so much above
the Areopagus or Roman Senate
after all. But, thought l, as this is
only preliminary proceeding, after
1t is over, all the Conscript Fathers"
will come in, and we will have a
grand treat of DemOsthenic elO-
quence. When the clerk finished, /
hopefully looked towards the doors,
but never a Conscript Father enter
ed. The seats were there but the
Senators were-well, it would no
doubt be interesting to know exactly
where. / suppose it was bad taste
on my part, but ! must confess that