Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-01

Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, D. c., October %, 1892.
The only solid sobriquet that Washing
ton has yet earned is 1.-THE city of magnif-
ioent distances" Tho streets are so
broad, the parks are so numerous and so
spacious, that every locality is like the
name the Russianized American citizen
wanted to give Alaska. He wanted it
called "Damlongwayof," as suggestive of
its remo;eness, and in compliment of the
country from which we purchased it. But
Washington really deserves the name of
the monumental city more than Baltimore,
if not more than any city in the world.
France, with all her warlike kings and
emperors from Pepin to Napoleon III, has
not produced as great a crop of colossal
bronze generals on colossal bronze horses
as the United States has. Washington has
two equestrian statues of the revolutionary
war, Washington's and Greene's; one of
General Jackson which may be said TO
belong to the war of 1912, since it is
surrounded by cannon captured ut New
Orleans; one of General Scott, made by
an artist that never saw horse, for it
represents that animal in position
impossible to be taken by a horse, with
his left fore and left hind legs extended
forwardly and rearwardly, and the corre-
spending legs on the right side drawn
under him, with all four feet on the
ground in a 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 Zealander as
he roams amid the ruins of Washington, a
million years hence, will doubtless con-
clude that war was our chief industry and
that the charger of Gen. Scott had a
miraculous pose. Imagine volumes of
art criticism on the misplaced legs Of
SCOTS horse, such as have been written
on the lost arm of the Venus of Milo!
The monument, however, that dwarfs
every other monument in this country,
and that is intended to more nearly reach
to the moon than any structure ever
built, the tower of Babel not excepted, is
the immense shaft now being erected in
memory of the Father Of his Country.
1t has, as yet, reached only two-thirds of
its projected altitude; but its dizzy emf.
hence is even now the theme of those who
have witnessed its gradual growth. What
an impressive effect must its sublime
completed height have upon those who
gaze upon it for the first time!
1t is not yet known what figure will be
used to,.surmount this monument, Various
designs have been suggested and various
artists have published their views and
submitted illustrative drawings. The
artist who suggested browning the monu
ment with the goddess of liberty extend
ing her arms in blessing, has not been
heard of, since some Journalistic critic
wrote that his picture "looked like g
beated woman haling street car"
think the most appropriate piece would
be statue of Washington himself, not or
horseback, but eprescnting him declining
a denomination 10 the presidency after he
had had enough of it.
Tom Ochiltree, the chum of the presi
dent, is making Il surprising canvass il
, the Eighth Texas Congressional distrc
His chances of election are said to be ex
cellent