Daily Republican., 1883-04-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The National Academy OF Science
Unvefling Of . statute -Blaine's
Forthcoming psok-Mrs. Lang.

try.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
i WASHINGTON, April 20, 18S3.-Th
National Academy of Science has beel
holding its annual meeting this weel
in the lecture room of the Nationa
Museum. Many distinguished scien
fists are in attendance, each of whom
according to the days programmed )ha
read learned disquisition upol
some scientific subject to tn,
edification and entertainment of thu
abstruse brotherhood. The meeting.
have been well attended by persons Of
no pretention to scientific requirements
whose lack of technical Information
renders them incapable of fully appre-
ciating the subjects discussed, but theil
presence shows commendable interest
in things scientific, while the rarified
Atmosphere of the place is wholesome
if only for a change At their business
meeting Wednesday, Prof. o. G. Marsh,
of Yale College, was elected President
Of the Academy, to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Prof Rogers.
Prof. Marsh has of late years been in.
vestigating the extinct animals of the
Rocky Mountain region, and has dis.
covered more than two hundred kinds
before unknown. He is a nephew OF
the philanthropist George Peabody, an d
is wealthy.
Yesterday (Thursday) an immense
concourse of people assembled in the
beautiful grounds of the Smithsonian
Institute to witness the unveiling of
the statue to Prof. Henry, the philos-
opher, lecturer and scientist, who de-
vised the plan Of the Smithsonian, as it
now stands, thirty-two years before his
death, and who presided over it and
controlled its administration for third
of a century. He prevented it becom-
ing college, a library, a museum, or
agricultural school, and made it an in
stltution for the creation and diffusion
of knowledge among men. Chief JUS
tice Waite made the address and un-
veied the statue President Porter, OF
Yale College, delivered the grafton, and
the Philharmonic Society, consisting of
one hundred and fifty voices, accom-
panied by the Marine Band, rendered
the music 1t is the first statue to a
civilian unveiled in this city, where
there are SO many stiff looking statutes
to military heroes.
One is confronted at every turn by a
huge equestrian statue, which stands
in the centre of almost every other
wise attractive square, metali-
cally immortalizing bad taste, poor
art, and impossible posing. These
statues are about the only unsightly
features of this city, which could be
called altogether beautiful if fountains
occupied their places. They are al
ready so numerous as to be monoto-
nous, and now, unless authority inter-
feres, another will be placed in DUPONT
circle in honor of Admiral DUPONT.
Ex-Secretary Blaine's elegant new
residence overlooks this spot, and
doubtless he will use every vestige of
influence he may possess to prevent
this desecration. OF course no one
knows who this admiral was or what
he ever did, but suppose the intention
pedestal saying whence he came or
what he accomplished, and people who
approach and read will then and there
feel reproved by a darting sense of
ignorance of their country's history.
Speaking of Blaine reminds me of
his book, at which he is working in
dustriously but quietly. He is seldom
seen on the avenue now, being too
much absorbed with his work to be
lettering around. Il promises to be
interesting reading, for who is more
familiar than Blaine with the inside
history of the Republican party from
1865 until the present time. But it does
seem as if there could be no undimmed
success at anything in this world, for
just before he has finished carving for
himself a new ninche in the gallery OF
fame, after all his hard toll and just before
he has quite grasped his fresh honors
he learns that simultaneously with his
own publication will appear Ex-senator
Tabor's book "Thirty Days in Con.
gress," or "Daniel Webster as com
pared with myself" 1t was pity
that Blaine's hard won glory is to be
overshadowed in this way, and that lie
did not hurry up a little with his book.
The magnet at Forl's Opera House
this week was Mrs. Langtry or the
"Jersey Lily, who came, was seer, but
did not conquer Washington. And
really she is no lily at all, but an
awkward, angular woman, whose only
beauty so far as ! could discover is hel
complexion. If she has dramatic
ability it is latent, for she displays nc
more than a rather capable amateur
What humbngs foreign actresses are,
and how readily the American public
allows itself to be humbugged by them
If England can send us nothing better
than calf like Oscar Wilde and the
Jersey"-I had almost said Alderney
in exchange for our good beef, she had
better not attempt reciprocity at all.
state OF the Thermometer.