The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-05-04
MANKATO FREE Press
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1888.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON LETTER.
CFrom our regular Correspondence
| WAsuINGTON, ID. c., April 70, 1888.
The National Academy Of Sciences
has been holding its annual meeting
this week in the lecture room of the
National Museum. Many distinguished
scientists are IN attendance, each of
whom, according to the days pro-
gramme, has read learned disquisition
upon some scientific subject to the edi
ication and entertainment of the alb
strusc brotherhood. The meetings 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 their
presence show commendable interest in
things scientific, while the rarIied nj
mosphere Of the place is wholesome, if
only for achangc. AT their business
meeting Wednesday, Prof. 0. c. Marsh,
OF Yale College, was elected President
of the Academy, to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Prot. Rogers.
Prot. Marsh has of late years been in
vestigatiug 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, and
is wealthy.
Yesterday Thursday I'm immense
concourse Of people assembled in the
beautiful grounds of the Smithsonian
Institute to witness the unwilling of the
statue to Prof. Henry, the philosopher,
lecturer, and scientist who devised 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 CEN
fury. He prevented it becoming col.
legc, library, a museum, or agrlcultur.
al school, and made it an institution for
the creation and diffusion of knowledge
among men. Chief Justice Waite made
the address and unveiled the statue
President Porter of Yale College deliv-
cred the grafton, and the Philharmonic
Society, consisting of one hundred and
fifty voices, accompanied by the Marine
Band, rendered the music. 1t is the
first statue to civilian unveiled in this
city, where there are so many stiff look
ing statues of our military heroes.
One is confronted at every turn by a
huge equestrian statue, which stands in
the centre of almost every otherwise at
tractive square, metalically immortaliz-
ing bad taste, poor art, and impossible
posing. These statues are about the
only unsightly features of the city,
which called altogether beautiful if
fountains occupied their places. They
are already SO numerous as to he mon
otonous, and now, unless authority in
terfcres, another will be placed in Du.
pont circle in honor of Admiral Dupont
Ex-Sccretary Blaines elegant new resi-
dence overlooks the spot, and doubtless
he will use every vestige of influence he
may possess to prevent this dissertation.
OF course no one knows who this admir-
al was or what he ever did, but sup.
pose the intention is to attach sketch
Of his life to the pedestal saying whence
he came or what he accomplished, and
people who approach and read will then
and there feel reprOvcd 10y dartlng
sense OF ignorance Of their country's
history.
Speaking of Blaine reminds me of his
book, at which he is working indus
triously but quiet. He is seldom seen
on the Avenue now, being too much all
sorbed with his work to be loltering
al ound. 1t 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 Il
new niche 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 pub
LEGATION will appear Ex-senator Tabors
book: "Thirty Days in Congress" or
"Daniel Webster as compared with My
SELF" 1t was pity that Blaine's hard
won glory is to be overshadowed in this
way, and that he did not hurry up a
little with his book.
The magnet at Ford's Opera House
this week was Mrs. Langtry or the "Jer-
sey Lily" who came, was seen. but did
not conquer Washington. And really
she is no lily at all, but an awkward,
angular woman, whose only beauty so
far us l could discover is her complex
ion. If she has dramatic ability it is
latent, for she displays no more than
rather capable amateur. What hum
bugs foreign actresses are. and how
readily the American public allows it.
self to be humbugged by them! If
England can send us nothing better
than "a calf like Oscar Wilde and the
"Jersey"-I had almost said Alderney