Smyrna times., 1884-05-28
Washington as it Should Be.
THE IDEAS OF OCTAVIUs b. FROTHING
HAM EXPRESSED IN THE JUNE
ATLANTIC" e"

lChalh tndG washington Is the CITY of
the tuture-great in promise, small in
performance. 1t is not symbolic of re-
publlcanism in any respect. Its statues
are unsatisfactory. He says: "There
IS as yet, with the single exception of
Professor Henry, no image in honor of
an artist, poet, a man of letters. a
historian, educator, statesman, builder,
sculptor, illuminatOr of the ideal
world, maker of institutions, inspirer
OF mankind. There is no hall of music.
no gallery of art. Theodore Thomas
brought his fine musicians and plaved
the Heroic Symphony of Beethoven in
miserable room which was used. for
purposes wholly uncongenial and
possessed singular property of alb
sOrbIng the sound that was meant for
dellcately attuned ears. There are no
walls, except those of the COrcoran
Gallery, where pictures can be hung
for the sake of exhibiting their beauties.
MIR. Matthew Arnold gave his lecture
IN vast church. There are literary
clubs and gatherings in private parlOrs,
with good deal of circumscriptiOn
and confine;' but ofpublic literary per-
tormances of excellence there are few.
The theaters would be large and ad-
mirable if they could be, but the en-
cOuragement of high art in that direc-
ton is not great. The fact seems to be
that the upper classes are too much
addicted to social pleasures to lend
countenance to interests that might in
teriere with their dinners and assem-
biies.
Concerning the Washington Monu-
ment he makes this rather absurd re-
mark: "As it cannot be taken down,
can it not, in some measure, be con-
cealed, be rendered unobtrusive and
innOcuOus. be planted out as it
were?" lie urges that the President
be given a new house. He thinks it
very foolish to keep him in the White
House; it cripples the Presidents
working faculty. From this point we
give the article in full:
An incidental advantage of the
change here suggested would be the
remanding Of the President to the con-
dition of citizenship, and the weaken
ing of the bands of ceremony that are
| tightening about the incumbent of the
| White House. The chief magistrate OF
a republic is a great personality, enti-
tied to every mark of national regard
His lodging, equipment, and social sur
1 roundings ought to be worthy of one
whom the people have chosen to repre-
sent them. But he is not, in any sense
Of the word, except Thomas Carlyle's
! (konlg, the man who cam, king
whose hand is to be lifted to the lips
at whose feet subjects PROSTATE them.
selves III homage. He should be the
first gentleman Of the nation in a
/ broad, human, American way; not
like the English George w., claiming
ascendancy over all others, but, after
the manner Of Abraham Lincoln, serv-
ing mankind. His prerogative shoulC
be moral, not official personal, not o
| rank or eminence. lie should be large
enough to look well on a pedestal, fol
ne stands Oh Il pedestal the elevation
OF which ought not to call attention t
his faults, but his size should consist O
character If grace can be added t
conduct, so much the better, but tn,
conduct is primary. By all means w,
must have humanity At present WI
depend on Western ruggedness to keeI
the traditions Of the White House sim
pie, clean, and honest The periodical
breaking up Of the routine brings thi
benefit; that it saves us from anY fiXet
observance by Introducing variety O
taste into executive manners. Thu
separating the Office from the man, i
will not be easy for anybody to elud
accountability by seeking refuge be
meath his title or wrapping the Officia
mantle around his person. 1t is pleas
ant to believe that the moral standar,
is rising, that higher and highe
order of man is selected for the people
representative, that humane considera
tions are more prominent than the,
were once; a sign that the nation i
increasing in the virtue OF self-resDect
The baser qualities are no recommen
dation. The era of war cries. let II
trust, is ended. 1t remains that tn
era of civilization should come in, rs i
) due time it will. The detachment G
the President from the man will favo
the introduction of that era by throw
ing the person back on his qualities
and making those supreme.
"This emancipation from the thral
dom of etiqutte will help to keep socit
ty in Washington simple and sincere
The character of the President natura
ly eXerts an influence on the inter
, course of the saloon. Social entertain
ment seems now to be pretty much a
; there is for those not immersed in tn
cares of business. OF intellectual lii
s there is little, or none. There are fe,
accessible books. The circulatin
t libraries are few and small. The Cor
gressiOnal Library is immense, an
b admirably administered, but the spaC
$ allotted to it is surprisingly mad,
a quate; volumes are piled up in heaps
= and while everything is there, the on
|, niscience of the librarian alone avail
!. often to find what is wanted It
v too far away for popular use, and if IL
proposed new building is erected c
the Capitol Hill, it will be still furtht
removed from common reach. I'll
, state library is excellent for its pu
, poses, and has an ambitious as well
thoroughly competent directo
Each department has its own cole
ton of books, which is all the time eI
larging; still it is true that the literal
spirit is not prominent in Washington
= There are, of course, men of lette
there, but they do not much frequel
society; and they, in several instance
>. where their studies lie off the beatC
70 track, possess libraries of their Ow
10 seldom resorting to the general cole
- tiOns. In fact, there are not mar
ID cities that offer so few facilities 10 Il
Of literary man. Literature, like al
:. occupies Il subordinate place in Il
social life OF the town, and to this,
= much as to anything, is owing to Il
light superficial character of the soci
intercourse, the absence of solidity
the conversation, the amount of smf
talk that people carry about with thei
ID There is no commerce or large trad
in consequently money is not topic
rs receptions. Politics are avoided as
common consent; perhaps becau
- men have enough of them during Il
day, possibly because the papers co
tain all there is to be said, peradve
ture because there is nothing impol
in ant to communicate, some thin
4. a. because the whole subject is unprof
able and stale. The diplOmatists,
course, keep their own counsel. TIL,
who know u good deal tell nothin
while they who do nothing but chatt
y. are frOwned down. BY and by, as &
city grows larger and richer, socie
will become more elaborate, state
and expensive than it is now; entC
3. tainments will be more SUMPTION
by the company will be more hom0gen
Gus. The generous simplicity, t
heartiness, the free welcome will d
appear, and they who maintain Il
hind Of social amuSapnpnt will haloa