The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-03-19

journ, but held two sessions on that day. as
il has done all the week.
On the evening Of March Sd, we had the
pleasure of listening to an address from Mira.
Ellen Foster of Iowa. She spoke in repre-
sentative hall to a large audience, and held
them for two hours and twenty minutes. IL
is not my intention 10 give synopsis OF her
speech, as have neither the time nor ability
TO do so. But will say this i wish every
temperance man and woman in the state
might hear her; she cannot fail To do much
for the temperance cause. The next morn
ing she addressed number of senators in
one of the committee rooms, and 1t Is To DO
hoped il may set them to thinking on the
right side. / am glad to say that all OF our
republican senators are already on the right
side The governors rooms occupy the
front ON this door. You enter first, the Office
where his secretary and clerk are to be
found, and out of this opens the governors
private room. Still back of this are the re-
ception rooms. We thought, one afternoon
after the session, that we would 60 into the
governors Office, not supposing the COVER
nor TO be in: we were happily disappointed,
! and were invited into his private apartment,
and presented To Mrs. Alger. We found
both the governor and his wife to be very
genial, pleasant people. The governor vol
unteered TO show US about the rooms, and
we enjoyed onr informal call very much.
That evening the members and their wives
were invited out TO the institution for the
blind, where we met Miss Abbott, sister of
O. and A. A. Abbott, formerly well known
in Van Buren, county. Miss A. is matron of
the shool We were pleased to meet her,
and she invited us out to spend an afternoon
at the school, an invitation of which we shall
be sure to avail ourselves, as il is a place of
absorbing interest. The character of the
entertainment was of high order. AT It's
close, Gov. Alger, who was present with his
wife, addressed some very excellent remarks
10 the school. After the exercises in the
chapel, we were shown over the building,
but will not attempt to describe 1t. i should
fail in giving your readers an idea of the
capitol if i failed to describe the state library.
This is situated ON the same floor as the SEN
ate chamber and representative hall. 1t Is
one hundred feet long by forty-iiv feet wide.
The ceiling is tifty-nine feet high, aud has
FIVE galleries or tiers of cases. The galleries
are reached by spiral stairs at the corners Of
the rooms. The cases on the first floor are
SO arranged as 20 form alcoyes, In which are
placed tables, furnished with everything
necessary for comfort or convenience Ia
writing. Although the room is SO large and
there are always number of people engaged
in reading, studying or writing, il is very
quiet and pleasant place IN which TO write,
and l am now writing in one of the alcoves.
A visitor at Lansing should not fail to spend
some time in the library. At present there
are $4,000 volumes in the cases. The pres
eut librarian, Mrs. Tenny, has been in charge
nearly eighteen years, and has become SO
thoroughly acquainted with the needs OF the
public III this particular, that she knows just
where to find anything desired. She renders
invaluable assistance to the members OF
both houses, by finding authorities for them
on any desired subject. Whenever bill is
up for discussion members are TO be seen
haunting the library. Besides the librarian,
there are assistant librarian, messenger boy
and janitor. Everything is in perfect order
and the library ia really one of the most in
! teresting features of the capitol. The. SUI
preme court rooms are in the building, but
are closed, as the court is not in session.
/ think have described all features OF
especial interest, except perhaps, the man
ner OF heating the building which IS done
| by steam. There are six boilers, three AT
either end Of the building which furnish
the steam for this purpose, which is after
ward conveyed through another set of pipes
back to the boilers and SO used over again.
MRs. J. g. PARKHURsT.