National Republican., 1885-10-31
RUNNING THE CAPITOL.
A Poets Protest Against the Marble
scraning Endorsed by Experts.


scruning Endorsed by Experts.
[Chicngo Inland Architect aud Buiider.1
joaquin Miller has singular kuack not
uncommon with poets or fools Of saying
some very true and practical things An
instance of this is shown I'm a recent gossipy
contribution to public journal, in which
he comments upon the repairs now in
progress upon the capitol building at Wash
ington. He says:
al feel that have done enough for the
capitol. and that more interference or al
vice might be misunderstood. But must
pronounce against this business this brutal
custom Of scraping down our marble build
ings rs soon 90 they begin to take on the
dignity and comelrcss OF time and color.
Now, what would you think OF q man who
would 20 into the Diegden gallery AMI give
Raphael's Madonna a scrubbing with soIp
and sand and ashcsy Or let us suppose the
Greeks or Romans had scrubbed and scrapcd
their marbles ne we do in America. How
much Of them would have been left for us
to look upon? Let me tell you for fact
that II any man, or even any municipality,
should attempt to strnpe or scrub a build
ing or any marble of any kind in Italy, why
the artistic and sensitive Italian would
simply make Rome how'll Why cannot
people who have charge Of our great struc-
ancient states where art first took form in
marble2 The Greeks and Romans always
let time and the elements soften the out
lines Of their temples, and no piece Of archl-
lecture was complete that had not
been rounded down and subducd
in tone and color by the peri sct-
ing touch Of time. But here at Wash
ington the buildings are pcrpetually dcfaced
by scnffolds; and scrapc. Bcrape, scrape.
All the year through, and nearly everywhere
| you lift your eyes, IL Is sCrape, scrapc,
scrape, till the noise, the dust, the ghostly,
| glnring sight of the newly scraped, and
| skinned, and scratched, aud mutlatcd col
umns and walls drive you out of the town.
| Why, even England, half civilized as she Is
| In many things, knows much better than to
| lay profanc hands on marble | have been
very familiar with st, Georges Gate, Hyde
Park, the past fifteen years. 1t is almost
black. But II has not been touched since it
was placed there. twill never be touched.
| Nature must take care OF marble after 1t
| has found It's place. And the sooner It
| takes tone from the elements and the soft
! ening touch of time, the sooner IL becomes
ga thing of beauty" For what so offends-
the eye as this bold and glaring and glitter
ing white marbleY Iwould not dwell so to.
diously on this theme were It not necessary.
For remember how the London Times
| laughed at Philadelphia for 'scraping' her
maible-fronted mint on Chestnut street
when preparing for the centennial But It
had no effect II the Americans read and
laid the scathing article to heart its surely
was not those who have charge Of
our buildings at the capital. And
why do they persist In dofacng and de-
stroying these edifices? Ignorance They
do not Know better. OF course the tempta-
tion to job is great. The gentle Italian,
the subtle Greek, each will seek to do the
work, each will swear that he has scraped
down Cpsar's Hall on the Palatine Hill, or
even the whole of Mars hill, II need be; bat
he will laugh In his sleeve while he pockets
the pittance which the contractor doles ont
TO LIN for his labor. Yes, the cost is great.
But the annual cost is not so great as the
shame Of II, the pity of II, the final ruin of
1t. Let some one of my people from the
west look into this thing and stop IL, and
stop IL at once. 4 man OF sense can save
enough money to the country In this and
similar vulgar abuses here to found and
maintain school Of art n school wherein
these people nj ong this Atlantic coast can
at least be taught that marble Is not to be
scraped, and scrapcd, and scraped, even
IL there is job II It. l repeat again and
again, that 1t is only gross ignorance that
for moment can contemplate such van
dalism.n
Mr.. Miller is right, not only from m ar
tistic standpoint but from the more practi-
cal one Of utility. While there are stones
which this process will not materially in-
iure, it tends to make many more liable to
dislntcgration, and where carving OF any
description is used it is positively brutal.
We hope his remarks will be needed, not
only In regard to the Washington buildings,
but in all places where marble or stone
work is used