The Washington critic., 1886-07-12
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, JULY 1s, 1886.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

muCh VI IL uCCuIulc, tS Jilc lOllOWluB
extracts will show: "In the course of
the last twenty years wonderful
change has come over the city on the
Potomac. 1t used to be nothing but
the meeting place of Congress, but now
1t is becoming a favorte place of resi-.
dence for people unconnected with
p litics or the Administration, and
corresponding change has taken place
in its outward appearance. 1t is
blossoming out into a gay and most
beautiful city. On the northwest of
the White House, and far from the
Capitol with its politics, has grown up
new quarter of houses of the better
class, rising, many of them, to the
dignity of mansions, with broad streets
and avenues, open places ornamented
with statues, abundance Of foliage and
verdure. know nothing more beauti.
full in its way on the continent, except,
perhaps, Euclid avenue at Cleveland,
though Boston Is now a very beautiful
city. And this new quarter has
apparently become the dwelling
place of n varied, cultivated
and thoroughly catholic society. which
seemed likely to draw to itself much of
that which is choicest in the United
States Mr.. Bancroft, the Nestor of
American literature, Is already there.
There also Mr.. Blaine writes his most
important and instructive history. The
Smithsonian presents nucleus for
science. A fervor of cosmopolitanism
is impaired by the presence of the EN-.
bassies. Politics, of course, are there,
and they add TO the interest. But they
do not seOm to me to predominant. 1t
Is fully as likely that society will exer.
else an influence on politics as that
politics will dominate society, and If
this happens twill be great gain. y
~ About the public buildings of Wash
ingtor there is nothing new to be said.
The White House is rather narrow
abode for the chief of continent people |
with $4,000, 900, and, like the very mod.
est salary, presents n rather curiol Is
contrast to the enormous sum of money
which party excitement expends In
Presidential elections The Capitol,
believe, is open TO architectural criti-
cism and its dome will not bear the
searching light of the Lamp Of Truth.
Yet nobody will persuade me that,
since the extensions and improvements,
II is not most majestic and imposing
pile. 1t is thousand pitics that It
looks the wrong way, or, to speak more
correctly, that the city, owing to diff.
Guilty about the purchase Of land, was
built on the wrong side of 1t. Its de-
corations in the way of painting and
sculpture belong, 1t must be owned, to
the prGgsthetic era. England is
avenged in the pictures of the surren.
der of Burgoyne and Cornwallis as eff
fectually as France was avenged In the
statue of the victor of Waterloo
perched upon the arch The only re-.
deeming feature of these pieces is that
some of them contain historical por-
traits. The military and equestrian
statues with which the new quarters
are adorned bespeak the special appre-
citation of military glory, which, in the
Americans, is combined with freedom
from military propensities They seem
to me all to labor under a defect COM
mon to statues of this kind. In an.
tiquiiy and in the age of the great
Italian captains, on whose equestrian
statues we gaze at Venice or Padua,
the horse was charger; now he is a
hack, and to attempt to give him dig
nifty by putting him into the
rampant attitude, is disregard
of truth and platitude. At
the gate of the Executive Mansion
General jackson ON horseback looks as
though he were heading cavalry
charge of inconceivable fury; whereas,
If regard were had to the real character
of his victory, he would be represented
standing behind row of cotton bales.
But sculpture seems to be a lost art.
Every visitor to Washington, of course,
goes to hear debate. In the House of
Representative he will be lucky if he
hears anything at all. The hall is very
large; its acoustic properties seem to be
almost as bad as those of our Houses at
Westminster, and the hubbub of con.
versaton Is incessant and linrestrained.
The average of the speaking is ]
should say, decidedly higher than in
our Parliament; and 1t is no longer in
the spread eagle" and "highfalutin'
style; Americans, though singularly
impatient of criticism, are also singu.
larly quick in profting by it. But OF
the American speakers that | have
heard, hardly one, l think, has been
free from a grave defect, attributable
perhaps partly to college training in
elocution. You always feel that they
are speaking for effect; whereas, when
listening to Mr.. John Bright you feel
that his object is to communicate and
impress his convictions.
a"x
Colonel John A. Joyce says that he
met Governor Knott of Kentucky il
Louisville the other evening "at The
titan end of bar" and discussed thu
ernor's moustache has grown grayer
but his eye has grown brighter and hi
heart is as gay aud brave as when III
chased the bounding bulfaloes into the
deflles of Duluth"
~
Mr.. Edmunds, who is usually {
terror to the employees of the Senate
occasionally unbends In the preseace o.
an employe, especially when he find
opportunity to put in a little sarcasm a
somebody else's expense. The othe
day, says special to the Louisville
Post, he was about sending Telegram
from the Senate, when the question o
which line it should be sent by wa
raised. 81 am not very particular,
he said to the operator. "You ma,
send 1t by whichever line you like, bn
it occurred to me that probably tn
Western Union would need that llft,
cents, and so suggest that 1t be sen
by that line," and he went off smiIin,
softly over his joke and perhaps
covert attack upon the great corpora
tion.
**@
Soon after passing Ascutney Noun