Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-09-01
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SECTION OF FRrEzE OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.

1 SECTION OF FRIEZE OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.
Ordinary pensions range from 81 to
$72 a month, and the average pension
Is n little over 500 year. The
greatest number of pensioners receive
the small amounts, and q few years ago
there were about GOO pensioners receiving
81 month; 1900 receiving g.; 1900 receiv-
$40 a month and IL 900 getting s2i a month.
| When it is considered that there are between
three and four hundred thousand pensioners
| it will be seen that this pension department
| is one OF the busiest branches of Uncle Sans
employ.
Tho Pension building is the biggest brick
building Of the United States and one OF the
big buildings Of the world. 1t is patterned
after the stvle of one of the Roman palaces Of
the Middle Ages, and it hns a glass roof which
would cover about two acres. 1t looks also
| very much like a gigantic beer hall, and it
seems to have another house built ON top of
it 1t is the work Of Gen. Meigs, and Meigs
is, l understand, willing to leave il as O mon
urnent of his skill There is, however, much
criticism in regard to the building here. Il
has court within it, covering nearly an
aero OF ground, and fountain plays In the
midst of this. 1t was here that the in
augural ball was held, and if the national
conventions could be safely brought together
at Washington it would make a splendid
convention hall The critics, however, say
there is too much wasted space and that it is
impossible to keep the building warm in the
winter There are 600 clerks employed in
it, and their Offices are in tiers running about
this great court. During some of the days
Of last winter the men kept their overcoats
on end the women threw shawls around their
shoulders. Most of them had severe colds,
and the pension Office could show more chill
blains thnn any other department Of the gov
ermnent
have heard the criticism made that brick
Is not q good material for a government
building This is, however. a mistake. Mr..
Merrill, who has charge of the building
stones at the National museum, says thero is
no stone SO durable as brick, and you may
find in the ruins of Rome bricks today
which arc as perfect as when they were made
In the time of the CRsars. The baths of Diocle-
tian were mado of brick, and their walls still
stand.
This Pension building is very pretty wl,en
you Gre close to 1t, and the frieze which runs
around it, representing the scenes Of army
and naval warfare, is o work Of much art Tho
interior court impresses one with its immen-
sity, and you can almost lose yourself in
wandering about through the corridors
which run along the sides of it
In one Of these corridors near the entrance
door there is an old gentleman who boasts Of
being a descendant Of the Wellington family.
He sells pictures and mementoes of WASH
ington city, and among his photographs are
some of himself He has a face like George
Washington's without George Washington's
character He dresses at times in clothes Of
the fashion Of Washington's days, and he
makes much better representation OF the
Father of his Country than does the young
man who lately had himself photographed In
Washington's suit at the National museum.
This great hall Of the pension Office has
seating capacity OF II, 900 inen Thirty thou
sand people can find standing room In It
without touching each Others elbows, and it
compares favonbly with the great interiors
Of the world The largest structure In the
world, as far as a single floors capacity is
concerned Il ST. Peters. at Rome. viii sh
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