Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-02-22
Washington Correspondence.
PTBLIC BUILDINGS.

]
in point of interest, is the white
House. for though the building, archi-
tecturally, inspected, is very plain, it
is the whilom home, of the voice of the
people, as expressed at the polls, for a
Ruler. 1t is always open to any Of the
sovereign people who wish to visit it,
saving the family rooms which are as
sacred from intrusion as any private
citizens home, but a visitor can wan
der through the green room, the red
room and the blue room at their pleas
ure. OF late years every occupant has
added some handsome furnishings,
either in rare wood or draperies. Mrs.
Cleveland receives on Saturdays, unless
otherwise officially announced. At
/ tached to the House on the west side
is large conservatory, supplying the
House with rare flowers and exOticS.
Jackson Park is opposite the White
/ House grounds-a fine, large piece of
ground with cast iron enclosure. Here
| is much handsome shrubbery, large
/ trees, broad walks, with seats in either
sunshine or shadow \ colossal
| bronze statue of General Andrew
Jackson, on horseback, is in the center
of the grounds. The park extending
from the White House to the south is
very charming, in its Irregularities and
many native trees. Several lovely knobs
surmounted with ancient gnarled oaks
where rustic seats are placed, enables
the lOungeT to overlook the entire
grounds, as well as affording fine view
of the symmetry of the Washington
Monument, which is very near the
Park. No privacy is enforced in any
of the grounds surrounding the White
House. To the east, and directly op-
pOsite, is the Treasury Building, with
its many pillars and pOrticOs. 1t is
built of white marble, but now has
taken on the dingy color, as when Time !
ages a building. The corridors are
broad and long, but the rooms are all
rather dark, and you almost think that
they are all, part of the immense !
vaults that hold the surplus
ba Of Ro II
with only a street between, is the
State Building as it is called. al f.
though it is occupied by other bureaus
besides that of the Secretary of State. /.
Dean Stanley said of it, when he saw
it: This is the handsOmeSt building | f.
ever saw, y and there is no question
Of its stateliness and beauty.
The Pension Office is several blocks
to the north of Pennsylvania Avenue,
and unlike all the other state build |
ings is of red brick, in Egyptian style
Of architecture, occupying in length
from east to west, an entire block. The
Inaugural Ball was held here after the
induction of the present administra-
ton, and we learn that the next enter
tainment of the same character will be
in this same building, on March 4th.
Agricultural Hall is to the south of
the Capitol on the same line. and in
the same grounds, with the Smithso-
MAN Institute and Museum. Many
interesting features are seen here.
Large rooms are given up to the assert
ment of seeds into packets, which are
sent all over the country by the Mem
bers to their constituents. In the
main Hall are casts in wax of
every variety Of fruit, vegetable, ce,
real and nut produced in our cOun-
try, and they are so close to nature
that you want to taste the juicy peach
and luscious grape. The taxidermist
of the Smithsonian is the artist, for
indeed all the casts are works of art
The Kansas exhibit, of the many pro
ducts of that state, vegetable, animal
and mineral, which were taken to the
Centennial in 1876, has been sent to
this hall, and is a study In Il room
entirely devoted to this purpose, you
can see the whole process of silk man
ufacture, from the cocoon to the silk
ready for the market When we leave
here, and before entering the Smith
sonian, the roar and growl Of wolves,
bears, tigers, and leopards call our at
tention to the embryo Zoo Just in
its infancy.
The Smithsonian proper is now de
voted principally to an expression of
anthropology, as shown in the various
races of man, at different eras-casts
of all types of the human race, and
their manner and mode of living, are
all laid out in miniature; their weap-
Ons for warfare and the chase; also
fish, birds, domestic animals, and every
thing analogous to the period of the
inhabitants.
About a year since, the new NIu-
scum WAS opened as an annex to the
Smithsonian, as that was not large
enough to fairly exhibit its rapidly
increasing curios. The Museum is
one story high, but spread over a
large area of ground In the center
of the building is large dome, from
which all the various departments IA
diate. Here Il large fountain, throw
ing its spray SO high that the tall palm
trees in the vicinity are kept moist
and green. Near the principal en-
trance are various departments; mark
ed, Washington Relics Jefferson,
Lafayette, General Jackson, General
Grant, and many others. OF all these
General Grants is the rarest and
finest; large number of the princely
Gifts rr..eDfpi IN hin, while IN his