Telegram-herald., 1890-04-22
UNDER The BIG R0TUNDA.
a PORTION @ TrE CAPfToA "f1EaE
oNe ALWAYS PAosES.
s.szas ~ the Fasoas Ozs MAy Sc r-sssnx
fhTSSxA ths Ap-xtzsat IL snslss<s
Representative aEa s~s2tSrs osaS--1s
Fressy Wezasz AxS Jssrs4llsEs-


lsp0c-l Corresposls2osl
WAsHINGToS April l7.-Thsre Is one
srOs ia TIE CapAol " hlch never gro~s old
70 the veteran asoiruss 0f the osg build
ing. Il IS the sreas rosund@- where The
moss majestic s-chirecturl proportions,
works Of ar u historic interest aud
steady stream OF pretty women and
faaasus Eaea combine % sttr2cy the eve
and enlist the attention. There arc
benches here, ana one may 81 down and
watch the kaleidlscope Of human hgures
set in q beautitm frame q marble and
fresoo. Directly through the rosunda
passes the walk which thousands take
. every day from senate 10 house, on house
70 senate. Ia one door and out the other
all TIE famous Americans have passed
during the last fifty years; each day that
congress sits sooTss of men whose names
are known all over the country may be
seen sErolling along singly, IN pairs, or
groups.
The senator or representative even the
yeriest stranger may know, for states
men always pass here bsreheaded. Their
hats are hung in the cloak rooms, and
these they do not take the trouble 20 get
on starting for committee room or the
other end Of the Capitol Not 50 with
the newspaper men, who are almost as
numerous and as well known here As
senators and representatives. Journal
ists are never seen in the corridors Of the
Capitol with bare heads. though they
have coat rooms as spacious as those
used by the members of the two houses.
No one can tell why one class Of men
who earn their living in the national
state house habitually appear with hats,
while another class are always bare
headed; but such is the fact.
AS the men and women come and go we
notice other peculiarities and eccentrici-
ties. No one appears 10 walk through this
hall without pauslng, or At least slowing
his pace. There is so much 10 see, SO
many lines of beauty which one may
never before have observed, that instinct
lively the eyes wander hither and yon.
Simply as an experiment In observa-
| ton we sit down to note for a half hour
! the notable or known men and women
! who pass This is always an interesting
experiment, 10 matter where tried. Ii
is dou6ly interesting here, for 1t is spot
| that stands midway between the two
houses of congress, spot In which his
tory is centered and where history is
still being made The very first couplj
TO attract our attention are men whom
one would hardly have expected TO see
together. They are Mills and Gear, OF
the ways and means committee-the one
a representative of Republication and
the other Of Democracy. Gear we OBJ
serve to be a carelessly dressed man CT
80 or more years, with a face thickly
bearded, and way of dropping his head
| down toward his breast which many
thoughtful men have.
Mills looks older than his companion
out as matter OF fact is not so old. HIS
complexion is as ruddy as that Of girl
and his eyes have the twinkle of kindli
ness and good nature. Neither of thess
party warriors seems TO care q rap about
his dress, though both, thanks, mos
likely, TO their good wives. are entirely
presentable At first sight one woulC
say that neither was a genial man, We
this is but another illustration of the rul,
that appearances are deceitful, for two
more companionable, informal, delight
ful men do not walk these marble floors
AS we step up the two men are talking
about Secretary Blaine and the schem,
of international reciprocity which he i
said to have devised.
There is one thing I can say abou
Dir. Blaine" remarks Governor Gear
He has the most phenomenal memory
/ have ever known. A few days ago
was calling on the secretary, when ht
asked me 10 sit down. Gear said he
you are the very man | wanted TO see
For long time | have been wanting t,
ask you about some families which lef
my old county in Pennsylvania thirt,
years ago and ssstled in the part of low;
which you now represent in congress
How are the Smithsons getting along
And the BrownsY And Mr. Blaine wen
on" added Governor Gear, "to make in
quiries about no fewer than twenty-fv
families. member Of which he had no
seen for more than a quarter OF a cen
tury. he not only remembered tn
names. bat characteristics and famil
histories, and when my own memory wa
at fault, though | have known nearl
every family he made inquiry about, h
described the heads to me with such par
ticularity that | could not fail to recal
them had ! ever known them. A yer
remarkable thing was that he could ~
member the names of nearly all the girl
whom these men had married and ais
the names Of their children. and anon
the children whom be remembered at
many Of the best men in my state.
At this point the group is enlarged b
the addition Of a figure which ten c
fifteen years ago was well known in tn
capital and the press Of the country.
ia that Of an old man, slightly stooped
with an enormous gray mustscbe and
pink complexion-J. Proctor Knott, c
Kentucky. Here said Nr lls, ii
the man who has the greatest coiiecuo
Of canes and pipe in America KDoti
ho- many pipes and canes have 70
now We'll, SAYS the Old orator an
rscoateur. when left home I "a
ninety eight pipes and l54 canes, but b
this time there are probably many nor
there, for my friends al over the oour
Try are ssndiug ne in little presents c
thst soTt al the time. They know ! az
IN the pipe and cane business, and suJ